Home > Black Sheep Betty > Archives > 2008 > October
October 2008
I’m a big chicken! Bawk. Bawk.
Who’s afraid of heights? Me! Me! Who went to Six Flags last weekend? Me! A group of friends went to Fright Fest. It was a great change of pace and I had a really good time. Everyone should go to Six Flags during Fright Fest. The lines aren’t near as long, and the temperature isn’t miserable. However, we went on on Friday night, so we only got to ride a few rides. I would suggest going on a Saturday to get the most out of your tickets.
And it’s not too late! Fright Fest ends this Sunday, November 2. There are shows, haunted houses and thrill rides. Order your tickets online here.
The first ride I was dragged toward was the Superman Tower of Power, which is 32 1/2 stories tall and reaches a speed of 45 miles per hour. I balked at first and refused to enter the line. Upon much goading I took my place in line. I think it took us about an hour to get through the line. The whole time I kept saying, “I’m not going to do this.” And I didn’t. When we got to the very front of the line, I ducked back the way I came. “Poof!” Jodi was outta there! And I didn’t regret my decision one little bit! My friends enjoyed the ride, and I enjoyed not getting on the ride.
So, am I a chicken? Of course! Do I care? Not really. I was happy to stay on the ground that time.
The Superman Tower of Power: The ride I wouldn’t ride. Watch to the very end to get a real perspective of this ride. Craziness.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Dancing in the kitchen
One of my favorite ways to relax is to crank up my radio as soon as I walk in my front door. I really could care less about my TV until it’s time to get in bed - even then sometimes it gets ignored for my stereo.
So, I pump up the volume and get busy … cleaning, doing dishes, cooking supper. And the fun is contagious. I sometimes catch my boys turning up the radio even more. Sometimes they sing along … and I even see them bust out dancing.
This is part of our routine and a great way to let loose. Am I the only weirdo who dances around my kitchen? (>: How do normal people unwind? … And mind you, I never said I dance well!
I probably look something like this: Hahahaha (Of course I’m usually jamming to Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Tom Petty, Aerosmith or Sublime.)
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment |
Dating psychos? Get proactive
How many of you guys have started out dating someone that seemed really great who turned less desirable and flipped the script? I imagine at least a few of you have experienced this. Or maybe you have psychotic tendencies yourself. Either way, check out the Web site datingpyschos.com. It’s a database where people report people who act psychotic in relationships.
Learn about datingpsychos.com
Check out this particular profile on datingpsychos.com. Funny, freaky stuff.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
‘Frightful’ survey results
A friend forwarded the following information to me last week:
Redbox recently asked customers nationwide to share their plans and preferences for this ‘frightful’ holiday, and the survey generated some great results. For example:
Trick-or-treating, watching scary movies, decorating, and attending a costume party top this year’s list of favorite Halloween activities.
The haunted classic “The Exorcist” is the best scary movie of all time according to respondents. Other scary movie favorites include “The Shining” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street”.
Nearly 20 percent of men and 50 percent of women admit they have turned off a scary movie because they were too scared to continue.
I plan on taking my boys trick-or-treating on Halloween. I have to admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. It seems more of a pain in the backside than fun. The search for costumes can be an agonizing process. And the stores make buckoos on a costume the kids are going to probably only wear once.
I’ve tried fall festivals. They’re a nice idea, but in the end leave me wondering what happened to Halloween. I may not enjoy going door to door, but it is the traditional activity to do with one’s children.
So, what do you guys do? Trick or treat? Fall festival? Watch scary movies?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment |
What’s in a sign?
I’m a capricorn. It’s generally accepted by people who put any stock in signs that people from my sign are practical, dependable, independent, hard-working, self-critical, trustworthy and ambitious. I wouldn’t say that I hold up to these characteristics 100 percent of the time, but they do apply to me. Supposedly, my biggest dislikes should be indecisiveness, game-playing and flightiness. Bingo there!
I don’t put any stock in generic horoscopes for the masses, but I think astrology is an interesting non-science. And when specific chart readings are done, it’s interesting how specific personality traits can be.
Two of my closest childhood friends are capricorns. I was born Dec. 29th. Friend two was born Dec. 30th. And friend three was born Jan. 11 (all in the same year). Friend two and I share the same general traits above. Friend three branches out a little more. We all have different talents, but are each extremely driven.
What do you guys think? Complete drivel? Some truth there?
