NO FLASHBACK TODAY

REPEAT because today is LOVE YOUR PET DAY

"and they called it 'puppy love'..."

i saw this today on facebook and it touched my heart. and because i KNOW so many of you are dog lovers, i just had to share.

10 THINGS YOUR DOG WOULD TELL YOU.... 

1. my life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. any separation from you will be painful: remember that before you get me. 
2. give me time to understand what you want of me. 
3. place your trust in me- it is crucial to my well being.
4. do not be angry at me for long, and do not lock me up as punishment.
5. you have your work, your entertainment,and your friends. i only have you.
6. talk to me sometimes. even if i don't understand your words, i understand your voice when it is speaking to me. 
7. be aware that how ever you treat me, i will never forget. 
8. remember before you hit me that i have teeth that could easily hurt you, but i choose not to bite you because i love you. 
9. before you scold me for being uncooperative,obstinate,or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. perhaps i might not be getting the right food, or i have been out too long, or my heart is getting to old and weak.
10. take care of me when i get old; you too will grow old. go with me on difficult journeys. never say: "i cannot bear to watch" or "let it happen in my absence." everything is easier for me if you are there, even my death. 

remember that i love you.

now go hug your dog!! or cat...or hamster...or fish! 

ps...i searched all over for the original poster or author and could not find it...

THE SUNDAY PAPER (or book or blog or mag)

"free your mind and the rest will follow..."                                      
FLASHBACK 1966
in hanover, virginia, parents complain that a discussion of rape, in to kill a mockingbird, is immoral and call for it to be removed from the school reading list.
FLASH FORWARD 1977
in eden valley, minnesota to kill a mockingbird is banned because of the words "damn" and "whore lady".
 FLASH FORWARD (1980 something)
i'm given a reading assignment. i'm not excited. how can i be excited about a book, written in the 60's, about people living in 30's? but, to kill a mockingbird will quickly become one of my favorites. i want an atticus finch and boo radley in my life. *for those unfamiliar with the story, to kill a mockingbird is a lesson in social inequality as told thru the eyes of six year old scout. and you should totally read it*
FLASH FORWARD 1984
the waukegan, illinois school district bans to kill a mockingbird because the "n" word is used 48 times in 211 pages.
FLASH FORWARD 2003
to kill a mockingbird is banned from normal, illinois community high school's sophomore literature class because it's "degrading to african americans".
TODAY
people continue to attempt to ban books from schools and public libraries. and to kill a mockingbird is always on the list of banned and challenged books. it's in good company with the great gatsby, the lord of the flies, and the grapes of wrath. the top 10 banned books of 2012~2013 are:

1. captain underpants, dav pilkey (offensive language and unsuited for age group)
2. the absolute true diary of a part time indian, sherman alexie (offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group)
3. 13 reasons why, jay asher (drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group)
4. 50 shades of grey, e.l. james (offensive language, sexually explicit)
5. and tango makes three, peter parnell and justin richardson (homosexuality, unsuited for age group)
6. the kite runner, khaled hosseini (homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit)
7. looking for alaska, john green (offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group)
8. scary stories, alvin schwartz (unsuited for age group, violence)
9. the glass castle, jeannette walls (offensive language, sexually explicit)
10. beloved, toni morrison (sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence)

september 22 thru 28 is banned books week. celebrate your right to read whatever you choose by selecting books off the banned books list and participating in the virtual read~out! 

^two of these books have been banned, or challenged, from schools or public libraries. can you guess which two?

TUESDAY TREASURES

"these are a few of my favorite things..."



1. i always look forward to late night with jimmy fallon because i might get to see this:

 2. edy's slow churned ice cream ...slow churned is naturally half the fat, so i can feel slightly less guilty. and this flavor is uh~mazing! but it's only available thru the end of august:

3. i can't say, for sure, it's my favorite...yet...but my love of everything simon peg (shaun of the dead, hot fuzz) tells me i am going to totally love this:

4. i'm in love with this:

5. i can't stop listening to this:

6. really liked reading this:

7. i totally love playing on vine because i can do this:

what are some of your favorite things?

WHAT UP WEDNESDAY?

