TGIF!

Friday giggle sent to me by Tim:

A Cajun man wants a job, but the foreman won't hire him until he passes a little math test."Here's your first question, the foreman said. "Without using numbers,represent the number 9."

"Without numbers?" the Cajun says, "Dat is easy." and proceeds to draw three trees."What's this?" the boss asks."Ave you got no brain? Tree and tree and tree make nine," says the Cajun.

"Fair enough," says the boss. "Here's your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99."

The Cajun stares into space for awhile, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree. "Ere you go."

The boss scratches his head and says, "How on earth do you get that to represent 99?"

"Each of da trees is dirty now. So, it's dirty tree, and dirty tree, and dirty tree. Dat is 99."

The boss is getting worried that he's going to actually have to hire this Cajun, so he says, "all right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100."

The Cajun stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree and says, "Ere you go. One hundred."

The boss looks at the attempt. "You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!"

The Cajun leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree and says, "A little dog came along and crap by each tree. So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which makes one hundred.....So, when I start?!"

lol... ok so that's my giggle for the day. Not much else is going on here, that is until I get off work and get to hang out with Jake and Tante Cati! Yeah!

So let's make it joke day. If you have a funny one, post it in the comments. If you don't know how to post, shoot me an email and I'll explain!

Have a great day and TGIF!

Funny Story

I know, a rare "double post day". I think it's the weather. I have two stories for you.

First story: So this morning I get in my car and stop at my neighborhood Starbucks. When I go in, it's sprinkling outside. By the time I came out, it was POURING. I was soaking wet by the time that I ran back to my car. Then I start driving and the main road to get on the freeway has FOUR INCHES of water on it. Traffic was seriously backed up because people down here can't drive in the rain without crashing. Crazy.

Second story: A coworker of mine went to Yosemite this weekend with her husband. On the way back she had a MAJOR craving for In-N-Out. She asked her husband to stop when they saw one, but every time they passed it he said "We'll stop at the next one". Now, she's very much like me - we both get a little grumpy if we get hungry. Finally at like 9pm she said this thought ran through her head: "Anna's boyfriend would have stopped." ROFL! I love my boy - he's so good to me! :-D

Rainy Thursday

Hi everyone!

Well, first off, let me explain my mood for the day. If you watched "American Idol" last night, you'll understand. Constantine was voted off. Let me explain this for those of you who don't watch the show. There are several people on the show that have been voted off that are actually good, while there are people that are still on the show that should never have made the top 20 *cough* Scott *cough*. Constantine was one of the rockers and actually has some talent. *sigh* I think I have it figured out. There's a website that is quickly gaining popularity. It's called http://www.votefortheworst.com. Lame, but apparently working!

In other news, my baby bird is now making what I have dubbed "Demon Bird" sounds. When he squawks it sounds like a mini-demon. Kinda scary. He looks so cute though. Finally looks like a real bird. He is getting much better at balancing on the perches, but still falls off if you scare him. He comes out of the nest in the mornings and tries to mimic Mommy and Daddy. He's actually trying to chirp like them too. So cute.

Today it's super rainy. April showers bring May flowers, right? And I've finally figured out what May flowers bring. June gloom. lol. If you have ever been in San Diego in the summer, you know what I mean! Anyways, it's kind of nice - it's supposed to rain all day today and into tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be nice this weekend so Tim and I can bike some more. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my old bike. I have this guilt thing about giving it to GoodWill. Like the darned bike has feelings or something. Holy cow.
I have a confession to make. Hi, my name is Anna. All: Hi Anna. I have a Starbucks addiction. I thought I could stop. I thought it would only be a Friday treat. No, it has spiraled out of control. I'm a Starbucks addict.

In other news, Tante Cati is coming down this weekend! Jake's frat is having Mom's weekend, so she's coming for that. She, Jake, Tim and I get to hang out on Friday! Yeah!!

Well, that's about all from here... hope you're all having a great day! It's almost the weekend! I need to get going now... I have to get some Starbucks before work...

Another Monday

Tim's mama sent me this... I really think it's great! Thanks Shirley!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

Remember, there is no way you can look as bad as that person on your drivers license.

