Sometimes, Tiggerlane just CAN'T keep her mouth shut about politics. I am forced to share this with you, because it shows a woman with a lot of class, going up against a woman who, IMHO, has very little. Ann Coulter makes a lot of money by being abrasive, hateful, and skinny. Whatever you feel about politics, please watch these clips, and let me know your thoughts:
Just another short tidbit, so you might understand more of what was referenced:
Surely you've heard the famous quote from Ann Coulter as such: "I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot.'" (You Grey's Anatomy fans will get that reference.)
As for Al Franken, he had a chapter in this book entitled "Ann Coulter; Nutcase," followed by another chapter entitled, "You Know Who I Don't Like? Ann Coulter."
For some reason, this song from the South Park movie is coming to mind, with a few name changes to identify the guilty. (WARNING, don't click if you are easily offended - but then, Coulter is somehow worse than the boys from South Park!)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Fun Monday Bookworms
Another Fun Monday - and this time, I'm running late. Swampy is this week's hostess, and her challenge was "to post pictures of your bookshelves or stacks of books. Hopefully, we will be able to read some of the titles. If you want, while you're at it, post pictures of ANY shelves...shelves with toys, dishes, collections, Aunt Gertrude's ashes in an urn, etc. Also, post pictures of your garage, carport, or places where you store 'stuff.' (No fair cleaning first, but if you must, maybe this will be the motivation to do so.)"Dang. I forgot the shed. Because of limited space in our home, I store a lot of our books anywhere I can, which includes our shed. So, I've failed already. I have TONS of books - but they are tucked here and there, and my entire collection from my younger years resides in my shed.
I had a very busy weekend, so I can only show you a small selection of shelves, most of which do NOT contain books! I wish I had taken a photo of my picture shelf - but that would be a post unto itself. Maybe another time. Here is the first set of shelves in my living room. Roger actually made these shelves years before we met. You can see a small section of books, which I just recently moved from a side table into this spot near our electronica. Most of these books were actually given to me by Arkansas Songbird:
Can you tell I didn't tidy it up at ALL? So maybe I passed that part of the assignment. I can write my name in the dust, I think. Roger stored a bunch of The Offspring's old Disney flicks, but you can still see some of them hanging around on the bottom shelf. She has an entire DVD collection in her room now. This is the other bookcase - and they both flank the television:
Notice that there aren't any books? Just tons of CDs and other stuff. What would you expect from a musician? There are many more CDs cluttering the house here and there. I can't wait to move into the new home, so I have the motivation to get ORGANIZED. Here is a tiny shelf of books from the little spot in the dining room:
There are several yearbooks of Amber's to the right - and what nurse can be without an inclusive book on anatomy? There's some CRAZY stuff in there. To redeem myself, I decided to share the more lofty offerings of my office bookcase:
Makes me seem a little more intelligent, maybe, and not so much of a flake!Sorry I didn't get all crazy and technical with my post - but it's Monday, and well, you know how business can be. Go check out some awesome shelves!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Too Busy Tiggerlane
I wish I had photos and excitement and all sorts of wonder for you to view here today, but I had to meet with my builder, and well...you'll get details later.
Go on over to Willowtree's page, because he did Tiggerlane righteous. Besides, he made me LOL for REALS, ya'll!
As a peace offering, I present this tale. You may have already read this in a forwarded email, but it is one of my favorites of all time. AND...it relates. I only wish I had written it.
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," he answered.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."
Go on over to Willowtree's page, because he did Tiggerlane righteous. Besides, he made me LOL for REALS, ya'll!
As a peace offering, I present this tale. You may have already read this in a forwarded email, but it is one of my favorites of all time. AND...it relates. I only wish I had written it.
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.
When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."
The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.
As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump."
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.
What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," he answered.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."
"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Fun Monday #2,153
MJD at Return of the White Robin is this week's hostess for Fun Monday. I honestly don't know how many Fun Mondays there have been - but I have enjoyed them ALL. Her challenge this week was as such: "I am asking that you show us something that hangs on your wall that is fun, interesting, endearing, sentimental, or otherwise enticing. Select the picture of Uncle Horace, Grandma Galt's needlepoint, or little Susie's first finger painting to show the blogging community." Her advice about how to take photos using the flash was good - and that's why some of these are taken from very low.Of course, in true Tiggerlane-style, I couldn't pick just ONE favorite - but at least one item per member of our family. It's only fair.
