I left my coffee up front

It's the end of 2008 and every body is getting ready to diet and exercise again. Haha! Good luck with that resolution, it will be nice working out with you new people for one or two days. Let me know how it works out for you!

Here's a great reason to get started now rather than cheat today: I gained 10 pounds on Christmas. Don't say it's just muscle, either, because I've already lost it again but - holy crow - TEN POUNDS in one day!

I weighed in on December 22, 2008. I register XXX on the scale. I ate perfect until Christmas Day, when I hate two peanut butter balls and some corn casserole. I weighed in again on December 26, 2008 and registered XXX+10.

I ran my tootie off! Drank lots of water and have religiously followed my diet with the exception of December 28, 2008 when I had another Christmas party. I now weigh XXX again. Sigh

I just hope that now after I got rid of what was probably a bunch of water weight and hormone side effects (nasty, mean ole aunt!) I won't be gaining it back again while I take the next two days off from my training regime. Hopefully, this pain in my hip will go away soon; or I'll be running with a bottle of Advil. I'm not missing this race.

Seriously, people, if you really want to get fit in 2009, don't wait until you've finished all of your cheating. Don't go buy new work out clothes just so you're motivated. Just go do it! It's not that hard! Start with walking a little bit every day, then walk some more, then jog. Lift a few weights but don't kill yourself or you will burn yourself out!

I am on the crash diet from hell, if you haven't noticed. Fortunately, I've been hitting the gym for awhile now so changing everything for my half-marathon goal wasn't as difficult as if I'd just started my first day on a treadmill after eating six Big Macs and a biggie fry the previous day! If you don't go to the gym now, your body's not accustomed to the tough stuff you think you have to do to succeed. Take your time, start slow and push yourself but don't kill yourself!

Weight loss and good health takes time. It's not like how the Democrats perceive our economy; it won't get better overnight. Your body is a machine and you have to keep it well oiled and spend some time and effort on it to get running properly. Take your time.

Here's my advice on how to succeed in the gym in 2009:

• Make a goal. I want to be able to run 1 mile without stopping. That's a great goal to start, then move to two miles and so on..
• Give yourself a cheat day. Once a week, go to Los Torascos and eat a chicken chimichanga for me, and dip it in a lot of that cheese sauce...oh, my mouth is watering...
• Schedule gym time. Find 20-30 minutes in the day and make that your gym time no matter what. Treat it like an appointment.
• Push yourself but don't kill yourself. Every work out needs to be a challenge but if you are seeing spots in your eyes when you are doing cardio, you are working too hard! Work on the Perceived exertion scale of 1-10, 10 being the hardest and feeling like you are about to die! Try to keep it between 5-8.
• Get a partner. Nothing helps more than having someone meet you at the gym and push you when you can get one more rep. You don't want to stand them up, either. Bad form.
• Reward yourself for the small things. Weight loss will never happen overnight. When you lose your first five pounds, go buy a shirt or jewelry or something. Give yourself a pat on the back for the hard work. Five pounds really is a lot to lose considering one pound = 3500 calories (or a lot of time running on the treadmill) and the average amount of weight lost in a week is about 1-2 lbs!
• Don't make your diet too hard! Plan ahead, meal plan, but don't limit yourself to salads only. Actually, most salads have more calories and sodium than other foods which means you not only have more to burn but more salt to store water! Add fruit to your breakfast plan. Grill chicken for the week in advance and use a tasty marinade for flavor! There are tons of healthy recipes you can make yourself with little effort! It just takes a little creativity!
• Have fun. If you aren't doing something you like, you won't go back. Find a fun spinning class, go to a karate class; don't be afraid to try new things or you won't find what's fun! Keeping it fun keeps you going!
• Just Nike it! Just go to the gym and do it. Stop procrastinating and go. Actually, quit reading this and go to the gym or park or somewhere and get active. Just go do it!!

Not good.

If you've asked me about my training lately, I may have mentioned the pains in my hip I've been having along with my sprained ankle. One of my worst fears is a stress fracture during this training.

Stress fracture + less training = not ready for half-marathon in February.

Now, normally when I go running, the pain in my hip disappears. It feels find and I feel great when I run. It's when I first start my run and right after I finish my run that I hurt. Except this morning, that is.

I couldn't run. I was doing a tempo run and had to quit. It felt like my hip was dislocating. So I started walking. I couldn't put weight on my hip. I was thinking, "I have to get some activity in!" so I got on the cross trainer. Not any better. So I went home and went to WebMD and read about stress fractures.

I'm going to take a few days off from running before my next long run cause what I saw on WebMD concerns me. Say a little prayer, eh?

See you at the starting line!

I am now officially registered for the Mercedes Half-Marathon on February 15, 2009!

I can't believe how close that is; it's just around the corner! I just hit the halfway mark of my training schedule so it's six weeks till race day! I'm so excited!

Talked to Trey just a minute ago; apparently the cousin is in town tonight and wants to meet for dinner. Now that the holidays are over, I just can't wait to get a side salad and watch them eat steaks!

Don't forget that you can go to these viewing spots (family! friends! hint! hint!).

America's First Federal Credit Union: 1200 4th Avenue North, 35203
Civil Rights Institute: 520 16th Street North, 35203
McWane Center: 200 19th Street North, 35203
B&A Warehouse: 1531 1st Avenue South, 35233
University of Alabama, Birmingham Arena: 617 13th Street South
Western Supermarket: 2230 Highland Avenue, 35205
Java and Jams: 321 20th Street North, 35203
V. Richards: 3916 Clairmont Avenue, 35222
Caldwell Park: Highland Avenue and NiazumaRushton Park
Avondale Park
Marconi Park
5 Points South district (Starbucks and the Original Pancake House)

Oh, and Mum, you're my emergency contact so make sure you turn on your cell!

Cup of decaf

Some moments in life I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world.

I've been thinking over this past year, as I'm sure a lot of other people have as well, considering the time of year. There are so many things in life that I am grateful for this year and many other times over the past year have broken my heart.

I hate to get all sappy but I'm nostalgic right now. Get over it and go to the next post if you don't like it.

I can't look back at 2008 and say that I've accomplished everything that I've wanted to accomplish. I can't look back and say, "I'm proud of myself for sticking to every resolution," especially since I didn't have any resolutions and I usually don't make any. Why start on January 1 when you can start on December 31? I'll end 2008 with about the same amount of money in my pocket as I started, still childless (with the exception of Lucy and my husband), I still don't have the perfect body and I moved again, something I swore I wouldn't do in 2008.

I can look back and say that I loved my grandmother dearly, and I hope she knew just how much before she passed away. I can say that Wayne was one of the most dear friends I'll ever have and that I'll miss him forever. I can fill my heart almost explode with the amount of love I have for those two people despite that holes that are left from their departures.

I can look back and appreciate every moment I had with my family members over this past holiday season. There were new faces to cuddle, new bonds and more laughs shared. I can honestly say that this was the first Christmas that I really sat back and let all the love and laughter really sink in while I looked at my family and thought of how much each member meant to me.

