Happy Halloween!

BOO! :) Happy Halloween y'all! I get to spend my Halloween night at the crisis line-awesome. Busy day today-training all day long, my trainee JuJuane is a lot of work!!! Ha-just kidding, she is awesome!

I must tell you about me and Mikey's adventure to Shop and Save last night....in the hood. Yea, two whiter than white people goin' on in like we own the place....not a good idea. First of all, how many morons does it take to purchase five items at the grocery store? I mean seriously, you would have thought Mike and I were retarded.....maybe we are. We stood in the pre-made cookie aisle for like 10 minutes trying to decide what kind to buy...not to mention our debate over the peanut butter....so, after our near death experience at the grocery store, we headed back to Mike's house to bake our pre-made cookies and make our special spider treats (they involved Ritz crackers, peanut butter, pretzels and raisins). We were in a time crunch because we needed to watch Dancing With The Stars (we actually wanted to watch the Charlie Brown Halloween special too, but didn't get that one in). I must say, our spiders turned out pretty well (it was all about "stickin' 'em in and spreadin' 'em out)! DWTS was way fun and very controversial as Cameron (our fave because he's hot) and Sabrina were the ones in the bottom two. I vowed to never watch again if Cameron was voted off (a bit melodramatic, but whatever). Well, he was saved and Sabrina "Cheetah Girl" was booted off (to which Mike yells "take that, Cheetara!!!"). Good thing, I would have hated to actually carry out my threat to stop watching.... :)

Getting poked and prodded....and I ain't done yet!

Ok, maybe I'm rethinking this decision to go to an allergist and finally get some testing done to see what all I'm allergic to. I say this as I am finally home FIVE hours after my appointment. Yes, it's been a long day. And I haven't even had the skin test done yet. Seems you first have to have a chest x-ray, a sinus x-ray, blood work and a pulmonary test before you can get the skin test done. That, and your body has to be rid of antihistamines for at least five days-this is BS! You mean I gotta live without my Benadryl? My appointment was very thorough-lots of questions and my doctor murmuring "oh yes, you're a classic case" (I was hoping she didn't mean "head case"). She even at one point said "I am very excited to skin test you". Seems she thinks I'm gonna have lots of reactions to the allergens injected into my skin. Yee haw-can't wait for that! My hunch is that the treatment she is gonna recommend is a nasal spray (ick) as they are the best way to address my multi-allergy needs. So, after my appointment, I was shooed off to the x-ray lab for my chest and sinus x-rays. Can anyone tell me why they need to know when your, um, last menstrual cycle was? Uncle Nick-you're a radiologist, can you tell me? Anyway, let me tell you how fun this test was-in order to get a good look at my sinuses, I had to stand against the machine with my mouth wide open, I also had to hold my breath during each shot she took (seems she was dawdling just a bit.....). It wasn't painful, although she made me take my hair down from it's mess on top of my head-the after effect was quite scary, just in time for Halloween! Next was my favorite part-the blood test. Now, needles in and of themselves do not bother me, but for some reason every time I have blood drawn, I get light headed and feel like I'm gonna faint (I actually have fainted Marie Osmond style before while giving blood. Let me tell you, waking up to smelling salts in your face is not fun!). I warned the girl right away of my history so she had me go ahead and lay down-no fainting on her watch! I managed to live through the procedure, a little nausea but no fainting...I'm good to go! I will do the pulmonary test on Saturday morning and will then reconvene at my doctor's office on Nov 19 to complete the skin test-I chose that day because I am off work and she informed me I should "plan on being with us for a couple of hours". Yay.

So.....HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY to my baby cousin Ben! I know you couldn't wait to turn 21, now here's the sad truth-it's all downhill from here! Ha! Just kidding! I love ya cuz-can't wait to see you and Ashlee, have a great and safe birthday!

I'll be doing a lot of birthday shout out's the next couple of months as it seems everyone in my gigantic family was born at the end of the year.

Now it's time to chill for a bit. I am going over to Mike's house around 6 to bake cookies for work tomorrow. Yay! Should be fun!

Why did the electric go out?

Ok, so me and the lights just aren't getting along lately. First there was my much documented ordeal with the bathroom lightbulb and then last night, as I was getting ready to go to bed, the power went out....in the entire neighborhood. It was eerie, spooky, scary-it was pitch black outside. Ok, so I call Ameren UE hoping to get some answers (not that I really care since I am going to bed, but whatever). The oh-so-friendly lady on the other line says they just started getting calls about this and projected they will have the power back on around.....1:15AM. Uh, that didn't so much work for me. What about my alarm clock? Do you really think I'll wake up at 6am on my own???? So, I set about trying to find my lighter thingy so I could light some candles so I could actually see (I had to find my cell phone so I could set the alarm). I managed to do so without killing myself. I had forgotten which lights I actually left on during the power outage (never mind that I didn't think to look at them when I had the candles on), so imagine my surprise when the entire apartment lit up like the 4th of July around 10:45pm......

I hear congratulations are in order for my baby cousin Ben and his wife Ashlee......they are gonna be parents! YAY! Another great grandchild to bring in the bunch! So exciting! And Ben is finally gonna be 21 tomorrow (never mind that he celebrated his 21st birthday two years ago....). Congrats guys I love you!

Guess who I got to see yesterday? My old friend Matt Harris. He used to work with me at the crisis line but moved to Florida a couple years ago. I missed Matt Harris! I hadn't seen him in quite some time (not as long as it's been since I've seen Canada, but close....). It was so good to see him. He, Renee and I (and their friend Laura) went out to dinner last night at House of India-yummy Indian food. It was pretty much awesome!

I am off work tomorrow. Not for anything fun, however. After all these years dealing with various allergies, I am finally going to an allergist to be poked and prodded to figure out what all I'm allergic to. Can't wait. I had to fill out a seven page questionnaire about my allergy history-it was quite stressful. After the appointment I am just gonna chill until the evening, then I am going over to Mikey's house to......BAKE! I know, you're thinking to yourself "Kerri doesn't bake". It's true, I don't, however, Mike and I are responsible for bringing the treats to our Wednesday team meeting, and Wednesday just happens to be Halloween, so we are going to make very special Halloween treats! It'll be fun!

Finally have a get-together scheduled with my old college friends Christi, Mike and Lori and.....Mike D for December. I can't wait to see them, it's been way too long!

Ok, I'm done for now, I had a small window to blog and now I must get back to actually working. Have a good Monday, y'all!

0-8 is GREAT!

Ah, the St. Louis Rams. They are so horrible that, today, IN THEIR HOME STADIUM MIND YOU, they were the underdogs. And with good reason. Yes, today they lost to the Browns to make their stellar 2007 record 0-8. I think that's hot. I say, why not go for the whole 0-16 and get yourself the first round draft pick for next year, huh? May as well get something out of your crappiness.....

So, our annual Halloween outing was last night. As you all know, Halloween is my favorite and my girls and I love to celebrate it every year. We always dress as a group (in previous years we have been a teenage slumber party, witches, pirates and hoosier Blues fans). This year? We went as campers-from the 1970's. I don't know how authentically 1970's we were, but let me tell you, we got a LOT of comments and compliments about our costumes. That's all we ask. I actually called my mom yesterday-I figured since she was alive in the '70's that she'd remember what people looked like back then. She told me we were gonna need polyester, bellbottoms, long nails, lots of blue eye shadow and Cleopatra eyes (I was thinking that I was gonna have to channel Cher circa 1973)-my mom said, and I quote "basically you need to look like a whore". Ok, now that is the second time in a week that my mother has used the word "whore". I'm starting to get concerned........There were six of us involved in this year's plans (me, Carrie, Val, Robin and Boogie and Big Bastard-the husbands). Carrie made our t-shirts....I know this is a family show, so close your eyes....the name of our camp? Camp Wannahumpalotta. Cute, huh? I think it was a concept dreamt up years ago in a drunken stupor and this year we decided to bring it to life. Us gals even had cutesy names: Biffy, Buffy, Miffy and Muffy. I was Miffy. The husbands had very integral roles-Boogie (Carrie's hubby) was our Camp Director-he had on some seriously hideous plaid shorts....and a whistle (which, by the end of the night, I wanted to strangle someone with). Big Bastard (Val's hubby) was our Activities Director-he had on some old short cutoff Levi's that left very little to the imagination, and the greatest afro wig I had ever seen-complete with a workout sweat band around it. I decided I was in love with him last night-he looked so hot. Jimmy (Rob's hubby), always the independent Halloween costumer (he is a master with the Halloween makeup), was a mummy/Jester-guy-person-thingy. I'm not too sure what he was, really, but he looked way awesome if not a little creepy.

