The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The good I'm referring to is a movie... Reno 911 Miami. Harry and I saw it this weekend and it was hilarious! A lot of the usual Reno 911 humor, and even an appearance from Reno's favorite street roller (not walker since he is on roller skates) Terry. Here are a few of my favorite scenes from the movie...

This would be where the "ugly" tag comes into play.
The image from the back was even worse, I was crying laughing!
Wiegle was wearing granny panties and a white bra under her bathing suit.

Oh yes, they came across this on the beach. The deputies tried to push it into the ocean again when Junior falls into the whale.
Spoiler Alert:
They blow up the whale to remove the carcass, I had to look away because I was gagging.

Harry and I give this movie 2 big thumbs up. It's not one of those "make you think movies", in fact, your IQ might actually go down after watching it, but it's all in good fun.

On a related, but unrelated, note, THE BAD...
I stayed up to watch Saturday Night Live and was so disappointed. It was AWFUL! They had such a great host, Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute from The Office), but the writing was horrific. He is such a great actor; he can really make just about anything funny, but even he couldn't save SNL. What a shame.

Sorry to disappoint you, Best Buy

The Sony KD-32FS170 (In the eyes of Best Buy, at least)

In A/V news, our TV is broken. As it is only 2 years old and was a gift to begin with, we thought it best to try to get it repaired rather than buying a new one. After all, aside from the fact that it won't turn on, it's a very nice TV. While I was explaining our reasoning for taking it to a TV repair place (yes, they do still exist. and this one has a particularly smoky air to it.) to my coworker, I decided to pull up the Best Buy website to illustrate how expensive it would be to replace it with an equal (or better?) model.

It was at this time that I came across the most condescending product description ever. For the next model up from ours, the widescreen HD version, they recommend that you "Enjoy thrilling, edge-of-your seat movies and crystal-clear, high-definition television on this HDTV that features numerous picture enhancement technologies for a breathtaking cinematic experience." Sounds nice...surely our TV must be suitable for similar viewing, albeit at a somewhat lower resolution, right? Wrong. According to Best Buy, the best our TV can offer is for us to "Enjoy reruns of old sitcoms on this 32" TV that features a WEGA Engine for stunning picture quality from all of your favorite programs." Thanks a lot. Hey, maybe if you get a chance later you can send the Geek Squad over to critique my wardrobe too. "Are those jeans the sandblasted vintage wash? That is SO 2006!" Well, I'd love to write more, but Leave it to Beaver comes on in 10 minutes. I better go adjust the rabbit ears.

Needle in a Haystack... errr, Esophagus

Tonight there was excitement in the Thompson home, topped off with a trip to the emergency room... the pet emergency room. I have been working on making pillows and was closing up the bottom when Joey realized he was hungry. To solve this problem he decided to feast on the needle and thread. When I looked over at him sitting on the floor chewing, I simply thought I could pull the thread out of his mouth. This is when I noticed that the needle was missing.

I promptly informed Harry of the problem and told him to get the car so we could go to the ER. Once we arrived at the ER (me in my black cashmere sweater COVERED with orange cat hair) Joey was taken to get x-rays. When we got the x-rays back we could clearly see the needle lodged in his throat. Two things were positive about this, first of all the needle went down eye first so the pointy side wasn't going in first. The second positive was it was stuck in his throat and the vet was able to do a "needle extraction" without surgery (FYI, the cost of a needle extraction is $30). He had punctured his esophagus but a coating medicine and an antibiotic should keep him from getting sick.

We were unable to get the x-ray (or more like we were unwilling to pay for another copy of it) but I found this picture online that is very similar to Joey's x-ray.

This x-ray doesn't show this cat's whole body, but Harry thought the amount of food in Joey's belly was hilarious (the boy loves to eat).

Joey is now home safe and sound with us (he does owe us $255 for his emergency vet bill) but we will just put it on his tab. He is still very much drugged and has fallen over multiple times. He should be up and around acting normal in no time. In the meantime, he's enjoying spacing out and listening to his favorite Neil Young song, "The Needle and the Damage Done".

Joey when we arrived home from the ER. His bandage covers his drug injection point.

