Susie pointed out that my initial details of our girl's night out were sparse.
She went so far as to proclaim the events of the evening qualified as a debacle and a drunken one at that.
I think not.
After dropping Mr. Ratburn and Lil Rita at the Moore Hotel, we made our way to the adjoining bar.
We neither of us had extensive experience at ordering drinks, but we managed to muddle our way through (she had "Jack with a coke back" and the bartender suggested a vodka and cranberry to me).
The Nitelite is well known for the strength of its drinks.
Their Long Island ice tea is enough to fell several grown men.
How do I know this?
Allow me to digress.
In the last weekend of July, 2005 a friend (April) I'd originally met online and I got together in Seattle and spend the day wandering a bit. We met the local Village Idiot for a coffee and a visit to Bud's Jazz Records.
THEN we went to the NiteLite.
We had arranged to meet several other people from our trivia chatroom and a lovely time was had by all.
I ordered a legendary Long Island ice tea and the three people at my end of the table helped me drink it.
Around midnight April and I were singing an old jazz standard into something (a pen, I believe) and a comment was made about the level of our intoxication. Avvy was, in fact, deeply and impressively drunk, but the guy who'd been sitting next to me pointed out that I had been drinking nothing for the last two hours but Sprite™ thus proving I am as goofy and clumsy when completely stone cold sober as most people are right before they start drunk dialing.
After we closed the bar down April and I retired to a room at the hotel where we slept together.
THIS July, Susie and I sat at the counter in the window and talked and laughed and people watched.
The regulars were easy to pick out as they greeted the bouncer and were handed drinks without having to order.
After we'd been there almost two hours I offered to get us both another drink
We had a brief convo about intoxication and then I fetched our second round.
By this time the concert at the Moore had ended and into the mixture of locals and tourists in the bar there was added the post concert crowd.
Susie told me all kinds of embarassing secrets (available to the highest bidder, offers accepted through email only) and I told her all kinds of lies (nothing she says I said is true, NOT A WORD!!!).
Anyway, we switched over to ice water when we ran out of ice to chew from our drinks and watched a gal in an awesome flapper dress smoke a joint as nonchalantly as possible.
It was about this time we decided to memorialize the evening forever in a unique way (some of you will be receiving evidence in the mail soon).
Shortly after than, while gesturing emphatically (which I am sometimes wont to do) I knocked my ice water over.
Oops
At about time for last call we decided to take a little stroll and then,
we headed over to the hotel
where we slept together.
But not for very long!

So Susie came to my house for a visit...

and I was so excited she came!! She wasn't sick and tired of me, I thought to myself.

She loves me,

she really loves me!!

or she just wanted me for my computer,

whatever.

(sniff sniff)

What really happened...

(Long rambling narrative to follow, if of no particular interest to you

feel free to go straight to the comment box and say,

"Wow, what a great T-shirt Logo!")

I left casa de Logophilia Wednesday afternoon and although we experienced a small hitch

(I had a stow-away and had to turn around almost a mile down the road)

but after returning Thing Two, somewhat dejectedly, to his home, I headed off to meet Susie.

I arrived without having gotten ahold of her on her cell (she doesn't turn it on) but had the good fortune of seeing Susie and Mr. Ratburn with Lil Rita crossing a street right in front of me!

I honked and waved, but Susie took off running across the road mistaking me for a crazy driver,

no, wait,

mistaking me for a crazy driver wanting her to go away.

Anyway, we got ourselves together and I got to meet the adorable Little Rita and Mr. Ratburn is as fab as you might have imagined. We hung out for a while and then went to dinner at an Indian place

(What?? Susie at an Indian place!! No WAY!!)

Really, it's all true.

Then we wandered through Pike and fondled the pig.

We went down to the waterfront, where Lil Rita felt the need for an ice cream cone.

Susie was feeling done on the whole food issue.

We sat and enjoyed a gorgeous Seattle sunset.After that, we did a little bit of sightseeing on our way back to the hotel.

Then, after tucking the family in, Susie and I hit the town.

She kept me out till 1:30 in the morning and THEN...

I kid you not,

she had the GALL,

the unmitigated nerve(!!)

to wake me up at 5:59 AM!!!!

She dragged me out of the hotel and forced me to walk the streets of Seattle to have coffee and a pastry with some Idiot we know.

Then, as if that were not bad enough, she took a pic of me like that!!

S' ok, once I had a double macchiato I was even willing to smile for a picture. We ditched the Idiot for a while and went and did touristy things

(although I have my limits, I would NOT Ride the Ducks with them).

It was a great day, and a good time had by all.

Woooo hoooo!

