Free James Taylor Tanglewood Tickets Part 3.5

I know I’m supposed to be drawing for the next set of tickets…but…

We’ve been through all sorts of drama at our office today, and I just don’t have it in me to post. I've been through four booms and busts in this oilpatch, and though it's always exciting to work in the oilfield, the busts are never fun. And I have to be at the Oilman's Sporting Clay Shoot first thing in the morning.

With that being said, the contest will have to wait another day, y’all just bear with me! And I'm not dragging this out just to play the 30 day challenge, I swear.

I promise, it will happen.

Stay tuned, it will be worth it!

Free James Taylor Tanglewood Tickets - Part 3!!!

Okay, we are now back from our regularly (it seems that way) scheduled commercial. Ryan Seacrest has taken a bathroom break.

Just to catch you up, we did our first pair of tickets drawing, and the winner is Terri from Kansas. This is a quickie run through of the second pair of tickets (that you really didn't even know existed, now, did ya???)

Remember, we started here. And now, Terri's out of the loop, because she gets tickets #1 & 2. Which is really cool, 'cause her just out of college, broke, cellist daughter who lives in New York loves YoYo Ma, and they're going to have a mom/daughter date at the James Taylor concert on August 29th! (everybody politely clap, please...)

And then we did this (but not really this picture, this picture is yet another rerun. Remember?). All the names were dumped into the bowl, after being equally folded up so as not to pick any of my favorites. And then our representative designee from Acme, BeepBeep and BLAM picked the second name.

And here are the winner tickets, seats #3 & 4, so...whoever wins these will be sitting next to a person, definitely, from Kansas...and another from New York! Y'all had better be nice to each other and send me pictures (because I'm always on the hunt for more blog fodder...).

All of the above proceedings were checked and double checked by Zack the Wonderdog, who's now chewing on his 5th rawhide. He's more than ready to get this process over and done. He also knows, however, from whence his rawhide cometh, so he'll be with us until the end...whenever that may be. He, after all, is easily bought.

The winner is: Jeannie S from Connecticut! Here’s her entry.
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Hi Jane,Please submit my name into your 'James Taylor' contest. I'm especially interested in winning these tickets for a friend. My friend just finished his cancer treatment this spring and is a huge fan of James Taylor! This would be a great surprise! Just the thrill of entering this contest is so pleasing and exciting! I just came across this announcement today, a day before the contest. I can't believe it! Thanks for your generosity and thoughtfulness in offering your tickets to this superconcert.

Carpe Diem

Jeanne S

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Don’t you just love people who love to bless others? That’s how Jeanne’s spirit struck me – she’s a giver. And who knows, maybe she’ll become a blogger in her spare time!

Thanks so much for playing…oh, WAIT! WAIT! Ryan has made another announcement.

Yup, you guessed it – we’re going to keep going.

We’re going to have another drawing for yet another pair of tickets. I didn’t tell you about these, either…but we’re almost through! I think, anyway...

Here’s drawing number three:

And the winner is…

Right. Like you think I’m going to tell you today? I’ve got a 30 Day Post Challenge happening, and through no fault of your own, you’re a part of it. All of you.

After that, are there more, you ask? Hmmmm. Surely not!!! But...mebbe so, mi compadres!

That Janie Girl

Free James Taylor Tanglewood Tickets - Part 2

At the last post, Ryan Seacrest had left the building, and my impartial accounting firm had drawn the winner name for the free James Taylor Tanglewood August 29 Tickets.

Which was confirmed by Zack, my third party impartial accounting firm who really liked the yellow bowl. (His interest wanes fast…he’s on the rawhide bone, now.)

And the winner is…. may I have a drumroll, please??? PLEASE?

Terri, aka Pepsi's Mom, who hails from northwest Kansas! (Maybe I should have had ThatManILove wash the popcorn butter from his hands first.) Terri, you have won seats to James Taylor, Section 20, seats 1 & 2!

Congrats, Terri – I think I have your mailing address, so be watching out for them, you postmaster you!