"Drugged" Joey sitting on the railing. He had just fallen off the railing prior to this picture being taken.

Follow-Up on PSYCHO!!

This is a direct quote taken from CNN.com...

Scandal sparks NASA review

NASA will begin a review of its psychological screening for astronauts, NASA said Wednesday -- a day after astronaut Lisa Nowak was charged with attempting to murder a love rival. Meanwhile, Nowak was having a medical evaluation, which would also include a psychological evaluation, NASA said.

hmmmmm... do you think NASA is reading 17th Most Popular for tips? Maybe I should give up teaching and start working for NASA; at least I'm more stable than some of it's current employees.

PSYCHO!!

I'm sure everybody has heard of this story by now... the married astronaut that drove from Houston to Orlando, wearing adult diapers (to cut down on unnecessary stops), to kidnap and apparently kill her "co-workers" girlfriend. Obviously this astronaut, mother of 3, had a little somethin-somethin going on with her "co-worker" in space and she is now jealous of his girlfriend.

"psyco" Lisa Nowak on the right, the man she loved Oefelein, and the victim Shipman

There is SO much wrong with this story I don't even know where to begin... but here it goes.

First, she is already a wife and a mother. What the hell is she thinking??? She would have left her her husband and children alone to go and do, who knows what, to this woman.

Second, what is going on in space? These 2 astronauts, the best of the best, are having an affair in space! That is NOT what my tax money is paying for. Get up there, study what you need to study, and get back without any funny business.

Third, adult diapers? Who in their right mind wears adult diapers in the car, unless necessary. I'm sorry, but the bathroom is not an "unnecessary stop". This nut job would rather sit in her own filth than get out of the car for, what, 3 minutes.

Forth, did you hear what she had with her??? Pepper spray, a wig, a plastic bag containing a carbon dioxide-powered BB pistol, a tan trench coat, a new steel mallet, a new folding knife with a 4-inch blade, 4 feet of rubber tubing, several large plastic garbage bags, $600 in cash, half dozen latex gloves, MapQuest directions from Houston to Orlando International Airport, e-mails from Shipman to Oefelein, the already mentioned diapers, and a letter indicating how much psycho loved Oefelein. It doesn't take a ROCKET SCIENTIST (pun intended) to figure out what she had planned. I really think the only thing missing was a "how to kill her" and a "how to get rid of the body" book; and she claims all she wants to do is talk.

I think NASA really needs to step up their psychological screening because this lady is CRAZY!

Oh no, not the "bo-bo"!

While surfing the internet this evening, I came across this picture of a she-goblin that you may know better by the name Fantasia Barrino. While it has no relevance to anything really, it is funny looking, and a nice reminder of why I stopped watching American Idol (although to be honest, it was touch and go before her). I could go on, but considering her illiteracy, continuing with the written word seems like a waste of time.

P.S. I feel obliged (I know, fancy word, huh Fantasia?) to state that my brother & sister-in-law were fans of Fantasia. Shame on you!

I Love Snow!!

Yes... it is SNOWING!!! It looks absolutely beautiful outside this morning. I got up at my usual 5:40 this morning, took a shower, and began getting ready for school when I saw on the news that school was canceled with no optional teacher workday. I was a little disappointed because my CMS promised 5:30am phone call to notify me of a cancellation was late... it came in at 6:15. This means that I am now too awake to go back to sleep (for now) but I'm o.k. with that. Now I get to enjoy the beautiful morning. I have taken a few pictures to show you the snow in North Carolina.

The view from our front porch at 6:30am.

Our peach tree right outside the kitchen door looking at the field across the street.

The backyard and our beautiful pergola.

The view from our front porch once the sun came up.

Victoria Bay Drive right next to the house going back to the pool.

The backyard in the daylight.

This weather makes me realize just how much I miss snow. I guess I am a northern girl at heart. I have even been out and about already this morning... I made a 7:15 grocery run to get a croissant and a latte (despite the news telling me to STAY OFF THE ROADS!!). Freezing rain is forecast for later today so my snow will probably melt and I guess there is even a chance I may be out of school tomorrow. Oh well, I'll enjoy my day looking at the snow.

