So my holiday weekend was, as I mentioned, full of mundane, tedious, and frustrating tasks but it was a productive one...

I helped a friend move his stuff to the area...

I helped someone else drive all over kingdom come looking for a place to move into next weekend. (Which was oh so fun with a codependent dog with severe separation anxiety)...But he found a nice place so it was all worth it in the end...

I got a new aquarium set up with a big, fat, Blue Convict (a type of South American Chiclid) swimming around inside. There were supposed to be two new tanks but the second did not arrive on schedule. It will be set up in the coming weeks with several different types of shark swimming around for my amusement...I'll post some pics of them once they are up and running...

Bought yet another book I will only partially read for my summer school course...

Finished writing my paper for class tonight...

And, the best part of the weekend...the following statements/conversations:

I'm pretty sure that biker bitches have good pussy too...

Driving down the street, just before dusk, in a light drizzle of rain that refuses to go away...
A: (excited) You could have rented that house! (pointing to a large, new looking home, in the middle of a hard to find grassy area)
B: (with overwhelming sarcasm) Yeah...and I could run naked into traffic with butter on my ass...

Ah...the joys of random conversation...

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Unfortunately I was not able to perform any ritual or enjoy a celebration this weekend...my time was spent completing much more mundane, tedious, and utterly frustrating tasks. However, I do not want today to go by unnoticed. I saw the rolling thunder and many service related flags and I longed to recognize those who deserve it so much. Instead, I will do my best to honor one man...

Dear Grandpa,

I visited our history last week. The plaques are a little more worn than they used to be but they are still there, overlooking the Ohio River. I was lost and asked for directions - no one hesitated in responding, they knew just who I meant when I asked to see the reminders of our past. It made me proud. Your brother has made a great name for himself as an honest farmer and his son is carrying on in the same tradition. But I'm sure you already know.

Today is a day I stop to thank you for your service to our country. Your service in the Korean War will always be remembered; your service in so many war torn areas ever apparent in their history. The Army knew you as a Lt. Colonel, but your family knew you as a great man. You are now a legend to my generation - something we chase but never entirely grasp. I wish I could hear your stories of life in Germany or Japan after WWII. I wish I could do more to show you how much you mean to our family and so many others. I wish more that I could have met you. You were taken from us all so early, with so much more life to life and so much more soldiering to do.

Thank you for all that you provided to the world, our country, and to my father in the time that we were graced with your life. Maybe you be at peace where ever you are in this world.

Happy Memorial Day!

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I realize I don't have the greatest northern assets ever naturally gifted to a woman but today it felt like I do. On at least three occasions I got the "nice rack" look from men today.

It made me smile inside...

Woohoo for boobs!

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I don't fly as much as I used to but I've had it up to here with the crap the giant airlines try to pull with their customers. If the prices were lower, I would be more understanding. But when I pay $500 for a flight, I don't expect to be treated like crap. Due to my frustration I've decided to use new airlines as much as I possibly can. For my upcoming trip to San Diego I booked the flight with Independence Air. I've heard good things about them but I was nervous. I haven't even flown on this airline yet and I am loving them more and more.

1. Their site is hella easy to use
2. Their fares are lower
3. They have direct flights were I want to go
4. They assign me a seat (as opposed to Southwest)
5. Their ticket change fee is lower than any other airline
6. It is their policy to give you credit for a fare you cancel (like Southwest)
7. There are no blackout periods for award travel
8. They provide you with estimated wait times at all airports they serve.
And the reason I'm writing this entry...
9. They changed my flight time by 30 mins on the outgoing flight and 10 mins on the returning flight and they e-mailed me to tell me! AND they gave me the option to cancel my ticket because of the change.

These guys are awesome! Go book your next flight with them at www.flyi.com!

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Lil Bro has not finally and officially graduated from Washington University with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in economics (So proud...he's following in my footsteps on that one).

There were two ceremonies, one Thurs afternoon, the other Fri morning, that were everything graduation should be expected to be...long, drawn out, only semi-organized, but a proud moment for all. On Thurs one of the valedictorians made a very subtle reference/joke about this video which I of course understood and promptly laughed at as my family looked at me in a state of complete and utter confusion. I then discovered I am an 'engi-nerd' for catching the reference. Friday graced us with a speech from Richard Gephardt that rambled on before wrapping up in a 20 min diatribe that made undeniably clear he is cut from the political cloth. I really don't remember much of what he said in specific but I shook my head a lot at the time...so apparently I disagreed with him... It was cold...I was in a short, sleeveless dress...and there was a 'draft' ... my mind was not on his speech... ;o)

Friday night brought the graduation reception for which I did the decorations. People were impressed and loved the custom printed M&M's to commemorate the occasion. My only disappointment about the night was my lack of total inebriation at the end of the night. But, good times were still had by all... tossing mixed nuts across the room to see if they would land in one girl's cleavage... watching my mom play 3 man with the 22 year old... watching my aunt speedily stumble her way from the game of 3 man to various anchor points across the room as she came to join slur in our conversation with stories of my childhood... Lil Bro with confetti in his hair... His friends drunkenly crashing the Boeing party next door (and coming back disappointed over the lack of available women)...