This first item made me cry when I received it. When Amber was about 3 years old, we visited my parents in Laguna Beach, CA, and one of my uncles was selected as an exhibitor in the presitigous Festival of the Arts. A real estate broker by trade, he has always loved photography - and shot some very candid photos of Amber while we were in town. As a surprise, he sent us three portraits of her, complete with mats and frames. I was touched that he took the time and effort to send us this precious gift and that he down-played his talent by claiming it was just a "silly hobby." This is my absolute favorite, though all three hang on our dining room walls:
This next photo was taken by a dear photographer friend (who is also now a dear friend of mine) and former roommate of my husband's, back in their wild and crazy days in New Smyrna Beach, FL. I'm not sure if he is dressing or undressing, but there was a nude beach involved. Before my parents met Roger, I wanted so desperately to send them this photo and say, "Hey - this is the dude I'm gonna marry!" It would have sent them into cardiac arrest. The little photo tucked in the corner was taken at a different time, but be assured, Roger IS naked in that one. Don't click it to big it, or report me to the authorities.
Now, many people know I received my bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, but they are sometimes puzzled as to why I have a picture of the school mascot on my wall. Well, my mother used to be a fabulous pastel portrait artist, and during one of my summers home from college, she talked me into attending a class with her. I'd always dabbled in art during my younger years but had never tried using pastels as a medium. I couldn't think of anything to draw, so I settled on our school mascot, Reveille IV. If you want an idea of how close I got to the photograph I was working from, check out this link, and scroll down a bit. I'm always proud when people tell me that they think my pastel work is a photograph. If you look closely at the bottom right corner, you can see my signature: "TGrant '87":
Last night, I got the pleasure of having a long visit with Arkansas Songbird after we attended a wedding together. She and I always talk about her job as a choir director and music teacher, and I'm impressed with the amount of love and care she places in her Choir Incentive Awards program. She also makes a special effort to customize the certificates achieved by her students to the particular tastes of each student. We were talking about the various point levels and The Offspring's current standing - just b/c I'm that kind of obsessive compulsive Type-A parent. I remembered that Amber achieved Level I this past year, and here is her certificate, which hangs proudly on our wall, next to the portrait I shared with you earlier:
I hesitated to show you all this, since the full name of our dear blogger friend is displayed so prominently - but then, she has it displayed, along with her photograph, on her own public choir web site, so I figured it would be okay with her.The list for this Fun Monday seems to be the longest EVER! So, it may take me a while to visit all of you - but be assured that I will start first thing in the morning! I can't wait to see what you all have hanging around!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Everything AND the Kitchen Sink
I spent THREE HOURS yesterday at the local plumbing supply place - who knew there were so many choices? I flipped thru half a dozen catalogs, compared products to what I had found on the 'net, and made some FINAL decisions about our new home.
Gotta give Roger some credit, however, as he selected the brick:
He is on the home computer right now, researching carpets. The hippie in him would love to go "all green" and "recycled" materials. I wish we could, too, but as we learned during our research of solar-powered hot water heaters, the prices make it infeasible. Maybe the next house will be more "green." Right now, I want energy efficiency.
I finally settled on a kitchen faucet combination - after consulting with various experts. Evidently, the faucets that double as a pull-out sprayer can be a pain, so I went with a traditional setup.
I wonder if I'll use the side sprayer. I've never had one before, but I figured it will help for resale purposes. I've been washing dishes by hand for the last 14 years, so it will be nice to have a dishwasher. But let's not rush things. Appliances seem like a huge challenge after yesterday's ordeal. The kitchen sink - you've seen in a previous post. Are you surprised at which one I settled on?
This one has 8" deep basins, and with the elongated faucet, I think I'll have plenty of room to manuever large pots for rinsing.
Next is something the plumber dude talked me into. I was ready to go with just regular shower stuff in the master bath, but evidently, side sprayers don't cost that much. Our new shower arrangement will look something like this:
And yes, that's me, sampling products in the showroom. And you just thought he talked me into the fixtures.
I had to give up the stainless steel finish because of the product choices, but as the plumber dude explained - showers are usually trimmed in chrome, and the fixtures will be hidden behind glass doors. So no one will really notice that they don't match the finish of the bathroom faucets EXACTLY.
I'm still not sure how I feel about a sprayer that hits me square in the bellybutton. And I learned something new about my husband - I didn't realize before how much he utilizes our current hand sprayer in the shower.
These are the bath faucets - two for our master bath, one for the guest bath, and one for Amber's bath:
I had a fancy-schmancy pedestal sink picked out for the guest bath - Roger and I had both agreed on it. Then I saw the fancy-schmancy price, and figured I didn't like my friends THAT much. So we settled on a more reasonable pedestal sink. I figure the stainless fixture pictured above will look much nicer than what is pictured here:
Also figured all of the toilets should be the same, so settled on a Kohler "comfort height" model. Wish I had photos of me sitting on all the toilets in the plumbing store - but if you ever replace a toilet, I can tell you that the height of this one is much more comfortable. I wanted to settle in and read a book on it:
Our master bath will have a whirlpool tub, mostly for resale purposes since EVERYONE has one. I never have time for a bath. Here is the whirlpool fixture, with the exception that the handles will be brushed stainless, unlike the ones in this photo:
And, the whirlpool tub:
Who knows, I might actually learn to relax and use it.
