2. Never in my life…do I think I’d able to kill another living thing (except mosquitoes and roaches)

3. When I was five…I started first grade in Mrs. Ritchie’s class.  Mrs. Ritchie is one of my favorite teachers of all time.

4. High school was…unpleasant.

5. I will never forget the day…I gave my man (now ex-man) the heave-ho.  Because he was a man-ho.

6. Once I met….Lesley Stahl from “60 Minutes.”  The interesting thing was where I met her — in a little cafe in the middle of nowhere in the Peruvian countryside.

7. There’s this boy I know…who is thoroughly precious all the time, even in photos where he’s picking his nose.  Said boy is my one-year-old nephew.

8. Once, at a bar,…..I drank several Black Russians, went to the ladies’ room, got sick, then ordered another Black Russian.  I sure don’t drink like that anymore.

9. By noon…by noon today?  Well, I didn’t really accomplish much by noon today (it’s Sunday).

10. Last night…I enjoyed the Saturday Night Live opener… Tina Fey and Amy Poehler playing Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

11. If only I had…more free time, I would get more done.

12. “Next time I go to church” I will probably be attending a wedding or a funeral.

13. What worries me most…is the thought of four more years of the Republican Party in control of this country.

14. When I turn my head left I see a stack of mail that needs to be read/dealt with.

15. When I turn my head right I see my cat napping in her favorite spot by the window.

16. You know I’m lying when….what?  lie?  moi?  I’m not a very good liar, so I try to be truthful.  Try, anyway.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties…is the music.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be…I’d be that cool, outspoken, gun-toting, pot-smoking granny.

What?  You say she’s not a Shakespearean character?  Crap.  Never mind.

19. By this time next year…I hope to be taking the ARE (Architectural Registration Examination).

20. A better name for me would be…I’m pretty happy with the name I already have.  But I hated it when I was a kid — seeing as how it rhymes with everything.

21. I have a hard time understanding…why people can’t live and let live.

22. If I ever go back to school…somebody please remind me how miserable I was in grad school.

23. You know I like you if…I’m not sure — I generally like everyone unless they give me a reason not to.  But you’ll definitely know if I don’t like somebody.  I’ll do my best to be polite, but I’m not very good at hiding my feelings.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be…my family.

25. Take my advice, never… try to get a cat to wear a sweater.  Don’t ask me how I know this.

26. My ideal breakfast is… Eggs Benedict and a Bloody Mary.  Mmmmm.

27. A song I love but do not have is… I can’t think of one that I love but don’t have (damn that Amazon and their one-click MP3 downloading!)

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest that you visit… nearby beaches, affectionately referred to as the Redneck Riviera.

29. Why won’t people…just get a clue?  (this includes me)

30. If you spend a night at my house…you will also probably be aggravated by my upstairs neighbors, who are very noisy.  I think they are training elephants.

31. I’d stop my wedding for…Wait… am I engaged and somebody forgot to tell me?

32. The world could do without…intolerance.

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than… eeewwww… we’re speaking figuratively here, right?

34. My favorite blondie is… the yummy tollhouse brownie dessert.

35. Paper clips are more useful than….staples?

36. If I do anything well it’s…come up with a theme song for every occasion.

37. I can’t help but feel lazy on a Sunday afternoon.

38. I usually cry… when I’m really pissed off.  Which tends to piss me off even more.

39. My advice to my nephew/niece is… to never forget how much your whole family adores you.

40. And by the way, I wish I could think of some witty parting line, but I’ll end up thinking of it twenty minutes after I post this.

I had already made up my mind to vote for Barack Obama long before the announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate on the Republican ticket.  The fact that his VP candidate is female does not change my mind.  You see, while I would love to see a woman in the Oval Office (and I think it could happen in my lifetime), Sarah Palin is not the one.

