Karyn

The one and only....

2006-11-16T09:31:00.001-06:00

The Blog Shuffle

2006-11-11T20:34:00.000-06:00

UPDATE: This may not be the new blog. I'll let you know soon. In the meantime. Go outside and enjoy the scenery.

Um, yeah. I had to move blogs again. Server issues with the Keep It Simple blog. Sorry about the move. I know you're all so concerned. The new blog...for now, of course.....

The Last Blog

You didn't know you wanted it? Now you got it.

2006-10-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have (pretty much) set up my new blog site. I am moving from Blogger over to a blog setup based on Wordpress. I know that doesn't mean much to you all, but I'm telling you anyhow. For now I am just going to post a link here where you can link to it. I will be making all my new posts from now on at that new site. Once I move all the content from here to there, I will set up this web address to automatically take you there, in case you forget. For now.....

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY NEW PAGE!

Just hold your horses

2006-10-12T18:56:00.000-05:00

I know, a REAL post is what you want. Well for you information, I am working on a new blog site, so it is taking some time, plus, I've actually had to work since I came back from vacation! Shock! So I'll be posting soon about the new blog stuff and all about the vacation. I know it's soo suspenseful!

2006-10-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

Jamaican Sunset

2006-10-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

Quote of the day.

2006-09-27T09:49:00.000-05:00

I've probably posted this before, but I don't care. It's a good one.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” ~C.S. Lewis

Ok, yes, this is different.

2006-09-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

For some reason unknownst to me, but knownst to them, the file storage folks have been messing around lately and my template refuses to work continuously. Kind of like the power in our neighborhood. [Over the past week, the power has gone out for about 1 hour on three seperate days]. Anyhow, to spare you having to look at that boring white default look, I temporarily switched back/over to the 'fancy' new configurable templates that blogger provides. I think they are fine, and they offer some good options. I have taken full advantage on my reading list blog, which you won't be able to link to until I add those links to this template. Or just go HERE. So for the time being, here is the blog. woo. hoo.

Ok. I added the links now.

Back to Normal

2006-09-24T18:58:00.000-05:00

Hola. Sorry for the weird page for a few days. Apparently one of the sites I use to host certain image and CSS files was switching servers this week so several of my template files were unavailable. All is apparently well and better now. (It had nothing to do with that URL, anonymous, but thanks for trying).

It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks. Lots going on. I'm happy to say that the Buckeyes are still undefeated, which is nice. They still know how to keep you guessing though. It finally got nice again around here today. It was not fun having 99 degree weather on Friday, but today I don't even know if it got above 80 degrees, and the breeze was nice and cool. So much better. Almost fall like (for Texas). Well, I've been busy, but I can't think of anything else to type right now. So have a happy Sunday!

Um, yeah, issues.

2006-09-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

So, for some of you, maybe all of you...at least for me, this blog is having issues. For some reason my template is a bit...well.....missing. So, the content is still all there, just keep scrolling. I'll try to get it fixed this weekend. =)

Whatcha reading?

2006-09-16T22:49:00.001-05:00

Just curious. What are you reading right now? I am reading THIS & THIS right now and listening to THIS too. I read a lot of books at once. Can't you tell? So, what are YOU reading?

Friday's Feast #1

2006-09-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

Appetizer
What was the very last song you listened to?

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Soup
What is one company/store/corporation you would recommend that people stay away from?

Motel 6! Do you know the reason they leave the light on? I always used to think it was a cute little slogan about waiting up for you no matter how late you arrived. Not so much. It actually refers to the pratice of leaving the light on so that the cockroaches stay hidden. At least until YOU turn the light out. ew.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy having your picture made?

Made? I'm not so sure about the word choice. I would've said taken, but anyway....about a 5. Since I am usually the sole picture taker at many of the events/occasions we attend, there usually aren't many (if any) pictures that prove I was even there. So, pictures that establish that I was indeed a participant in the event...are usually nice.

Main Course
Besides a bookmark, what is something you've used to keep your place in a book?

Oh goodness, I used to have a huge collection of bookmarks (thank you elementary book fairs) but I haven't used a real bookmark in ages. Honestly, I use the closest piece of paper I can find. Be it a notecard, envelope, receipt, napkin, pretty much anything. The most common would have to be plane ticket though. I'm always reading when I fly and this keeps my place and my ticket. =)

Dessert
Name a food that you like that most people don't.

hehe. liver. =) I could name more....but that one should do the trick.

Our weekend.

2006-09-13T21:28:00.001-05:00

Our weekend. Since it's already Friday(ignore the post date), I guess I should tell you all how it went. I've been going full steam since we got back, so this is the first chance I have to sit down and type. Anyhow, we had a great time. John's sister Deb flew in a day or so before the game. We drove down to Austin on Friday and met some friends. Once we conquered our first cab adventure, we made it downtown to a place called Stubbs. Great bar-b-que and this was one of the places that 'sold it's soul' to the Buckeye invaders, so it was full of OSU folks. We hung out there until our friends showed up and then went and explored 6th street. It was a lot of fun. Buckeyes and Longhorns mingling all over the place, and a few of the bars were really playing to the Buckeye crowd.

Saturday we had a little breakfast at one of the many local Denny's. Good stuff after a late night. Plus, the meal totally paid off, as we didn't really get to eat anything substantial again until AFTER THE GAME, (read- 11pm). So yeah, that was some good food. Anyhow, we met our friends down by the stadium and hung out with a few tailgaters and made some new friends while we were there. Some good friendly ribbing ensued all day, with both sides confident that they would be the victors. Everyone was really nice and we kept hearing from people that they were surprised that Buckeyes could be this nice. (Apparently traveling Buckeyes are a tad better behaved than some of our 'home' fans - not pointing fingers) We were just proud that even with SOOOO MANY Buckeyes in town, people were friendly on both sides and kept it fun. It was really neat though to see Buckeyes everywhere we went. And not just a few.

So, over the course of the weekend, almost all of us had found tickets to the game. All under very different circumstances. Amazing in some cases. With about 2 hours left before the game, we were able to get tickets. (yeah!) We had to wait for a certain individual to show up with Bart and Deb's tickets, and while we were waiting...guess who showed up??

Yes, that would be Archie. He was kind enough to pose for a photo. Good times. So after quite a bit of effort, we found our way into the stadium and our seats. Here is the view from our spot! (Just click on the pic to make it bigger- this pic was taken right before we scored)

So, we had a great time at the game. We sat with some really nice and fun Texas fans and a few Buckeyes sprinkled throughout the crowd. We cheered as loud as we could for the Buckeyes, although it's weird being like 10 people going "let's go Bucks" when NO ONE else is, anywhere near you. hehe. I have to say the Texas fans seemed to be in shock when it was clear they weren't going to win. I for one, did not stop holding my breath and freaking out until there was 1 minute left in the game. I mean, stranger things have happened. It felt really good to be there for the win and to watch our defense actually get better during the game! It was also really neat to see all of the Texas fans and watch their traditions. This was my first away game ever, (minus that bowl game in highschool- but bowl games don't count) and you are completely immersed in another school's atmosphere and traditions. You get a little more respect for another team like this when you can see that their school and traditions mean as much to them as ours do to us. I think they found out quickly about ours though. They are probably sooooo sick of hearing O-H, I-O! Another thing that was a lot of fun, was explaining what buckeyes were to people. Most of them had no clue, and I even got to explain Brutus to some of the kids sitting behind us. Overall, it was a great time and well worth the trip. Plus, we won! It was funny because after the game, there were several Longhorn fans who told us that we better go all the way this year since we beat them. Sounds like a good goal to have. So, that was the gist of our weekend in Austin. Good times. Go Bucks!

