Twins!

Keegan

Enormous Thanks to These Women

I saw this, CNN.com - Females win fight for political power - Aug 20%2C 2004, article on CNN.com today. This week marks the anniversary of women sufferagists finally won the right to vote with the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

I have read a lot about the hell these women had to go through to finally convince men that they too need the right to vote. I feel very lucky to have this right and I think every woman should take the time and see what these brave women went through so we could have the same voting rights as our husbands, fathers, sons, brothers etc...

The Zit Aisle

Ok, so last night I had to stop off at Walgreens to pick up some things. And it dawned on me it was Aug. 23. That meant it was exactly 1 month until I turn the big 3-oh..So why is it I am in the skin care aisle not buying anti-wrinkle cream but products to get rid of zits? Who ever said having pimples is a phase should be kicked and then punched, hard. Suddenly I am having flashbacks to high school. And I am mad. I am mad because I don't want to be buying not only things to combat my zits but makeup to cover them and that won't make them worse. I'm 29 and 11 months, when is the phase over?

A Moment with Tiger

Hello Fans!

Happy to report I can get into Blogger from home again. I don't know what changed, but it works. In celebration, I thought I would share this great photo of Tiger. I know his fans have been clamoring for more Tiger so here he is getting comfortable IN the paper.

This Beers for You Mr. Bear...

A drunk bear drinking beer? Yeah, seriously...
CNN.com - Bear guzzles 36 beers & passes out at campground - Aug 19 2004

Ode to a Donut

Celebrated a belated birthday today at work. Krispy Kreme was the choice of b-day food. Here's my haiku celebrating the one I ate.

Krispy Kreme donuts
Yummy filled with lemony cream
Have to walk tonight.

Hopefully the b-day boy gets here before the dozen disppears.

Imagine my suprise...

I flip open my blog here at work and it's back to the beautiful way it was before the great crash of 2004 thanks to my Dad. I still can't get into my blog from work and it's hard to be spending too much time at work so he was so kind to fix it. Thanks!

I have been invited to Tampa Bay Blogfest 2004. I don't know if I'll go being it's in Tampa and it's a little drive and 2, I am a little freaked to receive an invite to a party where I don't know anyone..I have never read any of their blogs even..I dunno. Wonder how they found me....

Going dowwnnn...

Another reason not to drink coffee, the crashing effect you can get, like I have right now. I am ready to take a nap!

Happy BELATED 35th Wedding Anniversary to my parents. How awesome is it that 2 people stay together that long and still have a great time and are still crazy about each other? Pretty awesome. Congrats!

We were spared, Again.

I wanted to write sooner, but I can't seem to log onto my blog from home for some reason, am contacting Blogger to figure this out.

Pinellas County, Florida once again has dodged a huge bullet and we are so thankful. After seeing the damage in Southwest and central Florida we feel so lucky. It could have been us. And rightfully so since we haven't been hit since 1920 something. It is a reminder to take hurricanes seriously. They are unpredictable and powerful. If you can please pray for those who were affected. There is also ways to donate to them through the Red Cross or if you have a Sun Trust bank in your area they are accepting donations.

This whole experience was exhausting emotionally, but we are blessed to have a roof over our head today and so should everyone who does.

Oye...Charley!

Ok, it's hurricane all the time here now. TV has gone to continuous coverage and I think Saturday's paper will be all hurricane coverage for all and that's all. I don't think we are even running stock pages.

The hard part is that the paper is right next to a river and there is a good chance it will be evacuated. They shift operations to hotel ballrooms at the University of South Florida. I won't be there. I have been asked to take a mental health day and stay home since I don't have a laptop and we aren't sure what I could do. Although I am on call technically. I don't think it is going to be very therapeutic though, being at home when a possible category 3 hurricane, that's a storm with 114+ sustained winds. That's incredible. Tomorrow night may be a scary one. I don't know when, we know it will, the power will go out at home or for how long. Please pray for the state of Florida. We are going to need it.

Batten Down the *&!(!&! Hatches!

It looks as if Tampa Bay may be in for a close encounter with Hurricane Charlie tomorrow. I have been in this area for more than 25 years and never truly been through one. It's kinda insane here, I'm not sure what my role is at this point but I hope to be huddling at home. I don't get paid enough for this. Plus there's the issues of bridges to cross.

So I'm getting ready and I am here to say this is scary, I'm not gonna lie. I respect mother nature too much not to be scared.

Faye Wray RIP

Another celeb. died and this time it was film legend Fay Wray at age 96. Here's Dave Simanoff's tribute:

Film legend Fay Wray --
Once manhandled by King Kong
Now she's grabbed by death.

mine, not as good as last weeks...

