Office cat, Nelson, has shed a few pounds.

No, he didn’t run on a treadmill or take the latest miracle diet pill. He got his fur shaved. Now a slightly lighter cat, Nelson is spending a lot of time on employee laps, trying to stay warm. Why did we do this? Besides the fact that he actually tolerated it, his skin needed a little airing out. Once his fur grows back, he’ll feel much better.

Thursday Thirteen #42

In looking around my unfinished house, I was wondering if there was a way to speed up the process of making my home look Cutting-Edge and have Superior Design. Here are my ideas:

13 Creekistan Interior Design Trends

1. Unfinished walls are now In. Being able to see some or all of the drywall is very hip. Especially if you can see the drywall screws.


2. If unfinished walls are not quite your thing, then ripped wallpaper is a great alternative. If you have existing wallpaper, rip some of it off, leaving lively chunks of color still attached. If you don’t have wallpaper, you can attain the same look by hanging new wallpaper, allowing it to dry, then ripping it off.


3. An added touch would be to allow children to write on your walls.


4. Ceilings have always been neglected in design. No more! Interesting designs in ceilings include portions that are “discolored”, falling, or where texture is uneven. This style makes for interesting design effects and breaks up the monotony of potentially bland ceilings.


5. Keep lighting fixtures simple. Exposed wires and bare light bulbs give a home a highly “technical” look. Plus, it makes changing light bulbs quick and easy without having to hassle with dangerous glass covers.


6. Keep the odors “natural” in the bathroom. No more do you need to attempt to mask smells emanating from the septic system. It reminds everyone that a bathroom is a bathroom and the smells are part of it’s “charm.”


7. Floorboards are extraneous. Part of the charm of wood or laminate flooring is being able to see the raw, uneven edges of flooring near the base of walls.


8. Carpeting on stars poses quite a few problems when it comes time for cleaning. This problem is eliminated when you eliminate the carpet. Dirt, hair, and small toys that accumulate in the corners of stairs are then easily vacuumed up.


9. Don’t be hide your messy closets behind doors any more! By not installing doors on your closets, you create a more open atmosphere in your bedrooms.


10. Why clutter your living areas with furniture? They collect dust and get in the way of running children. Only furnish rooms with items that are absolutely necessary for minimal comfort. For example, a living room with only a futon allows for more open space.


11. Why does everyone think they need separate bedrooms? In Creekistan design, all family members enjoy the benefits of sleeping in one room, leaving the extra bedrooms available for storage of building supplies, unused paint, and extra flooring.


12. Balance out the simplicity of your Creekistan-designed home with a complex color scheme. Don’t limit rooms to simply one or two colors. Allow old paint to show through new. Let ripped wallpaper reveal the antique colors underneath. Test new colors by painting just a swatch of new paint over old. Perhaps you’ll like the effect and not finish painting the rest of the wall.


13. Don’t be afraid of people looking into your windows, especially those on the second floor. Eliminate the hassle of window coverings by allowing the beauty of the window to speak for itself. Don’t cover your windows. Allow the sunlight to shine in and your beautiful design to shine out.




If these design trends become popular, I’ll have the most hip house in Creekistan, and I wouldn’t have to do a thing! (. . .looking up number of Country Living Magazine to arrange a photo shoot . . . )



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. ItÂ’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Thursday Thirteen #41

My Take on 13 Recent News Headlines

1. A Shout Out to Nancy – In The House! – [link] Nancy Pelosi is the first woman Speaker of the House
   
   
2. Negroponte Has Left the Building to Get Rice – [link]
   John Negroponte resigned as National Intelligence Director to become deputy secretary of state under Condoleezza Rice.





3. Busta Busted – [link]
   Busta Rhymes been ordered to pay $100,000 dollars to a fan who claimed the rapper attacked him.





4. Whitney's Throne on eBay – [link]
   Hundreds of items belonging to singer Whitney Houston have been sold at auction at a warehouse in Irvington, N.J., after she failed to pay storage fees.