I can take what I've learned in 2008 and head into the new year more readily armed for what life hands me in the next 365 days. I know that there will be in the inevitable rough time, the challenge. But I'll gladly take and learn from those if each one of them helps me appreciate, even more, the people and things I already have in my life.

It's when you can truly appreciate the good that the bad finally gets outweighed.

The Gift

We had three Christmas parties Thursday. Trey and I were on the road all day long. We spent the night in Birmingham at his parents house and left Tuscaloosa just in time to miss the tornado warnings Wednesday night. From the alarm sound, it was "Go" the rest of the day. Our only alone time was in the car laughing at our families before hitting the next party.

We left my mother's house around 2:30 and headed to Stephen's apartment to eat some more. I was so tired of eating and really getting sleepy, plus, I'd had a few glasses of wine; I was feeling very relaxed. I handed Trey the keys to my car and laid my head back on the head rest and lowered my eye lids while he made the drive to Shelby County. Somewhere along the interstate, Trey mentioned having one more Christmas gift.

"But I thought we'd already exchanged our gifts earlier this month!," I protested. "I didn't get you anything else!"

"Oh it's nothing major, it's at Stephen's," he responded.

What the hell did you get me? You weren't supposed to! How did you spend money without me seeing it missing in the checking account? I wondered quietly.

"I got you those tickets to go see that Wizard of Oz thingy show -"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWicked!!!EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" I screamed, "I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED!!!!!?"

Trey put a finger in his ear and laughed, "Yes, you're going to see Wicked."

More screaming. Actually, I think I screamed like a teenage girl seeing David Cassidy or the Beatles all the to Stephen's.

"I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED! I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED!," I continued, "Where are we sitting? Are we sitting where Stephen thought he'd get the tickets?"

"I don't know; I think it's the middle section."

"The mezzanine?"

"Yeah, I think so."

I don't care! I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED!!

We got to Stephens a few minutes later and I was still so giddy, I was singing.

Apparently, Stephen had a plan, though, "Why did you tell her? I had it all planned out!"

"I'll act surprised!" I reassured him, "I can fake it!"

I don't think it assured Stephen well enough. I tried to act surprised anyway when I opened the gift and didn't fake anything at all when I read where we were sitting.

ROW D ORCHESTRA

no way...

"Third row???"

"Yup!"

"I'M GOING TO SEE WICKED ON THE THIRD ROW!" the poor neighbors. I just kept screaming!!

so, I haven't done my Christmas shopping

It is so quiet right now. I shouldn't admit that since I'm at work but everyone is running around for last minute gifts and traffic is horrible in Tuscaloosa. If anyone is headed to the dealership, they're stuck on McFarland Blvd! Traffic and last minute shoppers are just a few of the reasons I really don't like this time of year.

But it got me to thinking of ways to cover the last minute gifts you need without rear-ending people at the mall. You can:

• Print and frame pictures of your family for gifts
• Bake cookies and put them in gift bags for parties
• Make your own jewelry gifts for the women you know with stuff from Hobby Lobby or Michael's
• Gift donations in honor of your friends to a cause they believe in (St. Jude is a cause I believe in!)
• Make your own candles (fun thing to do with the family)
• Make your own lotion (recipes can be googled)
• Photo albums are a lot of fun to go through and make
• Personalize your own ornament (for Christmas parties before Christmas, obviously)
• Get a pot, soil and some seeds; you can get a friend started growing his/her own garden of flowers or herbs!
• Copy a popular recipe you have and put it on Christmas cards.

Probably not a good idea to make those single gifts for your spouse, parent or child but I would definately have the camera ready if you gave the hand-made lotion to your uncle!

The last you heard about...

Last month I went on a ghost hunt and I said then that I would have more information to detail later. I know I haven't done that yet and I apologize. I haven't because I was asked to write the actual story for the paper that got us invited.

Once it prints, I'll post the story for you. You'll get to read all about the evidence and experiences I had that night. It was so much fun and I can't wait to share it with you!

The Six

Six things about me you probably don't know:

1. I have OCD. I went to get medication for it and the doctor told me it was all in my head. I don't like to step on lines, all of the nutritional labels on my boxes of food have to face me when I open the pantry, I like even numbers of objects unless it is divisible by three, I don't get in the bed unless it's completely made, I fold clothes without wrinkles in them, I don't like for my food to touch or I don't eat it, I like straight lines i.e. pictures can't be crooked or the TV has to be in a straight line with the table, yada yada yada. There are more to list but it would take over the six things you don't know about me.

2. I don't like Christmas that much. It's too commercialized for my taste. It should be about Jesus' birthday and being a gift to others; not how much you spent or how much you can't spend because of the economy.

3. I sang in Carnegie Hall, twice. Small, unimportant fact about me, especially considering that there were 500 other people my age singing with me both performances.

4. I have this strange ability to remember most actors' names and filmographies, including some movies I haven't seen, after seeing them in just a few movies.

5. Along the same lines, I have another strange ability to be able to remember the words to most songs; the ability is even stronger for songs that I really hate!

6. I have a fear of drains. That's embarrassing to admit, but you never knew it about me did you? I'm not only afraid of the drains in pools but I'm afraid of the drain in tubs and sinks. I prefer my sinks come with garbage disposals so I don't have to get any additional bits of food out of the drain...wraeahgh! My skin is crawling thinking about it!

1/2 a gift

This is one of the two gifts I won at our Supper Club Ornament Swap the other night. Isn't it pretty!

I had so much fun that night, cheating on my diet, chatting with my friends, catching up and stealing gifts. It was a blast! Can't wait to see everybody again next month!

I have a pretty quiet day ahead of me. Trey spent the night with his cousin in Birmingham last night. He won't be back till later today. I've just been tootling around the apartment, cleaning up a bit, eating egg whites and sipping on some Irish Breakfast tea. The weather is absolutely crazy in Alabama right now! It's a great day to stay inside and cuddled up to a blanket!

That being said, my plans are the opposite! I didn't have as good of a run as I wanted yesterday morning so I'm going to go outside and run again today. I plan on killing a few birds with one stone; get my first outside run, start getting used to running in cold weather since this is about how chilly it will be in February and I also want to get a better workout than yesterday in. Then I'll come home, fix another pot of tea probably, watch a few movies and wash some clothes. I may even drive around with my camera and get some new stuff. I went through my unedited files last night and, good grief, there is a lot of crappy stuff!

Wow - I really don't live an eventful life! But it is nice to have some time at home to myself every now and then and I'm glad my husband's been able to spend some time with the boys.

The day I exploded

What a very strange week it's been.

We've had some crazy customer after crazy customer come into the store! One cussed me out a few hours ago!


This woman should be on medication! I have done nothing but bend over backwards to help her while she has continually antagonized me, my boss, the salesman and the name of this dealership. And she tells me to "Shut the f*ck up!"