Oh, and you boys out there will appreciate this. Roger has joked about wanting a urinal in his music studio, so I decided to go for it. This was a nice one, without all that exposed plumbing:
Since Roger is the primary bathroom cleaner, I figured he earned it. (When I get my face close to a toilet, I want to vomit. Must be a reflex from those college partying days.)
I couldn't find a photo of Amber's shower/tub combination, but I picked out a larger than normal one, so that she'd have plenty of room to maneuver.
Okay - more than you wanted to know, but I'm pleased that we've made some DECISIONS! Let me know your thoughts!
Gotta give Roger some credit, however, as he selected the brick:
He is on the home computer right now, researching carpets. The hippie in him would love to go "all green" and "recycled" materials. I wish we could, too, but as we learned during our research of solar-powered hot water heaters, the prices make it infeasible. Maybe the next house will be more "green." Right now, I want energy efficiency.I finally settled on a kitchen faucet combination - after consulting with various experts. Evidently, the faucets that double as a pull-out sprayer can be a pain, so I went with a traditional setup.
I wonder if I'll use the side sprayer. I've never had one before, but I figured it will help for resale purposes. I've been washing dishes by hand for the last 14 years, so it will be nice to have a dishwasher. But let's not rush things. Appliances seem like a huge challenge after yesterday's ordeal. The kitchen sink - you've seen in a previous post. Are you surprised at which one I settled on?
This one has 8" deep basins, and with the elongated faucet, I think I'll have plenty of room to manuever large pots for rinsing.Next is something the plumber dude talked me into. I was ready to go with just regular shower stuff in the master bath, but evidently, side sprayers don't cost that much. Our new shower arrangement will look something like this:
And yes, that's me, sampling products in the showroom. And you just thought he talked me into the fixtures.I had to give up the stainless steel finish because of the product choices, but as the plumber dude explained - showers are usually trimmed in chrome, and the fixtures will be hidden behind glass doors. So no one will really notice that they don't match the finish of the bathroom faucets EXACTLY.
I'm still not sure how I feel about a sprayer that hits me square in the bellybutton. And I learned something new about my husband - I didn't realize before how much he utilizes our current hand sprayer in the shower.
These are the bath faucets - two for our master bath, one for the guest bath, and one for Amber's bath:
I had a fancy-schmancy pedestal sink picked out for the guest bath - Roger and I had both agreed on it. Then I saw the fancy-schmancy price, and figured I didn't like my friends THAT much. So we settled on a more reasonable pedestal sink. I figure the stainless fixture pictured above will look much nicer than what is pictured here:
Also figured all of the toilets should be the same, so settled on a Kohler "comfort height" model. Wish I had photos of me sitting on all the toilets in the plumbing store - but if you ever replace a toilet, I can tell you that the height of this one is much more comfortable. I wanted to settle in and read a book on it:
Our master bath will have a whirlpool tub, mostly for resale purposes since EVERYONE has one. I never have time for a bath. Here is the whirlpool fixture, with the exception that the handles will be brushed stainless, unlike the ones in this photo:
And, the whirlpool tub:
Who knows, I might actually learn to relax and use it.Oh, and you boys out there will appreciate this. Roger has joked about wanting a urinal in his music studio, so I decided to go for it. This was a nice one, without all that exposed plumbing:
Since Roger is the primary bathroom cleaner, I figured he earned it. (When I get my face close to a toilet, I want to vomit. Must be a reflex from those college partying days.)I couldn't find a photo of Amber's shower/tub combination, but I picked out a larger than normal one, so that she'd have plenty of room to maneuver.
Okay - more than you wanted to know, but I'm pleased that we've made some DECISIONS! Let me know your thoughts!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Fun Monday Kitchen
Joy at A Spot of T is this Fun Monday's hostess, and she asked us to post photos of our kitchens. I was NOT jazzed about this assignment, as I hate my kitchen with a passion. HATE. It's large - but the wallpaper is enough to make me crazier than the insanity genes with which I was born. But guess what? Only a few more months in this kitchen before we have a brand new one, in a brand new house, just the way I want it. This is the shot from the door into the dining room, toward the door in the back room. Did I mention that I HATE my kitchen? Not enough storage space, for one - and it's arranged strangely.
Here is a shot from the doorway leading from the back room in our house, into the kitchen. The door you see on the right hand side of the photo leads into our dining room/Roger's guitar/amp storage area. And BONUS! Whiskas was circling her food bowl at the time, so there's the gnarly cat, too.
I spent a lot of time on the 'net the other night, picking ONE feature of our kitchen. I have narrowed the kitchen faucet down to this choice:
Also spent a lot of time looking at sinks, and have narrowed it down to two, but I think I like this one the best:
Here is the other one - which is much like what I have now, only with deeper sink bowls.
