Summit County Fair

For the second year, Barbara has, with mouse in hand, won Best of Show in the junior pet parade at the county fair. Last year, the prize-winning giant mouse (aka chinchilla) was Bella. Bella is of a nervous disposition - yes, they have distinct personalities - and does not do well with people in general. Including us. This year, we wisely decided to take Betty. Betty goes to the Stow-Munroe Falls Library pet show every July and does rather well, and has been at the fair, too. Fortunately, we had beautiful weather - nice breeze, a bit sunny, and the rain held off for us. Photos abound. Total winnings: two trophies and three ribbons. Fair food is excellent - swiss cheese on a stick, fried vegetables, gyros, and lemonade - and that was just for me! I'm headed for the treadmill, with an extra fifteen minutes for good measure. The ferris wheel almost made me lose my expensive lunch helpings - I wish it had. God only knows the calories involved in today's outing.

Sleeping Beauty

My B this morning right before I left for work - I couldn't resist taking a picture. She squinted when the flash went off, but didn't wake up. My kids would sleep through a nuclear war.

A book on this week's order list - "Giant Pandas Up Close." Pandas make me nervous. There is a panda lawn ornament close to the road on a street I travel on quite frequently. I always hold my breath when I drive by. I am very superstitious but not sure why the panda should be a concern. If any of you watch Robot Chicken, you may have seen the panda episode - and you will know what I mean if you have seen it - which is my favorite episode - aside from the Star Wars one, of course, I mean, Darth Vader is my true love - and I don't have to say that that has brought nightmares extraordinaire. If any of you haven't seen Robot Chicken, and are not easily offended and/or have ADD, you must have a look.

Baby Cat Friends!

I get "The Daily Kitten" updates on Facebook, and the pictures are soooo adorable I had to share with all of my cat-loving friends here.

Whatever

So I get home from work, at like 8:45 tonight, and the baby B (working the watermelon, at right) has a friend over and she is apparently spending the night. Littlest Pet Shop toys are all over the bedroom floor. I am trying to complete some research (dissertation research is perfect for the summer when I don't have actual homework) and the larger cat friend, Dinner for Four in China, comes and parks her fat furry butt on my keyboard - again. I now have fur in my iced tea. I can't find the lemon for the tea that I know I bought over the weekend. I got an email from DragonCon that says they are going to try to break a world's record for the most Thriller dancers, and would I like to participate? They must be kidding. I haven't done that dance since junior high, and I sure didn't do it well then. I am concentrating on the B's Sailor Moon costume for the convention, I don't want to worry about dancing while I'm there. Before I left work, a sixteen year old boy asked for my phone number. Wonders never cease. Hope everyone has a lovely evening.

CD Weirdness

Does anyone know who the heck Teddy Pendergrass is? Isn't he one of the guys who peddles his music on TV, you know, the double CD set for $19.95 plus shipping and handling? Am I wrong?
Order list from audio-visual services this week:Teddy Pendergrass: Bedroom Classics

?
Wait a minute . . . I'm looking at the song list . . . I think I know "Make it With You." Yuck! People have sex to this song? Damn, there goes my appetite for lunch. Seriously, I think the goofy '70s porn soundtracks are more stimulating than that song. Not that I would know what a porn soundtrack sounds like.

Sunday Fun

Just a mess of pics from today . . . I am sunburned and tired and ready for a night of reading and research - oh, it's only six. A few more hours to go, I guess! Need some time to recover from a third place finish . . . third ain't first - I know Tony agrees. Still first in points, though. That's my boy.

Italian Fest

This pic is for Otin - we already made it through a bloomin onion and lemonade, ice cream time!

Race is on!
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Flannery O'Connor

I was so excited at Mass this morning - my favorite of the Gospels (John) was in the spotlight, and Father talked about the actual writing style of the Gospel, and how it is different from the other three. He talked about Flannery O'Connor, and how her storytelling method was/is a lot like John's. I thought I was dreaming - I adore O'Connor, not just because she was a Catholic writer who really got it, but because she was a great storyteller, too. I also love learning about the Bible as a work of literature and craft, so the writing perspective is all good with me.

Off to the Italian festival and swimming with the baby B (seen at right, exercising her Second Amendment rights), and more games with John later. Thanks to those who have emailed me with good wishes for him - he is doing very well and is beating me, as usual, in Mario Kart 64.

Kitty in the Window

Love my cat friend - she is hiding from the vacuum cleaner and sniffing for the coming rain.
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Breakfast for Cat Friends

Headed to the oral surgeon's to get John's wisdom teeth cut out - hoping and praying for a complication-free day and week to follow.

Have a great weekend everyone - I'm on post-surgery reaction duty, so you may get some pet pics but nothing too creative. The usual, I guess!

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Spirograph

I loved Spirograph as a kid - my grandma had one at her house for all the grandchildren to use, but I know I used it most because I was there the most. I miss my grandma! This is a fun site - so click on the picture and go play already. My head is full and I am tired. I have to go wrestle with microfilm at the university library. Fortunately, I have a smallish child who has an affection and a talent for loading said microfilm. This is why I have children - to help with dissertation research!

Restaurant Quarter Machine Cuteness

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Highlights

My favorite part of Highlights magazine!
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Animal Friends, Panic, Etc.

