Trully a Sign of the Apocolypse

I saw two women pushing a stroller down St. Anthony Blvd. last night. As a "cute baby alert" flashed through my brain, I saw that they were actually out walking their cat. In a stroller. Yup. They were exposing their housecat to the outside world via a $90 stroller. I still can't think of it without shuddering. They probably have daycare for the cat too. And a provision in their will. Creeeepy.

Bwuuucaci

If you don't watch LOST, or if you didn't watch the last episode of the 2nd Season, so not read this blog entry.

OMFG.

Michael knew that they would suspect them, so he led them somewhere else.

Eko was locked out of the hatch by John and Desmond.

Sun and Jin helped Sayid sail the boat to the deserted habitat of "the others."

Umm, and then "Bwa? What the?" And "God Fucking Damn we have to wait until LATE FALL to see the next episode.

I trully am LOST.

The Man

At the Alden Square garage sale last weekend, Noah introduced himself as "the man". As in, "my parents are such push-overs I am the man of the house." Uh-oh. Time to start using that discipline thing again. And yes Jesse, we HAVE TO used it in the past. Really. I think.

My surley (almost) 4 year old.

My Birthday Kicked Ass

After consuming lots of tequila:

And bunny cake:

I'm very surprised that we didn't find someone passed out by the firebowl in the morning. And yes, by "someone" I mean me.

Thanks to all for coming over and hanging out with me on my palindrome birthday. I won't have another one until I'm 44 after all. And a special "thanks" to Jacquie for the bunny cake and to Grandma Reade for entertaining Noah.

Happy Mother's Day

Wow. What a picture. It's so beautiful.

This baby has woken her up every 2 -4 hours around the clock to suck on her and keep her from getting the sleep she so desperately needs. This baby has probably woken up after only 20 minutes of sleep happy and wanting her to amuse him, despite the fact that she hasn't had more than two hours sleep in the last 17 hours.

The miracle is that she doesn't beat the living shit out of this child. The miracle is that, after all of this, she still looks at the baby with love and admiration.

That is what being a mom is all about. Your kids will push you to the edge. They will dare to treat you like shit more than any other person in the world. And in return you look at them with love and admiration for the person they have become.

That, my friends, is a mom. And that is why we get mother's day.

I got to sleep in, eat food I didn't make and have my husband (my wonderful hushand) put my son to bed for me. Thanks, Stan, for giving me a day off and letting me know how much my boys think of me and love me.

Happy Mom's day . . . to me.

I Will Miss My Jesse

It is 12:30 on Saturday night. Stan, Jesse and I are hanging out. Stan is being the "backseat driver" as Jesse plays Riddick. A couple minutes ago Stan, the pacifist father of one said: "You should just shiv this guy. Have you gotten rid of the shiv? You could just twist his neck since you don't have a weapon, or maybe use a screwdriver."

Sitting here on the couch with the two of them reminds me of when Stan and I were dating and he and Jesse would be on their computers programming things that I still can't understand. With Stan, I had finally found the guy that made my best friend his best friend. Actually, he made him his brother. Jesse is family He is our brother, our son, our best friend.

We will miss him in far out Anoka land.

T-shirts I Need for my Birthday

Brendan Benson Ladies T L

Teen Girl's Squad Ladies T XL

Penny Arcade Shirt Ladies T XL

Salt T Men's L

Cinco de Mayo, I mean Lisa.
Friday night, May 5th, 7 PM.
The Keathly's house.
Pizza, alcohol and a bunny cake (thanks Jacquie!!).
Y'all are invited.
Presents a must.

How the Keathly Family "does" Easter

It was fun to host for the holidays. We had it all.

Smoking
(Aunt Nemy hiding Easter eggs with a cig hanging from the side of her mouth was priceless.)

Drinking
(5 bottles of wine and a case of beer consumed by 10 people.)

Family
('nuff said)

Family Drama
(Not really.)

And awesome highlights.
(I did them myself!)

Best of all though, was Noah.

What an awesome way to welcome spring!

B&B&B

Stan and I escaped from our kid and responsibilities last weekend and were well cared for at the Round Barn Farm B&B&B in Red Wing, MN. It was our first vacation in five years. Five years, people! That is a long time.

A short summary:

1. The B&B&B is too close to the train tracks, otherwise everything was perfect. You'd love it. Just wear the recommended earplugs to bed.
2. Antique stores = Pricey junk. Shop at Goodwill instead.
   
3. The Port Restaurant in The St James Hotel was horrible. All the reviews lie.
   
4. We had better food at The Liberty Diner and spent 75% less for it. The special of the day was wild rice hotdish. Excellent.
   

We came home to a crabby kid and a broken car. Huzzah!

