This Ranting Geek May Need Medication!

Where am I?  Is this the same earth that brought me snow and below-freezing temperatures last winter?  My brain is boiling from these triple-digit days, about 12 in a row now.  Thanks much for bringing on the brown season here in north Texas.  

I'd like to crawl into a hole and emerge sometime this fall or in time for summer vacation to a cooler place.

Strange things are happening....

We visited New Mexico where at least we had cooler nights but the fires burned turning the horizon into a smoky haze.  

Pink sun.  Is this Mars or maybe Venus?

Los Alamos was evacuated.  When people returned to their homes, they were warned that displaced bears may be visiting looking for food.    Oh, my.  Be careful Goldilocks. 

 Ahs.  So sweet of the two-legs to leave me some treats.

We are headed to the land of Jellystone in late August.  Yellowstone, that is.  No fires there this year but there is an oil spill in the Yellowstone River.   Ew. So all the bears are now black bears?

Snort.  I just can't help myself today.

Bear activity is on the rise as the poor creatures can't find enough food at higher elevations.  A beetle is destroying pine trees limiting the pine nuts available to hungry grizzlies.   Hubby says we are wearing bells while hiking so we lessen our chance of startling Mama and Cubs.

It's not surprising that many Americans are obese.  Hubby and I were rolling our eyes at how many able-bodied people we see that push the button to have doors open automatically.  What?  So your arms don't work?  They're not full.  You don't have kids with you.  You're not in a wheelchair or using a walker or cane.  Sheesh.  USE YOUR ARMS! 

Ok.  Ok.  Maybe you're having a bad day.    I think I'll head to the kitchen for a fattening snack.  

What is it with Texas?  Casey Anthony moving here.  Seriously?    Glenn Beck wants to hang his hat here, too?  Wow.   I'm not standing here with open arms, 'K?  How about North Dakota or Kansas or maybe New Jersey?  Yeah, that works.  Adios. 

That's enough ranting for today.  Have a great weekend.

Geek Returns from Space Wearing Dirt and Cat Hair

I'm back.  The alien probing wasn't bad this time.

What have I been up to?

Oh, you didn't ask?

Too bad.

It's been nothing but excitement around here.

I'm cat-sitting:

 My talents are looking cute and lovable and sleeping.

I can be used as a dust mop.

My talents are purring, sleeping, and sitting on my grooming comb.  

Yes, I DO see the toy, 'K?

Neither cat was receptive to me trying to sit on them.

Kidding.  Kidding.

I built a wall:

 The wall-building efforts caused much distress to 
Giant Lizard living in the hole.

I made a new sun bed and planted another rose bush:

 Reffie's sun bed was not designed for the neighbor's cat, 

obviously enjoying himself is his primary "pet-me-now" position.

Sheesh.  He probably pooped in the mulch as soon as I turned my back.

 First bloom from the new addition to my rose family. 

If I see the deer approaching this gem, it's venison for lunch.  

Kidding.  Kidding. 

 

I cooked for Mother's Day.

This photo intentionally left blank because we ate all the food.  
Oink.

I'm training for the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon in June.

This photo intentionally left blank because I melted.
The temps are rising but not quite approaching 
"fried egg on the sidewalk" extremes.

Photo credits:  Reffie with a little help from a few sweet kitties!

Beaded Yellow Bird Reports This Week's Business

Hi there, folks!  E. Vile Tweety here, blogging in for Reffie and Evil Twin.  "E" as in heck-if-I-know but Reffie told me the Vile is because I'm a messy birdie, squeezing thru the bars of my cage and pooping all over the place.

Reffie, Evil Twin, and Hubby are going away for awhile.  Reffie said something about white coats so it must be cold and dark where they are going.

I SAID COAST, YOU SILLY BIRD!

Sheesh.  What is with her today?

Anybirdie, here's my mug shot: 

 Aren't I a Purdy Birdie?

I taut I taw a Puddy Tat.  Whoa.  I did.  I did.

I can't imagine what that tart did for those beads.

And what's with dis dude?  

Show-off!

"Puddy Tat, stop swatting at those feathers!"

That silly thing.  I also caught her going after Reffie's Finisher Medal from Sunday's Cowtown Half Marathon.  Bad Kitty!  Reffie worked hard to finish that race.  She said it felt like summer with warm temps, high humidity and a brisk southern breeze in her face as she had to climb a Texas mountain at mile 9.    Even so, she eked out a personal best and has been stuck on herself for the last few days.  Two years ago it was 27 degrees with a brisk northern breeze and she complained about that, too.  There is NO pleasing that girl.

