Happy Birthday Jonny!

My own Jonny Greenwood celebrated a birthday this week. I want to wish him many happy returns and to publicly declare him as my music god. Jonny, what can I say? I simply cannot get enough of your music. You have totally blown my mind and don't you ever ever ever stop.


I can't write this post without giving a little shout out to Thom. I missed his birthday last month and need to make up for it. Thom, you are a master. Master lyricist, singer, mixer, just all of it. You amaze me. When you guys entered my life 8 years ago, you totally knocked my music world on it's ear and have since totally eclipsed every other band I have ever heard. I like and enjoy other music, but the problem is, at the end of the day, it just isn't Radiohead. Thank you so much for doing what you do and keep doing it!

You like to cover Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" and how fitting? Truer words were never spoken.




I just had to add this picture. It makes me laugh. Thom is such a wonderful spaz.

Some good fun

Cheers

Halloween Report

Well, Scout and I had a fun Halloween. Poor Rob has been working very long hours this week trying to finish 4 different jobs, so he has been ghost daddy, so it was basically just the two of us. As you can see Scout was a witch. That is all she wanted to be, even though I dressed her as one two years ago (she doesn't remember). She had school today, where they had a party, so she dressed up. Her teacher was also a witch and there was some scene where she made some witches brew and (she told me as I picked Scout up), that Scout dived under the table and refused to come out. She said that it makes about one child a year cry. Scout didn't cry, just ran for her life. When I asked her later, she said that she didn't want her teacher to cast a spell on her. Then we had an unsuccessful attempt at a nap, and then set up a bowl of candy on the porch and went trick or treating. At one house, she got a sucker shaped as a skull and it impressed her so much that for about the next 5 houses, when someone opened the door they were greeted with, "I got a skeleton sucker". She was cute, and we have THE BEST neighborhood for trick or treating. No one drives, houses are fairly close together, everyone's out, it is just totally ideal for such things. Then we went home and watched a Halloween Charlie and Lola and answered the door. Then daddy came home and then we answered the door until all the candy was gone. Scout had to answer the door everytime and hand out the candy, even when she was in her dunglees and half asleep. That is about it! Sorry it was SO BORING! But, we had a nice time and Scout (and mom and dad) got some good treats.I made the cape, as I already had everything else and couldn't find just a cape. Scout picked out the fabric, she really wanted pink, I couldn't find any trim the same color so went with gold (it matched the gold spots on the fabric you probably can't see. Anyway it turned out fairly ghastly, a little more superhero then witch, but Scout was very pleased, so I was too. Also, as I set out to sew it, figured out my sewing machine (well half of it) was still at Grandpa Pugh's house, so I had to glue gun it. Lame sauce.I made her a little broom and I was so proud of it, but forgot to have her hold it for the pictures. It cost only 1.99 to make. Here is a little pic of it, (with a crayon for perspective)

I thought this was a nice little Halloween image. Double suckering it.

Diamond Rooms, Reverent Raccoons and Dang It

The famed dinosaurs are back. This time they all got owies and needed Spongebob band aids.
She said they got "bites".

I decided that next time Scout said something funny, I would write it down a not post until I saved a few up. So I have a few, plus a few more entries into the "Scoutisms dictionary"

Scout made a little book in nursery called "Reverence Raccoon". She wanted me to read it to her on the way home from church, so I did.
It was about what you would expect it to be, such as being quiet in church, folding your arms, etc. After I read it, I said, "Are you going to be like Reverence Raccoon?"
She said, "No."
We were slightly off put and Rob and I just kind of looked at each other like, well ok- she has spoken. Then I said,
"Why not? It would be very nice to be like Reverence Raccoon." She just stayed silent.
About a minute later she said (with a little world weariness in her voice),
"I'll wear the costume later".
I suppose this was just a little close to Halloween.

Scout struggling with a toy (a little disk that shoots out smaller discs)
"Dang it!"
(Takes a quick glance at me)
"I don't like it when I say 'dang it', it's no good"
About one second later.............
"dang it!"

We had a little discussion about using 'dang it' about a week ago, I just mentioned that I would rather her not use that expression (I'm SURE it flies out of my own mouth in her presence about 15 times a day) so I was expecting this. Anyway the same day about 6 hours later she picked up the same toy, and even before she started playing with it said:

"I don't want to say "dang it" -sorry mom!"

(I didn't say a word! Nor did I even give her a look)

Scoutisms

The diamond room: Dining room. This took a long time for us to figure out. She is talking about the little room as you walk in the house to your right. I couldn't figure out why she would call that the diamond room. It is more of a sitting/TV room, but we do dine there quite a bit since it has a TV. But Rob and I have never referred to it as a dining room, we have one off of the kitchen.

I would like to introduce you all to "Milo and Notice". They do a lot of playing together, mostly in Scout's bathroom sink riding boats.

"Notice" just kills me every time.

My brain died when I started trying to remember Scoutisms. Maybe I can come up with more later, and post them. This was originally going to be a journal of funnies exert, but it turned into more shenanigans.

Emily's Wal-Mart Gripe

I recently made a deceleration that I was never going to Wal-Mart again, and there was some interest as to why. Well, there are several reasons, and this is also a deceleration I have made in the past, but one I would love to finally keep (although I already have plans to go back, but you'll see why below).
So, it really wasn't a big deal, but this was the experience or "straw that was the camel's spinal demise" (or something). So, I looked online for the cheapest way to get my ipod shuffle going again, and Wal-Mart sells a product that was a little shuffle dock for $17 (replacement docks are $30 WHY is that?? You can buy Shuffles now for like 45 bucks. You might as well buy a new one. Rotten Apple people, sorry, didn't have a good ipod week). This product is a little speaker system that also can be plugged into the computer for syncing. I assumed it was available in store since it didn't say otherwise, so Scout and I went and picked up some groceries while we were at it. They didn't have it. They did have a product for "$19" that was a wall charger for assorted electronics including the shuffle. It can be unattached to the wall and plugged into the computer, but I asked the electronics dude if it can sync it too. He looked at it and said that since it has a USB port, that would be possible. So I bought it, and then shopped for some groceries. I went to the self check out line, which I am a pro at. The weights however, wouldn't accommodate my "green bags" (that has never been an issue before) so the lady had to fix that, but it took her forever. Then, when I got to the ipod product, it rung up as $23 dollars, so I went up to her and told her that the shelf said it was 19. I explained it very clearly, but she misunderstood me about 10 times and then when she finally understood what I was saying, blew out this huge sigh and said, "well I can check for you, but it is going to take a long time." I offered to look for myself, but she shooed that suggestion. So she called over another worker who went to check. Scout is getting impatient at this time so, it was getting fairly lame. The girl comes back and says, yeah, these are 23 dollars, she said they were all on the wrong rack. Whatever, I bought it anyway and paid for everything and then we went to the little rides to give Scout her promised car ride. The machine ate the 2 quarters I gave Scout, I put one more in and nothing. So there was a attendant standing behind this desk that looked like the cashier center, it was all official with clip boards and what not. I stood behind this old guy who bought 80 dollars worth of cat food. (I can only imagine why), and I told the girl (who had a tag that said "Manager") and before I even finished my sentence, she shook her head and told me I needed to go to customer service. So I scooped Scout up and went there. I would have just left, but the bean was promised a ride and they had several other machines, and I had no more quarters, so I waited. When it was my turn, they did refund me my 3 quarters. We rode the horsey this time and then went home.
That thing does not sync with itunes, it only charges.

Now I have to go back and exchange it. I called the manufacturer, since I have a new library, so I wasn't sure if I downloaded it right. I will suppress another gripe of mine about how all companies have moved their customer service out of the country and now when you call a company you have to talk to someone with an accent so thick you can't understand each other (not to mention this guy had no idea about what I was talking about, he didn't know the product at all that he was supposed to be "technical support" for and couldn't answer my one simple question). I normally don't have a problem with trying to communicate with someone that speaks a different language from me, I am usually very tolerant, but this situation bugs me that it just reminds me about how jobs are fleeing this country and going over seas in the name of cost. Yes, I do realize that I went looking for a product that was the cheapest I can find. So that is why I am not griping about it (too much). Yes, I am a hypocrite, and I realize it.

So besides the events of this week, I have always hated Wal-Mart and avoid it most of the time.
My reasons are two fold:
1) There is the issue of the fact that I simply always have an unpleasant time there. The times that I have been hit or run down by another shopper and their cart, have ALWAYS occurred there. No one ever apologizes. No one seems happy at Wal-Mart. Everyone is crabby and rude. It's just a bad place.

2) The second reason, (and I like to think this one is the most important reason to me) I don't like how it moves into a town and business that have been around for years, find the competition too fierce and shut down. Many simply can't compete, it's a monster. I happen to like the little shops. I like having a choice as to where to shop. If everyone only shops there, then that is going to be our only choice when we go shopping. They are popping up EVERYWHERE, like 5 blocks from another one. The one that appeared in Sandy, a few years ago, was a giant scandal. No one thought there needed to be another one around there. There were even protests surrounding it's opening. I was very close to joining in on the picketing, but didn't.
I should have, but didn't because of this reason: the demands of my pocketbook and it's convenience win sometimes and I break down and go, abandoning my principles.
They really sell plastic baggies cheaper then anyone else on the planet. And sometimes it is dinnertime and Scout is crabby and I need tortillas and I don't know -thread, and it's either two stops or one stop to the old Wal-Mart, and the pull of that one stop is enough to make me choose that hell-hole. I'm so weak!!
Rob refuses to shop there, but for my first reason, not my second. He says, and I quote "everyone that shops there wears over sized Tasmanian Devil shirts". In fact, he thinks it is a good company to work for and provides it's employees with good benefits and provides people with jobs that otherwise may not get a job elsewhere. That is fine and good, but I don't think the benefits out weigh the crap. They talk about how they "give back to the community" but I heard the statistics once and it was a pittance.
There. That is the majority of my gripe. I could go on, but I am kind of sick of thinking about Wal-Mart.

My Life on Clomid - Month 1

So, I finished my first week on Clomid and I thought I would record my experience. I heard a lot of horror stories about the drug, everyone seems to have different side effects and was anxious to see what my week would bring. Basically, I can sum it up by saying, I pretty much felt like I was hopped up on diet pills. The first day, I felt shaky and jittery and not hungry. That night Scout woke me up at like 4 o'clock for something and when I got back in bed and closed my eyes, I couldn't stop picturing a little man in my head endlessly flipping. He was like doing ferris wheel summersalts the rest of the night. The next day, and the proceeding days, it was just diet pills or caffine pills like and the dizziness quieted some. I have no appetite and totally forget to eat, I feel hungry once in a while, but eat very little when I do. I also have like a brain fog thing where I have trouble concentrating (ie-math in my head- not doing that so well). Basically, I kind have gone stupid. Eh, I imagine it will go away, but I have been off it for 2 days now and still feel the same. Last night I ate an apple right before bed and felt really sick, I totally thought I was going to barf. I was like, ok, since when do apples make you sick??? It only lasted about 20 minutes, I just snapped out of it and was perfectly fine, and even hunted down some m&m's. Kind of like when you are pregnant. Anyway, that was my only stomach complaint, thankfully. Except that I was never hungry, but I'm not going to complain about that.
So, that was month one. All in all, much better then I thought it would be. By the way, I wouldn't complain if it ends up being my only month.

Sorry Art Garfunkel

This didn't happen today, but Rob and I remembered it today and started laughing and Rob asked me if it was in the Journal Of Funnies and I said no, and we agreed I better add it.

Some months back, while I was busily adding cds into my itunes, cds were stacked all around the computer. At the same time, Scout had some little jewel stickers that kind of looked like rhinestone kind of things, I think I had bought them for her quiet book and didn't end up wanting them. They kept cropping up in places and one night while I was elsewhere (work?) I THINK it was Rob who stuck a red rhinestone on Art Garfunkel's nose (it could have been Scout, but I am leaning towards Rob). Anyway he said, "Look Scout! It's Rudolph!" And she goes, "no daddy, that's a clown."This is the album (and picture) it was.

I would really love to photoshop a rhinestone on here so you guys can see exactly how funny this was but I don't currently have photoshop as we just got an updated computer. As it is, this may be a watered down version of a very funny observation by Scout. Oh well, it will always make Rob and I laugh.