December 30, 2004
Taking the Lights Down…

Missed it last week, but this week we’ve got it! It’s the Thursday Threesome!

Onesome: Taking - some time off? Are you on holiday schedule tomorrow? …or is it just another day in the mines? How about a party in the evening? No?
I don’t have to work tomorrow; nor do I work on Monday. These days are company holidays. As far as partying, tonight won’t be it. Most likely, though, tomorrow night will be a party!

Twosome: the Lights - Hey, is this the weekend all the decorations come down? When do you “de-Christmas” your place?
KC and I will probably be doing that this weekend; most likely tomorrow. It is unusual for her to leave the lights and such up this long!

Threesome: Down - time… Are you getting any relaxation time this weekend? …or are you all wrapped up in parties and events? ..and for the students: are you done with down time? When do you have to go back?
I plan on sleeping in a couple of days, but I’m still planning on partying. Not only will we be partying tomorrow night, but New Year’s Day we will be partying during the Capital One Bowl where Iowa plays LSU. We’ll be cheering for a Hawkeye victory!

Stowed into: Thursday Threesome,
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December 29, 2004
Christmas Lights

I had said earlier, I wanted to post some of the houses around town with nice Christmas light displays. While the pictures I have don’t do them justice, I am still going to post them.

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Are You More… #20

Here we are at Wednesday and around here that means Are you more…

01) Ferrero Rocher or pure milk/dark chocolate?
Got to be pure DARK chocolate. Yeah, boy!

02) Probably gonna party with TONS of people on New Year’s Eve or will be limiting it to a few select friends?
As with the last few years, limiting it to a few select friends. It’s kind of a non-family Christmas celebration without the gifts for us.

03) About the nice, fake flowers because they last and look pretty or about the real flowers because their smell is what enhances a room, stupid?
I like the real flowers in potting soil. They bloom longer and smell better longer.

04) Kids shows involving animation of some stripe or kids shows involving puppetry of some stripe?
Animation. I can’t get in to puppets.

05) Snack mix (different cereals, peanuts, pretzels, etc., all seasoned up) or nuts (either single type or mixed, salted/unsalted and seasoned/unseasoned)?
Can I have BOTH?!? Hey, if it’s to eat, I like it!

06) Loving the peeled apples or all about eating apples as they are?
Eat them au natural; why take the time to peel them?

07) Christmas lights should be tasteful and not overdone or the more the merrier and Clark W. Griswold in my freakin’ hero?
For me, it’s tasteful and not overdone. However, I do like going to the “way too many lights” displays here in town just to oooo and aaaah at them.

08) Traditions are meant to be cherished or traditions are meant to be broken?
Cherished. If they are broken then how can they be traditions?

09) Fine brandy in a crystal snifter or gin and juice in a pimp cup?
How about a good ale in a frosty mug?

10) My Christmas is measured by the number of presents I get or my Christmas is measured by the number of friends and family I spend it with?
My Christmas has always been measured by the number of family and friends I get to spend it with. To paraphrase what is said in “It’s a Wonderful Life“, you are the richest person in town if you have many friends and family.

Stowed into: Are You More,
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December 28, 2004
Interesting

According to this article, Kwanzaa is a made-up holiday. Hmmm. Any thoughts?

Stowed into: Strange and Obscure,
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Best of 2004

It’s time for TV Tuesday!

It’s the end of the year and it seems as if everyone is coming up with a list of the top television events and shows of 2004. So why not do the same thing for those of us who really know–the TV Tuesday crowd?

1. List your top shows/TV moments of the year. You can do top five, top ten, however you want.
Well since I don’t watch much network TV, those shows are out. Cold Pizza is a great show, but I don’t know if it is new this year. I really like Dinner for Five. Another one that could only have a limited run that was great was Rocked with Gina Gershon. Also, I like Tripping the Rift. Another good show is Dead Like Me, but it is only on during the so-called second season of TV.

2. List the best new TV show you’ve seen this year.
Rocked with Gina Gershon.

3. Tell us the worst new TV show you sampled this year.
Any of the so-called reality shows. Any of the contrived shows that were shams where someone was to choose their spouse, or someone was to get a job, or they “traded” spouses or parents. Jeez, do people really watch that crap? Even Survivor has lost its appeal to me; I watched the first season, was an on/off for the second and now it’s just bad.

4. Is there a show that got the axe last year that you wish hadn’t?
I’m not sure. Again, as I don’t watch much network TV I don’t really keep up on what shows keep going and which ones get the axe. Rocked with Gina Gershon had to end as it was about a promo tour for a movie.

5. What show that left the airwaves this last year had the best finale?
I feel like a broken record. I don’t watch much network TV so I don’t know what was cancelled and don’t know what had a finale.

Stowed into: TV Tuesday,
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December 27, 2004
Bad Things Fixed

So this weekend we got the bad things fixed. First off, as described earlier, we got a new-to-us washer. No, it’s not brand new, just new to us! Works great.

