Friday Fragments - Happy Valentine's Day

Mrs. 4444 is under the weather and yet she still puts out our weekly blog hop. Get better soon!

Happy Valentine's Day! A lovely made up holiday. For which I'm doing nothing. Tomorrow I decided we are going to make lobster for the first time. Now to figure out a side dish to go with it.

On Sunday I'm taking Whitney, my mom and my mother-in-law to Beauty and the Beast, one of the Broadway touring companies. It was Christmas presents for everyone so we are looking forward to it.

I feel sorry for all you people suffering from feet of snow but it was 55 yesterday and will be in the 60's all weekend long. Yes Oklahoma has fickle weather but mostly on the positive end right now. The warmer weather does not mean my office is any warmer though. I still need my space heater on.

I love being able to watch Olympics in the morning at work on my ipad while I work. Yes I can multi-task. I do it at home so doing it at work isn't any big deal.

Did you know in biathalon when they shoot laying down the target is smaller than when they are standing? Its because it is harder to keep your rifle steady when you are standing. Of course we are talking about targets that are only 4 1/2 inches for standing and 4.5 cm for laying down. That is pretty darn small.

Stupid criminal this week was the woman who stabbed her fiance when he wouldn't take her to the liquor store. He told her he was drunk and couldn't drive so she stabbed him. I don't think they are going to get married anymore.

There is a state in Mexico (Sonora) that has banned a list of 61 baby names. These banned names include: Twitter, Scrotum, Robocop, Spinach, Panties, Harry Potter, James Bond and Mistress. Now why anyone would choose these names is beyond me to begin with. 

More Olympic Moments

Earlier this week I mentioned I had watched a cross-country skier fall down and then someone help him with a new ski. I wasn't the only one who was touched by this story. It went viral. It was a Russian skier and a Canadian coach.

And then there was the gem of the Russian curler faceplanting during a match. You'll have to go to NBC Olympics to watch it.

Today they are having a new sport...Team Luge. At first I didn't understand it but after watching the video about the rules, this looks like a major adrenaline rush. Think swimming relay. The team is a woman, a man and a doubles team. The woman goes down the course first. When she finishes, she high-fives a button over the finish line which opens up the gate at the start for the man to come down. The man does the same thing to start the doubles team. The time stops when the doubles team hits the button. Doesn't that sound exciting? I'm really pumped about it.

A Lovely Version of Hodgepodge

Thank you Joyce for another week's worth of questions.

1.What makes love last?

Boy if I knew the answer to this I could write a book, make millions and there would be no problems in the world. I think an important aspect is honesty and respect. Of course love works differently for everyone but I think those would be important in all love relationships.

2. The Beatles made their US debut fifty years ago this week. Are you a fan? If so, what's your favorite Beatles tune?

I'm not a huge Beatles fan. It's ok but not it was before my time.

3. Valentine's Day-your thoughts? Do you celebrate in any way? Do anything special for the people you love? Expect anything special from the people who love you?

This is a day made up by card, chocolate and floral companies. You shouldn't have to have one day to show someone you love them. If you wait a week, you can get a lovely bouquet of flowers for a lot cheaper and you still show you love someone. That being said, a card and chocolate are always appreciated.

4. Steak or burger...you have to choose. Now that that's settled, how do you like it?

I'll take a burger, medium-rare, with cheese, catsup and pickles. We aren't fancy at home.

5. The Hodgepodge lands on the birthdate (February 12th) of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America. Lincoln is quoted as saying, 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character give him power.' Do you agree? Why or why not?

Well that Lincoln was quite the statesman. I think power goes to a lot of people's heads so he was probably right on that to test character.

6. Honest Abe's image is featured on the US penny (1 cent coin) so I'm wondering...what do you do with your pennies (or your country's equivalent)? It's been suggested the US stop making the penny, and two bills have been introduced proposing just that, but neither were approved. What say you?

I don't like pennies (or any coins). They are dirty and make your hands stink if you have to handle a bunch of them. I usually end up spending them at 7/11 to buy a big gulp. And I get rid of everything I can when I go there.