Well, my good friend Susie, first lady of the orchard, arrived in Washington State Tuesday afternoon, July 25th.

I am excited to be meeting her in Seattle where we will party like it's 1999.
As in, we will be sporting out of fashion clothing and be amazed at the outrageous price of gas. Nah, actually she cleans up pretty good.
But I hope she isn't this dressed up, because I sure as heck won't be.
One thing we will definitely be doing is getting her to try some coffee.

She promised me she would, and no pulling ugly faces!!And if she gives me any trouble about trying it, I will call in some muscle.

See ya Thursday evening,

Logo out!

Congrats to the winners of last week's quiz.

Neva and the Grunt got 100, wow!

Well done you two.

We also had a Cunning Stunts at 90,

I would give linkage if I had the URL.

In local news, it is 68 degrees and overcast...

aaaaaaah, now THAT'S what I'm talkin bout!

This is where I would post a pic if Blogger was cooperating,

alas and alack.

Oh well, here's

THE QUIZ

OH OH OH!!

ALSO

Go HERE and vote for The Belle of the Brawl!!

Thing Two

who may very well be a good Thing, and not a Thing to be feared, is nevertheless a stubborn Thing, it must be admitted. He refuses to be rushed in ANYTHING, even losing teeth. Here is the first one to go, at age 7.
Isn't that cute??

The adult tooth was already there, BEHIND the baby tooth, I forsee a happy orthodontist in my future.

Good thing he IS so cute.

In other news, Ariella is appropriating all bedding and comfortable resting spots without compunction.
The blanket is from Thing One's room, the pillow is from Thing Two's room, the bean bag chair was in the family room, she put them together to her own satisfaction.

I guess it is good to know what you want.

Pie crust promises

easily made, easily broken

Some thing are much better when kept intact,

don't you think?

55 for a friend

From a suggestive topic, or rather, a suggestED topic

The gorgeous jutting peaks again drew his eyes and he couldn't look away. The lovely lines were so unique in their beauty. Yes, of course there were others that looked much the same, but as any true lover can tell you, each mountain range is different, and the Grand Tetons were by far his favorite.

And the accompanying picture...

It's Friday, folks, we've made it through another week.

Hope you all have a great weekend and try not to work too hard, eh?

The end of an era

Here you see the face of a very happy man.

"Why so happy?" you might ask if blatantly prompted to do so.

Well, there are a couple interconnected reasons.

Today was Mr. Logo's last day at his current job.

This means he will no longer be requiring the clothes.

This mean he can throw away his white shoes.

There are few men in the US who willingly own or wear white dress shoes.

Mr. Logo is definitely not one of them.

In celebration of the last day and the departure of the hideous shoes

we went out for Thai.

In honor the the momentous nature of the occasion I wore not only my wedding ring

(which I more often than not leave in my jewelry box)

but also my mother's ring, a bracelet, a necklace, an anklet, a toering AND earrings!

I did however, leave the lip plate at home.

I realized, while we were waiting for dinner,

that I was going to have to post a pic of the necklace for my pal

the lil red stiletto.

See, like my Canadian twin,

the featured guest today on Belle of the Brawl,

no matter where I am, I keep thinking of my blog pals.

And Yes,

Susie, Lime, Snav, Idiot, Egan, Doug, Monika, Grunt, Lily, Erica, Guggs, Vera, Seamus, Crystal, Candace, Mirielle, Pants, Fred, Vanessa, and all you other wonderful and thoughtful commenters,

I think of you too.

And I smile.

Here is a little something for a friend.

RICE CRISPY TREATS

1 or 2 bags miniature marshmallows
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups Kellogg's Rice Crispy Cereal
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add marshmallows.
Stir until mixture becomes difficult to stir any more.

Mix in the Rice Crispy Cereal and stir until hot.
Butter a pan (a square pan like a brownie pan) and spread mixture evenly in the pan.

Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Since I know the person who likes THOSE ^

doesn't like THESE

A MEME!!

A - Available: For a limited time only! If you call and order today we will include a second set free, that's right, FOR FREE, so call today, operators are standing by!

A - Age: 35

A - Annoyance: Just one?? Oh man, uh... inattentive driving, I guess

B - Best Friend: Mr. Logo, cliched as that may sound.

B - Beer: Makes great bread, and also good fish batter

B - Birthday: This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius...

C - Crush: Totally awesome, dude!

C - Car: My last car was a Subaru

C - Candy: I bought a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans last week.

D - Day or night: night

D - Dream Car: There's always just been something about a Countach, but they are getting old, so I guess a Ferrari Enzo

D - Dog Or Cat: Dogs that don't make me sneeze.

