Category Archives: weird stuff

May31

Every which way but down

Posted on by
Standard

I’ll tell you it was a crazy day. I called our internet provider (if you know my email address you know which company this is) to order a router so Sean could get online with his new laptop. They are coming next Thursday. To do this took about 40+ minutes as they kept moving me from one department to another. Don’t other customers call for the same thing?

Later, around 1:30, I get on and my email isn’t working-I can’t receive new email and my password is rejected. I call them back and then the internet goes down. The guy said it should be working ‘by the end of the business day’. Yeah right.

So at 6 pm I let Brian take his turn with them. The new order was messing up our present account. A nice man from Oregon got us online and receiving email again, but an hour later, the email was down again. It looks like I won’t be getting email until next Thursday! I won’t be calling the idiots again. I sent them a message through their website.

Not only did that happen, but it was so hot I couldn’t do anything outside. I watered stuff later. I did try to take the cat out for a walk (he had just woken up and was dopey)  and something really spazzed him out near the door-he went straight up in the air 2 feet and kicked into (like karate) a small table that is holding a doll house I made and have set up there. I grabbed the house, which didn’t fall, but one table leg was completely broken off! I got the wood glue and rubber bands to try and fix it. It belonged to Bri’s grandmom too. Cos felt bad and stayed away from me the rest of the day.

So it isn’t ‘every which way but ‘up’, its what went down today. Hoping for a better tomorrow.

Please don’t email me, just leave a message here.

May4

I find this incredibly sad

Posted on by
Standard

I didn’t know if I wanted to mention this on my blog as it’s a sad thing, but maybe it will make you (us) sit up and take notice of the people who live around you, whether you like them or not. I use to be really friendly with the lady across the street and then she got all strange and we don’t talk anymore. I do however, try to take notice if I see her walking around her yard (she lives alone with two dogs) or if her garages are open (she drives an old Ford from about ’65 and an old Buick from the early 70s). I did say ‘hi’ in the grocery store when I saw her a few weeks ago. As I said, she is odd.

So a few days ago, skeletons were found in a house in Northeast Philadelphia near a very busy road. The one skeleton had a gun in it’s ‘hand’. The suicide note was dated January, 2006! So in all that time, no one missed these two people. They were found because the water people had to get in their house as water was leaking from it. It turns out it was a man (use to be a cop) and his mother. Very disturbing isn’t it?

On a happier note, the Extreme Makeover:Home Edition show will help a family in Bucks County-a single mom and her 4 sons this Sunday. Their home was ravaged by termites. I love these shows that turn people’s lives around. I wonder if Ty Pennington is always thinking about all the other people who need their help? It must be a hard job.

Apr16

Virginia Tech tragedy

Posted on by
Standard

Just when you think the world is spinning on a safer axis, something like this happens. We don’t know all the details, but 33 people are dead-the worst in US college campus history. Sean knows a freshman named Stephanie who attends the school (from his old high school). He has a message in her Facebook to make sure she is ok.

Update-Stephanie was home for the weekend and is still there-thank goodness!

I can’t even write anymore about this nor could I watch any news about it.

While I was sitting in my quiet and cold house this morning (we had no power from about 8:45 am to 12:15 and it’s still risky that it will go off again), I was reading an update on the opening of the new schoolhouse in Nickel Mines in People magazine. About $4 million in donations were sent from all over the world as that tragic event last October touched so many people. They have art work from some of the deceased girls hanging up in memory of them. And it’s called the ‘New Hope’ school. The magazine even quotes a minister from Quarryville, where Brian works.

Feeling better today-sure didn’t waste those 3 hours earlier. I finally wrote out my cards for the Make A Child Smile kids (see side bar) and sorted out stickers, etc for my art projects. If the power had remained off, I was going to clean my bedroom-well, I guess I can still do that.