7. Do you think pop culture deserves serious study?

I think a lot can be learned from pop culture and I'm sure many thesis and dissertations have been and will be written on it. And I'm sure many of those people will compare it to ancient civilizations and cultures. Because really so much is the same even though times change.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Did you see the story about the US bobsledder (Johnny Quinn) who got stuck in his bathroom in the Olympic dorm and had to break the door down?

And then he got stuck in an elevator?

I think the Russians may have it in for him.

I Love the Winter Olympics

I'm an Olympics junkie. I admit it. There is just something about watching these events that never get shown on tv that makes me happy. And I applaud NBC for having everything live online or even on NBC Sports in the morning so I can pick what I want to see.

Here's a review so far of my highlights.

Biathalon

This is the sport that combines cross country skiing and shooting. I never knew that in the "sprint" they have to shoot once laying down and once standing. And the standing one is after they have skiied like 8-9km. That is just crazy.

Freestyle Moguls

This is one of those X-Games type events. But as I watched it yesterday morning I saw the craziest jump ever. The guy did a face first flying flip. It looked like he was superman. Totally awesome and crazy.

Cross Country Sprint

This morning had the cross country sprint for both men and women. I really don't know how they do it. Basically it is a spring on skis around the track with a big hill and downhill. When I turned it on they were on the semi-finals and one of the guys had destroyed a ski. He was trying to finish the course but basically it fell apart. Someone came up and gave him a different ski since he wasn't going to advance but that is just agony. The skiers actually have to race four times (about a 3 minute race) in a very short time frame. By the finals they are exhausted. The final was super exciting. Of course these are all world class athletes. The downhill section had been really claiming a lot of skiers. When they got to the top of the hill, one of the skiers basically quit. He was wiped out. Then the first two made it through and then BOOM one slipped and fell down. Then another one. And then the third one ran into both of them and crashed. The fellow who had quit decided to keep going and he ended up with the bronze medal.

This is what they look like at the end of a race. They have given it their all.

So what am I looking forward to? Well the craziest sport I think is skeleton. That's where they go down face first on the sled. Have you seen some of the crazy helmets they are wearing? I think it says a lot of about your mentality to do that sport?

Friday Fragments - Opening Ceremony

Mrs. 4444 hosts our weekly meetup. Go see her and all the others who participate. Look she made a new button too.

Stupid criminal this week was a man who tried to rob a woman of her car. He went into her garage and demanded the key. She gave it to him and went back into the house closing the garage door after her. She called police. Police arrived and man was still in garage. I'm guessing alcohol was involved since he never tried to leave the garage.

Anyone catch the new Olympic sport team figure skating last night? I actually sort of got excited watching it (the Japanese male skater was awesome). I'm going to have to explain this concept over and over to many people I think. Tonight is opening ceremony and Whitney will be home to watch it with me. Woohoo!

You can watch all the events online live if you want to or you can watch the compilation that NBC puts together at night. Nothing will be live at night since they are 9-13 hours ahead (depending on where you live in the US).

Our new bible study got cancelled this week because of weather but that works out because my group added a second choice and this will give me time to have the book shipped to me. I wasn't excited about the first choice but was going to go only to have time with my friends. But now we are going to do Beth Moore's study on Daniel. This sounds much more what I want in a bible study.

Did you know that Wednesday was National Weatherperson's Day. All of my favorite meteorologists were at their annual convention so I couldn't personally thank them for all that they do. Never blame a meteorologist for bad weather. They don't make it...they only forecast and research it. I know...I work with them every single day.

I'm making a conscious effort to dress better for work. I work in a very casual environment where I wear jeans every day. I've gotten into a bad habit of wearing worn out keds all the time and frankly I'm tired of always looking like a poor college student. So I'm trying to make sure and wear nicer shoes. I'll still be in jeans but definitely need to step it up. Of course it is so cold out today that I wore a sweatshirt and tennis shoes to work but I'm trying to keep warm. 

I'm also trying to have conversations with people. When we moved to this building seven years ago I never see anyone anymore. I spend all my time in my office and never run into anyone unless they come see me. So I need to get out and have conversations with others. 