Evil Twin is very excited about Mardi Gras.  She has been reviewing some wicked margarita recipes and is ready for the party.  She insisted we all wear those shiny chains around our necks.   Sheesh.  That's just something else to drive that despicable black furry beast nuts.    She also said she hopes that you get the bird when you eat the King Cake.  Hearing this is deeply disturbing.

THE BABY, YOU STUPID YELLOW FEATHERY APPETIZER!

Baby?  Oh, my.  That is truy evil.  

Oh, I get it now.  E.Vile is evil.

Hey....

Love Pugs and Morons Make the World Go 'Round...or End

Cupid-in-a-Diaper Day has come and gone.  To celebrate, not only did I devour (and continue to devour) chocolate but I borrowed a photo and writing assignment from Jenny Matlock's blog.  The assignment was a caption, using 50 words or less:

UGH!  Is this true love?

I'm a PUG, FOOLISH HUMAN!

I do not wish to be Wonder Pug, Bat Pug, Super Pug, or even Princess Pug.

I do not need shoes.

I just want to be your little love pug, with slobbery love licks, soft fur, 

and a belly full of bacon.

OK..that's done.  I can move on to the latest news in Geekville.

The weather has turned warm and people have turned into roasted morons nuts.  You'd think it was a sunny day in Seattle.  Here in Texas, we are no longer struggling with slick roads but are being dazzled brainless with thoughts of spring and are apparently unable to drive in our lane, use our turn signals, wait our turn at stop signs, or even stop at red lights!  We are DEFINITELY NOT able to put down our cell phones or turn down our rap music to focus on driving in a reasonably courteous manner.  Yeah, reasonably.  After all, this IS Texas.

It's been hard for Evil Twin this last week.

Speaking of cell phones, Evil Twin nearly pulled out her machete when she encountered Clueless Lady walking on the indoor track in the wrong lane, flailing her left arm as her right arm held the phone up to her ear.  Although the signs indicate calls over two minutes should be continued off the track, Ms. Clueless blabbed nonstop for thirty minutes before leaving the track for the stretching area.   She nearly lost that left arm as we passed her several times.  A little extra thump would have had her crashing into the guardrail. 

I'll admit to a passing fantasy of watching Ms. Clueless hurl herself over the rail thinking she could fly and landing not so softly on the basketball court below...

Ah....brownies.  

Gulp.  

Burp.

I'm feeling much better now.

Hubby and I watched the movie 2012 over the weekend.  We laughed at the special effects and the "science" but enjoyed seeing the good guys score some wins and the jerks get their just desserts (no brownies!).  I'd like to have one of those arks.

Holy Wormcicles, Batman!

Welcome to Texas, where it is usually tolerable during the winter.   Our metropolitan area is hosting the Super Bowl this year so what does Ms. Fickle M. Nature do to celebrate the occasion?  That's right.  She hooked up with Mr. Freeze (yes, in the biblical way) and hosed down most of Texas.  Ok, she sprayed most of the USA, THAT MENOPAUSAL WITCH!

The show must go on, though.   Yesterday, the talking heads showed us coverage of the police escorting the Packers' buses on the icy roads.  They were headed to the stadium for Media Day.   Evil Twin was hoping to see the cop cars spin-out and crash into the guardrails like everyone else yesterday morning.

Nothing happened.  Zzzzzz.

We have a big bay window in our kitchen area and I've enjoyed watching the birds peck for worms in the snow.  Hubby coined their potential food as wormcicles.  Hee Hee.  We even have one little guy camp out by the back door, enjoying the warm air oozing through to the outside.

No, this isn't me and this isn't the back-door-begging bird 

but the bird was similar in size and shape to this one. 

I think this guy just wanted a hand-out (pun intended).

Today, with a low temperature of about 10, the sounds of silence stirred us out of our warm cozy bed.  The power was out.  No whirs or roars from the heaters.  No comforting buzz from the fridge.   

SIGH.  

I was looking forward to my hot tea.  Fortunately, we were only out for about 30 minutes or so and when we turned on the TV, we heard all about the "rolling black-outs" mandated by a state governing organization.  

Yippee.

I have not left the house since Monday.  The gym where I teach has been closed and I didn't have to buy food like it was the last time I'd ever have a chance to do so.  Local schools have also been closed. 

Monday was a nice day, though, as it was my 24th wedding anniversary.  Hubby and I celebrated by exchanging cards, kisses and chocolate.  I also got a really big book with gorgeous photos! We plan on a dinner out sometime this weekend.

