Saturday, February 28, 2009

Eye Contact


I am not sure if anyone has had that moment when their eyes come in contact with someone they did not want to see. You know what I mean, like the gal you yelled and honked at on your way to the doctor only to find out that she was one of the nurses at your Dr.'s office once you got there, and you look at each other at the same time!

Well, that is what I'm talking about here today. But let me start off with just a little background. First off, I am what you call extremely aware of everything and everyone around me(otherwise referred to as nosey) So, as I am driving or shopping or whatever, I am constantly looking around and surveying who and what is around me. Let me say it is extremely hard to sneak up on me by the way.

Anyway, so I am walking through a warehouse store purchasing some things I needed and feeling pretty good despite the worries that my job may be in jeopardy. As I turn to leave with my stuff I am surveying others around me and end up making that eye contact with someone I knew and most definitely did not want to see or be seen by. The problem was that she was looking right at me!

.
Now unfortunately this is not just someone who I would rather not be around. This is a person who has absolutely done everything she could do to bad-mouth me and portray me and my family as let's say....second rate just to be nice. We have so gotten over all of her fakeness and back stabbing and it hardly bothers us at all anymore when we learn about new ways she has gone out of her way to put us down. It actually becomes quite comical how she actually blogs in obvious response to our public blog and acts like she is being general. It doesn't even bother us, it is just a sad fact of who she is and how she validates herself I guess.
There I go again, on a tangent. So the problem is I know she saw me! But I acted like I saw right through her and now wonder if it was too obvious or what. I know what I should have done and that was to smile real big and say hi with more enthusiasm than I felt. But alas, the moment is past and now I wish I had been prepared. The nice thing is, she does not read this blog so at least I can rant and vent about this unmolested!
.
So my question for you stalkers today is, What would you have done? Should I have a reaction planned and stored just for such an occasion? and last but not least, Have you ever had a situation where you made eye contact and it was very uncomfortable?
.
Have a great day stalkers!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

All about Blogstalker!

Well, maybe not all you ever wanted to know. I did not just get up and decide to reveal EVERYTHING about myself. I did however find a meme that I have seen going around here and there. Miss Kris just did it and I thought to myself: Self, you could probably do this. I responded: Why yes you could, and so here we are.


I Am: a complex individual who enjoys family and fun and can find a song for every moment in my life


I Want: All of my children to outlive me


I Have: an irritating case of ADD. It really can screw with your life!


I Wish: I was better at some of my 'immediate' reactions


I Fear: ever having to deal with losing a child


I Hear: what you are not saying


I Search: for those who think, feel, question


I Wonder: about everything and everyone and what makes people tick


I Regret: the times I did not stand up for myself


I Love: my children, my spouse, my savior, and my music


I Always: think of the right thing to say, but always too late


I Usually: Procrastinate things until they become critical


I Am Not: an easy person to get to know.


I Dance: when nobody can see me.....but I do love it!


I Sing: all the time, there is always a song in my head. but never aloud....it's just too awful


I Never: can exactly describe how I feel


I Rarely: do not have something to say.........about everything......very opinionated!


I Cry: at the sad parts of movies, when I read sentimental poems, hear a song that is sweet......I guess just way too much


I Am Not Always: the listener I want to be


I Need: To remember to be thankful, even for the trials that will define me


I Should: delete all my answers and start over........but I will not

Well, there you have it, or don't have it. Does that tell you anything more about me? I think it does. So, use this if you want, or just think about some of the answers yourself.

So my fellow blog stalkers, Riddle me this- Who are you? Leave me a comment that start out I am...... and let me know something about yourself that defines who you are in this complex world.

That's all for now.

Have a great day!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Experiment and an Award

Well, I have to start by apologizing to my most regular commenters. Even though I am pretty spotty on posting and commenting already I decided to try an experiment. My hypothesis was that if I stopped commenting completely on all blogs I would stop getting comments even from those who regularly 'put on their brave faces' and leave me those precious comments.


I knew that since my time became so restrictive, it was easier to just read a blog and move on. The posts I commented on tended to be in response to those who commented on my own. I did however try and leave comments if a post was especially poignant to me. I, as I am sure most of you are, am too busy to be able to leave comments on every post I read or even visit every blog as regularly as I would like.


While in the past I have been upset at the lack of time, with the threat of layoffs I know hope my time issues are not resolved any time soon.

So anyway, I continued to receive comments from several of my favorite blog-stalkers!

Turns out there are some out there who are just plain and simple "Loyal Commenters"

So how does one recognize his/her(lol) loyal commenters? How about an award?

I got this one from Holly's Corner Blog and it is perfect.



So, would the following bloggers Please stand up and take a bow:

.

So all you have to do is:

.

1. Take the award and run. Link it back to me if you would like.

.

