Hey, today is my youngest son’s birthday!

Happy Birthday, CTY!!

Oh, my, he’s 20 years old today.  Do you realize how old that makes me??  Pretty damn old, that’s how old!

One more year and I can say that all my kids are of legal adulthood-type age.  Wow.  Time flew by, actually.  I can’t say that I remember when they were infants all that well but it doesn’t seem like 20 years has gone by.  Before you know it, I’ll be at the jumping off point and heading to my final rest.  Now there’s a happy thought!

(Wish me luck - he’s having a party at our house tonight.  With friends who are over 21.  I need to keep them OUT of the bar area!  That’s my stuff!!)

I confess.  I am the executor of some obsessive-compulsive behaviour.  I just realized how deeply involved I am in this behaviour on Saturday.  I was looking for something specific on TV and found out that it wouldn’t be on again until Sunday, when I wouldn’t be home.  I was crest-fallen.  And I gave up hope.  Then, last night, I went to bed early with a searing migraine.  But Buzz came up a while later and said these words to me:

“There are some guys building a pretty cool motorcycle on TV.”

My heart leapt with anticipation as I quickly changed the channel to Discovery and there they were…

Pauly and Paul, Sr. and Mikey!  The Orange County Chopper guys from American Chopper!!!  My new favorite TV personalities!! 

*sigh*

I watched for almost two hours and then dozed for a few hours.  When I woke again, they were reshowing the episode that had been on when I feel asleep!

I used to sigh over Jeff Corwin, but since he hasn’t made a new episode in almost two years, I’m kind of getting bored with the shows I’ve seen six times already.  It was about time I found a new object to obsess about.

Who knew it would be a bunch of chopper dudes??

By the way, did you notice how clever I was with my post title - O.C. Behaviour??  ‘Cause it could be obsessive-compulsive OR Orange County!  God, I’m so witty!

Oh and I just found out that Jeff Corwin has made a new series called Corwin’s Quest.  It premieres on June 15th, so I’m back in business, baby!!

Everything about today is good. 

I slept in - 11 hours of sleep!  Amazing!!

Then I had:

1) Good coffee (really good, in fact)

2) Good workout (my most calories burned so far)

3) Good shower

And there’s good weather outside, I’m married to the goodest man on earth, I have good kids and good cats - what more could I ask for??

So, anyone else have anything good in their life right now?

The pictures are not up just yet in GT&NS, but I thought I’d share some of the things I did and didn’t do and see while on vacation.  (All pictures are clickable to enlarge...)

I did see lots of these: 

But not a single one of these: 

Despite being assured by the locals that if I drove through a “notch”, there they’d be.  We drove through lots ‘o notches and there was no moose.  Which prompted me to call the state we were in MOOSELESS HAMPSHIRE!  (Actually, I was calling it Mooseless Hamster, just because it was funnier!!)

I correctly identified two types of birds that I’d never seen before:

An evening grosbeak

A rose-breasted grosbeak

That was all in New Hampshire.

In Rhode Island, we had breakfast with this man and his wife: 

Those of you who have seen ER will recognize him as Dr. Donald Anspaugh.  Yes, that’s right - we had breakfast with a celebrity!  (Although, to tell you the truth, it didn’t even dawn on me until after they had checked out that it was him.  But it was!)

Oh, yeah - in New Hampshire, I also drank a big gulp of half-and-half without knowing it!  I thought it was milk and took a big chug.  It was not pleasant!

And the very last meal that I ate in Rhode Island was breakfast at the hoity-toity (or “hoe-ter”, as we were calling it) place.  It was the single most decadent and sumptuous breakfast I have ever had.  Buzz had a bite and asked if that was legal in most states.  I can’t remember what it was called but it was scrambled eggs and ham and green onions, I think, open-face on a croissant with the most delicious sauce on it.  I’m swooning a little just thinking about it.  It was spectacular!

OK - I think that’s enough for now.  I’m sure I’ll be posting the pictures because I actually have them loaded on my computer - that’s a good start!

Well, we’re back from our fun in the sun mud.  It rained the entire time we were gone, which wasn’t bad for the 1st three days but made our last two days a bust.  We were in Newport, RI, for those last two days and basically stuck in our room.  It was a very nice room, don’t get me wrong, but still stuck.  Oh, well.  We’ll get back there some time to see the sights, I’m sure.

While I’m on the subject of hotel rooms, could someone please explain to me why a hotel room leaves only two large towels?  My hair is like two feet long and it’s very difficult to get my body dry with a dripping head of hair!  I need a hair towel!

Years ago, we were in Texas and I had the audacity to ask for a 3rd towel.  They wouldn’t give it to me.  Why?  Because they said that’s how they keep track of how many people were in the room in an emergency.  That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard.  If I booked a room with a king sized bed by myself, they’d still leave 2 towels.  And in what sort of emergency are they going room by room and counting the towels?  What does that even mean??

The place we stayed in New Hampshire was a B&B.  There were four large towels hanging on towel racks and at least three more on a shelf in the bathroom.  Now that is the right number of towels - PLENTY!  Why can’t an expensive place in Newport offer you at the very least three towels?  I had to wrap my head in a hand towel and stand bent at the waist to dry my body.  Not a happy camper!!

Ugh.  OK - I’m done ranting for now.  I believe we have lots of very cool pictures which I will attempt to load into Good Times & Noodle Salad in the very near future.  Hopefully, I’ll be successful in my endeavor!

Yep, we’re heading off on vacation tomorrow.  We’re going to New England for some “Mud Season” romping!

So while I’m gone, be sure to follow the rules laid out by my wonderful husband and behave yourselves!

