mstabbycat

Sorry about my complete absence from the internet. I haven’t been reading blogs either. But I have a good excuse! I recently got promoted from part-time too full-time at my library! I have been working long hours, waiting for them to replace me in my old position, while still working my new position. Officially, I now work full-time day hours in Circulation (in our library that means you do reference and PCC as well) and I also do programming for school age and teen patrons. While I have had tons of experience working circulation, programming is an entirely new game for me. I don’t blog too much about work usually, but I might start mentioning it from time-to-time because it’s going to encompass a lot more of my time!

I am so freaking busy at work and I’m exhausted, so all you all get are photos (of niece and nephew) from the weekend. Enjoy!

Paige wasn’t too sure about that big slide at the park.

But she loved the swing!

Keegen had a BLAST at the park.

He finally tried the biggest slide for the first time and loved it!

Paige loves her green beans!

These kids passed out on opposite ends of the room and we didn’t want to disturb them, so we left them there instead of taking them to their beds. We came back a few minutes later and found them like this.

To play along click here!

Appetizer

What is the nearest big city to your home?
Higginsville (we don’t actually live within the city limits)

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?
Probably about an 8. 10 if it’s something serious.

Salad

Describe your hair (color, texture, length).
This is exciting for me, because I recently had a drastic change. I went from the long, blonde hair I’ve had all my life to short, red hair! I haven’t decided if the red is going to stay though.

Main Course

What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?
This really depends on my mood. One thing I know- I have road rage like no other!

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week?
I’m pretty fortunate, and I don’t ever remember having an entire week of crappiness.

Sitting with Doug and Phil watching our bonfire late one night

Doug- “We’ve got some hot dog roasting utensils.”

Me- “They’re behind the microwave.”

Doug stares at me

Me- “What? I was cleaning behind the microwave and they had fallen back there. I just decided that was a good place to keep them.”

Doug stares at me

Me- “Well, I DID clean back there! Besides, we almost never use them!”

Doug shakes his head and laughs, “I love you.”

Me- *smile*

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. Before going to Costco (which totally rocked my world), we went to our pond to feed the fish. This is one of our favorite summer pastimes, and it was the first time we had a chance to do it this year.

Doug throwing fish food.

Connor had a good time at the pond and spent much of the time scouring the ground for bits of dropped fish food.

Shiloh was absolutely fascinated with the fish. They swam right under her nose and she just stood perfectly still and watched them.

Welcome to friday’s feast! Click here to play along!

Appetizer
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Most often, yes. But there are times, when they get a look that says “Why is that crazy person smiling at me like that? I’m scared!”

Soup
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

Hardwood that *desperately* needs to be refinished, in most rooms. The kitchen and the bathroom have vinyl tile.

Salad
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

The tart took the train.

Main Course
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

Certainly! I have two cousins who were adopted, so I would say that everyone in our family was touched by adoption.

Dessert
Name 2 blue things.

Most of the decor in my bedroom is blue (the other color is white) and the origami that is hanging in our living room is blue!

I got a new phone! I love it! I was going to get an iPhone, but those prices were just a little out of our range. After doing a little research on Consumer Reports, my beloved CNET, and reading user reviews I settled on the Samsung Blackjack II. I haven’t used the email or Windows Mobile features yet, but so far I am very pleased with this phone.

I knew it was supposed to storm yesterday, but I didn’t expect anything like we got at work. It was like some crazy, apocalyptic hail storm! I had to hold the door closed because the door was flying open and hail was halfway across the library.

I was woken up around 4:30 this morning by my bed shaking. I assumed one of the dogs had jumped on the bed and was scratching or licking or some other annoying, bed-shaking dog activity- so I yelled “STOP IT!” That usually makes whatever they’re doing stop for at least 30 seconds, but it kept shaking. Now I was getting mad! I am really not very nice when woken up before I’m ready to get up. I sat up, ready to kick the dogs out of the bedroom, and saw Connor laying on the floor across the room. “Huh.” That’s weird. There were no dogs on the bed and the bed was still shaking. Then I noticed that the windows and walls were rattling. I just thought “Huh, must be really windy.” It died down, I got up and went to the potty, and went back to bed. The bed was no longer shaking and I happily went back to sleep.

It wasn’t until I came downstairs and turned on the news that I heard Don Harmon say that there was an earthquake that we felt all the way in Kansas City. It took a moment to register. “THAT’S WHAT I FELT! I’m not crazy!” All the confusion in the middle of the night makes sense now. So, I called and texted everyone I could think of and apparently I’m the only person I know that felt it. But I know I’m not crazy because it was on the news! Ha!

So apparently the 5.2 magnitude earthquake actually happened at 4:36 A.M. 21 miles SW of Vincennes, Indiana.