One to tide you over.

2006-09-11T16:11:00.000-05:00

Go Bucks

2006-09-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

Details coming, but in the meantime, here is the photo gallery from this weekend's game from the Austin American Statesman (austin paper). You'll probably have to register to see the pics, but it's free. Enjoy. They're good!

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/sports/photos/091006_texfoot/index.html

A little help from my friends....and family....

2006-09-06T07:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, so there is a small chance, well not that small, that we may hang out with the ESPN College Gameday people at the game this weekend. I'm just looking for fun, different, non-vulgar things to put on a sign. Any ideas? (Unfortunately, since Trev is gone, it doesn't really make sense to tease him anymore. Oh well.).

Playing in the Dirt

2006-09-06T00:38:00.000-05:00

We had a great Labor Day weekend. Did some much needed landscaping in front. Here are a few pics from our project. The first is our lovely tilled soil, almost ready for some 'fancy' soil. Then there is John, taking out some aggression on one of the many super annoying roots in our planting area. I also took out some aggression with the potato rake, but J found a more efficient tool for the job. Then a look at our handywork. We have since put in a few more plants to complete the look. We were super blessed with a FULL day of steady rain the day after we planted. Awesome! So our plants, for the time being, are very happy. Come on plants! Come on plants! Plus, our grass is growing!!

Behind the Scalpel

2006-08-31T13:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, I realize that to some of you I am way behind. To others, you will have no idea what I am talking about. I just started Netflix (not what I'm talking about) and my first choice was the 1st season of Grey's Anatomy. I've caught a few shows here and there on reruns or random channel changing and I've liked what I've seen. But I finally realized that I would like to catch up before the next season starts. And I have to say that watching the first season does answer a few questions. I really do like this show and I cannot stop listening to the Snow Patrol song "Chasing Cars" and watching the video they made that has Grey's Anatomy footage in it (some of which i have not seen the episodes for and I am very curious). So good. It's like if you took ER and Scrubs and combined them and made it 30 times better. Good stuff. Now I have to wait for 2 weeks until Season 2 is even out on DvD!!! Ah!

Quotable

2006-08-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."

-John Wesley

Good stuff.

Look What My Sister Found!

2006-08-30T10:07:00.001-05:00

More good videos:

Dad will like this one...

My favorite song on the electric...

Buckeye opinion needed...

2006-08-29T13:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, so as I was listening to the OSU fight song, decking out my 'space' account for the upcoming football season, I got an idea...... Now, if you are not a buckeye fan, or at least a loyal fan of some sort of college sports team with a set list of school songs that you know by heart...this isn't going to make sense, and I am going to sound like a big weirdo. (I know I really am a weirdo, but just bare with me). Anyhow, we will be going to Austin for the UT/OSU game soon with some folks and we probably won't be getting tickets. So, I was listening to my music, particularly the fight song and I was getting all nostalgic. You see, for those of you who don't know, I was in the pep band at OSU. I didn't have time to do TBDBITL which would have been awesome, but I wanted a life in college so I didn't. But I learned all the songs and played at all the basketball games and some hockey games (which are sooo much fun) and some v-ball games too. (Trumpet, by the way). So, I was thinking, would it be entirely stupid to take my trumpet to Austin. hehehe. I know J would killlllll me, but when most of the fans are "sauced", they're all going to just start doing O-H, I-O anyway. I don't know if I'll really do it, or even really play if I take it with me. I just want some thoughts on the matter. Anyone?

Rock, Paper, Scissors anyone?

2006-08-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/08/22tickets.html

For the bookworms

2006-08-24T09:34:00.000-05:00

In case you don't check it frequently, for which I don't blame you, there are several recent posts on My Reading List page. Good stuff. Check it out if you feel like it. Or....do something else. =)

Give Mel A Hand

2006-08-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

Mel's team needs just a little more help for their Relay for Life goal this year! Just $200 more dollars by August 29th! Click here to go to Mel's page and donate a little to help them reach their goal. It's worth it! Let's help out!

no more jumping columns

2006-08-19T16:14:00.000-05:00

i hope. ok. apparently my cool little live weather feature was causing the sidebar to jump when viewed in Internet explorer. boo. so i had to take it out. let me know if it keeps doing it.
oh, and by the way, I got my ac adapter in the mail today! yay!

oh where oh where has my internet gone...

2006-08-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

ok everyone. karyn is without her own computer. i am mooching internet from my friends. basically yesterday my ac-adapter for my laptop died and i am waiting on some nice man who has an ebay store to send me a new one. so email responses and posts are going to be sparse and inconsistent until it gets here. that's all.

also, i think i may know how to fix the sidebar problem withouth switching layouts, but again, that won't happen until i get my computer back. hope you all have a nice weekend.

Sidebar trouble

2006-08-16T15:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, so THAT's what they were talking about. I use FireFox as a browser 97% of the time and it works fine. I just opened it up in IE, and voila - the sidebars jumps down to the bottom. I'll work on that. Unless you all want to switch to Firefox (which I highly recommend).

yummy dip

2006-08-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

in case you get the muchies like me, i just "made up" a new dip and it's very tasty. (obviously this is not a new recipe, i just didn't use one to make it)

get a little 8oz thing of sour cream
add quite a bit of dill weed
dash of....onion powder, garlic salt, celery salt
to taste.

tastes good to me, especially with the new 'cracked pepper and olive oil' triscuits

Up To The Minute...

2006-08-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

Hey. Check it out. I added the weather in the sidebar. hehe.

What's the word bird.

2006-08-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

So, as you can see, I did a little procrastinating this weekend and changed the template on my blog. Which, thanks to a little bit of increased web knowledge and a few new programs, I was able to do much more quickly than last time. It's nothing permanent, just different and it loads faster than the last one. And I'm proud to say that I got it working without using anyone elses bandwidth (which will mean nothing to most of you). Just getting back into the swing of things today. Working on a fun report, movin' some numbers, formattin' some data. Good times. We had a nice weekend. Got a little work done, saw Clerks 2 (second time for me, 1st for J). Plus I got to pick up the two books I won from the raffle at the store. Bonus: they were autographed and personalized. Unfortunately I didn't make it to the store in time to meet the author, but at least she spelled my name right. =) A few birthdays going on this week. My awesome nephew Izaak just turned the big FIVE! Yeah! Happy birthday Izaak! And of course, who could forget JaNae. Turning my age this week =) Happy Birthday Betty Lou!

ArmedAndDangerous

2006-08-11T10:12:00.000-05:00

That is the title that my new friend Jeroen from Lieden (who I met at Cheryl and Tim's wedding, along with the rest of the gang) gave to this picture one of them took of me at the bar we all ended up at the night of the Bachelor/Bachelorette party. Apparently, they weren't prepared for the shutterbug that is me. Well, most people aren't. hehe.