King Kongs love has died.
First the freak and now Fay Wray-
Who is next this week?

Dave and I agree all celeb's deaths deserve a haiku.

Another Way to Goof Off.

Go to this site for another way to waste sometime. First catch the ball of paper and then get it into the waste basket. Addicting...

E-mail of the Day

It came with the title "Become a Lord or Lady Today." It claims that this company will sell you a souvenir plot of land in the Scottish Highlands making you eligible to be a Scottish "Laird" or the equivalent of a Lord or Lady. Only $69.99 and you're there.

Although I do think it is tied with the becoming ordained a minister so you too can perform Baptisms, Funerals and Weddings, among other things. The best line in the e-mail? Where it says Click Here to Learn How to Start Your Own Church.

At least there's something to make me smile first thing Monday morning.

Happy Birthday to You!!!!

Happy Birthday Honey!-Undated..

I wanted to wish a happy 30th birthday to my hubby. We have been enjoying the rare day off in style. We slept in. I made some waffles and we had the manditory gift giving. We are having dinner with some friends tonight.

So here I go....Happy Birthday to you.... Happy birthday to youuuu! Happy birthday dear Hubby! Happy Birthday to you!

Ode to Rick James

A haiku...

Rick James was a freak.
Farewell big pompadour hair.
Say "hi" to Weezie.

The superfreak died today at age 56.

Dave Simanoff's tribute haiku...

Very Freaky Corpse.
Don't Bring Him Home To Mama.
RIP Rick James.

Bye-bye low slung jeans!

I was really happy to read in the Wall Street Journal this morning that those god-awful low rise jeans are going out of favor making way for higher waisted pants and skirts. Thank God! I am so tired of seeing girls and women's asses and/or underwear poking out from their pants. Plus, unless you have a more than perfect body, they don't look right (although there are many who still wore/wear them). It also said that the "hour-glass" shape is coming back, you know more curves rather than being rail thin, what most women are not (you know shaped like boys).
This is one fashion trend I am glad to see going away!

I LOVE Internet Radio

Why has it taken me so long to find this Internet radio? It is the most wonderful thing ever! I want it where ever I go now. I was working out the other night and didn't want to watch the the workout DVD so I just typed in "dance" and there was all kinds of non-commercial dance music. It was awesome. I can NEVER not have high speed Internet now. If I only had a sound card here at work and some headphones I would never leave my desk.

I love this modern world.

P.S. I will be changing back Sarah Says to the old format oh so very soon. I can't stand the links being on the right side. I feel like my creativity has partially left me cause I don't like to even look at my website now.

Summer Under The Stars

Take this cute quiz from Turner Classic Movies to find out which famous movie character you would be compatible with. You get three choices at the end. I had Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gough in a Lust for Life, second was Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill and Mockingbird and third was Sidney Poitier in a Patch of Blue. All dreamy and lots of fun.

Diet Coke Can Kill?? Nooo!!!

I saw this story and I thought nooo!!! Diet soda MAY cause cancer? What other necessity is next? Ice Cream? Cheese? Life used to be much more simpler before you knew all these things that can kill you.

What the?

Was reading a story by the Associated Press today about a man and a women in jail who managed to get the women preggers and then the grandparents are suing the sheriff saying he's to blame and are demanding money to help raise the kid.

Am I the only one who thinks these people are insane? Shirking responsibility has come to an all time high.

Oye it Exploded!

A previous entry caused my blog to explode! I wanted to change it to something more fancy, but the fancier templates ALL won't let you have links on the side. I have to have links. It's the only way I find things. This is temporary...and still trying to move the e-mail  part to the right. It's being a pain. All in time. At least there is some order there.

Good news on the walking front. I start the actual dieting part tomorrow. But somehow, duck and all I lost three pounds last week. I think just cause I got off my butt and walked daily. Wish me luck.

Duck Remorse

Had a fabulous birthday dinner for hubby and hubby's father's wife (I know mom-in-law cooking for divorced husbands and wife, strange but it works somehow) at mother-in-laws. One a little early and one a little late.

Had some awesome stuffed duck. Duck is one of those wonderful treats one can just eat and eat. Very rich meat and the skin, you just have to eat it.  If that wasn't enough there was soup, cucumber salad (I'm not a fan of the cuc's but they love it), rice, potato mush (that's how I know to explain it-looks gross, tastes yummy), meat cakes (spices hamburgers is the closest thing I can explain as-tastes yummy) and of course the birthday cake. Was belching duck allll night. 

Walked an hour last night to try to make up for some of it. 10,100 steps total for the day, I figured I walked off the cake.