This photo is part of the card I got for Hubby.  I love the "Soul Mateys" boat name.

Stay warm!

Bird in hand photo from Abrilon on flickr.com.

Your Marbles Called....

They want to go back to your brain where they belong.

Or maybe it's the zombies nibbling peoples' brains.

People are acting crazy and I'm getting scared.

Evil Twin is having a wonderful time, though.  Sunday is Halloween and we still have candy left.  I know I haven't bought any yet but work with me here.

Evil Twin is all into the decorating.  She wants to put out a candy bowl with a child-size hand in the middle.  When kiddies reach to grab some candy, a recorded voice will say "Be careful there.  Look what happened to the last kid."  This would be followed by evil laughter.  I think she has already recorded the laughter.

Hum....

Maybe we will just answer the door and hand out candy like all the other folks.

Anyway, back to the craziness and people missing parts of their brains.

Yesterday, while I was running, a car nearly hit me and sent me into a ditch, minus a limb or two.  It came up behind me on a two-lane road.  I didn't hear it as the wind was blowing sound away from me. There was traffic coming the other way.  This car didn't even slow down or move over an inch.  I think that's all I had between my arm and that car.   Evil Twin is digging out back.  I'd best go check to see if the hole will be big enough for that car and its driver.

Yes, I know.  I should have been running towards traffic but I usually wait to cross over until I top the hill...right about where I nearly hit the ditch.  Sigh.

Hubby channeled Evil Twin while driving when a grizzly-faced super-sized redneck cut him off in order to turn into the local barbecue joint.  Evil Twin told me later that she was sure that pig-man was a cannibal.

I was nearly sandwiched yesterday while driving home.  The annual airshow is in town.  The airport is close to the freeway.  The Blue Angels were practicing and they maneuvered right over the freeway causing everybody in front of me to slam on their brakes.  One of the pilots was wearing a yellow undershirt and had blue eyes.  The Mustang behind me nearly became one with my rear door.  I think his undershirt was white but I'm sure his pants were brown.

Are you scared yet?

All in a geek's week.

Photo credits: Blue Angels: David Newberger on flickr.com, Creative Commons License (see sidebar),  Jack-O-Pansies: Reffie.

Blinded By The Light But Not By The Punch

It's a bright sunny day and there will probably be numerous traffic accidents from folks running a red light because they simply DID NOT SEE the light.

I get this.  The bright sunshine was playing tricks on me this morning.  Here's how I interpreted the following signs:

RIGHT SHOULDER CLOSED AHEAD  as  BRIGHT SHOULDER HOSED A HEAD

   I like my version better.  Even though it's nonsense, it's much more entertaining.

MERGING TRAFFIC as MURKY GRAFFITI

  I kept looking for the non-signaling, unclear graffiti.  I was so confused.

 I'd let this guy merge.

and then my mind went into silly Geekgirl mode:

SERVICES AVAILABLE:  MCDONALD'S, BUFFALO WINGS, FU EXPRESS as

  SERVICES AVAILABLE:  FRIED CLOWNS, BUFFALOS F*CKING, FAST WINGS

Speaking of clowns, I found this black-eyed Bozo....

 who seemed to fit well with our afternoon on Sunday:

People are crazy.  We were seated in the nosebleed section at the ballpark for the Rangers vs. Rays playoff game yesterday and about halfway through the game, the guy in the seat next to me punches the guy next to him in the face.  Everyone's jaw dropped as we watched the scene unfold.  The guy doing the whopping said that his neighbor was cussing too much.   None of us heard any cussing but we were paying attention to the game.  

The guy that was supposedly cussing had been drinking quite a bit but he and his buddy were not loud or obnoxious.  The guy sitting next to me, Mr. Whopper, seem to have been in a sulk the entire time.  He was with his mother who was the person who was actually seated next to the accused foul-word-spewer.  The hitting did not occur until Mom went for some nachos.  Maybe the home team losing was just too much for Mr. Whopper or he walks around life with a very short fuse.  Scary.

The situation resolved when the punched guy's buddy convinced Mr. Whopper to leave or they were going to go get a cop. 

All in a geek's life.

Photo credits:  Graffiti: Akbar Simonse, Bozo: Chris Denbow, courtesy of flickr.com, Creative Commons license (see sidebar).

This one time at band camp....

Yeah, I went to band camp.  Once.

I just said that to get your attention.   There is no story.  I was a wallflower at that age.    I didn't know you were supposed to do crazy things and come back with stories to blog about years later.  I was a decent flute player but as I recall I didn't even make the first band.   

