February 29, 2012 Happy Leap Year Day!

Last year when I was trying to decide if I should continue with this drivel that has become my daily blog, one of the factors weighing in favor of writing the blog was the fact that in 2012 I'd have one additional day to spew my nonsense out into the universe. That did it. Dang, one extra day! Oh boy!

I've been giving this some thought (no, really, I have) and decided that today I'd list 29 things I'd like to be writing about today.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. My dad stopped by for a visit and agreed to open a law practice with me; we spent the day talking politics, lamenting the disaster that is the state of Kansas, shaking our heads with wonder at Luke's success and taking full credit for his brains, if not his brawn.

2. My daughter, Priya and her husband Chet, sent tickets for Kimber and me to fly to Australia for a visit this summer. Sydney is lovely in June, I've heard.

3. Rick Santorum was run over by a bus of women on their way to buy birth control pills and had to pull out of the presidential race.

4. Mitt Romney came out as a gay man and, while I love the gay men in my life, I still wouldn't vote for him if he paid me.

5. Frank Martin's head exploded during basketball practice at K State today and his coaching staff is still mopping up the toxic waste in the hopes the Octagon of Doom will be available on Saturday in time for Senior Day.

6. The Kansas Lottery insisted that I have won the Powerball in spite of my insistence that I did not buy a ticket. I may have to capitulate on this one.....

7. Buddy, the Dog from Hell Who Is Allergic To Everything, has been cured.

8. I woke up and somehow over night I lost 90 pounds. Now I weigh what my driver's license says I weigh! Do I have to report that to someone?

9. CB got a hole in one and per our agreement of 12 years, he is going to take me to Tahiti (what with the magical weight loss, I am all over this trip!). Seriously, 12 years ago we agreed that if he ever got a hole in one, we'd go to Tahiti. The fact of the matter is that he HAS had one hole in one and I have yet to see those crystal clear waters.

10. Out of the 100 channels on my television, there was something worth watching last night.

11. The brass at KState discovered Student Legal Services, realized the importance of the program and offered to move it to a professional office. One without drama.

12. A domino tournament has been scheduled for next weekend and all the heavy hitters are coming around to play: Watts, Morrisons, Conklins, Turners, my Momma (except she's not such a heavy hitter, but she provides comic relief). The promise we all made to get together is being honored. I better win, by the way. I don't want to have to cheat, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

13. The new owners of my B and B on Main Street decided they want me to run it. I agreed in record time, my new law firm with my dad notwithstanding.

14. Fred Phelps and all his minions were taken hostage. No one cares.

15. Mandatory naps implemented at Kansas State. Morale soars.

16. President Obama called and said that if Hillary retires, he wants me for Secretary of State. Said something about my bullshit meter and the fact that I have no patience with idiots.

17. I learned the difference between "laying" and "lying".

18. All that shit I have stored in my garage? I found a use for it.

19. Luke explained differential equations to me and I understood completely.

20. Buddy (same dog as in #7) is now perfectly trained. He can sit, roll over, shake, fetch and deliver small packages on command. He is making up for being allergic to EVERYTHING.

21. American voters finally listened to reason, elected only Democrats and prosperity is once again on the horizon.

22. Kimber and I are hired by a travel agency to fly to exotic places and write a blog about our experiences. Oh, and paid very well.

23. I still get to end up with Luke and CB, but I got to live my 20s, 30s and 40s over. Now THAT would make an interesting blog.

24. Fort Hays State University and Washburn University School of Law got the message that I am not going to give them any money and they agree to stop calling.

25. My house stayed dusted.

26. Sarah Palin changed her first name. Thank god. That was one heavy cross to bear.

27. Faux Broadcasting was taken over by the staff of the former Air America Radio. The angels wept with joy. Bill O'Reiley now homeless and someone ripped out his tongue.

28. Russ Limbaugh abducted. No one cares. No. One. Cares. Angels? Still weeping with joy.

29. El Charo (my favorite restaurant) opened a branch in the empty field across the street from my house. I've sold all my kitchen appliances and built a covered walkway.

Enjoy your Leap Year Day!

February 28, 2012 Question Asked and Answered

While waiting for CB to pick me up for lunch today (what a lovely surprise, I might add, seeing my honey mid-day. Add to that a free meal, and I'm sold!) I noticed for the first time this yellow line on Mid Campus Drive.