Oh, and can you please take out the trash for me on Wednesday?  Thanks ever so much!

Nah, I’m only kidding.  The house is being left, once again, in the capable hands of the youngens.  Everything will be fine, right?  Right??

Have a good week and I’ll catch you when we return.  Bye!!

I walked through a room that smelt of wet dog.  I don’t know why - there aren’t usually animals at work.  But it is raining outside so maybe it’s Bring Your Pet to Work Day™ and I missed the memo.

Anyway, I walked through a room that smelt of wet dog. 

The odor clung to my clothes and now I keep smelling wet dog. 

I don’t even like dogs.

Blech.

I was driving in to work today and heard a song I really liked.  I didn’t know it at all.  Turns out they said it was Ryan Adams and the Cardinals.  Who knew?  I like a lot of Ryan Adams’ stuff but this didn’t sound like him.  In fact, at times, it sounded like The Grateful Dead and I began to think that whoever this was must be enjoying a huge Dead fan following right about now.  But it was Ryan Adams!  Huh.

I thought the name of the song was Easier Night or Easy Tonight or something along those lines but the only album I could find with Ryan Adams and The Cardinals is a new release.  I can’t find the song I heard on the radio.

I listen to WXPN, 88.5 in Philadelphia - easily the best radio station that there ever was!  They publish their playlists a few days after they play them.  So I figured I’d go check and see which song they’ve been playing lately from that album.

They’re playing all of them - doesn’t that just figure!  And they’re not playing any one more than the rest so I can’t go with the odds.

What could I do?  I bought the album.  I’ll find this song if it’s the last thing I do!

You know when you’re right on the edge of being bothered or being grumpy or being something equally as negative but nothing horrible and you head into work early.  You sit down at your desk, happy that almost everyone around you gets in later and you’re bound and determined to get yourself feeling better so you don’t start jumping down people’s throats.

You know that feeling, right? 

You’re sitting there quietly and working on your tan feeling better.  And then you hear it…

Someone is sitting very close to you at their desk and clipping their fingernails.

There is no sound on this earth that is more irritating in this particular mental situation than the sound of someone performing a personal hygiene task that should be conducted in one’s own bathroom before coming to work!

I’m not talking about the occasional snip because you’ve broken a nail or something like that.  No.  I’m talking about a full-fledged, all-out manicure at your desk.

That ain’t right.

Consider the people around you who are trying to muster up some good mood, people!  Do your personal grooming at home, like a decent human being!

/rant

I believe I have missed the boat on something.  Er, someone.  And that’s Elmore Leonard.

Years ago, I watched Get Shorty (the movie) and loved it.  I bought the book, which is by Elmore Leonard, and proceeded to read it.  I got through the book but I wanted that time back in my life.  I hated the writing style and I thought he was a simply terrible writer!

Buzz read a book by Stephen King (one of my very favorite writers) called On Writing.  In that book, Stephen King praises Elmore Leonard as one of his favorites.

I was very confused.

Now, this morning, I picked up an old New York Times Book Review and glanced at the cover story.  It’s entitled “The Old Master” and it’s about literary genius, Elmore Leonard.

I have totally missed the boat here!  I feel like I should give him another chance but life is too short and I have too many books to read to be wasting my time on something I’m not going to enjoy.

Have you ever read any Elmore Leonard?  If so, did you read Get Shorty, what did you think of it, and is there a better book to read to get a better grasp on The Old Master?

Good Monday morning to you!  I had a miserable Saturday but an excellent Sunday, so I had a 50% great weekend.  How about you??

Here’s a MOTD to get you started on your week.  Buzz had posted a picture of this guy as part of his latest ECF but here’s another view from the 1998 TV movie entitled “Jeremiah” (I like ‘em with beards!).  Requested by Geeky.

Patrick Dempsey

So, imagine this situation.  You’re sitting at your desk at work, working away, visible to many, many people.  Suddenly you are struck with an unbearable itch on your back, right between your shoulder blades.  You try and try to reach that bugger but it’s just out of your reach no matter how you approach it.

Now, picture this.  You have in your possession a very nice bamboo back scratcher.  Remember you are visible to many, many people and this is a work environment.

Do you use the back scratcher?  If so, must you keep it above the clothing or can you sneak it down inside your shirt to really satisfy that itch?

I’m asking because it occurred to me that maybe it’s not a socially acceptable thing to be scratching your back in the middle of work. 

Although the alternative is to walk up to a corner and rub up and down like a deranged grizzly bear on an old tree, so I’m thinking the back scratcher may be a wee bit more acceptable.  I don’t know.  Are people all around me throwing up in their mouths a little every time I scratch my back?

I should be happy, right?  It’s Friday.  The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I have no plans for the weekend.

But here’s the deal.  It is Friday, but it’s only Friday.  I really, really wanted to stay in bed this morning.  The windows were open and it was chilly and I wanted to just stay snuggled in my blankets.  So whine, whine, whine.

But here’s something else!  I forgot to take my vitamins and necessary supplements this morning!  Now I’m going to feel all unhealthy today!  Whine, whine, whine some more.

And this is the kicker - some critter took it upon himself or herself to DIG in the flower boxes that are hanging on the railing of my front porch!  There is dirt kicked up all over the porch and the roots of my poor baby begonias are exposed for all the world to see!  I didn’t have time to fix it this morning so Buzz put back as much of the displaced dirt as he could but it definitely needs attention.  Now I ask you - why in the world would any creature be digging in my planter boxes?  There are no bulbs in there, there are no worms in there, there’s no nothing in there but delicate roots and a lot of potting soil.  The nerve!