Sigh.

OK, Deb, this is for you:

That's right.  You wanted to see more players' butts.  Not only do you get two players' butts in this picture but an umpire's derriere is also part of the shot.  I sure hope you like it.

Hee Hee.

I've read some posts lately about rude people.  Evil Twin thought this photo would be appropriate as to what could be done with these rude people:

Gulp!

Several of you have already taken your vacations.  I've enjoyed reading about your adventures and misadventures and I'll admit to being a little jealous! 

Hubby and I will be taking a vacation at the end of August.  We are headed to Montana to visit Glacier National Park.  By then maybe the snow will have melted and we will need a break from the Texas heat.  I told Evil Twin to get some bear repellent but she is stocking up on honey.  She told me to use it as sun block.

Yes, indeed.  Summer is returning to north Texas.  We've had our "summer rains" and now we are expecting triple digits towards the end of the week.   

Yippee.

Although this is a photo from Texas, I will promise you that nobody I know gets out of the house looking like this:

DOUBLE EW!

 

Mom is getting closer to going under the knife for her shoulder issues.  I'm hoping this happens in the next couple of weeks.

Finally, to get those icky white shorts out of your mind, here's a photo from my front garden:

I love this little bird bath.  It's been dropped and broken but I glued it back together.  The birds don't seem to mind.  I can easily see cardinals, wrens, crows, and blue jays fighting over the bath on a daily basis!

Photo credits: Butts, Bird fighting ring:  Reffie, rude-people-eater:  some email,  tighty whities:  peopleofwalmart.com

Big Texans and Wild Horses Should Have Kept Me Away

I was reading an article in the paper about a Texas woman who was told by an airline that she had to buy two seats because she was too big to fit in a single seat.    She said she was surprised and embarrassed by this situation and said something similar to "People are bigger in Texas".

Um.....EXCUSE ME?

Just because she is from Texas and she is big, she thinks everyone from Texas is big? 

Um....no.  This woman obviously needs to get out more.  Yes, I see BIG PEOPLE here in Texas but I sure see a lot of BARBIE STICKS, too.

SHEESH!

Ah, for the smell of freshly watered brown grass...

According to the calendar, it's still spring.   It's supposed to rain in spring.   Mother Nature is obviously confused.  Yes, I truly believe she is going through the THE CHANGE.....in more ways than one.

I do have a rose bush that is still green and hasn't caught on that it's too hot to bloom:

She's a beauty and she knows it.

Also, since my real cat has not come back, I'm having to make do with this beast:

About all he's good for is pushing up daisies......er....I mean Blue Daze!

Yes, he's cracked.  Although he has made it through winters before, I don't think he cared for this last one, with the 12-inch snow event in February.

I had my running legs handed back to me on a platter yesterday.  I ran a half marathon on concrete trails in heat/high humidity.  I can tell you that there is no flavor of humble pie that I like.  The only saving grace was the scenery.  We had some nice green stuff to look at, like trees and park grass that is over-watered daily.  There were a few small lakes and a polo field (!!) but then there there was this sculpture at the finish line:

Over-sized wild mustangs.  Cool.  I wished I had been riding one instead of running that race straight out of the Hades.

Photo credits: Ruby Red and Dazed Cat: Reffie, Las Colinas Mustang Sculpture: armstrks on flickr.com, Creative Commons license (see sidebar).

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's.....

...just a car.

It doesn't even fly, unlike the drunk driver at D/FW airport earlier in the week.  This driver claims she was hit from behind causing her vehicle to become airborne near one of the toll booths.   Her "flying car" caused a bit of damage when she landed.  Car pieces and parts were scattered all around the toll booth area.  It was quite a story.  The video is probably on youtube and I'm sure it made for lively discussions at water coolers, coffee bars, and happy or unhappy hours throughout the day.  Fortunately or not, the intoxicated driver got out of it with only a broken wrist......and a trip to jail.

No, it wasn't a flying car that caused excitement in our neighborhood a few days ago...

My neighbors are primarily retired folks.  This is actually quite nice as when they aren't traveling, they are home keeping an eye on things,  anything from the state of your yard, to your beast disguised as a pet, to strange cars parked outside someone's home after dark.

My next door neighbor is out of town.  I received a call from another neighbor now known as "Mrs. Kravitz" asking me about a mysterious car parked in front of our mutual neighbor's house.  She asks if we were having company.  Nope.  Not us.  We were hunkered down inside with the A/C blasting watching our local baseball team attempt to run around the bases more times than their opponents.