"regrets...i've had a few..."
let me preface this by saying: i love my job. i really love my job. i'm not saving the world. or lives. i'm not discovering the secrets to the universe. or creating new, and better, technology. i'm simply selling handbags. but...i have fun everyday. i make people smile everyday. i inspire "plain janes" to step out of the box a bit...everyday. i love my job.
but...this week? this week i've overextended myself. just a tad. and it's making me CRAZY!!! and making me contemplate ways to get out of work (sword swallowing, anyone?). how did i let that happen, you ask? i picked up shifts, more than quadrupling my hours for the week (yay me!!), we bought a 20 game season ticket pack to see our cincinnati reds (yay us!!), we got invited to see another reds game (yay bk's boss!!), and, then, there's all the other things that must be done on any given day (laundry, cleaning, cooking, stocking the fridge). it's only wednesday and i'm exhausted. it's only wednesday and i need a vacation. 
it happens to everyone. we look at our weekly schedule and say to ourselves "sure, i can fit that in". we pick up extra shifts, or accept invitations to parties (or ball games). we look at our calendars...at the big to dos...but don't think about all the little things we have to do.
what can you do to keep yourself from getting overextended? or, worse, wishing a foul ball would give you a concussion?

• ask for help. i don't have to do all the little things alone. i KNOW that if i would only ask the bk would walk the dog, or do some laundry.  
• don't sweat the small stuff. it can wait. you don't HAVE to dust that table today. it will still be there tomorrow. so make a list this morning of 3 things that MUST happen today. focus on getting those taken care of. 
• keep a calendar. no excuses. you have a phone with a calendar on it, use it. and stick to it. that way you'll know if dinner with friends is actually possible that day.
• learn to say no *see "keep a calendar"*. if your calendar says you're busy busy just say no. explain to your friend that dinner is impossible and try to do it another day. 
• set aside time for you.  the real reason you feel overextended is you haven't had time to yourself. you haven't been able to open that book. or play that game. or just take a nap. with no "me time" you'll go crazy, so mark it on your calendar.

                           

                       

• sword swallowing
• painting nails in the car
• a full calendar
• candy crush addiction

don't worry. be happy.

THE SUNDAY PAPER (or blog or book or mag)

"today is where your book begins...the rest still unwritten..."
as i've said before, sundays are made for a hot cup o' joe, blankets, and reading. and every sunday i snuggle in my blankie, drink a cup of steaming (very caffeinated) coffee, and scroll thru my favorite blogs. and i am in L~O~V~E with bleubird.  i'm not quite sure how i stumbled across this beautiful little blog, but i really had to share it...
bluebird is written by "miss james" (a nickname)...she is married to aubrey...and they have 4 children (ages 12 to not quite 1). james did have an online vintage thrift shop that she has closed, indefinitely, since moving from texas to tennessee. she is a clothing designer, blogger, mother, home schooler, and photographer. she takes all the photos on her blog (with the, obvious, exception of shots of herself *aubrey takes those*. family shots are done with a tripod and self~timer) and they are amazing. she recently designed a line of children's sunglasses for bonlook that are super cute and i wish would fit me!!
each week you get a portrait of her kids, with stunning photos she's taken of each of the 4 children...also, what i want need wear read, which features a different person, each week, showing you their favorite product in each of the 4 categories. but my FAVORITE(!!!) entries are a video series that just started, conversations with birdie!! simply a must watch!! there have only been a few of these 3~5 minute conversations with her 2 year old, so it will be easy for you to catch up. if you don't find yourself laughing there is, quite simply, something wrong with you!!
this morning pour yourself a gigantic mug of java, head on over to miss james' blog, and see what you've been missing!!
happy sunday!! happy reading!!

^a glimpse into bleubird's life^

THE SUNDAY PAPER (or blog or book or mag)

"dear sir or madam, will you read my book?...it took me years to write, will you take a look?"
FLASHBACK december 2010
the bk and i meet with a new, to us, tattoo artist (you can find out all about matt clemmer here). he works out of his basement, meaning we get to meet his lovely family. his girlfriend, katie, and her cute~as~a~button son, max. katie and matt are freelance artists and they're work is displayed all over the house. katie is, also, a blogger. 
FLASH FORWARD january and march 2011
matt does an addition to the bk's tribute to his great~grandmother, america, and a beautiful portrait of my flock. mine takes two sessions. a total of 14 hours. it's painful. i cry. i cry a lot. but the end product is well worth it. a piece of art on my right thigh. also, i get to learn quite a bit about this beautiful little family. and i discover katie's blog...a glimpse into her life with these two charming men.
FLASH FORWARD today
it's sunday. i get up early...before the sun is even fully up. i make coffee. i scroll thru facebook. i scroll thru twitter. and i read katie's pencil box. full of stunning pictures, snapped and edited by katie, and quick peeks into her day~to~day, this blog just makes me warm and fuzzy. katie doesn't tell you how to dress, how to make the perfect breakfast casserole, or how to keep the perfect house. she just shows you how an artist,  mother of two (phoebe is just 8 months old), and future wife takes the time to simply be. 
sunday mornings are for coffee, and blankets, and reading. take this time to check out katie's pencil box...you won't be disappointed. 
happy reading!!