Here was Terri's comment on my blog. Though she lives in Kansas, I know her through field trialing our German Shorthairs (and actually, she was grandma to Zoie the WonderPup #1, who we so tragically lost last year - click the link to read the story) - so how cool that Terri got the first set of tickets! (Clue, clue)

Wellllll....I already have a vacation scheduled for the last week of Aug. I am going to see my totally broke, just out of college, daughter. She just happens to live in Coxsackie NY, a hop and a skip down the through way to Tanglewood! I love James Taylor, and she is a cello player who would love to see YoYo Ma! Janie, you are such a generous person! Even if I don't win, this has been a blast posting! LUKE 6:38

So, how awesome is it that Terri won? Now, if you didn't win, don’t close out and never come back to this blog…I decided to keep going. What, you say? Keep going? Are you crazy, Janie?

The answer is...Yes. But if you're a regular reader of this blog, well, then you know that already.

We had another drawing for yet another pair of tickets. I didn’t tell you about these, but this is so much fun, and what the heck did I buy all these tickets for, anyway? I was supposed to sell the rest of our tickets on one of those sites, but I looked at ThatManILove and batted my big brown eyes, and thus this contest was birthed!

Here’s drawing number two:
And the winner is…

Dang that Ryan Seacrest channeler! He's back and calling for another commercial break!

The winner post will go up tomorrow for the second set of tickets!

After that, are there more, you ask? Only. The. Shadow. Knows. And, maybe, the impartial accounting firm of Acme, BeepBeep, and Blam…

Don't you EVEN change that channel. Ya snooze, ya lose!

Free James Taylor Tanglewood Tickets Winners....Part 1

Okay.

The deal has been done.

The name has been drawn.

I’ll take you through the steps. Nobody get out their shotguns yet, okay? Because, really…I can probably outshoot you. Not that I would try or anything, but my Beretta Teknys does have a 30” barrel. (Which does nothing for my accuracy, I might add...but I look dang good!)

Here’s how it all went down.

First, I went into Excel and noted all your names. If your name isn’t on this list, either you excluded yourself via e-mail, or said you lived too far away to participate – but hey, thanks so much for commenting!

And then, I cut the names up all sweet and on the lines, I might add. All the names were uniform in size. Remember, the renown accounting firm of Acme, BeepBeep and BLAM was peering over my shoulder.

Then, we had the bowl selection. Our unrelated third party did this selection. He favors yellow. It makes his eyes shine.

All the names were dumped into the bowl, after being equally folded up so as not to pick any of my favorites.

And then our representative designee from Acme, BeepBeep and BLAM picked the first name.

And the winner is...

(To be continued…)

ThatManILove is channelling Ryan Seacrest again...

Tuesday Night Blahs...

It's Tuesday evening.

I've done all the James Taylor Concert Free Tickets stuff, and that post will be coming up soon...I promise!

In the near future, it seems I will have more TV time. I can't post about it now, but will soon. So what the heck does one watch on a Tuesday night? There is nothing on the tube!

Help! Help!! I think I need to spring for a Tivo. Or a treadmill.

James Taylor TANGLEWOOD!! Free Tickets Contest!!!

Okay!
Are you ready to rumble? You have 24 hours to play this game!

This contest is for 2 Tickets to James Taylor, August 29, at the Tanglewood Shed in Lenox, Massachusetts. Great seats, under the shed, Section 20, you’ll love them!

The contest will open at 8 a.m CST Monday (today!). All you have to do is leave a comment, that is linkable to your blog, or leave your e-mail info in the comment section so I can reach you. You will be able to leave comments up until 8 a.m. CST on Tuesday, July 30th. Any comments delivered after that time will be considered ineligible.

I will gather all the entries and conduct a random impartial drawing, utilizing a third party firm unconnected to this blog or to any of you, to keep things fair and above board during the drawing process. Said contracted third party is the renown accounting firm of Acme, BeepBeep and BLAM. (Don't worry, they do have another unrelated third party hired to do their impartial selection work, which should further ensure impartiality.)

And then, one of you will be singing your favorite James Taylor song all month long! And you can tell James ThatJanieGirl sent you. (I'm sure he'll know exactly who you're talking about.)

Pre-Contest Post!! Are You READY TO RUMBLE??

ThatManILove and my geek friend Mike have still continued to work on my Mac most of the day. The Genius appointment is tomorrow. That…should be fun!

Today was a good day. We met friends at Mimi’s in Grapevine for brunch, and laughed, and talked, and laughed some more. I needed that.