I believe this lane is for bikes. I've never seen a bike in this bike lane. I wondered why.

I looked to the left, no bikes and no answer to my question.

I looked to the left and behold!, the answer was made clear to me.

The reason that there are no bikes in this bike lane is because....

apparently this bike lane is only for unicycles or bikes with one wheel and a pogo stick where the back wheel should be.

You can bet that I'm going to open the shades of my office windows and keep an eye out for activity in that very special bike lane.

You can also bet that if I see someone riding a unicycle/pogo stick in this bike lane (or any where to be perfectly honest and I am nothing if not perfectly honest) I will literally run out of my office, camera in hand! I'll post that darn picture immediately!

Now, if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath for either of those things. Oh, the unicycle/pogo stick might come down the bike lane. It's the "literally run out of my office" part that ain't gonna happen. Ever.

Me? Not running. Not a chance.

February 27, 2012 NOT a Do Over

What do you get when you take 4 chicken breasts and cook them for 3 minutes on each side then add 2 sliced apples, 1/2 cup of sliced onions, and pour 1/3 cup of maple syrup and 1/2 cup of Italian dressing over it and bake it for 20 minutes?

You get a meal that you won't ever make again because it tasted like something you'd eat in a hospital.

No flavor and sort of mushy (which would be okay if you didn't want to chew your food, which, frankly, I sort of like doing.)

CB ate his.  Then he ate mine.  I had about 2 bites, said "What was I thinking?" and handed over the rest.

Luke is eating later.  He's in for quite an experience.  I'm not going to warn him because I think a few surprises are good for the soul.

February 26, 2012 Luke Takes Momma Shopping



Let's say you are bored on a Sunday morning.  You'd like to go to breakfast at Bob's Diner in Manhattan, but if you do that, you also have to take your mother grocery shopping.  Grocery shopping, on this occasion, is a major ordeal, i.e. groceries for 2 months.  The question you find yourself asking is this:  Is breakfast at Bob's Diner, wonderful as it is, enough motivation to grocery shop with your mother?

The answer today is Yes!  Yes, it is!

After breakfast, Luke and I attacked Dillons with a shopping list for 2 months worth of groceries, a notebook with 2 months of meal plans and recipes and a handful of coupons.

We were set!  Oh, and Luke remembered all the shopping bags.

We were a well oiled machine, I am here to tell you.

Barely an hour into our shopping adventure, we had filled 2 baskets, barely strayed from our list, found everything but frozen meatballs and were ready to check out.  As we approached the check out lane, we each guessed what the total would be; in spite of all my practice, Luke won (I was $200 over!).  Coupons saved us 9% of the final bill which was around $45.00.  You want to know something cool about the trunk of my new car?  It can hold 2 months worth of groceries AND still have room for a body or two.  If you are in the business of hauling clean shit (as opposed to dirty shit and you totally know what I mean), my car is the car to have.

The best part for me was having Luke carry all the groceries in (that's why I gave birth to him 30 years ago, after all).  I don't mind putting things away, but I hate to lug the shopping bags around. 

To make you scream out loud:  I weighed the hamburger out according to what I need for various recipes, vacuumed packed it and labeled it with weight and name of meal.  I did this will all the meat.  When we got home I popped "Bridesmaids" into the DVD player.  I was wiping down the counter when the final credits rolled.

Nap time followed.

CB cooked supper.

I love a day that is filled with accomplishments. 

I love a day that does not include the question "what are we having for supper?"

February 25, 2012 Dog's Life

If you a dog and your human mom is screaming at one television and your human dad is screaming at another, what do you do?



You throw food out of your dish onto the floor, then come back and eat it later.

And wish that either your parents would find a new college basketball team to watch.

Or that KU would win by more than one point in overtime.  (It was heart attacks all around, folks, during the KU - Mizzou game.  The final game in the Border War was a doozie! But it made Buddy nervous.  Maybe yelling at the TV is not the best way to keep our canine calm?)

February 24, 2012 More Proof I'm In Kansas

You can't tell from this picture but the sticker says "You can have my gun.  Bullets first."

Oh yeah, this is just the mentality I want for people who own guns.