I’m a little bit puzzled by the tremendous splash that she’s made, considering that we know so little about her.  Sure, we know that she’s a hockey mom, her husband’s a snowmobiling champion, and her teenage daughter is pregnant engaged and expecting a baby with her fiancé.  But none of those things are relevant, in my opinion.  Here are some things that are:

1.  As the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she asked the town librarian if it would be possible to have certain books banned from the library (the librarian refused).  A few months later, Palin tried to fire the librarian; a groundswell of public support helped save the librarian’s job.

2.  Palin is currently under investigation by the Alaska State Legislature for abuse of power with regard to the dismissal of Alaska’s Commissioner of Public Safety.  Recently, Palin’s lawyers have pressed for an end to the investigation, saying that the issue falls within the purview of the state Personnel Board.  Members of the Alaska Personnel Board are appointed by the Governor.

3.  Palin made several misrepresentations in her Vice-Presidential nomination acceptance speech.  Among these was her claim that she said “thanks but no thanks” to federal funding for the “Bridge to Nowhere.”  While she did eventually decline the funding, a promise to pursue federal funding for the bridge was part of her gubernatorial campaign.  More of these “misstatements” and their rebuttals can be found in this article by  Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn.

4.  In an address at her church in Wasilla, she referred to the Iraq War as part of “God’s plan.”  Video here.  She said the same thing about the Alaskan Pipeline.

5.  In her speech Wednesday, Palin spoke of helping families of children with special needs.  I don’t doubt that she now wants to help, especially since she now has a child with Down Syndrome.  However, as Governor of Alaska, she has slashed spending for special needs education by 62%.

6.  Palin has made no secret of her anti-abortion stance; she is opposed to legal abortion, even in cases of rape or incest.  She has also supported “abstinence-only” sex education programs.  And if those don’t work, I guess there’s always marriage, right?  Unless you’re gay (sorry).

7.  Palin is a creationist, and believes creationism should be taught in school science classes alongside evolution (to her credit, she has not tried to push a creationist agenda as Alaska’s governor).

8.  Palin and her husband were fundraisers for Pat Buchanan, erstwhile presidential candidate with a storied history of racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, sexism, and general hatefulness.

Still curious?  Here are some other great links:

• A very eloquent response to Palin’s snarky mockery of community organizers
• An amusing look at the use of language by the McCain-Palin team
• A Daily Show clip that deftly points out the hypocrisy shown by Republicans in their Hillary-hate and subsequent Palin-philia
• Last but not least:  A beautifully-written open letter by Anne Kilkenny, a resident of Wasilla, Alaska, longtime acquaintance of Sarah Palin’s, and my new hero.  She has no government job to lose as a consequence for speaking up; however, I can imagine that she has angered many Palin supporters with her candor.  Kilkenny had asked that her letter be e-mailed but not posted on the internet (due to wackos).  However, since her letter has now been posted all over the blogosphere, I’m linking to it.

One more very important thing: Sarah Palin is UNQUALIFIED to occupy a position that is a 72-year-old’s heartbeat away from the Presidency of the United States of America.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to forward this post to anyone if you’re worried that they’re about to drink the Palin Koolaid.

So far, this weekend has been Full of WIN.  And the best thing about it is that it’s only about half over.

Yesterday I picked up Little Sister N. (name truncated because of scary internet people that Dateline NBC’s Chris Hanson probably needs to talk to).  Her 7th birthday was Thursday.  It cracked me up when I called her on Thursday to wish her a happy birthday, and she said, “Guess what?  Today’s my BIRTHDAY!”  Anyway, I picked her up to take her to Friendly’s (her absolutely most favoritest restaurant ever) for a birthday lunch.  I also gave her this:

It’s not easy to find charm bracelets anymore, but I found this and lots of cute charms at the Piercing Pagoda in the mall.  Oddly enough, they have more than just piercings.  And the kiosk has no pagoda-like attributes.