I won’t be writing much tonight, I have to spend all my time getting your James Taylor free tickets contest ready to go! Remember – you don’t have to live in Massachusetts, you just have to be able to get there for the August 29th concert! It will be fun, I promise.

If there are 3 or 4 of you that want to go, you can let me know when you win the contest – I do have additional tickets, but plan on selling those. However, if you win, and you need a couple more, well, I’ll be a good girl and sell those at face value. I never was much of a scalper!!

Have a good evening, and don’t forget…Contest Day is tomorrow!!! Come back and play!

PS – holy hot dogs, Batman! This is my 500th post! And no, I’m not going to take you through any of the 500 subject drills. Not tonight, anyway!!

Becoming One With The Mac - Part 2

We’ve spent a delightful couple of days at Mike and Pam's in the Fort Worth area. I needed a break!

Today, we went to the Apple store, trying to get some things situated with my MacBook Pro…and I realized the Apple people have a.t.t.i.t.u.d.e. Some young whippersnapper at the store ( and yes, he was a blue shirt) was pretty rude to us. He’s obviously never had to stoop so low as to have a Windows PC, much less utilize Outlook.

We made an appointment with an Apple genius, so maybe he can help us later on this weekend.
Then, off we went to the Fort Worth Best Buy, where the young Apple Solutions Consultant, Victor Robles, was just an absolute jewel. He answered all our questions (and yes, he was previously a PC user, who obviously repented) and told us just what we needed to run both Windows and Mac software on my MacBook Pro. I told him I was going to write a letter of commendation for him. His reponse? “Well, I just hate that you’ve had that kind of experience not once, but twice now.” Dude. The kid needs a raise, hear me, Steve Jobs? He needs a RAISE. Like maybe to VP.

I showed him my blog, where Captain Smack, who is a sometimes commenter, wrote this poem about my problems with my Mac being a spiritual problem, not a technical one. Victor thought it rocked, I could tell, but he remained professional and smiled. No comment. He knows where his bread is Apple Buttered.

So now, ThatManILove is busy working on backing up my Mac and getting it all fixed up for his darling girl (me) so I can operate more efficiently, utilizing both operating systems. Please keep up in your prayers.

Here’s the poem again for your review.

Dear Steve Jobs

Who art in iHeaven

Hallowed be thy apps

I giveth unto you

Thy heart

Thy soul

And thy credit card information

In hopes that you will show me

The error of my PC ways

And leadeth me from temptation

The temptation of using a much cheaper

And much more user-friendly product

For you are The One

And The Zero

And all the ones and zeros

The Alpha and Omega

Not to mention that iPhone thingy

Which really kicks ass

Though it is a bit pricey

But I digress

Anyway

Please give your commercially hip guidance

To me, my mouse, and my wallet

And show me The Way

The Way to copy a simple file from one folder to another, which really shouldn't be that hard, but for some reason is, like, a total freaking pain in the ass, what the hell???

*ahem*

I shall fear not

As I walk through the shadow of the valley

Of bad customer service

And confusing help menus

And toolbars placed in odd locations

For no apparent reason

For I know that at the end

Of this struggle I will learn how to copy/paste jpegs

And even install some freeware

And then it will all make sense

For I can brag that I have a Mac

I am one of The Chosen Ones

And all those PC users

Can kiss my ass.

Whatever and ever

Amen.

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Don't Forget! James Taylor Freebie Tickets Monday!

And The Word Was...and Is....

A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.

Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, 'Genesis 3:10'.

Reaching for his Bible to check out the verse, he broke up in gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.'

Genesis 3:10 reads, 'I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.'

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Don't forget! You can be singing right along with James Taylor if you win the tickets on Monday! Concert is in Lenox, Massachusetts at the Tanglewood Shed!

What Is This? I Need Help!!

This was my grandmother's. I can always remember it sitting on her hutch, full of apricot fried pies. We always called it a pie safe, it has little breathing holes on the side to let air in - and good smells out! Mamaw died when I was 13, and she was in her 70's, I think (Scott, correct me if I'm wrong)...sooo that was 40 years ago??? Arrrrrgh. Anyway.

