So Excited!

Adulthood

So last night we all went over to Molly and Ben's to see Em and Matt who were in town for a short visit. It was somewhat of an eye opening event. I believe we have all finally reached adulthood. There was food and drink, of course, but there were babies. Two babies...Olive and Alex...and soon there will be another one and if some of the rest of us have any say in the matter, we will have more in a year, year and a half.

We have moved out of the "let's get together and get wasted" realm (although that still is my mantra) and into the "let's get together and have a bit of wine, great conversation and play with the babies" realm. Less sucking down shots and more sucking on nuks that have fallen on the floor (although not entirely true...there just might be a baby in the other hand, therefore, needing a friend's hand to hold the lemon up to your mouth so you can bite it after the shot goes down...right, Jackie...hehe).

Though things haven't entirely changed, as noted above, but the things that have, have just made our group a little richer and a little fuller. We were always a family but I feel like that has just become a bit more solidified.

Do, Re, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do

I saw a post on Mariah's blog regarding the Sound of Music. Take a look at this. It's pretty cool.

Sound of Music Train Station @ Yahoo! Video

Lost without Lost

--via onlycupcakes

Hahaha!

--via 9GAG

Didn't even know there was an eclipse

A Japanese satellite took this image of the eclipse an hour before totality.

The eclipse's impact can been seen in this second picture, taken an hour later,
via the large black shadow.

Hey baby, wanna come over to myspace and let me twitter ur yahoo 'til u google all over my facebook......LMAO.

Lyrics to Song

"Come Back to Me" by David Cook

I don't usually like the music of the American Idol contestants, save Kelly Clarkson (which is only because "Since You've Been Gone" was Molly and Mariah's favorite song and we would have a blast dancing and singing to the song on numerous occasions after hours at the Sandlot...it became more of a memory I truly enjoyed rather than a song I truly enjoyed but whatever...ok, I admit, I kind of like her new single "I Do Not Hook Up" for some reason that is beyond my grasp or control).

I also don't usually like the sound of this kind of music. You know, that sort of cry baby rock music that kind of sounds like Scott Stapp from Creed (despise that band, although, I will admit that at one time in my life at a very young age, I did...please do not blame foolish youth, ok). But for some strange reason, and maybe it is because I heard him do this song acoustic on Bob and Tom the other morning on my way to work, I really like this song. I think it maybe the lyrics more than the way it actually sounds but I like it. I never saw him on Idol cause I don't watch the show, especially after they are done with auditions (I only like to see the dreadful performances) but when I heard him on Bob and Tom, I enjoyed it.

Also, a little tidbit regarding this video: on Bob and Tom, he told us that in order to do this video he had to sing the song backwards as he was walking forward. Pretty cool, too, if you ask me.

Also of note: he was a genuinely funny person on the air as well.

(703): I am not hooking up with him just to see what his penis looks like.--via txts frm lst nght

This reminds me of Claire, sophomore year of college, when we wanted to find out about the size of our friend's except that she was willing to "take one for the team" as we put it. She never ended up doing it and I know she and the rest of us are much better for it.

This is torture...but I love it

Um, want...


and want...

Funny

While the C-5 was turning over its engines, a female crewman gave the G.I.s on board the usual
information regarding seat belts, emergency exits, etc.

Finally, she said, 'Now sit back and enjoy your trip while your captain, Judith Campbell, and crew
take you safely to Afghanistan '

An old MSgt. sitting in the eighth row thought to himself, 'Did I hear her right? Is the captain a woman? '

When the attendant came by he said 'Did I understand you right? Is the captain a woman?'
'Yes,'! said the attendant, 'In fact, this entire crew is female.'



'My God,' he said, 'I wish I had two double scotch and sodas. I don't know what to think
with only women up there in the cockpit.'

'That's another thing, Sergeant,' said the crew member, 'We No Longer Call It The Cockpit'

'It's The Box Office.'

Quote of the day:

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal..

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.

This is definitely me...I need this t-shirt

--via Snorg Tees

A Step In The Right Direction

Marijuana Supporters Welcome a Tax Increase

By JESSE McKINLEY

Published: July 23, 2009

Voters in Oakland, Calif., raised taxes on medical marijuana, which supporters saw as a step in the legitimatization of the cannabis industry.

(516): I swear to god he was trying to crawl under my door last night muttering “I’m Alex Mac! I’m Alex Mac!

--via txts frm lst nght

I loved that show!

