cool beans

Thanks to OMSH, I found this contest to win a $400 Pink Dyson Vacuum Cleaner at The Domestic Diva.

I usually don’t do contests and I’m getting this in just under the wire, but I couldn’t pass this up. My family has been vacuum-less for more months than I’m willing to admit. It would be silly not to try.

A winner will be drawn November 1st. If you’re waiting by your computer waiting for me to post, you might have time to add the contest icon to your sidebar and add a post to your blog about the contest. For all the official rules, visit The Domestic Diva.

Clickety here to view my NaBloPoMo profile. If you’re signed up for National Blog Posting Month and I haven’t added you to my list o’ friends over there, please let me know.

The last few days I’ve been plotting my demise. You can read about the planning stages here: NaBloPoMo Strategery.

I’ll be back in November. Which is Thursday, so don’t freak out.

Currently:

Also,

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You can find more Finger Eleven by googling Finger Eleven. I’d link directly to their site, but it’s crashing Firefox and I’m too lazy to open IE. Image of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate drink mix used without permission.

1. What is your occupation?
Book pusher, spreader of joy.

2. What color are your socks right now?
They look exactly like my bare feet!

3. What are you listening to right now?
Football noise from living room, husband passing gas.

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Popcorn and M&M’s.

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
I cannot. The friend who sent me this questionnaire tried to teach me. I was screaming, “I don’t know what to do!” while she was screaming, “CLUTCH CLUTCH CLUTCH!” And she laughed at me. Then we died from whiplash.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Peach. Or pink. Or yellow.

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My son’s friend. Here is how the conversation went:

“Hello?”
“Hello? Hello?”
“Hang on. I’ll go look for him… He’s not here.”
“Oh, well, okay. You sure?”
“I’m sure. If I see him I’ll tell him you called.”
“Okay. It’s just that…”
“I’ll tell him.”

Two minutes later:
“Hello?”
“Hello? Uh, hello?”
“Sigh. He’s not here. He is outside.”
“Oh, well, are you sure? Because, hello?”
“I’m sure. He went outside.”
“But I’m outside and I don’t see him.”
“He’s not answering when I call to him. He is outside.”
“Okay. I wonder where he is…wait. I see him. Okay bye.”

I love that kid. His phone calls are very entertaining.

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yes.

9. How old are you today?
33 and 9 days

10. Favorite drink?
Too many to mention.

11. What is your favorite sport to watch?
College football. Or volleyball. Or professional napping.

12. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Myself? I once put Sun-In in my hair. Disastrous. I’ve paid someone else to make it lighter several times.

13. Pets?
Yes, but not at home.

14. Favorite food?
Dessert.

15. Last movie you watched?
Blades of Glory

16. Favorite Day of the year?
The one that doesn’t suck.

17. What do you do to vent anger?
Yell, throw things, break stuff. Use very foul language.

18. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Clacker balls that were made out of glass or marble or something.

19. What is your favorite, fall or spring?
Fall and Spring in that order.

20. Hugs or kisses?
Both - unless we’re talking candy. Then I’m all about Kisses.

21.Cherry or Blueberry?
Cherry.

22. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Um, I usually do. Unless I don’t.

23. Who is most likely to respond?
I’m not participating in the email forward game so this doesn’t count.

24. Who is least likely to respond?
The Universe.

25. Living arrangements?
Unpleasant. (Someone make my husband shut up.)

26. When was the last time you cried?
Last week. No, a couple of days ago while reading my blog archives.

27. What is on the floor of your closet?
Crap I don’t even know I have. Want it?

28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?
The person who sent this to me is the friend I’ve had the longest that I still talk to regularly.

28. Who is the friend you have had the shortest that you are sending this to?
Does not apply, except that the friend who sent this to me is probably my shortest friend.

30. Favorite smell?
Clean laundry, my four-year old.

31. What inspires you?
Ambien, good hair days.

32. What are you afraid of?
The spider that was hanging out in the tub last night when I pulled back the shower curtain. That thing was a monster. I screamed for real.

33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
All of the above. Please grind me a cow and grill it. Top it with everything, thank you.