We typically hang out in the CWE (Central West End for those not in the STL) for Halloween, but prior to that, this year, we went to the roller derby. Yes, that's right, the roller derby. We met up with some of Jimmy's friends (his friend Paul was the ugliest geisha I had ever seen....) to watch a bunch of chicks skate around a rink and beat the crap out of each other....at least that's what we were hoping to see....there wasn't much beating each other up-it was mostly just skating around....I never did figure out the concept of the game....maybe that's because I was eating jello shots like my life depended on it. We brought with us dozens of jello shots, each of us gals carried them in our plastic pumpkins and handed them out to strangers...they were a big hit!

After the roller derby madness, we finally headed down to the CWE to meet up with........Polster???? Yes, that's right, he had messaged me on MySpace to see if I was going out, I informed him we'd be hitting the CWE and he decided to meet up with us after the Blues game (who actually know how to win, unlike our Rams!). We met up at Bar Italia where I fed him and his friend jello shots (ok, I didn't literally feed him....). We had some beer and some laughs and some good times before they had to head out to Harrah's (I can't remember why, but I got a 2:30am text message from Polster informing me he had won $100-nice work!). After Bar Italia, we used our connections to sneak in to Mandarin. Mandarin is a club. A place you won't usually find me. It is full of beautiful, skinny people-not my speed. But, hey, Jonathan's girlfriend got us in for free, so I couldn't complain too much. There, we gave jello shots to the beautiful skinny people, although as they took them from our plastic pumpkins, some would ask "there aren't any drugs in them, are there?". We told some dude that every third one had acid in it, to which he replied "cool". I mean, there was probably a bowl full of Ecstasy tablets in the bathroom anyway.....

We were over the club scene pretty quickly, so we decided to end the night at one of our favorite late night places-Uncle Bill's on Kingshighway. Nothing like greasy breakfast food at 2am! It kicked my ass it was so awesome. Today, I woke up MUCH later than I planned and was pretty much a lump of crap for a big portion of the afternoon. I did manage to get my 2.5 mile walk/jog in and now here I am, blogging for you. I am hoping to go over to my friend Renee's house later. Our friend Matt is in town from Florida-I haven't seen him in quite some time, so I'm hoping to be able to hook up with them later. Other than that, my weekend is about over....again. Why is is always almost Monday????

Happy 32nd Birthday today to my friend Christi! Shit-are we really already that old?????? Where did the time go? Anyway, girl, I hope you have a GREAT birthday. I love you and am so glad that we are all going to get together soon (I seriously thought Mike D had fallen off the face of the Earth!). Tell your family I said hi and I will see you, Mike and Lori and Mike D soon!!!!!

Happy 29th birthday to my sister and my brother-in-law Jon!

Yea, it's a little weird that they have the exact same birthday (10/27/78), but it's also a little sickeningly cute...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RED AND JON! I hope you both have an absolutely fabulous 29th birthday. Yay for you-next year you get to join me in the Dirty Thirty club....just remember, I'll always be much, much older than you (that should make you feel better!). I love you guys soooooooo much, and even though I just saw you last week, I miss you! Enjoy your time with Jon's parents, we will see you guys soon-Thanksgiving isn't that far away!!!!

Where in the hell are the marshmallows/How many girls does it take to change a light bulb?

Why does everyone become retarded when it rains in St. Louis? Can anyone answer that question for me? I mean, seriously. I saw three people run red lights this morning, I saw another car swerving in/out of lanes with no turn signal. I mean, the nerve! I wouldn't have cared except they were all IN MY WAY. Get it together people!

Ok, so, I stopped by the grocery store today on my way home from work. I had only three items on my shopping list: marshmallows, Malibu rum (don't ask, it involves blue jello shots...) and light bulbs. Pretty simple task, right? Well, for most people it would be. But not for this girl, oh no, this girl couldn't find the effing marshmallows. It's not like there is a marshmallow aisle or anything. So, I first went to the aisle I thought made the most sense-the baking aisle. Yea, nope not there. So then I quickly ruled out all the aisles I thought they couldn't possibly be in (the Mexican aisle? I don't think so.). Well, turns out, the damn things ARE in one of the aisles I had ruled out and are on the bottom shelf. So not user friendly, Schnucks!!!! I had some difficulty finding the light bulbs too but by God, I found the Malibu rum right away....

So, how many girls does it take to change a light bulb? Good question. Ok, so two nights ago, my bathroom light went out. No biggie-I have new bulbs in the closet, I'll change it, life will go on, right? Wrong. The new effing bulb didn't work either. Ok, now, I'm pretty sure I know how to screw the light bulb in, I mean, after all, it ain't rocket science. I even experimented with the new light bulb and put it in a lamp and it worked just fun. Ok, so I'm thinking-it's an old apartment, I know my landlord has told me before you may have to trip the circuit breaker. Again, I can handle this-I marched down to the basement last night, tripped it, came back upstairs and nothing. On top of that, I had to freakin re-set everything! NOT my week...

So today I called my landlord. Here is an excerpt:

KD: Uh, so this may sound like a dumb girl question, but I changed my bathroom light and it still isn't working (that really wasn't a question so much as a statement, was it?).

Dennis The Landlord: What do you mean it's not working?

KD: Yea, it won't turn on.

Dennis: Did you try resetting it?

KD: Yes

Dennis: Did you try another light bulb?

KD: Yes

Dennis: Try hitting the test button on the outlet and try it again, then call me back.

KD: Ok

So, in my own head I'm thinking-maybe it just hates that brand of light bulbs, so while at the store, I picked up some real fancy Schnucks brand bulbs (at 4 for a $1.00 you really couldn't beat it!), got home, put the Schnucks light bulb in and....VOILA! We have light! Now, I don't know WTF was wrong with the other ones, and I really don't care because I have light in the bathroom again and now don't have to get ready in the dark....

If you didn't already love me, you'd think I was the most retarded girl on Earth, wouldn't you?

Finally, some productivity!

Well, after my last post yesterday, I decided to do something productive. Something I really don't have time to do otherwise. Yes, that's right, I rearranged my closet. Some of you may be saying "big deal". Well, let me ask you this-have you seen my closet? No? I didn't think so. Let me tell you about it-first of all, I live in an old building in the city, closet space was at a premium in the 1950's apparently. Anyway, so my closet is big enough to hold rougly 3 shirts and a pair of shoes. Exaggerating a bit, but you get the point. So, in order to complete this grandiose project, I decided I needed some help, so I went to my local Wal-Mart and bought some storage containers, including one that fits under the bed (genius!). Then, when I got home I literally pulled every article of clothing/shoe that I own and put them in piles on the floor. Oh, it looked like a bomb went off, it was a little scary. So, I first set about organizing each pile by type of clothing item and by season. Then, I took all my summery shoes, threw them in the under bed box and filed 'em away! Then I decided what clothes I was tossing. The rule? If you haven't worn it in the last year, you ain't gonna-so get rid of it! So, I did. And now? The closet looks awesome. There are still a few items that don't really fit, I am awaiting the arrival of my new dresser from Ikea to solve that little problem (can't get it here until after Thanksgiving, however, because it is at my parents house...not to mention once I get it here, I will have to put it together myself-that's the beauty of Ikea!). I also completed all my laundry yesterday, did some dishes, took out the trash, and walked 2.5 miles. Look at me being all domestic and stuff. Impressive, huh?