2. If you feel the compulsion to pay it forward then please do.

.

3. And as always, Have a Great day!

.

By the way, I am going to try and make a better than average showing in the comment department in the future. Know that I really like all of your blogs. You guys absolutely Rawk! And to all those new to BlogStalker's blog, Welcome. I like to ask questions and maybe cause you to ask a few of me.

By the way stalkers, How many would admit to being a comment-whore? We all like comments, but do you comment on others posts just for their comments? Just something to think about.

Again, Have a Great Day!


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Hackin' & Flippin' Funny!

Okay, so I don't know if I am the slowest person on the planet to learn about things somehow or what! My kids were watching I-Carly on TV today, a show.......... about an Internet show, kinda goofy and fun all at the same time. Anyway, there is this weird little Fred guy who I guess is making a guest appearance. At first I thought it was the stupidest thing I had ever seen. But then...........................I just started smiling uncontrollably. And then when my terribly technologically savey kids pulled up you tube videos of the guy, I was rolling. Maybe y'all already know about fred. Maybe you all think it's stupid. But I have one playing right now while I am typing and just his voice is cracking me up. This kid is brilliant, considering I think he is rolling in the cash now!

Anyway, I just had to put some of these out there. Take a look at them. Watch more than one. And then tell me what you think! Don't forget to turn off the music. I moved the player onto the right column. Enjoy!







So, did you even take the time to watch these? I have now spent too long watching Fred videos! Click here for Fred's site to check out more cool videos. I am so getting a "fred" shirt!

Please tell me what you think of the videos. Am I insane to laugh at them? Am I just not as mature as I thought I was?

Have a great day!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Phriday Photo Entry: Cool Dogs


Okay, not really original, but hey I wanted to represent the dogs out there after Candid Carrie did her piece on cats! After your done here head over to Carries place and check out everyone else who is participating!
Aren't these some of the funniest pictures you have ever seen?
Now these are not my dogs, just some cool dogs I found while stalking....er...surfing the Internet.

Have a great day stalkers!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Flashbacks


So, during one of those little flashbacks I have at the drop of a hat nowadays, I started thinking back. Not way way back but more of back in the day. You know, The Eighties!

I know, me and the eighties, what can I say? Me and the eighties are intertwined. But again as usual, i digress. So I heard a clever play on words. Do not ask me what that play on words was, because my mind jumped that thought process so fast I scarcely had time to realize I even had a thought. And it jumped right to the movie, "Back to the Future". You know, the first one, where it all began.


Remember the fun they had in that movie? When Marty is thought to be Calvin Klein because it is written on his underwear? Yes, that is the movie. But my favorite scene is the one in the drugstore. Let's get in the way back machine and visit, shall we?


Okay, this is when Marty(Michael J. Fox) is sitting in the diner in his sleeveless jacket(mistaken for a sailor on leave) and is asked what he wants to drink. The following is as close as I remember it:

--------------------------------------------------------
So you gonna order something or what??

Can I get a tab?

How can I give you tab if you ain't gonna order something?

How about a Pepsi free?

Kid, If you want a Pepsi, you are gonna have to pay for it.

No, you know, a diet soda.
(weird look)
How about something without sugar in it.
(gives him cup of coffee)
Do you have any sweet N low?

Sweet and what?
---------------------------------------

Why does this make me smile so much? Probably because my brain never fully formed. (you know, from all the lead in everything................ 'back in the day')

So what kind of things make you smile? Do you enjoy a good play on words?

Have a great day stalkers!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Get Naked!

You didn't really think this was a post about not wearing any clothes did you? But you should really try this stuff. It tastes great and can give you all the nutrients your body needs for a healthy lunch substitute. So..................Get Naked! lol

Okay, now tell the truth, you only read this because naked was in the title right? No? Well good for you.


Summer over at Counting your Blessings tagged me for one of the picture tags that have been going around. Thank goodness the 6th folder was the one with non-personal pictures! whew!
This picture was the actual picture called for by the tag. I started laughing when I investigated my picture folders. Don't try and figure out which one is me .........................

Because I am not in this picture. Quite awhile back when we were crazy and thinking about buying a new house(so glad we finally LISTENED to that still small voice. That would have been a nightmare for sure!) So anyway, this new house had a theater room and we were shopping for theater seating.......oh I am still laughing at this. I can amuse myself for hours it seems. I just don't have hours is all.
I am supposed to tag others now and I want to tag anyone who would like to do this and has not just done one. And link back to me if you do. Getting lonely over here.
So, I also have a question today. Are you a Movie person? Let me clarify my question. Are you a 'Go out to the movies' kind of person? Do you like watching movies on the big screen or cuddled up on the couch? And while you're at it, what about sports? Would you rather watch the game live and in person, or at home in comfort, with close ups and a better view?
Wondering aloud people, please come through for me. I know you have something to say, so put on your brave face and say it!
As always Have a great day!