These shoes are made for walkin'

Today is the first day of walking my average steps from last week plus 2,000. I averaged a little more than 6,000 steps last week per day. So now I need to walk a little more than 8,000 steps for the next week. I'm doing OK today. Just decided at least once a day I will go upstairs and take a walk on the balcony. Warm up, see some nice views and get some walking. We'll see how this goes. This is a challenge for me because when I get busy at work I tend to forget to get up and walk so I will have to be very conscious of this.

I have to admit I really like that that Step Diet book says. To me it makes sense. It is about lifestyle changes and that's what I want for sure. I know I don't want to go through losing weight and then gain it back. I have done that way too many times.

I think by writing about this here I am making myself a little more accountable. I bought hubby a pedometer last night so I am hoping that we can motivate each other. One of the interesting facts I read in the book was that most people who successfully lose weight and keep it off for more than six years did it with support from others.

 

Wow.

We got a new Bloomberg computer at work. It has this awesome dual flat screen monitors. They are sweet. After sitting in front of them...all other monitors seem inadequate.  They are beautiful.

Wanna Take a Dip?

And you thought the pond was gone? 
 
It has been pretty rainy here in Central Florida since Friday night. I know we have gotten more than 6 or 7 inches here. The picture is the hole that we had in our front yard from the pond liner we took out. We were planning on filling the sucker last weekend and into early this week. Since it has been raining off and on since, mostly on, it has been impossible to do so. Hubby took this photo this morning. The hole was once again a pond. We are hoping for some sun so we can fill er' up and mow the law. We have a small jungle out back happening.

Ok, He Partied too Much!

CNN.com - Cheesy, nude Monn arrested - Jul 20, 2004

Story of the Day

From the Associated Press:  

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The party's over for four inmates accused of going on a beer run after the jail's doors were accidentally left unlocked.   The men were charged Monday with escape and bringing alcohol into a jail. 

The breakout occurred Thursday night after cellblock doors at the Hawkins County Jail were left unlocked and a faulty control panel failed to alert jailers, Sheriff Warren Rimer said. 

Two of the inmates walked out through a fire exit, leaving the door propped open with a Bible, and made a hole in the exercise yard fence. They walked to a market, bought some beer and returned to the jail to share it with other prisoners. When the booze ran out, the other two inmates made another beer run to a different store.

Authorities believe the inmates bought more than two cases of beer in all.   "I guess they thought if they came back they wouldn't be charged with escape," Rimer said, "but they were wrong."   The store visits did not raise alarm because the inmates were wearing street clothes borrowed from other prisoners. The crowded jail does not have enough orange jumpsuits to go around.  

Have to love this story. They came back!

 

 

Olympics, Just the Way They Were..

Was reading this great article from the Associated Press about the ancient Olympics today. Talked about these olive-oiled up athletes who were like rock stars when they won. Here's some excerpts:

"The setting for the earliest Olympic Games some 3,000 years ago was both a sanctuary of soaring marble temples and a foul, drunken shantytown plagued by water shortages, campfire smoke and sewage. The athletes, glistening from olive oil, (yummy!) competed naked. Gymnasiums were restricted to keep the sex trade from overrunning events on the field.  
 
With the 2004 Summer Games set to begin in Athens on Aug. 13, archaeologists and scholars are demythologizing and viewing the original Olympics as they really happened.   Contrary to the modern stereotype, the games weren't tightly scripted Homeric epics in which warriors dropped their weapons every four years to honor the twin virtues of amateur sport and brotherhood."

 and

"The ancient games were held in a remote valley. Forty-thousand spectators crowded a hillside above a sacred precinct containing some of the greatest temples in the empire. Sport, they believed, was a high tribute to the gods, who favored the athletes who won.   Before the games, athletes pledged their piety as they were paraded past a row of statues of gods and former champions that were paid for from the fines of disgraced cheaters. At the feet of a 40-foot statue of Zeus - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world - they sacrificed oxen and boar and roasted hunks of the flesh in a sacred flame."

"A few events have persisted over the millennia, like the discus, javelin, running, wrestling and boxing - although the ancient versions often had different rules. Other events vanished with the empire, like the full-armored sprint and the pankration - which resembled a bar fight that allowed finger-breaking and genital punching." Now that would be interesting.

and finally...

"These champions were the Michael Jordans of their day, showered with fame and prizes, including huge annual stipends and prized commodities like the best olive oil, free meals and theater seats, hometown parades, statues and sex partners.   The shamed losers, according to the poet Pindar, would "slink through the back alleys to their mothers."

Now those would be some interesting events to attend. I am ready for the Summer games to start. I always have enjoyed watching the Olympics and I think it is cool that it is in the birth place again, well, if they actually finish everything and the lights don't go out.