So, totally glad that Mark Cuban FINALLY got voted off Dancing With The Stars. It was about damn time. But again, like when Wayne "Muppet" Newton left, I found there was an entertainment hole. Who will creep me out now? I can't decide who my favorite is at this time, I really like Cameron but I don't think he'll win....he IS hot though...

So, today is my last lounging day before I head back to work tomorrow. Actually, I have to work at the crisis line from 5-9 tonight, so I really only have a few hours of freedom left. That's ok though, I'm ready to get back. My precious Mikey texted me today to tell me he missed me. AWWWWWW! I miss you too Mike! Tomorrow, the tag team duo will be back together again! Watch out world!

Lazy bum

It is 1:25 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, and I am still in my pajamas. And it is HEAVEN. I should take random days off work more often. Granted, I'm not accomplishing a damn thing, but isn't that what time off is all about-relaxing? I'm doing that and then some....

I did get a bit angry yesterday, however. All day long the one and only thing I looked forward to was watching Dancing With The Stars (sad, I know, but nonetheless true). I made some yummy tacos for dinner (yes, I turned on both the stove AND the oven!) and sat down to watch my show. Did y'all see Marie Osmond faint? That was kinda scary, but anyway......about 40 minutes into the 90 minute show, the channel goes out. I see this friendly little message that says "we are aware this channel is out, please do not call us, we will have it back on as soon as possible" (or something to that effect). I scanned through the other channels and saw that ABC was the only channel out. It'll only be a few minutes, right? WRONG! When I turned the tv off around 10:30pm, it was STILL out. Yes, I missed all the rest of my show as well as Samantha Who-which I was also looking forward to seeing. Bastards at DishNetwork! This was a vast conspiracy, wasn't it? Wasn't it??????

Oh well. So, today thus far I have slept in, watched All My Children and got caught up on my MySpace messages. Yep, I've been real productive. In a bit I think I am gonna actually put on some clothes, take out the trash, do some laundry and maybe run an errand or two. Then again, Days of our Lives is on in 30 minutes so........

Dallas Trip Part 3- I hate DFW airport!

Ok, so after mom decided she wouldn't be a whore for history, we headed on back to Red and Jon's house, chilled for a bit before meeting Uncle Rich for dinner at this place my sister had picked out called Love and War in Texas (interesting name for a restaurant, I know). The place promised us "Texas Food", "Texas Music" and "Texas Heritage", how could you go wrong? Well, it was actually pretty good food (most of us had big ol' Texas steaks-yum!). My sis was a little disappointed with the lack of "heritage" but everything else panned out, so all in all it was a good dinner. When we returned to their house, we basically just chilled-it was almost 10pm, so the guys (dad and Jon) were downstairs watching God knows what on TV and the girls were upstairs plotting out our Sunday trip to Southfork and Ikea....we were in the office, Red at the computer, mom on one of the other chairs and me on the papasan chair (what I like to call the "salad bowl" chair)-the chair was a bit wobbly on the base, but I thought nothing of it at the time...... Chloe was with us, and Red mentioned that Chloe likes to sit with them when they are in the salad bowl chair, and she apparently wanted to sit with me too. Brace yourself-this gets good. So, Chloe takes her first flying leap up in to the chair to sit with me, but doesn't quite make it. So, she tries again. She makes it this time, only as she does, the entire chair tips over with me and Chloe in it, we go flying out of the chair, I bang my head on the door behind me (well, it was more of a head/neck combo) and when it was all said and done, I had the chair on top of me. Time sorta froze for a second. My mom and sis were all panicked because I didn't move and was totally silent-I think I wasn't sure whether I was hurt or if I should laugh or cry (or if they took United Healthcare insurance in Texas....). They pulled the chair off of me and I must have had this dazed look on my face. My head didn't really hurt too much, and I told them I was fine. I did have a headache immediately, however. As time went on, I got quite nauseated. I wasn't sure if it was from the huge dinner I'd had or if it was from my head injury. I decided to shrug it off and just go to bed (uh, if you have a concussion, don't they say you can't go to sleep for fear you will die?). In the morning, I had a bit of a stiff neck (still do), but no knot on my head, thus, I am assuming no concussion. Leave it to me to find a way to get injured while on vacation....

So, Sunday was quite exciting-Southfork and Ikea in the same day? How could it get any better? Southfork itself is a bit disappointing-during the show Dallas, they shot a lot of the scenes outside the house but the inside shots you saw? They were from some sound stage in LA. Boo! It was still fun though-we went through the Southfork museum, where they were showing clips of the show (Jon educated himself on who's who). We were reminded of who shot JR-it was that bitch Kristen, who was Sue Ellen's sister. But then again, she was just pissed because JR knocked her up and wouldn't marry her, so maybe he deserved it.....did you realize the show ran from 1978-1991? I had no idea. What I DO remember is being totally in love with Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) when I was like 9 years old....man, 20 years ago he was HOT! After our fun at Southfork (where I added a Southfork magnet to my collection), we headed out to my mecca and yours.....IKEA! Now, mom and dad had never been to an Ikea (or ever heard of it, really), but I do believe they are now converts! In fact, Red and I were like "geez, they are taking longer to look around than we are and we were the ones who wanted to come!" I do belive they are ordering a new bedroom set from there...out of control, I tell ya! I got a new dresser (that I sent home with my parents seeing as it most likely would not have fit on the plane...) and some other knick knacks, then we headed back to Red and Jon's so I could pack as I had a 6:45pm plane to catch.

On our way to DFW, we made jokes about how every time Red and Jon have gone there to try to fly to St Louis, something always happens to delay them-once they sat there for hours only to be told that their flight had been cancelled and that they could fly out the next morning....fun stuff like that. But, we figured it was just their luck, so no worries, right? Wrong. As soon as they dropped me off, I went inside to check my luggage and noticed that 1. they told me that I had to go to the A terminal (after previously checking online and being told it was the C terminal, but whatever...) and 2. that boarding began at 7:15pm-a full hour after it was supposed to. I asked the lady if she knew why and she says "oh, they're waiting for the plane to get here". Oh, ok, great. Here is why this is a pain in the ass-when you have a very very nice friend coming to pick you up from the airport, the last thing you want to do is call them and tell them that the flight has been delayed by an hour...especially on a Sunday night when they have to get up at the crack of dawn the next day to go to work...but this is exactly what happened when I called Mikey to tell him-he assured me he could still pick me up at 9:20, so I set about trying to get my ass over to the A terminal (it involved escalators and a tram) and then bought some magazines since it was clear I'd be sitting awhile. The plan was still in tact for us to start boarding at 7:15 as far as I knew....well as 7:15 came and went, we all started to get a bit antsy, when they announced that our plane was there, but that wasn't the problem. No, now it seems one of our flight attendants had called in sick and they were waiting on a replacement one to get there so that we could actually load the plane and take off....near tears at this point, I called Mike back and told him not to worry about coming to get me because, at this point, it wasn't clear what time I was actually gonna leave or get home. Finally, around 8pm, we started loading the plane. I was just so tired and just wanted to be home....they actually loaded us up and took off in record time and we landed in St Louis at around 9:30pm. Great, right? Yes, well then the fun of waiting at the baggage claim for my luggage began. Lambert is not known for their speedy luggage arrival....I waited about 30 minutes or so and finally got my luggage, then headed out in search of a cab-since I had told Mike not to worry about getting me, I had to find a way to my car parked in the parking lot at work. Well, a $20 cab ride later and I was at my car-finally! I ended up walking through my front door at about 10:45pm, threw my crap down, got my jammies on and basically went to bed. And that sums up my Dallas trip....I actually had a lot of fun, in spite of my near-concussion and delayed flight. I loved being with my family and can't wait to see them all again, which will be in about a month at Thanksgiving. Red and Jon-you have a beautiful house and I know the transition has been hard, but it will get easier. Know that your family back in Missouri loves and misses you. Mom and dad-I hope you don't kill each other during your drive back to Salem today....Love you!

