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Tuesday, February 28, 2006
MARDI GRAS!
Happy Mardi Gras everyone. There are a lot of people celebrating Mardi Gras today by catching beads at the parades, eating BBQ and Jambalaya. Not me, I am at home, in my calm, quiet house, watching movies, and taking naps.

Tom is outside 'playing' in the yard, doing whatever he wants to do and I am just being lazy.

A friend, Gerry, and I were supposed to go picture taking at Alligator Bayou today, but she wasn't feeling well, so we decided to post pone that trip. Yes, I could have gone by myself, but it wouldn't have been as much fun as going with her. We are going to plan it soon for a weekend trip.

Today I watched "In Her Shoes". It was a cute movie. I enjoyed it. This is one of the movies my sweet hubby bought me for Valentines' Day. He also got me "Elizabeth Town". Maybe I will watch it this weekend.

That's about all I have for now. Will write more tomorrow.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 1:32 PM | Permalink | 0 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Monday, February 27, 2006
Lundi gras!
Lundi gras is the day before Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday as they call it. It is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Parades abound in most of the cities in and around south Louisiana. I know Mobile, Alabama celebrates Mardi Gras as well. I don't go to parades, but I thought some of you might enjoy seeing some of the scenes from them. Here is a link that will show a lot of pictures from Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans, probably last year.

http://www.tableauxdesign.com/mardi_gras_2001.html

Here are a few of those pics. You can see lots more on the website above.

This baby looks like she has had ENOUGH. She is supposed to depict baby in the king cake. King cakes have a tiny plastic baby in them. Someone usually just decides to bring a king cake to work. When you cut the king cake, whomever, gets the piece with the baby in it, should bring the next king cake. They are usually brought in every Tuesday at the work place. Some are really good and moist and some are really awful!

We finally found a place called Port Allen Bakery that is just across the Mississippi River from downtown Baton Rouge that has really good King cakes. They have one called praline pecan with cream cheese. YUMMMMMM! The strawberry and cream cheese ones are really good too. I wouldn't advise them from anywhere else really.

Well, I had a pretty good weekend. I am going with a friend tomorrow to do some photography. We are going to Alligator Bayou and hopefully will get some pretty nice shots there. Have a great rest of today everybody and

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!!!!!!!!

 
posted by Cindy N. at 8:22 AM | Permalink | 5 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Friday, February 24, 2006
My ME Day
I had a pretty nice day today. I had been working on a major problem at work for the last 6 weeks or so and have been talking and working with the vendor on it as well. He and I have fought this piece of software and tried everything under the sun. Well, I had called him earlier this week and asked him to come back and help me again because now the problem we thought we had fixed, was NOT fixed. Talk about frustration! Anyway, he came in as soon as I got to work this morning at 7:00 am and by 10:30 we had the problem FIXED! Yippeeeeee! One less problem to worry about.

I left work at 11:00 and went to have lunch with a friend I haven't seen in about a year as best we can figure. We had a nice chat and visit and we decided to get together to go take pictures maybe this coming Tuesday. Since it's Mardi Gras Day, we have the day off. At first, I have to admit, I thought about having to get up and get dressed on my day off and go somewhere, but the more I thought about it this afternoon, the more excited I got about it. Instead of sitting at home isolating like I have been doing, I can get out and spend a nice day with a friend. Yes, That is exactly what I need.

I was so inspired, that I stopped at the Capitol Lakes after dropping her back off at work and took a few pictures. Here are the ones I took today.

This is a little baby Nutrea. Some folks call them river rats.

This is the Mama Nutrea. She is about the size of a large duck or a smallish beaver. Three adult ducks. Nothing real special, but they were pretty.Then there is this guy in the tree. I had to take his picture because it's unusual for these guys to be out at this time of the year, when it's very cool like today was. There was an inmate cleaning the edge of the lake right under this guy, so I told him "Back up slowly right now!" He said "Did I do something wrong?" I said, no, I just didn't want that guy to get hold of you and I pointed at Mr. Snake. The poor inmate almost passed out. It scared him really bad. Poor guy didn't have a clue Mr. Snake was there.