We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Friendly’s — she had her old standby, mozzarella sticks, and I tried the Teriyaki Ginger Chicken Bites (not sure it that’s the exact name, but they were Full of WIN).  We finished off with yummy ice cream.  Nomnomnom Full of WIN.

I had really admired N’s shoes.  She’s very much a girly girl and loves clothes and jewelry.  I asked her if I could take a picture of her shoes because they were so cool.  Now you might find it a little weird and creepy that a grown woman could ask to take a photo of a 7-year-old’s shoes, but check out how Full of WIN these shoes are:

Replete with little silver guitars and everything.  Anyway, as I was snapping the photo, N. gleefully informed me, “They’re Hannah Montana!“

Ugh.  Really?  Hannah Montana?  OK.  So they’re the product of overcommercialized  hype.  I still like them.  There.  I said it.

Last night I got together with a few of the girls and had an evening that was Full of WIN.  Started off with a yummy dinner and some Piña Coladas (a blender-full several blenders full of ice, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, Bacardi, and WIN).

Lots of fun conversation was had.  Lots of subtle, witty banter shameless sexual innuendo.  Some knitting was accomplished.  Anphoe’s cats (and perhaps her husband) were amused:

I borrowed totally stole this photo from WifeMomKnitter, because it was better than the one on my camera.

We played Rock Band, where everyone had a chance to try guitar, bass, drums, and vocals (sorry — no cowbell).  Sheer craziness.  Some of the girls got some pictures and perhaps — gasp — a YouTube video.  Someday we can all show our children and grandchildren that, one night in the waning summer of 2008, we were Rock Goddesses that were so Full of WIN.

Keeping an eye on that stupid ManWhore Hurricane Gustav.  Really hoping that it gets bored and heads back out to sea.  The only good thing that might come out of it is the abbreviation of the Republican National Convention.  Sarah Palin hates polar bears.  I love polar bears.  They are Full of WIN.

• Facebook
• Ravelry
• Work
• Trying to clean up my apartment
• Trying to convince my Little Sister that cleaning her room is a worthwhile pursuit (at her mom’s behest)
• Browsing the news
• Olympics (watching them, not competing in them)
• Knitting
• Cooking
• Sleeping
• Eating
• Trying to keep up with the Couch to 5K podcasts

I think my favorite line here has to be this one:

With fingernails that shine like justice…

When it comes to consistency, I am a very very very very bad blogger.  It seems the only time I update is when another interesting meme comes along and I get tagged.  So here’s the latest one — 50 questions.  I answered most of them on Friday night, but didn’t get around to the post until tonight.  Bad, bad blogger.

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes.
2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? I tried smoking when I was a teenager.  But it was hard to look cool once my allergies started to kick in, so it never became a habit.  The other day it occurred to me that all of my friends and family members are non-smokers.  I like that.
3. Do you own a gun? No
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? No Sonics here in the Nutmeg State, but when I lived in Baton Rouge, I used to get pineapple milkshakes.  Fortunately, I can get them at the Meriden Dairy Queen.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Only that the doctor will write “difficult” on my chart like Elaine’s doctor did.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Meh, I could take them or leave them.

7. Favorite Christmas Song? I don’t know.  But if I never hear “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” again, I’ll consider myself fortunate.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Diet Coke.  My co-workers have grown accustomed to the sound of the can popping open at 9am.
9. Can you do push ups? Nope.
10. Favorite movie? I think it might be “Love, Actually.”  It’s funny and cute, and it’s got tons of great people in it, including my boyfriend Hugh Grant and my other boyfriend Colin Firth.