I have my theme for A-Z Blog Challenge narrowed down to three things. I'm really leaning to one of them but I just need to make sure I can come up with all the letters. If so, I think it will be a great series.

Hodgepodge

Thanks Joyce for this week's questions.

1. Are we always responsible for our actions? Are there any exceptions?

Well if something is an accident I'm not sure how responsible we are for an action. But for anything that we do on purpose...yes.

2. Has anyone from your home town become famous?

This questions implies that I have a hometown. Which of the six towns I grew up in counts for it? Or maybe from the town I've lived in since I went to college? If I choose the latter, then that would be the actor, James Garner. For you older people, he was in Maverick and The Rockford Files. For you younger people, he was in The Notebook.

They even put a statue of him near the train tracks.

3. January was National Slow Cooker month. Do you own a slow cooker/crock pot? Did you use it last month? What's a favorite dish you make using a slow cooker or crock pot?

I have three crockpots of varying sizes. The small one is good for queso. The middle one is good for meals that have smaller amounts of meat. The big one is for big pots of soup.

I love using them because it is easy to dump and turn on and leave it alone. One of the best things to make is pulled pork. You take a pork butt and season it with salt, pepper and for us Old Bay. Then put it in the crock pot and cook overnight. You can add BBQ sauce early or later after you shred the pork. Delicious and so darn easy.

4. How do you feel about private companies collecting data about you?

It's a way of life now. I assume that everything private about me is public to someone.

5. The Games of the 2014 Winter Olympics kick off with their opening ceremony this coming Friday....will you be watching? Which Winter Olympic event would you most like to see in person? Have you ever been to Russia? Any desire to go, Olympics or otherwise?

I've got the DVR set to tape (actually starting Thursday when team ice skating starts). I never understood why an athlete would want to stand outside in the cold for hours but hey, I'll never be an Olympic athlete. I don't know what event I would want to go to...maybe some short track speed skating. That's indoors so couldn't be too bad.

I've never been to Russia and I really don't want to go there. Of course I never really wanted to go to China and I went so maybe some day we'll co-host a conference there and off I'll go on a jet plane.

6. Share a good or bad sports related memory from your childhood or teen years.

I was not an athlete so all I have is bad memories. I played powder puff flag football for homecoming and ended up dislocating one shoulder at the practice and the other shoulder at the game. I have never played since.

7. What's a must have song for you on a work out play list? If you don't work out, run, swim, bike, walk, or anything else that could be construed as 'exercise', then what's a song that movtivates you to at least get up off the couch?

When I walk on the treadmill I watch a tv show. Sometimes I'll plug into my ipad and just hit play. I only have so many songs on it and I never update the list so it isn't anything memorable.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This was Sunday's snow. Roads/sidewalks melted on Monday but then freezing rain Tuesday. Extreme cold Wednesday/Thursday with more snow possibly on its way. Winter is here. I am not complaining. I do hope that this doesn't counteract the weed spray that went on a couple of weeks ago when we were in the 50's. Oklahoma is just like that you know.

Beijing Olympic Park

While I was in Beijing, I went to the Olympic Park twice. Once on my way back from the Great Wall and once on my way to the airport. You can tell the difference in days just by the photos.

The first day was a Sunday and the air quality was poor. Everything looks dingy in the photos.

The day I left was a sunny day. It had rained the night before and washed away all the smog.

The water cube was where all the swimming events were held. They have turned into a water park for kids and was very reasonably priced. The Birds Nest holds a few events but it is prohibitively expensive for anyone to use it so it mostly sits as a backdrop for photos.

Closing ceremony thoughts

First of all...COLLEGE music. Madness and PetShop Boys, george michael, Annie Lennox. Wow is all I can say.

What's up with the newspaper and orange origami hats?

One Direction - you should learn how to lip sync better.

Ryan Seacrest - heat miser/tastee freeze man wants their hair back

Why can't NBC spotlight the athletes who won medals that weren't shown on the nightly segments? I want the archery/bicycle/rowing people on. We already saw the swimmers and gymnasts.

What's up with the berets? I don't understand that look USA. Or is it a newsboy cap?

Don't understand the spice girls at all.