            

 

^before and after^

^portrait of a flock^

FLASHBACK 1970 somethin

 

these are a few of my favorite things~

the brady bunch
candy cigarettes
alice in wonderland
michael jackson~ben
tee shirt, shorts, and bare feet

  

flash forward today:

these are a few of my favorite things~

the big bang theory
candy cane tootsie pops
to kill a mockingbird
dave matthews~mercy
tee shirt, skirt, and bare feet

          

look back on your own life...what were your favorite things when you were a kid? and what are your favorite things now? i bet you haven't changed as much as you think :)

FLASHBACK september 2012

"in ev'ry job that must be done there is an element of fun...you find the fun and snap! the job's a game..."
we move in to our new apartment...we, carefully, unpack boxes and put everything in its proper place. it takes about a month, but we get there.
FLASH FORWARD november 23, 2012
the day after thanksgiving. all the christmas boxes come out of storage. up goes the tree. up go the lights. christmas gifts are being purchased and placed all over the house. ugh! i can't find anything i need.
FLASH FORWARD january 6, 2012
the epiphany. time for the tree to come down. time to cut off the lights. all the christmas boxes go back in storage. wait? where is that packing tape? where are my scissors? where? where? where? ugh!! I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING!!!
FLASH FORWARD today
january is "get organized month" and i certainly know why! we have only been in our apartment 4 short months and, already, we need to reorganize. the beginning of the year is a great time to do it...out with the old and in with the new. need some help making the job less tedious? i have a suggestion...break it down to one task a day. 

GET ORGANIZED IN 15 DAYS 

day 1~medicine cabinets: check expiration dates and throw out old meds. make a list of things you may be running low on and be sure to replinish (tylenol or ibuprofen, band aids, neosporin)

day 2~coat closet: get rid of coats and jackets that don't fit, or never get worn (donate to a shelter). got hats and gloves loose? a cute basket or box for the shelf will come in handy OR that dust bag that came with your handbag you got for christmas makes a good catch all for them. 

day 3~under beds: do you use the space under your beds for storage, like i do? get under there and go thru all that stuff. get rid of anything that's unnecessary...those shoes you haven't worn in 5 years? guess what...you aren't going to ever wear them again! DONATE!!

day4~laundry room: go thru all those cleaners on the shelves. toss old bottles of detergent and fabric softener that don't even have enough for one load in them (i know you have them...don't even lie!). a heavy duty tote is a great way to keep cleaning products organized. and BONUS!!! you can carry it around the house as you clean, as opposed to trying to carry them all in your arms, or making several trips!

day 5~hand bag: take the time to go thru your bag. get rid of all those gum wrappers...take all loose change and put it in a jar to save for a special weekend or item you've been wanting. rule of thumb: you don't need a ton of change in your purse, you'll only weigh yourself down...i keep 4~quarters, 2~dimes, 3~nickels, and 4~pennies, all other change goes in the jar! also, take this time to get rid of near empty lip gloss, and lip sticks you know you'll never wear.

day 6~under sinks: get rid of near empty bottles of hair spray...gels you haven't used in so long they've become solid. that curling iron that broke 2 years ago? toss it. while you're at it, check your hair appliances...are the cords frayed or broken? time to get a new one.

day 7~fridge/freezer: check the expiration dates and toss any out~of~date items. leftovers? if you don't know how long they've been there...toss them. replace any often used items you're out of.

day 8~kitchen cabinets: spices that are over a year old may need replaced...broken pots/pans? why are you holding on to them? toss! and why are you keeping all those margarine tubs? they aren't microwave safe and they just make a mess! toss them and invest in a food storage set.

day 9~makeup case: mascaras and eyeliners really should be replaced every 6 months, but we all know that doesn't happen. at least do it at the new year!! take this time to get rid of old foundations (face it, you are NOT going to get that drop from the bottom of the jar). look at your brushes? can they be cleaned or maybe they need replaced. 

day 10~bedroom closets: now is the time: donate clothes you haven't worn in a year. but...but...i DO wear this member's only jacket?! no. no you don't. having trouble remembering if you did wear something in a year? try this: as you hang clothes back up, turn the hangers backward...as you wear and wash pieces, hang them back correctly. next year, anything on hangers that are still hung backwards get donated to charity.

day 11~linen closet: frayed towels? they go to the laundry room to become dust rags. pillows that have seen better days? toss them and get new ones for guests. sheets and blankets that have holes in them...TOSS! 