Dallas Trip Part 2-I won't be a whore for history!

Ah, back home. After a harrowing experience at DFW, I am finally home (a bit dramatic, but you know....). So much to talk about-breaking most of my nails, nearly getting a concussion (more on that later) and my effing delayed flight, where do I start? Oh, and I bet you're wondering where the title came from, huh? More on that later as well.....the story picks up where we left off, Friday afternoon....

So, after my lunch with Uncle Rich at PF Chang's (uh, could that food BE any better? I think not), we managed to track Jon down at DFW (not so hard when you have someone who knows what they're doing with you!) and then Uncle Rich dropped us off at Red and Jon's house. Once there, Chloe was reunited with her daddy (VERY excited!) and Jon and I prepared to take on our next task-grocery shopping. Seems my sis left us a shopping list and it was our job to complete this mission. Imagine Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (you can decide who was who) in the produce section of Tom Thumb (what kind of a grocery store name is that anyway?) trying to figure out what my sister meant by "fruit salad". Huh? We were so confused, we even asked the girl at the deli if they had any fruit salad made up, she just kinda looked at us like we were retarded (turns out, all my sister meant was a medley of fruits, which we finally managed to get). While at the store, mom calls me to advise that she and dad were at Red and Jon's house-one problem with that-no one was home. Nice, huh? Well, Jon in all his wisdom, remembered that he left the back door unlocked (real safe) so mom and dad were able to break in (I hear dad in the background saying he really had to pee-couldv'e gone my whole life without knowing that, but whatever...). Anyway, Jon and I got there a few minutes later, Red a few minutes after that, and all was well. Chloe was soooo excited to have so many humans there to pay attention to her! After a yummy dinner (where my father had not one but TWO beers!), we all crashed out about 10pm (PARTY!).

On Saturday, we all slept in as much as Chloe would let us, had a lite breakfast and then headed off for the Dallas Arboretum (think the Botanical Gardens), which was actually a pretty cool place. It over looked some lake and you could see the Dallas skyline-very cool. We spent quite a bit of time there. Dad was, of course, telling us the names of all the plants in Latin (and was right most of the time). From there, we headed to downtown Dallas to go see the Grassy Knoll-the site of where JFK was shot and killed. Before that, however, we stopped to eat lunch at this place called Gators. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT-do not EVER eat there! Let me tell you why-after our re re waiter took our orders, we just sat there, sipping on our drinks...then we sat there, and sat there and sat there.....for nearly an hour. Not good. We even asked the manager why our simple orders were taking so long. Well, since he was a re re too, he didn't know. Then my sis saw him and our waiter searching through the tickets and it became clear-they never put our order in! That was enough to set Red off-they came to our table, she announced we were leaving due to the extremely poor service and basically told them how horrible they were. But the best part was, my darling sis says "oh, and thanks for comping us our drinks", before they even offered to, because we were damned if we were paying for them! The manager was mildly apologetic-says he'll take care of us next time we are there-I said there won't be a next time and decided to make it my mission to bad mouth the place....a holes. We managed to find a Chipotle down the street, got some lunch (which was very good!) and then headed for the grassy knoll and the book depository-which is where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly shot JFK from. We all kinda got an eerie feeling just being there, we decided to go on up to the museum to see more stuff. This is where today's title comes in.....as we get near the ticket line, we see that the admission price for the museum is $13.50 per person. This is when my good Christian lady mother says "I won't be a whore for history". Wow. On to the third and final chapter of our Dallas trip.....

The Lonestar State-Day 1

Well, guess I'm blogging after all! I'm sitting here at my sister's house, dog sitting my niece Chloe (who is currently chewing on a bone and staring out the window) so I thought I'd comment on my trip thus far.

Ok, so after Amy dropped me off at the airport yesterday afternoon, I breezed through all the security check points-I had all my lip gloss in a baggie, no liquids in my carry-on, I know how to roll with the FAA baby! Once I got to my gate, I realized I had over an hour to kill, so I walked around the airport (may as well get a little exercise in, right?), bought a book, bought some Diet Coke (after I searched endlessly for Diet Dr Pepper and came up empty). Once we boarded the plane, things didn't start well. It was raining in The Lou and windy, so as we sat there waiting for everyone to get on, the plane was rocking. That little bit of motion was about to make me hurl, and I had no drammamine with me. Not a good sign. We managed to take off without incident and even got to see the most fabulous rainbow after it stopped raining...I took pictures, and if I was cool enough, I'd post them, but I didn't bring my camera-pluggy-in-thingy, so I can't. Deal with it. MIKE-I managed to find you a Big Gay Flight Attendant. I don't think he could have fit in my carry-on, however, so I will keep looking for you, I promise. Ok, so this is on an hour and a half flight, right? Well, of course it would be my luck that we have a SCREAMING BABY on the flight with us....for the ENTIRE time. Even my iPod couldn't drown out this kid. Ugh-the poor dad looked frazzled-he was traveling alone with this darling tot, I kinda felt bad for him, but at the same time, I wanted to shove one of my pretzel sticks in the kid's mouth so he'd shut up......anyway, I arrived in Dallas safely...met up with my sister in the bathroom by the baggage claim (somehow, I just knew she'd be in there-and she was!), we went to dinner at this place called something I already forgot (hey Red, was the food tex-mex or just mex?), we met up with her friend from high school, Kimberly (from Salem to Dallas ten years later-too funny!), had some yummy drinks-The Swirl (a mix of margarita and sangria-YUM!), went back to my sister's GORGEOUS house. It is a house I could only dream of living in, I love it!

So now, here I am with Miss Chloe. She did give me a 5:55am wake up call this morning and came in the room with me for good when my sister left for work (I vaguely remember mumbling that it was ok to leave her in there)-she kept jumping on me and wanted to play. I figured if I tried to play dead she'd leave me alone....uh, not so much. That's one smart dog! Anywho.....so later today I have to pick up my brother-in-law Jon from DFW airport-uh, that place is bigger than all of St. Louis, I swear! Luckily, prior to that, I am having lunch with Rich E (formerly married to my aunt, but we have remained close to him and he lives like 10 minutes away from my sis now!) and he is going to assist me with this airport nonsense. We'll get ya Jon! Mom and dad should be on the road as we speak, they left Salem around 6am today, should be arriving in The Big D later in the afternoon. Ah, Davidson family fun! :) Perhaps I'll be able to keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings during this trip, at the very least I'm entertained by it....I miss everyone in STL, I'm gonna come back with even bigger hair and an even worse country twang....YEE HAW!

Game on!

I got up at 5:15 this morning. The sun is not up then. Did you know that? It is quite dark and night-like. I'm operating on little sleep today. I was able to leave the crisis line a bit early last night (still not arriving home until 9pm, however), had to go by the bank, finish up my packing and load up my car. I think I fell asleep somewhere around 11pm....then I tossed and turned a lot of the night and I think I was up for good around 4am.....as I drove bleary eyed to work, I stopped by my friendly neighborhood QuikTrip for some much needed caffeine then braved the St Louis highways in the dark....why is traffic so bad at SIX IN THE MORNING??? Anyway....I'm here, I've already accomplished a lot this morning, so maybe this getting in at 7am thing ain't so bad after all...