* 7 km (5 miles) NNE (13°) from Bellmont, IL
* 9 km (6 miles) E (88°) from Bone Gap, IL
* 11 km (7 miles) N (350°) from Keensburg, IL
* 60 km (38 miles) NNW (331°) from Evansville, IN
* 206 km (128 miles) E (95°) from St. Louis, MO

It seems kinda crazy that I felt it so strong over here near Kansas City, huh? If you felt the earthquake, go to the United States Geological Survey and let them know. Click on “Did you feel it?”

My absolute favoritest band ever is the Violent Femmes. I know I’m not alone here! Before going to my first concert, I was just a regular passive fan… but after that first live concert I became a ravenous ’superfan.’ I absolutely go nuts for Brian Ritchie. And Victor DeLorenzo? A genius!

They just broke my heart with their lawsuit last year and touring came to a complete halt.

So, you can imagine how I almost pissed my pants when I saw a trailer for a frickin documentary all about the Violent Femmes! Woo hoo! Sign me up! Really, it’s actually embarrassing how excited I get about this band. You can see the trailer for American Music: an Acoustic Punk Documentary below-

But, they bring me up only to let me down. Obviously they have tons of brilliant footage, judging from that trailer. But I was disappointed to see that their website was down and all that’s up is their MySpace page. The most recent blog post was a major buzzkill people.

For those asking, the documentary film AMERICAN MUSIC is all but dead.

While we did have a run of capturing great footage, as we moved forward, this project sadly got caught up in the who-gets-what business end of entertainment and took a nose dive.

Maybe we’ll re-purpose the footage to create a cool DVD featuring greatest hits performances from the Violent Femmes 25th Anniversary tour. Who knows.

Thanks to all those who supported this project and keep rockin it…..

Howie Goldklang
Establishment Productions
Milwaukee, WI

Ah well, it was still a great trailer and if that DVD ever comes out- IT IS MINE!

1. How long have you been together?

About 6 years, two of which have been married years.

2. Who pursued who?

I’m not really sure. Is that weird? I’m not sure either of us thought we’d ever “hook up.” It happened after a long day of him showing me, literally, *everything* in Kansas City, followed by an evening of too much booze (in which I may or may not have gotten sick and THEN kissed him).

3. Do you wear any type of wedding/commitment ring?

Yes, an engagement ring and wedding band. Doug actually picked these out without my help, despite my efforts to take control of that shopping process. He did an awesome job, by the way, I never would have gotten myself such a nice ring and I adore it.

4. What was the hardest thing about learning to live together?

For me, it would be letting go of some of the control. For him, it would be living with a control freak!

5. Who takes longer to get ready in the morning?

I do. I can actually make the process go much faster, but really- why would I?

6. Do you usually eat breakfast together?

Lately, yes! Doug has an odd schedule this semester and he is home two mornings during the week, and Saturday and Sunday of course. He has taken to making us these little breakfast sandwiches with english muffins that are incredibly delicious.

7. Do you ever share clothes?

Uh, no. I don’t think that’s physically possible.

8. Who does most of the cooking?

We share the task, but he usually ends up doing more of the cooking- mostly because I’m lazy and he’s a good husband.

9. Who usually takes out the trash?

I don’t mind taking the trash out to the dumpster, but he takes the dumpster out to the curb when we remember. Okay, he almost usually ends up taking the trash out to the dumpster too- but I really don’t mind doing it.

10. If you have pets who usually does litter box or poop patrol?

I do the litter box and we honestly don’t have a need for any other kind of ‘poop patrol’ because we live in the country.

11. Which one of you is more likely to answer the phone when it rings?

We both run away when the phone rings. Seriously. I think he actually answers it more often though.

12. Who’s in charge of the remote if you’re watching TV together?

We take turns.

13. Who usually drives when you go out together?

Usually him.

14. Which one of you takes care of spiders and bugs that get into the house?

I always feel guilty when I smash a bug, but I usually end up taking care of bug smooshing- unless it’s a wasp. I’m a bad shot and I don’t want the retribution of a pissed off stinging insect.

15. Facing the bed, who sleeps on which side?

He sleeps on the left and I sleep on the right… usually even when we travel and are staying in hotels or other people’s homes.

16. Who usually checks the (postal) mailbox?

It’s usually me. He is fine to let it pile up all week.

17. If something breaks or goes wrong in the house, which one of you is more likely to either fix it or call someone to fix it?

Doug can fix anything! Me? Not so much. I’m the helper.

18. Who is generally the neater of you?

We are both terrible housekeepers, but it bothers me more so I usually end up doing most of the cleaning. Doug definitely helps though.

19. Who handles the checkbook/pays the bills?

He does.

20. What was your last fight/disagreement about?

I don’t remember. We don’t fight much.

21. When you slow dance together, who leads?

We don’t slow dance. Or fast dance.

