Monthly Archives: August 2008

my love of the water …

I guess it would be fair to say that I grew up on the water. Though we didn’t spend every weekend out there, and probably far from it, I spent a fair amount of time on a boat and within earshot of plenty of fishing conversations. My dad’s had a boat (or two, or three) since before I can remember, the most awesome of which he built. And when we weren’t taking his boat out, we were on Uncle Donny’s boat, soaking up the rays and catching plenty of fish and scooping up plenty of crabs in the Bay.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of spending the day fishing on the Bay with my dad and four awesome friends. Not only was is great to spend time with them, which doesn’t happen often, but it was an incredibly gorgeous day – one meant for fishing. The kids had a blast, and did an amazing job of catching (and releasing) the fish! We caught six different types of fish: spot, croaker, toadfish, sea robin, bluefish, and perch. We also turned a landlubber into a man of the sea … at least for the day. He might even be ready for Deadliest Catch! Alright, maybe not …

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Maybe that’s one part of why I love being on the water. It’s fun to watch people who are uncomfortable on boats and out in the open water transition from being all nerves as they first step onto the boat into a relaxed state of comfort as the day progresses.

Now the plan for this weekend is to take the jet skis out and enjoy the last bit of summer on the Patuxent River, which runs behind my parent’s house. I’m so excited; it’s almost like a mini-vacation. It’s a carefree world out there – no e-mail, no cell phones, and little contact with society. It’s a freeing feeling.

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No matter what adventure this weekend holds, I’m ready.

word of the week: august 18th, 2008

books

equivocate: [v: i-kwiv-uh-keyt]
To avoid commitment; to use unclear or ambiguous terms; to mislead.

the ultimate me …

thumbnailBasics …
Name: Mindy Lou
Date of Birth: 3/30. Looks like it was a Sunday.
Birthplace: Cheverly, Maryland
Current Location: Howard County, Maryland
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: 5’4″
Heritage: I don’t know … seriously.
Piercings: Nose, 3 in right ear, 4 in left.
Tattoos: Nope. They’re cute, but not for me.

Favorite …
Band/Singer: No favorite … I love so many.
Song: No favorite … again, I love music.
Movie: Good heavens, I don’t know. Some classics that top the list are Coming to America and Office Space.
Disney Movie: The Little Mermaid, Fox & the Hound (Cry every time.)
TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy, Antiques Roadshow.
Color: Black, green, orange
Food: Fiber One Caramel Delight
Pizza topping: Basil & mozzarella cheese
Ice-Cream Flavor: Mint chocolate chip
Drink (alcoholic): Lately, Captain & Diet. I know someone who can easily split a bottle of champagne with me, though!
Soda: Diet Dr. Pepper, Coke Zero
Store: HomeGoods, Borders, Target, Lowes. Yeah, I know … boring!
Clothing Brand: Don’t have one.
Shoe Brand: Adidas
Season: Spring, followed by fall, then summer, then winter.
Month: I don’t know … that’s too specific for me.
Holiday/Festival: Christmas
Flower: Tulips
Make-Up Item: Chapstick/lip gloss. (Thanks, Kannon!)
Board game: Candy Land – I’m a kid at heart.

This or That …
Sunny or rainy: I love both.
Chocolate or vanilla: Depends on my mood.
Fruit or veggie: Love both. Again, it depends on my mood.
Night or day: Night
Sour or sweet: Sweet
Love or money: Love
Phone or in person: In person
Looks or personality: Personality all the way, baby!
Coffee or tea: Coffee hot, tea cold.
Hot or cold: Hot. I spend at least 8 hours a day freezing cold.

Your …
Goal for this year: To get over this funk I’ve been in for a year and a half. It’s not going so well.
Most missed memory: Times with my grandmother, summers growing up.
Best physical feature: No idea …
First thought waking up: I want to stay in bed. I hate mornings, especially at 5:15 am!!!
Hypothetical personality disorder: Considering what I’m dealing with now, this is not even a cool question to ask.
Preferred type of plastic surgery: None! Ick!
Sesame street alter ego: Elmo, I guess.
Fairytale alter ego: Don’t know.
Most stupid remark: Huh?
Worst crime: Murder
Greatest fear: Heights
Darkest secret: It’s dark … like I’m telling you!
Favorite subject: Math … I always loved calculus.
Strangest received gift: Hmmm, dare I say? I’ve gotten some good ones!
Worst habit: Not keeping in touch. I’m horrible.

