I’m so glad I found out about this!
The correct way to weigh yourself:Â
I can’t believe I was doing it wrong all these years.
We must spread the word.
All posts by Allison
Continuing a Tradition
I just learned that my sister, Kristin, has adopted a very important family tradition. I’m so delighted!
It began when Ashley started dating. The first time a new suitor would come to do the door, I would answer and greet them.  Unbeknownst to Ashley, The dialogue woud go something like this:
  boy: Is Ashley home?
  Me: Yes, she is – but first, a song.
  boy: Huh?Â
  Me: A song. You need to sing me a song.
  boy:  (visibly weighing options) Umm… what song?
  Me: Oh, any song will do. Maybe ________ (then a suggestion).
  boy:  really?
Some took a bit more convincing – not wanting to look foolish, I’m sure. But when they realized I was dead serious and they were NOT getting in the house, nor was Ashley being made aware of their arrival, they’d give in and sing.   Some even enjoyed themselves, and those were the boys I knew would be fun dates for Ashley.
I heard “Give Said The Little Stream“, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” among others.   My all-time favorite response was Ashley’s friend Josh – all 6’4″ of him…. without batting an eye, he launched into “I’m a Little Teapot” (which he chose) and even did the actions. He got bonus points.
One kid, named Richard, absolutely REFUSED to sing and I eventually relented in letting him in. But I knew he’d be a very POOR MATCH foor my daughter (which he was… not a fun bone in his body)… and after a far too long dating spell she finally realized it too 🙂
Justin, now her husband, performed Rod Stewart’s – “Have I told you Lately That I Love You” beautifully… ending up on one knee, I believe.   The two of them are still singing today!
So…. today I learned that J’Neil (my neice) had her first suitor arrive today – and Kristin was serenaded with “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”  I nearly cried with joy.
Since J’Neil is just entering her dating era, Kristin would love a list of song suggestions…. any ideas?  Â
Did, or do you have any “first date” traditions like this?
No greater sacrifice…
So, we learned this week that our sorry excuse for a president gave up golfing in 2003 “in solidarity” with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq, concluding that it was “just not worth it anymore” to play the sport in a time of war.
“I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” Bush said in a White House interview with the Politico. “I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”
That’s his idea of sacrifice, to give up golf?  This man is a shallow moron.Â
Take the Challenge!
Be careful… there are a few trick questions….
Click here to take the Bush-McCain Challenge!
If you get enough answers correct, you advance to my favorite part – the final round…
The McCain-Carrot face off!
My first beer
I bought my first beer today.   I had to ask assistance from a fellow Albertson’s shopper to even find it – and then asked her recommendation for a good beer for snails.Â
She looked confused. “Snails?” she asked. “You’re serving beer with snails, or do you want to cook with it??”
“No.” I replied. “I want to lure them to their drunken deaths in my garden.”Â
She looked relieved for some reason. She was then quite helpful in pointing out that the single cans were in the walk in cooler room (something unheard of in Utah Albertsons), and that I wanted a high gravity beer – which apparently have more alchohol.  She thoughtfully  suggested a can of Steel Reserve and I bought it.
I set out a couple of pie tins and poured the beer into them. I wonder if the slugs/snails will appreciate the fact that is is slow brewed for exceptionally smooth flavor?
An Engineer’s Guide to Cats
For all my feline loving friends….  enjoy
An important personal discovery
For a couple of years now I’ve been feeling like an outsider because I just haven’t been able to get into Lost, when nearly everyone I know is enthralled.  Or Battlestar Galactica, despite the critial acclaim it receives.    Or Heroes, after the first half of the first season. Frankly, it has been a bit befuddling.
Well, I think I figured out why I can’t get into “Lost” or “Battlestar Galactica”, etc…Â Â there are 2Â reasons – and both play a part in my apathy towards Lost.