day 12~bedroom dressers: socks and chonies have holes in them? toss them...unless you're gonna darn the socks, and no one does that anymore! and holey chonies?! really? remember what your mama always said about having clean chonies in case you're in an accident...same thing with tee shirts and sweaters. AND, again, if it hasn't been worn in a year: DONATE!!

day 13~living room: magazines on the coffee table need to be up~to~date. you should NOT have last january's sports illustrated or good housekeeping sitting out. do you have remotes that you aren't even sure what they operate? or you have 45,000 remotes for all your electronics? maybe you should invest in a universal remote...

day 14~cars: go thru all the compartments in your car and get rid of trash...check registration and insurance cards and make sure you only have the CURRENT ones...also, check that you have jumper cables, a flashlight, flares, and a blanket for emergencies. or, better yet, an emergency kit.

day 15~jewelry box: broken jewelry? get it repaired. if it's beyond repair, take it to a respectable jeweler and have them purchase the gold...extra money goes in the jar. jewelry you never wear, and does not have sentimental value? donate it, or sell it.

if you have other spaces to organize (a garage, playroom, craft room) it may take you a few extra days. but, by breaking tasks down to 1 per day, it makes it far less painful!

HAPPY ORGANIZING!!

FLASHBACK september 2006

facebook is open to EVERYONE 13 and older with a valid email address. before that it was open to employees of certain businesses. before that? to high school students with valid high school emails. and before that? only to college students.
FLASHBACK july 2006
twitter launches. it doesn't gain popularity until late 2009. now people can express an opinion, or tweet about their day, in 140 characters or less.
FLASH FORWARD october 2012
166.1 million americans have a facebook account.
FLASH FORWARD december 2012
200 million people, world~wide, have active twitter accounts.
FLASH FORWARD today
facebook and twitter are the place to be for people that want to keep up with family and friends that live far away. wish happy birthday to people they haven't seen since high school. reconnect with long~lost friends/loves. and express their opinion on everything from aardvarks to zyzzyvas. and express opinions they do...often with the mistaken notion that the person they are EXPRESSING about will never know. WRONG!!! ESPECIALLY in the case of twitter...even if you THINK you are set totally private, people have ways of finding out. 
friend #1...trying hard to have a baby of her own...is less than excited for a co~worker who is the mother of a soon~to~be teen mom. she tells the woman this. later, she posts a status basically saying "sorry, but i am not excited that your daughter is a teen mom." no names. could be talking about any mother of a pregnant teenager. AND the person doesn't have facebook, so no worries, right? right? WRONG! another co~worker sees the status and tells other people at work. friend #1, then, gets called into her boss's office because her post hurt someone's feelings. ummmmmm.... 
friend #2 and i have a disagreement...who doesn't have occasional disagreements with friends?...and it should have ended right then. but friend #2 goes home, changes her twitter settings to private, and blocks anyone she thinks will tell me. she, then, tweets about the disagreement prompting quite a few of her "followers" to chime in. friend #2 thinks it's private, but, of course, i find out. how? after being told about it, i do a twitter search and find all the tweets friend #2 is mentioned in. no...i can't see what friend #2 is saying, but the tweets she is mentioned in make it PERFECTLY clear what is being said. 
so. is there a way to prevent this from happening to you? is there a way to protect your posts and tweets? sort of...

on facebook, you can set different levels of privacy. additionally, you can completely block individuals that you have no desire to be friends with. after her incident, friend #1 decided to be very careful who she was facebook friends with. she went thru her list and "unfriended" people that she doesn't have a real relationship with and then set her privacy settings on the highest level. how do you change your facebook privacy?

• log on to your account and then click on the settings tool
• under "who can see my stuff" click edit and decide between public, friends, friends except acquaintances, only me, or custom. *hint: choose friends. you don't want your stuff public but...why be friends with people if you don't want to share with them?*
• under "who can look me up" click edit and decide who can search for you via the email or phone number you provided (everyone, friends of friends, or friends). *hint: choose everyone. why be on facebook if you don't want to be found? you can, then, choose to accept a friend request or ignore it*
• you can set individual posts to be seen by a select group of people. again, i feel like this tool is unnecessary...you shouldn't be facebook friends with people you aren't comfortable sharing everything with...but if you want to, it's there. 

a google search of my name brings up my facebook page. all the person sees is my profile pic, my cover photo, a list of pages i have liked, and where i went to high school. all these are items i decided everyone can see, and i can change the setting at any time. that being said, i CANNOT control what my so~called friends decide to show my mortal enemies...so, again, it's not always TOTALLY private.