A break in the silliness

2006-08-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

Enough with the Hoff videos already. Time for a 'real' post. Let's see. This week is going all right I guess. We are having some trouble coming up with football tickets for that game that we want to go to. We had found some online that we still very expensive, but within our range, but didn't purchase them in time. I'm going to do some more looking today while J is at work. Hopefully I'll find a good or at least tolerable deal. And of course, if any of you hear of tickets.....PLEASE let me know asap. Other than that, I've been keeping busy with work, lots of data entry this week. Big volunteer project eval meeting today- have to get my report ready to share. Fun times. Still waiting on a check or two which would really help with the ticket thing. And that "Froggie Capital Hotel" song just came on - ugh. Time to turn on the mp3 player. Well, I must get back to fun old work. BTW, I've been doing well on my workouts, keeping on keeping on. Now I just have to stop eating everything in site. =) later.

And there's still more!

2006-08-07T13:24:00.000-05:00

It's like an accident. I don't want to watch, but I just can't look away!

The "Hoff" Special

2006-08-07T13:08:00.000-05:00

Um, there's not a lot I can say about this video....I just don't recommend drinking any liquid while you watch. It might be a choke hazard. Um...yeah. I'm pretty sure he's kidding. I hope.

Oh, and the LIVE version, from America's got "talent" is here. It's even harder to watch.

A moments rest

2006-08-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

Whew. Finally, I have a little time to just sit down and take a break. The past several days have been pretty hectic. Saturday was of course the big back to school event, followed by the Journey/Def Leppard concert with John and Dan. Fun times, but tiring. I got a ton of great pictures on Saturday, some of which I will share. Sunday, I took John to the airport for his trip to Colorado for a conference. Then yesterday, Rita and I drove to Austin for our own conference (Rita had to present) and then we drove back. Yes, all in one day. I FINALLY got to sleep in this morning and put a tiny dent into my sleep debt. But now I must get on with the business of work and trying to clean this house before John gets back. Wish me luck. Tell me if you recognize the person in this photo with me - 2 points for the nickname, 5 points for his real name.

=)

The Roundup is Tomorrow

2006-07-28T17:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, folks, it's here. The back to school roundup is tomorrow and I actually get to BE there this year. Just to give you a treat. Here is a slide show of the guys from whataburger inflating the...you guessed it, giant burger. Tomorrow is going to be interesting.

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Our "Tribute" to Cheryl

2006-07-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

I'm swimming in pictures from this past weekend of my friend Cheryl's wedding and more kid photos, plus all the photos I took at Adam's and Em's weddings...and more kid photos.....and friend photos...so I'm just posting random ones to keep you occupied. Here are myself, Melanie, Karla and Gauri doing our tribute at Cheryl and Tim's reception. A Dutch tradition that I have to say is quite fun. Basically you give messages, or tell stories about the couple. Funny and serious. Apparently in The Netherlands they are pretty ruthless. The American version was a little bit more tame. Picture a 'roast' with the sensors paying attention the whole time. hehe. anyhow that's what this pic is of.

You want pics? Here are your pics!

2006-07-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

Although, I am still not finished uploading all of the previous ohio trip pics yet. These are links to scuba photos.

These two are both the same set of photos, but one of them lets you download the file and the other lets you order prints.

http://www.grovestreet.com/jsp/picview.jsp?album=84180

http://kkelbaugh.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02

This link goes to photos taken with our friend Allan's camera....out of the water.

http://www.grovestreet.com/jsp/picview.jsp?album=84161

Enjoy!

Just time for one

2006-07-18T00:55:00.000-05:00

Very tired. Wish I had time to post them all tonight but here is one for you to enjoy. That would be me. Notice all of the bubbles trying to escape from my cap. yes, airhead, i know, i know. At least i'm a certified airhead. later.

We're Certified!

2006-07-17T08:47:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from our friend Allan's camera from our open water diving classes this weekend. I still have to take my waterproof disposable camera in to be developed, but Allan had his digital and got some good photos of our out of water time. Take a look!

http://www.grovestreet.com/jsp/picview.jsp?album=84161

It's just a little underwater breathing...

2006-07-15T00:20:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we'll be doing the first 3 of our 4 open water dives! Wish us luck...and pray =)

Conniving printers!

2006-07-11T20:26:00.000-05:00

I now join the probably millions of people who have dealt with the ills of epson ink. And yes, I registered for my share of the class action lawsuit. Anyone else have an epson? Now, I have to say I have no problems with the actual printer. It prints quite nicely and does a decent job on photos, although I only printed one because that is just being careless with ink when I could buy a hundred photos for $10-$12 on snapfish. Anyhow, we have all at one time or another been told by our computer, or the lack of text on our final reports, that we are out of ink. So what do you do? You take the cartridge out, give it a good shake, put it back and get another 100 pages out of it. Not with this printer. No, they got clever. They have a microchip on the bottom of the cartridges, (which buy the way they sell individually - cause it's more convenient, ya know) that is soooo intelligent that it tells you when your cartridge is REALLLY out of ink. Not to sound like an 8th grader, but "NOOOOOOOOT!!" First of all, you need to know that every time this printer prints ANYTHING, even just a black and white document, it uses a little bit of ink from every cartridge. This is not in and of itself entirely bad, because it keeps the printer heads from drying out. The problem is that it will NOT print at all if even one of the cartridges is out of ink. So yesterday when my computer told me I was out of 'light magenta', I could not print a b&w document.

Oh wait, it gets better.

So I told you it has this clever microchip right? So I pull out the light magenta, give it a shake, and sure enough there is quite a bit of ink left inside that I can hear. So I shake it up, put it back....out of ink. Nothing fools the chip. So I'm thinking...ok...fine....I'll buy a light magenta. Well, I did some online searching about the issue before I gave in to the ink swindles, and came upon quite a lot of chatter. That is when I found out about the lawsuit. Which is nice, but doesn't really solve the problem. The problem is that the software that manages the printer and the ink is set to automatically reduce the amount of ink that is reported to be in the cartridge every time you print anything, and not just by a little. It doesn't actually record how much ink is in the cartridge. Better yet, when the printer says it is out of ink, you can't even refill it, the microchip will always say it is out of ink, unless you get one of these which I am highly considering after what happened tonight (oh yes, this was just the set up).

Ok, so you get the idea. So by the end of the day I was also officially out of 'yellow' too (keep in mind I hadn't printed anything else). So I am like "fine, I'll go buy them, cause I need to print!". So I go to wally world tonight and they are out of light magenta, but they have the 5 pack. Oh yeah, I mentioned that they sell them individually to be more convenient (haha), but then they get to charge a little bit more individually (12.95). Think about it. A multicolor cartridge for some other printer may cost you $30 to $40 dollars, but the 5-pack of color cartridges I just bought cost me $64. How is that better? Especially considering that I couldn't print anything if I am out of even one of them.

So, I buy the five pack, figuring it will save me pain later when more of them run out. Not expecting it to be very soon. (Although, light cyan was pretty low-officially). So I get home, put in light magenta, click ok, and it tells me that I am out of yellow (which I knew) AND light cyan (which I basically expected). No big deal. So I replace yellow, click ok and it tells me I am now OUT of light cyan, CYAN, AND MAGENTA!!!! Whaaaaaat?
Yes folks, my printer figured out that I must have bought the five pack and this was it's big chance to reload. I know for a fact that "magenta" was more than half full (officially) yesterday. I restarted I double checked...nothing. Cause once it's "out", it's "out". So I just replaced all of my not-at-all-empty color cartridges in one night. Maybe i'll mail epson my half-empty cartridges with a note that says "Shake me. Do I sound empty to you?".

Moral of the story: don't buy an epson.

Still searching...

2006-07-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

http://karykel.squarespace.com/

It's just a trial, but i think it might be worth switching, especially since I just discovered that they can import blogger archives!! But we'll see. I'll let you know if it turns into anything real.