 

 

 

Friday..friday!

My brain is feeling a little frazzeled today. I just noticed that that Blogger made some pretty cool changes.
Now I can

• change fonts,
•  colors,
•  sizes
• upload photos directly instead of through
• and easily make lists and bullet points . 

Pretty cool. This little thing is getting better and better!

So what started off as frazzled brain post has become a happy Sarah.

 

Walkin' in Tampa Bay...

Wearing a pedometer for the first time today. I picked up a copy of the Step Diet last week and am reading my way through it. It says to wear the thing for a week and average it to see on the average how much you walk. 10,000 steps is supposed to be in the weight loss range. I know I am no where near that being I am pretty sedentary at work. I looked earlier today and was up to just under 3,000. Not too good. But they said try not continue your normal schedule so not to skew the results. From the average you add 2,000 steps and slowly work your way up. This makes sense to me. The little pedometer doesn't lie. In my head I may believe I walk a lot more..

Am trying to do something more. It is a little bothersome and it rattles slightly...but I have to give it a try.

Three Years and Counting

Sarah and Laszlo July 14, 2001 

Today is my three year wedding anniversary. We have been an item since 1992, but made it official three years ago today. And yes, it is also Bastille Day!

In honor I am wearing the necklace and earrings from that day. That way, anytime I want, I can have a little extra reminder of that day.

No sloppy romantic stuff to say. Just something sweet and short. I am lucky to have the hubby I do and look forward to enjoying the years to come.

Not Right..

I am just not quite right today. My mind isn't working the way it should and I was never able to get that rhythm going. I am just off somehow. That and my tummy is a little upset. But I am happy it is almost time to go home.

Got a new reporter today. He's from Deluth. I wonder what he thinks about the Florida summer? But come December he will love it here I guarantee it. He might have to invest in some more shorts though.

A House Isn't a Home Without a Tree

Hubby and Tree 

This is hubby with the lovely live oak tree we received for a wedding anniversary present from my parents. We had just finished planting it. Somehow my parents got that home in my dad's Avalon. Could you see that going down the road sticking out the back? I wish I could have had a photo of that one! We came home from work and there it was...I like it!

I am on a quest to find more plants/trees too. Found a local women who is a master gardner with the county extension office who is willing to splint plants with me. How cool is that? And a friend has a tree the city is about to chop down to make room for a sidewalk...we think we'll try to dig that sucker up too. I don't know much about plants and gardening..but I'm learning.

Moi? Mean?

I've been told I've been mean writing about Randy, the co-worker who sits next to me at work. See, I'm not trying to be mean. Just explaining a situation and a guy who offers something different to talk about. Heck, he makes fun of himself too for being disorganized and how he constantly looses things. It's kinda funny actually because I have gotten to kinda like the guy. He cracks me up at times and I admire that he doesn't sit around at home but likes to travel a lot and has seen more of Florida in the past 3 months than I have in years.

So tell me. Am I really being mean? Should talk of the Randimonium cease? Although I was reminded this morning that my motto is "If you don't like it, get your own blog."

Quote of the Day

"If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job."
- Malcolm Forbes

Oh Malcolm, this is soooo true.

Our hair's better than your hair?

Ok, this is just silly.

CNN.com - Our hair's better than your hair - Jul 8, 2004

Why did they even go there?

Politics Please

Ok, so I try to stay out of politics here. I am so sick of hearing from all of them frankly. They all lie and say what they think you want to hear so they will elect you. Most are rich, old white men who have very little to do with what I believe. So I stay away, until now.

I've added a cool new blog under But Seriously... It's called WatchBlog. What's different is that it doesn't just concentrate on one side or the other. It is split three-ways. To your left (how appropriate) is the democrats, the middle the Independents and on the right all about Republicans. A variety of topics are covered. And it's actually kinda of funny at times.

Back to the Grind

Almost forgot how lovely having two days in a row off was. I was telling hubby that I actually felt refreshed last night and I didn't fear falling asleep at the desk at work. Wonderful. The bummer? I don't know when the next day I will get off. There's no holidays till September and it's on a Monday so it's a single day. Although a friends wedding is that Saturday afternoon and I will not be working that day. So I have to look forward to right now is lots of work Monday-Friday and hot weekends. Kinda depressing really. I guess I have to get sick to get a day off now.

It's 4:20 and I Wanna Go Home

Man, it's the afternoon before a holiday weekend that I actually get some of it off and I don't want to be here anymore. It's hard to concentrate on work when all you want to do is play, and the guy next to you is mumbling on about whatever and stuffing his mouth with food as usual. Well...at least it's not that long left.