Gerry, thank you for listening today and inspiring me. These photos are just for you! And thank you so much for my magnetic necklace you made for me. I love it! I should have taken a picture of it too. Hope to see you Tuesday for a day of photography.

Oh, I almost forgot about the ME day. After taking these photos, I went to get my nails done and after that, I had a one hour deep muscle full body massage. Mmmmmmm that feels so good. I am going to start doing that more often for sure. I NEED that. Maybe once a month. If you have never done it, please treat yourself and get it done.

Well, ME Day is over so I am going to cook supper for ME husband! LOL

Have a good weekend.

 
posted by Cindy N. at 7:08 PM | Permalink | 5 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Thursday, February 23, 2006
aiakzsnf - Well, BLESS you!
This is another one of those word thingies you have to type in before you can post. This one looks like a sneeze would sound. When I saw it, I couldn't help but say Bless You. These are randomly assigned, so I think the program that does it, sneezed.
This must be the guy that wrote the program. Now he's a real sneezer! He sneezed so hard, it blew his nose off, blew all the hair off him, made his head swell up, his ears wrinkled, and now he looks sort of like a duck.

Ever really think about sneezes? There are so many types of sneezes and some of them are quite comical.

There is the "blow it all out" sneeze. - This sneeze can be from someone 5 cubicles away, but it rattles the walls in your own cubicle. It sounds like a small explosion that could do real damage if you were in the line of fire! Be very aware around these types of sneezers.

There is the "achee" sneeze. - This one that make you not sure what that little noise was. It sounds something like a cat sneezing. It starts sort of like a low 'ah' and then with a higher pitch it ends in 'chee' like a chirping bird.

There are the "sudden explosive multiple" sneezes. - This type hits my husband quite often. Once he starts, he can't stop sneezing until he blows his nose. These types of sneezes can be quite irritating to someone trying to talk to the sneezer.

Then we have the "sun sneeze". - Ever walk out of the movie theatre in the middle of the day and look up at the sky and start sneezing? Well, that happens to a lot of people, and they are called 'sun-sneezers', and that type of sneeze is actually hereditary. Weird huh? But true.

There is the "blow your face apart" sneeze. - This one comes from people who try to hold a sneeze in and the sound they make is a very faint 'che'. This one makes me think they face just may separate at the seams because sneezes should not be held in.

There is the "snotty nose sneeze". - These usually come from kids that are too young to have any manners yet and have no idea what tissues are for. They sneeze and then there is that string of snot that hangs from the nose to the mouth. Then up comes the sleeve of their shirt and the use it to smear the snot all over their little faces and their shirt. Sorry about the graphicness of this type of sneeze, but hey, it IS a real thing.

I am an "AHHCHOO" sneezer myself. - It's not explosive or excessively loud, but I sure make the most of it. Someone told me one time that a sneeze is a facial orgasm. Weeelllll, I do like to sneeze, and I don't hold back, but...we won't go any further with that.

Here are some sneezing facts, just in case you are interested:

Some of the muscles involved are the abdominal (belly) muscles, the chest muscles, the diaphragm (the large muscle beneath your lungs that makes you breathe), the muscles that control your vocal cords, and muscles in the back of your throat. Don't forget the eyelid muscles! Did you know that you always close your eyes when you sneeze? And you can't keep them open. I have heard your heart skips a beat too, but I don't know that for sure.

It is the job of the sneeze center to make all these muscles work together, in just the right order, to send that irritation flying out of your nose. And fly it does - sneezing can send tiny particles speeding out of your nose at up to 100 miles per hour! Gosh, think about THAT for a moment. You are sitting in a theatre, and the person on the back row has one of those 'rattle the cubicle wall' sneezes. Whatever he just sneezed out, just hit you in the back of the head! YUUUUCK!

What is a sneeze? Well, everybody knows what a sneeze is, but try and describe it sometime! The fact is, a sneeze is a very complicated thing, involving many areas of the brain. A sneeze is a reflex triggered by sensory stimulation of the membranes in the nose, resulting in a coordinated and forceful expulsion of air through the mouth and nose. A "reflex" means that some type of stimulation of your body causes you to react in a way that is NOT under your control, in other words you do it automatically without thinking and you can’t even stop it.