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
11. Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Isn't that fantastic? I especially like number 7 - my mama tells me that all the time - home is your refuge, don't bring work or bad things into it! And the guilt trip thing. I'm Catholic, we like guilt. I could definitely live without it!

So today was fairly boring. Just another Monday. Got to leave work an hour early which was nice. I was a good girl today - I went to the gym while Tim was at class... I worked my little butt off on that stair stepper thing! Who would have thought climbing stairs would work up a sweat! But that's good - I have a really hard time with exercises that don't make me sweat. It makes me feel like I'm not getting a good workout. I guess that's the cross country runner in me. There's no way you do the 6 mile run to the mall in 110 degree heat without "glistening" a little.

Oh, I updated the poll... it's one of those fun SAT questions. You can answer on the poll and then email me if you want the correct answer and/or an explanation. I thought it would be kind of fun. A brain teaser, if you will.

Ok, on that happy note, I'm off to bed. I'm sleepy. Plus I got a new romance novel at Costco on Sunday. Haven't had a chance to read it yet. I might dive in until I fall asleep. Yeah! Good night!

Rainy Sunday

Ok, so I suppose I should first explain the pictures, because that's probably what you looked at first and now you probably are wondering what they're all about.

1. First Picture. Today, little John Paul took his first leap into the outside world. Yes, he jumped out of the nest. It was the cutest thing because he was all wobbly and off balance and slipped down to the bottom of the cage (he wasn't hurt). Then Mama bird flew down next to him and started jumping from the bottom of the cage to the first perch, lots of times, up and down, up and down, until he finally figured it out. Eventually he made his way back up to the nest. The picture that you see below is John Paul and Daddy Brad. The daddy finch has the orange cheeks. We'll find out in 6-8 weeks if little John Paul is a John Paul or a Johnette Paulette (as they get older their feathers and beaks change color - notice now he has all the same colored feathers and a black beak... the female birds are light gray and have light orange beaks. Male birds are generally darker gray, have bright orange cheeks and bright orange beaks).
2. Second Picture. Tonight Tim made me a meatloaf for dinner. Holy cow, it was good. My compliments to his mama for teaching him to cook! He made it from scratch and made it with carrots all around it and some buttered noodles. It was so good that I ate too fast and then had to go lay down! Yum!
3. Third Picture. Ok, this one is kind of random. I actually meant to post it much earlier and kept forgetting. Sometime last month Kyra and Tim came over and I made an apfelstrudel. We had already been drinking Coronas, so this continued into dinner time. In true German style we had beer and apfelstrudel! Ok, so Corona is not exactly the beer of Bavaria, but it's beer none-the-less. :-D

Today we took another bike ride. I know, we're getting hooked Eva. It's bad. We need gloves next because we're both getting callouses on our hands. Speaking of callouses, I think the reason I felt like I was getting them on my butt before was because the saddle was a little worn out on my old pony. I'm telling you, what a difference shock absorbers make. Yes, my old bike had none. Now I go over speed bumps and it doesn't feel like the seat is going up places it shouldn't.

What the heck is happening with my Kings?! For those of you who don't follow basketball, I'll make sure to explain it all. It's playoff time. It's done in "levels". You have to beat a team on one level to move up. It's the best of seven games, so that means the first person to win four games in the series moves on. So last night was the first game for the Kings. They are playing the Seattle Supersonics (see the right hand side of the blog for TV times and channels). The Kings played horribly. At one point they were down by 21 points. They ended up losing by 5. Not so bad. I would have been more upset had they lost by 21. What was worse was how Mike Bibby played. He's what we call "clutch". That means that he's great at hitting "buzzer beaters" (those are generally hard to make shots at the last very second that win the game). In fact, that's what he's known for, both in college basketball and in NBA basketball. He's a good scorer and generally ends up with a lot of assists (that's when he makes a pass that leads to a basket). Well, last night Mike Bibby scored a grand total of three points. He made one basket and got a free throw. And he had some miniscule amount of assists. Very unlike him. In fact, as we were watching the game, I commented that the last time I saw him play anything like that (this ended up being the worst game of his career) was last year during the playoffs when he played on a severely injured foot. Then this morning I'm reading the Sacramento Bee online and it's talking about how he hurt his foot (again - he broke it last year) and had been icing it all day. Great. I hope he and the Kings can pull it all together... darn it, I want my championship!!!