This whole situation has been brewing for a few weeks now. Starting dollars in change. Literally. It's ridiculous. She's proof that there are crazy people well disguised walking around in society. She's evidence that no matter what you do to help, you can never make some people happy. She's further proof that no matter how much you brown nose and kiss ass a person, that person still has the choice not to appreciate your efforts just because.


I have never in my time here at this dealership walked away from a customer. I never imagined in my wildest that I would tell a customer they could help themselves. But when she accused me of not doing what I had proved to her I had done, accused me of being a liar, refused to allow me to show her where I had done everything within my means to help her, and continued to throw F-bombs at me for trying to show her what we had done in order to help her, I stopped myself from slapping her into the corner of my office for wasting my time.

As the woman began cussing and spewing her venom, I could feel my blood pressure rise. I could feel my pulse quicken, my hands start to shake. I've always wanted to be able to tell a customer where they can go with some of the idiocy he may bring and this lady had given me that opportunity.

I picked up her paperwork, the evidence of my case. I threw it down on my desk, lightly tossing it in her direction. I threw my hands down on my desk with my hands in tight fists. I stood up and as she began to follow me, I leaned over my desk and looked her dead in the eyes. For a second, she was frozen, half-way standing up as I spoke.

"Mrs. [Customer]," I stated as calmly as was possible, "I am done trying to help you. I will not be spoken to that way."

"I'll just call my attorney," she screamed as she stood all the way up. I was already walking out of my office door before she could put the period at the end of her sentence.

"That's fine! This conversation is officially over then," it was getting harder for me to keep my voice low. I was turning the corner in the hallway by this time and saw the owner walking past us. His eyes looked like they needed some assistance staying in their sockets. "If you speak to your attorney, I am no longer allowed to speak with you, Mrs. [Customer], have a nice day." I could feel my voice starting to shake. Why am I letting this customer get to me?

She continued to scream at me as she chased me down the hallway. That's why she's getting to me. I realized as I paced to the front of the showroom that I had somehow picked up the paperwork again. She continued as I walked, sounding like the parents in the Peanuts cartoons, "Wa wa wa, wa-wa wa waaa."

I finally reached the top of the tower, still hearing her spew out her hatred for me. What have I done to offend you other than bend over backwards and kiss your big, fat, white ass, you bItch! I wondered. "Ma'am, I'm done."

"Wa-wa wa, wa wa wa-wa wa," she continued. I don't even know what she was saying as my blood pressure was about to pop my ear drums. Enough, already! I could feel every pair of eyes on us as the conversation continued to escalate.

"Ma'am, I've already told you that if you want to consult your attorney on this matter, than I can no longer speak to you. I am just telling you now that I will not tolerate being spoken to that way, especially when I have done nothing wrong and everything in my power to help you in your situation!" I threw the papers back down on the desk and let the sales manager take over.

She finally left and the owner and sales manager just looked at me. "She told me, in her exact words, we 'never f*cking sent the check when we were supposed to send the f*cking check,' and told me to 'shut the f*ck up a minute' while she told me it was my fault for the fifteenth time." I could feel how red my face was getting.

Both of them looked at each other, awestruck. They knew as well as I did that I never treat customers that abrasively. The paused their stares at me. Then the owner smirked and snorted, "Good for you!"

From under the rock

I've already had a confusing morning. I just don't understand some people.

I was literally putting my salad, apple and banana in a bag, about to walk out the door when my phone rings. I didn't have to think about it; I knew it was work even though I was secretly hoping it was my friend, Brooke, telling me if she was having a boy or a girl (or babies!).

"Stephanie, W's customers are here. They've been here since 8. Is the paperwork ready?" It was D. Thank God he knows the paperwork, too! It's 8:20 in the morning and I'm confused as to why the customer is there so early.

"Yeah, it's printed. All they have to do is sign," I confirmed. "W told me 8:30, D, I'm sorry I'm not there! I'm literally walking out the door, though!"

D sounded frustrated, like he didn't know exactly what to tell this customer. Tell them we open at 8:30 and W confirmed 8:30 with them as they were walking out the door last night! I thought. But I wasn't sure if D knew that. Better he stay naive.

I drove to the dealership, not worried about flying. The roads are wet, traffic's been kind of crazy, these people were told 8:30, I know, and I live three minutes from the dealership, anyway. I parked my car thinking that by the time I'd get to my office, the customers would be finished and all I'd have to say was, "I'm sorry."

Before I could get out of my car, W was standing at me door.

"Stephanie, I don't know where she got 8 from. I know I told you 8:30. She might have confused me. I told her we didn't open until 8:30," he looked like he was worried he was going to get in trouble. I was only worried about his survey. If he doesn't get a 10, he doesn't get paid. At the same time I was thinking this shouldn't have been such a big deal; if she wanted to meet me at 8, I live just down the street! It would've been fine with me.

"Don't worry about it," I tried to brush it off.

"Do me a favor, though."

mmm..."What?"

"Tell her your sorry you're running late?" he asked. W looked like he knew he was asking a lot. It's not uncommon to step out of the humility comfort zone in my position; I knew it was coming.

"Yeah, no big deal. I'll take care of it."

I walked in the dealership, put down my bag, grabbed me keys and explained the situation to C. I ran back to my office and immediately, "Hey, Mrs. J. I'm so sorry I wasn't here. Please accept me apologies. I ran a tad late. I hope D has been able to take good care of you. Again, I'm so sorry!"

The woman's eyes looked like they were trying to bore into my head to find truth. "You hear 8 didn't you?"

"Honestly, ma'am, I heard 8:30, but I will honestly say I may have misunderstood the times. I'm so sorry."

D looked at her and mentioned something about not being open until 8:30; meanwhile I couldn't get over the look she had in her face. I tried to help D out while he finished her paperwork. She said she'd "think" about our survey and left.

About and hour later, I get this phone call:

"I bought a 2005 Hyundai and I bought it from another dealership that's out of business and I had a quick question about if you honor the Hyundai Warranty there."

"Yes, ma'am we do. As long as it's under manufacturer's warranty, we can do warranty work."

"Ok, I had another quick question."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I had the tire's for life there. Do you honor that?"

"No, ma'am. That was something with your dealership."

"Well, I just had to get new tires from somebody else, will ya'll do the tires for life?"

"No ma'am."

"I have another question."

"OK?"

"About the tires for life. With the new tires I got, will ya'll replace them there?"

"No ma'am, we don't honor the tires for life from the other dealership."

"Well they told me I to get my oil changes done there for the tires for life. Does that matter anymore?"

"No, ma'am, not if they're out of business, but we don't honor the tires for life."

"Well, how much are oil changes?"

"Let me connect you to the service department..." Thank God!

Is it another full moon already???

Success is not eating the leftovers

Oh! I am still so full from lunch today! Everything was delicious! Everybody who brought something did a great job! The smoked chicken was e.x.c.e.l.l.e.n.t!!!!!

Unfortunately, not all the Peanut Butter Balls got eaten so I'm taking some home with me. Looking on the bright side of that, there are enough left that I won't have to make another batch for my Mum's Christmas after all. I can just stick these in the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator! Another reason for me not to eat them!

