Things I'm Pretty Sure I'm Never Going to Do

If I had done anything worth writing about in the past week, I would gladly share it here.  But, I haven't.  Think boring.  Think boring x 10.  Think even more boring than that.  Add animal hair, loads of rain, some hacking coughing, and that's my week. 

I've seen loads of TV during the week, read a great book, and had time to think of things that I'll probably never accomplish or do in my lifetime!  Here ya go:

• I highly doubt I will ever climb a mountain.  First of all, I have no desire to do it, and second, I'm afraid of heights. 
• Never gonna pole dance.
• Even though I had a dream last night about eating some kind of "cricket mixture," I don't think I'll eat crickets.  Even if I were on Survivor (another thing I'm not going to do), I wouldn't eat crickets.
• As much as I'd like to, I'm guessing I'll never have long hair again.  It makes me too hot.
• Won't shoot a gun.
• Probably won't be a Prima Ballerina.
• No more babies.
• No walking the cat walk, competing in the Olympics, or playing in the Super Bowl.
• Not gonna sell my gold for cash.
• No more blazers. 
• Not gonna bungee jump.
• Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.

I think I might be in a blogging dry spell.  That leads me to drastic measures.  To be continued........

New Discovery

Here's proof that it's been a slow week in my blogging life:

Monday morning, as I spent yet another few moments on the throne, I realized that I have the Big Dipper on my tummy. 

I have moles that look to be the Big Dipper; you know, Ursa Major, or the Big Plow.  How have I missed this for all these years? 

Does this mean I've been kissed by the Gods or something equally as cool?

JuJu's Flu By the Numbers

Okay, so I have no "medical" proof that what I've been enduring for the last week was the flu, but I"m going with it.  Whatever it was, it flat out sucked. 

Sometimes the only way to understand just how much something sucks is to BREAK IT DOWN.  (cue music)  So, here is my flu bug, by the numbers:

Number of times I took my temperature:  greater than 20 but less than 100.

Number of times I had a fever:  greater than 20 but less than 100.  (actually, it was just all day Sunday and Monday)

Number of times I coughed or sneezed:  infinity

Number of times said coughing/sneezing led to a pj bottom change:  infinity

Number of  laundry loads to wash the pj bottoms:  four

Number of dogs snuggling with me until the coughing scared her:  one

Number of  "America's Next Top Model:  Cycle 12" I listened to while in flu coma:  eight?

Number of football games I missed enjoying:  two  (okay, there were only two being played that day)

Number of pounds lost:  6.2  (Seriously)

Number of times I went on Facebook while in the midst of flu coma:  one.  People.  This says it all.  ONE time on FB in a two day period.  Yowza.

Number of times a coworker called/texted me for something apparently only I could answer:  Grrrrr.  (lost track)

Number of coworkers who have suffered same affliction to date:  three

Number of days it's going to take to get back to normal?  Still counting folks.  This thing is a $%@&*!!

But, at least I'm back to being able to blog, gossip on Facebook, put together a rational thought, and food is finally starting to look appetizing.  I can only imagine how mad my Wii Fit Trainer is going to be since I've been "gone" so long. 

I wonder if she'll accept a note from a doctor?


My sincere apology that I left off an important item:  Number of guys who took care of me, got me medicine, waited on me, listened to me moan, cleaned up my spilled water, put up with all the times I changed my drawers, and bought the best Popsicles ever:  ONE very special guy. xxx 

RUH-ROH

This is how I'm feeling today.  I think an alien invaded my chest overnight.  I have too much to do today to spend time feeling pooey.

Although, I am kind of digging the purple slippers.

Thursday Haiku

Cat eating Munchos

Trying to sit on my lap
He has icky breath.

Dog and man walking
Family Feud on TV
What a waste of time

Hot Dogs for dinner
I would have rather had steak
Too lazy to grill

Joined YaYa Book Club
So excited to read books
Hoping I'm not dumb

Doing the Wii Fit
The Balance Board groans at me
I will show that @#$%%!!!