22. What do you love the most about your other half?

He’s freaking awesome. He’d do anything for me and has had to take care of my clumsy ass when I hurt my knee, sprained both of my ankles, and when I was laid up for five months with a broken leg/ankle. He always knows exactly what I want and quite frequently he makes sure I have it. He’s extremely intelligent and well-rounded too! Really, Doug and I have a blast together. I could go on and on here, but I won’t.

First of all, don’t you all think this hat is totally “Doug?” I think so. He doesn’t think it’s worth $10, but I disagree. You can’t really tell because I took this with my cell camera, but this hat has pinstripes.

On Saturday evening, I got to attend Evening with the Stars at Johnson County Community College where Doug teaches. Evening with the Stars is a program that the Astronomy Department at JCCC puts on once each semester and it’s always interesting. The presentation is different each semester and afterwards everyone gets the opportunity to head up to the rooftop observatory to take a look at the night sky through their super-ginormous telescope. Well, it was extremely cloudy this time so we didn’t get to do the observing. But, Doug’s talk was really interesting. I learned all about the Voyager I and Voyager II probes and the termination shock they discovered with them.

All of my three readers just gotta check out my new site. Please let me know what you think!

If you don’t already read it, check out Postsecret.

First off to Doug, K-Bob, Bobbi, and Webgoddess- tagged, you are! (Unless you don’t wanna do it. Cuz that’s cool too). After taking this meme I’ve realized two things-
1. I watch way too many movies
2. There are a lot of classics that I haven’t seen yet!

The IMDB Meme!
Bold the ones you’ve seen; italicize the ones you’ve seen part of.