Do You …
Smoke: No.
Drink: Not often.
Curse: Yep. Unfortunately. I’m trying to stop, but it’s just not easy!
Shower daily: OMG, yes. I can’t function without showering first.
Like thunderstorms: Yep.
Dance in the rain: On occasion.
Sing: Yep, especially in the car!
Play an instrument: No, used to play sax.
Get along with your parents: Absolutely; always have.
Wish on stars: No, though I should.
Believe in fate: Yes.
Believe in love at first sight: I don’t know …

Can You …
Drive: Uh, yeah.
Sew: Yep.
Cook: Heck yeah!
Speak another language: Not really. 6 1/2 years of French didn’t stick with me.
Dance: Eh …
Sing: No. But I do anyway.
Touch your nose with your tongue: Ha, I just tried … no!
Whistle: Yeah, but not great.
Curl your tongue: Yes.

Have You Ever …
Been Drunk: Yeah, have you?
Been Stoned/High: No comment.
Eaten Sushi: Yep, love it!
Been in Love: Yes. Thankfully, I am right now.
Skipped school: Yes, but my mom knew.
Made prank calls: No. How annoying.
Sent someone a love letter: Probably.
Stolen something: No.
Cried yourself to sleep: Plenty of times.

Other Questions …
What annoys you most in a person?: Mouth noises, chewing ice/mints/candy, popping gum, clicking pen, loud talking.
Are you right or left handed?: Right-handed.
What is your bedtime?: 11 or so.
Name three things you can’t live without: Family, sunshine, and sleep.
What is the color of your room?: Purple. Victorian lilac, to be more precise. We hate it, but there are a million other projects that are more important.
Do you have any siblings?: Yep, 2 sisters.
Do you have any pets?: A dog-son (Cody) and a fish (Bix, short for Bixley).
Would you kill someone you hate for a million dollars?: No. The million couldn’t come close to fixing the damage done to my mind after that.
What is you middle name?: Louise
What are you nicknames?: Minski, Min, Di Dee, Love, Sister, Wellsette, Mindy Lou, Mindy Lou Who
Do you have a crush on anyone?: I’m married …
Are you afraid of the dark?: Sometimes.
How do you want to die?: In my sleep, but I know it won’t be that simple.
What is the largest amount of popsicles that you have eaten on one day?: Uh, maybe 2. I honestly have no idea.
Would you take a bullet for the one you love?: Yes, but ouch.
What is the last law you’ve broken?: The speed limit … ha! And I got caught!

In a Member of the Opposite Sex …
Hair color: Brown with some gray. I know … strange.
Eye color: Blue.
Height: 5’10″ or so.
Weight: Depends on their build.
Most important physical feature: Legs … mmmmm, the legs.
Biggest turn-off: Bad teeth.

random insights … part 1

Okay, accept my apologizes now. I’m sorry. This really has turned into more of a gripe session then a collection of random observations. I guess the observations I make most are annoyances!

stick_person_02— Have you ever noticed that powdered sugar sometimes tastes like soap? I made royal and color flow icings last night for tonight’s class, and before putting the bowl and mixer into the sink, I decided to give the icing a try. Now I know it’s not meant to frost a cake, but YUCK! It was like eating sweetened soap! —

— If people are pulled over EVERY day in the same spot, don’t you think something’s up? Okay, so I admit it. I got a speeding ticket yesterday for doing 22 over the speed limit. Being the non-law-abiding citizen I am, I was doing 17 over today and being passed like c-r-a-z-y! Of course, the cars passing me were pulled over this morning. Ha! If you ask me, it’s time for a change. 65 mph would be nice. Decision made … I will be going to court for this one. —

stick_person_01— I like this one: “If a train station is where the train stops, what is a work station?” —

— Why are there nosy people in the world? Do not ask me loaded questions just to find out about my personal life. My favorite is this, “Is everything okay?” I want to say, “If it wasn’t, don’t worry, I wouldn’t be tell you!” If they don’t get the answer they want, they start asking questions about things they know, so they can at least try to get some of it out of you. No, I will answer no more. And no, I am NOT okay! Now p!ss off! —