I did get some left over BBQ and some left over smoked chicken to eat. That will be a big help in getting back on the bandwagon. I didn't get any sauce but the chicken didn't need the sauce! It fell right off of the bone! It was perrrrfect! And my dear, sweet husband can have the BBQ; I'll even make him some white BBQ sauce to go with it.

Also, I have some, maybe a serving, of my casserole left. Trey can eat that for lunch one day this week if I can keep him out of the fast food line. Not a lot of people are brave enough to try my cooking and what I can cook is limited. That means Trey's menu from Restaurant Stephanie is limited to about....oh....5 items? Chicken and rice casserole, chicken tacos, pork and rice casserole, ham wraps and...and...um....OK 4 items are on my menu!

Needless to say, he gets a little tired of redundancy and is scared to try my food when I experiment. In my defense, I haven't burnt anything in at least a month and I haven't technically set anything on fire in two years! So I am getting better!!

Just to let you know, I only had one piece of the big "O" cake-- come think of it, I don't think I even ate the whole piece! I'm still stuffed though! What I missed in caloric intake from the cake I made up for with the chicken and rice casserole, hash brown casserole, dip, chips, bite of brownie, bite of peanut butter cake and peanut butter balls. I lost count with the peanut butter balls.

Soooo...I have some running to do Friday...

The Full Spread

Look at all the goodness! The tinfoil is BBQ. The blue top is mash potatoes. The end of the table has an assortment of pies and the big O cake.

And that's not all the food!

Now do you see why it's better for me to cave today??

Honesty

con-fes-sion   /kənˈfɛʃən/ Show
Spelled Pronunciation [kuhn-fesh-uhn] Show IPA
Pronunciation
–noun
1.acknowledgment; avowal; admission: a confession of incompetence.
2.acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, esp. to a priest to
obtain absolution.
3.something that is confessed.
4.a formal, usually written, acknowledgment of guilt by a person accused of a crime.
5.Also called confession of faith. a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to church membership.
6.the tomb of a martyr or confessor or the altar or shrine connected with it.

7. I deviated from my diet plan last night and plan to do it again today.

So I have to admit something. I had the Shrimp Cypress Inn at Cypress Inn last night. I know, I know! How horrible! I've done so good! But I thought, "I have done so good! I need a reward!" so I ordered it! And I enjoyed it!!!


I had a really bad run this morning. I got very frustrated and just quit. I know, I know! I shouldn't quit! I'm blaming the bad run on the Shrimp Cypress Inn. Excuses! Excuses! The real reason I got frustrated was because I couldn't get my breathing in a rhythm and when I did, I'd have other problems. Plus, my iPod is out of juice and I'm already bored enough on the treadmill. I think I'm going to have to move my runs outside sooner than I thought. I'm going to have to find a running partner, too. The epiphany of running outside by myself doesn't sound that great.

In the meantime, today is our Christmas dinner at the dealership. All that gooey, yummy goodness. I had already planned on allowing myself to splurge today. It's really tough to ignore the BBQ, the potato salads, mashed potatoes, hash brown casseroles (I'm noticing a potato theme, here), slaw, the Orgasm cake from Thanksgiving, the peanut butter balls I made, my chicken casserole (Thanks, Paula!!), the pies, the macaroni and cheese, the dips, the chips - Oh! There is so much stuff to tempt me!

Don't chide me! I don't plan on eating everything! Moderation is key! I know that! I won't have the sauce, I won't have the potatoes, probably - well maybe the hash brown casserole - I'm only sticking to a piece AND I MEAN A PIECE of the Orgasm cake. I'll be a good cheater! Just consider my diet for the last three weeks: salad, sweet potatoes - no butter, chicken, chicken, salad, chicken, oranges, bananas, oatmeal, chicken, egg whites, chicken, protein shakes, chicken, salad and chicken!

I think this will be good for me. Help strengthen my resolve, maybe move me over this boredom hump AND give me some more incentive to push myself harder in the gym!

At the end of the day...

All good things must come to an end. That includes my day off. But I can't say that I haven't enjoyed it!

Supper Club tonight was a blast. I'm sure that with all 10 of us ladies there, we had to have been loud enough for all to hear but I hope that we were fun to listen to! I mean, with three pregnant women, six moms, three women who haven't had children yet and one who's not even married, I'm sure there were some great conversations to overhear! I was in such a good mood, I even got Trey a piece of Key Lime pie as a surprise.

Now that I'm home, I'm watching the Biggest Loser Finale and putting the chocolate on the peanut butter balls. Unfortunately Amy hasn't won the money but maybe Phil will...or his wife.

Now here's a recipe for the family:

Peanut Butter Balls

1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 stick melted butter

2 cups confectioners sugar (plus extra during rolling the balls)

2 bags chocolate chips

1/4 stick parafin wax

Add the first three ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Pinch off the pieces of the peanut butter mixture and roll into small balls (larger than a marble but smaller than a golf ball). Place on sheet and refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

Melt chocolate with the wax. (I like to double boil it.) Using a toothpick, dip balls into the chocolate. Refridgerate until hard. Serve, Eat and Enjoy!

Mental Health Day

I am so excited today! I have the day off from work! While it doesn't take my mind off of some of the stresses there, it does help me relax in a big way. I already have a packed schedule this evening and work on top of it was pulling me thin. So yesterday, when I asked if I could have the afternoon off a little early, I was very surprised when Clint said, "Just take Tuesday off."

That means I have a whole day to get stuff done today! Here's a little why I was getting stressed about this evening. Every month, my girlfriends and I have our Supper Club. Usually it's the second week of the month but with the holidays and all, it was much easier for all of us to get together the third week of December. We are having an ornament swap and eating dinner at a nice restaurant. We'll catch up with each other, ask how the babies and husbands are and then we'll laugh, cut up, relax and enjoy each others' company with no husbands or children around. I look forward to this every month! Especially since I work around 11 men all day, every day! That's not even counting my husband!

Tomorrow is our Christmas at the dealership. Not that I've been procrastinating at all, I haven't, I just need to get the ingredients to make my dish. I wasn't able to get to the store on Sunday and I have gotten to where I refuse to go to Walmart or Food World by myself at night over here. There was a mugging not too long ago and I don't particularly want to be the next victim. That being said, tonight, I would have to go to the store tonight to get the stuff I need for my dish. That's why I asked Clint if I could leave a little early: I wanted to be able to leave before it was dark, get my ingredients, go to Supper Club and come home to mix it together. Plus, tonight is the Biggest Loser Finale so I didn't want to be up late watching it or make my dish - a Paula Dean dish, no less - while watching people tell me how dishes like mine made the fat! Go Michelle!!

That being said, my schedule today is as follows:

• Call the radio station check
• Eat oatmeal check
• Play on the internet while oatmeal digests checking
• Go run three miles Maybe I'll run outside today, weather permitting...
• Circuit train Or maybe I'll run four miles outside today and say I had a good enough workout
• Eat egg whites Breakfast of champions!
• Grocery Shop Home and Holidays shopping!
• Cook But don't eat!
• Eat chicken and salad lunch of champions...
• Play on the internet some more
• Go to Supper Club
• Watch Michelle win the Biggest Loser! Or Ed - not Heba or Vicky! BTW, I voted for Ed!