I'm ready. Are you?

Reason to Love/Hate the Commute

While crossing the Howard Franklin Bridge the other day I was thinking how it's not that bad of a drive, really. I get home in the same time as many who drive to Brandon, North Tampa, even Plant City sometimes. I mean, I get to look out my window and see a body of water (this picture can't do it justice).


Could Be Worse Eh? 

But then I realize, there's still traffic. And on this day lots of it.

Traffic! 

Have You Met My Good Friend Stanley?

Ok, so I wasn’t feeling too hot last night so I didn’t get around to putting these babies up. Yeah, I know I’m behind the Daily Dave and Side Salad, but here we go. We’ll Call this…Sarah’s Quest for the Cup!


Quest for the Cup 
This is some of the line waiting to meet Stanley. But hey…is there a better way to spend a half an hour of your workday?


Daal, Dave and Britt 
These are the guys and baby elephant I endured the line with. Well, it was mainly enduring the sickening sweetness of the two lovebirds. And Daal getting sooo excited at the thought of finding peanuts in the Stanley Cup that he almost jumped for joy out of Dave’s hands.


Daal climbs Stanley 
Here’s Britt helping Daal climb Mt. Stanley. The excitement is high here!


I love that guy! 
Here I am from farther away me with Stanley. It was hard not to kiss him.

And FINALLY!


Say Hello To My Little Friend...Stanley! 

Happy Birthday to Youuu!!!

A VERY happy birthday to friend and co-worker Dave Simanoff! He turns, well I know it's not nice to reveal older folks ages, so I won't. There is yummy cake in his future today as well as some really bad singing from our staff.

Other famous people's birthdays:

Princess Diana, Twyla Tharp (choreographer) and Carl Lewis (famous athlete).

Famous things that happened on July 1, besides Dave being born, which is huge to begin with:

1863: The Battle of Gettysburg started, which was the turning point of the Civil War.

1963: Post office first started using 5-digit zip codes.

1997: After 156 years of British control, Hong Kong was returned to China.

I Hugged the Cup!

Lord Stanley's cup is downstairs. I just got back from visiting it and getting my photo taken with it. Shared the journey to the cup with Dave and Britt, the baby elephant Daal and a host of Media General employees. Even though it is my second visit with the cup, it was here during the NHL All-Star game a few years back,it was still awesome. So much history in one trophy.

Pictures to come tonight.

Overheard in the Newsroom

"No, I was not pregnant, I was just retaining lots of water." - Dave Simanoff

I Know the Secret of the Da Vinci Code..

The Da Vinici Code  

The The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is truly two books.

First it is a masterful mystery novel. Second it is a political book that has a very specific agenda.

The story is good and the author did a really good job with writing a book with lots of twists and turns that keeps the reader interested. It does get a little long at times and unfortunately I guessed the family secret early on but I still enjoyed it. It was intelligently written and had lots of interesting things to say.

With that said I do see Brown's agenda, it is to discredit the Catholic Church, and in turn takes down all Christian religions, in any and every way possible. I do understand there were/are many bad things the church has done...but I also am Catholic and this book has not changed that or my practices. But I knew understood that when I got into reading this book. So I will go with the fictional story Brown told and say it was a pretty good mystery. You have to read it yourself to find out where to find the Holy Grail.

Breaking Potter News

According to the AP the next Harry Potter book's name is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. So it's about someone 1/2 magical and 1/2 muggle I imagine. There's no word on the release date yet. Hopefully it's soon. I am terrible about waiting patiently.

Also, the Stanley Cup will be in the newsroom tomorrow. Will be taking photos. Nothing like touching the People's Cup! Yes Laura and Greg, you MUST be soo jealous!

The Randyman Can...

Here's a tribute to my neighbor Randy at work as created by the Mistress of the Doodle, Pat...sang to Sammy Davis Jr.'s Candyman..

"Who can lose his cell phone? Eat a bag of goo? Buy a bag of pretzels and demolish it by 2? The Randyman can ...."

She's very talented that one..

Harry's Growing Up

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban 

Saturday night we went and saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This was different than the other two movies. This Harry is getting older and bolder (as well as more handsome I think, but that's another story.) Harry meets his godfather Sirius (said like serious) Black and more about his parents and their past. This is a really building a bridge to the next installment where serious stuff starts to happen.

What is cool about this movie is that the new director brought a new set of eyes to everything. You see so many parts of Hogwarts that were not shown. It was visually stunning. From Harry's ride on Buckbeak, the exciting Quidditlach match played in a monster thunder storm to the freakish dementors, it was a feast for the eyes.