Swimming for tickets!

2006-07-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

No matter where I am swimming...they'll all know. Now, does anyone know where I can get OSU v. Texas tickets?!?!?

(Now if I could just get them autographed by Archie...)

Are You For SCUBA?

2006-07-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

Continuing with our water theme this week, J and I started our scuba class yesterday! I still have more reading to do than he does, but I'm at least more than halfway done. Tonight is our first night in the water. We start out with confined water dives in the swimming pool and then our "open water" dives are in a nearby lake next weekend! We're still figuring out all of this fun gear and what hooks up to what. It sure takes a lot of stuff to breathe underwater. At least I don't have to wear a big mettle helmet. That's nice. I'm going to try to pick up a water friendly disposable (if they make them) camera and take some pictures during our course. I'll let you know how that goes. I am now filling my head with so many little facts and rules that they just keep coming back out. So if you are around me this week, I may start spouting SCUBA trivia whether you asked me to or not. Sorry. Wish us luck!!

When it rains.....it's usually a holiday.

2006-07-05T12:28:00.000-05:00

Of course, after all that talk this weekend about how it never rains in texas, or at least not in the summer, and not 'normal'. I come home to a pleasant rainy texas. So for the 4th, we went to a nearby lake and had a cookout with some folks....in the rain. A nice, steady drizzle...for about 4 hrs, and then it finally stopped, just in time for the fireworks...of course. It was a rather interesting scene. 6 canoes tied haphazardly together, 3 on each side, to a pontoon type boat (i think). Yeah, if only i had a picture of THAT. But I'm not that clueless. My camera was safely on the shore in the hands of someone who i trusted...and who was dry. And good too, because although our canoe did not go down, two of the six did. But the fireworks were nice, the brats were good and we had a good view of the lake. Honestly, and everyone who went will agree, the most 'adventurous' part of the whole trip...was finding a place to use the facilities...or i mean....find a place to create some facilities because the ones that were there were.........worse than a porta-potty on the very last day of country concert....or any multiday festival you have ever been too. ugh. but the trees were beautiful. ;) Here are some nicer photos of people and fireworks. Not the facilities.

minor case of murphy's law

2006-06-30T23:12:00.000-05:00

I know some poor college student will be searching the internet for 'm-u-r-p-h-y-'-s law' and come across this post -- and to you poor college student, I am sorry. This is not a comprehensive explanation of that phenomenon. This is me complaining about my nail polish. Never fails. Everything is good, outfit is ready, last minute shoes found, have coordinating nail polish. All I need to do is put on the new polish. Midnight, night before the event, go searching for the remover....none. So what do I do? What can I do! I attempt to paint the light...translucent...sparkly taupish new nail color over the BLOOD red, seriously chipped-so-it-won't-even-look-even, nail polish that is currently on my nails. (I would like to clarify that this is on the toes, my fingernails are not even worthy of polish at this point) So, I'm on the second coat...and it's starting to look better. Who knows how many coats this will take, and then of course they will be sticky and never dry and get smudged the first thing in the morning. Oh well, just another attempt to make SURE the bride looks the best. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Time for another coat.

enough already, write something!

2006-06-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's only been a week, really. I know you missed me. Really though, I was driving home last night and I had all these things that I wanted to write about and I can barely remember any of them. That's what happens when the grocery store comes between the thought and your computer. Although I do remember one thing. It's hard to forget because my legs keep reminding me - my workout! It was "good" for me, but sooooooooo wrong. I don't want to try and explain the whole thing without some diagrams, but lets just say there were resistance bands, a bench and kicking involed. It was painful, and then without any warning, it got so much worse. You're just going along thinking, "this is really hard and it hurts" and then she tells you to change one move and you're like "oh my goodness, save me from death", with the last line most likely said out loud. Agony, good agony, but still agony. But I don't have to do that particular workout for two weeks. I just have to make up some other workout to compensate for the break! ah. I'm never good at that.

Anyhow, part of the reason for my break is that I am leaving tomorrow to go to Ohio! I've got a few good friends getting married....on the same day.....not to each other.....in different cities. Good times. hehe. Hey, the way I see it, is that is saves airline fares. So thanks guys! I'm just glad you spaced them out a few hours so that I can come to both! So i'm excited about that. But I do have some more work to do before I go, so see you later! Or tomorrow, for some of you!

I don't know how...

2006-06-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Just chillin'

2006-06-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

So yeah, spent a little time at the hospital this morning for that procedure thing. Everything went fine. Although I have to say I'm still a fan of that whole sedation thing. Missed the whole thing. Waking up wasn't too bad. No nausea or anything this time. I'm glad they are safe, but at least 5 different people asked me the same questions over and over. I was thinking "do you think i'm lying when i say that i don't have any allergies?" hehe. J hung out with me before hand when I was all 'hooked up and tagged'. Our first hospital experience (no jokes please) - kinda weird, but funny. So I came home, J made me some food, and I slept and have been chillin' all day. Feeling better now. Back to work tomorrow - and back to the gym!

what happens when search engines go wild

2006-06-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

Just don't say it out loud

2006-06-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

I realize as soon as I discuss this topic in a concrete form, that all the desire I have for exercising right now will leave me and never return. I'm going to have to take that chance. Big dramatics aside, it's been a good week, mostly, mostly. [sorry, tv reference]. Anyhow, there's been lots of work so that is good and stressful at the same time. I've worked until midnight 2 out of 3 nights so far this week. Now, if I had skipped my workouts, maybe I wouldn't have been up so late, but there's no way i'm skipping my workouts.

What? What is that you say? This doesn't sound like Karyn...

I know, I'm the one who can talk the most devout exerciser into skipping their workout and going shopping and getting ice cream. It's a gift, really. No, what has happened is that over the past several months I have slowly been building my committment and desire to exercise more each week. About 4 or 5 weeks ago, I'm not sure, I made it up to 3 workouts a week. I go to classes, because A: It gives me a set time to workout, B: There is someone telling me what to do and keeping me motivated, and C: honestly, they're fun. I like the instructors and the people in class are fun. I primarily alternate between cardio/mix/kickboxing classes for my cardio work and a strength/weights on-the-ball class. Plus, at least two days a week I go to a 15 mins abs class. Ruthless, but worth it. So, that totals 3 days a week of workouts. Then, a few weeks ago, another opportunity presented itself. A friend needed a girl to sub on her sand volleyball team and the game just happened to fall on the one night I don't work out. So I went and played and the other girl apparently quit...so now I'm on their team! And we finally won all three of our games this week, which was great! [Aside from my painful dive - i think i got a concussion from the sand, and J hurting his shoulder - he subs sometimes.] So, I'm excited about be excited about working out. I know it won't last forever, but it's nice not to have to convince myself to go everyday. I actually look forward to it now. Plus, having goals is helpful.

When I get on here next, which may not be that far in the future...i need to talk about the SCUBA!

that old feeling

2006-06-13T22:47:00.000-05:00

i've had a lot of work to do this week. i still have more, but just one more thing tonight. and you know what? all i want to do is blog. go figure. maybe later

a good one

2006-06-11T23:24:00.000-05:00

Took this pretty nice pick a couple weeks ago. There are more, although not as nice, over in the photo album. Just a few. Happy Sunday everyone.

Spare time

2006-06-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

A really horrible, humourous, random OSU people montage that someone made and put on the internet. The beginning is the funniest part, but if you feel like wasting a little bit of time, go ahead and watch the whole thing.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=781777935&n=2

and here's some more...