Blizzard Shmizzard

Who would I drive to the airport in near-blizzard conditions with my most precious 3 year old cargo in tow? Jesse & Jacquie, that's who. I didn't realize just how bad it was until I was walking out to the car in almost a foot of snow with more coming down and a wicked wind blowing through my coat and sweater. It was a 2 1/2 hour round trip, but I made it safe and sound.

Here's the fun things I saw:

35W South: A car that had slid and snapped off it's rear axle. Tough break.

The intersection before Lyndale & Franklin: A Sysco Foods Semi hit a street signal light head on and dented in the middle of it's hood. I was surprised that the pole hadn't bent instead. Most of the lights in the Uptown area were out. I had left the freeway to get some gas and then hopped back on.

35W North exit off of 94 East: A car was facing me as I approached the exit. Everyone else was blocking them from making a U-Turn so I stopped and let them escape. Must have been a fun spin out.

Hennepin & Stinson: A guy trying to shovel out his car in a suit and dress jacket. He looked cold.

Stinson and 35W: Stinson was blocked off by cop cars and barricades. Don't know why. Lights out here too.

Stinson near Saint Anthony Parkway: A HOM Furniture delivery truck was stuck and blocking the road. One guy was trying to push the almost semi sized truck. Now that's gumption!.

There were also cars stuck in snowdrifts, fishtailing, swerving, sliding and spinning like crazy.

I was so relieved to make it home I almost kissed the floor. Instead I went out and shoveled. Now it's time for a roaring fire and some hot tea.

Keep safe out there.

Banking at the Speed of Light

The cashier at Target screwed up and voided my $160.70 transaction. I found out that "void" means charge your account and then credit said account.

Charge happened immediately, seconds after said transaction.

36 hours later and I'm still waiting for the credit. Target told me the credit was processed immediately following the charge. What up, TCF?

FOX News Poll: 64% of Americans Hate America

Bravo TV Audience Poll: 64% of viewers thought Daniel V. should have won Project Runway.

Coincidence? I think not.

Bush Lied AGAIN

Three days after Katrina hit, Bush famously told the country on national television, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.''¹ But, today, we can all watch the leading hurricane scientist in the country personally informing President Bush, 24 hours before the storm hit, that a levee breach was a "very, very serious concern."²

Although the original AP article and video focus on this clear contradiction, other major papers and television outlets have largely missed it.³ We know that one of the most effective ways to get the media to cover something is to get members of Congress to talk publicly about it—so calling Congress is our next step.

For those of you that live in MN please contact:

Senator Mark Dayton
Phone: 202-224-3244
District Offices:
Biwabik: 218-865-4480
East Grand Forks: 218-773-1110
Fort Snelling: 888-224-9043
Renville: 320-905 3007

Senator Norm Coleman
Phone: 202-224-5641
District Offices:
Mankato: 507-625-6800
St. Paul: 651-645-0323

Congressman Martin Sabo
Phone: 202-225-4755
Minneapolis District Office: 612-664-8000

Some members of Congress have already spoken up, and they need support. Others have not, and they need to hear that their constituents are counting on them to step forward. Please call Rep. Sabo and Sens. Dayton and Coleman today and ask them to speak out about the President's newly discovered failure and dishonesty in responding to Katrina.

Sources:

1. "Bush was told levees could fail, video shows," Seattle Times/AP, March 2, 2006 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1511

2. "Video Shows Bush Warned before Katrina Hit," The Associated Press, March 01 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1506

3. "Bush not questioned about pre-Katrina briefing," KWTX news, March 02, 2006
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/2395001.html

Thanks for Shopping eGay!

I have four words for you: Brokeback Mountain Pez Dispensers

Project Runway Spoiler

I found the pictures of the Project Runway Fashion Week Show. If you don't want to know what's in them, don't look any further!

First is Kara, the last one to be eliminated. She still got to show at Fashion Week to keep the final three a secret. Her collection blew me away. If she hadn't been eliminated, she would be my favorite for the win. Here's my favorite from her collection.

Is Chloe really clueless or does she just come off that way? The pouffy sleeves, that horrid pleated skirt, the fact that she did both again in her collection. Ick. Is this wanna be couture, or just prom hits the runway?

Daniel's collection was stiff. In a lot of pieces he did a weird pouff shoulder thing. I beg of you Daniel, do not bring back the 1980's!!! I still think he's going to win, but I was expecting a much stronger, more original showing.
I was dissapointed in Santino's collection. I guess they finally broke his spirit. There was no Santino funk. It was a sedated, borderline boring, collection.
Here's the link to all of the collections:
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/projectrunwaydesigners/

Take a look and tell me who you think is going to win!

This Country Scares Me

This week, revellers in New Orleans are showing that their spirit is alive, if not all that well. But it begs the questions: Do Americans even remember the tragedy is not over? That thousands are still without homes or jobs? That not even half of the population of New Orleans is back home, but living elsewhere? I'm happy to see that the people haven't given up on the city that the government did.