Happy Thursday Friends
Have a fantastic weekend
Haiku back at me!

Hoist and Squeeze

When it comes to things healthy, I'm really not very good at it.  I overeat, I don't get enough physical activity.  (although, that is now changing with my purchase of the Wii Fit!)  I like to sleep more than just about anything in the world.

But there is one thing I do pretty well.  I am good about my well checkups.  I go every year for my annual FEMALE exam.  I take all my pills on a daily basis without forgetting.  And, every year, I go for my mammogram.  Today was mammogram day in JuJu's world.

In the hopes of shedding light to just ONE person, I'm chronicling my day for you.  Have no fear, there are no nudie pix. 

I love the building where I get my M performed.  It's set back from the road in a nice little area with some gorgeous trees.  It looks so tranquil.  Even from the outside, I think they are trying to calm you before you enter.

Once inside, the people are so nice, and they treat the patient like a queen!  One of my favorite parts is the dressing/changing room.  It's so pretty; even if Sandra Bullock was looking at me while I took off my top.    They always have these nice little wipes for you to remove your deodorant.  I love that they are called MAMMO WIPES.

LouAnne was my mammo tech today.  I love her.  She had the exam room nice and warm today.  That is appreciated as you stand there naked from the waist down, maybe with your big belly hanging out.  Then she places your boobs in the right position, pinches you, snaps the picture, and then lets you exhale.  Reposition.  Repeat.  Do this a few times, and then you're done.  It's just that easy.  IN and OUT in 10 minutes tops. 

And, as I leave, LouAnne hands me a rose.  She walks me out, thanks me for coming, and I feel good about me.  Hopefully, there are no abnormalities, and next year I go back for more.

I write this in hopes that if anyone is hesitant to have a mammogram, that they will bite the bullet and go for the squeeze.  Heck, having my senior picture taken was much more painful, required more posturing, and the results weren't nearly as good. 

And heck, at least I didn't have to worry about THIS:

Where my Feet Have Been

I love to take pictures of my shoes.  For one thing, I love shoes.  For another thing, my feet are one of the few parts on my body that aren't EXTRA LARGE. 

My pigs were poking out at me last week and I took a picture.  This inspired me to keep up with my feet for a week or so and see what they "got up to."  I think they look very mischevious in this picture for some reason.  It's probably because they were desperately in need of a pedicure.

This is one of my feet's (is that a word?) absolute favorite thing to do:  NAP.  My feet like to cover up with a comfy blankie and head off to dreamland.   I have a horrible habit of popping my toes.  I bet my feet don't like that when they're trying to sleep.  (Angie--look who's on the tv screen!!)

Last weekend, my feet went out for an evening of trivia.  They were well pleased when they got to wear these sassy red boots.  They like said boots, as they make a great clicking sound when walking.  I don't think my feet like the slouchy looking jeans that take away from the sassy red boots.

It's very very rare that my feet wear slippers.  Mary bought these for me on one of our mountain trips, and that's normally the only place cold enough to wear them.  But, with this cold snap we've had recently, my feet were begging for some warmth.  We all LOVE the pom pons.

Last night, my feet went to a Chili Cook Off/Birthday party.  They were very mad at me, as they had to wear some very boring brown boots, and they hurt hurt hurt by the end of the night.  Let me tell you, when they are angry, they don't hesitate to let me know with a bit of throbbing.  They did appreciate all their friends chiming in on the foot pictures.

This furry thing is my feet's favorite resting spot. 

And finally, this pair of shoes is our absolute favorite.  We STOLE them for $10 on the TJMaxx clearance rack.  They are comfortable, sassy and make us feel sassalicious.  We haven't gone anywhere in these lately, but we wanted to show them to you anyway.   When I wear these, my feet forgive my boring brown boot indiscretions.

2010 Thus Far

This year so far.....

I'm dieting.  Well, let's rephrase that.  I'm adjusting my "lifestyle."  This is a lifestyle change.  I've been doing this for two weeks now.  I'm not weighing myself, as I get too hung up on the numbers.  What have I learned?  I really love my "Yo Crunch" 100 calorie yogurt.