 I bet this "bullets first" guy is proponent of concealed carry, too.  I bet he even wants to allow concealed carry on college campuses.  (Seriously, that's something the Kansas legislature is considering.  When that happens, I retire.  I do not need any one coming in my office with a concealed gun.  They are scary enough already!)

The whole gun control issue pisses me off. 

Own a gun, shoot your food.

Don't shoot your food?

Don't own a gun.

There.  Now that that's sorted, I'll get started on peace in the Middle East.

February 23, 2012 Another Kansas Sky

There is something about a Kansas sky.  When it's cloudless, the blue is vibrant and crisp and the color you want to paint your kitchen if you could find a paint that matches exactly which you can't because it's a color that was made just for the sky over Kansas.

When weather is on the horizon, the sky is just as beautiful but with a bit of mystery; sort of like a woman wearing a veil - think Jackie Kennedy at JFK's funeral.

This was the eastern sky when I was driving home tonight.  Since most of our weather comes from the southwest, I was pretty sure this band of clouds was harmless to my little town but it still looked ominous and that's why I took a picture.

Also, I took this picture because I was pretending that I was driving to Colorado and I could see the mountains!  This "I'm in Colorado" fantasy is much better than my "I've had a bad day and I think I'll drive my car into a dry creek bed" fantasy.

A trip of any length with me (and my imagination) is full of surprises.

February 22, 2012 Luke Cooks!

How awesome was my day?  Glad you asked.

I got a text from Luke mid-afternoon.  He wanted to know if I needed anything at the store.  He said he was going to make ribs for supper tonight.

No, I didn't need anything and did I understand correctly that HE was going to cook supper?

Yes, I did, in fact understand correctly, and when I got home the house smelled like one of those wonderful barbeque joints that makes your mouth water by simply inhaling!

What a great guy that Luke is.  I should mention that on Monday, CB made a pot of chili that was quite tastey.  He even did the shopping for that meal.  Dang, I about have these boys trained, don't I?

I wish I didn't like to cook so much because I could easily assign them each a night or two or three to cook and I'd take the weekends (when we usually eat out!). 

Luke says he wants me to put together a cookbook of all his favorite meals which I think will be fun.  I thought I'd cook each dish and take a photo so he'll have some idea of what it's supposed to look like. 

One thing is for sure, I won't have to teach him how to make ribs!

February 21, 2012 Another Thing I Love

Remember the shelving unit I got in San Antonio?  Well, I love it.  Love.  It.  A.  Lot.

Here it is all filled up with DVDs.  Where did all these DVDs come from anyway?  I don't remember buying them but then again I don't remember what I had for breakfast or where I spent last weekend.

Here's a drawback to having my movies on display for all the world to see:  guests will stand at the door and look through the movies and wonder why I have "Nanny McPhee" (doesn't everyone?) along side "The Last King of Scotland"  along side every season of "The West Wing" (which is what got me through the Bush years.  Seriously, those were some really bad years.) and many romantic comedies. 

CB says all this shit hanging on the door makes the door heavy.

I tell him too bad.

I love this set up and we all know the rule around here.

It's all about me.

February 20, 2012 Monday Night at the Old Folk's Home

CB made chili for supper.  It was awesome.  (Particularly because I didn't have to either go to the store or cook it!)  When we had finished and the dishes were done, he asked me to help him with a puzzle.

The last time he asked me to help him with a puzzle, I wanted to shoot myself before it was finished.  But I  figured this had to be better.

Right?

Right!

This puzzle was so much fun!  It is really easy to entertain old people, I have discovered.

A couple of things to take note of:  there were some really big pieces, some medium sized ones and some small ones.  That made it fun (times are tough in Wamego when doing a puzzle and talking about the size of the pieces equals fun.  I have become my mother.)  Also, this is a map of the US made with license plates of the various states, all set on a backgound of the American flag.  Very colorful, as opposed to the puzzle from hell that was all white. 

Here is the completed puzzle.  It's really kind of cool all put together.  We admired it for about 15 seconds and tore it apart.  I think we'll take to my mom.  She's been looking like she might start wandering the streets unless she finds something to keep her busy.  And housework doesn't seem to be doing the trick!