Daycare

Fifteen minutes till the end of the business day and this verbal exchange has me curious if allowing myself to be run over or if I'm as bitchy as I sometimes feel.

Salesman, "I'm going to the store. I'll be back before 6."

I am puzzled. "We're about to close. Why don't you wait fifteen minutes?"

The salesman looks at me like I'm stupid, "I'll have to walk."

"Huh?" I must be stupid.

"I'll. Have. To. Walk," he repeats, verbally confirming that he thinks I'm stupid. "It's the store right down the street! Why don't you just let me go?! I'll be right back!"

"I don't understand why you can't wait fifteen minutes and why you can't get whomever is taking you home to drop you off by the store," I argued. I was getting frustrated with his attitude.

"You see, I'll have to walk, it's going to rain. I'll still have to walk -" At this point his rambling isn't making any sense to me. I'm not sure whether it's because it's the end of the day or if he really isn't making much sense and is just looking for an excuse to drive one of our cars considering he doesn't own a vehicle. I can say this, asking why he thinks he'll still have to walk in the rain if his chauffeur lets him take a detour is pointless and would take up the fifteen minutes we had left in the day.

"Just go," I interrupted.

"What?"

"Just. Go." I put my finger between the bridge of nose to suppress the frustration and confusion.

Ten minutes later, with five minutes left in the day, the salesmen returns, looks to see if it's time to go yet, jumps in some other salesman's vehicle and leaves for the day.

I personally feel like - or rather, I know I was bullied into allowing him to go to the store. However, sometimes it's just better to forget about it instead of saying, "Hate it for ya!"

@twitter I'm online

I've just recently discovered Twitter. While I don't fully understand the concept of it, I'm sure that I'll understand more if I knew more people on it. It's pretty humorous reading every one's status. I mean EVERYONE who's signed onto this experiment.

It's crazy what you can socially do on the Internet these days! My blackberry is jammed with Facebook, MySpace, Pinstack and Twitter. That's on top of all the RSS readers and web links! I don't play any of the games on my BB because I'm always updating my status! I'm blogging, I'm photoblogging, I'm taking a nap.

Then online you can send a tweet, nudge, poke and, for all I know, a fart to people. We Digg it, Technorati it, post it, blog it, Stumble Upon It, make it Del. icio. us. and Reddit. What the hell are these things?! I am so embarrassed to admit that I can't keep up anymore! Whatever happened to messages? IM's? E-mails? Do remember the days when our parents asked, "What is IM??" "What does POS mean??" "LOL?"

Eventually, because I want to know what these things are, I'll sign up for them and play around. But for the time being, I'm trying to figure out who the hell has time for all this stuff! I barely have time for my two blogs, my job, my husband, my dog and my Wii!!

True Gift-giving

You must check out this website for Christmas!


Enter to stop drop and share the holiday magic! http://tinyurl.com/sdbgivea... #SDBGiveaway

StopDropandBlog.com is giving away $6000 worth of HP AND Microsoft gear! What a great way to share the true meaning of Christmas.

I'm not the first person to jump on the Christmas bandwagon. I get very tired of hearing, "I have to buy this! I have to buy that!" and hearing how much people spend on a holiday that, for me, is over-commercialized. It shouldn't be about how much you spend. It should be about blessings. Blessing you can be to others. This giveaway is an amazing gift to give because the opportunities provided to the lucky winner are endless!

I read Joel Olsteen everyday. LOVE Joel Olsteen! One of the things he says almost every day is that God wants us to live an abundant life. God wants to bless us! Do you know what a blessing $6000 worth of computer equipment is!?

I know what I would do with it. What would you do?

In the garden of Eden...

This training is so hard. List of things that I've been tempted by in the last several days that I have resisted!

1. Donuts
2. Chocolate covered donuts
3. Chocolate covered cream-fill donuts GASP!!!
4. Peterbrooke Chocolatiere chocolate including but not limited to: chocolate covered oreos, milk chocolate, chocolate covered nutter butters, etc. etc.
5. Caramel Apples my husband made and left in the refrigerator
6. Assorted candies at the movie theatre
7. Reese's Pieces
8. Hot dogs
9. Sandwich bread
10. Sugar coated pecans that my husband made

Thank you! Now pat me on the back!

Date Night

I'm so excited! My husband and I are going out tonight!

Every year in Tuscaloosa, the city holds its annual Christmas Afloat program. It's where people sign up to decorate their boats and parade down the Black Warrior River. Folks from all over the city line up along the riverbanks to watch. We've gone every year we've lived here, I think.

The first year we went, Trey actually judged the boats. It was when he was working for the radio station. We had to meet the other judges at a house boat by the Cypress Inn. A little bit of information about me you might not know: I get motion sick very easily! I wasn't surprised when Murphy's Law kicked in that night and the judges were to sit on top of the house boat and judge the parade...I don't know what was worse. The fact that it was absolutely cold outside or the fact that I eventually had to get off of the boat and sit by myself to watch the fireworks at the end.

Tonight won't be like that, though. It's going to be just us, as far as I know. It'll be nice to spend some time with my husband outside of the confines of our apartment...

If it can, it will

I got a great work out in at the gym this morning. So good that I lost track of the time and had to run in the shower before I'd be any later for work.

I ran in the locker room, sorted out my shower gear, slipped out of my sweaty gym clothes and dashed into the shower. As soon as I was done, I started drying off. First my hair - since it's so thick I have to start drying as soon as I'm done. Then the rest of me.

I wrapped the towel around me and headed to my shower bag to grab my baby powder and deoderant. For some reason, I thought I'd do things a bit differently today. Instead of smelling good first, I thought I'd blast my hair some with the hair dryer and then deoderize. I plugged in my hairdryer and got started.

I turned my head upside-down, feeling the hot air through my damp fingertips and hair. I then turned my head up and continued brushing my hair with the tips of my fingers. Accidentally, I kept hitting the "cool" button on the back of my hairbrush. It got me tickled because I noticed how the lights would get brighter whenever I pushed it. I have to admit, it made me a little distracted; I kept hitting the "cool" button! That's when I noticed the bright flash of light.

Out of the corner of my eye, whenever I'd hit the button, the fire alarm would light up. I really thought it was my hairdryer tripping this light. So I hit the button some more. Then the light was out of sync with my hairdryer and I realized that the fire alarm was really going off!

Oh, shit! I'm naked! was my first thought. The second was Did my hairdryer do that? Nooo...

So I did what any normal human being standing naked in the gym locker room playing with their hair dryer would do: I kept getting ready for work! I combed out my hair, put in some mousse, laid out my make-up, etc. etc. Finally, the alarm started talking. It said, in so many words, "The alarm sensor has been tripped. Calmly walk to the nearest exit, please."

Well, I couldn't. I'm still wrapped in a big, red beach towel!