Still watching all the Grey's Anatomy re-runs.  THREE HOURS a night.

I ordered a Wii Fit.  It arrived today.  I start tomorrow.  Pain starts Sunday.

I listened to a great interview with Liza Minelli the other day.  I never realized the lisp she has.  It's pretty cool.  I bet a lisp wouldn't be so cool on me.

I had to let someone go at work today.    It all made sense why, and I had no choice, but it still sucks.  One time when I fired a girl, I told her how hard it was on me.  She said that really it was a lot harder on her.    How insensitive of me, eh?  I never walk away from terminating someone and feeling good about myself. 

I saw some snow.

I ordered two new books.  This only adds to all the darn books I need to read.  I must stop buying books until I read some of the books I already have.  This means I need to start reading.

I watched a great football game last Sunday.

I'm NOT watching American Idol yet.  I know I'll succumb when they get to the finalists, but I'm not giving up that time just yet.

Hey, I cleaned out my junk drawer!  Did I mention that?

Hm.  I haven't really accomplished much yet.  I think I would be wise to make a list of things to accomplish.  I don't want to call them resolutions.  But, I need to figure something out, because this list is S A D.    And it's B A D.      E G A D.

Okay.  Tomorrow's post is already decided.  Get ready for the start of my list of things to accomplish.  Ohhhhhh, will you sleep tonight?

Damn

René Préval said the damage caused by the magnitude 7.0 tremor was "un­imaginable" and appealed for help, describing hearing the screams of those trapped under collapsed buildings while he and his wife stepped over bodies lying in the streets.

"Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed. There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them. All of the hospitals are packed with people. It is a catastrophe," said Préval.


I pray for the people of Haiti.

Ring-A-Ling

I put a post on Facebook today, that I really don't like the sound of a telephone. 

When I was younger, I did like it, because that was my only means of communicating with friends and BOYS!  That was back in the day of no internet, no cell phones, etc.  We spoke to our friends on the phones, and these phones had cords.  By the time we were done with our conversations, the cord was wrapped multiple times around our bodies.  That's when talking on the phone was good.

Nowadays, the only time I get calls is when someone wants something, or needs something, or has drastic news.   Few people call just to tell me they're thinking of me. (and conversely, I don't call folks just to say, "Hey." )

The phone is the item that rang in the middle of the night, I picked it up and I heard the hospital tell my dad that my mom was gone.  The phone is the device by which I found out my dad died, my grandfather died, my other grandfather died, Gary died, Grandma had a stroke.  And, most of these times, the call came in the middle of the night. 

I hate a ringing phone in the middle of the night.  It's never good.

I think that's why I have begun to favor emails and texts.  For some reason, it's the new means to stay in touch with loved ones.  It's the modern way to announce a birth, engagement, or other good news.  It's a nice quick way to say, "you're on my mind."  THOSE are the messages I like to receive.

Even the best ring tone doesn't help.  Me no likey a ringing phone of any kind.

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure?

In every house I lived in growing up, we had a junk drawer.  So, when I became an adult, of course I carried on the tradition.

Today, I decided it was time to clean out the junk drawer. 

Good Gosh Amighty.  I can't believe the absolute crap that was in there.

THREE pairs of scissors.  Taylor's picture from the 5th grade.  Scavenger Hunt notes.  Two spools of thread.  Coupons that expired in 2003.  A golf ball.  (we don't play golf)  Two plastic dinasours.  At LEAST fifteen packs of gum.  Buttons.  Close to fifty ponytail holders.  A picture of Amanda Bynes?  Four pack of crayons.  One green ring.  American coins.  English coins.  Jamaican coins.  A little plastic snowman.  Four used batteries.  Stingrays ticket stub.  A couple of lip glosses and some old photos.

No wonder the drawer wouldn't close.


After tackling the drawer, I decided to go through a few of the pens in the drawer.

