Stolen from Jess…
It seems to me I’ve taken similar tests in the past. I always come out nerdier than I think. My husband on the other hand would be an even larger nerd as he’s a linux fellow, has his master’s degree, and uses telnet pretty much all the time. Me? Well, I figured I’d be a “slight nerd” when in reality I’m a “high nerd.” Eh. Oh well. I suppose there are worse places to be in life.
First of all, a big thanks to this girl for fixing my comments. They work wonderfully and now ya’ll should be able to yell at me in public again. THANKS!
Secondly, Thanksgiving went by much too quickly. Four days off from works seems like a lot in theory, but in reality it passed by about twice as quickly as a normal weekend. On Wednesday night, JT and I had dinner with his parents at Outback. Thursday morning we headed up to G-Town to spend two nights at my parents house. We had a lovely HAM dinner for Thanksgiving (I don’t like turkey and my mother actually listens to me) with all the fixings. Mmmmm….ham…
My birthday is coming up in a few days (actually next week to be precise) and my parents gave me my gift. I got remote start for my car, a feature that proves particularly useful during the long winter months in Michigan. It’s been installed and works brilliantly. I feel so cool now. My mother and I made a trip to Oberloier Pottery in Beaverton where I bought a few gifts and a little sumpin-sumpin for myself (a platter and matching bowl–or a chip and dip). Unfortunately, it seems as though the people that run it can’t any longer. There is a for sale sign out front. That’s really sad because they are talented, local folks.
So, uh, yeah. That just about covers my big and wild weekend. Or not.
Am I supposed to feel like my life is in danger? Am I supposed to feel threatened? The only thing I really feel threatened by in Michigan is the economy. Run by the auto industry and discarded by the auto industry, Michigan is suffering the brunt of the recession. It’s poor, depressing, and job-less. It’s easy to criticize folks for not finding employment. Come on, get off your butts and work why don’t you! The truth is that there are no jobs. People who spent their lives working for GM or Ford or Chrysler or Delphi or Visteon or wherever are now being tossed aside as though they are less than human. It’s a sad state of affairs.
To add insult to injury, the annual “most dangerous cities” list is out. Detroit is second most dangerous while Flint is fourth. Since I live smack between Flint, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Lansing I guess I’m supposed to be afraid. I am not. It is a sad state of affairs in Michigan and the crime is certainly a reflection of our sour economy. People are poor, people are angry, people are desperate.
In any case, I hate what these lists do to my state. The same people who read and misunderstand the list are those that say “you’ve been in downtown DETROIT?” Well of course I have. Just like any big city there are places to avoid, but there are also lovely places to visit. I saw a Van Gogh exhibit down there a few years ago. I’ve been to the orchestra. I’ve watched the Tigers. I’ve been to concerts. Detroit may be depressing, but it’s also not going to kill you the moment you drive through the borders.
As for Flint, well, that city has definitely suffered the most from the auto industry. GM fled years ago and left people without jobs. People who lived, breathed, and believed in their employment. People like those in my family who had worked there for three generations. Flint is a strange, disillusioned place. It hurts to look at it. There are places where you can see people once had money but now there is none. The roads are barren, business buildings are empty, homes are abandoned. This isn’t always the case, but it is often. If you want to know what happened there, all you really need to do is watch Roger & Me (Michael Moore) and realize that it is now 15 years later and things have gotten worse–not better.
In lieu of my depressing discussion here today, I want to share a lovely fall picture of mums. I know we’re a month or two past this seasonal stage…
I actually cooked yesterday. No, it did not involve any boxes or microwaves. It was all meat, potatoes and veggies. Me, Shelly, the queen of zero cooking skills, actually made pot roast! That’s right folks. I touched raw meat, cut up lots of veggies, and brewed the mixture all day long. I was so impressed by my ability to make pot roast that actually smelled and looked like pot roast that I was nearly inspired to cook every single day. Then I thought about it again and realized that my husband already knows how to cook and does it pretty much every day. Why change?
If you’re keeping track and you’re a TV junkie like myself, you know that yesterday was ANTM day. The six remaining girls packed their bags and headed off to London. Alas–I would like to go to London and visit my sis and brother-in-law. I keep on promising I’ll make it. Maybe next year? In any case, the six girls were forced to endure the paparazzi in staged ANTM fashion. I guess it was the theme of the night.
They had to shoot their photos topless and just wearing undies and galoshes with a tabloid covering their boobies. All six girls had to be wedged into the phone booth at once. They complained of B.O. and farting. It was pretty much hilarious. This is such a catty group. Some of them think they are above the cattiness, but it seems as if they are all princesses who like to get their own way. It makes for some really interesting television.
In the end, Tyra was left with Lisa and Jayla in front of her. Who was going home? JT astutely pointed out (because he watches too–don’t let him tell you otherwise) that Lisa does not look like a cover girl. Plus, he’s always thought Jayla was hot. I agreed. Lisa is the only one of the remaining six that didn’t have the clean, natural, simple, cover girl look that Tyra is looking for. I predicted Jayla would go home despite this fact. Surprise, surprise, Lisa had to pack her Hawaiian printed suitcase and head home. Poor baby.
Bre: The Best (?)
Jayla: The Worst
Lisa: The Eliminated
If you discount the raking, blowing, and leaf cleaning I helped with this weekend my time was very lazy. I like lazy breaks even if they do only last for two days. It would have been perfect had HBO broadcast something more interesting than Spanglish (which I saw in the theater–cough, cough) as their new Saturday movie. There wasn’t even anything of interest on pay-per-view. Basically that left me watching, err, crap all weekend including the TV-edited version of A Perfect Storm. That movie sucks in any verison (talk about ridiculous and melodramatic) but on TBS it’s that much dumber.
I did however get some great reading in with Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. If you haven’t ever read anything by her, you really do need to. Along with Handmaid’s Tale, it is clear that she is one of the most unique science fiction writers around. Her style of sci-fi is such that people who enjoy regular fiction and even chick lit (gasp and gack) should enjoy it. I’m of course not done with Oryx and Crake yet but I can say it is an amazing novel. Get it if you stumble upon it.
I also did some more Christmas shopping. I’m actually nearly done–I think I have something like 5 more gifts to buy. It’s great to get started on holiday shopping well before the season. Why? Well, the money doesn’t hurt so bad if you spread it across 3 or 4 months. Also, you really get time to think about what you’re going to get people rather than jumping at the first opportunity. I highly recommend this unorthodox plan of attack (if you can handle it of course).
Last night was the weekly ANTM festival. It makes me feel like such a nerd. There were a few different “happenings” during the show. First, the girls were charged with being the head of their own entourage. They had to direct the artists how to do their makeup and how to dress them at the same time somebody else was working on a poster board presentation. After it was all said and done, they had to present the product to some VIPs in an attempt to land a guest spot on Veronica Mars. Kim rightfully won.
Soon thereafter it was time for the required photoshoot. This time around it was an action shot with the girls having to face off against the Wild Boyz (yes, the MTV freaks). The basic idea was that the guys had done something to make each of the girls angry. Each shot was a different setup and each girl was to have a similar reaction. The guys wore dresses, women’s underwear, and jumped into pools. It was all good. The funniest things were that Bre was terrified of them, Steve-O was in love with Nicole, and Steve-O was jumping up and down behind Nik in her shot in a pink dress. Each time he did so his junk was flapping about. It was funny stuff.
When the show wrapped, Tyra announced that Nicole and Jayla were in the bottom two. The girls were tearing up as Tyra told them both to pack their bags. The hugs began and then Tyra contined “…because you’re all going to London!” I think it was the single meanest prank ANTM has ever played on anybody.
Jayla (The Worst Shot) - Tyra said she looked like a blow up doll (I think she does, specifically like the Kimber doll on Nip/Tuck)
Kim (The Best Shot)
Bre (Scared out of her gourd)
For all of you who live in the Southeast Michigan vicinity, how’d you like that wind yesterday? Michigan (aside from great lakeside communities) doesn’t usually get much at all. Yesterday we had sustained winds at 40MPH and gusts at 50-60MPH. It was relatively incredible. Fortunately unlike my neighbor, we had yet to actually rake leaves. On Saturday he spent the whole day cleaning and tidying his yard. When I woke on Sunday morning all the leaves were back on the ground and it looked as if he hadn’t done anything.
Now that all our leaves have fallen, it’s definitely time to get to the yard work. Fall is my least favorite time as far as that goes. At least in the Spring and Summer you’re dealing with green things and flowers. In the Fall you’re dealing with damp, cold, rotting things that I’d prefer to not touch even on my best and least girly days.
So we sold the Honda a few weeks back and got a good expected chunk for it. Well, today we find out that our new old truck (a lovely green 2000 Z71 Silverado) is in need of some repairs. They aren’t too major–no real engine or transmission issues. However they are just substantial enough to get our attention. Of course the price tag has a lot to do with that. We’re cheap. Err…JT is cheap. He doesn’t like to spend money on things that aren’t fun.
In lieu of the season:
With today came an unexpected break from Michigan’s typical fall. Temps upwards of 70 degress, a mild breeze, and generally balmy feel proved pretty shocking to my system. The time change this weekend was also pretty shocking (boy does it get dark early now), but I’m really adjusting well.
Err….yeah…I really don’t have much else to say so instead of babbling on about nothing, I’ve culled through my stats to find the most bizarre ways people have found me recently. I’m always surprised at how weird/stupid/perverted/crazy people are. I guess I shouldn’t be, it is the internet. A whole goup of strange and generally antisocial people has found solace in the text-based pleasures of cyberspace.
So without any further waiting, here are this month’s most ridiculous searches that have the least to do with 7CT.
I want to comment on a few of these. First, you can use a file on those buck teeth if you don’t want braces. Second, Mark Oliver Everett is pretty darned short. Third, the open grate on the Mackinac Bridge is COOL not SCARY. Fourth, I don’t have any castration photos on my website (despite the frequent searches). Finally, who the hell IS Ezra Fitch?