I rescued it out of storage this weekend, and found it was broken. Now I am broken-hearted. Snooty told me I could google it, but all I found was that it was made at the Dresden Factory from 1874-1909. She said most of this stuff can be fixed. It's about 12 inches in diameter, and has a hinged lid and you can see the clasp.

I'm going to have to do some heavy research. I've googled and e-bay'd it to death, and I can't find what it's called.

I just want to get it fixed!

Don't forget - James Taylor freebie tickets coming up Monday!

Calgon Bath - Is It Worth It?

We are looking at finally finishing our bedroom, which includes totally changing the master bath. To do so, we’re going to have to totally change our bathroom, move a wall, enlarge a closet, all that kind of stuff. It’s all at one end of our bedroom. It’s not a big deal, the bones are already there, but it will probably be a little time consuming.

ThatManILove is a construction guru. He and I can knock out a closet wall and a bathroom wall, no problem. (I’ve seen them do it on HGTV!) He can build the new walls. We’ll have to contract out the tile work, plumbing and putting in the glass shower doors and new tub. We’ve got boxes of tile left over from tiling our house, so we won’t be out that expense. We’ll just have to get the accent tiles and fixtures. All that, plus a cabinet for sink and vanity, and I still can’t make it add up to the amount of the first bid we received.

I just can’t see dropping those kind of bucks in this economy, and we don’t want to go into debt. Pray for wisdom!

And don't forget about the James Taylor Concert Ticket Giveaway coming up next Monday!!!

My Mind Is Racing and I Can't Sleep!!!

It’s freakin’ 1:05 a.m. I can’t sleep. ThatManILove is gone fishing, and will be home tonight. Zack the Wonder Dog just got totally frustrated with me moving around the room, turning on the light, turning out the light only to turn it on again, putting up my laptop, grabbing my book, reading for a while, grabbing my laptop again.

He’s so done, he hopped up on the bed and demanded to be covered up. (Yes, he sleeps inbetween the sheets and the comforter. I think this is his going-on 6th year to do so.) This is him, all in a lump. He's stolen the covers. Dang dog.

I uncover him, he doesn't even know it. He's just snoring away. Zack the Wonder Dog.

And here, you see just how much of the California King Size Bed he's taking up. I might as well move to another bedroom.

Anyway, enough about Zack.

I have about a million thoughts running through my head. I have taken two (2) Melatonin, the kind you let dissolve under your tongue - sublingually. They’re usually so strong I have a hangover in the morning. Or, at the very best of the worst, weird weird dreams.

If Braja were here, she’d teach me how to meditate.

Here are some of the thoughts running around in my head.

• Where is ThatManILove going to work next, now that his assignment is over?
• Why do some of our offices have web-cams and mine doesn’t?
• Are my dogs getting enough exercise?
• Should I join Curves, or SuperShapes? I wonder if I could get someone to come roust my butt out of bed so I’ll attend classes? Because, after all these years of paying memberships, I now know that I must go to the facility and attend the classes...it’s just not good enough to have the dang membership. (See? Older is wiser.)
• Is Rebecca going to be around this week in Mansfield to cut my hair? Will Robyn be able to do my color?
• Should I make sales calls in DFW this week, or next?
• I wonder if I’ll get impaneled for Grand Jury on Wednesday....
• People magazine used to be my very favorite - I loved the personal interest stories. Now, they’re mostly drivel. Then why am I so crack-addicted that I have to pick one up and buy it when I see it? Arrrrrrgh. I hate it that People is the last thing you see before you check out.
• How long will my face peel from my microdermabrasion?
• I can’t forget to take Dee’s shotgun to DFW...I’d go ahead and put it in my truck, but I don’t want to tempt fate.

Now, Zack’s taken over my side of the bed. It’s a good thing ThatManILove isn’t home tonight, because I’m going to have to scoot over to his side.

Zack...give me some covers!!!

Good morning, all.

Oh, yeah - and don't forget about the free James Taylor Concert Tickets giveaway next Monday. Are you up for it?

The Hair Cut

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.

After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.'The florist was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill,the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The Congressman was very happy and left the shop.

The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.

Now...don't forget about the Free James Taylor Concert Tickets I'm giving away next Monday! Stay tuned and participate!!

Free James Taylor Tickets Tanglewood!!!!

