Monday, September 22, 2008

Nope, nothing quirky to see here

AJ Macc tells me that I'm a blogger that she reads. Bless her soul.

And in one of her last blogs, she tagged me for six quirky things. Do I look like someone who would have even one or two quirks?

Don't answer that. Allow me to self-quirk myself. Here we go.
  1. I have recently discovered a quirk that apparently I share with my mother (genetic, me thinks.) One of the most comfortable spots is to be laying/lying on the sofa with my right foot wedged in between the cushion and the back of the sofa. No, I can't tell you why. I wasn't tagged to explain my quirks. Just list them.

  2. I cannot sit in a room with a crooked picture. My insides sit there shouting, "People! Can't you see that??? Dear God, will someone tip that frame just a little to the left so we can continue our conversation??? Aggghhhh!" Depending on the event and how well I know the host or hostess, I have been known to apologize politely and step over to straighten it, or just wait until they are gone and get it in order. They can thank me later. And I have been thanked by other members in the room who were having silent shouting matches with their insides as well.

  3. I've been told that I have perfect pitch. I don't know how quirky that is, but it has come in handy in years past. In order to hear a pitch, I demand silence, or I have to step away so I can hear it in my mind. OK, so that may be more freaky than quirky ... I can literally "hear" stuff in my mind. It used to drive my friends crazy. They would start singing a song, but they would be like three or four keys off. I'd say, "No, that's not it. Listen." And I would start singing it as if it were on the radio. And then I'd be called a name. And the singing would stop.

  4. If I had my way (and perhaps I will someday), there would not be any dry goods packaging in our pantry. All those jumbled boxes and sizes, usually taking up more space than the product inside! Everything would be in something like Tupperware. Perhaps labeled. And maybe alphabetized. And all the spices would be in the same type of shaker. And they would definitely be alphabetized.

  5. I love to cook when I'm on vacation. I look for condos or houses with a kitchen, and I love to hit the grocery stores and buy up stuff to get set up and fix meals for our family. When I was younger, I wanted to be a travel agent, so I love finding places to go and planning trips.

  6. I call Veda every single day before I leave work to let her know I'm on the way, and to see if she needs anything. Every single day. Is that quirky?
OK, I won't tag anyone else because I'm getting sleepy, but for those of you who are just itching to post their six quirks (to confirm what we already know), do so and we'll enjoy reading them!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Yearbook Yourself

This is a fun site.

http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

And here are some of my results:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31182&l=6f078&id=501269310

Try it out! If you make some, and you're on Facebook, post your pics into a new album and post your public link in the comments.

Not for internal consumption

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I was playing my very first "rip & burn" CD that I made for Veda years ago. With a great amount of cheesiness, I named it "Veda's Love Mix" ... as it contains some of her favorite songs from the ages (as well as some of mine.) An eclectic mix of Karen Carpenter, Journey, Grease soundtrack selections (shut up), Steven Curtis Chapman, Paula Abdul, Whitney Houston, etc.

So as I finish wailing "Faithfully" with Sir Perry, I'm filled with nostalgia. It's as if I'm back in the '80s getting ready for school. And that's when it happened ... something I haven't done for years. I found myself reaching for the bottle. Dark green, gold cap, the man and his horse.

Yes, friends ... I was splashing on some Polo. No, young people. Not Polo Sport. Not Polo Blue, Silver, Black, Double Black, or any other color. I'm talking about the original. Classified as "woodsy." Leather, wood, tobacco, basil and oakmoss ... a masculine scent. Oakmoss? Heck, yeah, oakmoss. What's more masculine than that?

For many of us, Polo was the "wear-it-with-your-Izod" selection ... that cologne that meant you had finally matured beyond Jovan Musk. (Dear God ... I hope I didn't take out an entire herd of Asian musk deer to keep me smelling so spiffy.)

And boy, was the scent of Polo enough to really throw me into a time warp. My mom called me her "Polo guy" and I can remember being bowled over because our band director probably went through a bottle each week. No soap ... just Polo. You could see the distortion of the air around him as he approached, much like the heat waves in Arizona. And then it hit you. POW. Then you were disoriented for the next few minutes. Heaven help you if you had a meeting in his office.