"Mrs. Kravitz" called the police.

A police officer arrived to check things out.  The officer peeked in the backseat of this car and found......AMMUNITION.   

GASP!

I was hoping for a body or a couple having a good time or something.  Sheesh.

Ammunition.  Yippee. This seems to fit with the characters up the street that decided it was OK to take target practice in their backyard a couple of months ago.  The neighbors and police thought otherwise and two of the occupants of this residence were taken to the slammer on outstanding warrants.

Anyway, back to the non-flying car story.  After the police officer left, the mysterious car disappeared.  Just like that. 

Maybe it was the aliens.  I will check with Evil Twin as I heard her attempting to contact them again the other night.

 Oops. I think I need to have a chat with my headmate. 

Photo credits: Mrs. Kravitz - swiped from Tipper Gore's Internet, Ammo Guy - Cszar on flickr.com, Creative Commons license (see sidebar).

Cover Me Not

Yesterday, while scanning through a few pages of Facebook status updates and photos, I noticed my closest largest city had posted something about an upcoming event:

It’s bathing suit season, but the gym routine is wearing on us. We’re taking advantage of naturist-led hikes at the Fort Worth Nature Center Camp & Refuge to get in shape. Care to join? 

 Well, now......hum....

Yes, it's hot here folks but I don't want to have to apply sunscreen to sensitive areas so I can jiggle stuff that nobody really wants to see.

"Nekid" people hiking in the woods.  Just think of all the places you could get a mosquito bite.....or a tick?  Beware. The rattlesnakes might aim for the jiggly bits.  

OUCH!

Um, no.  I'm not going even though I'm fairly certain they meant NATURALIST!

Speaking of hail-damaged butts, jiggling pieces and parts, and swinging boobs that could choke their owner, I did a quick Google search for nekid-people resorts in Texas.  

My humblest apologies but I bet you can't resist taking a quick peek.

Oh, my, my.  

They have a photo gallery!  WARNING!  WARNING!  DANGER TO YOUR EYES WILL ROBINSON!  DANGER!  DANGER!  

It's one thing to go to a resort and be naked.  It's another to have your naked self as part of the photo gallery.

Weird.

But what really got my attention was the Christian Nudists meetings.  Hum.... I don't think Jesus preached in his birthday suit.

Whatever.

The Hills and a Dale

Finally, I'm sitting down and writing a new post.  I know you guys have been anticipating this event all week...

Um, yeah.

This Friday finds me singing about hills.  Last week I told you about a hilly running course and some of you turned up your noses and accused Texas of NOT having hills.

Well, I'll show YOU.  There is a song about the Texas hills:

The stars at night are big and bright

Deep in the hills of Texas

The prairie sky is wide and high

Deep in the hills of Texas....

Uh, ReformingGeek?

Yes?

The lyrics are DEEP IN THE HEART not DEEP IN THE HILLs.  Here's the song, you silly geek:

Dale Evans and the Muppet Babies

OK.  That's a cute video but now I have to start all over on my post.

Seriously, folks, I'd like to introduce you to hilly Guadalupe Mountains National Park out in west Texas.  Yes, I said mountains.  Hubby and I visited this park as part of a trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. It's about an hour's drive from Carlsbad.

We hiked on a trail through one of the canyons.  It was a hot day so anything to block the sun was welcome.  I thought I had found a photo of the hike but it was a photo from Zion National Park. 

Oops.

I can't leave you without some idea of the beauty of the Texas high desert:

El Capitan. See you at the top!

That's OK.  I didn't make it either.  

Let's just enjoy the view from here.

After the hike, we headed back to Carlsbad.  Evil Twin insisted on a side trip to Roswell to check on her alien friends.   I was concerned.  I wanted to get back before dark because I think she made plans for a moonlight serenade with her favorite Martian.

A few years after our visit, Hubby and I started reading Nevada Barr's mystery novels set in National Parks featuring always-finding-trouble Ranger Anna Pigeon.  Sure enough, Ms. Barr has a story that takes place in GUMO (Guadalupe Mountains National Park).  The book is Track of the Cat.  The "cat" is a mountain lion. Had I known about the mountain lions, I might not have gone on that hike! 

If you haven't read her series and you like mysteries, give them a try.   She will put you right there in the parks with her and you might not want to put it down until you find out what's happening.