You’ve got about a week.

One week. Seven days. 24 hrs X 7 days. 60 minutes X 24 hrs X 7 days. You get the drill. Anyway...Just. One. Week.

One week to decide if you can hang at a James Taylor Concert in Lenox, Massachusetts in August. Free Tickets. To a sold out concert. If you remember, we went last year with our boys, and had a blast. (Yes, we went all the way to Massachusetts from Texas, so no griping about distance.) We built our entire vacation around this concert – and yeah, we love music, and especially James Taylor!

ThatManILove and I will be giving away 2 reserved seats for the August 29, 2009 Performance at The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. These seats are in Section 20, underneath cover, and are sweet seats. I’ve had them since February, but we’re not going to be able to go, after all. So, blogger friends, you might be the winner! You're responsible for transportation and lodging, all I'm providing is the tickets, but hey, that's a great deal!

I’ll hold the contest next Monday, July 27, 2009 – so you have plenty of time to spread the word amongst your friends that are close enough to attend this concert. This is an annual benefit concert that James Taylor does for Tanglewood– and this year, he’ll be joined by YoYo Ma and Sheryl Crow.

I can’t believe we’re not going!!

Watch for details, and tell your friends – a week from Monday, one lucky blogger will be singing “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” when they win these tickets!

PS - Brother Scott has posted a tribute to one of his mentors over at his blog. Go visit!

Southerner Speak

Southern women appreciate their natural assets:

Clean skin...A winning smile...That unforgettable Southern drawl.

Southern women know their manners:

"Yes, ma'am.""Yes, sir.""Why, no, Billy!"

Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions :"

"Y'all come back!""Well, bless your heart.""Drop by when you can.""How's your Momma?"

Southern women know their summer weather report:

HumidityHumidityHumidity…or:
108 degrees
117 degrees, no rain in forecast

Southern women know their vacation spots:

The beach...The rivuh...The crick...The Riviera

Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August:

Colorful hi-heel sandals...Strapless sun dresses...Iced sweet tea with mint

Southern women know everybody's first name:

Honey...Darlin'...Shugah...Bud

Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:

Fried Green Tomatoes...Driving Miss Daisy...Steel Magnolias...Gone With The Wind

Southern women know their religions:

Baptist...Methodist...Baseball...Basketball...Football...Huntin'

Southern women know their country breakfasts:

Red-eye gravy...Grits...Eggs...Country ham...Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with momma's homemade jelly

Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:

Chawl'stn... S'vanah...Foat Wuth...N'awlins...Addlanna

Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:

Men in uniform...Men in tuxedos...Men in Wranglers, Stetsons, and boots...Rhett Butler

Southern girls know their prime real estate:

The Mall...The Country Club...The Beauty Salon...Neiman Marcus

Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins:

Having bad hair and nails...Having bad manners...Cooking bad food

More Suthen-ism's:

Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.

Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."

Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."

Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in: "Going to town, be back directly."

Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table...

All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.

Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!

Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece.." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.

Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.

A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.

Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ...... and when we're "in line,"... we talk to everybody!

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.

In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.

Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.

Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.

When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!

Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.

And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart" ... and go your own way.

To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!

And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southerneese as a second language!

And for those who are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."

Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah!

Now...... Shugah, share this with someone who was raised in the South or wish they had been!

And if you're a Northern transplant, bless your little pea picken heart, it’s okay to fake it. We know you got here as fast as you could!

Hope Deferred

Well. Thanks for all your cool suggestions!!

ThatManILove was so tired, we decided to put off our "meeting" - so, I came home to 100+ degree weather. We're going to regroup next week and combine a business trip with a mini-vacation...I hope. Details to follow!

Tired Saleswoman Needs Spa Treatment

I''m tired.

I've walked all over Downtown Denver the last two days, and my feet hurt. AND I was wearing high-dollar Mephisto sandals, which they advertise are for "comfortable walking"...ha!

I'm in dire need of a luxurious spa experience.

On another less whiny note, I called ThatManILove. We just recently realized we'd not been anywhere without our kids or friends in years. And it hit me this afternoon - he just finished his well work (pray for more!) and he's actually loose tomorrow. I suggested he meet me somewhere for the weekend.

I'm in Denver. He's in Midland.