I was a little disappointed though. (I know, anytime you read a book first it happens)I felt some of the charm of the book was really missing. I just felt more satisfied with the first two on how true they were to the book. I thought that the explanation at the end was too brief and was left to ponder if you hadn't read the book would you really know what is truly happening. I'm not sure you would. But never-the-less, this movie was entertaining. From the purple Knight Bus that squeezed between two buses to Emma Thompson's wonderful portrayal of Prof. Trelawney, there were some gems to be found. You know I'll be looking to pick up a copy of it when it comes to DVD.

I finished the Da Vinci Code the other night. Will give my impressions soon.

It's Randimonium!

I had an editor stop me in the mailroom to tell me that she is concerned for my safety. She's afraid the pile on my deskmates side of the desk is going to consume me. I am little worried too. Who knows what may fall out of the pile? Or what? When you leave food wrappers sitting around...you just NEVER know.

Overheard from him today: "I thought I had yesterdays Times on this desk. Have you seen it?" I don't know where even to begin looking I told him.

I would like to take a photo, to show the rest of the world what I sit next to, but he's been her most mornings when I remembered my camera. May a friend with a phone camera will take a picture for me, so the flash won't be so noticeable.

Run! It's Randimonium!

I'm Arthur, King of the Brits!

Found this cute quiz. Makes me want to watch the movie!

"Bring out your dead!"


You are King Arthur of the Britons!
You like to hear yourself talk a lot, namely about
some damn grail. Those closest to you are just
there to serve you and bang your coconuts
together. For some reason Mystical beings come
to you and set you out on quests. If only more
people understood you, perhaps you'd get that
grail afterall.


What Monty Python Holy Grail Quest Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Genealogy of my Scarf

I love scarves. I don't think I have the right body to wear them all the time, especially around the neck like I would love to, but I love em' anyways.

Today I woke up and thought, I want to wear a scarf! I pulled out a long, relatively thin one, with green bands on the outside and some flowers towards the ends that come to a point. First around the neck it went. It looked cute, but too constrictive for me today. Then I started playing with it. I have never tried to wear one in shorter hair (since I haven't had short hair that many times the chances of my trying it aren't as high). Today I am. Very summary with the long ends trailing down the back.

This is a special scarf to me. It was my Grandmothers. My mom's mom. After she died we were in her apartment going through her things. It was sad, but interesting. You really learn a lot about a person when you sift through their belongings. Really you are sifting through their life in a way.

I chose to bring home this scarf. It's not beautiful and it has a small stain. But to me it is beautiful because who it belonged to. So I'll continue to try to find different ways to wear it and enjoy it because wearing it makes me smile.

Oh No, Make it Stop!

The other night hubby and I were watching a little TV and he stopped at a show called Pride on A&E. It's a made for cable movie about a "pride" of lions that talk. It stars actually some big stars including Kate Winslet. It looks like those TV commercials that show talking animals, but it's longer and kinda obnoxious. It's like the Lion King but not really.

Picture of the Day

Oh Mrs. Mophead, Your Scarf is Lovely! 

I was crusin' eBay looking at vintage scarves and came across this. Apparently Mrs. Mophead is used in all this sellers pictures. Just a little something for everyone to smile at.

Any other suggestions for a title for this picture?

Never Know What You'll Find!

The Wall Street Journal had a great article today about a used bookstore in New York City called the Strand. It seems that people often forget to flip through books before selling them. It talks about all the interesting things the clerks find in them.

From naughty photos, birth certificates, famous writers notes, arrest rap sheets and letters to historical documents and photos. Here's some fun excerpts:

At the Strand's main desk, Richard Lilly said, "Let this be a warning to those who don't look through books before they sell. Bored clerks see it all." He laid open a copy of "Diverse Images - Photographs From the New Orleans Museum of Art." Lodged between pages 62 and 81 was a spent bullet. "Another piece of a life that can't be tracked," said Mr. Lilly, who runs the Strand's art department. "It could be worse. At least there's no blood."


"Yesterday, I found this really cool picture of this naked wrestler guy," Ms. Thompson says. In the fiction department, Ben McFall says: "I have a collection at home, which I can't bring in, of men in negligees. How do these things get away from people?"
Easily. A letter from Mrs. Robert E. Lee once dropped out of an old novel at Main Street Fine Books in Galina, Ill., birthplace of Ulysses S. Grant. Books from the Crypt in Gaithersburg, Md., found a 1933 horse-race tip-sheet in a 1938 copy of "Astounding Stories." Christmas Every Day, a used bookstore in Dallas, acquires leftovers from Christmas dinners in leftover Christmas books.

and

Snippets caught in books never solve these mysteries, but a while ago, Will Bobrowski did add up some clues. He was shelving a book on the Third Reich when an envelope dropped out. Two letters were inside: one from a woman to a Dr. Muller in America; and one signed by an Albert Kesselring. There were two snapshots: one of a group of Nazi officers standing at a table, and another showing one of them leaving a building with Benito Mussolini.
"I went crazy doing research," Mr. Bobrowski says. Soon he knew that Field Marshal Kesselring led Hitler's forces in Italy, was convicted of war crimes in 1947, was pardoned in 1952 - and was the man walking out of that building with Mussolini.