Yes, there are hills....and big hearts in Texas.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

Geek Surgeon Takes Flight

Spring is flying by down here in the once again windy state of Texas.  Mother Nature is emptying her powerful lungs across our metropolitan area.  (I wish she'd been a smoker...) Tree branches are falling causing power outages and my recently bloomed roses are raining their petals all over the weeds freshly manicured lawn.

Sheesh.   ENOUGH ALREADY!

In other news, Mom has no damage to her eye from her fall.  Yippee!  She is ready to consider her shoulder surgery.  Evil Twin and I have been practicing for the big day:

Scapel.

Oh sorry.

Anethesia.

Now we're good.

A friend of mine took me on one of her favorite running courses.  She's lucky I still call her "friend".  This course is all steep hills (Yes, we have hills in Texas) and I was sure I would need climbing gear to make it up the last hill.   I kept hoping the ice cream truck would show up and distract my friend or maybe I could ride in the back while she finished the course.

No such luck.  We only encountered a city employee knee deep in someone's muddy yard and a redneck with his barking dog in his pickup.  Twice.  We jumped out of our skin when the beast spoke to us. Twice.  We didn't learn.

Hubby installed baseboards in our upstairs hallway last weekend so the least I could do this week was get them painted.   I spackled and painted and painted and painted, working up quite a thirst. I asked Cat for a tall glass of cold tea but he brought me a pile of dirt and some dead bugs. 

Speaking of Cat, he is currently stalking a silly cardinal that built her nest in a shrub about four feet off the ground.  I don't think the pathetic creature gets any rest. The bird; not the cat.  

Now, where is that cat?  I need a pillow.

Photo credit:  Operation game:  Cyndie@smilebig!'s on flickr.com, Creative Common license (see sidebar).

Of Winds and Wings and Bluebonnets!

This week the winds of March have not only arrived but settled in nicely.  DANG IT!  Why can't they get the month right?  I go out for a run and come back in covered in dirt.  A squirrel tried to bury nuts in me.

Ew.  That sounded awful, didn't it?

Don't answer that.

Earlier in the week, Evil Twin handed me some wings and was trying to teach me to fly.  She told me I was a kite.

I couldn't quite get the hang of running and flapping and I kept kissing the ground causing Evil Twin to break out in uncontrollable spurts of laughter.  Sheesh!  It wasn't THAT funny.

To distract her, I let her play with the garden tools in the shed while I got some yard work done.

If it's April, it must be time for bluebonnets.   South Texas wins again this year for bluebonnet beauty but D/FW is starting to show some color.  Personally,  I think our seeds blew down south last fall, or maybe it was the migrating gnomes that pooped them out on their way to Mexico.

I'm happy I have a few a diva that somehow managed to survive over the winter.  I found this little guy trying to nap (or hide from Cat) in my pretty blue Lupinis texensis (click to enlarge and get the full benefit of Reffie aiming the camera).

Then I walked out to my shade bed in the back where I'm trying some new ground cover and look what I found:

OK.  I'm impressed.  Not only is it alive, it bloomed. 

 

Best of all, it's baseball season!  That's right.  Another season of Hubby cursing at the TV when our local team pitches batting practice for the other team during the game.   

I think the Texas Rangers are currently in last place.

Sigh.

Have a bloomin' good weekend!

Prezzies, Plots, and Puns

Hubby was good to me.  I got a new kitty for my birthday!

He looks a bit cold.  That snow and ice won't be good for snuggling against me on the couch.

What?  I'm NOT getting a snow leopard?

Oh.  SoftWARE not soft animal.

SHEESH!

I also got a new iPod.  My old shuffle has been wet too many times and doesn't like to hold a charge.  It also expects me to guess when it will play and it when it won't.  Perhaps it also has an evil twin.  This new one has the controls on the ear buds so I can no longer wear the cord under my shirt when I'm running.  I think I may end up like this:

Poor "feller". RIP Fido.  He wasn't much of a running partner anyway, always expecting to be carried.

HUMPH!

Yes, we had a great time on my birthday.  We went out for Japanese Hibachi and contrary to popular belief I DID NOT dance on the table and the chef DID NOT sever (or serve) any limbs or digits even though he was being a little too playful with his sharp knives.   Evil Twin was beside herself during dinner, obviously over-excited watching the cutting and slicing.

I had Green Tea Ice Cream for dessert.  YUM!

I can't believe Easter is upon us.  What happened to winter?

Surely, I didn't just say that.

My mom gave me that orchid for my birthday and one of my yoga students gave me the rose.   You can see the orchid better in this shot:

As you can barely see, I also have a few Easter decorations....and a bad habit of keeping all my eggs in one basket.

