Natural Disasters and Chores

1. Do you think the world became a more dangerous place on September 11, 2001 or did we just become more aware of the danger? How has your own life changed as a result of that day?

I don't think it is any more dangerous. I'm not sure if we are aware of the danger anymore either. It just hit closer to home for a lot of people. Living near OKC during that bombing, I think we got a little taste of danger a lot earlier than NYC. And as much as I hate to admit it, that one still terrifies me more. I can't go to the bombing memorial museum eventhough I didn't know a single person who was killed. I'm sure I can go to the one in NYC and be moved, but not like here.


2. Did you think your parents were too strict when you were growing up? How about in hindsight?

I don't think they were too strict. I was an uptight child I think and followed rules pretty well. Not rebellious at all. So they must have done something right or else I just had that personality.


3. Share one random but candid fact about yourself.

I chose to attend OU because of their football team and the chance to win a national championship. Isn't that shallow? Lucky for me they did win one while I attended and they've won another one since so maybe I'm a good luck charm. It is important to note that I hadn't even been to the state of Oklahoma before coming to college and I know no one. I have no idea how my parents let me do this.


4. Would your nearest and dearest describe you as simple or far too complicated?

Oh, our favorite saying. High maintenance but think you are low maintenance (thanks When Harry Met Sally). I'm probably simple but people think I'm complicated.


5. What is your favorite stadium or carnival food?

I don't have any. The food is way overpriced and I'm a cheapskate so I won't pay those prices.

6. Tornado, hurricane, earthquake...how many of these natural disasters have you experienced? Which event do you think would be the scariest?

I've been in two hurricanes (Alicia, 1983, Houston and David, 1979, Orlando), one earthquake (Norman, 2010, 4.3 or 5.1 different reports) and near a lot of tornadoes (too many dates to count). Hurricanes are actually the easiest because you have plenty of warning and can get to a safer place. Tornadoes you might have some warning, although we had one form over our house and hit the next neighborhood just come out of nowhere. Earthquakes are totally unpredictable. I think that one is the scariest simply because you don't know it is coming.


7. Labor Day weekend is approaching so a work related question seems appropriate. Growing up, did your parents assign you regular chores? Were you paid for doing those chores? If you're a parent do you assign chores to your own children? Why or why not?

I'm sure we had chores I just don't remember. And we never got an allowance or get paid for doing them. We gave Whitney an allowance but it wasn't tied to her chores. Chores are something that you do because you are part of a family and you have to take responsibility for things around the house. If there was a special project I might pay her extra. But she was expected to do her chores, just like I'm expected to do my chores around the house. Nobody pays me to do the laundry but I have to do it.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

It's the last day of August. Football is just around the corner and I for one am glad that I don't have season tickets because there are going to be a lot of hot, sweaty people at the game Saturday. Even with a 6pm start it is going to feel like 100 degrees in that stadium. But I do get to have Whitney come home for the weekend (yippee!)

Blazers and nice clothes

I got a panicked email from Whitney last night. Seems her scholarship (sponsored by a huge energy company) likes their kids to have matching outfits. They are ordering Brooks Brothers blazers for them. I looked at the price and realized that I haven't spent that much money on clothes for myself in a year and she is getting one for free. Of course I had to explain what a blazer is (she is a tshirt/jeans kind of gal). And then the panic set in. What size do we order? I don't want to get the wrong one and then have to PAY for another one. Luckily I just got off the phone and was told that if they order a size and it doesn't fit, they will return it and get the right size. Phew, I was afraid they were going to have it embroidered already with the company's name.

I think this is the blazer - $348

So now when she comes home this weekend, we have to go find a light gray skirt/pants and a white button shirt to wear with the free blazer. It's costing me money, but not nearly as much as a blazer would.