Folks, there were 29 pens/pencils and two cases of lead.

Please don't report me to that "Hoarders" show.  And, hey, if you want any of my goodies, they're yours.  (well, I might have a hard time giving up that green ring...)

Happy Birthday Dave

Well, actually, his birthday was yesterday.  But, we won't tell.  What I will tell you about today are my two Dave Meeting experiences, or what I refer to as "a date with destiny!"  (Too much?)  WARNING:  this post is probably going to be realllllllly long.

I've been in the DMB Fan Club (Warehouse) for over ten years now.  It's granted me many perks, mostly getting better seats for concerts than through normal ticketing.  And, then one year, I got REAL lucky.

I had tickets to see Dave and Tim Reynolds somewhere in North Carolina.  Prior to the show, I received a call from my lovely daughter, while I was at work.  She told me that "Dave Matthews" had just called me.  I giggled, and told her that this couldn't have happened.  She said she spoke to a woman and that she did as instructed when I wasn't home; told the woman I was asleep. 

Being the curious sort that I am, I asked her for the number from Caller ID, and then promptly called the number.  A nice young lady answered and explained that she was calling from Warehouse, and was giving ticket upgrades to fans.  But, since I wasn't there when she called, she had already given the tickets away to the next fan.  I pushed her to tell me what the seats were, and she begrudgingly told me "Front Row, Center."  SIGH.  I responded that at least I knew my daughter listened to me and was doing as I had taught her; you know a small victory and all that jazz.  At that point, she told me she was going to make it up to ME and put me on the "Meet and Greet" list for a Dave concert that summer. 

And, she did just that!!  (sidenote:  another reason I love DAVE so much is that he obviously surrounds himself with super nice people)  We saw Dave in Milwaukee that year, and myself and four other fans were invited backstage prior to the concert.  We were allowed to bring one friend and could meet Dave. We were instructed how to act, how not to act, and to not take pictures until the end.  We had smuggled in a disposable camera and Steven was excellent on the sly.  We got plenty of illegal pix!

Oh, how nervous and excited I was!  I had planned my Dave-Meeting Outfit for months.  We had flown to Milwaukee, tailgated, sweated and it was finally time.  And, then he came walking down the hill.  And, he spoke to us.  And he was as normal as normal could be.  Most of us couldn't speak, as we were in awe and shock.  Steven bantered back and forth with him, and it seemed as natural as could be.  We then had picture time and he signed things for all of us.  He was very gracious, kind and NORMAL.   And, after meeting us, he sang his heart out to thousands of folks.  And, I floated all the way through it.

Fast forward a couple years.  Steven and I were in Pittsburgh, again to see Dave in concert.  We were in our hotel lobby bar.  We were finishing out Happy Hour and Steven decided to take some things back to our room.  All of a sudden, he comes running back to me and informs me that DAVE is in the lobby.  Without forethought, I ran out there, and walked right up to my hero.  (sidenote:  he was on the way to the john, I'm sure he was so pleased that we stopped him)  We shook his hand and then I proceeded to ramble that, "I was here to see him, we had come all the way from Charleston, and we had met him in Milwaukee, and Oh, I love the new cd, and Oh, look at my tattoo, it's the firedancer, and I'm your BIGGEST fan., etc etc"  Yep. I was a 42 year old woman reduced to a 14 year old girl.  He listened to me, responded with thanks, and smiled while Steven took our picture.   (Please note the absolute look of shock on my face) 

By the way, both times I met Dave, I was sweating like a pig.  I wonder if he has that affect on everyone, or if I'm overly sweaty?

I digress.  Dave proceeded to the bathroom and then came to our hotel bar.  But don't worry.  We didn't bother him after that.  I don't even think I was staring.  TOO badly.  He met a few friends, then departed.  And, I floated through that entire evening.  (texting and calling everyone I knew, of course.  WHERE was Facebook when I needed it???)  Another sidenote:  later in the evening, as we were reliving the moment for the 99th time, in walks the Atlanta Braves baseball team; they were in town playing the Pirates.  PINCH ME!  I'm dreaming!!!