FRIDAY THE 13TH

CRAP! Isn't this supposed to be a really scary day, or night rather? Where exactly did the Friday the 13th legend come from?

Here is a collection of origins I found on the web, enjoy!

LEGEND HAS IT: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, one will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names). There are 13 witches in a coven.
Although no one can say for sure when and why human beings first associated the number 13 with misfortune, the superstition is assumed to be quite old, and there exist any number of theories — most of which deserve to be treated with a healthy skepticism, please note — purporting to trace its origins to antiquity and beyond.

It has been proposed, for example, that fears surrounding the number 13 are as ancient as the act of counting. Primitive man had only his 10 fingers and two feet to represent units, this explanation goes, so he could count no higher than 12. What lay beyond that — 13 — was an impenetrable mystery to our prehistoric forebears, hence an object of superstition.
Which has an edifying ring to it, but one is left wondering: did primitive man not have toes?
Life and death

Despite whatever terrors the numerical unknown held for their hunter-gatherer ancestors, ancient civilizations weren't unanimous in their dread of 13. The Chinese regarded the number as lucky, some commentators note, as did the Egyptians in the time of the pharaohs.
To the ancient Egyptians, these sources tell us, life was a quest for spiritual ascension which unfolded in stages — twelve in this life and a thirteenth beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death, not in terms of dust and decay but as a glorious and desirable transformation. Though Egyptian civilization perished, the symbolism conferred on the number 13 by its priesthood survived, we may speculate, only to be corrupted by subsequent cultures who came to associate 13 with a fear of death instead of a reverence for the afterlife.

Anathema
Still other sources speculate that the number 13 may have been purposely vilified by the founders of patriarchal religions in the early days of western civilization because it represented femininity. Thirteen had been revered in prehistoric goddess-worshiping cultures, we are told, because it corresponded to the number of lunar (menstrual) cycles in a year (13 x 28 = 364 days). The "Earth Mother of Laussel," for example — a 27,000-year-old carving found near the Lascaux caves in France often cited as an icon of matriarchal spirituality — depicts a female figure holding a crescent-shaped horn bearing 13 notches. As the solar calendar triumphed over the lunar with the rise of male-dominated civilization, it is surmised, so did the "perfect" number 12 over the "imperfect" number 13, thereafter considered anathema.
On the other hand, one of the earliest concrete taboos associated with the number 13 — a taboo still observed by some superstitious folks today, apparently — is said to have originated in the East with the Hindus, who believed, for reasons I haven't been able to ascertain, that it is always unlucky for 13 people to gather in one place — say, at dinner. Interestingly enough, precisely the same superstition has been attributed to the ancient Vikings (though I have also been told, for what it's worth, that this and the accompanying mythographical explanation are apocryphal). The story has been laid down as follows:

And Loki makes thirteen. . .
Twelve gods were invited to a banquet at Valhalla. Loki, the Evil One, god of mischief, had been left off the guest list but crashed the party, bringing the total number of attendees to 13. True to character, Loki raised hell by inciting Hod, the blind god of winter, to attack Balder the Good, who was a favorite of the gods. Hod took a spear of mistletoe offered by Loki and obediently hurled it at Balder, killing him instantly. All Valhalla grieved. And although one might take the moral of this story to be "Beware of uninvited guests bearing mistletoe," the Norse themselves apparently concluded that 13 people at a dinner party is just plain bad luck.
As if to prove the point, the Bible tells us there were exactly 13 present at the Last Supper. One of the dinner guests — er, disciples — betrayed Jesus Christ, setting the stage for the Crucifixion.
Did I mention the Crucifixion took place on a Friday?

The witch-goddess
The name "Friday" was derived from a Norse deity worshipped on the sixth day, known either as Frigg (goddess of marriage and fertility), or Freya (goddess of sex and fertility), or both, the two figures having become intertwined in the handing down of myths over time (the etymology of "Friday" has been given both ways). Frigg/Freya corresponded to Venus, the goddess of love of the Romans, who named the sixth day of the week in her honor "dies Veneris."
Friday was actually considered quite lucky by pre-Christian Teutonic peoples, we are told — especially as a day to get married — because of its traditional association with love and fertility. All that changed when Christianity came along. The goddess of the sixth day — most likely Freya in this context, given that the cat was her sacred animal — was recast in post-pagan folklore as a witch, and her day became associated with evil doings.
Various legends developed in that vein, but one is of particular interest: As the story goes, the witches of the north used to observe their sabbath by gathering in a cemetery in the dark of the moon. On one such occasion the Friday goddess, Freya herself, came down from her sanctuary in the mountaintops and appeared before the group, who numbered only 12 at the time, and gave them one of her cats, after which the witches' coven — and, by "tradition," every properly-formed coven since — comprised exactly 13.