Diet Vanilla Coke

Years ago, there was a Diet Coke with vanilla. It was the most delicious drink ever. I was so hooked on it. And then Coke decided to stop making it. I of course did not know this until several stops at the store with nothing on the shelves and then I saw it online. Let me tell you, I panicked. I bought every single one that I could find. I almost killed the child (not mine) who drank my last one out of the fridge (and then she didn't even finish it).
Then I realized that I could get a Route 44 Sonic diet Coke with vanilla. The Sonic nearest my house makes the best ones (I think they add extra vanilla). But then I realized was it really worth spending over $2 for a drink that has so much ice in it I slurp the drink down before I know it. So I stopped getting them. But the other day I was out in the afternoon and it was happy hour, so I got a drink. Not the biggest size, I settled for a large. But they had one of those phone surveys afterwards to see how they were doing and you got a free Route 44 drink. I don't like doing those surveys but hey it was a good treat.

So now I sit with my coupon for a free drink. And I ask myself, is it worth going out in the 100+ degrees to get my drink. I am pretty sure the answer is no. Eventhough I really would like some caffeine and I don't have change for the vending machine. So I sit here drinking my water dreaming of a Route 44 diet Coke with vanilla.

Birthday Wishes

So today is my birthday. I think at my age they just don't matter anymore. I don't feel any older. I don't look any older. It's not some magic birthday number today. It's just another day in my life. I think we'll go out to dinner tonight (just Dan and I) but I went to work today. In the past I usually take the day off but I didn't have a reason to be gone.

Is this what getting older is supposed to be?

Thursday Thoughts

I had a couple of blog thoughts so I decided to combine them into one since they are random.

The first is Hurricane Irene. I've lived through two of them (one in Florida and one in Houston)  and while they were both minor on the hurricane scale (I slept through the Florida one) I think I've had enough. So yesterday I found out that our radar trucks are going out to chase the hurricane. Normally it is tornadoes but since hurricanes can produce tornadoes they have done this before. I had to do a couple of things with the truck before it went out, so as I was down at the vehicle bay checking the mileage, one of the students asked me if I was going hurricane chasing. I had to laugh and say no, that I was needed here. But can you imagine me in a big old truck or van chasing a hurricane. I don't think so. But if any of you are near Morehead, NC, that's where they are heading. I would say that you won't have the brunt of the storm there because they wouldn't put the radar truck in harms way, but you will be near enough for strong winds (but not super strong because that truck is worth a lot of money).

The second is I survived an endoscopy on Tuesday. I've had acid reflux for a couple of years and I'm on about as strong of medicine that you can have and it still isn't completely calmed. So my doctor wanted to check it out. The hardest part was that it was scheduled for 2:30 in the afternoon. And you can't eat anything after midnight or drink anything after 10am. Now I eat on a schedule, and that schedule does not mean not eating all day. And I drink lots of water. I was afraid that I would be cranky and pass out at work but I made it. And I slept all the way through the procedure (thank you demerol) and don't remember a thing. They did a biopsy but the doctor thought everything looked good. I did have to tell him about my sleepwalking incident over the weekend where I somehow emptied an entire bottle of my medicine (2 months worth) into a sink full of water. Ruined every single pill. So he gave me samples to tide me over until the insurance company will pay for a refill. Luckily there isn't really a black market for acid reflux medicine so me saying I dumped a bottle didn't raise a red flag like it would for lortab or oxycontin.

Hope you have a good Thursday.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What is something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly?

Interesting question. I think for me it is folding laundry. I have to have shirts, socks and underwear folded just right or it bugs me. And if someone else does it and it isn't how I would do it, I redo it.
2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain.

Yes it exists. How else do you explain twins communicating with each other without speaking or that funny feeling you get right before something is wrong or right.
3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all?

Probably quickly. It is much easier to just get it overwith and move on.

4. On a scale of 1-10, with ten being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What's your favorite 'spicy' dish?

Probably a 5-6. Too much spice and you can't taste it. Plus if it is really spicky, I get a coughing fit right away and it takes me five minutes before I can take another bite. I like our chili which has a lot of cayenne pepper in it. Another good dish is pasta with garlic and red pepper flakes.

5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles?

Anyone from Oklahoma should say the BC Clark Anniversary sale.  It is so darn catchy and you know it is Christmas when you hear it. I remember when I moved here in 1983 and it was on tv. I didn't know what all the fuss was about and then every year it would play again and again. I love singing along with it.