Yeah, that was bad.  Sorry.

SNORT!

Evil Twin and I are excited about the expected visit of the Easter Bunny on Sunday.  I have asked for more Green Tea Ice Cream.  Evil Twin has asked for a knife sharpener.

I think Evil Twin and Cat are secretly conspiring to capture this elusive hopping beast that is somehow able to deliver goodies.  They have been up at all hours having what they think are secret meetings.  Also, Evil Twin keeps trying to tell me that there really isn't such a thing as an Easter Bunny. 

Um....she's just messing with me, right?

RIGHT?

Hum....

Then again, if THIS is the Easter Bunny that will be visiting, I will let him have my ice cream and Evil Twin and Cat can execute their plan that I'm not supposed to know about.

Have a great weekend and if you celebrate Easter, HAPPY EASTER!

Photo credits:  Snow kitty:  Apple, psycho bunny:  some email, all others:  Reffie

It's Bullocks and Discombobulation!

It was just another week in paradise or maybe it was in Geekville.  I can't remember.  I do know that it is Friday, the weather is gorgeous, and a busy weekend awaits!

The rude and obnoxious alarm goes off this morning making its usual repetitive chirping noise.  Hubby stirs and then lets out a big bear groan.  Unfortunately, I don't think he was awakening from a dream involving the potentially available Sandra Bullock.   I reminded Hubby that it was Friday and the bear calmed and started to purr. 

Yes, I know that bears don't purr but maybe they vibrate when they sigh.  Hubby did get up leaving me for another hour of precious snore time.

Then, Ms. Spring redeemed herself.  I woke up feeling all out of sorts.  I didn't sleep well.  Hum....maybe I was wrestling Sandra Bullock for my husband's attentions.

Anywhatsit, I felt discombobulated, my head no longer attached to my body but floating around like a gaseous ghost high on paint fumes.

Driving to work, I was greeted with this, which only intensified my out of body experience:

Yeah, I WISH!  Those are from Yellowstone, courtesy of rickz on flickr.com but our local ponds were steamy and with pink and orange from the morning sun, I now know what SERENITY looks like!

And me without me camera.

For shame.

I'm better now.  My class is done.  Nobody died and my CPR skills were not needed.  PHEW!    My swim is over.  I'm glad I did it even though I felt every inch of the pool and was struggling with my breathing.  I took a few shots of chlorinated water when the guy in the next lane started his butterfly stroke.   

Thanks, Dude.  That's not the drink I really wanted.   Could you have gotten me a coffee or at least a green tea?

This swimmer attended my class prior to his swim so we know each other.  I think he may have been picking on me or paying me back for that last set of push-ups.

Sigh.

In other goofiness,

One of the swimmers in the recent triathlon mentioned she was going to wear a swim cap to keep her hair dry.

Um, no Sweetie. It doesn't work that way.  I certainly wish it did.

A friend of mine was almost stopped in the middle of a half marathon BY A TRAIN CROSSING!

What idiot designed THAT route?

A woman leaves her baby in her SUV to avoid it being repossessed.

Words cannot describe....

People make such great blog fodder.

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Spring, You Owe Us an Apology!

While folks up north and to the east enjoyed our warm Texas weather this past weekend, spring came to north Texas with an attitude, or a hangover, or both.  It must have been some party Ms. Spring attended.  

We had rain, and some more rain, and then snow, and some more snow.   Also, saying that we had a bit of a breeze would be an understatement.  The squirrels adapted by sprouting wings.  They gracefully flew through the trees when they were brave enough to come out of hiding.  Rabbits were getting a little extra air on their hops, easily avoiding Cat while he slept on a warm binkie snuggled up next to me in the warm house.  

Hum...maybe my twisted view of local "wildlife" was caused by a different kind of hops.

Although the snow blew away by mid-afternoon on Sunday,  there was enough of it in some areas to cause some serious issues with our roads. Texans with spring fever hit by a freak snowstorm in the dark is not a good mix.  It would be similar to rednecks in tuxedos singing opera.

Yeah.  I know. That's enough whining.  It's Texas.  The weather changes quickly.

TODAY IS BEAUTIFUL!  I'm having a bit of an issue with lead foot.  I have to drive through numerous 30-mile zones to get to my part-time job and I try to keep it under 40.  I'm having a hard time today.

Maybe I was in a hurry to get home and write this post.  

I know I was in a hurry to get out of the cold water at the gym.  Maybe Ms. Spring left some of her blasted frigid white stuff in the pool?