Second, after checking things out we decided to go out and get a new-to-us car for Breezomatic. Yeah, we could have spent less to get her car fixed, but there are other things than the engine that are not right. It needed new shocks; needed the brakes worked on; needed some other cosmetic things as well. We checked in town and there simply wasn’t any suitable vehicle for sale. So Breezomatic and I went on up to Davenport, checking out some ads before we went up. We found a few likely candidates and narrowed it down to two dealers. We ended up getting her a 1999 Hyundai Excel at Lujack’s. There are some people who call the place “Screw-jack’s”, but we’ve always been treated with respect and honesty there. The guy who sold KC her Hyundai Santa Fe noticed me as soon as I walked in and came right up and asked how it was running; mind you, the vehicle is 2 and a half years old and we haven’t been there for over a year. We then test drove a few vehicles before settling on the Excel. Nice car: rides nice, gets good mileage (30-35 mpg), only a couple of small ‘dings’ on the exterior and the interior is very nice. So Breezomatic is set.

Third, J got to go home with her parents on Christmas day. ZDog still wanted to come over here and did make it for an “open house” thing. He wasn’t around at Thanksgiving so my brothers and their families got to see him. J was pretty upset that she couldn’t come over, but we have a solution to that and it will all work out.

So now the kids are back (ZDog to Des Moines, Breezomatic to Cedar Rapids) and it’s just KC and I. Time to get back to the routine; or maybe not. This week will be short and so will next, due to holidays!

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December 26, 2004
‘Twas The Night #4

And finally, the last installment: ‘Twas the Day AFTER Christmas

Stowed into: Funny!,
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December 25, 2004
Merry Christmas

Wishing you and yours the very best at Christmas.

Stowed into: Time Out,
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December 24, 2004
Bad Things

Happen in threes. Well, at least that’s the way the old saying goes. In my life it seems to be true most of the time. It seems to be true this time. You remember I talked about our washer going out?

Well, the second thing that went bad was Breezomatic’s car. It simply died while she was driving on I-380 south of Cedar Rapids. So I get in the Element and bop on up there. She had gotten a ride back to her apartment and then contacted a towing service and had it towed to Tuffy’s (where she had been towed before). After much checking and testing without actually removing anything they have determined that the engine is bad - probably the cams, maybe the pistons. So after the $150 for the washer, now there’s going to be about $3000 for Breezomatics car (which she affectionately calls Banshee). I’m still in decision mode as to whether they should fix it or if I should cut my losses now and get her a different used car. The jury is still out here.

The third thing was with ZDog and J. J went in to the hospital (mostly for observation) after some temporary health problems. Without embarrassing her or getting too personal, let’s just say that she needs to include more fiber in her diet. ZDog says she is OK now, thank goodness. With her having to stay overnight for observation, Jim and Vickie (her parents) came down from Burnsville to see them. ZDog and J were supposed to come over here Christmas Day afternoon, but right now that is up in the air until she gets settled.

So that’s our three things. I hope you and yours are having a much less stressful holiday!

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December 23, 2004
‘Twas The Night #3

Version #2 - the legalese version: ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.

Stowed into: Funny!,
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December 22, 2004
Are you more… #19

It’s Wednesday and that means Are you more…

01) Lovin’ the next-day pizza or diggin’ the next-day spaghetti?
Spaghetti is ALWAYS better when re-heated. Something about microwaving pizza just makes it bad.

02) Big bubble bubblewrap popper or little bubble bubblewrap popper?
Either! I’ll pop any amount of any kind of bubble wrap!

03) Into the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Stones, baby. It’s all about longevity. They STILL rock.

04) Expensive name-brand diapers or inexpensive off-brand diapers?
What ever happened to cloth diapers?

05) Apt to clean with amonia solution or clean with vinegar solution?
Pine-Sol. So I guess it’s neither of these. I like the pine smell.

06) Goldilocks or the Three Bears?
Who’s been sleeping in MY bed? (And why isn’t she still there, nekkid?!!?)

07) Lock your doors at all times or “Lock my doors? Why? Pfft!”?
Kind of a mix. We don’t really have the crime in our area that demands locking the doors at all times, but I usually do.

08) Likely to toss out the magazine insert ad cards right away or fling them like they was ninja stars first?
Toss ‘em. I didn’t buy the magazine for the ads. I read the articles….. ;)

09) “Pull the plug on me, don’t let me go on like that.” or “Leave it plugged in, and do we have a backup generator?”?
Pull it. Stick a fork in me when I’m done. I don’t need to be up on a soapbox.

10) Likely to have a happy holiday season or an unhappy holiday season?
Definitely a happy one. I’ll get to see my kids. I’ll get to visit with family. Hey, what could be better?

Stowed into: Are You More,
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Grease It Up

So I’m over at Bob’s site waiting for the “Are You More…” entry to be posted and reading his site when I come across this gem. Now it’s not that I don’t believe him, but I’ve always been a kind of Doubting Thomas, so I head over to the Ivory site to check it out and by golly, he’s right! People kind of looked at me when I burst out laughing here at work. (Oh, Chris, if you see this…. I did NOT do this at work….) Check out the bottle:

Stowed into: Funny!,
Floated by BillH at 9:41 am | 2 comments
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