Anyhoo ... I went about my morning routine, smelling like I just came from Crisp County High. I dropped off the kids at school, and made my way to Chik-fil-A for some free Chik-n-minis (with coupon).

About two miles down the road, I made the mistake. I licked my fingers.

Polo does not belong in the mouth. Maybe it's the oakmoss.

Have you ever gotten cologne or perfume in your mouth (by any number of means which we will not discuss here) and it literally sticks to your tongue for a minute or two? Some of the best fragrances do not taste like they smell. Polo is one that is not meant for consumption. Even a swig of diet lemonade couldn't wash it off. But I guess my breath was pretty snappy.

So ... that being said ... what was your personal aromatherapy of choice in high school? Anyone out there willing to admit Brut? (By Faberge, of course.) Old Spice? Charlie (kinda hip, kinda now)?

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Now What?

Well, I did it. 15 pounds are gone. It's official.

I went from 185 to 170 since our anniversary on July 18th. 170 was an arbitrary goal. Now I will need to pick a new goal (beyond just keeping off those 15 pounds.)

Of course, I think I hollered off a pound or two at Six Flags last night. I love roller coasters. One of those few moments when it's totally appropriate to yell like a wildman.

I love my kids and their daring sense of adventure. They will do things that I never even dreamed of trying when I was a kid. You'd know what I mean when I say I cried in line for the Dalonega Mine Train when I was a kid. I think I was older than 10. Of course, I loved it.

I talked Amy and Chaz into riding the Wheelie with me. Total fun. Squeals. Shrieks. (And they enjoyed it, too.) That was after two rounds on Splashwater Falls and one round on Thunder River. I took one for the family last night and spared Veda the H2O. The cell phone in the ziplock bag was genius.

Veda and I are going to have a celebratory lunch for taking off the weight and being more healthy. How ironic! I think there is a Cheddar Bay Biscuit in my near future. And a shrimp that met with an untimely death ... let's guess it was a surprise to the little guy. And his friends.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Personal Back Patting

I've lost 12 pounds since July 18th.  On purpose, yah.

When I was a kid ... I was skinny.  Really skinny.  Nickname:  Bird Legs.  (I think that's still being used in some parts of the globe.)  I can remember the 28" waist.  Always had to find "slim" jeans.  That chore is now relegated to my 12-year-old.  Bless her genetics.

Well, while you'd never really think it for those of you who know me and have seen my legs ... I was growing technically overweight according to the BMI calculators, even at 185 lbs. (for a 5'11" man.)  Now that I'm down to 173, I'm right under the mark.

I do feel better.  Was it the two Cokes a day?  C'mon, gimme a break ... remember where I work for cryin out loud.  It was my coffee in the morning and my pick-me-up in the afternoon.

Was it visits to the vending machine?  I haven't seen the inside of a Snickers wrapper in a long time.  Or a good bag of pork rinds.  Turkey Creek BBQ Pork Rinds.  Why do I know that?

I'm sure it's a combo of many things.  I'm learning to like broccoli (particularly steamed or grilled with some kick to it). I'm enjoying walking the neighborhood a couple of times a week with my wife for a couple of miles.

Since I have a fairly sedentary desk job, I walk all the way across the office campus to go to the bathroom.  In a totally different building.  Through another building.  Hey ... it gets me moving.  And keeps me awake to boot.

Today, my 36" waist pants were looking a little pitiful, somewhat bunched up under my belt.  I actually saw my belt buckle without seriously sucking it all in.  Can it be?  Is all this hype about good eating and exercise for real?  Sheesh!

I hope to touch my toes one day.  But I think that's a stretching issue.  Ergo, long Bird Legs must get more flexible.  Dang it.

My goal is 170 lbs.  I've been holding at 173 now for some time.  And I'm OK with that.  If I make it to 170, I'm going to celebrate with a Coke and a Krispy Kreme.  Booyah!

Then someone will have to scrape me from the ceiling.