E - Easiest person to talk to: Myself, I am always around and interested in what I have to say. Some times I even chat with myself online

E - Eggs: Benedict

E - Email: Anytime you like, if you frighten me I won't reply

F - Favorite Month: The current one, always the current one

F - Favorite color: favorite color for what? This is not a one size fits all category, people!

F - Favorite Memory: Most recent favorite, when our whole family cuddled up on the hide-a-bed and watched movies, and ate popcorn and giggled and laughed and stayed up way too late and had a really great time.

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears, as long as they are from Haribo

G - Giver or taker: I believe in taking turns

G - Gum: Cinnamon

H - Hair Color: Reddish with plum on the ends

H - Height: 5'5"

H - Happy: and I know it!

I - Ice Cream: Yes please, with a variety of toppings

I - Instrument: Geiger counter

I - Idol: I have some unusual worship habits, see Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida for details

J - Jewelry: Sometimes, and when I do, I mix gold, silver and whatever else I like

J - Jail: Only in Monopoly, and I didn't even get to collect my $200, darn it

K - Kids: Yup, but just the ones I have

K - Kickboxing or Finger Painting: As much fun as kickboxing sounds I don't know if my knees would handle that. Finger painting is gentler on the joints

L - Longest Car Ride: Maryland to Washington State by way of Florida, and California. I was 6 years old and I am still scarred

L - Longest relationship: I've known my folks for about 35 years and my older sister too. I've managed to inflict myself on Mr. Logo for about 16 years now.

L - Last Kiss: Less than an hour ago

M - Milk flavor: coffee or tea

M - Most missed person(s): My gramma, my brother

M - Movie Last Watched: Unbreakable

N - Number of Siblings: 2

N - Number of Tattoos: 0

N - Name: The Queen of Everything, A.K.A. She Who Must Be Obeyed A.K.A. moooooooooo-oooooooooo-oooooom

O - One wish: One Rainy Wish?

O - One Phobia: I don't have phobias, I only have completely reasonable and rational fears

O - One regret: I should have had a V-8

P - Pet Peeves: Counter mounted pens that make it impossible for a lefty to use them

P - Part of your appearance you like best: I have an absolutely gorgeous nail bed on my right thumb

P - Part of your Personality you like best: The part that makes kids and animals like me, I wonder though, if that is the same part that makes freaks and geeks like me

Q - Quick or Slow: Depends on what we are discussing

R - Reason to smile: Things that make me happy

R - Reality TV Show: There is no such thing

R - Reason to cry: frustration, really sad stuff, allergies, getting things in your eyes

S - Song Last Heard: Seacran Charn Tsiail

S - Season: What, right now? It's summer! Sheesh, are we keen observers of the obvious or what??

S - Shoe: Two please, I personally tend to wear them in pairs, I'm old-fashioned.

T - Time you woke: 8:00 AM

T - Time Now: 9:00 PM

T - Time for bed: Midnight...ish

U - U love someone: yup, at least one

U - Unpredictable: Never, I am totally and completely predictable. See, you were expecting that answer, right?

V - Vegetable you hate: Anything gooshy

V - Virgin: Islands? Sure!

V - Vacation spot: Peru, or where ever you are buying me a ticket to go

W - Worst Habits: Over-thinking what I shouldn't and not thinking at all about what I should

X - X-Rated Porn: I prefer my porn G rated

Y - Year you were born: 1971

Y - Year it is now: 2006

Y - Yellow: Quite rightly

Z - Zoo Animal: Zoo animals tend to make me sad but my favorites are probably the penguins

Z - Zodiac: Aquarius

(CROSS POSTED ON THE OTHER BLOG)

I have new visitors in my yard. In addion to birds, bunnies and the occasional deer, now we have squirrels too!

They are soooo cute, and Ariella so hates not being allowed to chase them.

Anyway, here's a pic.

Onto the business of the day.

Congrats to last week's winners.

Idiot had the lead and Snavy and Sar tied for second, well done.

Here is...The QUIZ

Post 365

It has taken me less than 10 months to accumulate 365 posts.
I think maybe I talk too much.
So here, take a look at this and have a good Monday.

Chillin' baby

Have you read

"An Open Apology to the Aliens Who Abducted Me, and Whom I Inflicted Great Damage Upon While Having a Panic Attack Aboard the Mothership" ?

Man, that is a great piece.

When they were handing out melanin I was busy doing the cross-legged "Where is the bathroom" dance

First, to deal with old business, here is my newly decorated tray in its appointed place. Here it sits, awaiting the moment it will be snagged up and used to transport drinks and snacks.Now onto new business. Sunburns seem to be a recent topic topic with some popularity.
This is one of the products I have to prevent them.