The St. Louis Blues may have won back my loyalty. Now, it's still too soon to tell, but with a record of 4-1 they are looking alright. I finally sat down to watch a game last night (granted, it was only the 3rd period, but hey, I was at work all night, give me a break!), the Blues looked impressive, kicking the crap out of those nasty Blackhawks 3-1. Canada-let the smack talking begin! I'm sure your beloved Red Wings (aka Dead Things) are ahead of the Blues currently, but that may change my friend, that may change. Nothing is more fun than talking hockey smack with Canada. Remember the good ol' days of sporting our hockey jerseys and duking it out hockey style in the hallway? I'm talkin' jersey over the head kind of stuff. It was some good times. Lots of cross-checking going on.....man, back in the day, I was OBSESSED with hockey. Even more so than my Cubs (it's true!). It all started back in the late '80's....my sis and I discovered watching hockey was 1. a great way to spend time with our dad and 2. it was FULL of hot guys. It's true. My sister and I LOVED Peter Zezel, I mean LOVED him. That hockey mullet was H-O-T! We loved hockey so much we used to watch Hockey Night in Canada on CBC-hence why, to this day, I know all the words to the Canadian national anthem (Oh Canada, our home and native land....).

So, I have one hour left of work and I am headin' to Texas y'all! Yee haw! My sis informed me of what terminal I will be flying in to so that I won't be retarded at the airport (I may still be retarded but a little less so). I can't wait! I'm ready to see my fam and have some time off! There will be a blogging hiatus, I'm sorry, but it has to happen. We are packing a lot of activities into our long weekend (including an Ikea trip-YES!), so I may not have any quality blogging time. See ya when I get back! Red-tell Miss Chloe that her Auntie is on her way! :)

BIG Dent County news....what is up with all the bears? P.S. I highlighted all the good parts...

Second bear found in Dent County

A black bear was trapped Oct. 12 at an undisclosed location in the Jadwin area and relocated Oct. 14 to U.S. Forest Service land in Dent County, according to Dent County Conservation Agent David Ingram. Ingram said it is better to transport a bear to another location if possible. "The bear had done nothing wrong, but it was found in an area where there had been bear sightings," Ingram said. "There was some potential problems as it was close to some trail rides, property owners and recreational opportunities," Ingram said. The bear weighed 350 to 400 pounds and was at least 10 years old, Ingram said. The male bear had migrated to Dent County from Arkansas. Conservation biologists used the information on tags to determine where the bear had come from, its age and other information. Ingram said a private landowner reported the bear to conservation department officials Oct. 7. The landowner had a corn feeder out with a trail camera attached. The camera shot pictures of the bear feeding on the corn. Ingram said culvert traps, about four-and-a-half feet tall by eight feet long, were put out Oct. 9. The bear was trapped three days later. Ingram said the bear was transported to an undisclosed location and, with the assistance of U.S. Forest Service employees, released into the wild. Both agencies determined what to do with the bear, he said. Ingram said a program entitled "Aversive Conditioning" was used to force the bear into the woods and perhaps condition it to avoid areas of loud noises and human contact. Dogs were used to run the bear into the woods. It was also shot in the backside with rubber bullets. "That's a conditioning program that that has worked well in other states, and is an alternative to putting a bear down," Ingram said. A young black bear was killed Sept. 5, also near Jadwin, the first one killed in Dent County in recent times, according to MDC officials. The bear had been attracted to beehives, destroying about $800 worth of the hives before being killed by the property owner. Residents who see bears are asked to call Ingram at 729-5242 or MDC Agent Chris Ely, 729-8720.

DWTS drama and other random things that come out of my mouth

Uh, hello, can anyone explain to me WHY Mark Cuban is still on Dancing With The Stars? I mean, seriously people! Does no one else find him as creepy as I do? Besides the creep factor, there is also the fact that he CAN'T DANCE! He must be paying people to vote for him. He is, after all, a self made billionaire....Why did poor little Floyd have to go? I thought he was precious.....anyway......So, I cried like a baby watching The Biggest Loser last night. I think it would be more newsworthy if I DIDN'T cry at this point...last night, the winning team got to watch a video from their families-husbands, wives, kids-it was so sad to see all the contestants crying because they miss their families....man, when did I become such a sap???? I cried during Dancing With The Stars too, but only because I miss Wayne Newton so much.

So, I decided to revamp the pictures in my cubicle today. I have lots of pics of friends, family, friends kids, places I've visted, etc. Over the weekend, I was sorting through some old pics and found a great one of me, Christi, Lori and Deven at Deven's wedding, and another of me, Christi, Lori, Mike L, Deven and Canada from our college days that was just too cute. So, now they are hanging in my cubicle so that I can always have my friends around me! I mean, Lori and Mike and Christi all live here in St Louis, but we hardly ever see each other. Deven is near Jefferson City-I got an email from him recently but haven't seen him since his wedding. And Canada is in, well, Canada-I haven't seen him in, what? Four or five years now, ever since I went to visit HIM....hmmmm, funny, I haven't seen HIM visit ME....not at all bitter about that...love ya DARIN! :) Oh, by the way-I thought of you yesterday during my drive home from work. I was flipping through the radio when I heard a Counting Crows song! :)

Oh, my vacation time is almost here. The next two days are kinda gonna suck though-I am working my part-time job tonight until 9pm, then have to go to the bank to deposit a check and then go home and load my car with my suitcase, etc. THEN, I have to go to bed because, in order to make my 5:30pm flight tomorrow, I am working an earlier shift-7am to 3pm. Meaning, I am gonna have to get up at roughly 5:00 IN THE MORNING tomorrow in order to get to work on time....yikes. At least I can sleep on the plane....no worries, I'll probably be too excited knowing I get to see my family!

Where does the time go?

I swear, I missed half of today. Where did it go? You blink, you miss it I guess. Man, this actually working at work crap has GOT to stop! I have no time to blog, do the crossword puzzle or email. This is ridiculous! Who do I need to talk to about this? Anyway....

So, Mike and I agree that Dancing With The Stars has lost a certain, oh, I don't know, pizazz since Wayne Newton left. It just isn't the same without him, I'm afraid. Who are we gonna make fun of now? Who is gonna give us nightmares thinking of their Muppet-like face? Who I ask? Who? That creepy Mark Cuban should be gone tonight, so that eliminates him from the list of possible candidates....

Only two more working days until I officially hit vacation mode, and I am ready, let me tell ya! My sister informs me it is quite warm during the day but chilly at night which means basically that I will have to pack my entire wardrobe in order to dress for the weather. Thanks Texas. Red, how's the humidity? Should I even bother bringing my flat iron and other straightening gadgets/products? Let me know, because if not I won't bring them, thus, making room for more shoes instead.....man, I am such a girl sometimes. It's sick.

Busy day

Whew! Where did this day go? I just realized it's almost 4pm. Busy, busy, busy. Well, I am training our new employee, easy person to train since I had worked with her at the crisis line for many years. This is my first training opportunity at this job, so it should be fun. It's kinda ironic, since I (along with Amy) was the one who trained her at the crisis line originally! THEN, when I left there and went part-time, she became MY supervisor. Funny how it works out, huh?

Anywho......

It's Dancing With The Stars night. Who's excited??????

Only 3 more working days until I am off for a week. No, I'm not at all thrilled about that.....

Mike-you were being a Mr. PoopyFace today, but I still love you.

Tomorrow is National Boss Day. To celebrate we are having yet another food day....no wonder I have a giant, fat ass........

gloomy Saturday

It is nice and cool and drizzly and cloudy outside today-and I LOVE it! Feels like fall, baby! I finally got to test out my new shoes that were so lovingly chosen just for me by my new friends at The Running Center. They feel great! I jogged 2.5 miles, in the drizzle/rain and when I got home my feet didn't hurt at all! Magic. That, to this point, has been the highlight of my day.....