1. Apparently I no longer have the patience for shows that require me to watch each week to keep up with what’s going on.   I want resolution at the end of the hour, so it doesn’t leave me fretting and worrying whether they’ll stop the bomg in time for another week.  I think three thilling seasons of 24 and Alias burned me out.  Â
2. When shows have
 In it’s final 2 seasons, one of my favorite shows - Stargate SG1 –  ventured into a an ongoing battle with an opressive, powerful alien race called the “Ori” – who claimed to be gods and sent messengers around preaching religion, promising enlightenment & ascension, and then killing anyone who didn’t agree to follow the path.    “Hallowed are the Ori“.  Oh, Just shoot me now.  Look – they even got CSM (Cigarette Smoking Man) from the X-Files to be one of their creepy priors.  Just as they were about to lose me as a viewer, they thankfully threw in some NON-Ori episodes.  Â
I’m disturbed enough by the irrational religious fanatics in the real world – I don’t want them to invade my “escape” time as well.
So there you have it.   I guess I’m still an outsider, but at least I know why!
Are there any shows or fads you wish you feel left out of?
Dream hugs
Jon Stewart gives great hugs. That’s what I found out in my Monday night dream. Frankly, I don’t know what he was doing at my deceased grandmother’s house on 7th east, along with an assortment of other people I apparently knew. But as I bid them all farewell, he gave me the most amazingly warm, memorable hug.  And he looked great in his grey suit.
Last night’s dreams were not nearly so rewarding.
In one segment, I was fending off rather large sharks with a knife and a stick in a rope-infested bay (yes, large ropes were floating around the surface of this water, making it a challenge to swim). I have no idea what prompted me to leave the safety of the rowboat I had been in.Â
The last couple of nights my dreams have been a bit like short story collections – one segment completely unrelated to the next.   There was quite a bit of hiking over straw and snow covered hills. Ashley (looking about age 10 – she often shows up in my dreams as a baby or young child) happily slid down one of them, out of site.  I took a cd of music in to my massage therapist in hopes they would exchange it out for the weird music they’ve been playing lately.  Some guy was trying to talk me into taking his $800 self-help seminar (I said no.)
However, my dreams are usually more like full-length feature films – very vivid, very realistic, often very entertaining. Much more so that my waking life.    Sometimes I literally wake myself up laughing at the silliness – other times it seems like they were an important message I need to figure out.Â
Occasionally (not nearly often enough) I get to enjoy a nice, steamy dream…   most recently with David Peckham (a guy from my neighborhood when I was growing up.)  Completely random. No idea what prompted that, since I never even had a crush on Dave in my teen years and haven’t seen or heard from him since high school.  But it was a memorable dream : )
Shemar has yet to make an appearance, however.Â
What memorable dreams have you had of late? Do you think they have any meaning?  Any ideas what MY dreams meant?
My TV heros
My tv heroes – as themselves:
- Jon Stewart
- Keith Olberman
- Tim Gunn
- Bill Moyers
- I guess Oprah – she inspires a lot of people
My favorite tv characters (current shows)
- Shawn (and Gus) – Psyche (USA, and now on NBC, too!)
- Detective Goren – Law and Order: Criminal Intent (NBC/USA)
- Deputy Director Brenda Lee Johnson – The Closer (TNT)
My favorite ensembles – enjoy the interaction between the characters
- NCIS (especially Abby)Â (CBS & USA)
- Stargate SG1Â (SciFi & ?)
I’m sure I’ve neglected to include someone I’ll think of later, but these standout tonight. Â
I’m so glad Psyche is on network tv now… it’s really one of my favorite shows, but none of my friends have discovered it on the USA network. Watch it!
So who are some of your current tv heroes, favorite tv characters and ensembles?
Three Cute Chicks
I recently spent 10 days in Salt Lake, celebrating my birthday and enjoying time with family and friends.  Of course I haul my suitcase of camera equipment with me so I can photograph my favorite subjects.  Here are my three grandaughters at our Spring Party / Easter Egg Hunt… Aren’t they cute?Â
It was so much fun spending time with them – though when the three of them get together they go nuts!  They enjoy each other a lot, and wear all of the adults out with their enthusiasm.Â
Their parents are pretty cute too…
