Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Objects I would be very unhappy without

1. My Razr Phone (Takes awesome pics!)
2. My Mac Powerbook
3. My Car & Scooter
4. T.V. w/Tivo
5. XM Radio (What would I listen to at work?)
6. My curling iron (I am not blessed with curly hair)
7. Books (What would I do for a living and in my spare time?)
8. DVD Player
9. Movie Theaters (Is that an object?)
10. Microwave
11. Internet
12. Air Conditioning
13. My crochet hooks

Poor Pluto!

Funny video about poor Pluto losing his planet status.
I love it!

Wordless Wednesday #3

Back again...

Well, I have not posted for the last few days because my Grandmother died and I needed to go to the funeral.
Never a good time to do that. We had just gotten back from our trip back east and off we went again. Maybe now our lives can get back to normal. I hope anyway.
Why does a death in the family always bring out the worst in people? You'd think it would bring out the best, but in my experience sadly no. We knew she was dying. She lived a very long life, but it's still hard when they actually go.
Here's the kicker that makes it worse though. My Aunt, who was caring for her and who we thought was a nice normal person, has flown the coop. No one knows where she is. She had the body moved, we don't know where, so all we could do was have a memorial service. She had the family trust/will changed without anyone's knowledge and now she somehow gets everything. Now we have to fight her in court, but that means finding her first. When we had the safe deposit box drilled open it had even been cleaned out. Even though my Mom, my uncle and my aunt were all equal in the will, my aunt had access to all of the money etc because she was the one caring for my grandmother. Somehow, during my grandmother's last few days, she had everything changed and put in her name. Our lawyer says it won't stand up in court since my grandmother was not of sound mind, but it still means a court battle. I just can't believe it has come to this. No one really cares about the money, it's not that much. It's the principle of the thing that gets you. All I really want is some memento of my grandmothers. Preferably the photo albums. That's what I have always loved to look at and she always said that they would be mine one day.
What would possess someone to do all of this? I just don't get it! My poor mother had to say goodbye without even getting to see her one last time! I feel like I'm living in some bad prime time soap opera.

Friday Five #4

1. What book or books were special to you in your childhood?
"The River of Adventure" by: Enid Blyton

2. What was particularly special or memorable about those books?
It was my first introduction to mysteries and the first real book I had ever read. I haven't stopped reading since.

3. Have you re-read any of them as an adult?
No, but since this has reminded me I believe I'm going to find it.

4. If so, were the books as good as you remembered them?
N/A

5. What do you think about movies being made out of children's classics (like the Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of The Rings, etc.)?
I didn't read either of those series, but I do enjoy seeing the books I love played out in movies.

Net Neutrality Music Video!

Well, if you are a podcast hound like I am you may have read something about Net Neutrality. It is an extremely important issue. If we don't support Net Neutrality we will lose all of those wonderfully odd podcasts that are produced by small companies and independent people that we all love to watch. Here's a podcast that I found on Youtube.com my new addiction. It's quite funny, I like it a lot and it gets the point across.

Podcast Salad 17: Net Neutrality Video Mash-up

Thursday Thirteen #4

Thirteen Ways I Like To Eat Chocolate

1. New Chocolate Chex Mix!
2. Plain Dark Chocolate
3. Chocolate Milk
4. Hot Chocolate
5. In Coffee
6. In Cookies
7. In Cake/Desserts
8. On Bread - In Denmark they make chocolate in very thin slices specifically to put on bread! I bring it home every time I go!
9. In Ice Cream
10. In Milkshakes
11. In Candy
12. In Cereal
13. In Pancakes

Okay let's be honest...I'll eat it any way you give it to me!


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Need to know more about me?

I stole this from Leesa's blog, I needed to distract myself a little today.