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? The sapphire ring that belonged to my late grandmother – it was given to me on my 30^th birthday.
12. Favorite hobby? Knitting
13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Doubtful.
14. Do you have ADD? No, although I’m a tremendous hypochondriac and have diagnosed myself with plenty of other disorders.
15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? My seemingly boundless ability to fit my size 10 foot right into my mouth.
16. Middle name: Campbell (family name)
17. Three thoughts at this moment: I should finish the blanket for the baby shower I’ll be attending in 18 hours.  My plants need to be watered, but I’ll probably end up killing them anyway.  Thank God it’s Friday.
18. Three things you bought yesterday: a sandwich at Panera, a Bailey’s Irish Crème at Ruby Tuesdays, and…um…another Bailey’s Irish Crème.
19. Name 3 drinks you drink regularly. Diet Coke, water, and Tropicana Orange Coolattas from Dunkin Donuts.
20. Current worry right now? The baby shower is in about 18 hours, and I still have about 10 inches of blanket to knit.
21. Current hate right now? Migraines.
22. Favorite place to be? At home, relaxing.  Or at the beach..
23. How did you bring in the New Year? I honestly don’t remember.  My weirdest New Year’s Eve was probably 12/31/03, when I was moving.  The truck pulled out of the driveway at 11:20pm.  I crawled into bed at about 11:21.  Started the new year in a sea of boxes.
24. Where would you like to go? Anywhere.  It has been a while since I’ve really traveled.
25. Name three people who will complete this. I don’t know – it seems that many people have already completed it.
26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? I’m enjoying reading the ones I’ve read so far.  I am looking forward to reading Knelley’s.  I find her blog very entertaining.  Hell, I find HER very entertaining.
27. What color shirt are you wearing? Purple.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I never have (blushes).
29. Can you whistle? Nope.
30. Favorite color? Blue
31. Would you be a pirate?   Probably not.  It takes a steady hand to apply all that eyeliner.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don’t usually sing in the shower.
33. Favorite girl’s name? I’ll have to think about that one.
34. Favorite boy’s name? See #33.
35.What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing.  But the skirt I wore to work today had no pockets, which I find very aggravating.  Yeah, I know it’s so that the clothes “hang” better – whatever.
36. Last thing that made you laugh? A couple of YouTube videos that I found from links on Ravelry.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? I don’t know.  (Boy, if I said “satin sheets,” that would be a little creepy, wouldn’t it?)
38. Worst injury you’ve ever had?  Broke my collarbone when I was 4 – crashing into a loveseat when I was trying to show off my mad ballet skillz.
39. Do you love where you live? I’m pretty happy with it.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two.
41. Who is your loudest friend? Ha!  I know at least two people named me in their answers.  I’m not sure who my loudest friend is.
42. How many dogs do you have? Zero.  But I do have a cat who is 187 years old.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? I’ve gotten a few winks on Match.com (yeah, I know you’re jealous).
44. If you could marry a movie actor/actress who would it be? If I married any of my celebrity crushes, then I wouldn’t be able to fool around with any of my other celebrity crushes…
45. What is your favorite book?  I don’t know if I have one – I’ll have to think about that one.
46. What is your favorite candy?  Skor or Heath (toffee and chocolate)
47. Who is your favorite sports team? LSU football – Geaux Tigers!.
48. What song do you want played at your funeral?  Yikes!  My funeral is not something I feel like thinking about right now.
49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? Sleeping.  It’s what many of us 30-somethings tend to do at 12am.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Snooze button…just one more time…really…really I’m getting up…in a few more minutes…

I actually did finish the blanket:

But here’s something. KnelleyBelley tagged me. So here goes.

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago, I was busy busy busy… I was a 9^th year senior at LSU, finishing up the second-to-last semester of my undergraduate studies. I was also an administrative assistant for a domestic violence program.

2) Five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

1. Work on my apartment (I moved about a month ago, and I’m still getting settled in)

2. Return phone calls to my dad and my sister

3. Knit while watching season finales I’ve taped on the VCR (poor man’s Tivo)

4. Answer some e-mail that’s piled up in my inbox

5. Answer some paper mail that’s piled up on my desk (and on my coffee table, and on my kitchen counter, and on the hall table…

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Chex Mix is one of my absolute favorites. I generally prefer crunchy, salty snacks to sweets, but a Caramel Coolatta from Dunkin Donuts would hit the spot right about now.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off my student loans and credit cards. Give money to family, friends, and selected charities. Invest. Probably buy a house. Travel.

