naked vs. nekkid

It's come to my attention that there are actually some folks out there that didn't know there is a difference between "naked" and "nekkid". For those of you who are unsure what that difference - beside the spelling - might be, let me step up to the podium and explain.

The main variable in the "naked" and "nekkid" battle is intent. "Naked" is something you are with your spouse, partner or lover, but "nekkid" is what you were when you hooked up with that guy from the club (What was his name anyway? LOL). "Naked" is respectable, like Botticeli's Venus, or a baby in the tub. "Nekkid" is a little different in that it often involves a password and monthly subscription.

It doesn't matter to me one whit if you're naked or nekkid, but now you know the difference.

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1. Contemplate :: The Meaning of Life


2. In the house :: My Grandmother's Sleeping Porch
   
3. Classical :: Music


4. Quest :: Johnny Quest


5. Best friend :: Lynn


6. 1991 :: Ashlyn was Born


7. Never will :: End


8. Fool :: Money


9. Unhappy :: Gray Skies
   
10. Best man :: Wedding

George Washington I'm not

This is the tree that sits in my front yard and is out to get me. It's all of about 10 inches in diameter, maybe 12 just to give it the benefit of the doubt. Regardless of how large or small it may or may not be, the damn thing jumps in my way when I'm throwing the Frisbee to Bella. I kid you not, if I aim at the house, the Frisbee somehow, someway manages to hit the tree.

And it's not as if there isn't 12 feet to the right and 30 feet to the left of clear, unobstructed, well, air. And the funky thing is that it's not like I'm aiming too high and hitting the branches. I'm hitting the trunk, people. I'm not out committing crimes against Mother Nature, either. TruGreen Chemlawn can verify that my yard receives a little extra lovin' on a regular basis, but still that tree thwarts my dogs exercise. She doesn't pee on the tree, and most of the time not even in the front yard, so it can't be a vengence thing.

And since I'm being all honest and everything, I'm pretty sure that if I actually owned this house, that tree would be first on my list of things that would be gone.

bless her heart

Teacher: This is the book we're going to read this week. It's called The Littles Go On A Hike.

Boy: It's a fiction book.

Teacher: Yes, it is a fiction book. Can you tell me why it's fiction?

Girl: Because they don't really go on a hike.

I swear this actually happened. I know it did because I heard it with my own ears. And then I walked out of the room and giggled for a full 2 minutes.

a day at Chatfield State Park

Bella and her Frisbee

Proof Bella can swim when she wants to

Coming out of the drink

In mid-shake, but still in the water

A boy and his dog

Hunter

My mother's smile

Evening view from our deck

tee hee

What's black and white all over?

Michael Jackson

(courtesy of Hunter)

I have o-fficially lost my mind

I love my dog, Bella. I love her a lot, even. This dog is spoiled rotten and it's all my fault. Just how spoiled is she, you ask? I not only throw the frisbee to her a minimum of 3 times a day, every day, for about 20 minutes at a stretch, but the other day I was doing it IN THE RAIN. Rotten ass dog...

an early October day trip

Taking advantage of fall

Capturing the moment

Amazing Majesty

Kenin at Summit Lake on Mt. Evans

Looking down from Mt. Evans

Forest on Fire

Kenin

It's me, Betsy.

some of us even have sense

This photo was taken in Mississippi the day of the presidential debate.

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18. Mother's Finest

Thanks big ol' bunches to my ex, David, for introducing me (oh so many, many years ago) to one of the best songs ever, Mickey's Monkey.

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17. Prince

1999. 'Nuff said.

ugh

How can it be that mentally I still feel 29, but my body insists on looking 39? I'm getting crows feet and I am not okay with it.

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16. The Eagles

Some folks just need to learn how to suck it up and Get Over It.

the lesson I learned this weekend

I'd like to think that I'm a pretty decent person, certainly not someone you'd see on Cops or anything like that. But there are times when someone will piss me off and I just want to get 3 shades of redneck. However, I'm usually pretty good at controlling my temper because on the (thankfully) very rare occasion that I loose it, unpleasant things are bound to occur.

Don't you just hate it when someone eggs you on? You can see it coming from a mile away, that it's going to end and not only will it end, but it will end badly and with a fair amount of carnage, none of which will be you because you are the one carrying a big stick and an extra large can of whup ass. Well, I just plain hate it when someone can't let something go. And I particularly hate it when that someone is my normally wonderful husband and he's just doing his level best to make me mad.

So, if you're like me and someone's aggravating you sure as they're breathing and you've told them 3 times that this is a conversation better not conversed right now and they still push you, here's what not to do:

DO NOT THROW your very favorite $65 heavy metal stock pot toward the sink (throwing it at your spouse is probably not such a great idea either, but hopefully you know this already). If you do throw the pot, it will bounce off the rim of the sink and head toward the wall. And when it gets to the wall, it will then leave a hole the size of your palm in the wall, and that's going to be a real bitch to repair. And just imagine the mess if that pot's not empty when you throw it.

The moral of this story? Don't throw your favorite stock pot. It'll dent and then you'll have to buy a new one. And that sucks.

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15. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

My favorite? Breakdown. And Refugee. Oh yeah, and Runnin' Down a Dream.

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14. Garth Brooks

And to think it all started with Friends in Low Places.

pals

Hunter and his friend, Jacob, plaing video games.

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13. Travis Tritt

My favorite songs are The Love of a Woman and It's a Great Day to be Alive.