So what do I do now? was my next thought. I'm the only female in the locker room. Surely if this is a real emergency, somebody will knock and tell me to get out of here!

Then I did what any normal human being standing naked in the gym locker room listening to the fire alarm would do: I got my clothes on and walked out to the floor barefoot with my hair wet to find out what was going on.

I found two groups of people. The first group was the biggest. They were ignoring the alarm and working out. The second wasn't really a group. It was three people. Two employees and a member. One employee was on the phone with the alarm company while the other was laughing at me and the member was asking me why the alarm was going off. I had several thoughts at one time. They go as follows:

Oh, it's tripped.
Oh, they're trying to fix it by the phone.
Do I look like I'm holding a magic 8 ball lady? I'm standing half-dressed and barefoot lady!
False alarm.
God, I hope it wasn't my hairdryer!

I finished getting ready and headed to my car. I just kept my head down in case it was my hairdryer and I was not going to get caught!! I got to my car, looked up and saw the air conditioning people, apologizing profusely about tripping the fire alarm.

This is why you bought bread and milk?

As you well know, unless you're blind, deaf and live under a rock, it's supposed to snow in Alabama today. It snowed in Louisiana overnight and in Mississippi. By all means, we're definitely getting the snow! Ha!

Have you looked outside?

All it's done today is rain, mist, rain, get cold, mist, rain, get colder and rain. The temperature is dropping, dropping, dropping. All week long, ever since James Spann said the word snow, Alabama has had a shortage of milk, water, eggs and bread. Will someone please explain why you need those exact items in the event a flurry falls?!!

Traffic is ridiculous because everyone is trying to find the last gallon of milk. Everyone who's not on the roads is glued to their computers and windows waiting for the first flake to fall. I have to admit, I've been looking at the radar today myself. I'm skeptical about any snow in Alabama, and even more skeptical when the SpannMan himself predicts it! Here's a secret: Just because James Spann predicted the Winter Storm of 1993 doesn't mean that he always gets it right. 1993 was 15 years ago and I dare you to count how many times that island headed man has said the word "snow" since and his prognostication actually come to pass!

To burst the snow bubble even more (and please tell me you never really thought we were actually getting snow), NOAA's radar shows the snow diminishing where it stands, it's not moving East at all, and they've changed the forecast to this:

Late Afternoon: Scattered rain and snow showers. Cloudy,
with a steady temperature around 40. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around 1 inch.

Tonight: A slight chance of rain and snow showers before
8pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around
30. North wind between 5 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Little or
no snow accumulation expected.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 52. North wind between 5
and 10 mph.

If you really wanted to see some snow, Alabamians, I suggest putting some ice in a meat processor and scattering it about the front lawn.

Cruel and Unusual

Text message from Trey: Go get Los Torascos for dinner. (FYI - That's my fav restaurant IN THE WORLD!!! It's Mexican, fried, cheesy, crunchy, chickeny, yummy, scrumptious, delicious, fuzzy-feeling-in-the-stomach good! And bad for my training diet.)

Me: I can't eat that.

T: I can.

Me: Then go get it yourself. Are you torturing me???

Trey didn't respond.

Me: Did you get Los Torascos?

T: No.

Meaning?
I get to stand in Los Torascos tonight to pick up my dear, sweet, loving, never-would-let-me-get-tempted husband's dinner.

Looking Sharp

How do you like the new look? Thought I'd change the site up a bit. The black and white was getting a little boring to me. Let me know what you think!

New moon rising

Excitement fills the air I breathe when I read this: "New Moon" released date November 20, 2009

They fired the director for scheduling conflicts and the screen writer is apparently writing at the speed of light to appease starving fans for the sequel to Twilight. Message to Summit: Please don't go too fast! Quality is better for us! And follow the book more closely! Don't speed up some of the storyline so much that even people who've read the book are wondering what the hell is going on! Remember, a dog that shits fast doesn't shit long. Take your time and make us a good sequel!!

#1 Fan

Text message from Stephen: Hear about Wicked?

Me: What about? Coming to Bham!!!!! Make trey get tickets!!! I want to go sooooo bad!!!

S: I can get tickets now

Me: What????? How much??

S: I think 30 thru 78 this is a presale too could get some really good seats!

Me: I can't say yes to that! I've got my half marathon to register for this month! Early Christmas present?

S: What r u asking me? half marathon?

Me: I'm running in a half marathon and I have to regsiter this month. Costs money. How long do we have for presale?

S: I don't know! think [Trey] would go? i was actually thinking of getting tickets

Me: All I know is that I'm going if I have to sneak in!!

Conversation with Trey:

"Hey, baby," stay sweet! "What are you doing??"

"Working. Just got off the phone with a client."

"Oh, that's great! I'm glad! Busy day?"

"Yes, busy." He knows somethings up! Dammit!

"I talked to Stephen just now." Just keep smiling!

"Oh yeah? What'd he say?" He knows I'm about to ask for something...

"Oh, that he can get presale tickets to Wicked now and I really want to go, I hear it's awesome, I really want to go see it -"

"No."

"But it's WICKED!"

"What's Wicked?"

"It's the Wizard of Oz. On. Broadway." duh!

"How much?" shit!

"I don't know," 'attagirl! Keep smiling! "Talk to Stephen! I don't know how he's got the connection or how long we have. All I know is there is no "NO" to Wicked."

"When is it?"

"April."

"Can it wait?"

"There. is. no. "NO." to. Wicked."

When you give yourself lemons and you can't drink the lemonade...

Training is hard. It's very hard work.

When I first started talking about doing this half-marathon with my husband, he said, "Whatever." I tried to explain to him how much I was going to need his support, I knew in the back of my head that this would be hard. Little did I know how hard this really was going to be!

When you think of training to run, you think, "Oh, it's just running! You add miles everyday! You'll get conditioned to running that far!"

The thing is, it's not just the running. I'm not a very fast runner, never have been and don't really care if I ever become one. I just enjoy running. It's not just being conditioned to running miles and miles at a time. My body will get there no matter how hard I have to push myself! There are other parts to this training.

Every morning, I wake up at 5:00 am, get up at 5:15, dress and head to the gym. I run my assignment and then circuit train for at least another 30-45 minutes. In total, I'm working out almost 2 hours straight a day.

Then there is the wear and tear on my body. My ankle has a very mild sprain . It's not inhibiting me but it is annoying. When I get home at night, it's very sore, especially if I stand flat-footed. I have to be super-careful when I walk and stand as I don't want to get a serious injury. The blame for that is the bad shoes I was wearing. Not only did I get the sore ankle, I also have quarter-sized blisters on my feet still healing up. Fortunately, those don't hurt anymore! Thank God for my new shoes!

