Everybody!

I am glad everybody is here, cause without everybody, we would have no comments, and I think everybody would be sad over everybody not being here and not commenting. If I was not here to monitor the blog everybody would miss me, and I would miss me to, cause everybody needs to have a blog to comment on, so everybody can be happy, and surly everybody should be happy, so everybody will be here to comment, and then everybody will definitely be happy.

It seems everybody in my family is glad I am around, cause thru out the day everybody calls me and tells me what everybody is doing. Sometimes I think "do I really care'? But then I would probably be upset if everybody did not call me, because then I would not know what everybody was doing, and that would just make me call everybody and ask them what they are doing.

Everybody at work is always asking me questions. At times I feel like a answer person, since everybody is asking me something, I surely have to answer everybody. It would be nice if everybody would not ask me questions
thru out the day, because then I don't have to be the answer person and constantly answer everybody. But then if everybody does not ask me questions, I would think that everybody is mad at me, and then I would
have to ask everybody to ask me a question.

So from this blog, it is evident that even tho I might not think it at times, I need everybody, and am glad that everybody needs me. Without everybody I would have nothing, and who wants nothing when I can have everybody.

Not I!

:O)

A-HOLES OR B-HOLES you choose

by Lynnd

Ok I came across this article on Huffington Post and it is not what you think it is. This subject is part of a commercial for Hardy’s restaurants. They made a commercial asking customers to help name their new product Biscuit Holes. Here are some of the excerpts from the article I read:

The Rocky Mount company that is Hardee's largest franchisee is angry about TV ads for the fast-food chain's new Biscuit Holes.

Boddie-Noell Enterprises, which owns nearly 350 Hardee's, is refusing to run the ads, which also are drawing fire from the Parents Television Council.

The ads ask customers to help name the sweet treats, and offer suggestions such as "iced B-holes." In one ad, customers doing taste tests are asked to choose between the "A-holes" and the "B-holes."

And more:

When there are "differences of opinion" like this, CKE provides alternative ads for Boddie-Noell to run in this market, Rountree added.

CKE is running the ads in select markets only after 9 p.m. and has no plans to drop the ads, said spokeswoman Jenna Petroff.

The ads are aimed at Hardee's "target audience of Young, Hungry Guys," she said in a prepared statement. "We do not aim to exclude or offend any other group with our efforts, but merely to appeal and amuse a very specific audience."

So yeah they are in questionable taste, the ads not the biscuit holes, but come on these are funny and memorable. In advertising you would think that would be a winning combination!

What do you think?

First Impressions

by Bonacci

We recently had a very serious day at the nest that involved impressions and judgments. I thought it would be fun to share our impressions of each other. I’ve not seen most of you, so my impressions are based either on my interpretation of your online presence, or something you’ve done that stuck in my head.

Iteach: A small energetic woman. Always zipping around. Curious about the world and eager to experience it. Maybe a brunette with shoulder-length hair and long bangs.

Whab: I’ve seen Whab in the old chat, but it’s not what I see in my mind. He looks sweet in chat and I love his deep voice. I’m not saying he isn’t sweet, but I don’t see sweetness in my mental pic. A very masculine face with chiseled features. Hair about the same, maybe a mustache. Tall and muscular. Eyes that see everything.

Carol: Again, seen a pic but it’s not the same. Mentally, she’s a handsome woman. Like Markie Post but taller. (The actual pic makes me think more “pretty” like Susan Lucci.) Regal and commanding. People pay attention to her. Holding a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in one hand, a flip cam in the other.

Kgrl: Pixie-like. Dark hair, maybe chin length. Slim build but muscular enough to handle some serious horsepower. Attractive but men are intimidated by her independence. Doesn’t take crap from anyone. Maybe in her early 30’s. Just a flash of The Terminator because of her back.

Mary/MI; A tiny little package bouncing all over the place. Long, dark, shiny hair. High Latina cheekbones. Always a big smile and bursting with light.

Mo: I’m so sorry! I can’t push that little pink piggy avatar out of my head! Full of practical jokes and devious enough to pull them off. Very short because well, she’s a little pink piggy with a curly tail.