5) Places I have lived:

Mobile, Alabama. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hamden, Wallingford, and Middletown, Connecticut.

6) Jobs I have had:

Bookstore clerk. Record store clerk, buyer, and slacker. Olive Garden hostess. Door-to-door political canvasser. Office manager. Administrative assistant, payroll goddess, and later grantwriter for a domestic violence program. Teacher of English as a second language. Waitress. Graduate assistant. SAT tutor. Blog moderator. Intern architect. I could go back through W-2s, but then I’d probably got depressed seeing how little money I’ve made.

7) Peeps I want to know more about:

I think everyone I know has been tagged already. If not, consider yourself tagged now.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or get them out of your capacious memory).
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Bold it when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.
6. HAVE FUN!

MOVIE #1

A: How could it take you five minutes to cook your grits when it takes the entire grit-eating world 20 minutes?
B: Um… I’m a fast cook, I guess.
A: [across beside the jury] What? I’m sorry I was over there. Did you just say you were a fast cook? Are we to believe that boiling water soaks into a grit faster in your kitchen than any place on the face of the earth?
B: I don’t know.
A: Perhaps the laws of physics cease to exist on your stove. Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?

MY COUSIN VINNY (Nice going, Melanie M!)

MOVIE #2

I’d be the worst possible Godfather. I’d probably drop her on her head at her christening. I’d forget all her birthdays until she was 18. Then I’d take her out and get her drunk. And, let’s face it, quite possibly try and shag her.

ABOUT A BOY (WifeMomKnitter)

MOVIE #3

A: Where are you giants from?
B: We’re from New York.
C: All hail the New York Giants!

MADAGASCAR (CostumeChick)

MOVIE #4

A: What was that ruckus?
B: Uh, what ruckus?
A: I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus.
C: Could you describe the ruckus, sir?

THE BREAKFAST CLUB (WifeMomKnitter)

MOVIE #5

A: It’s part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I’m working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don’t know why.
B: It’s very nice.
A: You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like – I’m really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it’s sort of in between those, really. It’s like a Mach piece, really. It’s sort of…
B: What do you call this?
A: Well, this piece is called “Lick My Love Pump”.

THIS IS SPINAL TAP (also CostumeChick)

MOVIE #6

A: So what’s this big news, then?
B: [excited] We’ve been given our parts in the nativity play. And I’m the lobster.
A: The lobster?
B: Yeah!
A: In the nativity play?
B: [beaming] Yeah, *first* lobster.
A: There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?
B: Duh.

LOVE, ACTUALLY (WifeMomKnitter)

MOVIE #7

Oh, he’s very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads – they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.

FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (CostumeChick is on a roll!)

MOVIE #8

Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn’t we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? ‘Cause if it leaks to the V.C. he could end up M.I.A., and then we’d all be put out in K.P.

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM (WifeMomKnitter)

MOVIE #9

A: What are these? [holds up a bag with 3 lemons]
B: You asked for lemons. What my baby wants my baby gets.
A: There are 3 lemons. I asked for 12. Baby wanted 12.

THE BREAKUP (KnelleyBelley)

MOVIE #10

A: Well hell, it ain’t square one! Ain’t nobody gonna pick up three filthy, unshaved hitch-hikers, and one of them a know-it-all that can’t keep his trap shut.
B: Pete, the personal rancor reflected in that remark I don’t intend to dignify with comment. But I would like to address your general attitude of hopeless negativism. Consider the lilies of the goddamn field or… hell! Take at look at Delmar here as your paradigm of hope.

O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? (CostumeChick rocks!)

Here’s my best effort so far:
So much behind; so much ahead.

I could elaborate, but I think that would defeat the purpose.

Now, being lazy, I tag whoever’s reading and hasn’t been tagged yet.