Now to the mental portion of this training. I am on a treadmill, staring at a monitor telling me how far I've run while I, the OCD one, start counting backwards to see how much further I have to go! After twenty minutes of this, my mind is bored and I need something else for my gaze. Thing is, when I look straight ahead, there is a clock straight directly in my line of site like a bull's eye. The TVs in the cardio theatre, as wonderful as they are for helping me zone out, are fixed from the ceiling, so I have to crane my neck slightly upward to see them. Not always the most comfortable stance while running. So to solve a few of these problems as best I know how, I take a magazine and place it over the monitor and turn my iPod up as loud as I can stand it. That lasts until my ears get so sweaty the earphones won't stay in anymore. I have to go get some more ear buds! I'm literally pushing myself through some of these long runs. It's not fun when you're bored.

Last on this list, and most certainly not least, is my diet. Any trainer will tell you that it doesn't matter how much work you do in the gym, how much activity you get, how many calories you burn; none of the effort is worth it if you don't eat right. I've had to change my diet a bit and it's very frustrating. I feel like I don't know what's OK to eat anymore! Used to be easy: no breads unless wheat, sweet potatoes, lean proteins, egg yolks were OK, protein, protein, protein! I could eat a few sweets in moderation, and I mean moderation! I could enjoy my breakfast of eggs, bacon and grits from the Texaco station!

Now? Egg whites, carbs closer to long run days, protein shakes after runs (and these protein shakes are N.A.S.T.Y!), bananas (no trots, please!), oranges for the vitamin C, supplements for more fat loss. Chicken on a salad is OK, but I really need to be eating the dressings I can't stand, like vinaigrette's! Tuna for more protein. Flavorless, bland food.

I have lean up quick so I don't have to run with so much weight on me in February! I'm chunky! I'm strong, but I'm chunky! - And I have to lose it! It's so hard to eat right when you're hungry all the time! I feel like a weight trainer that's allowed to eat carbs.

Let's just top that off with Ed's mama baking brownies and bringing them to the dealership. The delicious, moist, chocolate treat is oh so good. Jessica, I hoped you really enjoyed them. The sweet tarts in my pocket that I want to choke down but can't. I didn't buy them, so don't be disappointed. I only had, maybe, 4 of them. Brooke didn't like them and gave them to me. I love sour! I'm sticking them in my desk drawer as a reward after race day! And never forget that my Reese's Pieces are sitting in a plastic container in the storage closet waiting for me to drop my $.50 in the change box so I can claim them as mine. Oh...so tempting...

Not all of my days are hard. I have moments like this morning, when my easy run felt super easy. It was one of those moments where a week ago, I had to push myself. I think of how hard it was and feel so proud to see that it's getting easier and easier the harder I work. I have days where I'm not hungry every minute of every day. That's not today, by the way! I am hearing more people compliment me on how much better I'm starting to look, how they can tell I'm losing weight. I'm hearing people say they wished they could try to do what I'm doing. Little do they know that I wish they would so I wouldn't be so alone in this!

So, no, not every day is a hard day. But the harder days are getting closer and closer together. That's why I when I talked to Trey about this, I wanted him to understand why this was so important, so big, so far-reaching. I wanted him to understand this, I wanted my friends to understand, I wanted my family to understand. Its imperative to understand in order to support. I'm so grateful that I have my husband, friends and family and their support. That doesn't mean you can eat Ed's Mama's brownies in front of me.

If you wondered why this was such a big deal before, now I hope you understand, too, that this is foremost the most challenging thing I've ever done. I believe in myself that I can finish this but I also have to know that I have my friends and family cheering me along as I go.

Multitasking

I'm having a difficult time putting down my Blackberry today.

I headed to the apartment gym to get my easy run in today and I played with my Blackberry while I was warming up.

While I was waiting for the water in the shower to heat up, I was playing with my Blackberry.

I was cooking some egg whites (diet of champions!) while playing with my Blackberry.

I walked to my car while playing on my Blackberry.

I was popping some popcorn in the popcorn machine. While I waited for the kernals to mature, I was playing with my Blackberry.

I have a list of people to call - a BIG, LONG list of people to call today - and I'm playing on my Blackberry.

I'm typing up the message right now and staring at my Blackberry!

I feel at peace.

Something I should do more of...

Have I ever mentioned that I have a photoblog?

Well, I do. It's not the best, and I'm not the best photographer. But I could very well say that I am one of the biggest fans of photography and that I like to pretend that I can shoot!

PhotoDaniels is my photography business - it's a very quiet business! I don't have all the tools I need to make it a bigger business; plus I love my real job a little too much to make my photography business any bigger than it is. I go for what pays more frequently than what pays when I get work...;)

Today, Trey and I took Lucy for a walk around the campus. We walked the quad all the way to the stadium and around and around. Lucy saw other dogs' butts to sniff, Trey got to play with Lucy and I got to play with my camera. I haven't taken my camera out in a few months to take some shots. I'm embarrassed to admit that!

I just haven't had as much time to sit down and upload as I'd like to! I was reading on my photoblog, http://photodaniels.aminus3.com/, a post that I wrote at the beginning of this year. It referenced my resolution to shoot more often. I've failed at that.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Only three hours to go...

The week's top five for Alabama ...
1) Alabama's defense is trying to figure out how to stop Florida's high-powered offense.
2) This game represents clashing styles in the approach taken by two highly regarded teams.
3) Nick Saban stuck to his guns this year to get the Tide rolling again.
4) The prospect battle is an interesting subplot between noted recruiters Saban and Urban Meyer.
5) Tailback Roy Upchurch remains questionable with painful neck spasms, perhaps opening a door for backup Terry Grant.
And Florida:
1) Injuries are a concern for the Gators' offense, which could be without playmaker Percy Harvin.
2) Florida stresses it is also a power team, disputing the accepted themes to this game.
3) The Gators hope to use their speed on the artificial turf at the Georgia Dome.

My opinion, as much as it matters, Bama will cover the spread. It's 9.5. I'd put money on Bama. I think Bama has a closet full of surprises in store today. You'll see a team, as long as we stay mistake free like last week, that will blow your mind with strategies and teamwork.

Look for tight ends and wide receivers but don't overlook Bama's running game. As for the defense, everybody knows, you take out Tebo, you take out Florida. A strong rush at the beginning of the game by Bama will define the momentum. If Alabama wins the toss, I bet the defer so they can go to work on tiring out Tebo. Florida's defense is not as strong as it needs to be to stop Alabama and the offense only works with Tebo in full steam.

Bottom line: Game comes down to a field goal. Every touchdown will go answered and the best chance to go for two early in the game would be good to take advantage of. Alabama has the stamina to beat this Florida team and Florida has the quarterback to lead them back the National Championship Game. Alabama + Florida = Great SEC football!

One cup of Irish Blend coffee, please...extra Bailey's

The past couple of years, I've not really enjoyed Christmas. I could just enjoy the season with my family and be just as happy. I don't care about the gift giving, I don't want anything, I don't need anything (except for the usual; money, Prozac...), and I don't really get into the whole "singing-Christmas-carols-while-driving-down-a-deserted-two-lane-highway-in-search-for-the-perfect-Christmas-tree" scene. Could care less. I only decorate because my husband asks me to. The first year we dated, we didn't even exchange presents!