Nor do I understand Monty python humor.

Bad NBC to make me wait an extra hour to see the Who. Guess the DVr will be busy tonight.

Friday Fragments - Olympics Edition

Joining with Mrs. 4444 to put together a bunch of stuff for those of us too lazy to come up with a blog topic. (OK, that's my definition not hers)



The Olympics is on constantly thanks to streaming online. Now I'm not mad when someone posts who won what simply because I already watched it. But don't worry, I'm not telling anyone else so I'm not that spoiler person.

Yesterday was the gold medal match in women's archery. I've sort of become an archery fanatic. For those of you who don't know, each archer gets 3 arrows a set. If you score more you get two points. First person to six points wins. After five sets you go to a tie-breaker. The girl from Mexico was down to her last point and came back to tie it after five sets. The crowd was so supportive of her because she was the underdog. Then came the tie-breaker. ONE ARROW! Can you imagine it all coming down to one arrow? The girl from Korea won.

Did you know the top Korean archer is legally blind? Sort of makes you wonder how he can aim but he can see vague colors/shapes. So he aims for the yellow. He set a world record the first day.

Today's unusual sport to watch is trampoline. Bet you didn't know that was an Olympic sport. This is not your backyard trampoline and they certainly are doing tricks that if one of your kids do you would have a heart attack.

Track and Field starts today. I need to check and see where they put the Olympic torch since it was sort of installed in the middle of the field portion of the stadium. I don't think they are throwing javelins around it.

For non-Olympic news, Whitney has an MRI scheduled for Monday for her foot. She hurt it somehow earlier this summer, wore a boot for a few weeks and it just hasn't recovered. The MRI will determine if she has a slight stress fracture or inflammation. We see the doctor Tuesday morning for the results then get on the road to move her back into the dorms. Thank goodness that she has covered parking under the dorm so we don't have to be out in the sun in 100+ temperatures moving her stuff. I don't think I could do that.

We almost got the alltime record high temperature yesterday. We were one degree short. Frankly if we are going to get that hot, I want something to show for it. Mandatory water rationing went into effect yesterday. I could tell water pressure was going down so I hope people heed the warnings. Water is something you just don't want to run out of. You sort of need it to live.

Yesterday was post 500 for my blog. What started out as my own blog because I had taken over Dan's has turned into a creative writing outlet that I didn't know I needed. Sometimes it is stupid stuff, sometimes important, but it is a way for me to show a side of me that not many people know.

For all of you who read this blog, thank you. I hereby award you a gold medal (courtesy of the Olympics of course)!

The Crowd Goes Wild!!!!

Watching the Olympics has been interesting. The British love an underdog...ANY underdog. They are so enthusiastic for them.

In watching the archery there was a man from Fiji who was down almost beaten and came back to tie. The British went wild for every shot. It came down to his last shot...if he got a bullseye he would win. Unfortunately he got a 4 (that's really bad) and lost. But the crowd was so appreciative of his play.

That's what I love about the Olympics. Yes you have the best, but then you have the underdog who almost makes it.

Olympics are Dominating My Life

It is a good thing the Olympics only come around every four years (well two when you think about winter ones). Because I seem to be glued to coverage. And now that you can get 10 different channels of Olympics plus everything online live, it is enough to overstimulate my brain. Our cable company got smart and have all the channels together so you don't have to remember channel numbers.

Opening Ceremonies
I may be in the minority but I didn't like them at all. I was glad we had dvr'd them because I fast forwarded through a bunch. The high points were James Bond (I love Daniel Craig and how did they get the Queen to do that) and the torch lighting. Other than that I felt like my time was wasted.

Saturday Sports
We enjoyed archery (good going American men) and fencing. Those are sports that never would be on the regular broadcast to we are lucky that they are on other channels. Men's gymnastics is always fun to watch. Boy those boys have some muscles.

Sunday Sports
I didn't get to watch too many unusual sports since we had company. But in the evening we watched the normal broadcast. They really need to change the rule that limits only two competitors from one country for the all around in gymnastics. If some of the countries have the best athletes, they should all be allowed to go for it. Every other sport lets you do that.