1. What is your occupation? Bookstore Owner

2. What color are your socks right now? No socks on

3. What are you listening to right now? XM Radio in the store "The 50's"

4. What was the last thing you ate? Chicken club sandwich

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sister

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Actually I stole it

9. How old are you today? 39

10. Favorite drink? Coke

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, I have had grey hair since I was 16

13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Glasses

14. Pets? 3 cats and a dog

15. Favorite food type? Mexican or Italian...not sure which one I like best

16. What was the last movie you watched? Dazed and Confused (Love that movie!)

17. Favorite day of the year? Halloween

18. What do you do to vent anger? Yell

19. What was your favorite toy as a child? All boardgames and my barbies

20. Fall or Spring? Fall

22. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry

23. Do you want your friends to email you back? YES! I hate when people don't respond

24. Who is most likely to respond? Joanne

25. Who is least likely to respond? Umm..Rob?

26. Living arrangements? A beautiful house from 1904 with my husband and daughter

27. When was the last time you cried? Today, my grandmother died this morning. (I'm trying to keep myself occupied by doing this quiz.)

28. What is on the floor of your closet? Lots of crap

29. Who is the friend you have had the longest? my husband

30. What did you do last night? Laundry and watched some TV

31. Favorite smell's? Cigars, it reminds me of my grandfather who died many years ago.

32. What inspires you? My daughter

33. What are you afraid of? Heights, closed in spaces and crowds

34. Cheddar or pepper jack cheese? I love ALL cheese

35. Favorite car? My Mercedes I guess, but I'm not a big car person. I really LOVE my scooter, though.

36. Favorite dog breed? Mutt

37. Number of keys on your key ring? 9

38. How many years at your current job? 6

39. Favorite day of the week? Sunday, the day I get to spend the most time with my husband and my daughter

40. How many states have you lived in? 3

41. Favorite holidays? Halloween and Christmas

42. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? Nope

43. Favorite music to listen to? Pretty much anything except Rap

44. What makes you angry? People who don't let others live their own lives and make their own choices

45. What makes you sad? Same as above

Wordless Wednesday #2

I know...Wordless Wednesday and all that, but she had just gotten back to the hotel after 10 straight hours in Disneyland. She fell asleep before she hit the pillow.

Atlantic City Pics

Today was an extremely busy first day back. Of course, by the time we got done gossiping and telling stories it was time to go home, so tomorrow I'm gonna have to do some work. It's really piled up. The more I have to do though, the slower I move. I get overwhelmed pretty easily. It's soooo much easier to chit chat and when you're the boss there is no one to yell at you. That's a good thing and a not so good thing. I've got stories to tell about the trip, but I'll save that for later when things have calmed down a bit.
Well, here are a couple of pics from our trip like I promised.

Book Meme

Got this one from Kailani's blog.

Book Meme

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 123.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
* Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
* Tag whomever you want, or not.

Well, since I own a bookstore there are a lot of books on my desk waiting to be priced. Here is the closest one:

From "One Shot" by: Lee Child

"She's too preoccupied."
"With saving her brother."
Helen Rodin said nothing.

I'm Baaaack!

Yay! I know that sounds weird to be happy about being back from vacation, but visiting family is always tiring. Especially when it's your in-laws. Don't get me wrong, I actually really like the husband's parents a lot. His grandmother is whole other ball o' wax however. She's 82 and very feisty! In some ways I'd like to be like her at that age. She lives on her own, she is very active, she goes to lots of movies and really knows her current events. Unfortunately she doesn't think I'm good enough for her precious grandson. First of all I'm not Jewish, which she says she's okay with, but um.....no she isn't. I'm never quite good enough. She has this way of saying things to you that leaves you a little confused. Is she complimenting you or is she insulting you? It can actually be hard to tell sometimes. She basically does not think before she speaks. She's kinda missing the "tact" gene. My daughter had a blast, though, on the beach! I'll post some pics tomorrow. She just loves building sandcastles with her Dad and her uncle.
Anyways, I'm just happy to be back. I'm ready to go back to work. I miss the bookstore when I'm gone. Unfortunately, my 88 year old grandmother is dying and we have been told it will be any time now. So, I will probably have to head out in a couple of days for her funeral. We were never close, but she is still my grandmother and I love her.
I look forward to catching up on everyone's blog. I actually kept up with some of my favorites on Gary's computer, but I read a lot of blogs so I have a lot to still read.