(785): Apparently when he woke up I was tripping my face off. Everytime the cat meowed I would meow back. This went on for several hours.

--via txts frm lst nght

I know the feeling.

Attention to Detail

When I made my grilled cheese sandwiches, it reminded me of when my girlfriends and I used to get high and decoupage. I slathered the butter on the bread just so. I had forgotten what that complete attention to detail felt like. It made me nostalgic.

Sarcastic Metaphor

This was an email reply from Kari in response to a girl's night at Molly's (note: Molly is preggo):

"My Mommy might be coming, but that is about as likely as Molly getting her period.....so we are more than likely in as well."

In Memorium

Former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite is dead at age 92, CBS reports.--CNN.com news break

"when you want it, i will give it to you" --mariah flynn, drunk ass bitch

(281): He gave his mom his old phone, and I am SO paranoid
(918): Did you send adult things?
(281): Um. Yes would be the understatement of the year

--via txts frm lst nght

Restored Moonwalk Video...and I don't mean MJ

I'm so chill people be asking me to shit ice-cubes for their drink

--description of blog Man In The Machine

Priceless

(425): I just googled dawgpound, shoulda seen that pornsite coming

--via txts frm lst nght

Another Day, Another Line

So my title sounds like I am some cocaine addled freak but, alas, I am not. What I am referring to is the, yet again today, line formed outside of Bop down on State Street. The little youngsters are patiently waiting for the store to open so they can rush in and still pay way too much for a t-shirt that probably ends up looking poser-ish anyway.

Now, here is a line I can get behind: right down the street from Bop there was another line forming outside a business. It was the plasma center. Yep, I have been seeing lines form outside that place for a while now. Maybe they always did but I am just noticing it and it makes sense with the economy these days. I think you get like $60 or something the first time you give blood and then you can come back 3 more times in a month (I think they cap it at 4 times per month) and you get $25 each time. Now that is what I would stand in line for (besides shoes, of course), cold, hard cash mofo! Go get your money, son! (sorry, I have been watching a lot of Rob & Big these days...love that show!)

I am leaving jackie's and i said i was gonna head out. Jackie then said head out like a baby. Not gonna lie, haven't heard that one. Also not gonna lie, jackie's drunk off one drink. Tomorrow's gonna be fun. :)

Um, just found my perfect blog

I have just found the most perfect, perfectness of all perfection in a blog. It has this for one...
--via Spaceship of Tenderness to the Moon and my new favorite blog: SHOELUST

FABULOUS!!!! Oh, I can't wait until I can buy shoes again!

I am pretty sure that I am rivaling Mariah with the amount of posts today.

Um, yummy

(951): ya i vaguely remember microwaving a whole package of bacon for 20 minutes or so and then eating it all around 4am

--via txts frm lst nght

So Sweet

This is why I am always broke...yeah...I have LOTS of imagination

Not Something I Would Say

...After Thinking About the Poor Children in the World Who Aren't Even Allowed to Poop
Girl to friend eating yogurt: You know, yogurt makes you shit.
Friend, frightened: Does it, really?
Girl: I dare you to take the Activia challenge.
Friend: Nah! I'm not in the mood to poop today.
Overheard by: i laughed at this
via Overheard Everywhere, Jul 15, 2009

L'échange - The exchange from Baptiste Sola on Vimeo.

via yay!everyday

Beauty

via you're all i have

No Way

via Hello Kitty Hell

Hello Kitty Taser Gun

Because nothing shows the true cuteness and sweet side of Hello Kitty — and the love and happiness she brings to all — as 50,000 volts of electricity streaming through your body:

Harry Potter Star Pleads Guilty to Growing Pot in Bedroom

This is awesome and how I like my Harry Potter! Hahaha!

Harry Potter Star Pleads Guilty to Growing Pot in Bedroom

Posted using ShareThis

Confessions of a (Wish-She-Could-Be) Shopaholic

So here is my shopaholic confession:

I don't understand getting up super early to go sit on a sidewalk to wait for Bop to open up for Maxwell Street Days.

There I said it.

Ok, so I understand, especially in my wish-she-could-be a shopaholic status (I sort of was one, with shoes, anyway, but with funds these days, I am lucky to be able to purchase a St. Vinny's t-shirt at full price), the importance of a sale but to sit outside on the sidewalk waiting for an all too pretentious store to open up is just beyond me.