; )

Apr16

4″ of rain Sunday

Posted on by
Standard

That nor’easter sure did blow in and is hanging around. That’s a lot of rain for a single day in these parts. Mom’s yard was like a swimming pool (so she told me) as my brother was preparing it for grass-the seed is surely gone now!

I made a nice roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese biscuits, which was very good and perfect for the cool, rainy weather. Brian peeled the potatoes and mashed them to perfection. I didn’t use the ricer as the russets had weird looking skin and I didn’t want to cook that.

I haven’t been up to par, I had indigestion Saturday, ate the Chinese food (uh oh), but slept ok. I had a sore stomach all day until I wised up and took a Tylenol. It felt better within a half hour. I tried mint tea, Gas-X and assorted tummy remedies when I probably had a muscle pull! My mom had had a wicked tummy thing on Easter and I am knocking wood that I avoided that one.

So here is what I made today. I am using old flower, bird and kid’s books (shown mostly in the first example). I hate to cut them up, but I feel I am giving them new life through art. The second card has a definition for ‘dreaming’. I was using the water sphere from the flower show and rubberstamped a face on it, but the embossing power was put on thick and melted too much, hence an entire new idea crept up in my brain. The children were part of a CD collection I found on eBay.

Why do stars shine?

Dreamer child
These were photographed on a trio of cute wicker chests my mom gave me for Easter that I am using to store a lot of my art supplies in.

And last, but not least…my latest cross stitched piece, a The Prairie Schooler church for Su’s neighborhood (see link in sidebar).
Su’s NRR church

Apr13

Feeling unlucky?

Posted on by
Standard

Are you superstitious?

Exactly 23 yrs ago it was also Friday the 13th and I was getting ready to ‘take the plunge’ into matrimony. I guess it’s the way you look at things don’t you think? Sean’s car is at the inspection center and we hope everything will be fine with that. I’m feeling the chilly weather to my bones. I remember last year I had a nicer looking yard than this one and the lilacs were budded and about to bloom. This year I don’t see the buds at all. The pond needs cleaning and I just can’t do it until the aches ease up. I don’t want to end up like my mom who is dependent on pain meds to get through her day. I am happy to report that a Tylenol usually helps me and some nice, warm weather.

The heater guy adjusted the furnace yesterday and fixed the leaky filter. The banging we are hearing is from the duct work and he can’t do anything about that. He said our last heater was way too big for the house. He made a big fuss over the cat as he has 3 of this own. Cos was not use to a big hand rubbing his head so brisking, but he didn’t nip at the guy.

John Corzine, the governor of New Jersey, was in a serious car accident around 6 last night. He broke his leg (upper) and about 12 ribs. He’s in critical, but stable condition. He was said not to be wearing a seat belt. The police are looking the the vehicle that appears to have forced them off the road.

Next Thursday we are planning on getting together with Brian’s old college pal Kathy. She lives in Tennessee now and comes back up to PA every few years to visit mostly friends. She is divorced with no children. And we share the same birthday. We are thinking of Carrabbas, the yummy Italian restaurant to meet at.

I have the Neighborhood Round Robin #6 cross stitch project finished up for Su except for my name. I am done a month early! I figure since the next person to stitch on it is Su’s mum, she can get it early (she is finished with her lady’s design anyway) and then send it to her other daughter to finish up the 8th square (we had planned on eight people, but one dropped out) if that is what they are going to do. I’ll show you a photo soon.

Have a great weekend!

Mar29

Stuff from Nov. 19th

Posted on by
Standard

Saw this on Pea’s blog and thought I’d give it a try. I know a lot of weird stuff happened on my birthday.

1) Go to Wikipedia
2) In the search box, type your birth month and day but not the year
3) List three events that happened on your birthday
4) List two important birthdays and one death
5) One holiday or observance (if any)

1863 – American Civil War: Union President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

1997 – In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies were born alive. (this could be under birthdays too-these kiddos will be 10 this year!!!!)

2006 – Launch of the Nintendo Wii.