— Just because I am the listening type does NOT mean I am your therapist. Please, when you tell me, I tell no one. You feel better, but I am stuck with your problems plus my own! And I don’t get paid for this! If I am not your friend, just go away! —

— While we’re on the subject of listening, if I talk to you, can you at least act like you care? There’s nothing more annoying to me than someone who doesn’t pay attention. I give my full attention when you speak; can you please do the same for me? —

— Why do people insist on covering their car with bumper stickers? I think I’m going to keep a list of all the crazy bumper stickers I see. Just last week, I saw an SUV with 17 of those oval beach stickers on its back window and door. Please. And if I see one more “Civility in Howard County” bumper sticker, I’m going to throw up. People, a bumper sticker is not going to make the world a better place to live! It also does not make you a better person! —

— Let’s talk weight loss. With the Biggest Loser competition reaching its final weeks here at work, people are frenzied. A few observations … and gripes. Why do we (myself included) wait until the last minute to do anything about it and think the weight is magically going to melt away? Come on, now. And why do those who have the least to lose do the most crying and whining? This falls under the category of, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil,” which is my least favorite subject of all. If I had just 5 lbs. to lose, I certainly wouldn’t run around barking about it! Why must these skinny b!tches run around, rubbing it in us fat people’s faces? Shut up, shut up, shut up! There, I feel better now. —

olympics …

Yes, I’m addicted. We just watched China win the synchronized springboard diving gold. Then my husband asked, “Where are the next Summer Olympics being held?” That led me to google, where I found this information …

2008 (summer): Beijing, China, of course.
2010 (winter): Vancouver, Canada
2012 (summer): London, England
2014 (winter): Sochi, Russia
2016 (summer): Tokyo, Japan; Madrid, Spain; Chicago, United States; or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil … to be announced on October 2, 2009.

have you ever …

Have you ever…

1. Eaten Crocodile? No, but I would.
2. Slept in a different bed? Uh, yeah.
3. Made out in a movie theatre? I don’t know. Not lately.
4. Made out with 2 different people in one night? No.
5. Thought your cousin was hot? He is. Seriously.
6. Been in love? Yeah, I hope so. I’ve been happily married for 4 years.
7. Slept? Huh? Yeah.
8. Taken a shower with the opposite sex? Certainly.
9. Gone over the speed limit? Ha! Yeah, and I got a big, fat ticket just this morning for it! The irony …
10. Painted your room? Yeah, I’ve painted a house. There’s tennis ball green/yellow, sunny yellow, hot pink, bright turquoise, sand, Tang orange, Victorian lilac, and robin egg blue.
11. Driven a car? OMG, this question proves I’m too old for these stupid things.
12. Danced in front of your mirror? Not lately. But I dance around my house, so I’m sure it’s happened in front of my mirror.
13. Gotten a hickey? OMG, forever ago.
14. Been dumped? Yes. F**ker.
15. Stolen money from a friend? Not a chance. I couldn’t. Unless my husband counts. Guess it’s still “our” money, huh?
16. Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yep.
17. Been in a fist fight? No.
18. Snuck out of your house? Nope, although I did try to sneak in several times.

the big three five …

I know, I have some crazy tendencies. This Thursday, August 7th marked our dog-son’s 35th birthday … in dog years, that is. We’ve had him for 4 years, and though we don’t know his real birthday, we celebrate his adoption date like his birthday. We guess he was around 1 when we adopted him, so he’s somewhere around 5. As crazy as it might sound, I find it necessary to celebrate. He always gets presents, and of course, birthday cake … Frosty Paws!