Anyways, that's about it for today. I spent the rest of the day curled up on the sofa watching movies with Tim because it was all rainy and cold. It was a really nice, really relaxing weekend! Make sure you read yesterday's blog and check out the pictures below that one!

Picture - John Paul and his Daddy 
 

Picture - My man sure can cook a mean meatloaf! 

Picture - Apfelstrudel and beer... the true German way!!! 

Bike for Breakfast

Hi everyone!

The "Bike for Breakfast" Program has officially been started. This morning Tim and I got up early and went down to La Jolla Shores for a nice ride and a yummy breakfast at this little cafe. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Tim and I are CHUGGING up this big hill. We were both breathing heavy and sweating a lot. All of the sudden, we hear this guy behind us. He's biking past us like it's nothing, not out of breath or sweaty at all. That's it. We're getting in shape.
• We stop at this tiny little deli-ish place. They have breakfast burritos and bagels and sandwiches and stuff. Well, we're in La Jolla, so everyone is into fitness and being skinny. Tim gets this cup of granola and the guy at the counter asks if he wants milk. Tim says yes and the guy asks if he wants 1% or nonfat. Tim asks for Vitamin D. The guy looks at him like Tim is nuts and says "We don't have that kind of milk". lol.. that's like walking into some fancy restaurant and asking for a double-double.
• The end of our trip was the best. It went from "Bike for Breakfast Program" to "Bike for a trip to Target for a new bike and windshield wipers Program". Yes, I have a new pony. The other will be set out to pasture either today or tomorrow (read: going to Goodwill).

When we got back we HAD to try out my new bike, so we rode down the street. What a difference brakes make! Seriously! My other bike has cracking tires and brakes that only sort of work. And the new bike has 21 speeds instead of 10! Woo hoo! I'm super excited and Tim and I will be biking again tomorrow!
I've posted some pictures below - you can see Tim driving "safely". We stopped at Ralphs for some water and he sat in his truck with his helmet on (Sorry, I said car originally and apparently that's a big no no. A truck is NOT a car). The roses were at this great house that we rode past... all of the houses down by the beach have beautiful architecture and the flowers grow GREAT!

So we saw "The Interpreter" last night. It got really bad reviews, but Tim and I both really liked it! I love Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn! It definitely doesn't go where you think it's going to go. Very good movie!

Well, that's about all from here. The rest of the day is going to be spent relaxing and watching the playoffs (GO KINGS! GO BIBBY!). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Picture - "Safe" Driver 
 

Picture - Anna's New Pony :-) 
 

Picture - Anna & Tim - Bike for Breakfast 
 

Picture - Roses on Our Trip 

T.G.I.F!

Giggle for the day, courtesy of Tim:

A couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. They decide to go to the doctor for a checkup. The doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair.

His wife asks, "Where are you going?"

"To the kitchen," he replies.

"Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?"

"Sure," he says.

"Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" she asks.

"No, I can remember it."

"Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. You'd better write it down because you know you'll forget it."

He says, "I can remember that! You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries."

"I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, so you'd better write it down!" she retorts.

Irritated, he says, "I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Leave me alone! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!" Then he grumbles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment and says, "Where's my toast?"

So this weekend should be fun. Tim has lots of studying to do, but we have a fun Saturday morning planned. We've dubbed it the "Bike For Breakfast" event. We're taking our bikes down to the beach and then riding around until we're super hungry. Then we're stopping at some little cafe to eat. Fun, huh? I can't wait! I'll make sure we take pictures!

Other than that, not to much else is exciting here. After the events of this week, I'm SO happy that it's Friday! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Witty Thoughts

This was the first email I read this morning. Talk about a good way to wake up!

Snappy Answer #1A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket, and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub."

Snappy Answer #2 A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"; The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

Snappy Answer #3 The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. "I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said. The kid replied, "Yeah, well, I got here as fast as I could." When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

Snappy Answer #4 A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign came up that read "low bridge ahead." Before he knew it, the bridge was right ahead of him and he was stuck under the bridge. Cars backed up for miles. Finally, a police car arrived. The cop got out of his car and walked around to the truck driver, put his hands on his hips and said, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver said, "No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."