Good times were had in the casino but eventually everyone had lost enough money for the night. We ended up in my cousin's room with a sink full of beer, practicing our 21 skills with cheezits/cheetos/animal crackers until the boys were so worn out they fell asleep one by one at the table. Then it was just me and his wife talking until 5am.

Saturday brought the family together for 'brunch' and then a Budweiser tour for a few of us. We didn't get to see the bottling portion of the plant since there had been a spill a few days before and things hadn't been reopened to the public but there was free, fresh beer at the end so I was willing to forgive them...this time...

Sunday was time to say goodbye...and had in store a rather long drive back to Virginia... it was rather anti-climactic since people were more stressed about packing up Lil BroÂ’s apartment and getting him moved out but such is to be understood. I only had my feelings hurt for a few minutes until I remembered that I paid very little attention to anyone following my graduation eitherÂ…(then again, I was somewhat hungoverÂ…)

Overall, it was a good trip to see the family and I was very happy to see the aunts & uncles & cousins again. They are definitely the best part of being a member of this family...

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I missed the opportunity to blog about this very important day while I was away so I'll do my best to honor our troops in a belated post.

Today we have troops, not just in Iraq, not just in Kuwait, not just in Afganistan, but in many places across the globe. Some may feel forgotten or resent those that march in protest of war. Some may be safer than others and some may be coming home sooner. Some have never had the much desired opportunity to defend our country themselves and wish to join their fellow military overseas but, they cannot. Some long for things we take for granted in our lives.

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I've made it back to the East coast... I'm not quite home yet but more important than that...I've made it back to a stable blogging environment...

Thank you goes to Blog-daddy for keeping the loyal subjects entertained in my absence. Great job on the car...it's everything I've been looking for!

Things in St. Louis with the fam went as could be expected but I'll tell you all about that later. Right now I have to go figure out what's wrong with this picture...

I came home to find the blog is in one piece, everything still in its place, and its quiet...too quiet... This is not what I expected to find... No plastic cups strewn about? No strategically placed flowers to cover the scratch on the dining room table? Not even the slightest sign of a drunken smoke filled poker tournament...
I'll have to go figure out what is lurking behind this blanket of peace Eric has so masterfully spread through the place...

...starting with the liquor cabinet...

Posted by: Princess Cat at 02:38 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 ... nope.. everything's clean.. I was a good boy, I promise..

Posted by: Eric at May 23, 2005 02:57 PM (YlwMq)

2 BOO! What, you didn't expect me to be hiding behind the bathroom door?

Posted by: Ogre at May 23, 2005 03:25 PM (/k+l4)

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A few weeks ago I wrote several cards as part of the Any Soldier program and this morning I got an e-mail from a Marine stationed in Iraq. I write specifically to Marines since they are the branch I am most familiar with. Lil Bro K loves to give me crap about that since he's in the Army...always telling me what makes them better and all that good stuff...

Anyhow...it's a moment of excitement for me...(1) the cards are actually getting there, (2) I made a difference in someone's day.

When I wrote the cards I didn't really know what to say but I guess I said something right...

Thank you can go a long way...so go spend the $0.99 on a card and $0.37 on a stamp to tell someone they are missed back home and appreciated so far away...

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I don't have too many of these bad boys but I have a couple with some pretty interesting stories. Today we shall visit the story of how I was stabbed...

In high school I was part of a cadaver class - one of seven programs in the country at the time. How I got there is a story for a different day. Anyhow, my dissection group consists of 3 pairs... 1 pair to dissect the head and neck, 1 pair to dissect the trunk, and 1 pair to dissect from the hip downward...I was part of the pair at the south end. Our first task was to remove all of the skin from the body in order to expose the underlying muscle.

Dissection kit full of sharp and pokey things, surgical gloves, and lots of embalming fluid...a dangerous combination...

I had my hands in the inner thigh region trying to remove a panel of skin... My partner was trying to do something similar on her side... Her hand slipped and her scalpel plunged through the skin panel and into my finger. She didn't realize what she'd done and neither did I really. I could feel a deep ache in my finger and a stinging sensation up my arm. I took my hand out of the body and looked at the glove... I saw a cut in the glove but my finger hadn't really started bleeding yet. I went to the sink to check things out and my partner went to get the instructor from the other room. A multitude of chemicals were poured in the wound to prevent some kind of bizarre disease from taking hold of my body and that was it...

The school nurse was no where to be found and we had stopped the bleeding. I went home after school and went about my day with cotton and a band-aid on my finger. When my mom came home and saw it...I was in TROUBLE... I was lectured for the use of bleach to kill any threatening organism we didn't know about and the lack of medical attention. I never got stitches and looking back I most definitely should have... the scare proves that...

I'm damn lucky that nothing more vital was damaged...like a nerve...or a tendon... But I've got a wicked story!

