Thursday Thirteen -- 03/29/07 -- 25th Edition

Hello everyone! Welcome to my 25th edition of the Thursday Thirteen...as promised over at Haley-O's site (click over on the left column)...last week she did 13 celebrities that she just loves to hate -- WELLLLLLL I kinda got on a roll, and started...and then said Hmmm this would be a great start to my 13 this week...so here they are

OK here are the celebrities I love to hate that were NOT mentioned in Haley's post (although Tom Cruise?? I actually like him as an actor”When’s he gettin back in the plane!”).....

1. Anna Nicole Smith - OK almost dead a month, buried, let her rest
2. Nicole Richie - If it wasnt for her dad, she would be a nobody (same goes for Paris Hilton as well…but who’s counting right?)
3. Brittany Spears - put her in the same category as K-Slime…so she farted in her car yesterday…who gives a rip! This is NOT front page news. I farted at Taco Bell once (or twice) — it happens!
4. Angelina Jolie / Brad Pitt - again, who cares that they went to Vietnam (or wherever they went to) to get a kid - plenty of them here they could have had — alot less money!
5. Ty Pennington - Someday soon that megaphone is gonna get shoved right up your whooohaaaa!!!!!!!
6. Reality TV Hosts - Intervention is reality TV — American Idol, Deal or No Deal, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, LOST- these shows are just annoying - over-dramatized drama that has virtually no reality in it. The only reality is this - that with enogh publicity, any vote can be strayed, and at least once a year, some idiot gets a recording contract who doesnt deserve one - last year it was William Hung. Sorry, but reality TV to me is The Cosby Show, Intervention (A&E if you have never heard of it), The First 48 (also A&E) and Deadliest Catch.
7. Jessica Simpson - Just goes to prove, with implants, anyone can be a star - just look at Tara Reid (and that mess of a plastic surgery debachery)
8. Dick Vitale (ESPN NCAA Basketball Announcer) OK It was cute when he first did it “YEAH BABY! We’re tawkin basketball baby!”…his “BABY” days are far more annoying, overdramatized, and WAY over used and played for my likes.
9. Kobe Bryant -- what a smug, arrogant, ball-hogging, egotistical player you are...I think it is great that you took you team on your shoulders and scored 60...but to score >50 point in 5 out of 6 games....that my friend definitely put the "I" in team...you are your own entity -- but the 4 others you play with, I feel sorry for.
10. Simon Cowell -- Go back to England you freakshow! You and your smugness - do you get off belittling people? How drull!!!!
11. The Olsen Twins (cant remember if you said them or not now) -- Anyway, I dont care that they have soooooooo much going on in their lives they cant find time to eat, or party as much as they would like - welcome to the real world - CJ and Danny are still making money!! Get a job, grow up, and move on
12. Lindsay Lohan (YEAH I know she was mentioned) but if I have to hear one more heartbreak story (ok, one more story that just turns my stomache having to sit through) about her parent's divorce, and how she couldnt handle rehab (more like a week at the Hilton - if you want to see rehab, go on Intervention)....I swear I am going to ralf...they have NO idea what the real world is like...they would last a DAY in the shoes of most of us.
13. Vern Troyer -- You made a couple movies, and now you are downgraded to a 3rd-rate reality (not) TV show, where you piss in the corner naked on your scooter, and try to pick up Tracy Bingham when she is drunk....you got issues little man!

I hope you have enjoyed this...stick around and read other TT13s by clicking on the label ... and please leave a comment! Have a wonderful week everyone!

J-Dawg

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of this 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.

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thoughts of Times Past

Hello everyone . I am trying a new font - just to see if I like it or not -- Personally, I like it - what do you think? Let me know!

Anyhow, do you ever get those thoughts in your head, basically you are sitting there and all the sudden you think of something from your past, and it is so vivid, its like it happened yesterday?? The other day, I was talking to my buddy Bill, and all the sudden, a vivid recollection of days past entered my mind (grab a helmet, you might need one!) and all the sudden it was 1990, and I was back in Albuquerque. And not like the "OH, that was a nice memory"...NO, this was like "WOW, that happened just yesterday" kind of memory.

Wanna hear another good one?

Tonight it happened again! Heard from someone who I havent talked to in what seems like ages and forever, and all the sudden, like the last time we talked was yesterday.

Maybe its just the fact that I have so much going on in my life, my mind is trying to tell me not to forget the little things (and/or big things too)....or maybe my mind is in such an overdrive state that the only way to ground myself is to think of the things that bring back happy thoughts/happy feelings. Maybe its just all in mind

Nuff said there (like I said, grab a helmet)

Could part of it be that I have yet to accept the fact that the life I once knew will no longer be, and that anything I do to better my situation will only worsen it for me in the long run? For those of you who know what I am currently going through, you know what I mean. I try to take two steps forward to try and get ahead, only to be knocked back 3-5 steps...and right now, I feel like I am knocked down for a 10 count...and I no longer want to fight. As much as I try each and every day to look forward to that day in a positive manner, I find myself feeling low, down, down on myself, and lethargic to life some days. Like today...woke up to foggy clammy 45 degrees (after yesterday it being 81!)...just put me into a mood of BLAH and all I wanted to do was camp out and do NOTHING!! To quote the great Peter Gibbons (for those who have seen Office Space) "...I did nothing -- and it was EVERYTHING I thought it could be!"...and honestly, it was nice to do nothing today. I kinda wish I would have gotten out after 3pm when the sun FINALLY poked her head out from behind th foggy haze, but I didnt -- I just lulled in the corner of the couch.

As I sit here reading it for the third time, contemplating just hitting DELETE and not posting this I wonder this - would I be doing any good by typing stuff, then hitting delete instead of publish?

In the famous words of Arsenio Hall...."things that make you say HHHMMMMmmmmm!'

J

New additions -- and some baseball

Hello everyone!

You might notice there are some additions to the CHOICE READINGS section...these are fellow bloggers. Stop by and say HI to Haley-O, Mr & Mrs Duck (Philly Transplant and Mrs Philly Transplant), Southern Girl, and Dawn (from along the Broken Road).

Also, not to rub it in Dawn, but as I sit here typing this little message, I am watching the








take on your












I know you love the BoSox...I will have a hot-dog and a beer while I watch the game and hope that you are getting to watch the game in person :)

J-Dawg

NCAA Bracket Update (and so much for sleeping)

Just thought I would let you know that so far, I am 44-10 (although I lost my title winner but that is OK)...you can check out my up-to-date bracket HERE (it will open a new window).

Enjoy!

151 Questions

I found this on another TT13'ers blog and thought -- what the heck! I cant sleep anyway, so why not give it a shot, so here we go:

Below is a list of Life Events. Please post this on your blog, making BOLD the things you have done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (do now)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign (tried to in high school – remember Bill??)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Swam with the manatees (since there was no 84, I made it up!)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised (raising) children (child)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Travelled to Canada (another missing question?)
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived (close enough, was supposed to be in a car that I lost 2 friends on mine in)
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (Why would I do that?!??!!?)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (more times that some smaller PC companies)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ (and even got to show my skillz at my best-friends wedding!)
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon ( somedays, I cant even DRIVE a marathon, let alone RUN one!)

~~WHEW!!!~~~ OK I am ready to sleep now :)

J-Dawg

Thursday Thirteen -- 03/22/07

Hello everyone!!! Welcome to another edition of the Thursday Thirteen. This makes my 24th edition....I had to go back and recount today. I could have swore this was #25...but alas, I counted one where I said there wouldnt be one....SO....with that being said, 13 just random thoughts -- many I am sure will (in the famous words of Arsenio Hall) "...Make you say HMmmmmmmm!!!"

1. Today is was 40°F at 2pm, yet at 9pm tonight it is 58°F -- so what is it going to be -- SPRING (PLEASE!!!) or Winter? Please make up your mind.
2. I have been really bad about one of my commitments to get to those blogs who have taken time to visit mine - I REALLY am trying
3. TAGging is fun! This last TAG was a hit - thank you to those who participated
4. I am ramping up for baseball season. Now that my entire NCAA bracket is shot with Maryland losing, my bracket is toast
5. I am having a HUGE craving for crab cakes -- and I am not talking about that imitation crab you throw in a microwave! I am talking Maryland blue crabs made in a cast-iron skillet. MMMMmmmm with fresh tartar sauce I can taste them now!
6. I have to figure out how I want to spend this summer. I want to spend as much time with my kids as I can -- last summer I didnt get to spend as much time with them as I wanted to.
7. I have been doing a contest at work similar to "The Biggest Loser"....I did so good the first 5 weeks, but the last 3, absolutely horrible...this train has derailed.
8. I need to get a new thumb drive this week - my other one finally gave out - I thought it was going to. It started acting really weird, and then finally -- it died :(
9. I found a Dale Earnhardt racing flag (like you would fly at a racing event off your camper or truck -- a nice big one) -- thought I saved it in my favorites - went to find it - GONE! Now I cant find it - so if you ever see a DE #3 flag, let met know
10. Work has been really slow lately. I have actually had DAYS OFF...I know - its a weird concept - but its true! I guess that's what happens when there is limited freight to move
11. I think my next two days off in a row, I am going to gut my house and just put a bunch of crap i just dont need anymore in the trash (or donate to good will if it is clothes). I have way too much crap
12. I have promised a Green Bay Packer's program to a friend in FL for about a month -- it is actually in the mail!!! FINALLY!
13. I LOVE THUNDERSTORMS!!! I dont know what it is about them, but I have loved thunderstorms since I was a kid - there was thunder and lightning tonight :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

J-Dawg

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of this 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.


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

NCAA Bracket

I will keep updating the progress of my bracket
You can check it out HERE (it will open a new window)
HAPPY "Dancing"!!!

J