If things get any more exciting around here, I'll be sure to have my camera at the ready.

February 19, 2012 No Picture of the Important Thing

While in San Antonio, I went to a Container Store and bought a wonderful shelving unit to put on the basement door to hold all my DVDs.  When  I cook, which is all the time, I love to pop a DVD in to entertain me when my full contact baking is not enough.  Right now, I am storing all the DVDs on a shelf in the bar in the kitchen and it is less than satisfactory.  I found this handy dandy unit on line and discovered a store in San Antonio.  Karin and I went there on our way home from Port Aransas.

Luke, the mechanical engineer in training, installed the unit for me.  It wasn't rocket science, but I'm glad someone else did the heavy lifting. 

Wait a minute.  Luke installed an empty shelving unit.  I carried all the DVDs and loaded the damn thing. 

If there was any heavy lifting, I did it.  Thank you very much.





Right after I took this picture, I took the battery out of my camera to recharge it.  That little bit of information is important because I forgot to put the battery back in when it had charged.  That's important because we all went out to dinner in Topeka tonight.  That's important because we went out to eat because it's the anniversary of CB's and my first date 12 years ago!  (I might add that it was the best first date ever.  I bought the beer and CB won the pot at the black jack party we went to.  I guess CB thought it was okay, too, because there was a second date!)

Luke was all ready to snap the picture only to discover that there was no battery, therefore no picture.

We laughed a lot about all the silly pictures I've taken over the past 14 months but tonight, I couldn't take what would have been a rather nice photo.

Once again, I ask you to use your imagination.  However, please ignore the butter drips on my shirt from the crab legs. 

Happy first date anniversary, CB.  I'd do it all over again. 

February 18, 2012 I Made a New Friend

Making friends is so much easier when a friend you already have has a baby, thus providing you with someone who has no choice but to like you.

This is Evie (pronounced Eee-Vee), short for Evelyn. She's about 3 months old and the best baby in the universe. She cried once during my visit and quieted only when I rocked her. That's right, I've got still got the touch.

Mom is a K State graduate who many years ago wandered into my office telling me that she wanted to go to law school. Jennifer asked if she could hang out with me to see what lawyering was all about. A fast friendship was formed and we've been buddies ever since.

Jennifer is one of those people who will accomplish whatever she sets her mind to. She's articulate, smart, funny, liberal and focused. While she didn't go to law school right after college (she got a great job and got married instead - both of which are pretty good alternatives!) she is still considering law as a career.

When she starts law school, her peers better watch out because this woman is driven and will work twice as hard as anyone else in her class...while raising a baby and managing a house and husband. Not that her husband needs managing, but he IS a man, after all.

You know the kind of friendship where no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other, you pick up where you left off? That's what Jennifer and I have. Yes, I'm old enough to be her mother; in fact, I'm older than her mother, but whatever kind of relationship we have, it works for us and has stood the test of time.

Now I have another generation to influence. I was holding Evie and telling her that I had so many things to teach her and I could see out of the corner of my eye her dad cringing! I'm sure he wonders what kind of nonsense I'll be filling her head with.

He'll have to wait and see!

Evie, you have a wonderful mother and you'll be around to watch her do very great things. Enjoy the ride! You are a lucky little girl.

I'll be honored to watch you grow up and help when I can.

February 17, 2012 Willie Wildcat

One of  the benefits of working at a university is not knowing who or what you might see when you walk in the door!  This morning, I was greeted by Willie Wildcat (for the record, his name is NOT Willie The Wildcat, just Willie Wildcat.  You never know when you might need that little piece of information.)

Anyway, Willie was waiting for me when I walked in the Union this morning.  Perhaps it is possible that he wasn't waiting for me exactly, but was there to welcome a gathering of students considering attending Kansas State.

Or maybe to see me.

(It's possible.)

Willie began flexing his muscles when he saw me pull out my camera and I took the obligatory photo.

 But then I said "Willie, what happened during the KU game?  I was watching it with KU fans.  Bets were made.  Bets were lost."

Poor Willie.  He looked at me as if he couldn't believe someone would even bring up something unpleasant and then he covered his face with his hands and started shaking his head.  It was pretty funny.

It's probably a good thing Willie Wildcat doesn't talk.  I'm thinking he would have had a lot to say this morning!

