Episode 100: When did we move to Seattle?

Wow. I can't believe I've actually made it to 100 posts on this little blog.

And, along the way, at least five of my friends have joined Blogger as well. Too bad there isn't some sort of referral or finders fee!

Check out the links on the right of my blog, and you'll see that the Wichitamas blogging crew is just as sick of all this rain as I am. Headlines range from "Splish Splash" to "Rain Rain Go Away." Seriously - I think the timing of that movie "Evan Almighty" is perfect right now - because it's been raining for 40 days and 40 nights here. Thankfully, I haven't seen the animals leaving two-by-two yet, but they can't be far behind.

Our dehumidifier is working overtime in the basement - love the houses in College Hill, could stand to do without the basements. It's not flooded, but the water table is so high around here that water is seeping in through the cement.

If I'm going to live in a town where it rains and is gloomy 24/7, I would at least like to have the chance of running into Dr. Korev or McSteamy. Throw us a bone, here.

•••

Last night, we went to see Ratatouille, the new animated movie. We went to the 9:15 p.m. show and you wouldn't believe all the little ones there. I was sure that the movie would not be that crowded since it was so late. Thankfully, most of them were either a) very well-behaved or b) asleep before the previews were over.

There was one little trashy bunch sitting about three rows behind us - an aunt and her niece and nephew, and what must have been the aunt's boyfriend. While waiting for the previews to start and the lights to dim, they decided to have a belching contest. Okay, I'm sure that I might have been involved in something like that at that age, but my God, not in a movie theater. Let's teach our kids to burp in public and then bust out in fits of laughter about it, instead of saying "excuse me." I was tempted to call up Opinion Line...

•••

I might have discovered a new guilty pleasure this morning. You see, I love to look at my mom's People magazine. Well, when I was eating breakfast this morning, I found a new show on E! called "Hum." It's like a live-action version of People magazine, and you can hear all of the inane questions the papparazzi are shouting to the celebs while they are inducing epileptic seizures with all of the flash bursts. It's really strange to look and listen to what that must be like. Now I see why famous people need bodyguards. Judging by the POV of the E! shots, most of the photographers were within a foot or two of the celebrity.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "Oh, poor little rich kids and all this attention you get." Obviously, if you choose to live that sort of lifestyle, you must put up with the trappings that come along with it. But, jeez, I can't believe the photographers are that aggressive. There is a tiny thing called personal space that we should all be allowed.

•••

I think I'll have to stop complaining about Sweaty McSweaterson. I went to Body Design class at the East Y today, and I pretty much was Sweatina McSweaterson. That class kicked my ass, and it kicked ass. I will be hurting tomorrow. That's another thing I'll miss about Doodah - I love the group exercise classes at the Y, and now Kat will be a member again, so I could go with her, but we're moving. Ugh.

WIPs

Currently on the needles:


It looks like a skirt, or some kind of flower, but it will be a sweater vest for Adam, hopefully completed by the time school starts. It's from the pattern Petrol by Carol Sulcoski. The yarn is Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride.


This is a prayer shawl, knit with some sale yarn that my Aunt Alice picked up for me at Hobby Lobby awhile back. You wouldn't believe how soft the yarn is. It would also make a great baby blanket, I think.

And, this, from the "Is there something you're not telling us?" file:
They always say that cats choose their humans, not vice versa. Maybe she's making a statement?

Could you describe the ruckus, sir?

Okay, that title has nothing to do with this post, but it is a line from one of my all-time favorite movies.

Can you name it?

I think gas must be getting ready to go up, or something. I just had to fill up the minivan and I drove by the Valero (aka Ghetto Gas) and it was packed, so I went to the Hillside and Harry QT, and the cars were three deep in line. I waited there for 10 minutes, got fed up and went back to Valero.

Advice for today: PEOPLE, when you are getting gas, DO NOT go into the store to buy random crap WITHOUT moving your car from the pumps to the parking spaces. ESPECIALLY when it is quite obvious that there are people waiting in line.