PS... the local news has preempted the "Today" show because of the winter weather; so that means nothing but hour after hour of traffic and weather reporting.

FREAK OUT!!!

One of the things I love the most about living in the south is when there is a forecast for snow. Tonight, Cornelius is under a "severe weather advisory" because 1/4 of an inch of snow/wintery mix is predicted. For those of you who do not live in the south, let me give you an idea of what will happen this evening.

Quote from the looming blizzard...
"Look out Carolina, I'm coming!"

First of all... the grocery stores are now sold out of bread and milk. For some reason when snow is predicted southerners feel the need to buy multiple loaves of bread and gallons of milk. Apparently if any snow does fall, southerners sit at home and do nothing but constantly eat bread and drink milk.

Secondly... the major headlining story for EVERY news station will be the winter weather. I already witnessed this today when I got home from work. The 5:00 news really talked about nothing other than the weather. I really think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could have been won today and we in the south wouldn't know... there's snow a'comin!

Finally... we actually had to have part of our staff meeting, plus an additional email, dedicated to what will happen if we get any snow. We, of course, will close the schools and then get to make-up our missed days in March. Don't you just love it!!!

This is what I predict downtown Cornelius will look like tomorrow morning.

Angry

Tonight, I am angry. I am angry because my brother was supposed to be coming home within the next few weeks, but instead the army decided to keep him in Afghanistan for another 4 months. I am angry because Clay packed up all of his belongings to prepare to come home (because before today he thought he was leaving Afghanistan next week) and now he has to unpack. I am angry because last Friday Karen went to a redeployment meeting to prepare for Clay's homecoming, and tonight she had to return to Fort Drum to hear about the next 4 months. I am angry because our president didn't realize that no exit strategy for Iraq was a problem. I am angry because Clay's unit isn't the only unit to have their deployment extended. I am angry because soldiers are dying every day, 25 in Iraq on Saturday, and most of America doesn't even notice. I am angry and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.

News Release

Safety Notice!!!

I got this important safety bulletin in an email today and thought it was best if I share it.

The American Medical Association has announced a new symbol to indicate choking.

The Old Symbol


The New Symbol

Russ, we are happy you won the office pool.

Jokers Dueling Piano Bar

Last night, after a dinner at Lancasters BBQ, Harry and I went Jokers Dueling Piano Bar on Lake Norman with some friends. The piano bar is unique because the music is provided by 3 musicians who play, mostly the piano, but also percussion when necessary. The crowd requests songs and the pianists will play almost anything requested. When I first heard about the piano bar, I thought it sounded a little stuffy. After having been there though, it is anything but. The music is really good and most of the time people request fantastic songs. Of course Journey was requested quite often, we heard Sublime, Ben Folds 5, Dave Matthews, Nine Inch Nails, and plenty of country music including the best damn country song ever "You Never Even Call Me By My Name".

Of course one of the best things about going to a bar here on Lake Norman is you get to see the most ridiculous people. Some of the funniest people there were a bunch of Hooters waitresses celebrating one girl's 21st birthday. They really classed the place up as Hooters waitresses tend to do. We also got to see some high class fashion. We got to see leather pants, crop sweaters (in the 30 degree weather), a shirt that literally tied on, and a man that thought he was Tom Selleck on Magnum, PI. He was wearing a silk shirt with drinks on the mint green front (the back was black and so were the sleeves), navy blue tight jeans, brown shoes, and to top off the Tom transition "the mustache". Oh, and did I mention he was probably 55? He was awesome!

Go Checkers!

Last night Harry, my friend Joanne, and I went to the Charlotte Checkers game. The Checkers are Charlotte's AA hockey team. They are named after a checkered flag (Charlotte is the racing capital of the US).

We had a great time last night, for many reasons. First of all, the Checkers won 5-0 against the South Carolina Stingrays (the first win Harry and I have witnessed in person). Secondly, the bar was unable to take credit cards, which they didn't realize, so we got free beer!!


If you have never been to a hockey game I highly recommend it. It's a great game to watch, a great place to people watch, and a good way to get out any hostility you may have (watching the players beat each other up).