February 16, 2012 And I'm Not Even Senile Yet

My new car needed an oil change and some TLC after its 2000 mile journey so I drove a different car to work today.  Luke drives my Mazda now; the car that I've driven for 12 years and could find in a dark, packed parking lot.  That is not the car I drove today.

Today I drove the other car.  Let's start at the beginning:  when someone asks me what kind of car I drive, I answer "silver" or "a pick up" or "one with 2 doors".  You get my drift?  I'm not a make/model kind of girl.

This was a problem tonight when I left the office.  Upon arriving at the top floor of the parking garage, I discovered 3 silver cars.  I didn't discover them all at once, of course.  I discovered them one at a time.

I went to the first one, parked in the spot where I usually park.

Pushed the unlock button on my key fob.  And waited while nothing happened.

That was Silver Car #1.  (I have no idea what the orange cone was for.  It certainly wasn't there to help me find my damn car.)

I glanced around and found Silver Car #2.  I tootled over to it, pushed the key fob.

Nothing.

Things were getting desperate.

But then, just when I was about to call someone (oh wait, I couldn't have called anyone because I had forgotten my phone.  Yes.  It was that kind of day.), there is was.....Silver Car #3.

I pushed the unlock button and the car unlocked!  Just like magic!

This car needs some bumper stickers or something.  Me remembering where I parked is clearly not an option.

February 15, 2012 South Texas or Northeast Kansas?

I returned to work today, but I felt like I was still in South Texas!  Fog.  Rain.  Gloom.

Just like vacation!

Except I was headed toward work instead of the beach.

February 14, 2012 On the Road Again

We left San Antonio at 4:30 a.m. I'm sure you want to know how I got out of bed so early. Last night, I got directions to the nearest Krispy Kreme donut shop. They're open 24 hours a day, you know.

Just so you really know, THEY ARE NOT OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY. THEY DON'T OPEN UNTIL 5:30. Shit. I knew CB wouldn't wait around for the place to open - - sort of defeats the idea of getting an early start, doesn't it?

No worries, we just took off in the dark of night and in fog that was like pea soup.

When we got home, I thought I should take a picture of the back seat and the trunk of my car.

Why in the world did I think we needed all this crap?

Oh, I know why. It's because it was a Tribunal.

And a Tribunal requires a lot of crap.

February 13, 2012 Part 2

Karin and I drove from Port A to San Antonio together and the boys drove the other car. The driver of one of the cars got a speeding ticket. The driver of the other car, who was going faster, did not.
I was the fast driver.

Karin and I stopped at the wonderful HEB grocery store right by their house. There was a guy there in a tuxedo, personalizing bottles of wine. Karin and I never met a bottle of wine we couldn't personalize, so we bought one, personalized the son of a bitch, added in some chocolate dipped strawberries and headed home.

You are NOT going to see this in Wamego.

After supper, it was time for the KU-K State basketball game. This year's Tribunal was a double header as far as basketball goes.

We even predicted the point spread on this game to determine who gets Travelin' Jay for the next year.

That person would be me.

Night, night, Karin.

Is that a great shirt she has on or what?

Reasons Karin went to sleep during a pretty exciting basketball game:

long weekend

many hours in a hot tub

too much wine

more wine

followed my a little more wine

It was a great weekend.

February 13, 2012 Last Day on the Beach

Before we spent 2 hours packing the cars, we walked on the beach (and went to the hot tub!).

I love the beach. Even when it's pissed off at the world.

February 12, 2012 Neither Rain nor Snow nor Wind.....

Cold, rainy wind could not keep this Kansas girl from the beach! We went to the Padre Island National Seashore and it was wonderful!

It was raining. The sea was angry. The beach was deserted. It was great! CB, Roger and Karin were so patient with me. They told me to take my time and enjoy my time at the beach.

Which I did!

When we got back to the condo, we went to the hot tub, naturally.

Roger taught us how to play Liar's Dice - a game he invented and changes the rules to as it suits him. No, I mean it. He would tell me one thing, then when I was about to beat his ass, he'd change the rule. Karin and I both saw this numerous times. CB says it never happened.

Who you gonna believe?