Here's a quiz that I found today. I don't exactly agree with all of it, but basically it confirmed what I already knew.

You Are 20% Left Brained, 80% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Leaving on a jet plane....

No, just flying to Philly to see Hubby's family, then heading to Atlantic City for the rest of the time. I won't be back until the 20th and I will not be bringing my laptop, so no blogging. It's a vacation, damn it! Now of course, Hubby will have his, they are attached at the hip. I look forward to reading everyone's blogs when I come back, so write interesting stuff. I'll be thinking of you all from the beach.

Cheers!

Friday Five #3

1) What was the bravest thing you have ever done?
Went to Russia to adopt our daughter not knowing the language or what the hell we were doing!

2) Describe the meanest thing you have ever done.
During a horrible argument with my favorite aunt I told her that she was not part of my family anymore and that I never wanted to see her again. I regretted it for 12 years before we made up 2 years ago at my Grandfather's funeral.

3) Tell us about the nicest thing anyone has done for you.
Given birth to our daughter and put her up for adoption though we never met her.

4) What was the most insane thing you have ever witnessed or done?
Saw a large SUV accidently hit a dog and then after the dog got up hit it again accidently and then not stop to help the poor animal. I am happy to say that he did survive though.

5) Describe the most "out of character" thing you secretly want to do.
Be an actress. Most people don't know that I was a theater geek in high school.

Thursday Thirteen #3

My new addiction is YouTube thanks to Dustin at That Guys Blog. He kept putting little videos in his blog and one day last week I started looking around. Huge mistake! I am so addicted. You can find almost anything on there. So anyway it inspired today's Thursday Thirteen.


Thirteen Favorite Videos in no particular order(Yes, I know they are all from the 80s, but that's when I was in High School & College)

1. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World


2. The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket


3. Dead Or Alive - Something In My House


4. Elton John - I'm Still Standing


5. Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al


6. Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus


7. Chris DeBurgh - Don't Pay the Ferryman


8. Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart


9. Crowded House - Something So Strong


10. billy idol~cradle of love


11. Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes


12. Men At Work - From a Land Down Under


13. Culture Club - Karma Chameleon



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wordless Wednesday #1

Click on picture for larger version.


I just love this picture. She's so happy! Unfortunately the picture is too small to see the smile on her face.

Ugh.

Today was just a day. Not a special day. Not a bad day. Not a good day. Just a day where I got up, went to work, stuff happened and I went home. Well, I guess it was a little more interesting than that. I do have one gripe though, for the day. Why do people assume that I am in the book selling business for their convenience and not to make money? Why is it so wrong for me to make a profit on the books I sell? Do they think I could stay in business without it? It's a very long story that I don't feel like telling and you probably don't want to read. For some reason, though, when you are selling a "used" product some people feel that you should not make any money on it. Why not? I have employees to pay. I have the building mortgage and utilities to pay. In the middle of all of that it might be nice to support myself as well. I will admit my husband's business pulls in way more money than my business, but still no one is volunteering to work here. The books we stock I buy or take in trade. Once in a while people donate books, but they are usually crap. We are not a garage sale, we are a business. Sorry, someone who I thought was a friend just pushed my buttons today. Hope your day was better.
Cheers!

This & That and Other Stuff

So, today we called "Gay Architect Bathroom Dude" (my affectionate name for our architect/contractor...before I got pissed at him anyway) and set up a meeting. It was time to sit down and figure out when this bathroom was going to be finished. It's hard to be mad at him though. We really like him. Glenn (his actual name) and I got along great. We laughed a lot together, but at some point you have to remember that this is a business relationship and that we have paid him lots of money to do our bathroom(s). Four months is waaaay too long. He of course swears that this has never happened to him before. Actually, I do believe that considering how so many of our friends went on and on about how great he is. Still, I do think that he should be keeping us updated on a regular basis on the status of all our special orders. A phone call once or twice a week would go a long way for us. Basically, almost everything that has not been finished is backordered for one reason or another. We just want our lives to go back to normal. I think he figured it out though, that we weren't happy. Hopefully, we'll see some movement on the things they can finish this week.

We went and saw "Lady in the Water" this weekend. WOW! I don't know what everyone is complaining about! We both loved it. Hubby thinks it is actually his best. I'll say second best. Maybe people are having trouble with the fact that there is no "surprise" ending like his other movies. It is very unlike his other movies, though. It's a very quiet film. Not exactly fast moving, but I think that works for the movie. It's much funnier than his other films, though I did cry at one point. It was very emotional in one scene. I won't give anything away, but I think it is just a beautiful film. I have heard complaints that people didn't buy how willing the tenants of this building were to help and not ask any questions. If you pay attention early on you know the answer to that question. Also I have heard complaints about not being able to follow the story. To that I just say, "HUH?". The entire fairytale is basically explained in the beginning with all the hieroglyphic type animation. Maybe it's too early and people haven't settled into the movie yet. I have heard the critics rip it apart and I basically think that is due to the critic character in the movie. He is hilarious! Critics need to not take themselves so seriously. The movie is basically a fairytale within a fairytale and we thought it was brilliant! I just wish I could tell him that not everyone agrees with the critics. I wish more movies had this incredible warmth and depth. Just my two cents anyway. I don't expect everyone to agree with me.

Today I went shopping for our annual trip to Atlantic City/Philadelphia/New York. We go to visit Hubby's family in Philly and then we all head to Atlantic City where they have a condo. Hubby and I sneak off for a day or two to New York while the grandparents watch the wee one. Can't wait! It'll just be nice to get away for a little while. The whole bathroom thing is stressing us out.
Cheers!

Friday Five

1. How much time do you spend on the Internet daily?
I am on the internet all day at work and some hours at home, so I would have to say about 10-12 hours a day. I know...way too much!

2. What are your favorite 3 websites?
Internet Movie Database, Clevermedia (free games website) and other blogs

3. Do you eat at your computer?
Yes, usually breakfast and lunch

4. Pick one and why - Reading the news online or in a newspaper?
Online I can pick exactly what I want to read from many many different sources

5. How many people are on your instant messenger buddy list?
Zero! I don't like instant messaging. It's too disrupting to me.

Thursday Thirteen and some mindless rambling...

Well, since last week I did thirteen things I hate i thought I would do thirteen things I love this time around. Actually it's kinda hard to narrow it down.




Thirteen Things I Love

1. My family and spending time with them
2. My dog and 3 cats
3. My house (it's more than 100 years old)
4. My scooter and my car too!
5. Water (ocean, drinking, rain etc.)
6. Scary movies and just movies in general
7. Dirty Martinis
8. A gloomy day
9. England
10. Books, Books, Books (especially old books)and my bookstore
11. Dark Chocolate
12. Food and going out to eat (especially mexican & italian)
13. The color blue


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants




Just had a customer ask "What's with all of the dead things?" Sir, do you think they are real? Has no one heard of a haunted bookstore before? I know for a fact that ours is not the first. Maybe we are just a little to out there for Denver, who knows? Just bugs me sometimes. This was also coming from a guy who did not look like someone who would be shocked by "dead things". Just can't tell a book by its cover, I guess.

Somebody asked me about my scooter and what it looked like, so I thought I would post a picture that I took the other day. She is actually a year old now and I have so much fun with her. Here name is Miss Daisy. She gets about 110-120 miles per gallon and being the little speed demon that she is tops out at about 35 mph.

Baby love? Not!

Okay, so yes, I have a child, but no I do not love babies or kids in general. I don't dislike them, I'm just not all girly girl about them. When Hubby and I decided we wanted children, we tried and tried. Nothing. I went through all of the normal fertility crap and still nothing. This was extremely hard on our marriage and just in general. We finally decided to adopt. It was the best thing we ever did and I wouldn't change our little girl for all of the money in the world. Unfortunately we met her (on our first trip to Russia) when she was 13 months old and we did not get to take her home (2nd trip) until she was 16 months old. We missed all of the tiny baby things. Sometimes that kinda makes me happy and sometimes not. We don't know what she looked like when she was born and that gets to me sometimes. Anyway, we went through hell and back for a year to get her. By Colorado law you have to take 22 hours of parenting classes to adopt. Every kind of psychological and physical test known to man has to be taken as well. To say nothing of how expensive it was! And we did it legally. Anyway, it bugs me when I see some pregnant teenager who didn't have to do all that stuff and I find it a little unfair. I really don't like hanging around pregnant people of any age, but it's the teenagers that bug me. This brings me to my point. I don't like meeting babies! Especially babies of people I don't even know! For some reason when people pop out a child they feel the need to show every living human being what they have accomplished. I, for one, am not interested! If it's a family member or a close friend, of course I'm interested. I just finished crocheting a gift for a cousin of Hubby's that had a very cute little girl. I know her mother quite well and I have met the father a few times. I hope I get to meet her, since I know the parents and they are family. Today, though, something happened that set off this rampage. Without going into too much detail. Somebody, who I have met once or twice, was in the store today wanting me to see their child. When I heard they were coming, like the child I am, I ran out to do "errands". They waited and waited for me to come back. I don't understand why it was so important for me to see their baby! Especially when given the chance, twice earlier in the day, to see it and I didn't go then. I don't know what to say to babies. I'm not good with them. More importantly though, it makes me sad. It's hard for me to see what someone can do, but I can't. Plain and simple...I'm jealous! Again, I would not trade my little girl for anything, but I wish I had given birth to her. Putting all of that aside, though. I still really don't like other people's babies. When we got our daughter I sure didn't parade her about town. Taking her to see every single person I had ever met. People get a clue! Just because you had a baby doesn't mean everyone wants to see it. If they want to see it, they will find you. Don't worry! Some of us have reasons for not wanting to see your spawn.

Quizzes and Weird Ear

So, I did another quiz today. Big surprise, I know. I just love doing pointless quizzes, I always have. When I was in high school and college I was always doing those silly quizzes in the Glamour, Cosmo etc. magazines. I still love doing quizzes, but thank goodness I graduated from those silly magazines. Is it just my need to feel like I fit in with the rest of the world or to feel like I'm normal? I never have been by the way. I have always wandered around to the beat of my own drum. I spend a lot of time in my head and frequently get startled because of that. As anyone I know would point out I also have a serious case of "weird ear". One of the girls that works for me came up with that name, but it certainly fits. I rarely hear what people actually say. I hear something completely different. Often times very dirty as well. Sometimes just completely random. I think it's because I spend so much time in my head that I am rarely paying attention to what is going on around me. Here is a perfect example. We were watching an episode of Buffy last night. Buffy was talking about needing some kind of amulet to fight some demon or another. I heard that she needed an orange. I know! Sounds nothing like amulet, but I turned to Hubby and said, "She needs an orange?" He looked at me like I was insane, but he should be used to it by now. It's not like I do it on purpose, it just happens. What can I say? I am completely abnormal. At least I admit it. I also got way off topic. Hee Hee! Here's the quiz that I talked about. I got it off of Raging Rainbows site. I'm always on the look out for good quizzes. I'll do anything, no matter how stupid, so let me know if you know of a good one.

You Are a Peacemaker Soul

You strive to please others and compromise anyway you can. War or conflict bothers you, and you would do anything to keep the peace. You are a good mediator and a true negotiator. Sometimes you do too much, trying so hard to make people happy. While you keep the peace, you tend to be secretly judgmental. You lose respect for people who don't like to both give and take. On the flip side, you've got a great sense of humor and wit. You're always diplomatic and able to give good advice. Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul, Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?