5. Miers is Flyers – [link]
   Harriet Miers stepped down as White House counsel.





6. Teach Robotics AND Clean the Floor! – [link]
   iRobot, those people that created the vacuuming robot, has made a version that people can easily tinker with.





7. Dita Von’t Teese Marilyn – [link]
   Marilyn Manson and Dita von Tesse divorse.





8. I Smell New York – [link]
   A mysterious bad smell came over New York. Many people blame New Jersey.





9. 5 Minutes to Boom – [link]
   The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced the Doomsday Clock to five minutes to midnight to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons.





10. Will Joost be a Boost for TV? – [link]
    Joost tries to combine the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a unique, TV-like experience over the internet. Personally, I can’t wait. But since I can’t get either TV or Internet at home, I’m screwed.





11. Snowbirds Regret Flight – [link]
    Trying to escape the snow in the north, Snowbirds usually go south for the winter. But a cold snap in California, Texas, and other usually warm places has made these people wish they were back home.





12. Shetty-ing Tears for Big Brother – [link]
    Possible racism in Europe’s Big Brother TV program has Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty in tears.





13. Don’t Throw Viagra to the Animals! – [link]
    A female chimp that has been in a “old Chimps home” sanctuary has given birth. But all the males there were supposed to have been fixed! Now paternity tests will have to be given to find the culprit.










Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. ItÂ’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen #40

I have been participating in the Thursday Thirteen Forums. I posted a message on there with several ideas for topics or themes that people could steal if they were stuck. Well, here I am on Thursday, stuck for an idea of a topic. So I took a page from my own book:

13 Things About the 13-year-old Amy the Black

1. After watching The Outsiders, I was inspired to color my hair with peroxide. My hair turned orange.






2. I was a huge Duran Duran fan.






3. I watched so much MTV that I could name the artist, song, and album of a video before the text would appear in the bottom left-hand corner. It was a game I would play. But that was when MTV played Music Videos all the time.






4. I always had a VCR hooked up and ready to record. I still have a few tapes that capture MTV during it’s early days.






5. I was a good clarinet player. In fact, I was considered one of the best in my age group in the area.






6. I had a really nice 12-speed bike that was black, red and silver. I used to ride it everywhere I could. I kept the bike until about 5 years ago. I hadn’t used it in ages, but couldn’t part with it, either.






7. I collected unicorns. Anything with a unicorn on it was good enough for me: stickers, posters, figurines, purses, t-shirts, etc.






8. I was active in Girl Scouts. I belonged to a small, but close-knit troop. We weren’t into the uniforms and formal stuff. If we had to go to a city-wide event, we looked more like the Bad News Bears. But we didn’t care.






9. I wanted to play synthesizers in a Rock/Pop band, just like my idol, Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran.






10. I got a Yamaha keyboard for Christmas. I was thrilled, even though it wasn’t a large-scale keyboard. I still played it all the time.






11. I had started to collect LPs of the music I liked. You know, actual vinyl records. But I figured out a way to record them onto cassette so that I could play them on my Walkman.






12. I was 13 in 1983. Okay, so now do the math.






13. I was a fan of of the TV show, M*A*S*H*. I was 13 when the show ended with it’s record-breaking and haunting final episode. I cried. One scene in particular has stayed with me ever since. It is the scene where Hawkeye is in a bus filled with refugees trying to hide from an enemy patrol. Everyone on the bus knew that they had to be absolutely quiet or they might all be killed by the North Koreans. A mother was holding her baby, when it started to cry. She smothered her child.





Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. ItÂ’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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The Final Stinkbag Update

The dog warden is going to make a stop at our place to pick up Stinkbag. We decided that she has too many issues for us to take on right now. For one, she stinks, which leads me to believe that there may be something wrong with her. Secondly, Bandit doesn't like her. She's too old and grouchy to hang out with a 1 year old, energetic dog.

