People watching

This morning brought oil changes for both me and my roommate, and new brake pads for Wendi. As Wendi waited for her car to receive new brake pads and I waited for an oil change at the Firestone next to Wal-mart, we realized this is a great place to people watch.

I dropped my car off and we went to Wal-mart to spend money on random things as we pasted the time. I got a new purse and Wendi bought new workout clothes. After eating at the Subway in the store, we headed back to Firestone to wait a long time for an oil change.

One woman who was there when I dropped my car off was still there...great sign, right? At first I didn't pay attention to her outfit. It wasn't until Wendi leaned over and whispered, "shoes." Now, pause...if you have seen this video, you will know why I laughed out loud. This lady had shoes that looked like a weaved basket clog. Then her dress was a weird mixture of blues and greens in a floral, paisley pattern. Her permed/curled hair jumped out of 1995 right into 2008. Her feet didn't reach the floor so she kept swinging her legs back and forth, while reading a novel from a way-too-big book.

Then there came in a guy that had tire issues but didn't want to pay for a brand new tire. Well, Firestone does not sell used tires but that guy wouldn't go for a new one. So, he actually asked the attendant, "Do you know where I can buy a used tire?" Cheap and an idiot.

Almost famous moments

How is it that Bobby Flay was extremely close to me in Nashville and I didn't know it?! While watching "Throw-down with Bobby Flay" on the Food Network, I discovered that sometime in the recent past Bobby Flay was at a fun little coffee shop called Fidos. He was here to challenge two women who make acclaimed ice pops. I've never heard of them but I'm not necessarily the one who is up on all things food. :)

This got me thinking; I wonder how many times I've almost walked right by someone famous in Nashville. I mean, hello! I live in a city full of singers and songwriters. Some of my friends have had random run-ins with someone famous, but I never have been blessed with the opportunity.

One of these days...

And the gold medal goes to...

Evidently, you can win a gold medal in gymnastics by not having the highest scores. Last night, the gold medal standing ended with a tie. With the new scoring system, a tie is broken by taking away the top and bottom score. Well, that still left the two gymnastics tied. The rule then was to take off the next bottom score. That gave us a winner. What is my gripe? Why do I care?

My issue is with taking the top score off to begin with. Why take the top score from an individual judge to determine the top athlete? Doesn't make sense to me! In the old scoring system, the top and bottom score were taken off everyone's score. That fair...but I still didn't like that the gymnast was not receiving the highest marks. The new scoring system gives the gymnast all the scores, highest and lowest. OK, fair. Then fairness is thrown out the window when there is a tie.

Now, it could be argued that the two top girls last night should not have received the same score. But since they did, I think the new scoring method screwed the silver medalist. All other contenders had their top score added to the mix, the top two did not. I do not see the fairness in that ruling. I could go on and on but I won't.

If it were up to me, the ruling would be as such: the tie breaker would start with the lowest score and work its way up until the tie was broken. We could have ended with the same winner last night, but I would have at least felt it was a fair win.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date

No, I'm not late for a date. Goodness, I haven't had one of those things in some time. It's been since 2005. Yep, three years ago since my last date/excursion/outing. Why, you may ask? Simple. I haven't been asked.

I'm speaking of a different late. I was late for work today. This may not seem as big a deal to most people as it is to me. But I'm the girl that gets to work early. I don't like arriving anywhere late. My whole family is that way, guess I picked up the habit from them. And, IMHO, it is a good habit to acquire. My dad would actually not go to an event, meeting, etc. if he would have gotten there late. We didn't go to church one time because we would have walked in right as the service started. Crazy huh!

Sorry if I step on toes with my next statement: I think lateness on a consistent basis shows lack of respect and honor for others and their time.

By the way, were we ever told what the white rabbit was late for?

Food and shopping

That's about all we partook of when my mom and brother Bryan came for a visit last weekend. Call me lazy but I'm just now putting up a few pictures of the extravaganza for viewing pleasure. We started last Saturday with a trip to The Pancake Pantry. Yumminess! I know they're just pancakes, but they are simply amazing.

After stuffing our faces with too many pancakes, Mom and I headed to Cool Springs for some shopping while Bryan took off to the coin store. My brother collects coins and is thoroughly obsessed with buying new ones. He will tell you all about the coins in his collection, then four hours later you wake up to hear Bryan still describing a coin. To each their own, right?

Then Mom wanted to visit Opry Mills. Us Nashville residents basically hate going over there. I think the vast majority of customers walking the oval mall are visitors and tourists. Anyway...Mom wanted to stop by a store that ended up closed, cause you know how some of the spaces have constant rotation. Once we got our fill of shopping for the day, we ate, again, of course. Without further ado, here are a few pics from our fun day together.

Mom waiting patiently to enter The Pancake Pantry

Bryan not waiting patiently

Photo time at Tony Roma's

Aren't we cute?