Go here to find out about your own sign.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment |
My cookie monster
My three-year-old son, Luke Cash, has dubbed himself the cookie monster of our house. I made homemade chocolate chip cookies last night and was congratulating myself on being a good mother when things started to go wrong.
It started with one cookie for Cash. Then I caught him with a second cookie. Then I noticed he had something around his mouth that turned out to be cookie dough. When I caught him with a third cookie I finally got smart and moved the cookies to the top of the fridge.
But the damage was done. By now it was 8:30 p.m. and we were all in bed. However, unknown to me, Cash was jumping on his bed. I discovered this when he came screaming into my bedroom. He had jumped on his bed and smacked face-first into the wall. He had bit into his lip. Luckily, a little clean-up and some kisses was all he needed.
So much for being a good mother. I created a cookie monster. (>:
Hopefully, he won’t end up like this one:
Cookie Monster in rehab
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment |
Whatever you like?
It’s an urban Cinderella Story. Rich rap star takes woman flipping burgers away to his mansion on the hill in his jet. I actually think this song is a lot of fun. Apparently, Weird Al thinks it’s plain silly. He’s got his own parody that includes clipping coupons and eating Ramen Noodles. Unfortunately, for most of us, Weird Al’s version is probably closer to our realities. (>:
TI: “Whatever You Like”
Weird Al: “Whatever You Like”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Empathy from those on the fringe
I was shopping at the mall recently in one of my favorite stores, when I overheard a couple of clerks discussing how disgusted they were by how people in another store down the mall were making fun of customers with disabilities. They saw nothing cool about such behavior. Nor do I.
For all I bluster about feeling “different,” there are many people around us who aren’t different by choice. They’re born that way. These are people who should have our admiration, and what better time to focus on them than National Disability month?
According to a recent article in the Waxahachie Daily Light, National Disability month is about educating others that people with disabilites are very able individuals. They are people who have encountered life’s struggles through birth, through on the job or off the job accidents or simply aging. They have encountered a disability where they need some accommodations in order to obtain or maintain employment.
Walgreens is one company dedicated to hiring such individuals. More businesses need to pick up on this trend. And more people need to stand up in defense of those with disabilities. Who better to defend them than those of us who feel we live on the fringe? Shouldn’t we feel some empathy?
Mark Wills: “Don’t Laugh at Me”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment |
Colin Powell: A man to admire
Last week I blogged about how ‘blah’ politics has become and how unexciting this election is for me.
Well, the announcement that Colin Powell is endorsing Obama and would hold a top position in an Obama administration really caught my attention this morning.
I had the privilege of attending a lecture given by Colin Powell at the Ferrell Center about 12 years ago. Ever since I’ve been a huge fan of the man. I’ve often said I wished HE would run for president. And when he bailed on the Bush administration I knew we were in trouble.
At the lecture, Powell spoke about a life in which he’d pulled himself up by his bootstraps. He didn’t say this to brag on himself, but to encourage others to do the same. He spoke of the Cold War and sitting across the table from Gorbachev. This is a man who’s been there, done that.
Powell’s endorsement of Obama is a huge blow to the McCain campaign.
Read more about Powell’s life here.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment |
Bailed on Boy Scouts
I tried to do something positive for my son a couple of weeks ago. I enrolled him in Boy Scouts. I attended one meeting and made plans to attend their first big event: a camp-out. I was a little squeamish about Boy Scouts in general. I’m a very girly girl. I wasn’t exactly excited about the whole situation. But I was determined to try.
Well, the day of the camp-out arrived, and we got in place in the train of cars headed out to the camping spot. I had woken up sneezing that morning and already wasn’t feeling too hot. When we got there I felt this overwhelming sense of being out of place. I tried to talk to one lady and she looked through me like I was part of the scenery behind me. The other people had all been through this before and went about their business. Some were standing in small groups.
I stood in the middle of the field with my cell phone and felt stupid. I felt like I was 16 years old, standing in the middle of a new high school’s cafeteria, wondering who might let me sit with them.
I looked at my son who was playing and tamping down my guilt asked him, “Lane, if I take you to rent a game and go to Chuck E. Cheese, and we spend the day together, would you be upset if we leave?” He shrugged and said, “No. Do I really get a game?” And that was that. We got in the car and left. So much for Boy Scouts. I think I’m putting him back in guitar lessons.
I don’t know if leaving was the right lesson to teach my son. Maybe I should have made more of an effort. But I do know that as an adult I don’t have to stay anywhere I don’t feel comfortable.
Maybe I didn’t feel accepted because I was new. But, I didn’t have much of anything in common with any of these people, and I really didn’t want to try to make anyone like me.