Since the dog warden may arrive when we are gone, we had to describe to him which dog to take. It shouldn't be difficult: the old, stinky, funny-looking female dog.

Don't forget to fumagate the truck when you're done!

Stinkbag Update

Stinkbag, the dog, is still around. I finally was able to stomach being close enough to find out that Stinkbag is a girl! Me and my husband have the tendency to take on animals that are in their final stage of life. We’re thinking of keeping her.

Pudding

Leah and Pudding

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Thursday Thirteen #39

A recap of Thursday Thirteen’s of the past.
My 13 Favorite Thursday 13 Posts
At least those written by myself.

1. 13 Things That Made This Morning Suck - [link] - My front tire was flat. At least it happened at home and not down the road in the middle of the forest.






2. Parts of My Body That Have Been Altered or Fixed – [link] - Nose – My Boy, aka Wreckingball Head, caused damage to my nose. So I had to have surgery to correct my deviated septum. After a weeks worth of uncomfortable stuff up my nose, I can breathe a lot easier.






3. My Favorite 13 Spooky Things – [link] - Surveillance Video Ghost - A surveillance video shows a ghostly object flowing around a car impound lot. After seeing the video on the news, a widower thought that this was the ghost of his wife who had died in one of those cars.






4. 13 Muppets in Order of Trustworthiness [link] - Bert – Put aside all the “Bert is Evil” negative propaganda, , Bert is a nice guy who makes a great roommate to Ernie. With all that he has to put up with, I’m amazed that he still has a good sense of humor. Although I suspect he votes Republican, anyone who loves pigeons is a good guy in my book.






5. 13 Silly Names I Have for Everyday Things [link] - P.R.F.I. = Poop-Related Fart Incident.






6. 13 People I Hope to Meet in the Café at the End of Time [link] - Mark Twain– Who wouldn’t want him at their party? This is a guy who wrote great books, gave wonder speeches, and hung out with the likes of Nikola Tesla.






7. 13 Songs I wish I never heard [link] - We Built This City - Starship (or Jefferson Airplane, or whoever).






8. My Favorite Hoaxes [link] - Bert is Evil - Bert, the Sesame Street muppet, appears on posters carried by supporters of Osama bin Laden. Actually, the joke was on someone in Bangladesh who was looking for pictures of Osama and found this one with Bert. He actually USED this image on thousands of posters that were used in demonstrations. Pictures of the demonstrations were carried by credible news agencies. You go Bert!






9. 13 Potential Thursday 13 Topics – Help Me Decide What’s Next! [link] 13 things that chocolate is not good on. – For example: Tailpipe hitch. (I still haven’t done that topic, yet.)






10. 13 Things Written On The Walls In My Creekistan Home. [link]Divide your flatulence into two partials and you will find great satisfaction.






11. 13 Things On, Under or Near My Desk At Work [link] - Turd - I don't know what else to call it. It's a piece off of a sculpture a friend was making. It looks like an abstract, polished turd pile.






12. 13 Things, Good and Bad, About Going Out and Drinking With Aimee the Red: [link] - Bad: Transformers Dude left the bar without paying his tab. We’ll just have to send Optimus Prime after him.






13. 13 Favorite Palindromes. [link] - Oh no! Don Ho!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. ItÂ’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Stinkbag

One of the unfortunate side-effects of living “way out,” is that every so often a stray dog wanders by. Some are strays, some are lost, and some are dumped. I guess the cowards that had the dog didn’t know what else to do with their unwanted mutt, so they drive “way out” and dump the dog.

In the year or so that I’ve lived in Creekistan, we’ve had a few dog visitors. First was Sirius. http://creekistan.blogspot.com/2006/05/sirius-black-dog.html. I was able to “lose” him by having him follow my car for a while, and then I sped off. Another car passed me going the other way, and he got confused and followed the other car..