Just a reminder to flip through those books before donating or selling them. You never know who'll be reading you personal papers.

Quote of the Day

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt, 'This Is My Story,' 1937

I saw this and I really liked it. I see this happen so often where people base their self worth and base it on how others tell them it should be. The allow people to put them down so often and never fight back. Also, I am a big fan of Eleanor Roosevelt. That women should have been president. She was way ahead of her time.

Happy Dad's Day!

Father's Day 04' 

Happy Father's Day to all Dad's out there! Spent a nice evening with my father tonight. A nice dinner, lovely conversation and some yummy drinks.

The picture is him with a lovely shirt that came from one of my sisters. Very nice.

I wanted to take this moment to thank MY dad for all the awesome things he has done for me and my family. I didn't understand why he did many things when I was younger, but now that I am an adult I am seeing it and hearing myself saying things that have come out of his mouth. I am very lucky to have a Dad like I do. And in case you haven't heard it enough, thanks Dad, I love you!

Wife Carrying Contest

According to a NY Times article, the World Wife-Carrying Championships is July 2-4 in Finland. Yes, I typed correctly, wife-carrying. The husbands carry their wives for 250 yards through a land and water course. And the winner received the wifes weight in beer. Apparently the Estonians have won more than anyone else and the event is incredibly popular.

Sounds like a redneck sport to me. It's good to know there's rednecks everywhere in this world and not only hiding out in Plant City, Lakeland and Pinellas Park Florida.

Overheard in the Newsroom

"You're not going to use the good bacon are you?"

If all of you could have seen the face on the guy who said this to his wife and how serious he was, you would see just how funny this is.

It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

Rocks Anyone? 

These are all the rocks that came out of my front yard. And hubby said there were a couple that will remain in the ground. Which is fine. He got the liner to the pond up yesterday and was very happy with himself. I would be too. It was grueling and he did the really hard part. Now we have to move all the dang rocks!



flower 

This is one of the canna lilies from my front yard. It's blooming like nuts right now. These were one of the suprise plants to show up.

This just in, Madonna's now Esther?

Saw this from a wire report this afternoon...

By Daniel Rubin
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
From this day forth, Madonna shall be known as Esther.
So sayeth the 45-year-old Material Girl-turned mystic in an interview scheduled to air Thursday night on ABC.
From the mother of Jesus to the Queen of the Jews - we're kvelling!
The singer formerly known as Madonna, a student of the ancient Jewish Kabbalah, told the news magazine "20/20" that her mother, also Madonna, "died when she was very young, of cancer, and I wanted to attach myself to another name. ... This is no way a negation of who my mother was. I wanted to attach myself to the energy of a different name."
The Old Testament's Esther saved her people by appealing to her husband, the Persian King Ahasuerus, nearly 500 years before the New Testament's Madonna gave birth to Jesus.
The modern-day Esther is now on her Re-Invention tour, appealing to Madison Square Garden fans this week in a glittery bustier, black short-shorts, and thigh-high boots.


You know, you think she would have learned from Prince and the whole changing your name thing? But noooo... And Esther? Sounds like an old Jewish lady, well, I guess with her studying the Kabbalah so much, she's just about there.

America's Favorite Cat??

I don't know about that, because I am partial to my lovely cat Tiger, but I do know that Watson the cat is pretty funny. Visit his new web site at
America's Favorite Cat - The Good Life in Alabama. The cat has pretty good computing skills and a way with words. I'm adding him under distractions.

Favorite Posts from the Past...

Monday, August 25, 2003
Feelin' Perky!
Well, after a monstrous cup of crappy office coffee I am feelin' fine. I am typin' really, really, REALLY fast right now and am getting LOTS of work done. Maybe I should drink bad coffee every day so I could get all of my work done by the end of 2 days instead of 5! Sounds fabulous to me.

I always love to read what I wrote when I was hopped up on the coffee. It's like I'm a different person.

And this story cracked me up too.

Friday, August 01, 2003
Can Stupid People Kill You?
Thanks to Skippy Simanoff for pointing out this great article from the Weekly World Report.