6. Plane, train, boat or auto...your preferred method of travel?

Plane because you can get there faster and go farther.

7. What is something you take for granted?

Electricity. What did people do without that. So many things run off it. When the power goes out at home (luckily not very often) it gets so quiet without all the appliances running.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Whitney is loving college. She pledged Alpha Chi Omega, has been working at her job at the bookstore (with a 30% discount on clothes) and has met so many new people. She's added over 100 new friends on facebook in less than a week.

Outside Renovations

We finally had the lights installed that we purchased four months ago for the outside. It really makes quite a difference. The ones by the garage door hang lower than the old ones so it covers up the house number a little bit. But I love the look of them so anyone looking for our house will just have to deal with it.

Closeup of the light

So what's it like?

It's been an interesting few days without Whitney at home. While she has gone to camp and been gone for a few days before, I know this time she won't be coming back for quite awhile. It seems strange not to talk to her. I did talk to her on the phone yesterday but it isn't quite the same thing as in person. And the door to her bedroom stays open at night.

The dog is not quite sure what to do either. She knows Whitney isn't here and she keeps expecting her to show up sometime. I bet when she does come home she'll be attacked with love by the dog.

It also is strange not knowing what she is doing at all times. She was always so good about letting us know where she was going. Now I have no idea where she is (well I sort of know but not specifically). I think that is the hardest part.

She's Flown the Coop

Whitney is officially a college student. Yesterday's move in went very smoothly. I'm sure it helps that it is a small college, but there were so many people to help unload the car (right in front of the dorm I might add) it only took two trips and 30 minutes total. A couple of hours later and everything was unpacked. We met her roommate (a lovely young lady from Colorado) and her parents. The third roommate hasn't shown up yet and it is looking like maybe she won't. And there is no one assigned to their connecting room so currently it is just the two of them for the bathroom.

All of her shoes fit in the drawers

The bed side of her space

A tiny desk for a tiny girl on a tiny laptop

After getting in the room, we were able to see what we had bought that needs to be returned (no need for a power strip) and what we needed (another rug and a small curtain). The mini-fridge we had ordered wasn't there yet so we had to call about that. They seem to being delivered today. The closet is huge (of course she didn't take all her clothes but she has room) and because so much storage is around, the space doesn't seem as small as it is.

Whitney even got a job yesterday. She had applied on Sunday and just had to bring by her class schedule. She started training today.

It's Almost Here

The day my baby moves to college. Tomorrow we drive her and all her stuff to her new college life. It's not like it's super far away (about 30 minutes) but it is the knowledge that she won't be home every night. And not being able to see her and give her a hug and kiss. But I know that this has to happen someday. 

So we packed her stuff up this weekend. We still have one bag to pack to night with the last minute stuff but otherwise we are as ready as we can be. We'll hit a grocery store once we get there to see how much she can fit in her mini-fridge.

Just shoes

Yes that is a duffle bag of just shoes. And I made her leave some at home.





Trying to consolidate







But there is so much





Clothes and bedding


Lucky for us she only needs her warm weather clothes. Probably in October we'll be changing them out for the winter clothes. Of course if the heat wave continues (it is supposed to be back to 100 tomorrow) she'll never need her sweaters.

Dresses

She is going through rush so she needed her fancy dresses and heels. Because I know she isn't going to wear heels to school.

So we are three suitcases, one duffel, three boxes and some bedding bags. I think two SUV's can handle that.

My Dance Crush

Well my favorite summer show (So You Think You Can Dance) just ended. I believe the right person one. But I was just happy that on Wednesday night's show my favorite dancer got to come back as an "All-Star". Mark Kanemura Oh my, what a wonderful dancer. He can do quirky and focused and strong. And he has only gotten better since Lady Gaga picked him to be her lead dancer. I watch her videos just for glimpses of him.

Unfortunately the season he was on as a contestant he wasn't my favorite. It happened last year when he was an all-star. I loved everything he did. I watched him instead of the contestant (that did seem to happen a lot with all the all-stars). And if you put him in a Sonya Tayeh routine, just stop doing everything and watch.