Then there was Max, who our good neighbors were considering keeping. He was a long, short, bowlegged dog that was good at escaping and chewing up everything. He would wander the ½ mile between our house and our neighbors, seducing our dog, Bandit, to follow. He was a bad influence, and I was glad when he wandered off, never to return. I think I spotted him one day, about 5 miles away.

Occasionally we see a dog that I’ve named Ghost. We only get glimpses of this light-colored dog late at night. We suspect he may belong to someone who only comes to the area to visit or camp nearby.

Right now we have Stinkbag. This dog showed up the day after Christmas. He is the ugliest, smelliest dog I’ve ever seen. He looks like a cross between an old goat and a wrinkly Chinese dog with bowlegs. And he smells like he’s already dead. He’s got a collar but no tag. He won’t leave, preferring to sit on my welcome mat, blocking our door.

The dog warden can’t do any pickups until next week. Stinkbag better wander away, or he’ll get arrested. I hope he doesn’t die before then.

Thursday Thirteen #38

13 Resolutions for 2007

1. Eat less junk food. I guess I’ll try to bring food into work so that I am less tempted to go out and grab something.



2. Read more. Okay, perhaps I should say that in the last year, I haven’t read at all! The occasional book-on-tape is how I’ve been surviving. But I do hope that the 7th and last Harry Potter book comes out this year.



3. Take care of the stupid, petty debt. You know, those little things here and there that keep accumulating.



4. Potty train my daughter. No more diapers!



5. Go for more walks. It’s hard when it’s dark outside, but I could always carry a flashlight. Besides, I’ll have the dog with me.



6. Try to go on more “dates” with my husband.



7. Find a babysitter. This way, I can do resolution #6.



8. Plant and take care of a bigger and better garden. Perhaps I’ll even have corn this year!



9. Finish the kitchen. This will involve painting and putting up a backspash around the stove and sink. It’s not a huge project, but it will disturb things for a while.



10. Have more parties at home. We enjoy entertaining. Why not invite more people to come by? Okay, so the house isn’t done and the living room still has pieces of old wallpaper hanging down from the wall. But the floor is down and there’s plenty of room to dance!



11. Blog more often. Sometimes I think if it wasn’t for Thursday 13, my blog would be empty.



12. Take more pictures. With a digital camera, there is no excuse for not taking pictures. I’ll need a big memory card, but that shouldn’t be too difficult.



13. Enter something into the county fair. I don’t know what, yet. But I could try entering a piece of artwork or a photo, or even a pie.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Deer Hunting Season

This is the first year I’ve really paid attention to hunters and deer hunting. Last year, all I knew that during the week of deer hunting season, we shouldn’t go for walks in the woods and, if we were to go out, wear a bright orange vest or hat.

This year, I learned a lot about hunting deer. Mainly because my husband gave it a shot. (Excuse the pun.)

• A hunter should legally get a hunting license before going out.


• If you kill a deer, you need to take it to a “deer check station” and have it “tagged”. I guess this is to keep track of how many deer are killed as well as evaluate their health.


• Hunters are limited to the number that they are allowed to kill.


• A lot of people hunt without a license and don’t check the deer. But I don’t know any! ;-)


• Hunters need to wear the bright orange color as either a coat, vest, or hat. That way they don’t get shot by another eager hunter.


• Hunters can’t shoot from their car.


• Deer have excellent noses, so hunters should reduce their “scent imprint.” They can spray themselves with deer urine (available at Wal*Mart), shower with peanut butter, wash their clothes with special soap, and keep their clothes outside.


• The best time to hunt is at dawn or dusk. The deer sleep during the day.


• My dog loves the “deer corn” that hunters put out as bait. It makes him throw up all over my porch!


• My dog also loves to get the “pieces” of deer left in the woods by hunters who field dress their kill. This morning, I found him carrying a deer leg.


• During hunting season, deer run around in fear of everything. They especially like to run in front of cars.


• Deer (venison) tastes good.

No, my husband didn’t get a deer this year, but we had ½ a deer given to us by a friend. Maybe we’ll get one next year!