The usual Monday-ness . . .

So my mom called twice this afternoon to complain about the jeweler (who did not fix her ring properly) while I am having a program, which is essentially taken over by a summer camp group that will not behave. I cut the program time to get them out of here.

In the middle of the program, my ex calls to tell me that my daugher lost half of her loose tooth during ranch camp this morning, and he is taking her to the dentist to get it taken care of. Great, I am glad he is handling it, since the last time that he was the only parent around when she needed attention of this sort, he dropped the ball. They were in New Hampshire last summer with his mom and her people - who are nightmares personified - when Barbara shut her thumb in a truck door when at the store with her grandma. She came home with a broken and unattended-to thumb. She had a cast for over two months. Poor kid was home with me before getting an ER visit. Nice job, Dad, and what about grandma? Aren't grandmas supposed to look out for you? She started school with a huge purple cast up to her elbow. For a thumb, I tell you.

And now . . . something ate my other blog. The site that sponsors it is down, too. Both are hosted by WordPress. What is up? Maybe I should import it into this one . . . something to think about.

Good thing about today - my boss is back after a two week vacation! I love my boss. Bad thing about today - I have to go to my parents' to drop off the receipt for my mom's ring, sure to catch the blame for all the problems she has been having with the darn thing.

Birthday Balloons

The B shooting water balloons at my friend's daughter's birthday party. What a cool idea for a hot summer day!
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Rose of Sharon

Just noticed that this is blooming in my parents' front yard. Incidentally, I am studying The Grapes of Wrath right now.

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Animal Friends!

Animal friend randomness.

I Love My Job

The magician performer today brought her adorable bunny, Marshmallow, for the kids to pet. I got to hold him. I am so excited! Sad but true . . .

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Thank You Adrienne! and Dunking

For this wonderful hysterical hilarious phobia link!
Totally unrelated - this is my dad, my daughter, and my nephew (being dunked by my dad) yesterday afternoon at WaterWorks. We lucked out and the thunderstorms passed us by. Gotta love that Ohio weather. Or not.

Wasted

Hey Eileen - my cat friend looks wasted, too!
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Pikachu!

Some people take their cosplay a bit too seriously.

We are headed for DragonCon in September, and I am making a Sailor Moon costume for my daughter. Who is 9. Then again, I might be dressed as Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket (my favorite anime/manga), so I guess I can't talk about Mr. Fat Pika here. The schoolgirl outfits are rather expensive, so I may not go all out to be Tohru. I can always be Princess Leia, like I was for Halloween in fourth grade - remember, Eileen? I was the only one who didn't have to use pantyhose to create the sidebuns for the hair.

Cat House

One of the B's many cat house constructions. Note that Dinner for Four has her leg sticking out. We were surprised that she could fit in it at all.
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Sand Dollar Cookies

Made by the B. My ex-husband bought me a new Webkinz today while I was at work. It is a guinea pig and his name is Pasquale. I'm not obviously Italian . . . My other three Webkinz are cats - Brownie, Charkie, and Layla, so Pasquale is the odd man out. I bought him a race car bed for his room, and a trampoline for his yard. Cuteness!
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Long Weekend

Yes, the parents returned home, with my oldest nephew in tow - he is the best behaved of my brother's spawn - so we are free of the evil dog issues now, but I did have the B's friend Logan over for two nights. They are both good girls, but it was tiring. I was never like this as a girl. I was very serious, at least I have been told so. They are very giggly and loud and I ran out of Pamprin. My ex-husband was kind enough - or held a great interest in self-preservation - and made a late night Rite Aid run for female medication so I could keep my eye on Chicagoland last night. My son has been hiding in his room - which he does most of the time, anyway - quite successfully all weekend. He did come out for a short while to show me some Shadowgate vids on YouTube, as well as some farting vids advertising something appalling called The Pooter. Look it up, I dare you.

Logan was trying to teach the B how to dive at the Nat yesterday, while it thunderstormed like a fiend outside. I love summer storms. I think it was all that kept me from biting anyone yesterday.

One of my editors is having a COW and I am wrestling with research, so it will be a long night. Did I mention this particular deadline is in DECEMBER so why oh why is she worked up now? I am a research hound - obviously - so it's easy for me to placate her but it seems unnecessary at this very moment. I need to sleep. And eat lots of Pamprin. And move to Tahiti. Oh, no, I forgot, they have giant poisonous centipedes in Tahiti. I am terrified of centipedes.

Tallmadge Circle

This is for Eileen. The circle of evil.

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Awful Library Books

Must see:

http://awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com/

Love the 'stag lines' book! Otin might find a use for it.

Nasty Book Returns

Motor oil, soda pop, gum, candy, boogers . . . today in the book drop one of my co-workers found the worst yet. Someone had used a nasty, icky, filthy, well-used Q-tip as a bookmark. And left it in the book.

We are charging them for a replacement book because we sure as hell are not cleaning that one up. What's wrong with people? It was an adult who did it, not a kid, either. Grow up, people.

More Tony - and my B

From Tuesday night's race at Sharon Speedway. Otin, I am not obsessed. And it is not Friday yet, so why did you already post Aloha Friday? Whatever.