Last night I had so much fun catching up with my friend Sharon who is in town from North Carolina. I missed her more than I realized! We were out until 2am-WHOA! Party animals! Actually, we spent it talking and laughing and it was awesome. She brought pictures of her beautiful babies, Sophia and Aiden, that will be going in my cubicle come Monday morning.

Today, prior to my jog, I ran errands, bought some new fall clothes (because every girl needs new clothes!) and read People magazine. I got to talk to my sis as well who was heading for the Texas State Fair....sounds, um, interesting. I am so excited to go see her and Jon-I leave Thursday night! Later today, I am heading over to my friend Maggie's house for Stockoberfest 2007. Should be a fun time. I hear there is gonna be a poker tournament, better bring my cheat sheet that Grandpa made for me so I'll know what all the suites are....

Please don't be jealous of my exciting life. You, too, can have one just like it, if you try hard enough......

Self-esteem crisis

Oh, low self-esteem, rearing it's ugly head again (I'm not sure why, since I am one of the ridiculously good-looking people of the world like my dear friend Canada). Am I hormonal today, or what? What is the deal? Ok, so I was at the QuikTrip today (as per usual at 7am on a weekday) and as I was walking through the place, I kept wondering "why are all these dudes looking at me?". Did I assume it was because I am having a fabulous hair day? No. I assumed it was because they thought I was hideously fat. I became quite anxious at that point, assumed they were all staring at my big, fat ass and couldn't wait to get the hell outta there. Yes, I know, I have issues. Therapy, anyone? :)

Ok, so has everyone heard that Elliott Yamin song, "Wait For You"? You know, the dude from American Idol a couple of years ago. Anyway, is it just me, or does the voice totally not match the dude? I mean his voice is rather R&B-esque, doesn't sound like it should be coming from a white Jewish dude. Ok, maybe it's just me.....

The end of today can't get here fast enough. I'm ready for the weekend to begin. But first, I must wade through fifteen cases (a lot) and save some mental health lives (one person at a time). My shift at the crisis line wore me out a bit last night, stick a fork in me because I am definitely almost done. I do get to see my friend Sharon tonight. I think it's been about a year and a half since I've seen her last-thats a long time. I can't wait! Tomorrow is Stocktoberfest. If you weren't invited, then you just aren't cool-that's the word on the street anyway. It's the Party of the Year.

Why does the calendar say it's Columbus Day today? Wasn't it Monday? I'm confused. Why does that guy get TWO days? Was he really that important? I mean, all he did was discover America.....

Finally!

Finally, it feels like October outside! It was 47 degrees as I drove in to work today-that's more like it! That's why I love this month, I love the feel of fall and really prefer fall fashions over summer...LOVE IT! Of course, I'm going to Dallas next week where it will probably be like 90 degrees, but whatever.

Hey Canada-so last night at the crisis line, I got to talk to two different Canadians-one in BC and the other in Ontario. As I hung up with the second one, I said to my friend Allison, "those Canadians sure are a nice people", to which she said "how is your Canadian?". I told her my Canadian was fine and my supervisor JuJuane said "who's your Canadian?". And I said, "Canada", and she said "what?". Funny, huh? Ok, guess you had to be there.........

Ah, last night at the crisis line, we bonded over our love of reality/trash tv (yea, it was a slow night, ok?). I informed JuJuane that now that she will be working normal people hours (she starts at United with me on Monday! Yay!), she will be able to catch up on all her guilty pleasures (Ugly Betty, Dancing With The Stars, I love New York 2-you know, the good stuff), she was very excited about this (like me, she has worked that dreaded 3-11 shift for many years!). It's time for normalcy. I do believe my co-worker Kimly takes the cake though for tv junkie-there isn't a show that girl doesn't watch! I found new respect for her when she confessed last night that she too watched Rock of Love.....and agreed with me that those chicks were skanktastic.

I am instantly in a good mood today due to the cool weather. Granted, I woke up with a headache and am all congested, but I don't care-it's fall, baby! :)

Current GAF=35-40

What is a GAF, you may ask? Well, for those of you not in the mental health world, it is Global Assessment of Functioning. It's how you are functioning in all aspects of life. A score of 35-40 would qualify you for at least Partial Hospitalization-in other words, it's not necessarily good. Why is that my number today? Well, let's see, the day started with a shower (like most days), as I started to wash my hair, I became confused, wondering why the stuff on my head wasn't soaping up....very weird, I thought, was there something wrong with my shampoo? Uh....no, I had actually put conditioner on my head, thinking it was my shampoo....yeeeeeeeeaaaaahhhh, I'm retarded. Guess I'll go buy my helmet and get a guardian today....wish me luck!

I am excited about my trip to Texas next week-a week from tomorrow, to be exact. I have already learned that you don't mess with Texas, so I think I'll be alright. Can't wait to see my sis and brother-in-law again, even though I just saw them a couple of weeks ago. My parents will be in Texas too, although they are driving. From Salem. It's like NINE hours. No thanks. I'll take the hour and a half flight, please. See ya there! The Saturday of our trip is dedicated to JFK and Bobby Ewing. :) Confused? Well, apparently, they do tours of Southfork-the house from the tv series "Dallas". My mom, sister and I are all over that one. I was in LOVE with Bobby Ewing (played by Patrick Duffy, who my mom informs me is now "older than dirt") back in 1985, I even named one of my teddy bears Bobby, after him (I still have Bobby-he's stuffed in a box in my basement). And, of course, Dallas is home to the grassy knoll, site of the JFK shooting. We are sooooooo there. I hope this will be as fun as our family trip to Graceland.....we laughed hysterically at all the Elvis freaks crying and hanging on to his pictures (sorry to any Elvis freaks out there-Broker-I kid because I love!). Anyway, good times should be had by all.

This weekend I get to see my friend Sharon who is in town from North Carolina. I am also going to my friend Maggie's house for Stocktoberfest 2007 on Saturday. Should be fun times. Of course, all that fun is still a few days away as it is only Wednesday currently......

My love affair with Wayne Newton is over

Ah, Wayne, parting is such sweet sorrow....our love affair is over before it began. Yes, my love, Wayne "Muppet" Newton got voted off of Dancing With The Stars tonight. So sad, so sad. Oh well, moving on......So, I don't think I have mentioned this. You know I am a Biggest Loser addict and that I cry every week, right? Ok, well first of all, I didn't cry once this week (heartless bitch!) and second of all, have I ever mentioned that one of the trainers on that show, Bob Harper, is H-O-T? I wanna be on his team! I think he may bat for Mike's team, but still....mama like.

So, I put my Big Girl pants on today and went shopping for a decent pair of jogging shoes. Now that I have been jogging/walking consistently for SIX MONTHS now (damn, you'd think I'd be thin as a rail and you'd think WRONG), I thought it was time. I went to this place call the Running Center, it came highly recommended by several runners that I know, so I decided to give it a try. I loved them. The owner was my own personal shopper (ok, maybe it's just because the other employees were busy with other customers, but whatever....), he made me walk and jog, and do all these leg lifts. He declared me to have "a good arch" (uh, what? Is that a good thing?). My official tennis shoe size? A whopping SIX. Uh, midget feet, anyone? Yea, so, I tried on a few pair and he made me go outside and jog in each of them to see how they felt. I finally decided on a pair and can't wait to try them out-I couldn't tonight because I got home after dark, this single gal is NOT jogging in the city, alone, after dark. Not wise.

No time to blog during the day today (WHAT? You mean I actually had to work while I was....at work? Unheard of!). I nearly lost my mind with frustration today as one of our databases shut down. Not so bad you're thinking, right? Well it is if EVERY one of your cases is in that database. I was ready to call it a day around 1pm and get my happy hour started early (I didn't, but I wanted to). Long story short, the computers finally started working and all was right in the world....at least until tomorrow!

Holy Wayne Newton, Batman!!!

Welcome to my exciting Monday night. It's Dancing With The Stars night, baby! My first comment? What in the HELL was up with that creepy porn star mustachio Wayne Newton was sporting? Anyone else creeped out by it? No more tango, Wayne. Make it stop. Are you sensing a weekly theme? KD is freaked out by Wayne Newton, ok we get it. Moving on.....so the show tonight was pretty fab-everyone danced great, even that Mark Cuban was less creepy (oh, he's still creepy, mind you, just slightly less so). I love myself some Floyd-I don't care what the judges say. Could he be any more adorable? I am actually hoping Wayne Newton sticks around for awhile, he definitely ups my entertainment factor, even if he does, according to Mike, look like a Muppet......

Why is it always Monday?

Every time I turn around, it's Monday again. What is up with that? Anyway.....so today's rant is about something that really should annoy all of you. Yes, I'm talking about those giant blow up things that people put in their yards around the holidays (see above). WTF? Ok, I'm fine with like maybe one in your yard (maybe) but to have like seven? I don't think so. My rant is prompted by this house I drove by today on my way to work (granted it was in the heart of south city, so perhaps it was appropriate). There were seriously like seven giant blow up things in their yard, including a giant halloween Tigger, a ghost and a giant pumpkin. WHY? Never fear, Thanksgiving is around the corner, time for giant turkeys and pilgrims. Maybe I can find a giant replica of the Mayflower to put in my yard...gonna go check eBay right now.....

So, it's Columbus Day today. Why are we not off work? Was Columbus not important to America? I think we should celebrate his importance by not working.....

One Cubs note-I want to thank all my REAL friends who sent me their condolences following the Cubs epic loss this weekend. Friends who understand the pain and suffereing I have to deal with on a daily basis being a Cubs fan.....you guys ROCK!

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do for sports entertainment right now. The Blues have some promise, but at 1-1, it's too early to tell. The Rams are well on their way to an 0-16 season now that they are 0-5. That's hot. Think it's time I took up NASCAR? Or maybe midget wrestling? How bout cricket?

There's always next year...oh wait, have you heard that one before?

Ok, get it out of your system now because after today, I'm done talking about it. I'm talkin' bout the Cubs suck, the Cubs will never win, the Billy Goat strikes again talk. Yes, the Cubs got swept. Yes, it has now officially been 99 years since they've won the World Series, and yes, they looked like a bunch of a-holes out there playing. There is one thing you must remember-at least they MADE THE PLAYOFFS. How many other teams can say that, hmmmmm reigning World Series Champions???? That's what I thought. Yes, the Cubs have broken my heart once again, a collective sigh was heard amongst the Cubs faithful yesterday. Yet another year of getting our hopes up only to have them come crashing down. You gotta admit though, it makes for a good marketing campaign next year-the 100 year anniversary? Genius! It's gonna make those Loveable Losers more popular than ever! I will stop the Cubs talk for now....until around February anyway-around then I will be gearing up for me and Ern's annual trip to spring training with renewed hope for the team that I will love no matter what. GO CUBS! And F the D'backs (who, by the way, are gonna win the World Series this year).

So, how was your weekend? Mine went waaaaay too fast, I must say. Friday night I went to my friend Tanya's for her housewarming party. The condo is very cute and I LOVE Tanya's sister-she's a diehard Cubs fan-how could I not? Saturday started early. Way too early. Mikey picked me up at 8:30AM (that's in the morning, in case you're counting), and we met up with about 20 others to head out to the wineries in Hermann. We took a bus (with stars on the outside-how could it not be fun?) and headed off to Stone Hill. I'm not much of a wine drinker (mainly because after like two glasses I'm eight sheets to the wind.....), but I had a lot of fun. Mike and I compromised on a bottle to split (I like sweet, he likes dry). My favorite part was when our wine taster guy suggested we try one of their "romantic" wines to which Mikey started laughing and said "you're barking up the wrong tree". Ah, Mikey, you know you love me! :) The ride home was fun, complete with some impromtu dancing in the aisles of the bus.......Today has been a chill day. I slept in, I ain't gonna lie, then ran some errands, met my new neighbor (it's me and three old dudes in this four family building......uh, yea, why couldn't it have been some hot dude move in? Is that too much to ask?). I went jogging today, rented some movies, and here we are, now I'm blogging. And now I'm done.

Ok, NOW I'm crabby

Uh, I don't think the Cubs could possibly suck any more right now. What happened to my hero, Ted Lilly? He completely imploded last night, it was like watching a trainwreck. In fact, the entire game WAS a trainwreck. I went to bed in the 5th inning. I was thinking "why in the hell am I staying up, denying myself of much needed sleep, in order to watch this crap"? So, off to bed I went. Oh Cubbies. Go on everyone, start your jokes about the curse and the 100 year anniversary of the last time they won the World Series now. 2008 is gonna be a rough year for us Cubs fans. Once again, they have proven everyone's point about them, that they suck, no matter what. I wanted to have faith, but I am afraid I have run out. I don't even think they'll win at Wrigley tomorrow. Where's that effing goat???? I'm gonna punch him in the throat.

What am I gonna do for sports entertainment now? I mean the 0-4 Rams are the laughing stock of the NFL and the Blues lost their first game last night (granted it's a long season, but come on, it's the Blues). Canada-let the smack talking begin my friend! As usual, I will have nothing, and you will be able to gloat about how your Red Wings are vastly superior over the lowly Blues. You win. At least most of you will be happy because after tomorrow, I will not talk about the Cubs again until next April. Enjoy your break.

I'm having to deal with other people's incompetence again today. Y'all know how I feel about that...I hate cleaning up other people's crap, I really do. At least I'm having a good hair day. And it's Friday. And I have fun plans for the weekend-Tanya's housewarming party tonight and a trip to the wineries tomorrow! Yay!

You know me so well

So, my boss came up to me this morning and said "when I saw the score of the Cubs game, I thought to myself-great, not only is Kerri going to be tired, but she's gonna be crabby too". Ah, Mizz Tullman, you know me so well. Actually, I AM tired, not so much crabby, but I do have a headache.

Yes, my Cubbies lost Game 1, 1-3, but never fear, Ted Lilly is here ( isn't he a cutie?). I have faith in him pitching a great game tonight. But let me tell ya, the offense needs to get in gear (do you hear me Soriano, Ramirez and Lee? I'm talkin' to YOU!). Zambrano was amazing last night, the bullpen? Not so much. Eh, Marmol is still fabulous, just not last night and it cost them big time. I will still be up late tonight cheering on my boys!

Ugh, I am sick. It's yet ANOTHER food day at work today, this time it is to celebrate Jeff's birthday (I think he's like 80 or something but doesn't look a day over 29). We have quite a feast, let me tell ya. Since our team's motto is "I Like Cheese" (please don't ask, it is such a long story...actually, I'm not sure how it started, just know that it is said aloud roughly 700 times a day), Mikey and Amy made Mama Tinnin's cheese dip (yum), there are pies, cakes, potato casserole, deviled eggs (not my famous ones but still very good!). In honor of Jeff's typical dish he brings-meatballs (AKA "Jeff's Famous Balls"), I decided to make the meatballs this time......from scratch. Yes, that's right, good ol' KD was actually in the kitchen, I turned on the stove and everything! Such a big girl! I wasn't sure about the sauce the recipe called for (ketchup, mustard and brown sugar), but I fried up the balls, threw them in the sauce and called it a day. For some reason, Jeff threw pineapple juice in them today (he swears by the liquid), in any event, the balls are reportedly good, even our director Brett said so! I need a nap now from carb overload. That and the fact that I only got about 5 hours of sleep last night are both contributing factors.....

love this pic

Game 1 tonight-GO CUBS GO!