Oh - io

TBDBITL

OSU v UM '04

one of my favorites.... O-H-I-O

that's all for now

2006-06-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times.

You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained

You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun.

How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

A good weekend

2006-06-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

It's taken me almost to this weekend to write about last weekend, but oh well. Last weekend was quite a treat. My friend Liz came into town and stayed with us. She actually came into town for a friend's wedding, but we hogged her time as best as we could. We got to try out Dan's hot tub and we did a bit of shopping too. Just a bit. Liz lives in downtown Chicago, so you think she would get all the shopping she could handle. But there's sometimes when Gucci just isn't going to have what Target has, you know? Plus, there are no "malls" near by. She was dying to go to a normal mall...hehe. So we went on a short (I've gone on longer ones, right JaNae) 4 hour shopping trip on Saturday....then another hour or so on Sunday.... it was good. Plus, with the combination of a previsit kitty bath, super vacuuming the house, and her meds, Liz didn't do too bad at all staying with us considering that she is allergic to cats. See mom, it's not that bad! hehe.
We also saw some movies. Got a couple of the big ones out of the way. Xmen and Da vinci.
Good flicks. I have to say I liked X-men better, partly becuase I didn't know exactly what was going to happen throughout the entire movie, like i did with Da Vinci. When it's a suspenseful story like that, it's hard to be in suspense the second time through, even if it is on the big screen. I thought they did a good job (mostly) of sticking to the story though. [I'm thinking of doing a review sometime soon].
All in all it was a nice, relaxing weekend.

The Kids Need Your Help!

2006-05-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

Just a shameless plug/reminder to donate to the Back to School Roundup to help Tarrant County kids get the supplies they need for school! The event is this July 29th and we still need funds to help us reach our goal of serving 15,000 children! Visit the Roundup Website to read more, or just click here to donate online right now! Thanks everyone and spread the word!!

Leggings and Lace

2006-05-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

Make it stop. I just saw the "leggings are back" segment on the today show. make it stop. I don't have a problem with certain clothing styles 'making a comeback' and being ok again. Personally, I am a fan of the jean skirt (not necessarily the kind I wore in the talent pageant when we were in 4th grade, but still). But there are some trends that should stay in the closet, reserved only for the occasional flashback halloween costume. I mean, I was glad I could find legwarmers for my costume last year, but it was WAY too easy. They had a (very pretty ) 50 year old woman wearing leggings with a skirt and top to wear to the office. Nooooooooooooo! Sometimes it's just not ok.

The Mystery Post

2006-05-24T23:10:00.000-05:00

For those of you subscribed to my blog - for whatever reason, you may have received a post just now......please ignore. it makes no sense. it goes to another blog. please disregard. and if you missed it, too bad. =)

It's a Corny one.

2006-05-24T09:01:00.000-05:00

So it's finally Wednesday. My week has been pretty good so far. Got some work done, but I still have tons of cleaning to do. Yesterday I went to one of the two brand new walmarts that are within just a few miles of our house. Not bad, not bad. While I was there, I got a few ears of sweet corn. I have to say that they were soooooo good! If you rub a lime wedge over the corn and then sprinkle with salt, it's really yummy and you don't need the butter. Of course, I had to have one ear of corn smothered in butter, but it wasn't real butter. =) Then, I was asked to sub for a sand volleyball game last night and that was a lot of fun. We lost, but we put up a good fight. Plus, they want me and the other girl who subbed to stay on as team members! Yay! I have a team now!

Finally.....and Next

2006-05-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh. Guess what? You'll never believe it!

Yay for the Hippies!!

2006-05-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

I don't know where your loyalties lie, and maybe you've been rooting for the frat boys, or Ray and Yolanda this whole time, but I have to say that I'm glad the team I kinda wanted to win, actually. the [don't] amazing [search] race [me]! is what i'm talking about! I'm so excited I was able to watch the finale last night and it was sooo good! (Especially since we completed tuned out and forgot about the survivor finale on Sunday- yes, we were actually following the show). So i'm happy in two ways. One, that all the exciting tv is on right now, and two, that it'll all be over mostly after this week and we can leave the tv off without feeling like we're missing something, and go enjoy all our new free time together! Except for sunday nights, cause Deadwood and Entourage are starting up again. =) But hey, that's one night. We've gotten a bit ridiculous with all of the shows we have been watching. But, yay for the hippies!! I'm just happy that the top three teams were all teams that i liked. =)

Bored at work?

2006-05-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

Try this: http://katamari.namco.com/
To play the super simple on line version , go to "Presents" and click on the Game tab.

2006-05-16T18:24:00.000-05:00

2 days in a row!

2006-05-12T22:43:00.000-05:00

That's it. It's a record. 2 good days in a row. Had a good meeting this morning. Very good stuff coming. Plus, I'm just still so happy that J is done with school. I know he's happier than me, but just a little bit. We went to the store and he bought some video games tonight. Why? Because he has time to play them, without guilt! Then we went out for a nice steak dinner. Yum. Ready for some good ole fashioned hard work tomorrow.

Plus, I can't wait until our honeymoon. I know, September, whatever. I'm still excited. Later.

Oh happy day!

2006-05-11T08:57:00.000-05:00

He's done. No more class. No more homework. Done. Finito. Fin. and all the other words in other languages that mean finished. Yesterday was the last day of his last mini-semester - ever. So, needless to say, we're both quite happy. So we're looking forward to some time spent doing - absolutely nothing, with maybe a few video games and movies in between. And then...the yard.

On other topics, I'm done with the most urgent thing that needed to be completed this week, but you can be sure there are many other items on the list ready to take it's place. I am proud of myself though. I am still on phase one and i have only cheated a very small number of times, and I've already gone to the gym twice this week and done real workouts! Not the kind where i get on a machine and stop when i'm tired. Also, i have devised a system, where if i cheat on the diet, I either add a whole or half day of phase one to my two weeks, depending on how badly I cheated. Hey, i'm already down 4.5 lbs, so I'm happy. =) have a nice day everyone.

p.s. my cat is officially insane.

ups and downs

2006-05-08T17:38:00.000-05:00

today has been full of them. currently on a down, but i'm working on it. hopefully the gym will bring some clarity, and relieve the giant knot in my stomach. ain't stress dandy?! hope everyone else's monday was ... better than mine.

Remote blogging

2006-05-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

While I often write posts from locations other than my home, it is usually on my own computer. Tonight, I am posting from one of my reader's (on occasion) computers. Thanks Dan. Dan's fence suffered a fate similar to what happened to our's before we moved into our house. The wind blew it down. At least part of it. So, the guys who thought they would "never again" be digging through rocks, mixing concrete and sinking posts.....are in Dan's back yard doing just that. Thankfully, Dan doesn't have a very large backyard. But I am sure if I said that to them right now I would have something thrown at me, and it would probably be muddy. But it's not 100 degrees, it's actually closer to 60! But with all of the storms we've had, now the issue has been holes that are full of water. But they've only got a few more posts to go, and like Dan said, "It can't get any darker", so they continue to work. So why am I sitting here typing and not getting dirty you ask? Well, I was working elsewhere all day until about 7pm when I came by to check on them, and I am staying clean, so that when they need one of the many items that is in the 'no mud zone', I get it. =) I know, poor excuse, but I did carry on the Frantom women tradition of bringing them dinner. And yes mom, its was fast food. And I didn't even have to hunt them down and guess which field they were in! I still can't believe that THAT wasn't enough to make you (Mom) want to get a cell phone sooner. Later.

Our Trees

2006-05-05T13:23:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to show you our tree trimming job. I think they did a great job. Our front yard actually gets light now! Maybe now it will grow grass!

before

after

I have a store!

2006-05-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

Dude! I have a store! click here. Who knew! I finally have my name on something spelled right! Too bad it won't fit on my key ring.

slip n' slides

2006-05-04T08:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, I was watching the today show this morning, and they were doing one of those annual bits on playground safety. They went through the playset stuff about not having the swings too long so they don't go above six feet. Ha, six feet. I know many of you didn't go to my elementary school, but for those of you who did....do you remember the swings at Emerson! More like 20 ft! And if you fell off, you just rolled down the hill! And the principal was the best swing pusher! He made you go super high! Next they talked about the rubber chips that you're supposed to put in the playground area. I wonder what happens when those get picked up by the lawn mower. Then they talked about the trampolines. Yes, dangerous things. "don't buy one!" they said. To me, trampoline's are like pools. You want your friends to have one, so you don't have to take care of it/have liability insurance, but you can play on it all the time! hehe. But my favorite bit of the segment was when they talked about the slip n' slide. They went on about how parents shouldn't use it because of the distance you are falling (how funny), and that you shouldn't go head first. What? Yes, ignore the picture on the box of the child going head first. Ok, here is where I need to speak up. The dangers from this toy are not which way you slide, it's whether you could find a spot of 'yard' that wasn't full of large rocks, so you don't slice your stomach (or back) open on the way down. And if parents think that they are protecting their children by just not buying one altogether, think again. The bigger danger then becomes your creative child trying to make their own slip n' slide with large black trash bags, held down by heavy objects, like rocks, and a friend with a hose. And the only reason a parent wants to slip down the bright yellow slide, is because they never had one as a child. They made their own. =)

tired

2006-04-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

i'm tired of this template...but i'm too tired to deal with the hassle of changing it right now. i'll change soon.

I hope everyone is doing well. Got a little bit of a break this weekend. Another busy week coming up. J is almost done with school. Just days to go. The cat is still crazy, I'm still reading multiple books at once...Oh, JaNae, I wanted to say thank you again for my birthday gift. My first magazine came in the mail yesterday! And I hope you had a great baby shower today! =)

Hopefully I'll have a little more time to post this week. I wasn't even home at all last week to post. Just on the road all over tejas.
Oh, Jason, I tried a new salsa recipe tonight that I think you'll like. I'll send you the recipe this week.....and anyone else who wants it. "Smokey Chipotle salsa"
Everyone have a wonderful week!

Still going...

2006-04-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

very busy. love you all and miss you. talk to you later.

Relaxing

2006-04-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was great! Not only did I accomplish a lot between 8am and Noon, I also spent 3 hours! at the spa getting my birthday present, had a very yummy dinner and a relaxing evening. Best day in awhile by far. The spa was awesome. J got me a spa package for my birthday and I've been saving it until I had a few more stressful things past me. It included an herbal body wrap, which I have to say was very nice, although I did feel a bit like a burrito, hehe. Then I had a full body massage - awesome. The girl was sooooo good. Then they did this body polish thing where they massage you with sea salts and exfoliate and then put super moisturizer on you. The whole thing was just fabulous, and very relaxing. After that I did a little leisurely shopping, basically because my brain couldn't handle anything more complicated at that point. Then we went to the local fancy grocery that has a band and grills burgers every friday night all spring/summer/fall and had dinner. It was so nice outside. Then we went to the bookstore and looked at books on vacation resorts, hehe. Very nice day indeed. Hope your weekend goes well everyone - now i have to get back to work =)

What is this wet stuff falling from the sky?

2006-04-20T19:12:00.000-05:00

Yes folks, it's raining in Texas. They said it couldn't be done, but somehow, God turned on the giant sprinkler system over texas and made it rain. We must be under the semi-annual rotation or something. You know, you can only water the state on the 3rd thursday of every 4th month, or something like that.
The week, as usual of late, has flown by. Basically because I have a lot of stuff to do and not very much time to do it. We're having a lovely dinner tonight. My brother-in-laws world famous Green Pepper Casserole! I found a trick or two to making it quicker. I use frozen chopped green peppers. One bag of those and you're all set! Sooooo yummmy.
I downloaded a trial of photoshop this week, partially to help out with a few projects and partially because i really want it someday. So, I' posted a fun picture I was playing with using the 'liquify' tool. Fun stuff. Trust me, you'll never guess what/who/where it is. =)
Sorry I've been so absent of late. I actually have felt too busy to post, and only now that I have some things behind me do I not feel entirely guilty taking some time to write. I hope you are all doing well.
JaNae, your shower gift went in the mail today so it should definitely be there by Wendy's shower. Hehe, you're going to laugh. Have fun at your shower tomorrow and tell everyone I said hello!

They're all gonna laugh at you!

2006-04-13T11:02:00.000-05:00

After reading my friend Joey V.'s article in a recently published Japanese/international mag, I checked out the website's he mentioned. One, www.engrish.com is about the misuse of the english language all over the world, and the other www.hanzismatter.com is about "the misuse of chinese characters in western culture", particularly in tattoo form. Pretty funny. If you want to read the article, there is a link to it from the Hanzi Smatter site.

Am I the only one?

2006-04-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

Am I the only person who did not know that diet sunkist has CAFFEINE in it? What's up with that? That was my favorite non-caffeine-but-still-carbonated-backup-drink! Although, I have been drinking Big K Orange mostly - oh yes, the Big K is so cheap, so good. I need to see if that has caffeine in it too. Grrrrr. If it does, I'll just have to stick to my diet root beer and diet 7up. sniff sniff, bye bye orange drink.

A First

2006-04-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe it had something to do with the desperate prayer I said this morning when I got up. But something happened. Why? Because I had a good day today! (I know, I need to change my imood). I don't want to get ahead of myself. I still have loads of work to do. But things started going forward today. No more stalemate with the ~~completely incomprehensible~~ difficult to master website: I made progress! And I made it to piloga (pilates + yoga) class this morning, although my backbend was non-existent. I will continue to insist that the reason for this was because my ponytail got in the way (you had to be there, there were steps involved). But the jack-knife went well. (I don't think that statement has ever been made before: jack-knife well) hmmm. anyway. Rita and I made some progress on a few things and I actually drove around in rush hour cityview traffic with a very low stress level! And I went to 2 wally-worlds at 5 o'clock! So, I'm clearly in a better mood. Thanks God. and thanks to everyone else who made my day better =)

No Karyn, No Comment.

2006-04-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

although....this was the second slogan I got....and I think it is a little more me =) hehe.

Snap! Crackle! Karyn!

2006-04-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

That is my slogan! Well, according to these people:

www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi

Go there, enter your name and click slogan. No cheating, you must respond with the first one they give you, and then let me know what YOUR slogan is!

Don't be confused.

2006-04-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

The previous post was started on Wed....but I finished it this morning.

Filling the Quota

2006-04-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

Well, since it's a few days into April, I suppose I should post before it's gone. Sorry I haven't been posting regularly this week. I've actually, (gasp!), had a lot of work to do. Plus, it just hasn't been a very good week. There have really only been small bits of "just plain rotten" mixed in with my week, but one (or 3) bad moments will taint the whole week. I'm trying to stay calm and not get myself worked up into a frenzy, but it's still not easy. I just thought I owed what readers I have left (thanks family) a few words of hello. I will say the weather down here has been great this week. Mid 70's most days and sunny, though it's thundering right now, but that's just a tease. The baseball game we went to on Tuesday was a fun time. Of course we would go on the one out of three nights that the Red Sox lose. [ I hope you had a good time last night in your $50 seats watching them win Dan]. hehe. Anyhow, that was one of the high points in my week so far. I am proud that I've made progress on some of the little things I needed to do this week. I did find a website with a replacement ice maker for our fridge....and I scheduled a second tree trimming estimate so that we can actually compare prices before we pay....he'll be here at 1pm. i hope. Plus, I'm doing some volunteer work with Rita at a homeless shelter. I really wish the gov't gave tax deductions for HOURS of volunteer work, not just mileage, but either way, I'll have a lot by next year. Well, since I do have a lot to do this morning, I better get going. hope you all have a great day!

I'm it.

2006-03-29T08:04:00.000-06:00

I'm sticking to my guns and not double posting on two different blogs (that are both just mine). So here is the 'tag' info:

I've been tagged. The rules are, once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with "6 weird things/habits about yourself". In the end you need to choose the 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says, "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read yours.

1.) I sing to my cat. Why? Because he doesn't judge me.

2.) I hate emptying the clean dishes out of the dishwasher. (Those of you who live/have lived with me know this.)

3.) I have consumed more than a 12-pack in one day.....of pepsi. (not recently though)

4.) [taking one from Nicole] I am always reading more than one book at a time. Currently I am reading at least three. She's right. options. Actually, I'm reading 4.

5.) Two things that get ME to stop talking are: when I am upset and trying to figure out something to say....and when I have a good hand in poker*. (tell alert)*

6.) If there is a shirt I want to wear that is too wrinkled, instead of just ironing it, I will just rewash it. (That's how much I don't like to iron).

I know there's more, but these are the six I could think of this early.

*Oh and I tagged Diedra, Michelle, Matthew, Gauri, Jenny and Dave. =)

"Release. Jog it out."

2006-03-28T20:12:00.000-06:00

My new favorite phrase. My new least favorite phrases? = "Crank it up" & "after this one you'll almost be half-way there!" AHHHHHH! I just finished my first ever 'spinning' class tonight. For those of you who have never heard of 'spinning', I hate to tell you, it is not fairy princess practice, like twirling. No, it's much more sinister. It's like if Snow White went to an exercise class and the witch was her instructor. How do you think that would go...? Ok, so i'm clearly no Snow White (except for the paleness of my complexion this time of year) and the instructor was actually really good. It was the workout! Ah! I don't even want to think about how much I am going to hurt tomorrow. why? Because of how much I hurt right now. But I think I could be up for some more of this particular brand of punishment. But I think I might be scheduling my birthday massage a lot sooner than I had planned. Oh yeah, and almost no carbs today! (Just some vitamin water during the workout). Hope you all are having a good week. The crockpot is done making chicken chili for us - so nice of it to make dinner, and the Amazing Race is on soon. later.

On a much lighter note...

2006-03-27T18:51:00.000-06:00

Whew! had to get that out of my system. i haven't ranted in awhile. now i wish the topic would've been a bit more....important. but hey. just sitting here, trying to get some work done. later.

Gotta love that freedom of speech

2006-03-27T17:21:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been quite the couple of weeks for the folks on comedy central, particularly the writers of a certain show. If you've never seen the cartoon show set in the "small mountain town" (further referred to as SP), or at least don't watch it regularly, you pretty much aren't going to get many of the subtle hints and characters i describe in this post. Aside from what i've said so far, I don't want to use a bunch of keywords that I know people are searching for. This is just my opinion. If you find it on your search ...welcome.... please move on...or stay and read the rest of my boring posts. whatever floats your boat.
Now, you may love the show, or you may hate it and disagree with everything that they do. That's your opinion. This is mine. Personally, I watch the show, I laugh, but the reason I like the show, along with much of the newer comedy satire out there...is because they make fun of EVERYONE the same. They make fun of people who stereotype, they make fun of people who take themselves too seriously....Now, yes, they do make fun of religions - ALL of them. Not just the ones they don't like. And i'm not going to sit here and defend every type of joke they make, that is not the point of this post.
The point is to voice my opinion about the actions of a certain formerly-loved-and-adored-by-many-people-of-all-ages-who-liked-him-in-certain-action-films-with-jets-and-others-where -he-had-her-at-hello-actor...etc. get the drift.
Ok, so the deal is. MR.-Couch-jumping-actor is a member of a certain "religion" that was featured on a recent episode of the show [Honestly one of the funniest ever]. Now, I must mention that in that episode there were hints about the "orientation" of this actor made. But that joke is SO OLD!!! Anyhow, the show aired. that was that. But wait! While I was home in Ohio, I heard on the radio....and saw on the news (We're talking CNN here) that one of the actors who plays a main character on the show was leaving! Ah! Why!
Well, later I found out that he left because he thought that they were going too far and making fun of people's beliefs. Valid point. However, he has been on the show for (I think) six seasons already. The show hasn't changed. Why the sudden battle of conscience? Guess what 'religion' this actor belongs to.... So it's ok to make fun of Christians and Muslims and Jews and Buddhists, etc, but not YOUR religion. Nice.
So anyhow. That is interesting news, but nothing to write an entire big post about. The fun part is what happened next. Apparently the company that makes SP, also is producing a certain film that mr.BigName actor is staring in that is coming out soon. So mr.big goes and tells the company that he will refuse to promote the new film, unless they pull that episode of the show that made fun of his religion off the air immediately. I don't blame the company that much, what could they do? They were being blackmailed by a famous, crazy actor. I guess it's just the audacity, and the greater-than-thou attitude that makes me so irritated. Plus, the supreme court isn't allowed to censor anybody...but this guy can? I mean, there are other actors who the show has made SOOOOOOOOO much more fun of than this guy. Bigger actors, SUPER actors, BRAVE actors. These other actors had the power to create and produce their own movies! and they didn't say a word. I dunno, the more I read about this particular 'religion' (that happened to have been CREATED by a SCIENCE FICTION author, coincidence?), the more it sounds like a cult, so maybe it's not his fault. maybe he's been brainwashed. Whatever you think, whatever happens, all i can say is "Run for it Katie! Run!!"

Preparing for Karyn 2.0

2006-03-23T17:20:00.000-06:00

Do you ever find yourself signed up for so many things, and webservices, and sites and yAda yAda.....? Well, i finally found one (amazingly for free without catches - or ads) that i am going to use to bring all my frazzled, scattered loose ends of information together in one place. Now, don't despair, the blog will still be here...but there will be more... So in my spare time (which keeps diminishing even WITH procrastination) that is what I am doing. Hopefully it works! We'll see.

Is it Monday again?

2006-03-21T08:20:00.000-06:00

It sure feels like it. Sorry i've been such an erratic poster. at least i'm not a Michigan poster. oh well. i'm sure you've gone off and found other boring, anecdotal blogs to read. I have. =) It's only 8:20am and it's already been one of those mornings. Hopefully it will get better. I've got a full day of work ahead of me, and as usual, i'm posting instead. No, i'm just getting it out of my system so i can actually get some work done. I started a list [surprise, surprise] that has stuff I "Must Do", "Should Do" and "Want to do". I got the idea from some organizing software we tried out awhile back. It was good, but expensive, so I learned all the lessons I could from the free trial and that was it. It does help me to not rationalize that something I WANT to do is actually something I NEED to do. So...Dan, I don't have annoying coworkers to post about....maybe i'll write about how i broiled the bacon this morning....or how I didn't feel like blow drying my hair today so I put it into braided pigtails...or how I actually had real, not too old, milk this morning and was a bit excited that I could put it into my (half-caf) coffee, instead of filling it with tablespoon after tablespoon of Sugar Free Vanilla Caramel creamer... hehe. is that mundane enough for you? See, anyone can post about nothing, you just have to try!

Back in the game

2006-03-16T08:08:00.000-06:00

Alrighty. I am back in Tejas. Just getting started on my day. Lots to catch up on and do. I have lots of pictures that I will either be posting or emailing to people in the next few days. But don't worry, there will be some on here. I'm actually working on a new photo gallery, so we'll see how that goes. Now that I have my internet back [ I was going through withdrawal with dial-up], I can do more than one thing at a time. I never realized how addicted I was to multi-tasking on my computer. So, just wanted to say hello and that i'm home.

The Day of My Birth

2006-03-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

So. It's done. Even in Texas, my birthday is now officially over. [But if we keep going west...] I have to say it's been a good birthday. I was able to see and talk to a lot of people who I normally would not be able to see. I drove this morning to Fort Wayne, IN to visit JaNae. I got to see their house and cute little dog Scarlet. We went out to lunch and, of course, to the mall. I mean, we HAD to. It's tradition. In the afternoon I drove back to mom & dad's house and we took each other out to dinner. Me for their anniversary [36th], and they for my birthday! We went to W.G. Grinders! In piqua! I was so excited when I found it the other day. After that I spent the rest of the evening with Karla and Mel and we watched HP4. Excellent movie, I just wish there was more time to fit in the ENTIRE rest of the book! So here I am, posting at the end of the day. I received many, many phone calls and text messages from everyone wishing me a happy birthday - and thank you. I hope you all enjoyed "Pi" as much as I did. Although, even though I've been eating constantly for the past several days....I still need some cake and ice cream. Time to raid the kitchen. Later.

Hanging out in ohio

2006-03-13T18:40:00.000-06:00

Just up here another two days. I'll be back Wednesday night. Hope all is well.

Je ne sais quoi

2006-03-06T21:09:00.000-06:00

Rita and I drove to Abilene for a fun, big 'ol meeting today. Good times, not a bad drive, believe it or not. Straight shot - no brainer. We had a nice lunch with the ladies we met today. Really good chicken quesadillas! And then, on the way home....DQ. Soooooo yummy. I had the Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. Kind of funny, because the last time I went to DQ, we were driving back to FW from Taos, NM....and it was my birthday. Anyhow, currently watching BJD #1. Excellent movie. I've been wanting to watch it for a while, just had a craving for some not-confident-blabbering-awkward-moments-painful-just-being-herself type character watching. Feels familiar. Not in the best of moods right now, regardless of what my IMood says. Busy week ahead. Hope it goes well for you all.

It's a Zoo!!

2006-03-05T17:18:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to show off the Norton children...showing off their Frantom-ness...and possibly some Norton-ness too. It's hard to tell. This is what happens when you have creative kids in the family. You can get them all the same thing and they'll still have fun!

Good News!

2006-03-05T17:15:00.000-06:00

My favorite blog's author just gave birth yesterday to a beautiful baby boy! Her husband posted a picture of the yet unnamed cutie on her site. www.humblemusings.com
Congratulations Amy!! and Rocket Scientist Husband!

It's Leah's Birthday!

2006-03-03T10:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Leah!!! I hope you have a wonderful day! You're 2!!!!!! I love you and miss you and wish I could be there to sing and give you a biiiiiiigggg hug. I hope you like you're present!

Love,
Aunt Karyn

It's Friday!

2006-03-03T10:26:00.000-06:00

So, it's Friday. It's been a bit of a crazy week so far. Almost everyone I know is having some sort of family emergency or something is going on. Sadly, there are a lot of heart problems going on right now. It reminds me of my Junior/Senior year in highschool when several of the kids I knew had parents or close relatives that suffered heart attacks or anurisms(sp?) and passed away. I think it comes in waves or something. I'm just praying for everyone who's struggling with these troubles and I hope they can make it through alright. Personally, I think I'm starting to get over this rather large funk I've been in since last week. I'm feeling more motivated. I realize I'm still sitting here posting...but hey, a girls gotta vent her feelings somewhere. The weather has been absolutely insane over the past two weeks. Which of course is apparently the precursor to March psycho storm weather in Texas. Part of me (the part that dreads people getting hurt and damage to property) is always a bit worried about what texas weather may bring. But the meteorologist in me can't wait for the stormy weather. At least we have somewhat of a backporch so I can still sit and watch it rain.
I talked to my friend Karla last night and she said that her job is having a major overhaul in how they work and that a ton of the employees are becoming 'remote workers'. Offering major flexibility, but kinda sketchy on the supplies/equipment side. I hope they make give the RE's the support they need so they don't go crazy. Good luck sweety.

Alright, back to work. Later. I must discipline my cat now.

A new idea for Lent...

2006-03-01T14:36:00.000-06:00

Ok. So, ever since highschool, every year during lent I give up something that I love, am addicted to, etc. I actually have an excellent track record. I've given up chocolate several times, and I've even given up CAFFEINE! it all it's forms and made it through successfully. Last year I even did a juice fast for the three days leading up to Easter. But every year when I give something up, I try to make sure that I am giving that thing up in the right spirit. I'm not Catholic, so my faith does not 'require' of me to give something up. But, the whole spirit of the Lenten season is about preparing for Easter, and being tested, and a certain level of deprivation of the things that take our time and energy away from focusing on God and the ones we love. An interesting description of what Lent is, can be found HERE.

Anyhow. Every year when I've given something up...as SOON as Easter morning comes.....(and we're talking Midnight here), I have some of whatever I gave up. Be it pepsi, or chocolate...whatever. It makes me disappointed in myself that I end up looking forward to Easter because I can have what I'm craving, and not because I look forward to celebrating Jesus. So this year I have a different plan.

Instead of giving something up FOR just the Lenten period, I am going to give something up completely...for good....by the end of Lent. So, during the entire period I will restrict myself more and more until I no longer have this particular item(s). This may shock some of you that I am going to actually do this...but I'm going to wean myself off of coffee and colas. For real. I'm not dimwitted enough to try to cut them off cold turkey at this point, but how awesome would it be to celebrate on Easter because I am free of the addiction of caffeine. It's gotten pretty bad lately. Being in school and the busy-ness of the past year has turned me into a crazy all the time coffee drinker and my pop habit is as bad as it's ever been, it's just diet now. So, that's my goal. I came up with a schedule to gradually get off 'the juice'. So there, I said it in writing. Here goes something!

p.s. there are new pics in the photo gallery.

I figured it out.

2006-02-28T19:23:00.000-06:00

My body knew that today was Mardi Gras. It just took it all day to convince my mind that I was SUPPOSED to pig out. My goodness, that was frustrating. I wish I had figured this out this morning. I wondered what was wrong with me today - now I know. And after almost an entire box of Hot Tamales....i feel much better.

Ahem! I said, Gauri made me do it....

2006-02-28T10:46:00.000-06:00

http://kevan.org/johari?name=Nyrak02