Suggestions, anyone? We can fly anywhere, as long as we're home Sunday evening.

Hurry up, I gotta make flight arrangments!!!

While you're thinking, go meet My Bestest Friend Suzan - yup, the one in Pennsylvania I blog about all the time. She started a blog - woohoo! She's so funny, it's gonna be great to see what she does with the blog!

Rocky Mountain Bound!

Sometimes I have to leave the house wayyyyy too early - the birds aren't even out!

Early morning Wednesday was one of those days. I had to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Denver to go run the streets with Young Whippersnapper Salesman. (I sincerely hope it's not a rerun like that post!) It will be fun, he’s a joy to be around. And I love his family. Round Robin with YWS's beautiful wife and 4 beautiful munchkins will most certainly be in the works!

I love Denver, it’s beautiful. There are a lot of neat things to do (when your husband’s along, mine won’t be!) and the weather is mostly lovely.

The high will be 86, and the low 61.

I love it.

See y’all on Friday! (And I’m posting ahead a little, so I’ll still meet my 30 day challenge! By the way, if any of y’all are going to join me on the 30 day posting challenge, let me know and I’ll link you.) My brother Scott has decided to join me, so y'all go visit (I notice he's posted very flatteringly about me on his most recent post!)

Happy Trails, Y'all, Until We Meet Again! (As That Other Janie Girl would say!)

ps - Keith Urban is in town and I don't have tickets. Waaaahhhhh. And...Three Doors Down is at the Fillmore and I don't have tickets. Waaaah some more. Guess I'll just have to make do with "America's Got Talent".

pps - I don't even know what's going on with these fonts. Sorry!

Wordless Wednesday - Oops!

Facebook and Reality - Mine, That Is...

Facebook was created by a college student.

I read a report the other day that said the age group 26-44 far surpassed the 18-25 age group. That makes sense - the kid that created it has aged a bit, and the kids that grew up on Facebook have gotten a little older.

The report said that Facebook is experiencing tremendous growth among users in the age group 35-65, with the fastest growing portion of that being women, 55 years and older. I am not even gonna touch that.

Yes, I’ve recently joined FB myself. One of the things I love is being a bigger part of my nephews' lives and popping remarks back and forth with them. It’s been cool to catch up with some of my friends from high school and those from the various and sundry walks of my life. I don’t accept friend requests or suggestions from those I really don't know. And it's really sweet when your sons’ friends want you to be their friend. I like watching them go through life, and you can do that with FB. As to all the games and stuff like that, I just don't go there. I don't have time. I don’t play Farm, because everyone I know that does gets hooked and I never hear from them again. (Don't be hatin'!) I don't join the causes...though they're worthy, it's all I can do to FB the little bit I do. And I'm not sure joining causes on Facebook really helps the causes, huh? I don't do the bling - I don't in real life, so why should I in the virtual world? I have participated in the "Relative" thing, but now I'm getting relative requests from people that make me wonder just how many families I have that my parents didn't tell me about. Like...does my family tree really fork?

In another completely unrelated (yet unsubstantiated) report, I read that 40-something is the new 18.

That Shiny Janie Girl

Once is a fluke.

Twice is crazy.

We’re at crazy right now. Third doesn’t even need to happen.

Remember when Zanna the Wonder Pup “home-based” me at the dog park, when she was playing too hard with the Great Danes? They were chasing her (all Zanna-instigated), then she got scared and ran up behind me, the dogs couldn’t stop, and hit me. They knocked my knees out from under me, I fell and I ate the pole by which I was standing? Result: Two black eyes and a cut lip.

This weekend, we were all vegging out on the couch - I was leaning up against ThatManILove, and Zack and Zanna were curled up at the other end of the couch.

Zanna the Instigator starts a wrestling match with Zack the Wonder Dog, and they’re gently playing with each other. I’m about halfway paying attention, and halfway watching a movie. Zanna moves up closer to ThatManILove and I. There’s a moment’s lull, then Zack pounces. All 70 pounds of him.

His right paw lands on top of my left eye and cheek. ThatManILove jumps up, says, “Oh, baby, are you okay?” I assure him I am, it really didn’t hurt - it scared me more than anything. And Zack is so gentle, he really is...he wouldn’t hurt Zanna, and he certainly wouldn’t hurt me, so the pounce was really light.