Okay, so here's another reason I am glad I don't drive a minivan on a regular basis. It just cost $55 to fill 'er up. I'm quite happy with our two little hatchbacks, thank you very much. Adam would have to work two and a half shifts at Old Chicago just for one tank of gas in that sucker.

Baby Pearl's Farewell Performance

If you've seen and enjoyed Will Ferrell's "Landlord" video, you might like this one, too:

Good Cop, Baby Cop from Funnyordie.com

Fam-damily

We're back in Wichita. It rained just about the entire drive between Ozark and home. We left this morning at 10:30, and pulled up in front of our house at 5 p.m. Makes for a long day, though Adam did most of the driving today, so I knitted a little bit and read a lot.

I finished "The Fred Factor" by Mark Sanborn. It's about motivating team members and yourself to make the ordinary extraordinary. I really enjoyed the book, and it's an easy read. I think it's useful for yearbook and newspaper staffs. Then, I started "Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining" by Judy Sheindlin. (Yep, that's Judge Judy, to you.) My yearbook guru-friend Jon Cutsinger recommended that one. It's pretty interesting so far.

We got really lucky yesterday for the services for Grandma. It was kinda rainy all morning, but it stopped raining right around 1:30, for her service at 2. Then, once all was said and done, we had a big family potluck dinner at the church. Near the end of dinner, a classic driving rain started. Luckily, we were finished with the "outdoor" portion of the ceremonies.

I guess they really did have to heaven and earth to put Babe Sax in the ground. The funeral director told us there was a rock so big they had to break it up into chunks to put it in the back of a dumptruck when they went to digging for Grandma's spot. See, in Arkansas, there's a tiny bit of dirt and a whole lot of sandstone under the surface. We were joking that technically, we probably really owned all that rock, since Grandma and Grandpa had paid for their resting places, so we should have gotten to send it to Kansas to make one helluva patio. We each could have had a Babe and Al memorial garden! (And, Grandma would have been proud of us for "rescuing" $1500 worth of patio stone.)

Despite the obvious purpose of the trip, I think it was really good for all of us. All the grandkids and aunts and uncle all stayed at the same hotel, and we stayed up until 2 a.m. this morning just telling stories on Grandma and Grandpa. I know that Mom and my aunts and uncle also really enjoy spending time with their cousins that they rarely get to see.

Family photo time.

This is the house my Grandpa grew up in. No one's lived there in years and the people who bought it were supposed to be turning it into a B&B. As you can see, they haven't done that yet.

My great-uncle Louie talking to Jayne.

Tuesday evening, after the funeral, we all went to Clarksville to go bowling. I've seen a lot of bowling alleys in my life, but this one took the cake. They only had about seven balls to choose from, and I think all of those weighed 30 pounds. The man who runs the place was, shall we say, not very into customer service. (He needs to read "The Fred Factor.")

We decided that we're going to get together every year about this time for the "Babe Bowl." I'm going to design T-Shirts for next year. It'll be like our own little family reunion.

Scenes from Babe Bowl I.

Malachi was cheering everyone on, even when they rolled gutterballs.

The "game room" more like the "lame room."
The freakin' bowling alley did not sell beer. I think that's against the law. You can't bowl without beer!

This is the church on top of St. Mary's Mountain, where Grandma was buried. It's in Altus, Ark., and for those of you keeping score, yes, that IS the town where Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie filmed the original "Simple Life." They stayed with a distant cousin of ours.

Chittum Challenge not going so well

So, I haven't weighed lately, but after a week of staying with my parents (who NEVER have food in the house), it's probably not going too well.

Especially since we just ate Mexican food (chips, salsa and margaritas) after the wake. At 9 p.m. Usually I don't eat past 7:30. That's pretty much blown out of the water this last week. I was doing really well - I exercised the first four days in KC, but then our bedside -vigil schedule kinda got in the way.

Last night we stayed in the RV park in Bella Vista, with mom and dad and Jayne. Then, this morning we got up and drove to Ozark and Altus. It was fun driving through the mountains, remembering all the small towns and sights that grandma and grandpa used to take us to.