"Chubby" the Checkers mascot.

Martha's Baby Shower

Yesterday I threw a baby shower for Martha to celebrate Luke's arrival. We had a ton of fun, good food, almost 30 guests, and Martha got some really nice gifts. Check out the pictures of our shower.

This was our food table. As you might be able to tell, we had a TON of food. Mom brought champagne salad, bacon wrapped sausages, deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, and sweet bread. Jean Ann (Edward's mom) brought a vegetable tray and spinach dip. I contributed chocolates (molded into bears, baby buggies, and baby booties), the punch, mints, and the flowers on the table. Everything was delicious (except the tulips, we didn't eat those).


Here you see the ladies eating and getting ready to open presents. As you can see there was a ton of loot for Martha to open.


A lot of the guests had husbands deployed to Iraq, or their husbands were working at the hospital (so Edward could be with us to celebrate) so we also had a lot of baby guests. Madison was thrilled because this turned into one giant play date. Here you see Madison and some of her friends (and their moms) partying out on the deck.

One of the funniest things at the shower was watching Edward run the daddy daycare in the backyard. Here you see him entertaining 4 girls on the swing-set. He had 3 of them swinging at the same time while Madison was climbing up the rock wall and sliding down the slide (she was taking a juice break at the time the picture was taken.

We all partied pretty hard yesterday; especially the parties 2 youngest guests, Sammy (who is 6 weeks old) and Catherine (who is 9 weeks old).

Bring on the Embarrassing Pictures!

Inspired by my last post, where I posted embarrassing photos of Harry, I thought it might be fun to show some embarrassing pictures of both of us. (Yes, Harry will now have been hit twice, but it's all in good fun!) These will be those pictures of us when we were little that, when you look back at old albums, you hope will never see the light of day... let alone be posted on the internet. Check them out!

Here you see Clay and I doing the hula one day when we were home sick.
I think my knee socks are hot; and Clay is rocking those sunglasses.


Harry and I call this pose the "praying mantis". We don't know what he was doing, but it sure was weird.


I know what you are thinking... "What's weird about this photo? Mer, that looks pretty accurate." Well actually, those are bocce balls. Scary how this picture taken in 1986 could predict the future.


Now, this picture could make you feel sorry for Harry; but no, his parents didn't do this to him... he did this to himself. Yep, he enjoyed cramming himself into milk crates and making a cage.

I think more than anything these pictures make both Harry and I realize how lucky we are to have each other. I think it is pretty obvious that we are both freaks and it's amazing that we found anybody to marry either one of us.

I encourage our fellow bloggers to look back at some embarrassing photos and create a post similar to ours!

Fish Tacos and Improv

A weird post title, right? Well, weird or not, it is a perfect description of our evening here in Charlotte.

Tonight, Russ (Harry's cousin), Bobby (one of Harry's best friends since he was little), Harry, and I went out for a night on the town. We headed into Charlotte and ate at Cabo Fish Taco. I was a little sketchy about fish tacos. The name alone makes me giggle and I am just not THAT big of a fish fan. Lucky for me, they had other cuisine; but Russ, Bobby, and Harry all said that the fish tacos were awesome.

After dinner we all went to the SK Netcafe. It is a small coffee shop in Charlotte (near Central Piedmont Community College) that also doubles as a bar/comedy club on nights and weekends. Tonight there was a small group of 5 locals that work as an improv group. They were hilarious! My favorite part of the evening was when the comics took 3 ordinary tasks and changed 3 things about the tasks; then one person from the audience (a friend of the comics) had to guess the task and the 3 things changed. The comics weren't allowed to talk, only act out the changed tasks. The first task was curling. Instead of curling with a stone, they acted out curling with kittens (my suggestion), using a hockey stick instead of brooms, and on watermelon Jell-O (also my suggestion). The second task was rodeo roping. Instead of a lasso handcuffs were used, instead of lassoing a bull the comics had to act out lassoing Michael Jackson dressed as Santa Claus, and instead of this taking place in an arena it took place on an iceberg. The final task was spelunking using a stripper pole instead of a repelling rope, wearing Brittney Spears instead of a harness, and the comics were repelling into a cosmic black hole instead of a cave. Somehow, the comics were able to act this out with such accuracy that the audience member was able to guess all 3 tasks with all 3 changes in just 6 minutes!!

