Steampunk’d

As y’all may or may not know, I am a fan of Steampunk. I love the look of it, and apparently Eldest does, too. Today we are starting to change her room around to accommodate all of her junk the new decor.

I have plans….

She doesn’t know it yet, but a lot of the stuff I plan to use will be coming from the local flea market, as well as Lowes™. We are talking copper pipes, fittings, ventilation ducts, PVC, faucet knobs, pulley wheels, and any random stuff I can find to give an “antique” look.

She may or may not agree with my take on the room, but I know what I’m doing. Some would argue that I am living vicariously through her, since I can’t do it to my room. And some would be right 😉

Short Story Challenge

I have been asked to extend the challenge date by a few days. It seems that some of you prefer to write a more in-depth story than *ahem* some of us. I think mine was going to be three paragraphs, tops. Possibly four, if the wine is good.

If you want to post it on Monday, that’s fine. But those who need longer can just post any time this week. And since this is a short post, I might as well show you what I almost bought today.

That sound you hear is Hubby sighing in relief.

Have fun writing!

Once Upon a Time….

I have done lists, I have done letters, and I have done open threads.

But I have yet to write a short story.

I’ll admit, I have a very fertile imagination. And it does tend to run away before I can tether it to the medulla oblongata. I think it comes with the melodrama gene. My teachers in high school always loved my short stories, and college professors borrowed them for their own classes. In retrospect that could have been a bad thing, but I like to pretend they were flattering me.

So here is my challenge to my blogger friends: write a simple short story. No word limit, no theme in particular. Just whatever you fancy writing, and post at your blog on Monday.

As always, just enjoy what you write, and if y’all go the scary route, please by all that is holy, give me a warning, ok?? 😀

UPDATE: for those of you that wish to participate but don’t have a blog, I will feature the stories here, just leave a comment and I’ll send you my email!

Under My Skin

A while back I challenged y’all to post some of your favorite things. That was not only fun, but also gave us an opportunity to get to know one another across the interwebtubenets. But there are always two sides to every coin, right? And so, I challenge you yet again. This time, to post the things you like least, or hate, or pet peeves, or whatever you like to call them. Here are my Top Ten of Things I Really Do Not Like™:

1. People with a shopping cart full of groceries in the 10 items or less lane. No explanations necessary.
2. Left lane vigilantes. It is not their job to dictate how fast I can go. If I want a ticket I will by God earn it!
3. Talking on cellphones while driving a vehicle.
4. History months.
5. Gum smacking. If you want to imitate a cow, do it out in the field.
6. Zero tolerance policies.
7. Airing of dirty laundry on social media sites. I do NOT need to know how about your love life. Or lack thereof.
8. Cajun food. STOP JUDGING ME!! It tastes like dirt to me.
9. Hair in my shirt. It drives me totally nuts.
10. Celebrity endorsements. I don’t trust someone who acts for a living.

So there you have it. My list of things I hate. Feel free to do a list at your site or social website and leave a link to it in the comments. I am sure that I can always add to mine.

For an easy going person, I sure have a lot of issues 😀

Chatty Sithy

In what has been a rude awakening for me, it has been brought to my attention that I tend to talk a lot.

ME!!

And lest you think it was done in a subtle manner, by a well-meaning friend, it wasn’t. It was my mom, and it was done out of tough love.

This past Thanksgiving, I drove down to my folks to pick them up so they could spend the holiday with my sister’s family and mine. I live five houses down from my sister, so it’s more convenient to bring up my folks than to caravan down to their place. Also, they get to enjoy the holiday, instead of my mom cooking and cleaning for twenty people. On the drive back from their home, I kept up what I thought was an intelligent conversation about the happenings with the kids, changes in Hubby’s schedule, my new vehicle, etc., when suddenly, my mom pipes up:

Mom: My goodness, (Aggie)! You just don’t shut up!

Me: Wha…??

Mom: You have been talking non-stop since we left the house!

Me: Well, I have a lot to say, mom.

Mom: Why?

Me: Because I don’t get to talk to anyone!!

Mom: But you never talked much growing up…

Me: That’s because my sisters never let me.

Mom: Hm…that’s true.

So yes, I do talk a lot. I make no excuses for it. I am simply trying to catch up after 35 years of being a relatively quiet person. And now that I have a blog, I can type as much as I want! 😉

For the Birds

I am a big mystery fan, especially old school stuff. I can read Hammett and Christie and everything in between over and over again. The same applies for movies. The older stuff, grainy black and white, suspenseful music…ahhhh, that’s just classic.

A few weeks ago, one of the networks had an Alfred Hitchcock marathon. Y’all can imagine how jazzed I was! Four classics back to back, and no, Marnie wasn’t one of them, thank goodness. Psycho, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, and Rope. I got my tissues*, my cup of coffee, and my cozy throw, and sat next to Little One, who was home sick with a tummy bug. I had asked her if I could watch them and she was gracious enough to let me.