Cody01I’m flashing back to adoption day 4 years ago. We bought our house just a month prior and were two and a half months from getting married. After dog-sitting my parent’s dog while they were in Florida, Daisy’s departure left me lonely and longing for a four-legged friend of my own. I knew I wanted a husky, though I don’t know why (My husband wanted a black lab …). Perhaps it the blue eyes and black and white markings. Or maybe their crazy personalities that in some ways reflects mine. I know it wasn’t the shedding – I had no idea it could be THIS bad. So I did some searching online and found several huskies at the Carroll County Humane Society. I immediately fell in love with Cody, a young black & white husky with bright blue eyes. He was very thin, but absolutely adorable. That Saturday, August 7th, we went to check out all the dogs they had. We walked through, and Cody was in the first cage on the left. He was the mouthiest of all, and little did we know, that’s how he always is! We asked to spend some time with him, and after hanging out for a bit, decided he was the one. We almost lost him twice. When the gal came back to get him so we could spend time with him, another family wanted to see him. Then, after we decided we wanted him, they needed proof of residence, which we did not bring with us. Luckily, it all worked out.

The years since then have been crazy. He was almost returned just weeks after we brought him home (“Justin, if he sh!ts in his cage and sits in it one more time, he’s going back.”), but he straightened up just in the knick of time. He’s consumed countless carbs, performed disappearing acts on numerous occasions, and has given us his fair share of trouble. But trust me, it’s all been SO worth it. He’s hilarious! Cody, here’s to you as we celebrate 4 years of fun!

So … I know I’m crazy, and I know that this could be considered a form of torture, but this is what the Frosty Paws feast looked like this year …

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word of the week: august 11th, 2008

books

Justin’s word of the week …
virtuous: [adj: vur-choo-uhs]
Morally excellent; conforming to moral and ethical principles.

Mindy’s words of the week …
curse: [n: kurs]
The cause of evil, misfortune or trouble; an evil that has been evoked upon one; something accursed.

pissed off: [n: pist awf]
Angry or annoyed.

Thank you, dictionary.com, for providing me with these perfect definitions to appropriately define the mood of the week through the word of the week. While I usually try to maintain a positive tone no matter what the circumstances, I’m really not having a good day and don’t feel like it being a secret today. To this week, I say [v: fuhk].

advanced global personality test …

Advanced Global Personality Test Results

I was challenged by my sister to take this personality test. A, my dear, here are my results. What do you think? Is this me? :)

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Accommodation |||||||||||||||||| 78%

Artistic, Work Ethic, Need to Dominate, Anti-Authority |||||||||||||||||| 76%

Stability, Physical Fitness |||||||||||||||| 70%

Cautiousness, Narcissism |||||||||||||||| 63%

Orderliness |||||||||||||||| 62%

Adventurousness, Individuality, Peter Pan Complex, Wealth |||||||||||||| 56%

Extraversion |||||||||||||| 54%

Avoidant, Sexuality, Thriftiness |||||||||||| 50%

Religious, Family Drive, Paranoia, Honor |||||||||||| 43%

Romantic, Humanitarian, Histrionic |||||||||| 36%

Intellectual |||||||||| 34%

Mystical, Vanity |||||| 30%

Dependency, Change Averse, Materialism |||||| 23%

Interdependence, Conflict Seeking |||| 16%

Hedonism || 10%

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Stability results were high which suggests you are very relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were medium which suggests you are moderately talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

trait snapshot: clean, organized, regular, self reliant, tough, positive, high self control, very good at saving money, dislikes chaos, resolute, realist, trusting, hard working, dislikes unpredictability, prefers a technical specialized career, not worrying, respects authority, enjoys leadership, finisher, normal, optimistic, controlling, prudent, modest, adventurous, does not like to be alone, intellectual, likes the unknown, very practical, high self esteem, assertive, perfectionist, busy, altruistic

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality test by similarminds.com

word of the week: (special edition)

Most weeks, there’s a single word of the week. Hey, adding one word per week back into regular vocabulary is enough of a task, right? Not this week, my friends! This week, I found a way to sneak a few extra words in!

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I love it when I find great words while doing some late night reading! This ‘special edition’ collection was prompted by Suzy Becker’s book I Had Brain Surgery, What’s Your Excuse?. I have 19 pages to go, so I’ll save the review for later … but for now, I give you three more words for this week! Yippee! And thanks, Suzy! Your book rocks!

synchronicity: [n: sĭng'krə-nĭs'ĭ-tē]
Two or more casually unrelated events which occur together in a coincidental and meaningful manner.

vacation: [n: vey-key-shuh n]
A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday.

willy-nilly: [adv: wil-ee-nil-ee]
Sloppily; in an unplanned or disorganized manner.