Now that I have that out of my system, maybe I can work. Happy Friday

Guess what it did?

It RAINED!!!! You don't know how exciting that was this morning. And it was 68 degrees at 10am too. Miracles can happen.

We have had a few sprinkles at night the last couple of nights but mostly far off thunder of others getting more rain. But we had dark clouds and a good hour of rain. It will take a lot more to replenish the lakes/rivers/ground but it was a good start. The cooler temperatures remind us that yes summer can go away and that we will not be locked into 100 degrees for the rest of our lives.

Not quite sure if today will get over 90 degrees. We are tied for the most consecutive days of 90+ heat in Oklahoma City (71 days for those of you counting) and we are close to the record for most days over 100. Both of those records were set in 1980, thankfully before I lived in this state.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. If you could work for any one government agency which would you choose and why?
I've worked for a state funded university for 24 years so that sort of is a state agency. But I'm sure this means federal. And I work with a federal government agency and after dealing with them for 9 years I would never choose to work for them. I'm not sure I would choose to work for any government agency. They are so full of paper pushers that don't know what they are doing. And so many levels of management and committees and committees to study the committees it is ridiculous. It is no wonder that there are so many financial problems with our country. If they would clean house and get rid of some levels, we would have lots of money.

However, I might have to work for the IRS and get the tax cheaters. I would like that.


2. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

Hmmm, thought provoking questions today. Forgiveness is something that I have to work hard for, especially if the other person won't admit their wrongness. I know we should forgive but I'm afraid I'm not quite up to that yet.

3. What is your favorite meatless supper?

Pesto on anything.

4. Wednesday August 10th is National Lazy Day...will you be celebrating? If so, tell us how so we can be lazy too.

I'll celebrate it by figuring out how to post this blog at a scheduled time so I don't have to work at it. LOL

5. As a child did you have any special back to school traditions and if so, what were they? If you're a parent did you carry on those traditions with your own children?

I don't remember any from when I was a child. When Whitney was young, I always had to take a picture of her with her backpack going to school for the first day. But when she got to middle school that stopped.

We did have a tradition of going out to dinner the last day of school to celebrate getting through the year.

6. Write a summer tongue twister.

I don't do tongue twisters. Too many years in speech therapy for me to want to revisit that.

7. Would you be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse brings out the needle?

Absolutely no way. I had shoulder reconstruction done 20 years ago and they made a videotape of the beginning and even talked to me. I watched it when I was hopped up on painkillers. I only watched part of it and remember seeing floating stuff inside my arm and said that's enough. Threw it away. And I never want to see anything like that again.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Oklahoma set a record for hottest average temperature for a month for any state at any time in July. At least over the last couple of days we've had a couple of thunderstorms pop up around the state and it has helped places. Although we haven't gotten but a trace of rain. The forecast for next week is looking like the 90's for move-in day. Thank goodness. I never thought I'd be saying that.

Automation

I work in a fairly new building and we have all the latest in automatic everything. You know toilets that flush for you and sinks that turn on when your hand goes under. I love it. In fact I have to remind myself to flush when I go other places because I'm so used to it. We also have key card entry to all the doors so no keys, just your ID card that you have to wear at all times.

But the greatest thing is the automatic lights. I love being able to walk into my office in the morning with my hands full of bags and not have to turn on the lights. I love being able to leave at night and not wonder if I turned off the lights. They sense when there isn't movement after about 20 minutes and shut off.

Unfortunately there are a couple of problems. Right now my main receptionist area has people on vacation. So the lights out there go out in 20 minutes if no one comes in. This is a huge problem in the morning because there are only two of us and we have no reason to go out there unless we need something at the printer. So I keep have to get up and go wave my arms to get the lights to turn on. Otherwise our security guards think no one is there and they lock the door. Our other problem is the custodial staff keeps turning off the automatic part of the lights when they clean in the morning. I have no idea why they turn the lights off when we all know that they go off automatically. We have gone to placing post it notes on the switches so they won't turn them off. The university also got a grand idea to put stickers on every light switch on the whole campus reminding people to turn off their lights to save energy. Why they had to put them on ours when they go off I don't know. Another waste of money from them.