Some say Friday's bad reputation goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. It was on a Friday, supposedly, that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit. Adam bit, as we all learned in Sunday School, and they were both ejected from Paradise. Tradition also holds that the Great Flood began on a Friday; God tongue-tied the builders of the Tower of Babel on a Friday; the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday; and, of course, Friday was the day of the week on which Christ was crucified. It is therefore a day of penance for Christians.
In pagan Rome, Friday was execution day (later Hangman's Day in Britain), but in other pre-Christian cultures it was the sabbath, a day of worship, so those who indulged in secular or self-interested activities on that day could not expect to receive blessings from the gods — which may explain the lingering taboo on embarking on journeys or starting important projects on Fridays.

To complicate matters, these pagan associations were not lost on the early Church, which went to great lengths to suppress them. If Friday was a holy day for heathens, the Church fathers felt, it must not be so for Christians — thus it became known in the Middle Ages as the "Witches' Sabbath," and thereby hangs another tale.

LEGEND HAS IT: Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams. Don't start a trip on Friday or you will have misfortune. If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck – as in the tale of H.M.S. Friday ... One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell once and for all the widespread superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned, named "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday, and was never seen or heard from again.

The Knights Templar
One theory, recently offered up as historical fact in the novel The Da Vinci Code, holds that it came about not as the result of a convergence, but a catastrophe, a single historical event that happened nearly 700 years ago. The catastrophe was the decimation of the Knights Templar, the legendary order of "warrior monks" formed during the Christian Crusades to combat Islam. Renowned as a fighting force for 200 years, by the 1300s the order had grown so pervasive and powerful it was perceived as a political threat by kings and popes alike and brought down by a church-state conspiracy, as recounted by Katharine Kurtz in Tales of the Knights Templar (Warner Books, 1995):

On October 13, 1307, a day so infamous that Friday the 13th would become a synonym for ill fortune, officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests in a well-coordinated dawn raid that left several thousand Templars — knights, sergeants, priests, and serving brethren — in chains, charged with heresy, blasphemy, various obscenities, and homosexual practices. None of these charges was ever proven, even in France — and the Order was found innocent elsewhere — but in the seven years following the arrests, hundreds of Templars suffered excruciating tortures intended to force "confessions," and more than a hundred died under torture or were executed by burning at the stake.


Again, this information was obtained here.
SO, Are you superstitious when it comes to Friday the 13th? Did you know I have never seen any of the Friday the 13th Movies? Just not into them. Are you judging me? lol

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Old Dog and New Tricks!

In this time of uncertain futures and disappearing jobs it sets a mind to wondering. Wondering if I will find one of those fun little pink things in my paycheck for one. You know what I am talking about. The big let go. "Downsizing" is just one of those words I am dreading of hearing.

Every day it seems I hear of someone else I know who is losing their job.

So what can one do when there is a cloud of dread hanging over everything? Well, I think it may be time to go back to the drawing board. Well, back to school anyway. I actually feel a little excited thinking about the possibilities in front of me.

Enter self doubt and its cousin fear. I start feeling I am too old to start on a new career path. Can it really be okay to pursue something I may actually like more than what I am doing currently? What right do I even have to think like this while I still have a job?

Well, to heck with anything and everything that may be in my way. If I have learned anything during this economic slump it is that I would be more able to find a job if I had more than one skill. If I was more educated or had more diverse skills I would be more attractive to potential employers. And I can now decide what it is that I would like to do, possibly for the rest of my life.

Of course, starting new in anything means starting at the bottom so I figure I better get started now. So if something does happen I at least have something to fall back on.

I guess I post this looking for validation in wanting to gain new skills. I guess I want to feel that I am not too old to learn something new.

So my question is:
Can an old dog learn new tricks?

Have a great day!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Yearbook time!

I was just thinking about how we signed each others yearbooks in High School. We said the cheesiest of things. I remember the first time someone wrote KIT and their number in my book I was confused. A friend said that it meant Keep In Touch. Who started that?

Another yearbook favorite is 'stay sweet'. I know May is a few months away but as I may or may not have stated before, I may not always able to stay on track and so decided that I might as well post this while I was thinking about it. Did you know I used the word may four times in that last sentence? Did you just check? You guys crack me up!

So I wanted to know what cheesy things did you write in other people's yearbooks?

What about the cheesiest thing someone wrote in yours?

Do you ever look back in your old yearbooks?

Do you see yourself as blossomed out of your awkward years or do you yearn for the 'good ole days'?

My Fun Stalkers Who Rock