If you have not seen an improv group, I highly suggest it. Just be ready to throw out some great suggestions when needed.

We didn't get any pictures tonight, so I figured I would post some pictures of the guys when they were kids so you could see who everybody was (and embarrass them, too).

Here you see Russ (on the left) and Harry (on the right) having a gay old time, literally.


Here you see (from left to right) Harry, Trey (another one of Harry's friends from when he was little), Russ, and Bobby.

Ever Left Something at a Hotel?

While perusing fark.com today I stumbled upon an interesting article. It dealt with the annual press release of lost and found items from Travelodge. Check out the article below...

Travelodge: You Forgot Your Porsche Keys

Travelodge released their annual list of lost and found items for 2006 and once again, the list is shocking. Included in the survey of found items: a spy’s dossier, keys to a Porsche and Aston Martin, and a $30,000 racing bicycle.

The high-priced items aren’t the most interesting, however. How about these:

- false teeth
- six feet of snake skin
- a hollowed-out bible containing $400 cash
- Elton John’s sunglasses

Our hope is that the above items were left by the same person, and an incredible one at that.

This article really interested me, for many reasons... first of all, I know that Harry wishes that he could raid the lost and found for the Aston Martin keys (hopefully with the liscence plate number written on them) and for the $30,000 racing bicycle. Secondly, (which Harry pointed out) if you can afford to drive a Porsche or an Aston Martin, why are you staying at a Travelodge? Third, who is traveling with 6 feet of snake skin? Finally, if you thought far enough in advanced to hollow-out a bible (which I wouldn't want to answer for later, if you get my drift) to hide $400; how can you possibly forget it??

My interests being sparked, I looked for the actual press release myself. Check out what I found below.


Where would you find Aston Martin car keys, a Spy's secret dossier, a wooden leg and suitcases full of collectable spectacles from famous people, including Elton John? Where else but Travelodge's Lost and Found office.

Travelodge, the UK budget hotel chain, today announced the mysterious objects left behind in their hotels in 2006. With over six million guests staying each year with the budget hotel chain, some other bizarre items left behind by its customers are false teeth, a pet dog, snake skin, a diamond, a bible containing £250 cash and a diamond ring belonging to an ex football player. The ten most bizarre items left behind at Travelodge:

1. Australian cycle racing team bike worth £19,000
2. Spys dossier
3. Pet dog
4. False teeth
5. Porsche and Aston Martin keys
6. A hollowed out bible containing £250 cash
7. A full six foot length of snake skin
8. Diamond ring belonging to an ex football player
9. 2 briefcases containing collectible glasses from famous people including Elton John
10. BBC ID card

The most common items left in a Travelodge room in 2006 include:

1. Mobile phone and chargers
2. Toiletries
3. Clothing items
4. Shoes
5. Books
6. Hen/ Stag Night accessories /adult toys
7. Jewelery /watches
8. Laptops
9. Electrical Gadgets Ipod, digital camera
10. False teeth /limbs

Making Ravioli from Scratch

I know, I know... Harry and Mer, you guys are just too wild; making homemade ravioli on New Year's Eve. What can I say, we live on the wild side.

So, Harry got me a ravioli maker for Christmas and tonight we decided to test it out by making some cheese ravioli. Here's how we did it...

Step One: Pour some wine (cooking is so much more fun when you can drink).

Step Two: Make the dough and roll it into thin strips. (Yes Harry did help with this part, but I ended up doing most of the rolling. It was a pain because the dough is really tough.)

Step Three: Place the rolled out dough on the ravioli maker mold and fill with cheese.

Step Four: Cover the mold with another sheet of rolled dough.

Step Five: Roll a rolling pin over the ravioli mold containing the dough and the cheese. (The mold acts as a cookie cutter that pinches the edges of the ravioli together and cuts them apart.) Harry really liked using the teeny tiny roller, he said it made him feel like a giant.

Step Six: Shake the ravioli out of the mold.