It was a lot of fun having dinner with everyone tonight - all the aunts, uncles and cousins. Why is it that it takes something like a funeral to get everyone together like that? It happens at weddings, I guess, too, but we really should do what Ferris Bueller says - Stop and look around once in a while.

Just because we have cell phones and and email and blogs we shouldn't stop getting together.

Anywho. Enough sermon for tonight.

I have knitting to do before bed.

Grandma Sax

Mom called us this morning at 10:30 to let us know that Grandma passed away. Mom said it was peaceful, and we are pretty sure she wasn't suffering.

The other day, one of the doctors asked Mom to describe Grandma and Mom said "hell on wheels." That's pretty much the way she was, and she'd probably describe herself that way too. She always was out visitin' or running around, and she always took the grandkids on vacations when she needed to get out of town for a little road trip.

My parents' house has always been only about a mile from Grandma and Grandpa's. I wore out those roads when I was a kid, riding my bicycle over there to spend the afternoon looking through garage sale finds or jumping on the big, square yellow trampoline. I'd ride over there even when they weren't home to jump on that trampoline, because you never knew when she'd decide to sell it to the next person who had to have it.

She was the best kind of grandma a kid could have. She loved to make big dinners for all of us on Sundays, she dressed up like a clown, or like Santa Claus, she gave lottery tickets in our Easter Eggs (big winnings to be halved with her, of course).

I will miss her terribly, but I know that she is happy to be heading back home to Arkansas, and on up to be with my Grandpa and her sister.

Finished the five

Here are the other three scrapbook frames.

I suffer for my art

Gotta give credit to Mr. Chittum for that phrase. He happened to call this morning while I was sitting in a 105-degree laundromat wishin' and hopin' and prayin' that the $1.25 "whites" cycle would complete the felting job on the moebius baskets.

Not so much. They still need a little bit more.

I've finished all five of the scrapbook pages. I'll take pictures in the morning when the light is nice in the living room, and post them then.

I'm finally going to be headed back to Wichita tomorrow afternoon. I have to drive a minivan! I will be breaking one of the Jill Jarsulic Ten Commandments: Thou shalt never drive a minivan. However, I'm doing it to help out my mom, and she owns it, not I, so I guess I'm in the clear.

Anywho. Time for bed. It's been a long day.

Oh yeah, I also finally added a free hit counter to the site. It'll be interesting to see what that tells me.

Wow!

After nine years in Wichita, I've FINally made it into one of Denise's columns!

Check it out:

Blogs make it easy to keep up with friends

I think I'm going to have to connect all of our local blogs into a blogring - the Wichitamas or something. I'll be thinking about it.

"Magical Knitting" but not-so-magical felting

So, I've been knitting up these little "Moebius" baskets from Cat Bordhi's book "The Second Treasury of Magical Knitting." They are fun little projects, and I finished two of them the first two days I was here. The yarn is Noro, which I love. The red purse that I knit last year was knit with Noro. So, I wanted to see what the finished product would look like after felting.

Before. The remote is there to judge the change in size. Felted fabrics usually shrink about 30 percent.

Mom has a top-loading washer that I have been forbidden to use for felting items. So, I tried to do it the old fashioned way last night. In Bordhi's book, she gives various ways you can felt without using a washing machine. I've seen this woman on Knitty Gritty and she's pretty freakin' kooky. She suggests filling a tub with warm water and letting the kids agitate the water by playing in it. Okay, maybe if the hippie Chittums actually lived in a commune, I would do something like that. But I digress.

So, I stood there with a plunger and agitated hot, soapy water in a bucket for an hour and a half. They're still not felted all the way. I had to stop, my arms were killing me, my back too.


This is what they look like at this point. They are fuzzy, and they have come together a tad, but still not felted strongly enough for my taste.

So, I think I'm going to "borrow" one of Mom's pillowcases, and make a pit stop at the Washo-Mat on my way over to see Grandma. I think one good washing cycle in hot water will get the job done. On the upside, I probably burned 500 calories while standing there doing that.