How did I get on this subject today anyway? I don't quite know. Maybe someone sneezed.

Well, Happy Sneezing to you today IF YOU ARE NOT SICK. If you ARE sick, please get well soon and keep your tissues handy.....or a sleeve if you don't have tissues.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 9:55 AM | Permalink | 3 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
There you have it!


Here they are folks, 8 instant multi-millionares!

The question of who won the record $365 million Powerball jackpot last weekend was answered Wednesday morning.

The jackpot has been claimed by a group of eight workers from a meat processing plant.

They all work in Lincoln, Nebraska,at a ConAgra ham processing plant near a U Stop convenience store where they bought the winning ticket.

Three of the workers actually went to work Tuesday night and got off at 6:30 a.m. before the 10:30 a.m. jackpot news conference.

The eight workers' names: Quang Dao, 56; David Gehle, 53; Alain Maboussou, 26; Chasity Rutjens, 29; Robert Stewart, 30; Michael Terpstra, 47; Dung Tran, 34; and Eric Zornes, 40.
One of the eight Nebraskans who won the record Powerball jackpot says he's now been retired four days.

Eric Zornes said when he discovered he'd won "it was party time."

Chasity Rutjens said she keeps feeling like she's "going to wake up from a dream" and realize it's not true. She said she is not married, so the jackpot is all hers. She also wants to invest well so that she isn’t broke by the time she turns 50.

The winning ticket for the biggest jackpot on record for any lottery in the United States was sold in Lincoln.

The winners chose a lump sum cash option, giving them more than $177 million collectively, or $15.5 million each after taxes.

Well, now we know where our money went! So, there you have it! I might not be able to buy an island with $15.5 million, but as I told my friend 'Net, I sure could buy a house ON an island overlooking the ocean and beach. I would be happy with that.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 3:54 PM | Permalink | 3 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Power Ball - Damn It!
As some of you already know, the Power Ball was won on Saturday night. It was worth $365 Million. Now of course, that was the only night I didn't get a ticket for the last 6 weeks. SOOOO, I think that ticket was mine and now someone else is enjoying my money.

I already had it all planned out what I would do with that kind of money if I had it. They tell me that everyone that has won big in the Power Ball wishes they had never had it as it has ruined their lives. I just can't imagine that, but then I am not a winner.

Anyway, this is what I would do... First of all, St Judes Cancer Research Hospital would get a very large portion, like maybe $5 million. Second, I would pay off all my bills and all those of my family members (immediate family members only). Third, I would have to share some with my friend, Karen, in Canada, because we have always promised we would share if we won. Fourth, I would buy an island all my own and build a really nice home on it and spend lots of time on the beach. I would learn to scuba dive. I would hire a personal massuse (is that how you spell that?) so that I could get a massage ANY TIME I WANTED!

And I would travel to exotic places I have never been. I would want to go to Austrailia, Ireland, Switzerland, Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, Hawaii, all the Carribbean Islands on this map: One of these islands would be the one I would buy. I would have a nice ocean going yaght (spelling again, you can tell i have never had any of these things LOL).

Ok ok ok, so I am dreaming.....but somebody has my money right now today and they are going to do all these things! I wish they would invite me. I need a break.

Just know that if I ever win big, I will invite you all to an island get away for free on MY ISLAND!
 
posted by Cindy N. at 8:19 AM | Permalink | 4 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Monday, February 20, 2006
Something is going on...
I know I haven't posted for almost a week, but I have been in a deep funk. I have been irritated with everyone and everything and don't know why. The other day I wanted to shove a woman and her car completely off the road (a little road rage?) because she was a complete and total idiot. I have been isolating and not talking to anyone, and not writing anything because I just wanted to stew in my shit I guess. I get like that sometimes. When I do, I don't want to talk on the phone or really see anyone either. I just want to sleep and watch TV and sleep some more.

My daughter came and spent the weekend with me from Thursday night till Sunday. I really enjoyed having her there. I needed her there. She makes me laugh and smile. I have really needed to laugh and smile. When the FUNK hits, it is so difficult for my face to smile. I feel like it is such an effort to lift the corners of my mouth and make a fake smile. I know it's fake because I don't want to do it. If it was real, it would just happen naturally. Heather, my daughter, makes it happen naturally. Then the Funk starts to dissapate. The smiles come more naturally, and more easily. Here is a picture of Heather's natural smile:

Her smile is bright and happy! I want to feel like this and it just ain't happening!