Step Seven: Celebrate freedom from the mold with your ravioli!

Step Eight: Boil your ravioli for 10 minutes. You should probably go ahead and make your sauce now too; otherwise your ravioli will be a little dry. Delicious, but dry. Oh, and check out my new stainless steel pots. Fancy, huh? (Also, see if you can spot the product placements.)

Step Nine: Plate and enjoy!

Our ravioli was YUMMY! You can really taste the difference between homemade/fresh pasta, and store bought/frozen pasta. We ended up making 58 ravioli and freezing 36 of them (some ravioli were lost in the transfer to the freezer, they will be missed).

Poor Phoebe was too excited about the ravioli and the New Year, she just passed out. Oh well, we will celebrate without her!

Happy New Year Everybody!!

WE ARE...

A lynch mob? Rioters upset about the McRib only being available for "a limited time"? Nope. Sorry...we were looking for "Marshall". Marshall.

Meredith and I saw We Are Marshall this evening and were quite impressed. While rather emotionally draining (I admit, my eyes welled up several times during the movie), it does a great job of retelling the tragic story. While in some respects it was indifferent from many other sports movies (the team overcomes adversity and wins the big game), the fact that it is a true story sets it apart from the crowd. They even managed to expose the little known tidbit that Bobby Bowden does in fact have a soul. We give this movie 4 thumbs up.

I do have one side note though: If I'm ever waiting to board a plane and I notice Matthew Fox is on the same flight, I'll take the later flight and free voucher in a heartbeat. He narrowly escapes a fiery plane crash in this movie, and on LOST he ends up as a castaway on a tropical island full of unanswered questions and "the others". I'm sure this scenario is bound to occur with my frequent travel, so I think it's good that I've developed an action plan.

Oh, and Saddam has been hanged. Please keep your celebratory gunfire to a minimum.

Tigers Flushed Down at the Music City Bowl

What happened? Kentucky hasn't been to a bowl game in how long!?!?!?! 8 years!!!!! COME ON! I'd like to blame this all on that joke of a quarterback, Will Proctor, but it actually wasn't all his fault (hard to believe since that nancy boy is terrified of getting touched). Could it be that Duane Coleman was too busy smoking the marijuana and forgot that Clemson actually did get a bowl bid? We really enjoyed the part of the game when Clemson was compared to Ohio State, I guess we were the only 2 teams in the nation with both our offense and our defense in the top 15. That's the similarity; the difference, Ohio State doesn't suck.

Well, congratulations Kentucky. You earned your spot at at the Music City Bowl.

Happy Kwanzaa!

Ok, so this post doesn't have to do with Kwanzaa, but today is the first day of kwanzaa (Phoebe is all excited, she won't shut up about it). This post will actually deal with images from our Christmas celebration.

On Friday, Harry and I went over to visit Martha, Edward, and Madison. Madison was really excited because she got to open even more presents early.


Of all the things that Harry and I got Madison, she seemed to enjoy these alphabet magnets the most. Here you see her filling up the tube the magnets came in and shaking them all out. Edward seems to really enjoy this.

Here you see Madison opening "Care Bear Tub Island". She has a unique present opening method. She takes off tiny pieces of wrapping paper and hands them to somebody. If you look to the left you see Martha's hand about to take the teeny piece of paper from Madison.

Madison really liked "Care Bear Tub Island". As you can guess it is a tub toy. The island has an umbrella, a spinning wheel, and a slide for the Care Bears to slide down. On Saturday (Madison's first day bathing with "Tub Island") she ran out into the living room (where Edward and I were sitting) naked, dripping wet, holding "Tub Island", and grinning. A true test that she liked the gift.

Here you see Harry unwrapping gifts just like Madison (handing the tiny piece of wrapping paper to me on Christmas morning). As you can tell by Harry's face he still wasn't feeling all that well.

These are my Christmas gifts from Karen, my Huffman family secret santa. A really nice Columbia fleece, a t-shirt that says "Smooth Like Butter" (cause I am), a picture of Harry and I (with Karen peeking around a tree in the background), and a Hershey Kiss fondue pot.

THANK YOU KAREN!!