The other reason I gave up on the "ancient fiber magic" is that I am trying to get five 12x12 scrap pages done with some photos of Grandma and our family. I went over to her place last night and went through photos, so I could put these pages together. Instead of paying $150 for a picture video put together by the funeral home (that's the business I need to get into, if people are paying $150 a pop for that), I'm going to make five framed pages, and then each of Grandma's kids can have one after the service. Mom thinks that all the old people down in Arkansas would rather look at real photos anyway, instead of a video.

I finished two of them about 1 a.m.

Mom was in pretty bad shape when she came home last night. It's really hard on her, watching her mom like this. Grandma isn't really responsive anymore, they moved her to KC Hospice House last night. Mom says it's a much more soothing environment, and the room is much nicer for family who wants to stay over. Adam and I went up to see her before she left the hospital and when he said "Hi Grandma" she perked up and looked right at him. She nodded to a couple of questions that we asked her, but I don't think she's doing that anymore.

Mom and I looked at a bunch of the old photos last night. You could see Grandma's sense of humor in the captions she wrote on the back of some of them. Mom was having a good time - I think it was good that she got to look through all of that stuff.

In other news, sounds like I missed out on a fun "Stitch and Bitch - The Education Edition" at Amy's house. Amy and Suzanne drank some wine, and Amy taught Suzanne how to knit! I'm leaving town in four weeks, people. Where have you been the last three years?!

It's font fate (this one's for you, Bonnie and Trina)

So, I was just riding around Shawnee with my cousin John, whom I haven't seen probably since Adam and I got married (almost four years ago), and he was telling me about his band. He plays the bass.

"What's the name of your band?" I asked.

"Trebuchet," he said, pronouncing it "tree-bush-ay". All of my lovely journalism kiddoes will recognize this - it's the name of my old favorite font. (My new one is Gill Sans). Of course, the reason I had to give you the pronunciation key for the band name is that in Room K11, we have a fondness for saying the font is actually called "Treebucket."

How weird is that. He said I'm the second person who has said "Oh, you mean like the font?"

We went over to hang a new birdfeeder at my Grandma Jarsulic's window in her assisted living home. She wasn't in her room at the time, though. Probably off playing bingo for chocolates or watching an old B/W movie somewhere.

We're getting ready to go back to the hospital to see Grandma Sax here in a little bit.

I came home a little early last night so Mom could go back. When I left last night, she was really unresponsive, and the chaplain had called for a Catholic priest. It wasn't looking good. She had been out of it all day, not talking or anything. I guess she went down for an MRI about 10 p.m., and when she came back up, she was being spunky, talking to everyone, and she was totally understandable. (She hadn't been really clearly speaking for a few days.) Maybe being closed up in the MRI machine brought her back out of it for a little bit, or something. Who knows.

Dispatches from the road

Well, I just got back from a run. Ran 28 minutes, walked 32. It's a lot hillier here in JoCo than it is in Wichita, that's for sure.

We spent a few hours at the hospital today with Grandma. She is having a pretty hard time, so she wants someone to be there all day while she is awake.

Mom and I went to the Yarn Shop and More today, in downtown Overland Park. We bought some really cool Noro yarn, and I'm going to attempt Moebius knitting. I practiced a little bit this afternoon, and I'm going to try to get it cast on tonight before I go to bed. If it works, I'll post a few pics at some point. We're using a pattern from "The Second Treasury of Magical Knitting" by Cat Bordhi.

Whistle while you work

Well, I've just spent the last three hours of my Saturday night cleaning house. Packed a few boxes, swept and mopped the hardwood floors, vacuumed the rugs. Normally, I'd be thinking about what a loser am I for doing that on a Saturday, but it's been a teeny bit therapeutic, I s'pose.

I called and begged off of going to Stacey's because I'm waiting for my Texas cousins to swing through here and pick me up. If all went according to plan (what the heck am I thinking - it never does) they would be showing up right about now. Alas, Ann just called and they are still 135 miles out, which means we won't get to KC until about 3 a.m. Sunday.

I should have gone to Stacey's for a bit, except then I would have had margaritas, and then I would have had to pee the whole freakin' way to Shawnee.

We're going to KC because my Grandma Sax isn't doing too hot. The doctors have FINally decided that she has cirrhosis of the liver. Let this be a lesson to all of my hard-drinking friends out there. My grandma is NOT a drinker, and her liver is betraying her. It really makes me wonder what the livers of those of us who do enjoy imbibing every once in a while look like. Her kidneys are failing, she's on a catheter, they're giving her oxygen to help her respiration.

It's a little weird. My trip up there tonight sounds like the premise for some indie-flick. Me, my cousin John, my cousin Ann and her friend Keri, all crammed into a Honda Civic for a three-hour drive, only because our grandma is very sick. I can hear the acoustic soundtrack now. It's very much the plot of a learning-a-lot-about-oneself-and-one's-family drama. I can't remember the last time I saw John.

Adam has to work tonight (he's at Mort's now), and he has to work on Monday and Wednesday. He's going to drive up on Wednesday evening, bringing a load of our stuff with him, and then I'll drive back with him whenever. I'm glad that Ann is picking me up, then we won't have to deal with driving too cars and increasing our carbon footprint...plus, we'll save some dough.

Calling all old T-Shirts

Hey all my T-shirt-wearin' brothers and sisters,

There's a knitting pattern I'd like to try, but I might need a little help. It's a rug knit from strips of T-shirts. Adam and I are going through our stash that we don't wear any longer, and I'll be cutting those up. But if any of you have a DAV-bound bag o' T-shirts you might be willing to contribute to the cause, I'd be forever in your debt.

Any color, any design will work. I'll even come over and pick them up!

Big Friday

Well, not really.

Adam's working at Old Chicago, and I'm hanging out in the casa, trying to work up the motivation to
a.) clean the bathroom
b.) start the organizing for our garage/moving sale

Yippee!

I did actually sleep until 9 this morning, didn't have have to set an alarm for anything.

Note to Candice - yes, I did read the knitting novel and it was great. If you'd like to borrow it, you might enjoy it as well.

I must go - the longer I sit here, the longer it will take to do my jobs for the day. Maybe the exposure to harsh cleaning compounds will get my brain/blog juices flowing later this afternoon.

Updates on some stuff

First off, the Chittum Challenge continues. I finally was able to weigh in on the official scale, and I'm holding steady at 149.5. Kind of disappointing since I didn't lose any weight the first week, but I also have to remember that I was on vacation, and we ate out a lot more than I would normally, and I wasn't getting to exercise fully, so I suppose I will be happy with a week of maintaining. We'll see what happens next week.

The yearbook is done! All proofs have been sent back, and now the waiting begins. One more reason to do spring books instead of a fall - if you're moving in the middle of the summer, you would have plenty of awesomely sturdy yearbook boxes.

I'm a getting ready to head up the road to BV. I've got a classroom's worth of stuff sitting in the living room, and I'm tired of looking at it. Plus, I can't complain that Adam won't pick up his crap if all of my crap is sitting out there as well!

I've already read one book this summer, in about three days. Why can't I read during school? The first book was "Babyville" by Jane Green. I borrowed it from Stacey. It was okay, but by the end of the book, I truly hated one of the protagonists - she was a whiny bitch. It's really hard to read a book about someone you don't like. Next on the list, another summer fluff-pool read, "The Second Summer of The Sisterhood" in the Traveling Pants series. For those of you who are worried my brain might turn to mush reading this crap, don't - I have some heavier books on summer reading list, as well.

Off to Overland Park for the day. (Thank God gas went down, like, 4 cents a gallon!)

Rest in Peace, Ma Klassen

My friend Kevin's mom passed away yesterday. The doctors are stumped as to what exactly had been causing her problems. She was one of the coolest FMs (Friend's Mom) that I have had the pleasure of getting to know.

Great sense of humor, and I'll never forget Kevin calling her to chat when we'd all get home from the bar (after last call). I was fascinated that someone's mom would not be completely pissed that she had been drunk-dialed by her child at 2:30 a.m. I always admired the relationship between the two of them.

Services are Thursday. She will be missed by many people.

Ahhh. Home Sweet Card Reader

After only a one-hour delay and a completely full flight, we made it home safely from Atlanta. Miraculous, actually, that leaving the ATL wasn't more of a pain in the neck. It usually is.

Had we not had the Arb Party tonight, we just might still be in Atlanta. AirTran had oversold our flight by, oh, about 150 people it seemed, so they were desperate for people like us to go standby and take two free round trip tickets. Sounds like a great deal, right? Not according to my good friend Amy. Yeah, ask her about her AirTran "free ticket" bonanza sometime.

Speaking of the Lawn Party/Croquet Tournament, let me post some photos. I'm very tired after getting up at 6:45 this morning to head to the airport, so I apologize in advance for the lack of witty commentary accompanying these photos.

My good friend and all-around cool chick Carrie Rengers and steward Robin Macy played host for this annual extravaganza. This was actually the first year we were able to attend. (Both of the last two years, I was in California over this weekend.)

Ain't we cute?
My favorite part of this photo is Maria's shadow in the lower left corner!

I think Adam is waiting for Baby Houseman to walk by, carrying a watermelon.

Cool centerpieces.

Marvelous Maria and Dapper Dan.
Two more reasons we'll miss Wichita when we make the big move.

Opps and Carter.

More missing Wichita.

Check out my mad croquet skills. It's a good thing I watched the movie "Heathers" 9,000 times when I was a kid.

Maria and Teresa (making her first appearance on the Chittum Files).

Denise and Chris and I having an improptu meeting of Book Club
(wait, that can't be right, I'm the only one with a drink in my hand).

The official referee/rules master of Croquet, Joe Stumpe.

It's Travis and Randy.
(Too bad they aren't in opposite order - then they'd be Randy Travis)

Here's the scarf I knit for the silent auction.
When we left, the bidding was at $30.

And, it wouldn't be the Chittums without the one-armed self-portrait.

This just in...

Do Not Pass Go.

Hilton Sent Back to Jail in Hysterics

Vicki, Mommaw and I watched a lot of CNN today. I almost hate to admit that, but we did. It's a friggin' train wreck. I'm glad it's summer vacation, but I wish I could discuss this media frenzy with my journalism classes.

MMMMMmmmmm....

Johnny Depp AND Orlando Bloom. What else can a girl ask for in a movie?

Obviously, we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean this afternoon. Good flick, but it clocks in at almost three hours. My wee little bladder will not allow me to sit through such a long movie uninterrupted. I've never thought of it like this before, but I could have driven from Doodah to KC in the time it took to watch that movie. Weird.

Un-MMMmmmmm. - We went to the Braves V Cubs game last night. Guess who's on the DL? Blasted Chipper Jones. Braves lost 2-1, but a good time was had by all. Such a nice ballpark, it's really too bad that the horrendous traffic in Atlanta makes getting there and leaving there such a nasty experience.

Our flight home from the ATL tomorrow has been pushed back two hours. We're now leaving at noon, arriving in ICT around 2. If it gets delayed any further and I miss the lawn party for which I just bought an awesome dress, I will be slaying someone.

The marathon posting of vacation photos will begin Sunday morning, most likely. I'll get all those put up, and then might go back and fill in some camping holes, who knows. I've got to get some serious scrapbooking done sometime this summer. Thank God for Wal-Mart.com. Upload the photos from home and you don't have to waste, er... spend any time in the store waiting for the prints to be done.

More Vacay News

Today we ate at a diner with dishes like the "Love Me Tender" Salad. Joshua chose that. We laughed just hearing him order it.

I went with the BLT, and sweet potato souflee. Definitely a tasty choice, and it wasn't tons of greasy fried food or a giant burger. And honestly, I didn't even crave a giant burger.

More news on the Challenge. Adam weighed yesterday. He's holding steady at his starting weight. I will weigh tomorrow morning, just for a progress check, though I don't think I'll really count it until we get back and I can weigh on my own scale Tuesday morning.

After lunch at the diner, I went to the Piedmont Fitness Center to work out. Since Michael is a member there, I got to try it out for a day. Certainly no Y, by any means, but not bad - your usual treadmills, ellipticals, weight machines, etc. I worked out for an hour, starting and ending on the treadmill, with 40 minutes of elliptical in between. Their elliptical machine was kinda cool - you can set it on aerobic mode, and it gives you various instructions, helping to change up your typical workout. I liked that setting.

We're on our way to Atlanta tonight to see the Braves - ahhh, Chipper Jones. Unfortunately, I won't be adding another ballpark to my collection. I've been to Turner Field once before, during the NLCS back in 1999 or 2000. Oh well. It's still nice to be able to see the Braves play the Cubs. Works out well. My team vs. Adam's team. We'll see who gets the spoils tonight.

Game time 7:35 pm.

By the way, is anyone else out there totally pissed about this whole Paris Hilton thing?

As soon as the cell closes, Paris starts crying, whining, saying that the cell is too cold. They let this go on for three days and decide to let her out? For a medical condition. Are you freaking kidding me? What did they expect this person who is ONLY FAMOUS FOR BEING RICH to do when she went to jail? Of course she'll whine and complain.

I can't wait to find out how they explain the medical condition.

But you know what? Isn't that the point of jail? You're not supposed to like it. It's supposed to be a deterrent. At least now we don't have to watch the ridiculous news coverage (on respectable networks) with graphics like "Paris Watch: Day 2." I watched with glee this morning as the CNN anchors could barely contain their disdain for both Paris Hilton and the American Justice System. I'm actually sort of surprised people haven't used this as a rallying cry/excuse to riot. Super rich white woman doesn't have to serve any REAL time. But the rest of us would rot in the county lockup for at least 40 days if we had done what she did.

I'm sure she'll be showing off her diamond-encrusted ankle bracelet to all of her friends when she invites them over for her "House Arrest" themed party. We'll be seeing it in the pages of US Magazine next week.

Let's just say a prayer that next time she gets trashed and drives, she doesn't kill someone. Because, I'm pretty sure she'd go to real jail then. And I hope to God they wouldn't let her out of that one.

Yearbook Heaven

Phew. I'm back. It's ironic that I was at a yearbook company workshop, with some of the most "connected" people in the world, and I was sans internet most of the time.

a.) I don't have my own laptop.
b.) When I could borrow a laptop, the wireless was spotty (we were in the Georgia mountains, after all).

It was a great little workshop, but I am glad to be back at the in-laws. I love yearbook camps, but starting at 8 a.m. and going til 11 p.m. each day gets to be a little exhausting. I am, after all, 30 now, and I just can't go, go, go like I used to! (JK)

If you've ever seen that Bizzaro World episode of Seinfeld, you'll know a little bit about what it was like to be at the workshop. I've taught at others before, and even another Jostens workshop, but they all have been in Kansas. I didn't know ANY of these advisers or their schools. But, they all were great, super enthusiastic, and had great ideas for their new books.

Anywho. Just a short update.

We're off to the Mall of Georgia this afternoon. I'm sure I'll be rife with blog material after a trip there. (It even might entice me to actually loosen up and spend $20 on a card reader).

Georgia Peachy

Okay, the lack of a card reader is really starting to piss me off. We even went to Wal-Mart tonight to see if they had one I could buy. Here's a transcript of the convo...

Me: "Excuse me, do you all have any card readers?"
Wal-Mart Employee Who Looked Strangely Like Randy from "My Name is Earl": "Uhhh, yeah, they right over there in that locked cabinet. I have to get them out for you."
Me: "Where exactly is the cabinet?"
WMEWLSLRFMNIE: "I have to get them out for you."
Me: "I know, I'd just like to look at them first."
WMEWLSLRFMNIE: "Uhhhh....hmmphf."

A minute passes as I search for the cabinet, and to my dismay, discover that it contains CARDS, but no card readers.

I've seen some pretty crappy Wally Worlds in my life, but I think this one takes the cake. I'd guess that it's even worse than the WT Wal-Mart on West Kellogg.

(Imagine Bullets here)

I went for another hour long exercise session today. Ran 21 minutes, walked 40 minutes. There actually was a bit of a breeze today, so it wasn't quite as bad as it was yesterday. In an homage to good ol' Donna Hobbs, I was reminded of "The Grapes of Wrath" while on the road. There was a ton of Rosasharn bushes, and I even saw a turtle (albeit a tee-ninsy one) on the road. Seriously. You can't make this crap up.

(More bullets)

We ate dinner at a New York style pizza place here in town. Joshua ordered a stromboli that looked exactly like a colon. We took pictures. You'll just have to wait and see.

(More bullets)

I just finished reading an article in a magazine I've just seen for the first time. The mag is "Fast Company." It's all about marketing and management of corporations. The article "Leap Of Faith" is about a new clothing company called Nau. A bunch of people that worked at Nike and Patagonia got together and decided to start a socially responsible company. They have a few storefronts, in Boulder and Portland, but they actually give you a 10 percent discount and free shipping if you use the shopping kiosk and order the clothes online. (You try them on in the store, but you have them shipped to your house - lower overhead, smaller stores, less use of resources). In addition, five percent of every purchase is donated to a charity of your choice. (You also do this at a kiosk in the store, or from their website.)

Oh man, I'm thinking, this sounds great. I'd really like to support a company like this. As one of the article's subheads says "It's a fashion statement that takes a stand."

Well, I read a tiny bit farther and the featured item in the story, a women's button down "windshirt" costs $180. When are all of these green and sustainable companies going to figure out that the vast majority of people who really support that sort of lifestyle and want to save the planet cannot afford that kind of price? You can't run a company and save the world by selling to Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie alone. You have to make it accessible to the rest of us. I teach school. I'm not going to be buying a $200 shirt anytime soon, no matter how much it fits with my political and social ideology.

Captain's Log - Star Date 060107

Well, I've spent my first full day in Georgia. One thing is for sure - there is no wind here like we have in Kansas. I went for a two-miler today (and walked an additional 40 minutes) and there was no "breeze" to cool me off like there usually is back home. I did, however, see a real-live woodpecker, and he looked JUST LIKE Woody the Woodpecker. If I hadn't been running, and I'd had my camera, I could have made a great photo. He didn't fly away when I passed by.

(I'm typing this on a PC and I can't figure out how to make bullets. There's no Apple key.)

So, (this one's for you, Amy) Airtran sucks. Adam's checked bag did not make it to Atlanta with the rest of us. Thankfully, it WAS mostly just clothes, but come on, folks. It was a tiny backpack, not that heavy. Could we not have slung it up on the carousel? So, he's spent all day back and forth on the 800 number trying to sort it all out.

I had the middle seat in our row. Next to me sat Smokey McDrunkernervousflyer. Here's the problem with this guy:
a.) He was just about the last guy to board the plane, and he had a GIANT carryon that didn't fit in the overhead.
b.) He smelled like he has been smoking since birth (probably the reason he was the last guy on the plane).
c.) He drank four bloody marys during our hour and 45 minute flight.
d.) Hence, he reeked of alcohol.
e.) He tried to talk to me about my knitting project.
f.) He took up the EN-tire armrest most of the flight.
g.) He was constantly fidgeting with something.

I've been lucky most of my life. Usually my airplane neighbors are okay. This guy took the cake.

One thing about Airtran that did rock the house, though - Satellite Radio. I. HEART. Satellite Radio. Adam and I have decided that as a mutual Chittum Challenge reward if we both meet our goal weight, we will subscribe to SR. I can't wait!

(Here's where I need the bullets again)

Speaking of the Chittum Challenge, we ate a place called Zaxby's today. They are famous for their hot wings, and all manner of deep fried foods. I had a "Ranchero Salad." Yes, I wanted the chicken tenders and fries at first, but the more I thought about it, the salad sounded great. I guess that whole "cognitive approach" must be working, Kat!

Man, I have tons of photos to show, but you'll just have to wait.

Live from...Demorest, GA

Okay, so I am a pretty consistent blogger, but I am no professional. Hence, I forgot to bring the card reader so that I could download images and broadcast our vacay live.

Oh well.

Off to eat Mexican right now, I'll write all about the first leg of the trip tonight (most likely after a few cervezas).