BONUS Snappy Answer A girl visiting her blond friend, who had acquired two new dogs, asked her what their names were. The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex. Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that? "Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," answered the blond, "they're watch dogs!"Can't get enough?

The BEST is LAST! A pompous minister was seated next to a Texan on a flight to Dallas. After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken. The Texan asked for a whiskey and soda, which was brought and placed before him. The flight attendant then asked the minister if he would like a drink. He replied in disgust, "I'd rather be savagely raped by brazen whores than let liquor touch my lips." The Texan looked at the minister, then handed his drink back to the attendant and said, "I didn't know we had a choice, I'll have what he's having."

Heh. Yeah, well it made me giggle. And my mom since she sent it to me. That makes two of us. :)

Check out the song of the day. Email me if you don't understand why it's my new anthem. That's a funny story, let me tell you!

Ok, let's discuss this American Idol thing. WHY IS EVIL SHREK STILL ON THERE?! What is wrong with America?! And WHO THE HECK IS VOTING FOR HIM?! He's yucky looking, he sings HORRIBLY, and there are MUCH better people on that show who are being voted off before him! At least Anwar had the Steve Wonder thing going. I would rather listen to him than hear Scott try to sing one more song that's just a little to high for him. Please, someone explain in the comments section why he's on!!!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

It Came In The Mail

Yesterday, it came in the mail. Tim, you no longer need to become the owner of Petco. I have something better. Illuminations. Joanna gave me the catalogue with one rule - that I leave my computer off so I couldn't order. All of two minutes later, I was in her room asking if she thought we could fit the new Garden Arch (page one of the catalogue) on our balcony. At this point she threatened to take the catalogue away. lol I swear, that store is going to be the death of me!

In other news, I finally got a decent picture of the baby bird yesterday. It was cute because in the first one I took, he blinked. He was looking at me with his little eye (yes, mom, he actually does have TWO eyes, but he was turned to the side, so all I could see was one of them) and he got a squinty. Then when I took the picture he started to blink which is why he looks sort of drugged. I guess he doesn't like having a flashlight shined in his eyes... I can't imagine why...

Well, folks, that's about all from here. Hope you're all having a great day!

Picture - Baby - he's in the middle of a blink - at least now he looks like a bird and not a Fraggle! 

Benedict XVI

Our new pope is cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany (yeah!) who has chosen the name Benedict XVI. Yeah!!!

Banana Strings

Ok, so I have a bone to pick with bananas. Now, I hate them because of swim team. Back in my competitive swimming days I used to get cramps in my calves. My lovely swim coach, John, knew that this was caused by a lack of potassium and he knew that bananas have a lot of potassium in them. So, before each practice, I had to eat a banana in order to try to keep my legs from cramping. Now, I hate eating before I do any type of exercise because it makes my tummy feel yucky. So imagine eating bananas before swimming 250 laps. Yeah. Yuck.

But there's something else about bananas that I really dislike. That's the banana strings. You know what I'm talking about. When you peel the banana, take that first big bite, and then have this tough stringy thing stuck to your lip and in your mouth. It's the color of banana, but its definitely not smushy enough. I can't stand them. I don't know why the banana strings stick to the banana and not the peel, but they're disgusting. They make me not want to eat a banana. because you know you can't pick them off - they then break into ten little banana strings. Gross.

In other, more important news, we have a new pope! I was listening to the radio, and they announced that there was white smoke. Then they cut to audio coverage of Saint Peter's Square. But there were no bells (something that Pope John Paul II added, as there sometimes is confusion as to the exact color of the smoke). Suddenly, there was the glorious sound of the HUGE bell there, followed by a roar from the crowd and the ringing of church bells all over Rome. It was so beautiful and it gave me goosebumps. I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear the new pope's name!

Biking!

Happy Monday everyone!