This is where y’all roll your eyes, just like I did.

First up is Psycho, and I’m enjoying it immensely, when I notice that Little One has turned over to face the TV and watch the film. I warned her that it was suspenseful, and a bit scary, but she told me she could handle it. And boy, did she handle it. At the end of the film she was raving about how awesome it was, and how we should get the DVD for it (I have it, but didn’t want her to go get it and demand to watch it again, since she missed the first fifteen minutes or so). Anyway, we end up watching all four movies and she asks me if Hitchcock made any others as suspenseful as those. “Many”, I said. “Do you have more?” she asked. “But of course, but I don’t think you are ready for some of them.” “Like which ones?” she wondered. And my soul froze, thinking of the one Hitchcock film that still manages to freak me out and leave me sleepless for days!!

I told her about Rebecca, and North by Northwest, but I kept The Birds to myself. I know my kid, and the moment she finds out birds start attacking humans in a sleepy little town, she is going to want to watch it, in the dark, all agog at Tippy Hedren in her beautiful green suit getting ravaged by crows. And then she’s going to want to sleep in my bed, where I will lay in the dark, waiting to hear the flap of wings on my roof.

No, thank you. I like being mistress of my domain.

*I always cry when Martin Balsam is killed off.

Things You Didn’t Know

I love random facts. Trivia is useless crap that floats in my brain, but it makes me happy. This week, Hubby is organizing a quiz night for several friends, so I thought I would help him out, as well as provide y’all with even more stuff for your memory holes.

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten. This is probably why dogs are Man’s best friends.

The white part of your nail is called the lunula.

Porcupines can float in water. They also like to eat teeth and bone. Just FYI for CSI.

The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.

Charlie Brown’s dad was a barber. This explains a lot.

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.

Grapes explode when you microwave them. Trust Son on this.

A “twit” is a pregnant goldfish, among other things.

The plastic things around the ends of shoelaces are called aglets.

There are no coins used in Vietnamese currency.

A group of unicorns is called a blessing.

Scissors were invented by Leonardo Da Vinci. But the man couldn’t be bothered to finish St. Jerome in the Wilderness…

The island of Guam has no sand, only ground coral.

The infinity sign (as in infinite numbers, not the Nissan luxury vehicle) is called a lemniscate.

Aren’t you glad you read my blog today?? 😉

The Printed Word

I love books. Hubby can tell y’all he can walk through the house and see a book open and face down on the desk, endtables, my nightstand, bathtub, and sometimes next to the computer, whichever one I’m using most at the time. My kids love to gift me handmade bookmarks, because they know I will use each and every one of them.

There are over thirty books in this photo. No, I don't need help.

Yes, those are my llamas right by the basket o’books. I love the feel of the pages as I turn them. I love the sound of the rustling as I fan a book. I love how the plot thickens as I reach a new chapter.

But now, I have a quandary.

First it was Kindle™, and then the Nook™. And now, there’s this:

Image courtesy of Amazon

My sister loves her Nook, as does my dad. I have resisted the siren’s song to own an e-reader, mostly because I enjoy the somatosensoriness* of a book, and because I am clueless as to how one works. I have resisted the siren’s wail to own an iPad because…. well, it’s too hipster for me. That, and I am clueless as to how one works. But this newfangled thing calls to me like Butch to Sundance… like Cagney to Lacey…. like chocolate to…. anything.

I think my Christmas List has just gotten a wee bit longer.

*It’s my blog, and I can make up words if I so wish. So there 😀

Sithy Challenge

I’m sure we are familiar with this stuff around the social networks, as well as our blogs. But I’m fairly new to having my own blog, so I thought I would challenge my friends in the interwebtubenets to do a challenge. Oh, nothing like the Letter a Month challenge I did at the start of the blog! Just a simple list of Ten Favorite Things. Here’s my list:

#1– Favorite candy: Chocolate. This is not news.

#2– Favorite movie: Casablanca.

#3– Favorite drink: Midori Sour. Mojito comes a close second. Very close. Some would say it’s a statistical tie.

#4– Favorite dessert: Creme Brulee.

#5– Favorite city: Venice. Even the slums were romantic.

#6– Favorite pasttime: Reading. There are 20 books by my side of the bed. Ten by the bathtub.

#7– Favorite clothing: Pajamas. No contest.

#8– Favorite animal: Owls tie with llamas. But in fairness, owls came first.

#9– Favorite flower: Calla lily.

#10 Favorite music: Classical ties with classic rock. Depends on the mood. And whether the kids are around.

So there you have it. Some of my favorite things. If you decide to participate in the challenge, do a list at your blog or at your favorite social site, and leave a link here in the comments 😀

Have fun!!

A Simple Question

My friend XbradTC over at Bring the Heat, Bring the Stupid brought up a very important question the other day. One that, in the greater scheme of things, falls between “sliced bread” and The Clapper™:

Is it Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner?

Or is it Breakfast, Dinner, Supper?

Admit it: you have to think about it now 😉