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
8.The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
9. Casablanca (1942)
10. Seven Samurai (1954) White rice balls!
11. Star Wars (1977)
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Love these movies!
13. 12 Angry Men (1957)
14. Rear Window (1954) In my top 2 favorites!
15. Goodfellas (1990)
16. Cidade de Deus (2002) I’ve seen the English version, City of God
17. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
18. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
19. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
20. The Usual Suspects (1995)
21. Psycho (1960)
22. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
23. Fight Club (1999)
24. Citizen Kane (1941)
25. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
26. North by Northwest (1959) Oh how I adore Hitchcock
27. Memento (2000)
28. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
29. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
30. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
31. The Matrix (1999)
32. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
33. There Will Be Blood (2007)
34. Se7en (1995)
35. Apocalypse Now (1979)
36. Taxi Driver (1976)
37. American Beauty (1999)
38. Léon (1994)
39. Vertigo (1958)
40. Amelie (2001) Love, love, love this film!!
41. American History X (1998)
42. No Country for Old Men (2007)
43. The Departed (2006)
44. Paths of Glory (1957)
45. M (1931)
46. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
47. Chinatown (1974)
48. The Third Man (1949)
49. Leben der Anderen, Das (2006) The Lives of Others
50. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
51. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
52. Alien (1979)
53. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
54. Laberinto del fauno, El (2006)
55. The Shining (1980)
56. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) Spirited Away
57. The Pianist (2002)
58. Double Indemnity (1944)
59. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
60. Forrest Gump (1994)
61. Saving Private Ryan (1998) I hated this one
62. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
63. L.A. Confidential (1997)
64. Boot, Das (1981)
65. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
66. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
67. Untergang, Der (2004)
68. Aliens (1986)
69. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
70. Raging Bull (1980)
71. Metropolis (1927)
72. Rashômon (1950)
73. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
74. Modern Times (1936)
75. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
76. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
77. Sin City (2005)
78. Rebecca (1940)
79. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) I have this one sitting in the living room, from Netflix, but I haven’t watched it yet
80. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
81. All About Eve (1950)
82. Some Like It Hot (1959)
83. City Lights (1931)
84. Amadeus (1984)
85. Vita è bella, La (1997) Life is Beautiful
86. On the Waterfront (1954)
87. The Great Escape (1963)
88. Touch of Evil (1958)
89. The Prestige (2006)
90. The Elephant Man (1980)
91. Jaws (1975)
92. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
93. The Sting (1973)
94. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)
95. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
96. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
97. The Apartment (1960) I love Shirley MacClaine in this
98. Braveheart (1995)
99. Blade Runner (1982)
100. The Great Dictator (1940)
101. Strangers on a Train (1951)
102. Batman Begins (2005)
103. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
104. Ladri di biciclette (1948) Bicycle Theives
105. Salaire de la peur, Le (1953) Wages of Fear
106. High Noon (1952)
107. Ran (1985)
108. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
109. The Big Sleep (1946)
110. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
111. Notorious (1946)
112. Back to the Future (1985)
113. Fargo (1996)
114. Oldboy (2003)
115. Unforgiven (1992)
116. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
117. Donnie Darko (2001) So freaking good!
118. Ratatouille (2007)
119. Mononoke-hime (1997)
120. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
121. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
122. Yojimbo (1961) Ha ha ha ha ha
123. Per qualche dollaro in più (1965) Fistful of dollars
124. The Green Mile (1999)
125. Million Dollar Baby (2004) Am I the only one who hated this movie?
126. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
127. Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957)
128. Gladiator (2000)
129. Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966) The Battle of Algiers
130. Annie Hall (1977)
131. Die Hard (1988)
132. Into the Wild (2007)
133. Ben-Hur (1959)
134. The Deer Hunter (1978)
135. The Sixth Sense (1999)
136. It Happened One Night (1934)
137. The General (1927)
138. Platoon (1986)
139. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
140. Life of Brian (1979)
141. The Killing (1956)
142. Smultronstället (1957) Wild Strawberries
143. Amores perros (2000) Love’s a B’tch
144. Finding Nemo (2003)
145. Diaboliques, Les (1955)
146. The Incredibles (2004)
147. V for Vendetta (2005)
148. The Wild Bunch (1969)
149. Heat (1995)
150. Children of Men (2006)
151. Brief Encounter (1945)
152. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
153. Juno (2007)
154. The Princess Bride (1987)
155. 8½ (1963)
156. The Graduate (1967)
157. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
158. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
159. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
160. The Big Lebowski (1998)
161. Crash (2004/I)
162. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
163. Stand by Me (1986)
164. Gandhi (1982)
165. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
166. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
167. Snatch. (2000)
168. Harvey (1950)
169. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
170. The African Queen (1951)
171. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
172. The Thing (1982)
173. Trainspotting (1996)
174. Gone with the Wind (1939)
175. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
176. Wo hu cang long (2000) Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
177. Belle et la bête, La (1946)
178. The Gold Rush (1925)
179. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
180. Groundhog Day (1993) Good stuff
181. The Conversation (1974)
182. American Gangster (2007)
183. Scarface (1983)
184. Patton (1970)
185. Duck Soup (1933)
186. Toy Story (1995)
187. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
188. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
189. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
190. The Terminator (1984)
191. Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920)
192. Sleuth (1972)
193. The Hustler (1961)
194. Umberto D. (1952)
195. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
196. Stalker (1979)
197. Glory (1989)
198. Ed Wood (1994)
199. King Kong (1933)
200. Grindhouse (2007)
201. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
202. The Exorcist (1973)
203. The Lion King (1994)
204. Hotaru no haka (1988) Grave of the Fireflies- we own this, but I haven’t watched it yet.
205. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
206. Spartacus (1960)
207. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
208. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
209. The Lost Weekend (1945)
210. Stalag 17 (1953)
211. Magnolia (1999)
212. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
213. Lola rennt (1998) Run Lola Run
214. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
215. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
216. Frankenstein (1931)
217. Out of the Past (1947)
218. Big Fish (2003)
219. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
220. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
221. Casino (1995)
222. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
223. Toy Story 2 (1999)
224. Mystic River (2003)
225. Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)
226. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
227. 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
228. Hot Fuzz (2007)
229. A Christmas Story (1983)
230. Ikiru (1952)
231. Mou gaan dou (2002)
232. Manhattan (1979)
233. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
234. Young Frankenstein (1974)
235. Dial M for Murder (1954)
236. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
237. Rope (1948)
238. Once (2006)
239. Roman Holiday (1953)
240. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) The 400 Blows
241. The Searchers (1956)
242. In Cold Blood (1967)
243. Ying xiong (2002)
244. His Girl Friday (1940)
245. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
246. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
247. Samouraï, Le (1967)
248. Strada, La (1954)
249. Harold and Maude (1971)
250. Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972) Aguire, The Wrath of God

Those of you paying attention know that Easter is on Sunday, March 23rd, this year. Others of you are like my husband and didn’t know it was Easter time and thought the big ham dinner on Sunday is ‘just because hams were on sale.’

Those of you who noticed Easter was WAY early this year are probably wondering why. Well, even if you’re not I’m going to tell you.

Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. You may or may not know that today (March 20th) is the first day of Spring (AKA Spring Equinox). The first full moon after today just happens to be tomorrow, March 21st. This makes Easter fall on Sunday, March 23rd. Unless the formula is modified, Easter will never fall earlier than March 22 or later than April 25. Now ya know yo!

Top Chef is back! Woo hoo! Season 4 looks like it’s going to be really exciting. They’ve got a dope pad in Chicago, a lesbian couple, and Andrew- who I am totally in like with.

Also, I’m going to get a tattoo and I really think I want it on the inside of my left wrist. I am pretty positive that I want a Claddagh design, but I want some frilly stuff added to it or something. Here is an example of what it might look similar to. I wish I could draw!