They are selling control of our portst to the United Arab Emirates.

They have initiated their plan to reverse Roe vs. Wade. (I'm sure some people out there will be surprised to find out that I am pro-choice. Let me say that whatever my moral viewpoint is, I believe that this is not a moral issue, but a legal one. Whether or not you believe it is right is not the issue. Whether you have the legal right is the issue.)

They let Cheney wield a gun, shooting live (not clay) birds, while drinking. And it's no big deal when he shoots someone.

Is that all? No, it's not. But it's damn well more than enough.

Wild Thing

Melody made Noah a Max costume from "Where the Wild Things Are". It is insanely cool:

He loves the gloves!

And the tail.

He wouldn't wear the crown, but everyone else did to make up for it.

Queen Mama

King Jeppa

King Daddy

Thanks Melody! You rock! We are looking forward to having you guys stay with us in May!

Everyone I Know Is Rooting For Daniel V.

And so am I. How couldn't I be? Just look at that sweet, down-home gay boy charm! He may hold back and stick to safe designs, but has pulled out more wins than any other designer. Even more than, gasp!, choke!, "I am the god of designing" Santino. And he's only 23. This is the guy who deserves to win, hands down.

Daniel V. "The Shit"

Yes, once again, Project Runway has taken over my life. I watch it, I Tivo it, I discuss it and mourn when my favorites lose. Speaking of favorites, here's a girl who's not: Chloe. She should have been out in the last challenge. Her dress was a home made prom dress gone bad. Why the producers thought we'd want to watch her vs. Kara is anyones guess. Yes, I know, Kara didn't put out like a good girl should, but still, her dress in the last challenge beat Kara's to a bloody pulp.

Chloe "Dead Air Filler"

And now, the last of the final three: Santino. Daniel V. called him a one trick pony and he was right. He only has one trick up his sleeve and we've seen him pull it out so much we've gotten BORED WITH HIM. Do you hear me Bravo!?! BORED. I don't even want to see him anymore! They think he's the amusing, lively Jay of the show, but he's just not. If he wins I will be pissed (as in mad, not drunk, although now that I think about it, maybe both would be good). He should have been out in Episode 10. His jumper for Kara was shit vs. Nick's admittedly girl suit for Daniel V. Why did he get off? Again, they think he's Jay II. And he's not.

Santino "Gigantic A-Hole Ego Boy"

I will be cheating and looking at the NY Fashion Week Photos before the last show airs. Keep posted for details (yeah, I know, you're soooo excited). And after this is over I have Project Jay and Top Chef (Which looks fantastic. Chefs are known for their egos and tempers. I dare say it will be better than Project Runway!) to hold me over till the next one airs. Bravo, bravo TV!!!

I'm it. Four Things.

Four Jobs I’ve Had

• Davanni's Worker
• Janitor at Minneapolis Veterans Home
• Stage Crew (Spotlight Jockey) at NW College
  
• Administrative Assistant for Risk Management Department
  

Four Films I Can Watch Over And Over

• Office Space
• The Jerk
• Say Anything
• Aliens
  

Four Places I’ve Lived

• Bloomington, MN
• Roseville, MN
• Falcon Heights, MN
• Minneapolis, MN
  

Four TV Shows I Enjoy

• Lost
• Project Runway
  
• Futurama
• Angel (how I miss you)
  

Four Places I’ve Been On Vacation

• Seattle, WA
• NY, NY
• Austin, TX
• Oh, Canada (Boundry Waters)
  

Four Of My Favorite Foods

• Pizza
• Steak
• Butter
• Salt
  

Four Sites I Visit Daily

• http://www.dooce.com
• http://www.fark.com
• http://www.boingboing.com
• http://jpmullan.com/

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now

• Visiting my sis in HI
• Really, anywhere tropical and warm will do
• Seattle, WA
• A massage table, getting a massage, not giving one, for a change.
  

Four Unspeakable Abominations

• Margarine
• Lite Salt
• TV Evangelists
• Having to wake up before 7 AM
  

Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse

• Barney the Dinosaur
• Moe Doodle
• Dee Dee Doodle
• Rooney Doodle
  

Four Calling Birds

• Sparrow
• Crow
• Blue Bird
• Squirrel
  

Four Awesome Names For Variables

• Absolut
• Smirnoff
• Skyy
• Ciroc
  

Four Bloggers I’m Tagging

• Jacquie
• Craig
• Damn it, doesn't anyone blog anymore?

Raising Cain

Noah has already discovered the sheer joy of jerking his parents around. Example:

"Dad! I'm ready for my first job . . . at the Saloon!"

Stan has an eplileptic fit. Literally.

Noah giggles at his amazing sense of humor.

While Momma attacks the T Rex

That was after her cider.

Yup. Just another evening with the Keathlys.