DeeDee: Funny as Hell. Short dark, wavy hair, like she used a big round brush to blowdry. You can tell from her face that the gears are spinning inside her head, plotting her next devious prank. A red feather boa, sitting on a round bed while holding a phone.

Tina: I see two Tinas. She’s Eunice, the Valentine’s Day Eunice. The other Tina is a cheerleader. All-American, girl next door. She’s a mom now, so she’s cheering for her family. Zips around town in a minivan. Cute, little and spunky. She carries pom-poms.

Dianne/Denver: A ski bunny. Not sure on age, but definitely not a grandmother. Maybe a mother. Long, white-blonde hair and very white teeth. Can’t see her face well because she’s wearing ski goggles. Carrying whatever those pointy sticks are called.

Joey: Mid-20’s. Brown hair with highlights that he wears with just a little gel to give it a tousled look. The body of a tennis player. Girls want him because he is handsome and so sweet. He breaks their hearts because he tells them the truth, but they still love him.

Just_Lin: Some Asian-ish descent, long shiny black hair. Very pretty with amazing bone structure. Somewhere between 5’1” and 5’6”. Age between 25-35.

Zona: A sweet brown doggie who sometimes masquerades as Hugh Grant. Another owl’s daughter.

Bebbi: A fireball. Always walking, always spunky. Long blond hair she wears in a bouncy ponytail. Sparkly eyes and a visor cap.

LynnD: A toddler who for some reason, is always playing in the pool comes to mind. I don’t think this is her, but it’s what pops into my head.

Goldie: I think her avatar is her. A strong woman who can handle anything that comes her way. Loyal.

Shirley: Please do not boil me in oil for this. A chicken marching with determination around a house. It doesn’t matter that she’s missing some feathers. She’s marching and nothing will stop her. If it helps at all, the chicken is tall and thin. And really good at math. (This impression came to me when she was doing those long funny marches.)

Jodi: A British appearance, with a Queen-like handbag and a flowered hat. For some reason, I see her sipping a mint julep at the Kentucky Derby. Tall, thin and regal, with a long neck and shiny brown hair she wears swept up atop her head.

MEK: An archaeologist who looks very much like Laura Dern in Jurassic Park. Very tolerant of both people and her environment.

So that’s who these people are to me. Inside. Their actual appearance wouldn’t change the way I think of them. Well, it probably would with Zona, Shirley and Mo because they can’t possibly be a dog, a chicken and a pig if they’re blogging regularly. If I happened to describe you, is that how you see yourself? Are you surprised?

Grateful

by EBJ

I got this video from a friend and thought it would be great to post as a blog It is really touching, and sad, and eye-opening.

The family at the end will make you get teary-eyed.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

YELLING FIRE

by Lynnd

That saying means so much. I understand why you would not yell that in a crowded theater and why it is used when you may be getting attacked both practical practices in my mind. When your husband yells it through your backdoor on a day when your back 4 acres has just been mowed and is in the process of being baled for hay it may cause a little panic!

When this happened to me the other day I have to admit I went into a low level of panic after I confirmed that yes indeed we did have a fire going in the back of our property in a year when everything is tinder dry. I suddenly felt like I was in an “I love Lucy” rerun and I was Lucy.

I immediately ran for the phone to call 911 I reached for that baby like it was a lifeline and then it dawned on me the damn thing is one of the new wonderful cordless phones that don’t freaking work when the power is out!!! Did I mention the cable and power were out? (See my post on July 23rd) after thinking oh fuck, I remembered I had an old stand by phone that I have saved for just such an occasion and it was sitting in the bookcase very close. I ran across the room grabbed it and hurriedly plugged it in. Dial tone, Thank Heavens! I dial 911 CRAAAAAP it won’t go through, I keep getting a high pitched beep instead. I slam the phone down panic rising by the moment. It finally dons on me (I know some of you were already thinking this, Shut up Tina) grab your damn cell phone!! Yep I finally remembered I have a cell phone for emergencies and this was one heck of one. I have it in my grasp and punch in 911, damn why isn’t it ringing. Hello stupid you have to punch call!!! Finally it is ringing. What do I hear? “All Circuits Are Busy At This Time” WTF!!!!!