Sheesh!  I did a lot of full-stroke swimming this morning eliminating some of the drills that I normally do because they don't keep my heart rate up high enough to stay warm. 

Yeah.  I know.  I'm whining again.  LOL.

Have a happy Monday!

I have some photos from my St. Patrick's Day Triathlon.  Enjoy!

 Slithering up the ladder

 Loving the sunshine

 Where's the finish line?

 Satisfied finisher!

Photos:  Your Sporting Image by Karen Thibodeaux, purchased by Reforming Geek

Beware the Sue

While I was on a long run the other day, my mind wandered around the forest, found a few trees, and came back.  Then I realized I was thinking about women named "Sue" and how many of them are BEE-OTCHes.  Yeah, crazy huh?  It's not "Susan" or "Suzanne" or "Suzie".  Apparently, only the name "Sue" creates this horrifying image of pure female witchy bitchiness from my haunted past.

When I was 10 and taking swimming lessons at the local pool, the instructor you DID NOT want to get was.....you guessed it, SUE.  She was old.  She was probably 28, but anybody over 16 was ancient to silly 10-year-olds.   She was mean.  She actually made you learn the strokes and swim and yelled at you if you didn't.  Sheesh!

I'm sure all the bullies in junior high were named "Sue" or "Annette" but the next infamous "Sue" I encountered was another instructor.  This time, I was an adult taking a fitness training class at the YMCA.  SUE was the drill sergeant....er...trainer and she made you do the work/exercises correctly and yelled at you if you didn't.  OK.  Maybe she didn't yell but she sure had a loud voice.   Heaven forbid if you had a question about something....

Just to be clear, our fellow blogger named Sue from Farvel Cargo is NOT a BEE-OTCH.  I've only "met" her online and she seems to have not inherited the "Sue" curse.  Evil Twin and Cat love her blog! 

Wait.  I think she is my new boss.

Uh oh.

In other news, Mom is looking less like a raccoon.  The coloring, with the help of gravity, has moved down her face to her neck.  She is able to see better but still has a big knot on her head. 

She has a broken nose and she saw the nose doctor today. The doctor said that it's up to her whether or not to fix her broken nose with surgery.  Unless she is having difficulty breathing or insists the nose be reshaped, the surgery is not a necessity.  As of right now, she is not having any breathing problems.  No surgery is planned.

Her arm is still very sore.  She wants to try to drive but I think she knows she's not ready yet.   

Sigh.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.

SPLAT!

What was that?

Oh, the poor cat fell off the couch.  He looks so surprised.  He thinks I pushed him.   Now he's licking himself in disgrace.  Silly beast.

A Dusting of Snow with a Side of Flamboyant Ice

Dear Mother Nature,

   I am writing to you again because you obviously did not understand my expression of frustration in my last letter.  Thanks a bunch for bringing another dusting of snow here in Texas.  Now I have powdered-sugared weeds.

  Your last dump broke my pine tree's arm.  

  You should be ashamed of yourself.  People think of Texas as a warm place with all of our salsas and spicy foods.  You are misleading them.  I think you and Climate Change must be sleeping together.

Signed,

Frozen Geek

Fortunately I think this latest dusting will be gone before I finish this post.

Hang on a sec.  Let me check.

...

Yep.  All gone.

Saturday is the Cowtown running event in Fort Worth.  I'm running the half-marathon again this year.  I will need all of your positive thoughts and remote cheers even if it sounds like a snore as I'm sure some of you will not even be thinking about opening an eyeball that early in the morning.

We have a chance for more wintry mix ick later this week and Saturday morning, the day of the race, is supposed to be 30 degrees.    BRRRR! They say we may have sunshine and I will be VERY HAPPY to see that.  Last year it was 28 degrees and cloudy, with gusty winds.    Yeah, three raspberries and a snot wad for you, Mother Nature!

Hubby and I have been watching the Olympics.  Hubby thought the Russian "Curlers" were hot.  I'm thinking Bode and Apollo are looking pretty good in their tight pants events.  We loved the new Ski Cross event and laughed ourselves silly at some of the skating costumes.  What are these people thinking?  Don't they know they are blog fodder?

 Dude, um,um.....

What-the-When-Hell-Freezes-Over are you wearing and your hair? 

AAAAAAAAHHHHHG!

 Oh, please.  They are from France.  Don't EVEN try.

Although.....can I try those boots on Sweetie?

Photo credits: Dandruff on yard: Reffie, 2010 Ice Dancing "borrowed" from the Vancouver Sun.