Thursday Thirteen #37

My 6 year old son is here at work with me today. So I thought I’d ask him to list
13 Things I Like About Christmas

1. Our tree.



2. Presents.



3. Lights.



4. Toys.



5. Parties



6. Cookies.



7. Candy.



8. Getting together with family.



9. Snow.



10. Christmas music.



11. Santa.



12. Christmas movies.



13. My son is insisting that #13 be “What do YOU like about Christmas?”

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen #36

13 Things That Made This Morning Suck

1. I awoke to the dog barking at the garbage men. He was barking from our front porch. But when I went out to grab the dog so that they could work in peace, Bandit got “heroic” and ran towards the guys. He got kicked. Don’t worry, he’s alright. He deserved it!



2. My hair was not cooperating, but I managed to make it look okay, somehow.
   



3. I drew a bath for the kids. My son was enthusiastic, but my two-year-old daughter was screaming and giving me dirty looks.
   



4. I spilled a bunch of dog food on the porch while trying to pour it into his dish. Oh well, he’ll eat it.
   



5. My front tire was flat. At least it happened at home and not down the road in the middle of the forest.
   



6. I had to clean out my trunk so that I could get to the spare. The trunk had Christmas presents that I was hiding from the kids.
   



7. The trunk also contained two bags of dog food. The smaller bag was purchased by my husband on sale at Big Lots. The dog refused to eat this food. Then, the other day, I went to the store and got a very large bag of dog food. Stupid me, I purchased the VERY SAME BRAND. I’m going to donate them to the dog shelter.
   



8. My husband is home on break, so I had to wake him up to help change the tire. He was not very happy since he was up until 5 working on a project.
   



9. My son started crying because he thought he was going to miss his class field trip. They were going to a retirement home to sing carols.
   



10. I went in to call the school to see if the field trip bus could wait for us. The phone didn’t work. It took me a few minutes to realize that my husband had taken the cord out of the phone and put it into the computer so that he could use the Internet.
    



11. The “doughnut” (spare tire) is not full size, so driving was slower then normal.
    



12. I got passed on the road. I hate to get passed. I’m usually driving fast enough that they don’t have to.
    



13. Now I have to buy new tires. You can’t buy just one. That means I have to drive to the tire store and beg someone here at work to pick me up and then drop me off when they are ready. Ugh!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Thursday Thirteen Holiday Header Graphics

Poison or Plastic?

I have never had a live Christmas tree. As a young child, I remember helping my father sort through the branches of our plastic tree. As I moved onto my own, I acquired used Christmas trees. Some better then others.

Our plastic tree was being stored under the house. That’s where our dog, Bandit, found it. I noticed him playing with a branch about a month ago. So much for our old plastic Christmas tree. Perhaps this would be the opportunity I’ve been waiting for! I could get a real tree.

You would think that by living out in a forest we could have an abundance of free Christmas trees just waiting to fulfill their holiday destiny. But we live in a deciduous forest—one that does not feature many conifers (pine trees). And after some discussion, it was decided to buy another plastic tree.

Right now, in my unfinished living room, I have they typical Wal*Mart, pre-lit Christmas tree. $29.95. The kids love it. It was hassle-free.

My friend, Aimee the Red, got a live tree grown by her Aunt. She said it was beautiful and she paid very little for it. At least, she paid little for the tree. Unknown to her at the time that she lovingly decorated it, it had poison ivy. The next day, she started itching. Now the rash has spread all over her body and even around her eyes. She has to get a shot to stop the spread of the rash.

Her cat has knocked over the tree. No one wants to set it back up again.

My $30 plastic tree doesn’t look so bad right now!

Thursday Thirteen #35

1. Las Vegas vacation, with gambling money and tickets to see Penn & Teller and a Cirque du Soleil show.







2. New couch and loveseat.







3. An LG Washer/Dryer Combo. Yes, put the dirty clothes in, clean, dry clothes come out! .







4. Macbook (Laptop) – A Macintosh Dual-Core (able to run Windows and Mac programs!) .







5. An LG 2 Cu. Ft. Countertop Microwave.







6. iHome Under Kitchen Cabinet iPod® & Shuffle Stereo Player with FM/TV/Weather Band and Remote Control.







7. Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver and Service for my car and home.







8. Satellite Internet.







9. A pocket home theater system: View-Video Eyewear. I could watch videos from my iPod that look like it’s on a 42’ screen!








10. DidjLIGHT – “It’s a floor lamp,” “NO, it’s a didgeridoo!” “It’s BOTH!”







11. Nintendo Wii – Why not, everyone else is getting one!







12. Black velvet Celtic Druid Cloak with hood, perhaps lined with purple satin lining!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Interpret This!

Last night, I had a strange dream. Any help interpreting it would be greatly appreciated!

I dreamt that I was back working at a company that I worked for several years ago. The place had been remodeled and barely resembled what it was when I left. But I could still tell that it was the same place. (Have I lost you yet?)

We were having a department “game,” or meeting, or team-building exercise that was facilitated by an outside company. This outside company was made up of non-violent criminals that were still in prison, but were allowed to travel to help facilitate these training sessions. After a while of being uncomfortable with these prisoners, I realized that I knew one of them! I used to work with him at this company. He was in prison for doing some kind of illegal pornography. His crime also involved him being naked. I think his name was Tony, but I don’t remember working with a Tony.

Anyway, the dream could be a result of stumbling across following picture yesterday. I mean, who wouldn’t find this traumatic?

Things you may not have known about me

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Deliver projectors and TVs for Media Services in college
2. Monitor a computer lab at college
3. Secretary for a bioscience company’s sales and marketing department
4. Marketing Manager/Coordinator

Four movies I have watched over and over:
1. Pulp Fiction
2. Star Wars, especially Episode IV - A New Hope
3. JFK
4. Lord of the Rings, especially The Fellowship of the Ring

Four Places I have lived:
1. Omaha, NE
2. Milford, OH
3. Cincinnati, OH
4. “Creekistan”, OH

Four TV shows I enjoy Watching:
1. The Sopranos
2. Lost
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. old episodes of ER

Four places I have visited:
1. Paris
2. Amsterdam
3. Las Vegas
4. New York, NY

Four of my favorite foods:
1. The Asiago Cheese Dip from Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
2. Chocolate, especially Godiva chocolate truffles
3. Sun-dried tomato and alfredo sauce on pasta
4. Ice cream, especially from Graeters

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Las Vegas
2. In bed watching movies
3. In a hot tub with candles in Las Vegas
4. Getting a massage in Las Vegas

Thursday Thirteen #34

Eleven T-Shirts I Designed for CafePress Plus Two Extras!

Make great gifts for the Holidays!

Shirt #1 - A quote from Coretta Scott King’s memorial service by the Rev. Joseph Lowery: “ . . . for war billions more, but no more for the poor.”

Shirt #2 Moo Disorder

Shirt #3You are Outside the Circle of Trust

Shirt #4 “I got your Badonkadonk right here!”

Shirt #5 “I auditioned for Godot and they gave me the title role!” - Waiting for Godot

Shirt #6 “Happy Birthday Mozart.” Celebrates his 250th birthday.

Shirt #7 Think Outside Uranus

Shirt #8 Ho3 (in case you don’t get it, it means “Ho Ho Ho”

Shirt #9 Jingle All The Way

Shirt #10 "Noel"

Shirt #11 “You’ll shoot your eye out kid!”

Shirt #12 Thirteen - Not such an unlucky number after all.


Shirt #13 “Thursday Thirteen - It's more than a meme, it's a microcosm.”

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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The Things I've Done

Found this list at Blue Star Chronicles

Simple rules. Copy and paste the list below. Highlight the things you have done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said “I love you” and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched wild whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”

83. Got flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey

135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life