Monday Sports
I have the ipad going at work with the Olympics one while I work. (I am a good multitasker). Equestrian is on now. The horses are so beautiful but have seen several go down on these fences. It is a dangerous sport. Also checked out canoe although I'm not sure what the difference is between that and kayak. Hope to have some fencing and archery later today.

Friday Fragments - Olympics

So Mrs. 4444 hosts Friday Fragments. Always a fun way to end the week of blogging. Plus this is easier than writing a complete blog!




Everybody is talking about the Olympics. We've got the dvr set to tape tonight so we can fast forward through some of it. I really don't need to see everyone walk in. A fast forward to check out outfits works for that part.

Watch for the men's gymnastics team. It is full of our university men. Of the 8 on the team, 5 went here. Awesome.

There are also a couple of women's track and field competitors from here also. And then one of the coaches from Whitney's school is with the kayak/canoe team. Bet you didn't know that Oklahoma City is the official US Olympic training facility for rowing, canoe and kayak. They host the trials and the training. Yes in the middle of nowhere we are THE place to train.

Did you know that there are more women on the US team than men? And that women are competing in every sport that men are. They added boxing this year for women.

With the internet there is no need to wait until the evening to see who wins an event. One year I tried to avoid any news of winners but I have given up that quest. I've figured out how to watch stuff live on my computer so I can have different events going on during the workday. Doesn't mean I'm going to watch, but I can listen to it instead of music.

I had to have blood drawn this morning and this is the first time I'm going to get a bruise from it. Normally they are so gentle but this woman was pretty rough. I won't be going back there again.

I am still being successful in my quest to not turn the oven on while it is 100+ degrees outside. The crockpot and the George Foreman grill are my best friends.

I learned something today about Ramadan. I knew that they couldn't eat during the day but I didn't know that they couldn't drink anything either. Wow, with it as hot as it is, that must be tough. Our student said that you get used to it. I'm always interested to learn about other people's religions.

We'll have to start the "last meal" cycle at home. Whitney goes back to college on August 7 and there are a few meals she wants before she leaves. She says that she never gets pasta because they overcook the noodles. For the spaghetti lover that she is, it is truly a sacrifice.

The Gold Medal Goes To...Hodgepodge!

Wednesday Hodgepodge courtesy of Joyce From This Side of the Pond




1. The Summer Olympics begin next week and London is playing host. If you had the chance to go in person which (non-Olympic) London site would you most like to visit?

I think I'd like to see Buckingham Palace. I'm fascinated by how people live in those big places and don't get lost.

2. What is something in your life right now that feels like an Olympic event?

Staying cool. Let's face it, Olympic athletes sweat a lot. And with the forecast being 100+ degrees for the next week, I think I'll be sweating. 

3. What's your favorite supper to prepare and serve when it's too hot to cook?

I've been trying to figure this out for the last two weeks. I refuse to turn the oven on but I haven't found the perfect meal yet.

4. July 18th is National Get Out of the Doghouse Day...when was the last time you were 'in the doghouse'?

I'm never in the doghouse because I'm always right! :) Just ask my husband. LOL

5. What television advertisement do you find particularly irritating or inappropriate? You may not answer with 'all of them'. I know some of you were thinking about it.

We have a local one for At The Beach tanning salon. Why anyone would want to use this company by watching the ad I don't know. About 3 seconds of watching this and you will know what I'm talking about.

6. Share one piece of interesting news from the year you were born.

I know one piece about the day I was born. Women got the right to vote in the US. But for the year I have to google something. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was finished the year I was born.

7. What's the best part of your average day?

The stumper question came late in the list today. Maybe the joy of the dog every day when I come home from work as she knows she gets a chew stick. She starts waiting for me 30 minutes before and if I run late it confuses the heck out of her. The simple happiness she gets is quite amusing.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This weekend there was a fight in my bathroom. Well maybe not a fight but the aftermath certainly would lead you to believe there was. In the first corner was the bathroom counter.

In the other corner was Dan. His chin took eight stitches and he needs lots of dental work (7 crowns, 1 root canal).

So who do you think was the winner?