As I was driving through downtown Madison to work this morning, I see, no doubt easties (if you are from Madison, you know what I am talking about), waiting for the store Bop to open. I didn't even look to see what kind of sale it was (50% off? 70%?) because I was staring at these young girls. It is the dawn of Maxwell Street Days down on State Street, which I admit is a fabulous time to buy due to the insane sales. But really? Bop? I suppose all the "cool kids" are wearing what they sell there and I must admit that I will pay just about anything for jeans if they fit me right (gotta work with the butt and the hips) but really? I kinda just don't get it.

I suppose I would not be a good shopaholic.

No Day But Today -- Rent (Click for site)

There's only us.

There's only this.
Forget regret,
or life is yours to miss.
No other road.
No other way.
No day but today.

There's only yes.
There's only tonight.
We must let go
to know what's right.
No other path.
No other way.
No day but today.

There's only now.
There's only here.
We live to love
or live in fear.
No other course.
No other way.
No day but today.

From you're all i have

From Cake Wrecks (Click here)

Too funny and so true! Baby shower cakes can be the worst.

"Baby" Showers

Some cakes make you wonder what species of baby is being welcomed into the world:

"Extra, extra! Read all about it! Swamp Thing procreates!

Becomes spokesperson for cloth diapers!"

I think this is a monkey.

[German accent] "Wouldst you like to touch my monkey? Touch him! LOVE HIM!!"

And finally, we have our mutant flippered pig-child of perpetual worry:

Or maybe that's pain; it probably hurts to be skewered through the hand with a rose stem.

Cupcakes from onlycupcakes (Click here!)

So cute! And so yummy looking!! Kari and Lauren - I think you really need to think about starting a cupcake company. Take a look at these:
And I am seriously contemplating a cupcake wedding cake for my pending nuptials:

I ducking hate construction! Downtown is so ridiculous. I think it is the worst yet and that is hard to beat in Wisconsin.

Health Care Reform

This guy is incredibly brave and hopefully will help to catapult this nation into some serious health insurance reform. Wendell Potter is a former top executive for Cigna Health Insurance, which is the 4th biggest health insurance company in the nation. The health insurance companies just make me sick, no pun intended. Example below from the transcript of his interview on Bill Moyer's Journal on PBS but click the post title for the whole interview...

WENDELL POTTER: Well, there's a measure of profitability that investors look to, and it's called a medical loss ratio. And it's unique to the health insurance industry. And by medical loss ratio, I mean that it's a measure that tells investors or anyone else how much of a premium dollar is used by the insurance company to actually pay medical claims. And that has been shrinking, over the years, since the industry's been dominated by, or become dominated by for-profit insurance companies. Back in the early '90s, or back during the time that the Clinton plan was being debated, 95 cents out of every dollar was sent, you know, on average was used by the insurance companies to pay claims. Last year, it was down to just slightly above 80 percent.

So, investors want that to keep shrinking. And if they see that an insurance company has not done what they think meets their expectations with the medical loss ratio, they'll punish them. Investors will start leaving in droves.

I've seen a company stock price fall 20 percent in a single day, when it did not meet Wall Street's expectations with this medical loss ratio.

For example, if one company's medical loss ratio was 77.9 percent, for example, in one quarter, and the next quarter, it was 78.2 percent. It seems like a small movement. But investors will think that's ridiculous. And it's horrible.

BILL MOYERS: That they're spending more money for medical claims.

WENDELL POTTER: Yeah.

BILL MOYERS: And less money on profits?

WENDELL POTTER: Exactly. And they think that this company has not done a good job of managing medical expenses. It has not denied enough claims. It has not kicked enough people off the rolls. And that's what-- that is what happens, what these companies do, to make sure that they satisfy Wall Street's expectations with the medical loss ratio.

BILL MOYERS: And they do what to make sure that they keep diminishing the medical loss ratio?

WENDELL POTTER: Rescission is one thing. Denying claims is another. Being, you know, really careful as they review claims, particularly for things like liver transplants, to make sure, from their point of view, that it really is medically necessary and not experimental. That's one thing. And that was that issue in the Nataline Sarkisyan case.

But another way is to purge employer accounts, that-- if a small business has an employee, for example, who suddenly has have a lot of treatment, or is in an accident. And medical bills are piling up, and this employee is filing claims with the insurance company. That'll be noticed by the insurance company.

And when that business is up for renewal, and it typically is up, once a year, up for renewal, the underwriters will look at that. And they'll say, "We need to jack up the rates here, because the experience was," when I say experience, the claim experience, the number of claims filed was more than we anticipated. So we need to jack up the price. Jack up the premiums. Often they'll do this, knowing that the employer will have no alternative but to leave. And that happens all the time.

They'll resort to things like the rescissions that we saw earlier. Or dumping, actually dumping employer groups from the rolls. So the more of my premium that goes to my health claims, pays for my medical coverage, the less money the company makes.

BILL MOYERS: So, the more of my premium that goes to my health claims, pays for my medical coverage, the less money the company makes.

WENDELL POTTER: That's right. Exactly right.

BILL MOYERS: So they want to reverse that. They don't want my premium to go for my health care, right?

WENDELL POTTER: Exactly right. They--

BILL MOYERS: Where does it go?

WENDELL POTTER: Well, a big chunk of it goes into shareholders' pockets. It's returned to them as part of the investment to them. It goes into the exorbitant salaries that a lot of the executives make. It goes into paying sales, marketing, and underwriting expenses. So a lot of it goes to pay those kinds of administrative functions. Overhead.

So True

"Some days it's not worth the effort to pull myself together, she said, so I'm glad I get cable"--Brian Andres, StoryPeople

I love seeing Matt, Em, and Olive so much! I can't wait until they are closer!

Today is my Friday! Yay! I know your jealous.

Ah, the best part of the day...getting into bed with my man and falling asleep to Forensic Files. I know...I'm old.

Obviously the Time Has Past

today at 5 mins and 6 seconds after 4 it will be 04:05:06: 07/08/09. This will never happen again in our life

The Best Music Video Ever

I actually don't think I have ever seen this video in its entirety. Probably but it was so long ago I didn't remember the beginning. Enjoy!

Also, click on Menu on the video and see other great videos.

I love hanging out with my brother.

I think i may need to up my texting plan. And get better at drunk texts.

Woah! Way cool! Sent from my phone.

Trying out mobile blogging.

Ok, Now It's Getting Serious

And by this I mean my weight gain. Fatty2Fatty is tipping a little higher than she would like to (notice how that was not spelled P-H-A-T). Ok, so I guess I shouldn't call myself FAT but I currently am the biggest I have ever been. It could be worse, yes, but I have noticed clothes not just fitting tighter but fitting so strangely that they just don't look right with weird bulges due to the fact that my love handles have taken over my mid-section.

"But what about all of that stuff earlier in your blog about how you were working out and it was going to stick?" you ask. Good question, I say. An "A" to you for pointing out my too quickly made statements of yesteryear. Yes, I have fallen off the wagon. I started slowing down before I went on my vacation to lovely Omaha, NE and when I didn't work out for a week there, it was all over.

"So, how are you going to get back on that wagon?" you ask. Well, another good question, I say. So far I have had the help of Mike's wonderful mother, Mary, coupled with the effervescent life we lead in No Money-ville where we live on the corner of Broke as a Joke and Livin' on a Prayer. So, basically, we have awesome veggies from Mary's garden which is all we have to eat right now which should get me on the right path to losing a bit of weight. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Now, I do plan to get my butt moving on the elliptical again but I realized that it gets boring which is why I slowed down before I even left for Omaha. My plan is to buy the 3 "So, You Think You Can Dance" workout videos because they just teach you different dances which would be fun. Also, I am contemplating getting the "Flirty Girl Fitness" workout videos where they show you stripper moves (I believe you can even get a pole with the DVDs) to lose weight. Obviously this could be beneficial to other aspects of my life so I am seriously contemplating it and I will probably end up buying it (it is only $10 + extra for the pole, I think).

However this gets done, it going to get done cause I just can't have this and as you all know at this point, I do not deprive myself of much so working out (with somewhat of a cut back in the amount of food I eat) is the only way to get it done. Hopefully, I can afford these workout videos soon. Oh, and mom, if you are reading this, where is our hoola hoop?

My Family

Ok. So finally here is a pic of my little family as it is now, meaning Mike and Meowmers...

Let's Give a Warm Welcome to...

Alex Thomas Julius!!!!

Weighing in at 5lbs, 12 oz and 18" long, this little fighter came about 2 and half weeks early. Hence this lovely picture...

Isn't he just a cutey patootie! Pictures stolen from Jackie's blog. Baby will be stolen from Jackie's house.

Illogical and Irrational Never Sit Well With Me

http://share.ovi.com/media/atmain.public/atmain.10051

...especially in this capacity. Click the link above and listen. You will understand my pain and frustration with people like Mr. Eichelberger.

Yeah, so just let me be...