I am going to try to get out of this funk this week. I already have an appointment Friday to get a full body deep muscle massage. I think this will help with the muscle spasms I have been having. I am also having restless legs at night. It makes me just want to cut my legs off and lay them next to me until morning. Have any of you ever had restless legs? It's CRAP! Muscle spasms, legs that won't stay still, headaches, I am a mess! I hate getting old.

And I need DH to spend some quality time with me, doing things like going to a movie, or taking a long ride further out in the country. But that ain't happening either. I am a little on the lonesome side. No, not a little, a whole lot!

I know I am bumming everyone out right now, but I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening (or in this case, reading). I'll try to be brighter tomorrow.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 9:29 AM | Permalink | 6 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Happy Valentine's Day!

So far, today has been a very nice Valentine's Day.

My husband gave me two DVD movies (I told him I did NOT want candy for V Day) and is taking me out to dinner tonight. We may end up waiting until Friday night for dinner, depending on his work schedule this evening.

I ordered him two safety orange hooded sweatshirts that zip up, but they haven't gotten here yet. I hope they get here today. (they were promised today)

I spent Friday night and all day Saturday with my Mom. We had a nice visit and we went to Heather's on Saturday for the Mary Kay party. I think Mom enjoyed getting out, but we were both pretty worn out by the time we got back. It's a 4 hour round trip to Heather's from either of our houses. So it makes for a long day.

Heather and Allen have had to redo their home since Hurricane Katrina and they have it decorated beautifully. They did their bedroom in animal prints and they have animal pictures and figurines in there. It is absolutely beautiful. It looks like it came right out of a home interior magazine. They have repainted all the other rooms. One is lavender with white trim. Lovely. I forget the other colors, but the Kitchen is red with navy curtains and navy and red border.

When Allen built that house, he built all the rooms oversized. The bedrooms are REALLY big and nice and have plenty of room for king size beds in all of them with lots of room to spare for other furnishings. It is very nice. As I have told you before, you cannot see anything but woods when you look out any window. No houses, no roads, nothing. Just trees. I love it. It is very quiet there.

Well, happy Valentine's Day to all. Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine to share this day with. Bye for now.

P.S. Found a new home for the yellow parakeet. My dog was driving me crazy barking and growling at the poor little bird. Anyway I found a lady that had lots of birds and she wanted her so she picked her up Sunday afternoon. Boy it sure is quiet again at my house. Remind me NEVER to get another bird.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 9:14 AM | Permalink | 4 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Awesome Things!
Hi everybody. I was thinking (I don't do that very often) about stuff on the way in to work this morning. About things that I see on my way to work. For instance, yesterday, I turned down a different road to go a different way to work and there was a doe standing in the ditch along side the road. She was so beautiful. I love to see those kinds of animals in the wild. As I approached her with my car, I was so afraid she would jump in front of me, but instead, she turned and ran right back into the woods. Gorgeous! Here is what she looked like:

So pretty standing there. I didn't take this picture, but the doe I saw was standing as this one is. Wish you could have seen her too.

Then this morning on my way to work, I passed the airport and just as I came around a curve in the road, a FedEx jet was right over the road similar to this:

Only closer and lower. It is awesome to me to see a jet just as it is coming in for a landing or just taking off. That is one of the things my kids and I used to do when they were young. We would go to the airport and drive down a road that took us to the end of the runway. We would sit there waiting for the jets to take off. The power and them going virtually right over us was so awesome. We all loved doing it. I get such a thrill from the sound and the hugeness of them.

And then there are the sunrises. I love sunrises even though I don't see many of them because I like to sleep late. I guess once I retire, I may never see another one.....but anyway, there was a really pretty sunrise this morning too. The clouds were low on the horizon and the orange and red colors filled the sky. Takes my breath away.


I just wanted to pass on some NICE things instead of complaining today. Have a great day.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 12:52 PM | Permalink | 7 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Monday, February 06, 2006
Shopping online!