Birthdays

1917 – Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (d. 1984)

1959 – Allison Janney, American actress-the exact year too!

Death

1988 – Christina Onassis, daughter of billionaire Aristotle Onassis (b. 1950)

And holy ‘crap’

Holiday or Observance:

World Toilet Day, see World Toilet Organization.

Mar28

Pollen is really bad…

Posted on by
Standard

 I can attest to this as when I was out in the strong breeze, I sneezed like crazy.

 Thanks to Channel 6 for this:

March 28, 2007 – Several South Jersey fire departments received calls from people seeing what they thought was smoke in the forest.

As it turned out, what they were seeing was pollen flying off trees.

Just touching the branches of a Red Cedar tree unleashed a thick cloud of pollen. When the wind is strong enough and the cloud is big enough, it easily be mistaken for smoke

Between 7 and 9:30 Wednesday morning a dozen 9-1-1 brush fire calls were reported, mostly in Gloucester and Atlantic counties. Malaga Fire Company responded three times, but in each case fire was not the cause. It was pollen smoke.

Mar9

What the hey?

Posted on by
Standard

Sean rented a bunch of movies to celebrate his official start of spring break. I said, go ahead and get ‘Borat’ as I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. There was a certain much talked about scene involving nakedness and it was rather lewd-or just plain gross and we must admit, a little comical.

I think the concept of a foreigner coming to the good old USA has been done before (Moscow on the Hudson with Robin Williams?). This had its funny moments and the critics liked it. Sasha Baron Cohen (I think of the little ice skater all the time when I see his name), is one peculiar fellow. At first when he was making the tv circuits for the movie promo, I thought he was the real deal, that he was like Borat, he was that good. Then I found out he was a British comic who does a number of characters. How he acted and what he said at the awards show (he won a Golden Globe!) was a little disrespectful to everyone listening. I am pretty sure he and his girlfriend mouthed the words F U when the camera came on them at the Academy Awards. Hey Sasha, maybe this is your 15 minutes of fame and do you want to be remembered as a jerk?

Don’t get me wrong, I love British humor-have been a fan of Monty Python’s for ages. I don’t remember any of them acting that way in public and they all kept a pretty low key persona.

The movie was funny-one of the best parts-when he walked into a Christian revival meeting and said he wanted to be saved. He then asked the minister if Jesus loved his brother down to his neighbor who he hated. He said that no one loved his neighbor even ‘Mister’ Jesus.

Borat-nice, I like!

Feb7

Real Housewives of Orange County?

Posted on by
Standard

Yes, that is the question. These women are not housewives or really even domestic goddesses. A few of them are businesswomen, but I guess friends of the impostors. All have fake boobs. Probably all have been botoxed and have smooth foreheads and big waxy lips and long hair. They have showed a few of the gals getting needles in the frown area. I think this Bravo cable show should be called ‘Stepford Wives of Orange County’ as they are trying to be cookie cutter replicas of each other. The only one I can relate to in the tiniest of ways is Jeana, because she is the heaviest of the bunch, not in a bad heavy way. She and her ex-pro baseball player husband have 3 kids (she thought their gene pool was so excellent that they reproduced that many times-words from her own mouth). They have about 3-4 homes. Her kids are totally spoiled.
Jeana showing bling In fact, most of the teenagers/young adults they show have some kind of issue. Last night the other ‘newer’ cast member’s daughter had her nose fixed as she had a little bump in it. They actually showed the doctor whamming her nose with a hammer and you heard the ‘crack’ when it broke.The one I can’t stand the most is Jo who is about 26. She isn’t anything special, not even that pretty. She happen to catch this rich guy Slade (real name? I think not) and he fell for her. Now she got a job in LA and is moving there. I think Slade is tired of her anyway. I guess their lives are like 98% more interesting then mine, but you see from the show that they all have problems. Money seems to escalate this most of the times. All have been married and divorced too.