Update - Food Allergy

I'm happy to report that the squirrel nut look has gone away. It did take about 36 hours to return to normal. Now he just has his normal under eye bags (LOL).

Food Allergies

I think we all would agree that food allergies seem to have gotten more common over the years. Personally I'm allergic to artificial colors in stuff like koolaid. It took a summer of hives and tests to figure that one out. Lesson to be learned: Don't eat only jello for a week after getting your wisdom teeth out.

But yesterday Dan had an allergic reaction that I'd never seen. He had eaten some watermelon (which he had had several times in the last few days) and all of a sudden his eyes swelled up. He looked like the Elephant Man. He said he used to have reactions like that when he was little to hayfever, but this was unusual. He took so much antihistamine (I think four different kinds) and still the swelling wouldn't go down. The bridge of his nose had swallowed up his eyes and he had such big bags under them that it looked like he was storing walnuts for the winter like a squirrel. We tried ice and that didn't work.

We figured that today after a good night's sleep it would be better but he woke up and it looked the same. So another round of every antihistamine we have in the house and the swelling is going down. However he still looks like he is carrying walnuts under his eyes. If that doesn't go down, I think he'll head to the doctor tomorrow for some steroids.

I've never seen anything like this and I hope to never see it again. Has anyone else seen this happen from watermelon?

Saturday Bargain Shopping

This weekend in Oklahoma is tax-free on clothing. I'm avoiding any place that sells those things because it is a zoo. So instead I went to Borders and looked at the going out of business sale. They had increased the percentage off from the last time I went, so I bought a few books. I got a cookbook with chicken recipes (and good pictures), three romance novels (I like to read these when I fly) and two sudoku books (keeps my mind working) for $27. I thought that was a pretty good deal.

Friday Blog Hop

1. Do you have siblings and are you close with them?

I have two brothers. One passed away before I was born and the other is two years younger. We are not on speaking terms so I guess that makes me an only child.

2. Would you rather be slightly UNDER weight or slightly OVER weight?

Well I've never been underweight so I don't know what that is like. But I'll take slightly overweight instead of really overweight. And what is overweight? BMI number? If so, then I'm normal thanks to our weight contest two years ago when I lost 20 pounds. I've kept it off for this long and I look better than ever. :D

3. What's your favorite State Fair food to splurge on?

We don't go to the state fair and all they have is total junk food. I can't eat that stuff anymore. When I was a kid, I liked roasted corn on the cob.

4. What are your thoughts on your kid(s) going to school in a few weeks?

Mine is going to COLLEGE. I've always enjoyed when she goes back to school. She loves school and always wants to go back. The past couple of years she kept busy by working but before that she would get bored because there weren't any friends around.

5. Pool or Ocean?

Definitely pool. The ocean has things floating in it that you can't see and I don't want brushing up against me. When we were in Cozumel a few years ago and snorkeled, I couldn't get close to the fish because I didn't want them to touch me. Gave me the heebie jeebies.

Attack of the Grasshoppers

The grasshoppers have come and they are everywhere. The dry weather has driven them out of whatever hole they live in and they are now all over the place. I hate grasshoppers. When I was little and lived in Wisconsin, we would have scores of grasshoppers that liked to hang out on the back door. Now this is the door we used to go in and out of the house because it was really more like a side door to the driveway. Grasshoppers scared me so badly. I would ask my mother to go scare them away before I would go outside (and this is when I was 10 years old). I would also make lots of loud noises before I opened the door trying to scare them away. Luckily I have grown out of the scared of them phase. But I still don't like them.

Ugly looking thing

Dreaming of Cool Weather

OK, it's all I talk about. It's all anybody talks about here. And we can't escape it. But we can dream of cooler weather. So I'm starting to think cool weather trips.

First trip is to Colorado in October. I have a work meeting in Boulder and Fort Collins so it is FREE for me to go. I'm hoping for fall colors and crisp evenings. Oh how I dream of crisp evenings.