So the fact that I always get stuck un-decorating or decorating difficult trees probably doesn't help.

We put the Christmas tree up at work today. It's a giant, pre-lit mammoth that some conniving moron menaced with an evil comic book laugh. Who ever designed this tree is laughing at me earnestly right now. And laughing at the scratches on my arms. I look like I've been attacked by an army of cats!

Here's what I learned about while putting up the Christmas tree at Tuscaloosa Hyundai today:

• The tree has three section and fifteen plugs, at least!
• Not all the plugs' male parts have a female part...
• After you've spent 6 hours of your day trying to find the female part for the male part, it helps to know that there is an extension chord for those male parts.
• Fake, pre-lit pine trees are sharp.
• It is possible for Ed to fall asleep standing while following the cord in search for one of the much needed female parts.
• I have two kinds of co-workers; the kind that help and the kind that don't.
• Patience is a requirement when assembling a Christmas tree.
• A blown bulb doesn't mean the strand won't work.
• Don't assemble the tree infront of the owner's office. He's just as frustrated as you are.
• I have very smart-ass co-workers.
• Standing and watching a frustrated person fight with the source of her anger only makes the person more frustrated. You know who you are.
• Standing and watching a frustrated person fight with the source of her anger, telling her how to fix it, not listening when she tells you she tried it, repeating your theories anyway and refusing to help when she asks only makes the person livid.
• I work with a bunch know-it-alls.
• People watching you fight with trees shouldn't get mad at you for not getting it right when they don't offer to help.
• People watching you fight with trees shouldn't get mad at you for not getting it right and understand that somebody else told you already had all the parts to the tree the first time you asked about additional "parts".
• People watching you fight with trees shouldn't get mad at you for not getting it right and go find something else to do if they arent' going to help.
• Tequila makes any tree look better!
• Whiskey makes any tree look even better!
• It is not kosher to stand behind the person frustrated with the tree and ask them what is taking so long.
• It is not kosher to laugh at the frustrated person who is stepping away from the Christmas tree and then sing "O Christmas" tree...
• We have THE SINGLE MOST BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree in Alabama.

Another bites the dust...

Tubberville F.I.R.E.D.

Bird Lessons

The air in Tuscaloosa is sooo sweet right now. You know how characters of a sitcom are in an unusually good mood the day after they have a "successful" date? That's what it's like here in Tuscaloosa - like all the citizens got a really good -er- massage.

Any Auburn fan in town is very quiet. Or already talking about next year. Plenty are talking about how dirty Nick Saban is because of how he acted at half-time. I disagree. I think he did what any coach would do - his job! This bud's for you, Nicky!

I think the sportsmanship is all in good fun, though. I always have. It's healthy! Everybody treats me like I'm this die-hard, asshole type fan and I'm really not! I'm really just having a lot of fun! And 99.9% of the people who really know me know that when I flip you off it's in good humor. I don't really mean any offensive gesture, and to be honest, I don't think I ever have meant it. It's sort of my signature. Several people I work with haven't had a complete day until I give them the finger!

So, when I made up the joke, "Hey, Auburn fans, fear my finger!" and held up my middle finger - it really was meant as a joke! Not in bad sportsmanship! Not in low-class! Not in smart-ass! It really was a joke! And I didn't just go around flashing my joke to just anyone! I mean, if you know me, you know it's a joke right? I thought so!

So the other day, well Saturday - the day of the Iron Bowl - I ran into this guy I know at the gym. He's tall, middle-aged, very sporty, salt-and-pepper gray hair. He is always very nice and from what I know of him, he and his wife are very genuine people who will get their reward in heaven. I was working my legs in a circuit when he waved and we started chatting. He finished his workout and I didn't think anything about the routine "Roll Tide" I offered as he said good bye.

"Oh, no!" He shook his head. "War Eagle!"

"Seriously?" I'm always dumbstruck by the Auburn fans who reside in Tuscaloosa, Alabama of all places!

"Yeah, that's where I went to school!" I then remembered that he's also originally from my hometown. Where I grew up, the ratio of Alabama to Auburn fans is close to 50/50. Still, very few homes are divided there. I find it hard to imagine that you can't marry a fan of the opposing team but can reside in the territory of the enemy...just seems weird.

"Oh! Well, looking forward to today's game!" I said cheerfully, "It's going to be a great game! I think the streak is going to be over, though!"

He laughed, "Yeah, Auburn's got to get it together to beat Bama."

"I get kind of tickled by all this 'fear the thumb' crap! It's just funny how serious some people take it" FYI - all fans Alabama or Auburn take it serious. Say what you want, we're serious about our SEC football and the Iron Bowl. Get over it!

"Yeah, we're going to be out of jokes for a year!" he agreed.

He stood there laughing for a second while I thought, Surely, he'll get my joke! "Hey, I've been teasing my Auburn friends all year!"

"Oh really?" He raised his eyebrows, "How?"

"Oh, I've just been telling them to fear my finger!" And I held up my finger, very flemsly-like - to be sure he knew it wasn't to cause offense.

I laughed at myself, thinking certainly he would know I obviously didn't direct the joke towards him! These birds are delicate matters you see - I know when to make sure my joke is intended to be a joke! Well, it wasn't flemsy enough! This kind of moment can only happen in a movie... or to me!

His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. His hand waved me off and flew to hold the top of his hat as he literaly jumped up in the air, turned and ran out of the gym. The door slammed behind him and I was left with my middle finger halfway up in the air, speechless.

Oops...Note to self: Don't joke with strangers. Worse than taking their candy!

From where are you going to watch?

This is from the marathon website:

This year's course is VERY spectator friendly as it is a double loop course
for the full marathon. Some of the best places that we have found for watching
are:
America's First Federal Credit Union: 1200 4th Avenue North, 35203
Civil Rights Institute: 520 16th Street North, 35203
McWane Center: 200 19th Street North, 35203
B&A Warehouse: 1531 1st Avenue South, 35233
University of Alabama, Birmingham Arena: 617 13th Street
SouthWestern Supermarket: 2230
Highland Avenue, 35205
Java and Jams: 321 20th Street North, 35203
V. Richards: 3916 Clairmont Avenue, 35222
Caldwell Park: Highland Avenue and Niazuma
Rushton Park
Avondale Park
Marconi Park
5 Points South district (Starbucks and the Original Pancake House)

So pick your viewing spot. I'm going to race the half-marathon on February 15, 2009. Let me know where I need to look so I can wave!

I think I want a burger from Rammer Jammer's today...

Hustle and Bustle

It's that time of the month for me.

No! Not that time! You're dirty-minded and gross!

I meant, it's the end of the month for me, which means that I have several papers to fill out, forms to complete and mail, fires to put out, loose ends to tie, money to count. Forgive me if I'm not posting as often. It gets kind of stressful about this time, especially towards the end of the year.

I do have some more stories to post (You won't believe the one about the guy I flipped off at the gym!) as well as recipes and jokes. Just bare with me a bit. Thank you for you patience. All of my attention is with other business at this time. Please continue to hold until the next post is written.