We get everybody settled and go back to watching the movie. Later on, I get up to go get a drink, and happen to look at my face. And I see that there has been a little damage. This is with coverup makeup. Coverup just ain’t gonna happen on this one. I can’t wait until I call on customers tomorrow.

It's never boring around here.

TrueLife Jewelry!

Funny things that happened today:

Today, I went to lunch with customers. Ten of them. And we ate at a local barbeque place.

The restaurant filled up. I looked around, and I knew someone at every table - they were all salespeople. And none of them were with customers - they were with fellow co-workers. I had the only customers in the place. Craziness. That doesn't happen often! My customers were teasing me about running for mayor.

After I dropped the customers back at their office, I went to my office to ready for 1:30 p.m. appointment. Picking up two co-workers, we're driving out of our parking garage. I turn to them and say, "Can y'all smell barbeque? That's what we ate today, and I swear, that's all I can smell." They assured me they couldn't smell anything, and off we drove to the 1:30 appointment. We get into the VP's office, and conduct our meeting. Everything went well, and we returned to the office. I get to my desk, check my emails. I'm returning a call on speaker phone, and look down at my desk, and catch something peripherally. There is a small 1/8" piece of brisket on my chest. I guess I'd been wearing it as a badge of honor for the last 2 hours. Oh, no, you didn't, you say. Oh, yes, I did. I think the sale was successful. Who says aromatherapy doesn't work on my customers?

I met a saleswoman friend, Connie, at Starbucks for a drink and to network. While we were there, a young man came in and delivered quinceanara invitations to a customer. They were so striking, I asked to look at them. The young woman showed me her invitations, and I got the young man's business card. I can spot talent a mile away, and this man has it in spades. Connie and I started talking to him, and referred him to several events upcoming in the Basin that might welcome his photography skills. His work is amazing. He jumped right on it, and probably will be working his way into these agencies and helping them out. It will be a win-win for everyone, I promise. I love it when stuff like this falls together, it's so much fun!

Later this afternoon, I called one of the VP's in the office to tell him of a recent (in the last 5 minutes) sale. It was after 6 p.m., so I thought he was at home. "Mark, I hate to bother you." I can hear mumbling, and laughing. "I'm sorry - did you just walk through the door at the house?" "No," he said. "I said, I'm next door...in my office." Yeah. I felt s.t.u.p.i.d. But we had a good laugh!

It's never boring around here!

30 Days of Posting? We'll See...

I'm kind of on a roll. I'm going to see if I can post for thirty days straight. I want to get back in the habit of blogging. I felt better, getting things off my chest, and posting about my feelings and the daily happenings of mi vida loca. It really made me happy when I made y'all laugh - and me laugh, too! Hopefully, once again, that will happen.

I'm trying to get back to me.

No promises as to quality or content, though.

Y'all with me?

Cleaning and Clearing

I would love to tell you I spent the long weekend cleaning house, and emptying closets, and

cleaning out the garage, and reducing from two storage units to one, or better yet, to none.

Those were all my plans. But it rained, thank God! (Seriously)

Here's where my plans went awry.

I emptied one closet - the small one. Put all my shoes in their rightful place. In the kitchen, I cleaned out one cabinet, and rearranged all the glassware in it.

We drove to the storage rooms, and ThatManILove looked at them, and we sort of made a plan, i.e., where This is going to go, and That's going to the dump, and That's going to Goodwill, and That can go to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store store.

Same kind of plan was made for the garage. Y'all know I don't drink, but this is the kind of thing that makes me crazy and could drive me to the bottle!

Now, for the implementation of said plan. Wanna take bets on when?

Photo Uploading Woes

Do y'all ever utilize Snapfish, Kodak Gallery, any of those photo services? As you know, I'm a photo geek. I find those services a good venue for sharing photos, i.e., wedding photos, or group event photos - as opposed to sending someone a million photos online, only to have your e-mail rejected because the photos were too big, or their server only accepts one at a time, whatever.

Tonight, I tried to load 79 photos to Snapfish, and it's taking forever! Takes the "easy" right out of it. I have business high speed dsl, so that's not the problem.

Anybody have any other venues to recommend? I'm open to suggestions.