Second trip is to Washington DC in November. I have a work conference there. I swore I would never join this group because their meetings are always in DC and I already have to go there once a year for work so I didn't want to go twice a year. But this year the program had a lot of good sessions so I've decided to join this year because of that. Plus I get to go with a couple of people from another office at work that I like and it is held in a different part of DC. So hoping for cool weather there too and no rain.

Third trip is a mini-vacation in October with Dan. Right now we are thinking of going maybe to the Ozarks in Arkansas and just chill out. I want a place near water where I can just hang out and read and he can go on hikes. We stayed in a place on Vancouver Island in Canada one summer that is exactly what I'm looking for. Of course that isn't Arkansas so I have no idea if I'll find it. But it was a three story townhouse/cabin that had two bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen and a huge tub. It was in the forest and the ocean was minutes away. And at the end of June we still had to wear a jacket. WOW.

So I'll dream of cool weather. And I'll leave you a photo from our winter snow/ice storm to cool us all down.

Doesn't that make you cool?

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Yes it is Tuesday

OK so I realize now after two hours that it is Tuesday and not Wednesday. But I can't figure out how to unpost this and then post it tomorrow, so just deal with it.




1. Share a favorite song lyric.

I was told that I can't say "I don't know" so I'll come up with something. I'd be much better at favorite movie quote.

So I'll pick Alanis Morrissette's Ironic for this one.

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you

When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face

Sort of sums up life right there, doesn't it?

2. When was the last time someone yelled at you?

I don't know if anyone has yelled at me? And if someone has, I've blocked it from my memory.

3. Money, fame, happiness...are they mutually exclusive?

Certainly not exclusive. Maybe ellusive for some. But I think you can have all three if you are a well-balanced person.

4. What is your favorite dish to prepare for family and friends that doesn't require turning on the stove, oven or an outdoor grill?

Pulled pork. You get a Boston butt pork with the bone in it, put it in a crockpot with a little salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning, and cook it overnight. In the morning take out the bone, shred the meat, add some BBQ sauce and cook a little longer. Absolutely easy and super tasty.

5. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life? Will you do it?

I don't think my life is complicated right now. If anything, I need to come up with something to fill down time.

6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being 100% and 1 being not at all) how tuned in are you to your country's national political scene?

I'll go with a 5. I know what is going on that is important (i.e. not what the media tells me is important). I vote in all the elections. But I refuse to listen to the garbage that all the politicians tell us. As the song says...Can't we all just get along?

7. What are your final parting words to the month of July?

It was the hottest July Oklahoma has ever had and I'm afraid it is planning on an extended stay.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I just got dates for me to go to a meeting in Colorado in October. I hope I can wait that long for cooler temperatures.

August... The Dog Days of Summer

August is going to be quite the month. No dog days here. Someone said it was more like dog dies of summer because of our heat and that sure is the truth.

This is so absolutely not normal. We are 10-15 degrees above the average for this time of year. We are breaking records all around. The hottest summer here was in 1980 and at the rate we are going, we will break it about mid-August. It can stay hot here until mid-late September. BLECH!!!!

This is birthday month for myself and Dan. For a lovely 13 days we are the same age and then I magically get older than him for another 352 days.

And in two weeks, we'll be moving Whitney up to OCU to live in the dorms and go to college. I love that she will be able to experience college by living on campus and I also love that she isn't too far away from home. She can keep all of her doctors here and just schedule appointments when she is free. It only takes 30 minutes to drive depending on traffic so I know if there is a problem, we can get to her quickly. I'm only going to hate that move in day when it is so dreadfully hot and we won't be able to park close to the dorm. Can we say let's limit our trips?

The Oklahoma City public schools started today. They are switching to a year-round school calendar. I know that they were making sure that all the air conditioning was working in the schools. It would be dangerous if it didn't. And I hope that they have indoor recess at lunch time. It is way too hot to be outside. Norman doesn't start until August 24. We'll never go to year-round because so much of our stuff is tied to OU's schedule. Even the school's fall break matches the ever important OU-Texas football game weekend. We wouldn't want all the families to miss out on going down to Dallas on Friday. (Yes that is sarcasm).