Umm...you pick a title

I must have writer's block because I can't seem to get anything out onto my 'paper'. I have so many thoughts running through my head that I want to tell you about but I can't seem get the words out. And I don't know how much you all would care to hear...you know? I wouldn't want to bore you with my mundane life.

Here are some things floating in my head at the moment:

~I love peanut butter. My love borders on addiction. When I get a craving for sweets, I make no-bake cookies because peanut butter is an ingredient. When I need a snack at work, I grab my big can of Jiff and eat a spoon full. Do I need an intervention?

~Watching the Olympics in Beijing requires late nights and less sleep! The USA girls gymnastics team totally fell apart last night. It was hard to watch. You could literally see the hurt and disappointment of their performances on their faces. And it made you sad for them.

~I need a new job. Why? More money is the bottom line. The working environment is laid back and I enjoy many of the people I work with but raises are not part of the plan and advancement is a far cry from reality. So, my only good option is to find a different employer. Anyone know of a position open? I don't even know what kind of job I am looking for.

This story is from my roommate, Wendi, who teaches 2nd grade in Nashville. A Kindergarten teacher at her school shared this with her yesterday. The teacher had a child on the second day of school walk into the room, put his stuff in the locker. The teacher instructed the child to grab a coloring book and head to a certain area. The child proceeds to do something else and not listen to the teacher. The teacher again tells the child what he should be doing at that moment. The child then stomps to the locker, grabs his stuff, slams the locker shut, turns around and says, "I don't know who signed me up for this shit!"

A five-year-old child said this! I laughed at the story but it is so sad. That child has picked up language from the parent(s) and will probably only get worse in the behavior department.

The eternal flame

I just put an 80's song in my head with that post title. If you don't know which one I'm referring to, sorry. Is China ready to carry the torch of the Olympic games? I wonder what protests the Chinese government will have to 'deal' with?

I've shared with you the contestants on Project Runway that completely missed the mark on the last challenge. They were to make an outfit that the ladies from the USA could wear in the opening ceremony. Now, I'll share the winning outfit and honorable mentions in lieu of the Olympics starting today. The first picture is the outfit that won and the others were runner-up.





Notice the white outfits received the highest marks. I agree with the lady who designed the winning outfit, she talked of what outfits her eyes are drawn to when the teams enter the stadium. It is always the white one. I agree.

Sgt. Pepper who?

Let me start by saying, you don't have to be a Beatles fan to know a good amount of their music. I have never been that into the band, probably because my parents weren't, but I still know some general things about the group and their music. So...when Blaine on Project Runway has the following convo with Tim Gunn, I was baffled: Tim - "It looks a little Sgt. Pepper to me." Blaine, after a slight pause - "I don't know what that is." What?! Paaaaleeeasssee.

The challenge for last night's runway was a great one, an Olympic opening night outfit. What a great idea! It's so patriotic. But the contestants on the show soon pop my excitement bubble. Let me interject that there were some great outfits for the challenge. A few of the designers 'got' the challenge. Let me share with you the outfits that don't really make you think of anything related to the Olympics...except for maybe a dignitary's wife in the bleaches.







Why would you as a designer think any of those outfits would be appropriate for the opening night walk into the stadium? Have these designers never watched one?

Late night ramblings

I've begun a couple of posts before this one that have not made it to print. Let's try again, shall we?

A few posts ago I told you I was trying a new cat litter. The verdict is in: I love it. Feline Pine receives my stamp of approval. The litter trails around the house are gone. The nasty smell of used litter is gone. My cats seems happy with the change. I'm happy too. So, I highly recommend this wonderful product to fellow cat owners.

This morning, we awoke to graffiti on the road next to our house. How random! A gang in Green Hills?! The irony I find in this situation is the raw talent of whoever sprayed-painted the graffiti. You can tell there is talent in the pictures but the person hasn't chosen a good outlet for it. I'll keep you posted on the gang activity in Green Hills ;) For those who don't live in Nashville, Green Hills is not a place you would suspect gang activity.

If you are on facebook, you have probably noticed the recent status lines about needing direction. I'm in the market for a new job. It might be a while before I find a new one but I'm looking. Bottom-line...the current one doesn't supply enough income and there is no room for advancement. I can pay bills but that's about it. As a 30-something, single woman, I need to bring in more than what I currently do. Finances aren't the only thing I need direction on. I won't get into all that on here, though.

Enough of that depressing stuff. My mom and older brother are coming to visit this weekend! I'm taking them to The Pancake Pantry on Saturday morning. mmmmmm If you live in Nashville, you know what I'm talking about :)

Anyone else tired of cooking this summer? I haven't feel like cooking a meal most nights, which means no leftovers for lunch the next day. It's just too hot! Almost 100 degrees outside today! Praise the Lord for air conditioning!

And now to leave you with a random picture to go with my random thoughts. This is what I go through every morning when attempting to make my bed. Sugar thinks it is time for a game of hide and sorta-seek. She loves to hang out under the comforter, which means my attempt to live my bedding straight and pretty is a no-go. Boots just looks on with an older cat glare of "silly kitty, when will she grow up."