Well, this weekend Tim took the plunge... he finally bought a bike. Now, Eva and Adam, we're not quite to the biking level you guys are at. In fact, we're at the "if it's cheap and has wheels..." stage. We had a great time. His bike definitely works and good old pony still runs, so we went around the neighborhood yesterday. I'm feeling a lot better, so I figured some exercise would be good. Besides triggering a minor cough attack, it was a ton of fun! Let me tell you one thing, my butt is sore today. I think back to when I was little and Kati and I used to ride our bikes... I can't ever remember my butt hurting then. Is that part of getting old? Or did I have callouses or something when I was little?

Today is going to be a busy day. I can't wait. I actually have some energy today! Yeah!

The baby bird is doing really well. He's a noisy little bugger. Mom and Dad are feeding him A LOT and he's growing his feathers. According to my research, he should be jumping from the nest fairly soon. That scares the crap out of me. I mean, it's a long fall to the bottom of the cage, with two perches in the way. I think he could get hurt. I would line the bottom of the cage with cotton or something, but the Mom and Dad try to carry everything I put in there up to the nest.

Hope you're all having a wonderful Monday!

Picture - Tim's New Bike  

Picture - Anna's Bike 

Products I Love - Sally Hanson Cuticle Massage Cream

Yes men, even for you.

This product is GREAT. It's formal name is "Sally Hanson Cuticle Massage Cream with Apricot Extract". Let me tell you, it works. It's a tiny tub or orange colored cream with the constancy of soft butter. You schmear it on your cuticles and nails. It not only keeps your cuticles and nails healthy, but it makes your nails GROW. And it takes care of that pesky dry skin around your nails. I have a little pot of it on my desk at work... when I get bored I just rub some in. You don't have to wait for anything to dry and it's not oily or greasy. Definitely a must-have.

Bird update: Little John Paul opens his eyes more and is getting louder and louder every day. my poor Mom... every time I call her I make her listen to him squawk! He's also starting to grow feathers - they're tiny little nubs, but they have potential! He's now 15 days old - around 21 days he'll be ready to take that first bold leap from the nest... I'm worried already!

That's all that's new here... TGIF!

Baby Finch and Bank Robbery

Yes, I said bank robbery. Tim and I went to the grocery store today and there were 5 police cars lined up outside of the store. Inside is my local Wells Fargo branch. We walk in and there is crime scene tape up and they're dusting the counter for finger prints. A girl is crying and being interviewed by the police. So Tim and I continue with our grocery shopping. Remember that I am my father's daughter, so on the way out (as we pass the police) I walked really slow and listened really hard. I had to get the scoop! I heard the officer say the guy got away with $850. That's it!

Here's a funny little tidbit. Ladies, listen up. Tim pushes the cart for me. We have what is called "EBS"... the "Emergency Braking System". He follows close enough to hear me and talk to me, but far enough to have enough time to stop without running me over, should I come to a sudden halt. I tested the EBS system today. We're good to go.

Below I've posted some pictures of Baby John Paul. I know he looks scary... I promise he will turn into a real bird sometime soon! He's even getting little feathers at the end of his wings! His head is to the left, kind of pointing down and to the left. His little backside is pointed to the right and up. The big pink spot that you see is where he stores some of his food (this gets covered up with feathers and shrinks a little bit as he gets older). It's a good sign that his is big... it means that Thelma and Brad are feeding him!

That's all for now! Have a great day!

Picture - Baby John Paul (last one!) 

Picture - Baby John Paul. His head is to the left and his tail is to the right. 

Picture - More Baby John Paul. 
 

She's Alive!

Wow. What a weekend! On Thursday I had a fairly serious reaction to the antibiotics I was put on. By the time Tim got to my house I was hot, sweaty, headachy and very nauseous. Tim called my parents, the doctor and finally ended up driving me to Urgent Care. They cut back the antibiotics, gave me anti-nausea drugs and some more decongestants. I took Friday off and basically spent the weekend sleeping. On Monday I tried to go back to work and ended up having another, more minor, reaction. My doctor decided to take me off the antibiotics I was on and try another. This morning I woke up feeling so much better! I'm still a little hoarse and tired, but I was actually hungry and not completely exhausted! Thank God for Tim. He took such great care of me this weekend. He cooked almost every meal for me and made sure I didn't have to lift a finger. In fact, he wouldn't let me off the sofa! I don't know what I would have done with out him! I love you Tim!