Anyway, we were playing this game, drinking, yelling, laughing, swearing - when the electricity went off! There we were in the dark. But we weren't down for long - - everyone went and got their flash lights (oh, note to self, travel with CB because he had THREE flashlights!) and we continued to party!

This picture looks like it was taken with the lights on, but I can promise you that it was in the dark!

The power was off for awhile.

About 2 hours after we went to sleep, we were awakened by every light in the place coming on along with the radio!

Today was full of laughs.

Some of them were not about me.

But some of them were!

February 11, 2012 What. A. Day.

Saturday was cold (according to Port Aransas standards!) but a cold day at the beach is better than a great day anywhere else! We went out for breakfast and there was a guy outside the cafe working on this wonderful sand sculpture.

We paid him $5 to add "Jayhawk Towers" to the village.

Then we went to my favorite shop in the world. It's called "Gratitude" and it is full of wonderful stuff. I always buy cards here....and I try to plan ahead for a year or two. My favorite thing? A signed campaign sign from Barack Obama.

Then it was off to the Wild Horse Saloon to watch the KU game. Because it's a Tribunal Tradition, we took all kinds of decorations to the bar with us. In case you think that we sat quietly, you're mistaken! We ate, we drank, we yelled, we "Rock Chalked Jayhawked". It was great!

The evening came and it was time for the 7th Tribunal. My other brother, Tribunal name "DJ", appeared by Skype so it was almost like having him there in person.

In case you are wondering, the Judge is wearing a jock strap hat, my Tribunal name is "CICPA" and SportsCenter is playing on the TV.

Due to my sensitive nature, there are no photos of the hours we spent in the hot tub!

February 10, 7th Annual Tribunal Begins



We beat Roger and Karin to Port A which was good because we had to put the inflatable Jayhawk in their room.  The girl at the front desk of the condos where we are staying listened patiently as I explained that I needed to get into my brother's room to inflate this giant bird.  She just said 'Okay, here's the key."

Karin was suitable surprised by the presence of the bird.  And showed her love for the mascot of her alma mater.

After a wonderful dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, salad and bread, (Thanks, Karin!) which was cooked in a tiny efficiency kitchen, we headed to the Barr's Condo for a rousing round of Tribunal Trivia.  Three plus hours later, a new Tribunal Trivia was crowned.

CB was last year's winner and had care, custody and control of the KU garden gnome for the last year.  For the coming  year, Karin will be responsible for the little guy.  There is no way she could be prouder.  Trivia categories this year included:  Things Older than Roger (this didn't have too many questions, to be honest), Men vs. Women, Presidential Also Rans, British Slang, Sports, Tribunal History, Would You Rather, TV Dads, Marketing Slogans and one other one which must not have been that great since I can't remember it!

Here's a photo of the Jayhawk that now lives with Roger and Karin.  Tomorrow we plan to put it on the deck as we've found there are a lot of Iowa people here and we are most certain they will love it.

We are all about sharing the Jayhawk love.



CB says he glad we didn't pay for it.  What he doesn't know is that we did!

February 9, 2012 How Big is this Frickin' State?

We left Wamego at 5:30 a.m.  - an hour later than CB told me we would leave.  However, I think the reality of actually trying to get my ass out of bed at that ungodly hour was more that even he could bear. 

We drove for awhile and left Kansas.  Then we drove for awhile and left Oklahoma.  Then we drove FOREVER and were still in Texas.  The road never ended and we were still in Texas.  You have to feel a little sorry for that miserable state since they are responsible for both Dubya Bush and Rick Perry.

Anyway, we got to Waco and decided to keep heading towards Port Aransas - site of this year's Tribunal - and got to some town that I can't remember the name of (The Czech Capital of Texas) where we decided to spend the night. 

We stopped at a motel and the gentleman who was clearly the owner and lived in the apartment behind the front desk, when asked what the rate was, took one look at me and said "With the senior citizen discount it's $55."  SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT?  Is he kidding me?  I don't look a day over... oh wait.  Yeah, I guess he was dead on.

Here's the sign from the front door:

 Heaven forbid someone would want to use the night window in the day time.

While the sign said "Executive Inn and Suites", the cups in the bathroom said "Holiday Inn Express", the soap said "Casino Grand" and the lotion and shampoo was from some other off brand motel chain.