Again, Dave was total class and grace and made time for some strange girl and her Dave obsession.  I"ve met some famous people in my life, but oh, to meet THIS famous person, and find out that he was really nice was a real gift for me. It just makes the music, the concerts, and the memories that much more special.

So, Happy Belated Birthday Dave!  I hope the gifts you receive are as good as the gifts you've given!

Goodwill Hunting

Every year when we go to Eagles Nest Hideaway with our friends, we employ some kind of "game" for entertainment.  One year, we had a Scavenger Hunt with pictures.  One year we had "HAT" night.  This year, we came up with a doozy.  Each person was responsible for bringing a top (neck up), middle (some type of clothing to cover up the chest area) and bottom to share.  Once we got to the mountains we randomly chose one top, middle and bottom.  So, that meant there was a chance we could wind up with the lovely items we brought. 

We raided our closets.  We went to Goodwill.

We weren't very kind when picking out the ingredients for this recipe.  Polyester was quite popular, as were clashing colors.

Creativity was everywhere.  We could have all been very comfortable walking the Red Carpet.

And, although the outfits ended up completely random,  they all seemed to fit the person wearing it.

Well, MOST of the people....

There's a Cat on My Lap, and How is Your Evening?

We have four cats.  Bailey is 10, Mikki 9, Domino 8 and Charlie 6.  (Three males and one female)  They all have unique personalities and color.  They all love food more than life itself.   They love to sleep, steal Rockett's food, and sleep some more. 

One thing they don't like is to be cold.  So, right now, they're hating life because it's really cold in South Carolina.  Compared to the rest of the country it's not that cold, but for the Palmetto State, this is brrrrrrr freezing.  And these cats are not happy. 

They are doing everything they can to keep warm.  Steven is running the space heater in his room so they can get a bit of heat.  They are finding every possible mechanical device on which to sit to soak up some heat.  And, they're refusing to leave us alone.  They're stealing all our body heat.  Every night, Steven has at least two cats, ususally more, lying right next to him in the bed. 

For the last few nights, the old man (Bailey) has been living on my lap.  He's never been a lover or a lapcat in all his years.  But, he's totally using me and my lap to keep warm.  He climbs up, turns around and proceeds to groom himself for at least fifteen minutes, then goes to sleep until my legs threaten to fall off from numbness.  It makes it impossible for me to type, eat, MOVE, or get up to do anything.  I am in Bailey prison.

So, until it starts to warm up again, you can find me here, crushed under a 10 year old feline.
MEOW.

Thoughts on Things while Chillaxing in the Mountains

I do my best thinking in the bathroom, but that's a whole 'nother post.  This post entails some random photos from our trip, and some other brilliant thoughts I had along the way.

Why does the sky look so much bluer the higher the elevation?

I'm very glad that I don't have to see Christmas commercials for another year.

My Christmas tree is still hanging up and it's starting to annoy me.

My car looks pretty cute with snow on it.  Come to think of it, everything looks pretty cute with snow on it.

WHY must people tailgate?  (and I'm not talking about the "pre-game" variety.  I love that)

For the first time in a month, I don't feel like I'm "in a hurry."

There are no problems in life when you're sitting in a hot tub.

Close up photographs of me are not very flattering.

I admire Dick Clark for continuing to ROCK New Year's Eve for all of us.

Scrabble is one of the best games ever.  PERIOD. 

Taylor and Justin flew to St. Louis today, on their own.  For some weird reason, it feels like they're never coming back.  But, I'm so proud of them for taking this trip and filling their days with museums and the zoo.

I'm hoping I can stick to a life of better eating and more movement.

Some people live too far away.

Snowflakes actually show up in photos?

WOW, it's cold in the South right now.

There's NO place better than the mountains. 

A Week Without Blogging is Like a Week Without Cream Cheese: just awful!!!

I have so much to share from the past week, but let me just tease you with this: