Ready, set… go!

September 24, 2006 | 3 Comments

Terry, that sweet LatteGirl, asked if I’m taking my notebook computer with me on my trip or if there will be a brief hiatus on the blog.

Answer: I *am* taking the comp along, but after I reach my destination there won’t be any internet access. Or phones. Or television. Or alarm clocks. Or moderation of any freakin’ kind!

Ahhhhhh… bliss!

But I will be able to watch DVDs on the computer if I like and listen to lots and lots of music on my iPod stereo dock, therefore the notebook is coming along.

So, yeah, you all will have to do without me for a week. Unless my car breaks down and I have to hunt down a Starbucks somewhere simply for the internet connection… and in that case you will see a Venti Americano Rant with an extra shot of Midwest Blend Cussing spilled all over this very blog. Which won’t happen, because I live an absolutely CHARMED life… but I’m just sayin’. Heh.

See you again on October 2nd, my friends!

~xoxox :kiss:

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Road Trips

Saturday’s Potpourri

September 23, 2006 | 1 Comment

It’s been a hectic week, and here is my secret recipe.

Take the usual routine, toss on a few healthcare appointments, add some new art-world commitments, mix in a half dozen last-minute shopping errands for my trip, and sprinkle liberally with 120+ emails. Stir frantically. Freak out once a day until tests done with a fork or drool runs clear. Serves 1, because no one else wants any of it.

So, yeah. That’s my story on the lack of updates and I’m sticking to it. :dumb:

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The main event is my upcoming week of travel. It’s my first extended solo trip since I returned from Indiana in 2001 (Gasp! I know. But that place kind of left me ~~batshit crazy~~ road weary. ) Everything else has been weekend or day excursions, and usually with my Agent J along as co-pilot.

But this! This is something else. Bwahahaha!

Wandering. Exploring. Art. Music. FUN. New sights, new tastes, new adventures.

(Sorry. I could tell you more, but you’re too young to hear such things.)

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In other exciting news, I’ve been invited to judge a local art exposition. There is even a very nice stipend given as incentive. I’m still blinking in amazement over this sentence in the confirmation letter:

Based on your expert opinion, we will determine the award-winners.

Me. A paid expert.

I keep forgetting that I have the credentials to do this now.

By the way, if you are having a chocolate layer cake competition or a “Bulging Hunks in Tight Speedos” contest and you’re in need of a judge, I’m highly qualified to evaluate those things, too.

Ok, really just the cake thing.

Can’t blame a girl for trying, can ya?

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And in Weird Coincidence News:

Today when I was out driving, some guy pulled out way past the stop sign at an intersection. I had to brake and swerve in order not to hit him. As I was doing that I thought to myself “Dammit, look out you little old turd!” I stole a glance at the driver in that split second – and OHMYGOSH he really did look just like a little old turd!

Brown, misshapen, and covered in an air of righteous indignation.

My reaction went from anger to amusement in a flash. It’s not every day that you are lucky enough to see a turd driving a big ol’ Buick.

God is having fun with me right now and I like it. Hehehe. More again soon, my friends…

~ xoxox

Posted by Christine | Filed Under The Scoop

We interrupt this extreme busy-ness for a spot of humor…

September 21, 2006 | 2 Comments

Loads of stuff going on at the moment, my friends… but I will write more on that later. Right now let’s take a moment to laugh at this joke I got from Betty. (Yes, JL… your name came up… hee! )

Only a person in TENNESSEE could think of this!

From the county where drunk driving is considered a sport, comes this absolutely true story….

Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a bar in Paris,Tennessee.

After last call the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.

After what seemed an eternity in which he tried his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his car and fall into it. He sat there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off.

Finally, he started the car, switched the wipers on and off–it was a fine, dry summer night–, flicked the blinkers on and off a couple of times, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the other patrons’ vehicles left. At last, when his was the only car left in the parking lot, he pulled out and drove slowly down the road.

The police officer, having waited patiently all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and administered a breathalyzer test.

To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence that the man had consumed any alcohol at all!

Dumbfounded, the officer said, “I’ll have to ask you to accompany me to the police station. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken.”

“I doubt it,” said the truly proud Hillbilly. “Tonight I’m the designated decoy.”

No Yankee would be so delightfully devious. The Tennesseans are proving to be a wiley lot… they’re going to keep me on my toes when I’m a-visitin’ thar.

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Funny Ha Ha

Monday Music Mambo, #117

September 18, 2006 | 3 Comments

This just in from the home office in Mamboville…

Greetings! Let’s do another Music Mambo. Today’s theme is LP Record Day! How convenient!

1. Do you own any LPs? If so, how many?

Yes, a few — maybe 150 or so. I’m really not sure anymore. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to them. After CDs arrived, I started collecting those instead.

Some of my favorite selections from my album collection include…

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car

John Cougar Mellencamp ~ Hurts So Good

Breeders – Cannonball

Diana Ross & The Supremes – Come See About Me

James Gang – Funk #49

Brownsville Station – Smokin’ In the Boys’ Room

Bad Company – Shooting Star

Head East – Never Been Any Reason

The Bee Gees ~ How Deep Is Your Love

The Cars – Drive

John Denver – Rocky Mountain High

Bread – Aubrey

Elton John – Crocodile Rock

Peter Frampton ~ Baby, I Love Your Way

2. Do you own any rare or special LPs? Tell us the story behind how you got them.

I have a copy of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Green River” LP, personally signed by John Fogerty. All I had to do was smile and bat my pretty brown eyes.

From that album…

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Lodi

3. Are there any original-copy LPs that you’d absolutely love to have?

I’d like to have an original copy of two particular LPs. One is The Band’s “Music from Big Pink” and the other is Bob Dylan’s “Self Portrait”. Granted, the music on the Dylan album isn’t his best, but I just love the painting on the cover. (I like most of his paintings, in fact.)

The Band - The Weight

Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan ~ She Belongs to Me

Both covers would look great framed and hung on my studio wall. :yes:

4. What do you think the future holds for the LP?

Well, I think that’s in the hands of the musicians. If contemporary music continues to go The Way of The Crap, I don’t know very many people who are going to spend money on an entire LP just to have a song or two. (That’s part of the reason albums started dying out anyway, remember? One hit wonders at full album prices.) I realize there are music connoisseurs who prefer the sound of vinyl, though, so perhaps “collection” type albums and concert recordings will always have a place in the market.

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That’s it for this week’s Mambo, kids! Snag what ya like… they’ll be here until the next time. Leave a comment about what you believe the future holds for the LP, if you have time. I’d like to hear what everyone else thinks.

Love and good music to you…

~xoxox

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Monday Music Mambo

Happy Birthday to Me!

September 16, 2006 | 13 Comments

Pretty~Pink~Forty~Five
Photoshop CS Digital Collage
450 x 479 pixels
09-16-06

Yes, my friends… today is my birthday, and I am now 45 years old. Because this national holiday falls on a weekend this year, most of you will not be getting an extra day off from work. (Sorry!) But I will allow you to lick the birthday cupcake on the screen as a consolation prize.

Hee! I sound like such a princess, don’t I? Trust me, I’m only kidding. In all honesty, I’m just thrilled to have lived this long and — God willing — I’ll be around to continue pestering the world for many years to come.

Thanks to all of my regular readers for your continued support and love (or tolerance, which ever it may be…) and especially to my dear friend, Betty, who left a secret message in my comments section yesterday reminding everyone that it’s my birthday.

You lil’ sneak, Betty… (Love you!)

Ok, now… I’m off to practice being 45 years old now. I’m going to attempt to do it without training wheels, too.

Wish me luck. :party:

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Creative Moments