There is something to be said for those of us who shop online. What is that something? I am not sure. I love to shop online, because I sit in the comfort of my living room in my PJs or whatever or at my desk at work, and shop away. This means I don't have to go to Malls, or Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond,fight the crowds, parking, etc etc to get what I need or would like to have. I just click "add to cart" and "Pay". The stores then gather up my items and ship them to me and the USPS or the UPS man brings them to my door. Convenient right? Most of the time, yes.

But then there are the times when the item is broken, doesn't fit right, or wasn't what I ordered at all. Then is when the pain in the a$$, I mean butt happens. I have to repack everything "in the same box it was shipped in", make sure I have all the paperwork in order and make a trip to the post office. I hate going to the post office. The post office is never open when I can go to it.

Now Amazon has come up with a way that is so much better. You just print their postage paid thingy to tape to the outside of the box, put another thingy they give you inside the box along with your original shipping receipt and call the post office to pick it up! Voila...pretty cool huh?
Well this time, I don't have my original shipping receipt. (it's probably in my piles of junk around the house somewhere, but it's not worth it to me to go digging for it). I write to Amazon to see if I can get a copy. They don't answer. There is not a phone number to call, an email address to get Customer help or anything. Do they really think they never make mistakes? I have to admit, I have shopped at Amazon for years and only just recently have I had some things broken in shipment.

All in all, shopping online is a great experience and I have had very good luck with my ordering. I have received everything I have ever ordered. And I have ordered a LOT from a LOT of different places. I am now in the process of trying to find a safety orange zip up sweatshirt for my hubby. I am having trouble with that one. Wal-Mart has them, but they are out of stock for now. Guess I'll just check back later. For now, I have to get a package ready for Amazon so that USPS can pick it up. See ya later.
 
posted by Cindy N. at 11:18 AM | Permalink | 6 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Strong Coffee and a Parakeet!

I don't usually drink coffee, but this morning I felt the need to get a boost. I went to the trusty coffee pot in the break room and got a cup for 25 cents and fixed it like I normally do when I do get some and took a big swig......sputter, spit, YUCK! Someone had made it twice as strong as it usually is and it was awful! I guess that'll teach me to drink that crap in the first place. It doesn't look very good either!

Anyway, I came in to work today with a different attitude. I have the "I don't care!" attitude. That way, I won't get all stressed out from being here. I figure if I keep that kind of attitude for the rest of my 6 months before retirement, I will be able to make it with flying colors! I don't care!

I have collected some boxes and I am going to start packing my junk to take home. That way, it'll be done when I AM ready to walk out, which could be any time now. My co-worker just gave me the evil eye when I said that I was packing up my stuff. I think he thinks I am going to quit VERY VERY soon. I am not. My husband wants me to stay my full 33 years and I am going to do that for him. That is, if I don't have a nervous breakdown first...thus....I don't care!

Did I tell you guys I got a parakeet? Well, I did. It's yellow. I think that bringing this thing home was a mistake. First of all, it's something else for me to have to take care of and 2nd, it makes noise! I have enough noise makers with 2 dogs barking and growling at the neighbors when they come home (reminder - I live in the country, so the neighbors are NOT close). Now I have this bird squawking too!. Here is a picture of one just like the one I got.


Now, I had to go to the pet store yesterday and like any good Parakeet Mom, bought stuff for the bird. I got a mirror with a bell on it(the lady said they really like a bell and they think the bird in the mirror is a friend), parakeet food, and a millet spray (the lady said they LOVE millet spray). I thought millet spray was some sort of push button stuff to spray on the bird. It's not. It's some sort of dryed weed the birds must like. It looks like this.

Anyway, I put all that crap in Miss Sweetie's cage and she hasn't moved since. I think she is terrified of it all. The people that had her before me, never took her out of her cage to play with her, so she is also terrified of my hand being in the cage. She FREAKS!

I am not sure I have the patience for all this. I may be looking for a new home for Miss Sweetie. Any suggestions on how to handle a terrified bird?
 
posted by Cindy N. at 8:33 AM | Permalink | 9 If you would like to say something about what you just read, please say it here