3000 Lightning Strikes and Really Sore Biceps

Drove through a cast iron beyotch of a storm on the way home from work tonight. Tops of the storm towers were up to 49,000 feet. (According to WSB meterologist extraordiaire Kirk Melish.) That's pretty dang high. Lightning was striking all around me... the rain was falling in horizontal sheets and the wind was amazing. I said out loud inside my car "Dang." (That's what we southern girls say out loud when something is Most Impressive.)

But I made it home. (Call CNN.)

I considered, briefly, heading to the gym during the enduring monsoon but thought better of it... not only due to the fact that I'd be putting myself in immediate peril, but due to the fact that my body is SHOUTING LOUDLY that it hurts. Yes, I joined a gym last week... YES, I'm working out now and YES I really enjoy it. But my muscles that normally aren't used during my daily Insurance Nerd-SuperGirl duties are muttering and COMPLAINING LOUDLY..

My biceps are bitching.
My quads are quibbling.
My glutes are..... grumbling....

BUT (damnit) I'm going to lose 10 lbs and be less jiggly if it KILLS me (and it just might).
But the lightning won't be killing me. (At least not tonight.)

Long Time No See....

So, it's been 20 zillion years since I've updated this blog. (Well, actually it's only been 4 months, but in Blog Years, that's equal to 20 zillion, give or take.)

What's new with me.... let's see.... WORK keeps me busy... the KIDS keep me busy.... the STUD MUFFIN I married keeps me busy. Just general life stuff, ya know. It's all good though. I have very few complaints. Very few. Still wondering what it would be like to be a tall leggy blonde, but being a petite curvy brunette works just fine. :)

What is new with YOU my peeps?
... enlighten me.

The Funniest Post I've Read in WEEKS...

I really hope Becky doesn't mind my sharing... but she is brilliantly FUNNY...a GREAT mom.... a talented photographer.... has a handsome, funny son... and this post had me almost FALL OUT OF MY CHAIR from laughing! Really!! :)

LOVE IT... I can just SEE these little boys bragging and trying to "one-up" each other... if only they KNEW how grossed out little GIRLS would be! :)

Snow X 3

Tomorrow, March 2, it is supposed to SNOW in Atlanta. Up to 3".
This will be the 3RD snow (measurable snow) we've had this Winter.

Normally it doesn't snow here. Almost ever.
And when it does, it's more like a decorate little thing that goes away.

What the heck?

The snow is supposed to arrive around 9 AM.
RIGHT as we're all arriving at work..... wonderful.

Should be an interesting day....!

"That's Enough"

Excellent message - Economic Gleanings - definitely worth a listen.

So today, we moved into our new office.
Palatial. Swank. Posh.

And hey: my little cubicle is "all that AND a bag of chips".

(insert wry grin here.... )

Some days I really do miss being my own boss and having my own business.... there was so MUCH I loved about being an entrepreneur. But then I remember how absolutely terrifying it was when I went 5 months straight with no income when all my clients, save one, dried up and blew away like so many tumbleweeds....

So I am THANKFUL that I am employed.
And that I have a paycheck, guaranteed, on the 15th and 30th of every month.

And really. Our new office IS really nice. I'm not really sure why being there today underscored what I used to have, and lost, but it did....

Time to go find that Glass Half FULL mentality.... it's around here somewhere...

Real Mission Work

This is yet another reason why I love my church.
We do REAL stuff, in the REAL world.

Today Kevin announced that we as a church have committed to contributing $600K over the next 2 - 3 years to build permanent wells in Mozambique so people can have CLEAN WATER.

CLEAN WATER.... get that? Something you, and I, take totally for granted. I can go to my kitchen tap, turn it on, and not worry about getting sick or DYING from what is in my water. But in parts of Africa more people die from water-borne illnesses than from HIV/AIDS. Horrifying.

I love that 12Stone is doing this.

Above is the video about the issue that Kevin played this morning.

Diva & Ruby in the Snow (Video 2)

Diva & Ruby in the Snow (Video 1)

We got 4" of the snow in the ATL... here's the first video, as the snow was still falling... (and yes, eventually I DID go out and play with them!) :)

Yawn Fest

Vancouver is a beautiful city, and I LOVE the Olympic Games, but I fell asleep on the couch watching the opening ceremonies.....

I guess it was inevitable that, after Beijing, the next city's Opening Ceremonies were going to pale in comparison.

Bring on the ATHLETICS!

Need a Kleenex?

Today when I got home my husband said "Honey, you have to check out this website - I saw it on Fox News!"
Now, normally, I politely ignore what my husband sees on Fox.  I really could care less what Glenn Beck has created for his latest socialist conspiracy diagrams, and, for the record, I think Bill O'Reilly is the biggest pinhead around.

However, curiosity got the better of me when he gave me the full description, so I checked out The Crying Wife for myself. 

I must say, I was intrigued.  It takes a lot to get me to cry at the movies, so to see a grown woman cry at a comedy like "Back to the Future" was strangely fascinating.  And to see a whole website, created by her husband and devoted to her post-movie breakdowns..... strange indeed. 

Here's a video clip.

(In all fairness though... I must say ...  I did cry when we saw "Marley & Me".  The whole fam did.  My husband, me, and our two kids.  If you've ever loved a dog, you cried at that movie.  Hard.) 

Last comment:  it's a bit voyeuristic and exploitative that his husband created this site.... but hey.... every marriage has its quirks, right?

Hamm & Buble

Could Michael Buble POSSIBLY be any cuter? Really.... I think I'm going to have to start stalking him (c'mon Suz... you can join me.... ) :)
I'm sure there are HERDS of middle aged women already stalking him. We'll just add to the ranks. :)

Stand Back! :)

From the Funny Folks at "Engrish"....

Apparently this is an actual sign in a Chinese medical clinic.... clearly, there is something 'lost in translation'.... :)

Need some GOOD Haiti News?

Check it out - this will make you grin, and renew your belief that GOOD people and PRAYER work together to make the impossible POSSIBLE!

http://www.shauninthecity.com/2010/01/twitter-no-red-tape-finding-sanjay-5-neurosurgeons.html

Shaun King does it again - he is truly one of my heroes!

Open Letter to the Blogosphere

To all you moms (and dads) of 12 and 13 year old girls out there...... HELP!

My daughter has morphed, almost overnight, it would seem, from my sweet (yet independent and headstrong) little girl, into this Creature who now inhabits our home.

Said creature is moody, snappy, quick to roll eyes, slam doors, has ZERO interest in school, and even LESS interest in what her parents have to say.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

I've considered tying her to a booster rocket and shooting her into outer space, but realize this may be short-sighted on my part.

And, after all, I do really really love her.
I just want my happy girl back, instead of the Hormone-Controlled Creature who inhabits her room.....

Seriously. All responses are welcome....

Interview with Michael Buble

I admit it. Ever since Buzy Bee Suz posted Michael Buble's video on her blog, I've been smitten. (I knew who he was, of course, but his off-the-scale Cutest Quotient had escaped me....)

Anyway, trolling through YouTube on this rainy Saturday, I stumbled upon THIS gem of an interview he gave to Glenn Beck (and I'm not even a Glenn Beck fan.... but I still loved the interview.).

Enjoy.

Makeup Tips (NOT)

Seriously?  What was she thinking when she selected her black Sharpie to do her eyeliner?

I don't even know who this IS (some Hollywood cupcake, apparently), but what the heck?

Isn't that stuff indelible?
"This will go on your Permanent Record...."

Just Pray.... Give, if you can..... And Pray Some More.

You've seen the pictures on the news.
You've seen the film clips.
Like me, you've probably had to turn off the TV.

Give, if you can. Whether or not you can afford to give, pray.
Pray deep.

Haiti. And Pat Robertson (the buffoon)

I've been blue today. I kept thinking about what had happened just several hundred miles to the south of me, and how many thousands and thousands of people had died. Obviously, it made my little mundane problems seem incredibly inconsequential (and downright stupid).

Our church had just sent a mission team to Haiti to do some work ... they literally just returned a week ago.

The pictures the team posted of the children they worked with are haunting me. "Are those kids alive?" I find myself wondering....

When I got home from work today, my husband told me what Pat Robertson said about the Haitian earthquake. Stuff like this really grieves me, and I can't help but think it makes Jesus really really sad. (If I were Jesus, I'd be really really pissed off, but that's beside the point...)

Anyway, Don Miller, one of my favorite writers (and an all-around cool guy), had a great commentary he posted on his blog about it. Here's a link. I loved what he said.

When you take away the ANGER and the VENOM, and leave LOVE and GRACE, you really can see God working. Even in the worst tragedies.

Avatar, a Movie Review

So, I finally got around to seeing "Avatar" this weekend.
And NO, I'm not going to tell you my life was changed.
NO, I'm not one of those people who is suffering from post-"Avatar" depression and suicidal thoughts (and if you are one of those people, please go to the nearest emergency room and get help.  Seriously.  It was a MOVIE, for crying out loud.)

Ready for the review?  You sure?

OK, here goes:  Take 2 parts "Dances With Wolves" (a movie I dearly loved), add 1 part Michael Bay in-your-face explosions, 1 part way-too-long-how-in-the-world-do-we-wrap-this-up-NOW screenwriting, and wrap it ALL UP in truly amazing (and boy do I mean amazing) vibrating, colorful, knock-your-socks-off special effects, and you have...... "AVATAR".

I give it a solid 6.5 out of 10.

Seriously.  I rate it between Above Average and Good.  (If it weren't for the dazzling special effects, it would have been Very Average....) 

The story line has been done before (way better, in "Dances with Wolves"), and the screenwriting was murky, and way too long.  (Oh, and could the villainous Colonel have been any more of a caricature?  I was just waiting for him to laugh and it to sound like this:  "Mwah ha ha!")

BUT the special effects made up for the tedium.  Really. 

Bottom line:  if you're thinking of going to see it, definitely go see it on the big screen. 

Oh yes, and be prepared.  You'll really want a pet dragon (to fly around on) when it's over.  :)

A Humorous Look At The Apostle Paul

Imagine for a moment if the Apostle Paul were living today... let's take a modern-day look at what his journey might have looked like, shall we?

But before you view the below video (produced by the amazing creative minds at 12Stone), you FIRST need to go to THIS LINK, and have the song "Low Rider" playing the background.... trust me it will make it THAT much more enjoyable. :)

And now, for the video....

Those Pesky Egg Shells....

Honestly, how lazy can people be???

Himalayan Nightscape, courtesy of NASA

To see this photo much bigger (and truly experience the WOW factor), go here.

(This is from a NASA site - astronomy photo of the day.... PLENTY of "wow" photos here, that all speak to God's creative masterpiece that we humans are lucky enough to live in the middle of...)

The above is the photo from 12-5-09.

It's Snowing!

... in Atlanta!

It doesn't look anything like THIS of course, but it IS snowing. :)

"So.... How Cold IS It?"

You may have heard THIS GUY tell you from your TV how ridiculously cold it is lately all over the country, even in the South, where we're not used to such Madness.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's frikkin freezing. (That's the scientific term.) The temps we're having this week (and which they're forecasting into Sunday) tie records that go back to 1985.... to give you some perspective, that's when THIS chickadee was back in high school.....

Anyway, the lows are in the single digits. The highs are struggling to reach freezing. It's CRAZY. Insanity. I really have no idea how sane people inhabit places like Alaska. Maybe you just have to be just categorically nuts to want to live there?

Here's a last humorous tidbit: for whatever reason, our front door neither latched nor locked this morning (note to self: PAY BETTER ATTENTION). Said door wound up opening wide-slap-open (that's "all the way open" for you non-southerners).... anyway, Hubster came home and found the dogs "shivering together, huddled for warmth, on our bed". Yes, ladies and gentleman, apparently it was TOO COLD even for my dogs to run and play outside (because you KNOW they really wanted to.....)

Dang cold.

I ask you, Blogosphere: Mac or PC?

After spending 2+ hrs on the phone today with yet another of Dell's English-language-challenged customer service reps (and this same conversation has happened, in different iterations, multiple times over the past 15 years or so that I've owned PC's), I've come to that watershed moment:

Maybe it's just time to just get a Mac...

My college roommate, Chrissy, SWEARS by her Mac.
Whenever I'm bemoaning my latest issue with my PC, she just looks at me with that knowing (but slightly smug) smile, much like the one I give my son when he tries to convince me that he's POSITIVE that Megan Fox is really a "nice girl" just woefully misunderstood..... yeah, right.

So, I ask you, blogger buds..... PC or Mac?