I close the phone going into full panic mode now and the landline phone rings. I race across the room again and run into the wall trying to get to the damn thing. I right myself and grab it like a life preserver being thrown off a boat. I answer and I hear. “Hello this is 911 we received a hang up 911 call from this number”. I immediately respond with “Yes you did it was me and my property is on fire!!!!! They ask “Where is your property?” I gather my wits enough to give them the location and then they ask “Do you know how the fire started?” My brain goes into WTF again and I respond “NO and I really don’t care right now as MY FIELD IS ON FIRE!” Good lord do I have to do all the work for them? They finally realize I am on the verge and say they will send someone right away.

Mr. Lynn D pokes his head in the door and asks if I had called 911? I tell him Yes! “Then where are the fire trucks?” Ok I have to say at this point I am about to lose it!! I yell at him “how the hell do I know?” “Maybe it’s a slow day for the one operator at the damn one horse phone company we have!” He retreats out the door. I grab my cell phone and head outside while trying to keep the dogs inside. I think they realize I am on the edge and cooperate for once.

I finally get outside and smoke is billowing and you can see flames jumping. In all of this it finally dawns on me the guy baling our hay is still baling away! I keep thinking does he know the field is on fire??? Yep he knows hubby runs back to tell me Al is digging a trench on our side of the fence to try to create a break to stop the fire. He has a front loader on that baler and is going to town! Finally we hear sirens wailing away in the distance and 3 fire trucks arrive above our property on the state highway that runs to the back. Thank God! They are spraying foam and water like crazy! Seems that the wire supporting the power pole snapped and being under pressure it flew up and hit the power lines that caused sparking, hence the fire and also knocked out the power, cable and all.

The whole neighborhood is out watching and hoping that they knock it down fast. Cars are backed up on the state highway both directions. Thanks to Al the baling guy and the fire fighters they stop it before it can spread onto our property and the neighbors next door. Yay!!!!!

What I learned from all of this is that I am not as unflappable as I thought! I have always been someone who stayed calm in a crisis and then fell apart, but for some reason age, peri menopause, not doing Pilates, who knows? I went into panic mode and then was finally laughing by the time it was all over. Oh and Al he just continued to bale the hay after the fire fighters arrived. He is about eighty and I guess at that age nothing seems too dire and should never interfere with doing your job. I think he may have already been through menopause.

The Song ♪♪Africa♪♪

Chosen by EBJ

This fun YouTube video features a 1980s pop classic. The rock band Toto scored their biggest hit with Africa in 1982. The song is instantly recognizable. But it has been reinvented.

Perpetuum Jazzile is an a cappella jazz choir from Slovenia. It’s hard to think of something further from an ‘80s rock band. But their version of Africa may best the original. The group has amazing voices.

But the beginning of this video is really striking. Group members simulate an African thunderstorm with their hands. It’s really something to see and hear.

Buffet

by Iteach

Recently I went out to eat with my co-workers at a wonderful Italian restaurant. This place is known for its delicious buffet. Tons of pizza, all kinds of pastas, different types of bread, and yummy dessert. It is a wonderful experience for your taste buds. Unfortunately on that day when we went I was on diet #826, so I had a nice salad.

Now eating the salad did not make me sad at all, it was my friends who chose the buffet that made me sad. They went up to the mouth watering buffet and they all came back with a little slice of pizza, a tablespoon of pasta, and a little piece of bread. I just couldn't believe it! God created buffets to fill up the whole plate at LEAST twice with luscious food not just 3/4 of a plate. I felt so sorry for the buffet.

Now I know what you are thinking. Due to the fact that I treat the buffet with respect is the reason why I'm on diet #826. Yes, there could be some truth to that, I won't deny it. My thoughts are either do the buffet right or just order something else.

I wondered if my co-workers would have filled there plates different, if they were not with their peers? If they were with their husband or children would they have filled their plates? Do they hold back because they are worried what people are thinking? Or do they have excellent control?

I have recognized that I have no control when it comes to buffets not even when I was a skinny minnie. Boy do I love food!!! Thank goodness we will always have Shirley' buffets. They are perfect for every type of eater.