I’m not saying they were judging me, but I can hear the tune to Harper Valley P.T.A. going through my head. And, no, I’m not a P.T.A. mom either. What a nightmare that would be.
Jeannie C. Riley: “The Harper Valley P.T.A.”
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment |
Got Guitar Hero?
Some of my friends and I are addicted to Guitar Hero. So is my 8-year-old son. The game comes with a “guitar” that has colored buttons where a fret board is on a real guitar. The gamer has to push the right colored button when it comes up on the screen in sync with a particular note, while strumming.
The game can be as easy as pie or so difficult you may want to toss the fake guitar across the room. (BTW. I’ve never given into that urge.)
Every night my son, Lane, begs me to play a few songs with him. So, I join him in his room and we conquer a few songs on our XBOX 360. Currently, Guitar Hero III - Legends of Rock, is our game of choice.
Parents, peers, if you haven’t tried this game out, you really should. It’s fun, but beware it can be addictive.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Adrenaline junkies
I’m hooked on the high-paced movies Hollywood has been coming out with. These are the movies that don’t slow down. Action is bam … bam … bam. And the body count just grows. These are the movies that have you saying, “Yeah, right. Like that could happen.” Well, once you get over that impulse and sit back and enjoy the ride, they are just a lot of fun! Give ‘em a try. Open your minds. Why not?
Wanted trailer
Shoot ‘em Up trailer
Crank trailer
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Election - blah!
Just putting my feelers out there this morning, wondering what my contemporaries are thinking about the election. Apathetic? Energized? Angry?
I’m apathetic and frustrated. Here’s my road to that icky place:
I used to get extremely passionate about politics. I was in debate in high school and loved it. I actually intended to go to Stephen F. Austin, get my degree in politcal science, go to law school and be a lobbyist (lofty goal, huh?). However, life interfered. I got married, had babies and got my degree in journalism instead.
Despite the career switch, my minor is in government. And I wrote political columns for the student newspaper at Texas Woman’s University. I was still very involved in politics and my blood pressure shot up about the tiniest legislation I cared about.
So what happened? Did working for a newspaper just make me completely cynical? Well, that’s part of it. But what really happened was the Bush era.
I was very liberal in high school (I wanted to work for Greenpeace). Then I swung really far to the right after I got married (I just became more conservative). My pet issue was gun rights - and honestly is still one of the only things I get passionate about.
Then Enron happened. The scandal painfully affected people I love directly. Then we found out there wasn’t a connection between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. However, I was still motivated during the last election to keep a Republican in office for a) my gun rights and b) to win the war abroad to keep it away from here.
Now, I’m just tired. We’re making gains abroad, but there is no end in sight. I hate a war we can’t WIN! And I’m afraid to keep a Republican in office for fear of what will happen to our economy. However, I hate the thought of what setbacks will be made to gun rights with a Democrat in office. And I don’t want a Democrat making us look like pansies overseas. I like a strong military.
So, who will I vote for? Heck, I’m going to keep that information to myself. But I’m sure not excited about my choices. And the cynical part of me says it probably doesn’t matter anyway.
Where are you guys at?
John Mayer: “Waiting on the World to Change”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment |
Corsets too sexy?
I made an indulgent purchase several months ago: A black and white corset top from Hot Topic (identical to the one above). Sadly, it was destroyed in my recent wreck by blood, dirt and glass.
So, now I’m on the hunt for a new one. I loved my corset top. It made me feel very pretty and was a lot of fun to wear.
There’s several options at Hot Topic, including the one I originally had. I’m wondering if any of you guys know of anywhere else to purchase them? And also what you think of them? Too sexy too wear in public? Or no big deal?
According to the Wikipedia: In recent years, the term “corset” has also been borrowed by the fashion industry to refer to tops which, to varying degrees mimic the look of traditional corsets without actually acting as one. While these modern “corsets” and “corset tops” often feature lacing and/or boning and generally mimic a historical style of corsets, they have very little if any effect on the shape of the wearer’s body.
Kate Beckinsale in Van Helsing wears a corset:
Also according to the Wikipedia: Aside from fashion and medical uses, corsets are also used in sexual fetishism, most notably in BDSM activities. In BDSM, a submissive can be forced to wear a corset which would be laced very tight and give some degree of restriction to the wearer. A dominant can also wear a corset, often black, but for entirely different reasons, such as aesthetics, and to achieve a severe, armored, “unbending,” commanding appearance. - Guess you’d need a REAL corset for that. (>:
Some corset tops currently available at www.hottopic.com.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment |
Wanna be a Panhead?
No, not the Harley. The fan, the fan of a band called Skillet.
According to the Wikipedia, the alternative, Christian, industrial rock band choose its name because the multiple genres were like “throwing it all in a skillet.” Diehard fans of the group are therefore called “Panheads.”
Well, I think I want to be a Panhead. This group not only has haunting melodies and beautiful vocals, but the lyrics speak to my soul - as corny as that sounds, it’s very true.
For example, from their song “Whispers in the Dark”:
No, you’ll never be alone
When darkness comes
I’ll light the night with stars
Hear my whispers in the dark
And from the same song…
You feel so lonely and ragged
You lay here broken and naked
My love is just waiting
To clothe you in crimson roses
I will be the one that’s gonna find you
I will be the one that’s gonna guide you
My love is a burning, consuming fire
WARNING: These songs are NOT offensive. (>:
Skillet: “Whispers in the Dark”
Skillet: “Better than Drugs”
Skillet: “Looking for Angels”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Eats, sounds and smells
I can’t believe how fast the fair sneaks up on me. And I’m always glad to greet its arrival. I’m already moving my long-sleeve shirts to the front of my closet. (Almost every year the last weekend of the fair turns breezy.)
My friend, Keely, and I are going out to the fair Saturday. She wants a candy apple and funnel cake. Me? I want a turkey leg. (>: Oh, and some of those awesome candy nuts they sell in the exhibit building.
This will be an interesting year for me at the fair. My ex and I actually first hooked up at the fair and went there every year together for the past twelve years. We bought fun passes almost every year (call us junkies). So, this will be a time of creating new fun memories with one of my best girlfriends. I’m actually really excited.
The only part of the fair I HATE is the midway. I detest being harassed by carnies who want to sweet talk me into paying money at their booth. If I want to play a game, the game itself will draw me in. I try to just walk through quickly, looking straight ahead.
I plan on parking myself near live music most of the night. Bring on the eats, sounds and smells!
(Oh, and to my friend Kristen, who’s recovering from getting her wisdom teeth taken out, we’ll be there NEXT weekend! Get better!!!)
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment |
Got trouble
My day started out with a flat tire and just hasn’t gotten much better. My blogspiration is stuck. So, today I’m posting that some days just aren’t fun. I’ve got trouble. We all have our bad days… I’ll try to be more positive and inspirational tomorrow…
Pink: “Trouble”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’
I splurged and bought myself a bargain movie the other day: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I watched it late last night. I haven’t laughed that hard through a movie in a long time. I saw the movie when it came out in 2003 (I think). But then I was married. Now that I’m dating I have a whole new appreciation for its humor.
The movie is about this magazine writer (Kate Hudson) who targets an advertising manager (Matthew McConaughey) for her next writing assignment: “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” She does all the things that women normally do wrong when they first start dating in an attempt to drive him away that blows up in her face. It’s hilarious. I love Kate Hudson in anything she plays, but she was just a doll in this movie.
Some of the things she does WRONG on purpose all within 10 days of meeting and starting to date this guy (in random order):
1) Has him go get her drinks in the last seconds of a Knicks game. 2) Leaves constant, whining messages on his answering machine. 3) Pretends she doesn’t eat meat after he makes her an elaborate lamb dinner. 4) Buys “them” a dog - a REALLY ugly dog that pees on his pool table and poker table. 5) Makes a Photoshop composite of what their children WILL look like. 6) Puts stuffed animals and feminine products all over his apartment. 7) Gives him annoying pet names “Benny Boo Boo Boo Boo” Gag. 8) Gives him a baby “love” fern as a symbol of their new relationship. 9) Interrupts the guys’ poker night and makes them put out their cigars. 10) Takes him to a tofu restaurant and tells everyone there he thinks she’s fat.
- Oh and tricks him into going to a Celine Dion concert. Haha.
It goes on and on. The sad thing is that a lot of us women are guilty of making these mistakes - at least to one degree or another. So, girls, let’s laugh and learn from these blunders. Do NOT buy your new guy a “love” fern or a dog - especially not the first week you’re dating. A little cheese is cute. A lot is just scary, girls. Lol.
So, what are the most common mistakes? Does anyone have any stories?
I’d say the biggest things to avoid would be: - Being clingy. We all need space. - Whining - Acting insecure - Acting jealous - Limiting their guy time - Talking too much about yourself
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days trailer:
