"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!" = "Let the good times roll!" [for those of you not from around these parts, or don't speak-a zee Cajun French]

Happy FAT TUESDAY to all of you out there!!! I even color-coordinated my outfit today (sad, huh? I prefer to think of it as "festive") -- green shirt, yellow necklace, and purple purse... Tacky, tacky, tacky, and I LOVE it!!!! And then of course, everyone in my office is now loaded down on Mardi Gras beads. You can imagine the jokes I'm getting from all of our male co-workers... But don't worry, we aren't earning them here at the office!!!

Since I was unable to attend any New Orleans Mardi Gras festivities this year (thanks Katrina, you whore), I'm having to pull out some pictures from last year. Actually, they're quite tame (though I was pretty DrUnK anyway), but it was fun nonetheless... We were down there before things really got rolling and caught the Krewe of Barkus parade last year (see picture above), where the theme was "Harry Pawter & the Sorcerer's Bone". I also ran into my friend Ashley randomly at that event, which was a nice surprise (see left). Of all the New Orleans street corners, she had to pick mine! Or maybe it was the other way around.. ;)

Yesterday, several of us from work went to a "motivational seminar" in Birmingham featuring (among others) Zig Ziglar and the ever-lovable Rudy Giuliani (pictured below, a view from the "cheap seats" -- i.e. "the ones near the bathroom"), both of whom were amazing speakers... I could have done without some of the "audience participation" and singing bits (I'm just not one of those people), but damnit, I'm fucking motivated today!!!! Or something like that. Hee, hee...

Later taters...

Weekend Tidbits (Brace Yourselves -- Ha!):

Saturday:

I sat down on a dreary day just as "Annie Hall" was coming on tv, so of course I had to watch it. I swear, that is one of the most brilliantly written, directed, casted, etc. movies ever -- and, no, I'm not some huge Woody Allen fan or groupie (although I love me some Diane Keaton, even if she does have some of the most atrocious personal fashion sense I've just about ever seen). It's just that there are some of the most brutally honest situations, thoughts & comments in that movie, it's almost scary (as is the fact that it was made the year I was born!). If you have never seen this movie, or if it's been awhile, get thee to Blockbuster, Netflix, whatever, and rent/buy it... immediately, if not sooner!!!

[Alvy addresses a pair of strangers on the street]
Alvy Singer: Here, you look like a very happy couple, um, are you?
Female street stranger: Yeah.
Alvy Singer: Yeah? So, so, how do you account for it?
Female street stranger: Uh, I'm very shallow and empty and I have no ideas and nothing interesting to say.
Male street stranger: And I'm exactly the same way.
Alvy Singer: I see. Wow. That's very interesting. So you've managed to work out something?

(Note: I had to watch this movie in college for a class on the 1970's that I took under one of my history professors, Dr. McElvaine -- whose politics I do not always agree w/ as he is pretty darn liberal, but he made class soooooooo hilarious & entertaining!!! I had a friend who had a huge crush on him for that very reason. He also had us watching stuff like "Chinatown" & "Blue Velvet". One day, I was in Books-a-Million & picked up Life's Book on the 20th Century & saw that Dr. Robert S. McElvaine was one of the few historians tapped to write about different periods -- his forte' was the Great Depression. You have to admit, sometimes a liberal arts college isn't all that bad!!!)

Sunday:

Picture it: The sky is a crystal-clear color of blue, a shade of blue so lovely & rare that I'm not even sure if it has a J.Crew color name yet. I have just finished re-filling my collection of bird feeders outside, and I don't know how the hell they know it, but the birds are already swarming my yard again. For all you ornithologists out there, my backyard becomes a virtual open-air aviary whenever you put food out... (my grandmother wrote on the bottom of her Christmas yearly re-cap letter -- "Don't forget to feed the birds!!!" I take it to heart...)

Anyway, I'm sitting in a chair on my back porch, relaxing, just enjoying and relishing in the peace and quiet. Enjoying an absolutely beautiful day...

And then I look over to find that my angelic little female dog Mattie (self-proclaimed "Alpha Dog") has my adorable little male dog Winston (the "new man in town") cornered by the door, steadily mounting and humping him. Yet again. [I know it's a way of expressing dominance, but still. It might make the company a little uncomfortable.] And the worst of it? He usually doesn't care. This time, though, he got a little riled up and growled back. A little rough S&M, doggie style, eh???

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of it to share with you. No, wait, actually, I'm not. We're probably all quite glad.

Later... Okay, I know I made fun of the shows that were coming on the other night, but I'm shamefully here to admit that I let myself get sucked into one, "Dancing with the Stars", and I can't believe I have watched enough to be able to type the next words -- shame, shame... First of all, I have always been a fan of Jerry Rice -- he's a good ol' Mississippi Delta boy, but Stacy Keibler just got robbed. Anyone with 42" legs who can look & move like that, that's not normal. As someone who is usually the opposite of a female activist-type, I still say "what the hell?" I don't know, maybe I just thought the girl could dance. Rest assured I wasn't so into that I called & voted or anything, I can assure you. But I still thought the bitch was good... Anyway...

The only (not the random tangent I went off on there) reason I'm mentioning this is because that show just allowed me to see one of perhaps the funniest things I have ever seen: Master P dancing to Elton John's "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting" -- rock on, man!!! Oh, come on, that's some funny shit... admit it.

I should be ashamed. But I'm not. ;)

A little clutter never hurt anyone, right?

Is this proof enough that I love knick-knacks and "organized clutter" (story of my life)? Or maybe that I need to find something more productive to do @ home than sitting on my couch taking a picture of my fucking coffee table? Anyway, this is it on a clean and relatively uncluttered day: Lots of shit, huh? What can I say? I like stuff -- pictures, candles, flowers, vases, potpurri, lamps, etc... My house probably smells like an opium den when you walk in due to all of the candles, which probably raise the inside temperature about 10 degrees each night since I keep so many burning!!! Harvesting natural energy... yeah, that's why I do it. ;)

It's been about a month or so, but I did start painting some again (Exhibit A: see left). Obviously, I'm a little rusty, but it was a nice creative venting process, and since I really only do it for the sake and joy of doing it, who cares if it sucks, right? I'm not gonna quit my day job anytime soon, so don't worry... It just feels good to slop a bunch of paint on a blank canvas and just get messy sometimes, you know?

And of course, the frog updates continue whether you like it or not. He was out again last night (same plant, different leaf -- again, story of my life), so of course, I snapped his photogenic little mug for y'all to see... again. As if any of these pictures are all that different, but oh well...

They say tonight is going to be one of the "biggest nights on television", but as an avid and near-professional t.v. viewer, I could not care less about any of the shows that are going to be on. "Survivor", "Dancing with the Stars", "American Idol" (which is even only slightly amusing to watch when they are having try-outs and people are making asses of themselves), even the Olympics -- I do not care to watch any of them. In fact, I'm kind of pissed that they might cut into some of my good shows!!!! Dammit.

"Doo-Doo-Doo / Lookin' IN my Back Door..."

Cue up the Creedence Clearwater Revival, folks!!! I think Winston & Mattie are gonna be great little pals -- and adorable to boot! I just love this picture of the 2 of them... [Note: what you can't tell from the picture is that my anxiety-ridden cat, who was later dosed up with some kitty Valium last night, was just on the other side of the door peering back at them and hissing]

My mom & grandmother went by my house yesterday while I was at work just to play with the "kids" (i.e. the dogs) & when I got home, I had a nice little "happy" waiting on me from them: They had brought fresh flowers over & put them in vases (pronounced "vaaaaaaaaa-zes" for all you sophisticates out there) all over my house -- camellias and buttercups... Sometimes nothing can put a goofy smile on your face like some fresh flowers, even if they do end up dying. My family is so good to me -- better than I deserve, for sure!!!

I am so sorry I didn't have the where-with-all to include this little gem of an image (see left) in my "Cindarellabration" post... Classic.

You know, I started this blog out after reading my friend's blog with all its randomness (is that a word?) & laughing my arse off... When it began, I was writing about off-the-wall stuff, not just day-to-day boring activities (or lack thereof). And while a lot of what I write may seem random, lately it has just been bleh. So I'm sorry for that -- I'll try to throw in some more random shit again every now & then. Can't wait, can you? ;)

It's a Boy!!!

Yep, that's right... a new addition to my household has unexpectedly arrived -- his name is Winston and he is absolutely adorable, sweet, cuddly, lovable, all the those adjectives that are mushy, gushy and good!!! My mom & grandmother adopted this little black & white Pekingese from the Lauderdale County Humane Society, but I ended up taking him home with me... Mattie was thrilled at first, but now she's starting to realize that perhaps he's here to stay -- but they run and play and get along famously. Just a little bit of sisterly jealousy... Dixie Lou, on the other hand, is not so happy. Hisses, growls, the works. But we'll all adjust, I just adore him to death already. He's already my little shadow (another one!)...

This is now my second "adopted" dog and I find that they are the best, most loving creatures ever... I would encourage anyone to do the same next time you are looking for a new buddy. I mean, come on, just look at that sweet face...

Wonder Who Will Find the Baby?

Is it me, or does it kind of look like that baby is holding onto the king cake like a life preserver? You know, like in the Tom Petty "Don't Come Around Here No More" video w/ Alice in Wonderland floating on a doughnut in a huge cup of coffee? Okay, fine, it's me.

Back to the Carefree Days of No Responsibilities...

My dad sent me an e-mail containing a PowerPoint attachment showing some amazingly beautiful pictures. But when I came to one of the pics, a gorgeous waterfall, I was like, "Holy shit! I think I've been there!" So I pulled out my trusty travel picture folder and there it was -- almost the identical picture of Erawan Falls near the Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand (the picture to the left is my scanned, less-than-stellar quality photo -- click on the "Erawan Falls" link above for some gaw-geous pictures). And for those of you who don't know, that is where the River Kwai Bridge is located -- obviously the inspiration for the 1957 movie "Bridge on the River Kwai"... We even stayed @ the Felix River Kwai Resort just below the bridge.

Anyway, concerning the title of this post... That month-long trip to Thailand (& Singapore) was made back in 2000 while I was on my "hiatus" between a move from Memphis back to Mississippi when I was just 23 years old -- hence the "carefree days of no responsibilities"... My boyfriend @ the time was spending the summer in Kenya & we met up in Bangkok & then played around Thailand... It's amazing how time flies!!! I do at least have a trip to visit my friend Matthew in Prague coming up to look forward to, though... I get the travel-itch if I don't do it often enough, I swear -- I guess I've been a pretty lucky girl to have had so many opportunities to visit so many great places so far in my life... ;)

And for those of you following along with my housemate/garagemate, the frog in the Christmas cactus (henceforth to be known as "Frog"), he's still alive & kickin'... And isn't he just adorable? Ha! I put the plant outside on the porch for a few days since it's been warm for some fresh air & bugs for the little guy, and he just hung out on one of the leaves for a couple of hours. And no, you don't have to say it -- I know I'm weird...

Cinderallabration...

We got in from 5 days in Orlando last night (my folks, my boyfriend & moi) -- and got to endure their RECORD LOW temps (we're talking freezing here, folks). Yep, that's right -- in what is normally sunny & warm Orlando, Florida, we were chilled to the bone!!! However, we did have some warm days thrown in here & there, and while the cold can put just a titch of a damper on outdoor activities, it didn't slow us down too much...

We were there for the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) convention, so we had all kinds of fun & interesting parties and stuff to attend -- at Universal Studios' City Walk, the Hard Rock Cafe', etc. Free booze & munchies... try to beat that with a stick!!! We spent the night of one of the parties (Honda's) in Pat O'Brien's piano bar being rambunctious & requesting such classics as "My Ding-a-Ling" (they knew all the words -- I was quite impressed), Hank Williams Jr.'s "Family Tradition", "Sympathy for the Devil", among others... I also successfully tied a cherry stem into a knot using just my mouth, after boasting that I could do it (although I'm too sure if it's something one should boast about!). Way too many hurricanes later, we called it a night, but had a blast!!!

Also, I have a few suggestions for those of you planning to visit the Orlando/Disney/Universal Studios theme parks at any point in time:

1. Piece of Advice #1: Unless you are a multi-millionaire who can shit $100 bills (a talent I would love to possess but have yet to master, though I have been practicing), prepare to be raped by the prices. I mean, I don't know how most people afford to ever take a kid with them, much less more than one. Whenever I do actually have a child, well, they may just have to stay home and I'll go. It's probably much more pleasant that way anyway. ;)
2. Piece of Advice #2: If your child cannot yet talk, cannot be reasoned with/silenced (i.e. "bribed"), or will not even remember the trip, then they are too young to go. Save your money and actually enjoy your trip without having to push little strollers/tanks around filled with overpriced souvenirs piled atop screaming children while running over unsuspecting pedestrians. Plus, they are loud & kill the ambience for all of us non-parents -- and let's face it, that's the most important thing. Ha! [However, I must admit, some of the temper tantrums I saw were quite entertaining.]
3. Piece of Advice #3: When your mother tells you it's going to be cold on a trip that she will be on with you, just go ahead and pack a fucking parka and spare yourself from the incessant "I-told-you-so" comments each time you shiver because you didn't bring a coat lined in thermal/aerospace/sub-atomic/polar fleece/Antarctic-ready material. Trust me on this one.
   So now I'm playing the game of catch-up at work (and blogging, of course -- nice, eh?) -- not to mention trying to get through the GI-NORMOUS number of e-mails I apparently missed... Fun, fun, fun!!! More later...

"Let them eat cake!!!" --Marie Antoinette

A big, fat THANK YOU to my sweet boyfriend, friends, and family who remembered my birthday... 29 years old -- the last one before the big 3-0 -- yikes!!! As one friend endearingly called me, "you old bitch" (by the way, she's only a couple of months behind me, so her time, too, shall come). I got presents, flowers, singing on my answering machine (not to mention on the paging system at work), dinner, wine, hilarious cards, and a great guy & family to share it all with... Sappy? Yep, but what more can a girl ask for, right? Well, the tradition of the framed "Dead President" never hurts (thanks, Mom!)...
And on top of that, my grandmother found a little palomino pinto filly (for those of you who don't know, she raises miniature horses) she wasn't expecting in the pasture, just born, yesterday morning -- so we share the same birthday!!! She's absolutely adorable, just like me! Ha!!!

Another year older, but what a whirlwind of a year it's been (in a good way)... so I'm not complaining!!! ;-)

Superbowl XL (as in, "eXtra Large"?)

If you're talking about "Urethra" Franklin's titties during the National Anthem, then yes, EXTRA LARGE is the correct term. All I could think is how much carrying those monsters around must hurt -- I'm not kidding. You've got to have a serious brassiere that means it when it says "support" when you have those...

The Superbowl itself... well, there's no need for me to expound on it. I was for the Steelers (but not adamantly so) in a sea of Seahawks fans. But I had no money riding on it, so I didn't really care. I just drank instead.

But wow, do the Rolling Stones look OLD. However, it saddens me to think that just a couple of minutes of running around like Mick Jagger would likely make me pass out... However, at the same time, it gives me some pleasure that despite his uber-skinny appearance, he still has "bat wings" (underarm/tripcep floppiness). I'm comforted by that for some strange reason. That, and the fact that Keith Richards didn't keel over dead, even if he did look like a corpse.

Quote of the Game from a fellow [male] viewer:

"Man, if the Seahawks win, 'The View' is gonna be off tha hook tomorrow!!!"
(referring to Elizabeth Hasselbeck, 'View' co-host and wife of Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck)

Guilty Admission. And Random Thoughts on Beer, Hair, etc.

My Christmas tree is still laying in my backyard. How terrible is that? I have the corpse of my poor little tree that was once lit up & *sparkly*, just laying there rotting away. It's quite pitiful, as you can see. But there is a reason (or an excuse?) -- my dad is going to put it in the lake b/c it's supposedly good for the fish nesting & all that, we just haven't done it yet. But still, it's looking pretty scraggly.

It's also about the only thing in my relatively large backyard, except for some small trees, birdhouses & feeders galore, and a good-sized pine tree whose top half was ripped off by Hurricane Katrina (that whore). So, yeah, a topless tree. Fortunately, from the porch, you would only see the bottom half that was left intact anyway. So, really, it's never even noticed, bless its heart.

In case anyone is rusty or just curious as to what drinking $1 draft beers will do to you, just look @ Jon & myself in the picture at left... I always look entirely too giddy when I get a nice little buzz. And Jon? He just seems to turn kind of red -- and none too thrilled to be posing for picture after picture after picture (since he's dating a self-professed camera whore)...

And for those of you who have seen pictures of Jon on here before? Yes, he did have more hair not so long ago. Allow me to explain. I was awoken from a nice nap to Jon standing there, wearing a cap, & uttering the words, "Well, I did it. I told you I would." Being a bit groggy & having just watched an episode of "That 70's Show" where they drew a Frida Kahlo-esque unibrow on Jackie while she was sleeping, my first response was, "If I look in the mirror and see that I have one eyebrow, I'm gonna kill you." He looked at me like I was crazy (admittedly, I can see why) & then took off his hat, & the pretty, blonde, sun-bleached locks were gone. Shaved off, buzzed, AWOL. Yes, he had told me he was gonna do it -- at some point. And I even knew he had a haircut appt. that day, I just didn't know it was "D-Day". But while I was just a little taken aback at first (after all, I look at him more than he looks at himself), it's growing on me & I quite like it. Plus, it's fun to rub. ;)

More Proof of My Bitchiness.

My sweet friend Katie (see left) must know me so well as she sent me the napkins seen above along with some other birthday happies -- said she saw them & thought of me... I'm flattered! [Kind of goes along wtih the "Total Bitch" lotion my dad bought me last year...] Actually, I love them, so there you go. Katie is my most creative friend, the one who is as OCD as me about handwriting, gift-wrapping, etc... She has an absolutely adorable line of stationery that she makes -- Katie & Co. She once took a picture of my foot w/ toenails painted purple @ the beach, printed it out, & taped it on the outside of the envelope w/ some stuff she sent me a couple years ago. My mail carrier surely thinks I'm NuTs...

Current finger- and toenail color? BLACK. Jon was less than impressed when I pulled that color out, rolled his eyes, and asked me sarcastically if I was going for the "goth" look... No, but it does match my outfit today, and isn't that what really matters? ;-)