Posted by: Princess Cat at 02:04 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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In the course of one day I have managed to accomplish the following projects:

Finish my final assignment of the semester and transport it to its new home with the professor on campus. (I noticed while I was there that the same assignment my friend had turned in early - last Thursday - was still sitting in the inbox to be picked up by the prof...)

Go shopping for something mom's forgotten she asked for and will earn lots of points for remembering. (I got myself a new Japanese book while I was there too...can't go shopping and not get something for yourself)

Solve 4 crises - only 1 of which was mine (which happened to be one I had help from Pops on)...

Put in the works solutions to at least 2 other problems...

Turn a friend on to a new artist...

Damn, it's been a full day! No wonder I'm tired. So please excuse me while I go give myself a pedicure ... I think I've earned one ... and I simply must have dazzling toes as I prance around St. Louis in my strappy heels this weekend....

If you're lucky, I'll even take pics of the little red devils ...

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Today I was given a wonderful gift...I was able to meet, in person, my blog father - the Straight White Guy and his lovely wife. We spent a relaxing day perusing memorials and strolling on the Mall. We were also able to see the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit at the National Gallery of Art before enjoying some delicious seafood and drinks at Legal Seafoods.

For those of you who have not met the SWG but think you know him, think again. He is far more kind and generous than you will ever know from just reading his blog...a true pleasure to meet, to say the least. I'm not sure who the meeting meant more to but I was thrilled to death to play tour guide.

It is no secret that things have been weighing heavily on my shoulders in the past few months but today was just what I needed to unwind a little bit. The weight of the world feels just a little bit lighter and it feels ok to have hope for the world after spending the day with these two wonderful people. They are two whom embody everything that is good in the world...and don't let them tell you any different!

Posted by: Princess Cat at 06:41 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A friend of mine celebrated a birthday a little while back and had a great story to match so I thought I would share it with you... but we'll skip to the good part of the night...

DISCLAIMER: Gross out potential. Oh, and the names have been changed to protect the innocent

Miss Hottie has been drinkin it up and dancing at her favorite local watering hole with her crew...all of them having a kick ass night. Miss Hottie loves to drink so tonight was no different.

Fast forward

Miss Hottie was dancing with her friend Mr. Nice Guy.
"You're spinning me too much," she says.
"I'm not spinning you at all," he replies.
"Oh... I'll be right back," as she takes off for the bathroom.
She books it to the bathroom, busts open a stall door, and before she can kneel or even lift the seat she loses it ... with perfect aim. She turns to the sink, rinses her mouth out, and returns to her crew. Mr. Nice Guy took her for a couple more spins before closing time.

Mr. Nice Guy was her designated driver as well. So guess what happens on the way home. She pulls a "Dan."
Leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, she says (in her best drunk slur), "whoa...you took that curve waaay too fast."
Both amused and confused Mr. Nice Guy says, "no I didn't."
A few minutes go by...they are almost to their exit.
"Yeah, you're gonna want to pull over," she warns.
"Now?"
"NOW!"
So Mr. Nice Guy pulls over to the side of the freeway and Miss Hottie opens the truck door, leans out (still buckled in), and loses it on the side of the road...with perfect aim.

Mr. Nice Guy gets her up to her apartment where her roommate has her pajamas all ready laid out on her bed for her. But first stop? The bathroom...where she loses it yet again.

Mr. Nice Guy leaves, everyone goes to sleep. She wakes up in the middle of the night and heads to the bathroom. Yep, she's chucking in there. Crawl back to bed and try to get some sleep.

She wakes up in the morning and can't even think of food. When she does, she heads to the bathroom and loses it another time. (Are you keeping count here?)

Unfortunately for her, she had a Doctor's appointment that morning. And she had to take a shuttle bus to get to it. Sux for her. So she arrived at the office, checked in with the receptionist, and promptly found their bathroom so she could chuck one final time.

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I sent flowers to her office and a card to her house but in case you're like my brother and forgot to send something... there's still time! You can send the same Mother's Day greeting he did, Mr. T style.

Go watch it HERE on ifilm.com

Posted by: Princess Cat at 06:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Don't ask me why, but I love this dance. I miss it. A lot. The only problem is I only about half know it. I seem to have a terrible ability to forget dance steps. I'd kill for someone who could teach me more of them. And I long for the days when practicing was as easy as going a couple exits down the freeway.

*sigh*

Where have you gone cowboy?

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Today has been a fun, fun day.

My director has been giving me troubles over a class I want to take and itÂ’s been severely chapping my hide. Well I've been talking to the instructor and he made statements about the course contrary to what the director did. So what happened? I made the instructor aware of the restrictions the director was putting on the course and he replied with "Let me speak with him and I'll get back to you." Hahaha...it's always a good day when I can rock the boat with the administration.

What else made my day so fabulous, you ask? I'm getting fingerprinted! In a good way. I've been selected as an alternate candidate for an internship in the fall and they are going to work on a clearance for me in case I end up getting it. Woohoo!

Good times, dear readersÂ…good timesÂ…

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