This morning at 4am I was awakened by a 4.0 earthquake! I heard a rumble and then felt a sharp jolt. Fortunately there was no damage or injuries.

Here's the baby update: Today little John Paul opened his eyes! I peeked in the cage and there he was, looking right back at me! They were only open for a few seconds and then he closed them and snuggled back into the nest. He's growing so fast! He's now 10 days old and should be getting feathers in the next week or so! Well, that's all from here! Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

*Sniff Sniff*

So I went to the doctor yesterday - as luck would have it I am the lucky recipient of not only a killer sinus infection but a major ear infection. Yeah for me. I'm actually feeling better now because I'm on antibiotics and a great cough syrup. Just sleepy. Like a long nap at home would be FANTASTIC right now. I feel like I'm in a cloud. Eva, you've got to get some of this stuff!

In finch news, my baby said his first words last night. Oh, it was so cute! I was laying on the sofa and I heard this tiny squeaking sound. I snuck over to the cage and it was none other than John Paul (I've condensed the names) himself! Right away Mommy and Daddy bird flew over to feed him. Adorable.

Ok, back to work. Short, sweet and unwitty today. I blame the antibiotics.

Have a good day all!

Woe is Me.

WARNING: The following commentary might be considered graphic by some.

Well, friends, here's the update for today. Snot production is up. Snot removal functions are down. This leaves a lot of extra snot in my head. I have no idea where it all comes from. Seriously. Amazing amounts. And I call my doctor, saying that it's very important I come in (I have to sing at a wedding on Saturday) and they tell me the earliest they can get me in is 3:45pm. Tomorrow. Hrumph. So I asked to be "on call" and I'm going to keep checking back all afternoon. Maybe if I'm annoying enough they'll let me come in.

Some sad news... yesterday we lost two of the baby birds. I'm not really sure what happened... I got home and they were on the bottom of the cage, so I don't know if they were tossed because they were dead or if they died because they were tossed. However, where one life ends, another begins. The last egg is hatching. It has a crack in it and wiggles every now and then. And baby #3 is still alive. So we'll see how things are when I get home.

Hope everyone else is having a snot-free day!

Products I Love - Quench

Good morning!

So here it is, the first edition of "Products I Love". Tim was joking with me this morning, saying that it should be called "Products I'd Love Tim to Buy Me". lol

I've discovered a great lotion. GREAT. It's called "Quench" and is made by Oil of Olay. It comes in a funky purple bottle and is a fantastic moisturizer. It comes in "Normal to Dry", "Extra Dry" and "Sensitive". I've noticed that it has a little bit of shimmer to it... not enough to make you look twelve, but enough to get your skin noticed!

Here's the link if you would like to read more about this fantastic product! http://www.olay.com/cgi-bin/newusquicksearch.cgi?sku=us12062004_02

It's available at Target and Longs... a large bottle runs about $7 and a small one around $4.

And now, what you've all been waiting for - the baby update. There are three little babies now! Holy cow, they're so cute! I tried to get some more pictures, but they end up being all out of focus. This morning, when I took the cover off the cage, Brad (the daddy) was in the nest, feeding the babies! OMG, it was so cute! He straddles them and then sticks his beak in their mouth. SO CUTE!!!

That's all for today. Have a great day!

Why Is It OK to Be Late?!

Ladies and gentlemen, you are adults. As such, you are expected to be ON TIME. It's not a very difficult concept. Someone says, be here at x o'clock and you *drumroll* show up at x o'clock. But, you say, things come up! Yes, this I understand. I'm not saying there are not some very valid reasons to be tardy. Yet, when those come up each and every day, or even worse, you just stop giving excuses, it is unacceptable.

There are two professional groups that seem to be exempt from this thing called "time". The first is the doctors office. Now these people have gone to school for much longer periods of time than most of us, yet they don't seem to understand that when they tell me "Your appointment is at 10am", I expect to actually see the doctor at 10am. No, apparently in doctor time, "Your appointment is at 10am" means "Show up at 10am. Sign in, pay us and then sit in an uncomfortable chair for an hour until we get to you. If you're not sick already, you will be after sitting next to the sneezy toddler with the snot running down his face." Somehow, no one questions this. Day after day, people just keep visiting their doctors, allowing them to run late.

The second group is airlines. Now, some are better than others, depending on your location and time. Now, I if I pay $150 to someone who says they're going to take me somewhere by 7pm, I expect to arrive there at 7pm. Not the case with the airlines. Sometimes you're there on time, most of the time you're not. But there's always an excuse. Speaking of tardiness on airlines, have you ever noticed that when your plane is late and you take off they tell you they're going to "make up time in the air"? What does that mean? Are they speeding? If they could get there faster, why weren't they doing it to begin with?!

In conclusion, I firmly believe that as adults, we should master this concept of time. It amazes me that people show up late to work, rehearsals, meetings and more, and that they do it on a daily basis. All I have to say is, Mom, Dad, you raised me well.

Bird update: As of this morning, we still had two living, breathing, wiggling babies. Their names are John and Paul, in honor of the Pope, however, if the other two eggs hatch, I might name them Ringo and George. Set of four. :)

Have a great day! Stay tuned for a new feature - "Products I Love"!

BABIES!

First and foremost, I have to say that I'm very sad that the Pope passed away. I was sort of disappointed in the services today - it seemed like there was going to be more mention of him, but I guess we just have to keep going with the Easter season. I'm going to be doing some of the memorial masses (our parish is doing them every night all week), so maybe more will be said there. I've just seen people around the world on TV, wailing, crying, holding vigil in their churches. I went the other day and it was empty. Darn Americans.

In other, much happier news, I am the proud mommy of two brand new baby birds! Holy cow, they're adorable!!!! I was so excited... I ran around the apartment squealing. Now I'm all worried that mommy and daddy bird (Thelma and Brad) will knock them out of the nest... it's a long fall! I've posted two pictures below so you can see them! Tim named them John and Paul, saying that as someone dies, new life begins. So apparently the Pope was reborn in finch form today. If they're girls, they'll be Joan and Paulette.

In other, other happy news, Louise has found love. Yes, her three day grace period is over and I purchased a mate. His name is Mac, and let me tell you, he's spunky. It took three guys and 45 minutes to catch him. He escaped the cage, he escaped the net, he escaped the box. It was pretty fun to watch. Louise loves him, even though he has a depth perception problem. That's right, I said my bird has depth issues. He jumps from the perch to the swing and sometimes overshoots it. It's kinda funny to watch. I like to think that he's so smitten with Louise that he can't see clearly. Tonight they were sitting side-by-side preening each other. Not plucking, preening.

Finally, I made an apfelstrudel and white bread tonight. I'm so proud. It's been a good day... babies, bread and strudel. *sigh*

Picture - Babies!!! 
 

Picture - More babies!!! 
 

Dave Matthews Band!

I GOT TICKETS! Yeah!!! OMG, I'm so excited... Tim and I are going to see them! Woo hoo!

Things That Bug Me

Good morning!

First of all, I would like to pause to say a little prayer for the Pope. He's definitely not doing well right now.... this is a wonderful article that my mom sent to me about him: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6999966/site/newsweek/

*insert moment of silence or prayer here*


Ok, on to "Things That Bug Me".

1. Posers. Now, those of you who are my age will know what this is, but for those of you who don't know, a poser is someone who is fake, someone who acts like one thing, but is really another. The worst part is that they make other people feel bad while they're doing it. Yes, I know that deep down, we all do this a little, but there are some people who do it all the time. People, don't try to be something you're not!

2. Blamers. These are people who blame everyone else for their problems. Yes, crap happens to people in life. Yes, there are sucky people out there who will screw you over. BUT YOU MAKE YOUR LIFE HAPPEN. Stop blaming other people. If you're in a bad situation, get yourself out of it!

3. Thoughtless people. I think, perhaps, that I worry too much about how my actions affect other people. There are others who don't worry enough... take just a minute to think about what you say or do to others and how you will feel if you were in their shoes!

4. Spiders. Enough said.

5. People who let their kids scream. I know that I may not have been the perfect child. BUT I know that I never screamed through a mass or had major tantrums all of the time. Watch "Super Nanny". It makes you firmly believe that sometimes, a kid just needs to be smacked.

Well, happy April Fools Day. It's a BEAUTIFUL day today! I'm a happy girl!