twitter is a little more difficult. as i said, friend #2 set her tweets to private but i still could find her in mentions by her followers. the only way friend #2 could prevent this is to only follow people who are also set to private. and that's nearly impossible. i am not a fan of private twitter accounts. the whole point of twitter is to connect with the world. if i had been set to private, alec baldwin would have never seen my tweet to him...meaning he would have never tweeted me back...meaning i would not have had top tweet that day. but, should you want to be private, here are the steps:

• log on to your account
• go to settings...on your computer: click the person icon at top right corner and then click settings...on your phone: go to your profile and click on tool bar icon.
• click "protect my tweets" and then click save changes

now you will have the option to approve followers and only those people will see your tweets. but i CANNOT stress enough...you will still be seen in mentions, and people aren't stupid. if you are talking about them, they will know.

another hint for facebooking or tweeting...and i have said this 45,000 times before...THINK BEFORE YOU POST. friend #1 had every right to post what she did, and was only repeating what she had already said to the woman, personally. she had NO intention of hurting anyone's feelings. changes she made to her account were made because of the way her post got blown out of proportion. but friend #2? well she, also, had every right to post what she did...however...she is upset that i found out what she was posting. if friend #2 wasn't comfortable with the fact that something she posted might become public knowledge she should NOT have posted it. 

happy posting!!

FLASHBACK 1967

"wanna see my smilin' face on the cover of the rollin' stone"
the very first issue of rolling stone magazine is released today. john lennon is on the cover. it's founded by jann wenner (who is still chief editor) and music critic, ralph gleason. it's devoted to music and pop culture.
FLASH FORWARD 1970's
rolling stone becomes known for it's liberal political coverage because of articles by gonzo journalist, hunter s. thompson (who published his most famous work, "fear and loathing in las vegas", in the pages of the magazine). rolling stone launches the careers of many amazing authors, including cameron crowe, joe eszterhas, patti smith, and pj o'rourke. rolling stone will publish many of its most famous works during this decade.
FLASH FORWARD 1980's and 90's
to appeal to a younger audience, rolling stone changed it's format to include youth~oriented television shows and movie actors, becoming less political and more of an entertainment magazine. it's now being criticized for choosing style over substance. 
FLASH FORWARD today
with the addition of two young journalists, michael hastings and matt taibbi, rolling stone is becoming relevant again. taibbi has emerged as a finacial expert, covering the country's financial meltdown and fraud committed by big banks. hastings has covered all things related to the dissention in the middle east. the magazine has undergone many changes to it's look, looking like a tabloid newspaper in it's beginnings to becoming a standard style magazine in 2008. today, it is also available on the web. the website includes the complete archives of rolling stone. 
you know you wanna see your picture on the cover :)

             

 

             

 

FLASHBACK 1963

"you say it's your birthday...it's my birthday too, yeah...they say it's your birthday...we're gonna have a good time...i'm glad it's your birthday...happy birthday to you..."
okay...i wasn't around in 1963 so, technically, i can't flashback with an ACTUAL memory. but...i can tell you that something fantasical happened on october 30th of this year. the bk was born!!
FLASH FORWARD today
being born between october 23 and november 21...the bk and i are both scorpios. and the bk is, most definitely, scorpio! what does that mean, you ask? we scorpios feel like we are in control of our own destiny...basically, we live life on our terms. we are fearless and stubborn. and, just when it looks like we will self~destruct, we bounce right back. scorpios are ruled by mars (the god of war) and pluto (the god of the underworld) which makes us motivated, penetrating, and extremely intuitive. we make it our mission to know who is who and what is what. you can try to argue with a scorpio...you probably won't win. why? because we never give up and we are extremely resourceful. if we lose today, we'll punch you in the throat tomorrow. okay. okay. maybe not LITERALLY. but we will. i mean it. scorpios keep their emotions to themselves...basically, secrets to be used when needed. i will admit to not hiding my emotions as much as the bk. but, what people are seeing is nothing compared to what we're feeling...and how many mental ovary punches we are throwing. 
so, what about compatibility? when we first started dating, we actually looked it up. in a nutshell, we found that we would be either a perfect match or a disaster in the making. hmmmm...can you guess which category we fell under? we balance each other out. bk is very quiet. i am very outspoken. i inspire him to speak up, and he tells me when to shut up. he holds me back from throwing my punches, reminding me that karma will take care of it. and i...i taught him that karma exists.  did i say we balance each other out? never~mind. he keeps me in line. 
even if you don't really follow astrology, you ought to check out your sign. you will be amazed at the personality traits you share with people of your same sign. and check out your compatibility. it could help you understand your relationships. and, at the very least, you'll have fun learning.