I have several, if not many.
This is the second bottle of baby sunscreen so far this year.

Why, you may ask, do we have baby sunscreen when there are clearly no babies in the house? Because a side effect of being one allele away from an albino is that you also have very sensitive skin. Regular sunscreen can cause chemical burns, almost as much fun as a fun burn, and without the fresh air!

Just to prove my point, look below, not a tan line to be found.

Well, I decided to try a gradual tan product for LIGHT skin.
Unfortunately, even THAT was too dark. After one application I had brownish streaks.

I think perhaps even building a tan might not work for me.

Some of us were destined to be white,

embrace the madness, and bring some shades.

I sometimes fancy myself aaaahtistic

Yesterday I comented about turning myself black and purple.

Then, to try out Seamus' suggestion,

today I tried turning myself red...

and white and blue and yellow and green.

This would be why I did that.

I was painting this tray. The outside is black, and the rest,

well, it looks almost exactly like you see here!
I made it to go on the table shown

here.

I've a lengthy history of attempting to express myself in paint.

The earliest and most disturbing example of which is,

at the age of ten I decided my bedroom ought to be pink,

hideous, eye-searing, Pepto-Bismol™ pink.

Perhaps I was trying to atone for being a tomboy.

Well, the tomboy stayed and the pink disappeared.

And I think my taste has improved.

At any rate, NOW

I paint what I like,

not what I think I ought to like.

So, here are some pictures of a project I enjoyed.

If you like it, great.

If not, that's ok too. I like it!

The shower curtain was the inspiration for this.

I painted the walls in graduating blue, dark at the bottom and lighter toward the top.

The fish are 3-D.

There are schools of them swimming around the room.

I replaced the towel bar with these hooks.

I ripped out the mirror and lights,

it was an ugly "I'm-ready-for-my-close-up-Mr. De Mille" dressing room type of affair. Then I hand painted the floor to go with the bottom of the shower curtain.I was rather pleased with how it turned out and I have sealed it with enough layers of poly that this floor will probably last longer than anything in the house.

I love to paint!

For the last quiz our winners, tied at 90 were...
Mr. Logo
Minka
Doug,
Lime,
and
An Idiot on a half shell.

Thank you to those who donated questions, your generosity will be rewarded, with higher scores!

My darling Ice Queen requested a picture of Old Faithful,

here it it!

And now...

time for the Quiz!

Good luck and don't Google.

BTW, did you know if you get black and purple paint all over your hands and arms you can get all kinds of sympathy?

Monday Monday, can't trust that day

How the heck did it get to be a new week?

Did anyone OK this?

I mean really, have we thought this through at all?!

I don't think this is such a good idea, ok,

that's all I'm saying.

I just think a little more preparation time would have been appropriate.

Its a good day for kicking back and chilling out.

Before I go do that though,

here are some questions for my galpal, Susie Q.
1. You have said you make your own shoes, tell us a little about that? Oh and pics would be great!
2. Do you remember what taciturn means and why I bring it up?
3. What is the most ambitious wood working project you'd like to attempt?
4. We've heard about some things you enjoy in India, what are your least favorite?
5. You get one do-over, what would you use it on?

There's no place like home!

Well, Mr.Logo managed to return my firstborn to me earlier this week in nearly mint condition.

There are some lingering complaints regarding his hind quarters, but for the most part he seems well.

Here he has posed so his dad could take a pic of him in the middle of nowhere.

I occasionally am known to comment that our domicile is located in the middle of nowhere,

He was trying to assist me with some clarification. Isn't that the sweetest little thing you ever did hear?

They went to their HOG rally and hung out with Harley snobs.

They also went to Yellowstone and visited bison and Old Faithful, of course.

It was a long trip with lots of miles for the ass of a small boy on a motorcycle.

He was so excited on the last fuel stop, they were almost home that his dad snapped a pic of his excitement.

They were about 30 minutes from home and he was ready to be done.

Good time had by all.

We all survived AND we've even recovered at this point...mostly.

Before and Afters

As promised, Mr. Logo, who returned from his lil trip looking like this,

shaved his HORRIBLE mutton chops (or lamb chops, as a couple of my friends insist on calling them) and then he looked so gooood and felt so smoooooooooooooooooooth, mmmmmm.

Thing Two occasionally has trouble when it is time for him to make his room go from this...
to this. Much better looking, eh?So while we had some time with just the two of us home we cleaned out his dresser, his toys, and decorated his room. Should be much easier for him to keep his papa happy with the level of cleanliness in his room.
Lime, Lily, I will come help you paint, will merely cost you the price of the plane ticket!