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Zoo :: The Scorpions
Neighborhood :: Montclair
Salute :: the Troops
Immortality :: Vampires
Dominion :: Old Dominion
Rhonda :: Help Me Rhonda
Parties :: Confetti
Prince of Darkness :: Devil
Garbage :: Stupid Girl
Standard :: and Poor's

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12. Madonna

I like her but not as she is now. She was great until the mid 90's, then she started to go downhill. So, in my not-so-humble opinion, she's pretty much at the bottom of the hill at this point, and stopping altogether would be a good idea.

rocktober 8-11

Better late than never!

8. Cyndi Lauper

The early stuff is the best - a bit wacky, but always fun.

9. The Commodores

In August 1999, Kenin, Ashlyn, Hunter and I were stuck in traffic on the Washington, DC, beltway when I popped a new cassette in the tape player. Out came Brickhouse, which quickly - and I mean by the end of the song kind of quick - became Hunter's favorite song.

10. Christina Aguilera

This is probably my favorite song by her.

11. Cher

She's so great, I don't even know what to say about her.

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7. Lynyrd Skynyrd

You just can't help but feel the pride when you're singing Sweet Home Alabama.

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6. Brooks & Dunn

Whenever I hear Boot Scootin' Boogie, it reminds me of hanging out with my friend, Betty Jo, at this itty bitty hole in the wall bar called Sue-Ann's.

hmmm... very interesting

I got an email from my favorite Yankee, Bob, who passed this link along from the ABC website. There are 26 statements, 13 made by each candidate, and you choose the statements you feel best echo your own sentiments. At the end, it tells you whose policies you're most likely to agree with. Of the 13 statements, I only agreed with 3 that McCain made - which is no surprise to me. The really honest thing about this is that you don't know which candidate made which statement, so there's no such thing as going with the party line.

Try it and see if your beliefs really put you with the candidate you think they do!

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5. Sarah McLachlan

Mirrorball - the best thing to come out of Lilith Fair.

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4. Def Leppard

The summer I was 14, Pyromania came out. My friends and I would hang out in the parking lot of the bowling alley (yes, I know how cheesy that is - no need to tell me) with Ray's stereo blaring Photograph and Foolin'.

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3. Boston

I got turned on to Boston during the summer of 1984 by our neighbor, Rusty. I rode to summer school with him (I was a wee bit of an underachiever) and he'd play Foreplay/Long Time and I'd be about half deaf by the time we made it to school. But what great memories...

no more lost buddies for me

I just came across something that makes life so much easier for moms. And y'all know I don't just jump on the first bandwagon I come across, so don't go thinkin' I'm typing just to hear the keyboard click. Remember how I was about the brandy butter sauce? Well, this is just about as good, except bathing in it isn't an option.

My Lost Buddy is a website that offers patches - available in several cute designs - for your kids' stuff so that if it gets lost, you've got a better chance of getting it returned to you. You iron or sew the patch onto whatever particular item (what a great thing for coats and hoodies!) and if it gets lost or misplaced, all whoever finds it has to do is go to MyLostBuddy.com and type in the registration code and their contact info and waa-la (I'm fairly certain that's not how you spell that, but hey, some days you should just take what you can get)! Through the magic of technology, you're contacted that your item's been found. Now, how cool is that? I wish they'd had this when my monsters were little, but alas, that's not how it was.

You better believe I'm going to buy a whole mess of these for my currently gestating grandson. He's never going to lose his favorite blankie - at least not for very long!

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2. Led Zeppelin

Overheard on my school bus when I was in 8th grade:

"Do you know who Led Zeppelin is?"
"Yeah. He's really cool."

rocktober 1

Each day this month (unless I forget, and I'm gonna try really hard not to!), I'm going to post a musical group or artist that influenced me or ranks way, way up there on my list of favorite musicians. Why? Well, basically because I can. :)

1. Fleetwood Mac

Rumors. Need I say more?

no mo', no mo', no mo'

You know, I don't really mind getting older. I mean, the last time I got upset over having a birthday was when I turned 17 and realized I'd wasted a fair amount of my teenage years being a bonehead. Turning 30 didn't bother me and 40 isn't appearing as a great looming horror in my mind's eye. I still feel in my mind like I'm in my 20's, and have even been known on occasion to act like it. So like I said, getting older isn't bothering me one bit. But I've gotta tell you, I'm pretty damn unhappy about what this aging crap is doing to my body.

Having gray hair doesn't bother me. God knows I've earned each and every one of them, so in my eyes, it's kind of a badge of honor. However, I've got the ugliest, most mousy brown hair though, so I dye it. I swear it's not about the grays - ask anyone who's known me, I've been dying my hair since I was 20. What's aggravating me is that my once super thick hair is getting thinner and that's pissing me off. It used to be so, well, thick. And now it just hangs there, limp and lifeless. This is not okay. Just because my grandmother wore a wig to cover her 4 hairs doesn't mean I want to.

My hormones are more whacked out now than I ever was, even during my incarnations of crazy. I'm not talking about emotional hormones, either. I mean, I feel like I'm going through adolescence all over again (except this didn't happen before!) and it was not the most pleasant experience the first time around, let me tell you. My skin is doing strange things, like I break out on my chest, and I have extreme itches on my neck, which (naturally) happen in the middle of the night and I wake up with red welts on my neck from where I've scratched myself too much. And I don't sleep - at least not for more than 4 hours - without the aid of good pharmaceuticals.

Basically, this getting older crap just isn't working for me, so I'm officially declaring that I refuse to age even one more single, teeny, tiny bit. I'm done, finished, over it, not doing it anymore. But just in case push comes to shove and I loose it and beat someone to death with a shoe or something, I plan on using hormones as my defense. And you just know that unless that jury's comprised solely of men, I'm getting off scott free.