I stayed up late finishing the Tribunal Trivia game (I never feel like I have enough questions when I am writing them, but when I am cutting them apart and putting them on index cards, I always have too many!)and CB fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  It mattered not at all that I had the lights and TV on and that the folks next door were watching something on their TV that was so important they wanted to share it with the neighborhood!

Driving across the state of Texas can suck the life right out of you.

And listening to me babble all that way doesn't help much either.

February 8, 2012 Same Song, Second Verse

Luke had a "next day" interview following a successful Career Day.

He won't know anything until March 15 or thereabouts, but he was pretty excited.  As was his momma.

We leave for the 7th Annual Tribunal in South Texas tomorrow.  Posts should be more bizarre (if that is even possible) as the weekend progresses.

Hopefully, CB and I will still be speaking upon our arrival.  Oh, you know I'll be speaking.  The key will be if CB is still listening or if I am simply talking to myself on the side of the road.

Februry 7, 2012 They Grow Up So Fast

Today was a big day at Kansas State. It was the Engineering Career Fair. This is important for 2 reasons: one, Luke is an engineering student and was going to attend the career fair. And, two, it made parking miserable in the parking garage. I actually had to remember where I parked. Had a headache all day.

About 11:30 I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business as I always do, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted this blue blazer.

When I actually focused in on who was wearing the aforementioned jacket, I discovered my little boy. All dressed up, spiffy in a purple tie. Ready to meet and greet representatives of engineering companies.

Doesn't he look great? It's hard to believe that this is the same guy who was recently on this blog wearing a boonie hat and doing a physics experiment in the kitchen!

So, for the record, I'm a proud mother.

Which is different from what I'm usually called that also contains the word "mother".

Go Luke!!!

February 6, 2012 Van Gogh is Van Gone

This is the Funniest Man in the World.  Right around Chirstmas time, he told his family that he wanted to paint.  He wanted to paint clouds.

So they got him the whole kit:  easel, brushes, paints, canvases, smock, beret, drop cloth.

He was glad to show us his studio this evening when CB and I stopped for dinner. 

I'm not sure why he wants to paint clouds, but that's what he wants.  Oh, and he doesn't want to go outside and look at clouds and paint them,he just wants to imagine them and paint them.

We should all be glad that he wants to paint something as benign as clouds.  When he brought out his canvas to show me, he was going  on and on about what subject he wanted to paint and all I could think was "please, please don't let it be nudes"!

Whew.

Another bullet dodged.

Oh yeah.  This is the same guy who owns the buffalo (there was a blog entry last year about them).  The herd is down to 11.  Those bastards aren't behaving so one by one they are being taken away and the rest of the herd never sees them again.  The Funniest Man in the World says it's working. 

The 11 left are becoming much better behaved.

February 5, 2012 Tribunal Preparations Continue

Doesn't everyone's family reunion have an official agenda?  Where the person in charge sends an email calling for agenda items?  And the low man on the totem pole (i.e. ME) puts them all together?

This isn't as easy as it looks since items are often times submitted throughout the year so the LMOTTP (i.e. ME) has to read all the emails for the year (since the last Tribunal) to find items which must be discussed.

Then they are placed in the Official Tribunal Agenda book (and, yes, I know that the year is 2011 when it should be 2012.  I'll get to that I promise.  Or not.)

It's all very official. 

 There is also a book for the minutes of the Tribunal meeting.  Doesn't every family do this at reunions?  If not, they should.  And I should write them because I do not let the facts get in the way (as you know) and I love to rewrite history.  I should be a repuglican!

The other task I had to do today was to alter The Judge's head piece....a red and blud fur lined jock strap that the Judge of the Tribunal (the oldest member, Roger) wears on his head.  It's all very formal.

Last year we had trouble with the "crown" falling over the Judge's eyes, so I brought it home with me and made some alterations. 

I cut the band and put velcro on the back so now it is adjustable.  Should work perfectly fine.

Then I decided to spice it up a bit and added white letters with silver glitter.  It's lovely in real life. 

I was a little afraid to post this picture here for fear that there would be so many requests for one like it, I could never fill all the orders.  I will certainly try, but be patient if you order one.

There's nothing like a personalized, fur lined jock, I always say.

Don't you?