34. Favorite car?
A free one that works. And has air conditioning.

35. Favorite cat breed?
lolcats. or dead ones.

36. Number of keys on your key ring?
8-10. I use four of them.

37. How many years at your current job?
Three months?

38. Favorite day of the week?
Any day but Wednesday. I’m also not a big fan of Sunday.

When I find pants I like, people stop making them.
I got older last Friday. To celebrate, my husband and I went to his company’s award banquet. Then we came home and had cake with the kids. It was chocolate cake with a Mrs. Potato Head on it.

Then we went shopping in the Big City on Saturday. I bought a whole gob of new clothes. It was a good day and I have rockin’ new threads. We did experience some drama over jeans. Mostly, the people who make my favorite jeans are going to stop making my favorite jeans. So we spent over an hour looking for more of these jeans because I would BUY THEM ALL. I came home with one pair of favorite jeans and one pair of the jeans I’m going to have to live with. The jeans I’m going to have to live with are going to have to go back to the store because I picked up the right size in the wrong length. SIGH.

I like to read stuff.
I could tell you all about this, but really, I use Goodreads and so should you. While I’m bossing you around, I’ll also add that you must read “A Simple Plan” by Scott Smith. It’s not optional.

I like my job.
Really, I like my job. I wish I could tell you all about it because there’s some good stuff there. People are awesome fun.

More about shopping.
I needed a jacket or sweater or something for chilly weather that isn’t cold enough for a coat. So, a jacket. Which is what I said in the first place. I found two jackets I liked and then I told the salesperson, “I like these jackets. Are either of them on sale?”

She said, “Well, it’s buy one get one free, soooooooooooo, yes.”
She was thinking, “Can’t you READ THE SIGN?”

I said, “Will you hold them for me?”
I was thinking, “I can’t buy things for myself so I need a few hours to talk myself out of it.”

She said, “The sale ends at six o’clock.”
She was thinking, “You are an idiot. Buy them already.”

So I bought them because it’s really ridiculous to hem and haw over forking out $40 for two totally useful and necessary pieces of clothing. I know they are necessary because you cannot achieve self-actualization without food, shelter and CLOTHING. (Hey! Sex is also necessary but they didn’t tell us that in school. Smells like conspiracy!) Since I’ve got most of the stuff between clothing and creativity, I think not having jackets may have contributed to my recent writer’s block. (I’m calling it writer’s block because I don’t want to tell you I haven’t given a flying floop about writing lately.)

NaBloPoMo
November is going to be awesome.

I am making the commitment to post something to this blog every day in November. I signed up and edited my profile and everything. Hopefully this makes up for posting next to nothing recently.

Sitting here waiting to be inspired enough to write something about something, I was interrupted by my four-year old who wants me to walk behind him while he rides his bike around the neighborhood. This kid is very charming. I can’t say no.

Instead of telling you something, I’m going to ask you some questions. Answer either in the comments or repost to your blog. Feel free to pass it on.

1. What’s the last good book you read?

2. You’re embarrassed to admit you’ve read a particular book. What’s the title? (This is a safe place. You can tell me.)

3. What are two websites (blogs or not) that you are digging lately?

Since I missed out on some “UNLURK” thing-a-ma-jig last week, I’m making participation mandatory. If you read the above, you have to answer the questions. Or some bad stuff will happen, maybe. Like permanent wedgies, ingrown toenails, liver for dinner every night for three and a half months, split ends, unfortunate hair cuts, Swiss Miss supply shortages, white shoes after Labor Day, alien abduction, ring-around-the-collar, a pocket full of posies, and/or anal leakage. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

From Friday’s Feast.

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

It depends if I have big plans or not. It’s mostly just a normal day. So, eh, 6 with 6 being “ambivalent”. I look forward to my half birthday more because it’s funny to have a half birthday when you’re thirty-something. And a half.

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?

I dislike a lot of words but I really hate the word “toenail”.

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside?  If so, what does your current pair look like?

I would if I had contacts. I need prescription sunglasses. It’s on my totally neglected “things I should do for me” list. Squinting is giving me wrinkles. That, and the hard living.

(I wonder how many meme participants answered this question with, “I wear my sunglasses at night. Ha ha ha! No, seriously….”)

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?

It depends on what the book is about, I guess. Maybe I would just dedicate it to myself for being awesome and writing a book. Go me!

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy.

I love beverages. You might say I am a beverage fanatic. Tea, coffee, rum, wine, tequila, water, vodka, rubbing alcohol, cranberry juice, lemonade, milkshakes.