OMG, I could not possibly be any more excited than I am right now. It's game 1 of the NLDS people! My Cubbies are in the desert ready to play the D'Backs later tonight (much, MUCH later tonight.....). I am cautiously optimistic, since this is, afterall, the Cubs we're talking about. Good luck boys, here's hoping Big Z doesn't have one of his patented crazy meltdowns, has his head in the game (as opposed to up his ass) and pitches like he is capable of pitching. I'm gonna throw up......

In other news, Dancing With The Stars is our new subject of choice at work. Seems everyone is afraid of Wayne Newton, it's not just me. Mikey thinks he looks like a Muppet. Everyone agrees he has had WAY too much plastic surgery and doesn't even look human anymore. Most of us are favoring Helio at this point-he's adorable, has a great personality and the man can DANCE y'all!

Why isn't it the weekend yet? My precious boy and I are going to the wineries on Saturday. I'm fairly certain that shouldn't be allowed, is probably illegal in several countries, nonetheless, it's happening. Oh the fun we shall have...........

Repeat this mantra all day-"It's Gonna Happen". Thanks!

WHAT? Albert was robbed!

Why in the HELL is that scary ass Wayne Newton still on the show? Why I ask? Do you think it's America's fascination with his pulled back eyebrows and lack of eyelids? Do you think it's a bunch of 80 year old gals at the old folks home voting for him? Michael-where were your votes for Albert the hottie??? Who is gonna be your man-candy now? We can share Cameron if you'd like. :)

In other fascinating reality tv news, Biggest Loser made me cry yet again tonight. I have decided to not fight it at this point. It's just that, when they get on that scale and get upset when they only lose two pounds, or get excited when they lose 11, I feel for them. I'm a sap, what can I say? Or maybe I'm just jealous since I have felt like a beached whale lately.....

Who schedules this crap?

I'm not complaining. Ok, maybe I am. The Cubs games in Arizona are gonna be broadcast at NINE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT. Uh.....what? That means the games will get over roughly around midnight....in the middle of the week....when most of us have to be at work the next morning at 8:00am......Of course, I will be up, watching and cheering my team on, but still, I wanted to make it known that the time sucks!!!! Guess I better get plenty of sleep tonight because the next two are gonna be cut a bit short. Oh well, it's the playoffs. And for the Cubs to be in the playoffs it only happens once, maybe twice in a century. Game on! :)

My Mikey is back at work today-there is joy throughout the land now. Mike, Amy and I were laughing about something today and our boss Karen said "oh they're back". Yea, Aim and I were a bit subdued without our Mikey-but we're back, y'all!!!!

I'm getting tired of blowing my nose and sounding like a dude every morning (which Mike thinks is "hot"). My ears are now popping which is really annoying. That and I feel bloated today. Uh.....could I possibly complain any more today? Maybe.

Best baseball analogy ever. I had one of my reviewers use this when describing a patient-"she's over the left field fence and gone". That is so freakin' awesome.

I'm scared of Wayne Newton

Seriously, could he be any creepier? Ew.....and his dancing sucks. Hang it up, old man! Go back and visit Dr. 90210 and tell him not so tight on the eyes this time, would ya? Oh, Dancing With The Stars is so fun! I am so loving Helio! He rocks my world! And I love, love, love Ryan Lavery, uh, I mean Cameron Mathison (that is his character's name on All My Children). I think the judges are mean to him. Give him a break already! And Floyd? I like him lots! Still a little creeped out by Mark Cuban. That Jane Seymour sure can dance for an old broad! Should Marie Osmond have been offended when Carrie Ann called her a "hot cougar"? Someone calls me a cougar and they're gonna get a punch in the nose....or a swift kick in the ass, whichever comes first!

Wayne's going home this week. Viva Las Vegas, Wayne! :)

The Bandwagoner selection process

I am currently taking applications for the Cubs Bandwagon Express 2007. If you'd like to join the bandwagon, please note that I will be screening all applications carefully, there will be an interview process, including a question and answer portion. Here are some sample questions:

1. Can you actually name five current Cubs players?
2. Do you like billy goats?
3. Do you believe the Cubs can "reverse the curse"?
4. Is Steve Bartman the most hated man in Chicago? And was it his fault the Cubs didn't go to the World Series in 2003?
5. Are you only cheering for the Cubs because there is no one better to cheer for?
6. Do you promise to watch Baseball Tonight a minimum of three times per week during the playoffs?
7. Will you promise to use the phrases "Holy Cow", "Let's Get Some Runs" and "It's Gonna Happen" at least once per day?

Think you have what it takes to be a Bandwagoner? See me for further details.......

The 2007 NL Central Champion Chicago Cubs!

OMG, I could not possibly be any more excited! My Cubbies are in the playoffs y'all! I was so excited on Friday when they clinched, I swear I almost peed my pants. I didn't realize they could clinch that day, I got home from happy hour that night to hear that they had won and that if the nasty Brewers lost it was post season city baby! So, of course, I had to tune in to the Brewers game to cheer on the Padres and sure enough, the Brew Crew blew it! I then spent roughly the next hour and a half watching WGN-they were interviewing fans in Wrigleyville (drunk and crazy) and also showing footage of the team in the locker room, spraying each other with champagne and beer-it was a beautiful sight.

I must admit, I got a little teary eyed. It was so awesome to see them so excited. Kinda got chills. So, they are taking on the D'backs on Wednesday-they love playing in Arizona, after all, it is where their spring training is! Bring it D'backs! :) Sorry for those of you that hoped and prayed the end of the baseball season would bring an end to my Cubs posts....it's only the beginning my friends! Sorry, you may want to tune out the month of October, because now I'm gonna be REAL obnoxious.... :)

So, had a good weekend. Spent a very interesting friday night at Wal-Mart (enough about that, suffice it to say it was fun), Saturday I had brunch with my sis and Jon-they were in town for Jon's 10 year high school reunion (which we later crashed). I got my hair did (new cut, new color-looks fabulous!), ran some errands, watched the NL Central champs play the Reds-you know, typical Saturday stuff. That night, Erin and I and Red's friends crashed Jon's reunion. It was at Bar Louie, a public place, so we thought why not? My sister was three martini's in to the night when we got there, which is always entertaining.... :) We had lots of fun, thanks soooooooo much to Polster for bringing us free beer-that rocked! The best part of the night was when these two dudes came to our table to chat (I mean, a table full of hot ladies? DUH! Of course they stopped by....). When they asked what brought us out, one of the girls said "a high school reunion". And do you know what one of those dudes said back? "Oh, how many years? Fifteen?". Fifteen????? The look on our faces were of pure shock. My sister (now nearly four martini's in to the night), was about to choke on her drink and the look on her friend Kathy's face could have killed (and Kathy is nice to everyone!). Then this big mouth boy proceeds to tell us about how he just had his FIVE year reunion....uh, yea...next, please! Did yet another brunch yesterday at the sculpture park (such a nice day to be outside!!!), ran some more errands, took a little nap (those allergies and allergy meds are kicking my ass!), and then I watched two hours of Baseball Tonight. I had to see who they were predicting would win the World Series-most were on the Yankee's bandwagon (gross), some on the Phillies bandwagon (their story is amazing, but still-gross). One dude did predict a Cubs/Red Sox World Series but would not predict a winner (wuss). A few felt the Cubs were the team to beat in the NL-I'd rather they be the underdogs and fly in under the radar, but that's just me.


Ok, gotta go, I gotta order my 2007 NL Central Champions t-shirt!

P.S. Could the Rams possibly suck any more?