My next project is to pick bathroom sinks, a pedestal sink, and bathroom faucets. I'm closer to finishing that than you might think. I'm avoiding picking a tile at this point - but I'll get there!Good news is that I got loan approval last Thursday. Bad news is that I can't turn back now! Visit Joy to see much better kitchens than mine!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
And We Have A Winner!
Most of you will NOT be surprised, once I reveal the subject of last week's contest that (insert drum roll here) the winner was none other than...WILLOWTREE! A fat congratulations goes out to him, as he emailed me the winning answer. It just doesn't get more precise than this, folks:
"That is the closest thing to you when you get down and look a dog straight in the eyes...Ok, you've turned your head (and camera) 90deg to the right. No wait!! Left left. It's between the nostrils and the right hand side of the photo is towards the mouth."
Second place goes to Desert Songbird, as she was technically the very first to comment by email as such:
"Okay, I’ve stared at it and got past my really obscene thoughts, so here is what I think it is…I think it’s a dog’s nose. A really close section of a dog’s nose, probably your dog, but I’m not sure what kind of dog."
Third place goes to Raffi, because his(?) comments had to be the most bizarre and creative. I now wonder what planet Raffi might be from. You'll have to read his comments on the original post to see what I mean. (And Raffi, I just assumed you were a dude - your profile didn't tell me exactly one way or the other. But we're both originally from the OC, so hopefully you're cool with that.)
So - now for the photo from whence the close-up came. It's my Poo Woo! Isn't he cute?
I actually like this second photo better, but the nose wasn't quite as clear for the contest:
Okay, winners, email me your mailing addresses, and I'll get your prizes out to you. And thanks to everyone for participating!
"That is the closest thing to you when you get down and look a dog straight in the eyes...Ok, you've turned your head (and camera) 90deg to the right. No wait!! Left left. It's between the nostrils and the right hand side of the photo is towards the mouth."
Second place goes to Desert Songbird, as she was technically the very first to comment by email as such:
"Okay, I’ve stared at it and got past my really obscene thoughts, so here is what I think it is…I think it’s a dog’s nose. A really close section of a dog’s nose, probably your dog, but I’m not sure what kind of dog."
Third place goes to Raffi, because his(?) comments had to be the most bizarre and creative. I now wonder what planet Raffi might be from. You'll have to read his comments on the original post to see what I mean. (And Raffi, I just assumed you were a dude - your profile didn't tell me exactly one way or the other. But we're both originally from the OC, so hopefully you're cool with that.)
So - now for the photo from whence the close-up came. It's my Poo Woo! Isn't he cute?
I actually like this second photo better, but the nose wasn't quite as clear for the contest:
Okay, winners, email me your mailing addresses, and I'll get your prizes out to you. And thanks to everyone for participating!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Crafty Tigger
Karmyn is hosting this Fun Monday - and wants us to show our "crafty side." Now, I could have gone a lot of directions with this, but since I actually DO make crafts by hand, I figured I should just stick with the traditional interpretation of her assignnment. She said, "I've asked everyone to show something they've made. It can be ANYTHING - burnt pot roast, a crooked knitted sweater, scrapbook pages, that junior high shop class table - WHATEVER - as long as it was made by hand."I really thought this would be easy, because I remember having photographs of my crafts SOMEWHERE. I must have looked at a million discs to try to find the close-up photos that I KNOW EXIST. My craft is Victorian-style Christmas ornaments, but they are packed away in a very high closet, and getting them down would have taken all weekend. So the best I can do is give you an idea by taking photos of our Christmas tree and cropping them up so you can kinda see what I do. My favorite one is in this photo - the red one, middle left - I actually won 1st prize at our county fair for this very ornament!
I use satin balls, pins, beads and sequins to make these. It is time-consuming work. I started off with the traditional kits that you can find at any craft store, and then moved on to make some original designs. The top ornament in this photo is an original - while the star below is from a kit.
I'm really hacked off that I can't seem to find the closeup photos - they really showed off my work. The Santa and reindeer are also pin/sequin creations. There are snowmen somewhere, but I couldn't readily find photos of them.
Lastly, another shot of the prize winner - bottom left. It's a shame these aren't closer - because that ornament in particular has crystal dangles and beaded rope chains - it was exquisite, and lots of fun to make.
Sadly, now that I've filled up an 8-foot tree with these suckers, I don't make them much anymore. I have lots of ribbons and materials, but my porn-star fingernails make the process near to impossible. I plan to get back into the craft, though - once my vanity wanes. OH! And YES...we do have a contest winner! But I'm going to keep you in suspense until tomorrow. It's a Monday, and I do have pressing needs at work...but be assured, I have chosen a winner!
Now go check out some crafty bloggers, who have better photos!
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