Here's the great opening:
Idiots in the office are just as hazardous to your health as cigarettes, caffeine or greasy food, an eye-opening new study reveals. In fact, those dopes can kill you!

Well, as with anything in the Weekly World Report, take this with a grain of salt. :-)

Oh! And a BIG thanks to Skippy for bringing me in the COOLEST pen ever! When I get home I will have to take a picture of it and post it. Do you have a Rockem' Sockem' frog boxer pen? I do! Thanks again!

Very funny. I still have the Rockem' Sockem' light-up frog boxer pen. And it's still the coolest pen on my desk.

Quote of the Day.

Saw this one on the Bloomberg machine this morning and thought it was funny...

"No man goes before his time--unless his boss leaves first." - Groucho Marx

How silly. It doesn't work that way around here being bosses come and go in my department. I'm on my third main boss and been through 4 sub-bosses. People go when the new bosses come usually.


And a quick thanks to Pat for the cool plant she brought in for the new house. It's cool. We're not sure what it is, but she says they really grow well. Another plant note, one of my red plants out front not has a beautiful bright orange flower on the top and it looks like there's more to come. I took a picture this morning and hope to get it up here soon.

Post of the Day

This is another of my favorite posts from the past year.

Friday March 5, 2004
Ding Dong the Witch is Dead!
Omorosa got fired last night on the Apprentice. Yeah! Finally the manipulative, nasty bitch got the can. And apparently she is thinking about suing Trump because she was subjected to unsafe conditions when the tiny piece of plaster fell on her head and gave her a "concussion." And I loved her little piece at the end in the cab where she trying to teach to the nation. But man she must have low self esteem..."I know that I am a good person..." Ha! Bye bye babe...

On a nicer note, I wanna welcome back Skippy to work, we are glad he is feeling better. Work is just not as fun without him.


I liked it because it reminded me of watching The Apprentice this Spring and chatting about it with friend Cherie at work. I also liked it because someone had the gumption to accuse me of being a racist just because I said I disliked Omorosa. I disliked Katrina too, and thought that she was mean and manipulative too. Bad joke if it were one.

And it still stinks when Skippy's out from work, cause it isn't as much fun. Even more so since there are fewer fun people left.

Well Done

The Five People You Meet in Heaven 

I finished Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven last week. I had lower expectations for this book from other reviews I read but I cam away pleased to have spent time with this book.

The premise of this book is simple, and luckily Albom stays true to it by not dragging it out too long or making it more complicated.

Eddie, the 83 year-old main character works at a small theme park by the Atlantic Ocean and has spent the majority of his life growing up and working there. In a freak accident he dies. The author contends that when you die the first thing you will do it meet five people from whom will make sense out of why certain things happened in your life. And for Eddie it explained why some life altering this happened to him and how some things that happened to those around him ultimately affected him. And what it comes down to is that we are all connected even though we are not often aware of it. And when you are done with your people you will provide comfort and understanding to those who you affected.

Simply written and simple ideas. It's a nice change to read something like this. This is a nice summer read.

Friends who have left...

Looking back over Sarah Says I am amazed at how many people have come and gone from my place of work. Sarah Says is a chronicle of this fact. Since last year:

I have lost 2 bosses, gained 1.
Jo-Ann, Cherie, Andrew, Katrina and Jerry have left. (I am the last woman standing.)
Alan and Randy have joined us. One is in the wings...hopefully he comes.

Notice we are not replacing as fast as they leave. Is this an indication of the problems here? Probably. Wonder who's next?

On a better note, I finished The Five People You Meet in Heaven, review coming soon.

Sarah Says Turns 1!

Cake seems appropriate 

Sunday will be Sarah Says' first anniversary. I thought I'd get a head start with a look back at some of my favorite posts. I'll be revisiting the past year of Sarah Says for the next week. But here are some of MY favorites.

Remember the first post?

June 13, 2003
Howdy!
Well, since it seems everyone is doing it, I thought it was time that I did too, have my own blog! While I am trying to figure this whole thing out it might not be that pretty or interesting, but wait, it'll happen. Oh yeah! So sit back and enjoy and if you have suggestions get your own blog!

I still say if you don't like it, get your own blog!

Sickness in the workplace....

June 24, 2003
SARS Could Be Sitting Next to Me
Co-worker Andrew Meadows just got back from Toronto (SARS Central). He was attending his brothers nuptials. I told him that the first cough or sneeze from him and he's outta here. Wonder if I bought him one of those medical masks he would wear it?
Hey, I only have 2 sick days left, I have to be cautious.

Now I just have a sweaty guy from New Jersey sitting next to me, don't know which is better...

Personal Grief...

Wednesday, September 24, 2003
One Year Ago Today.
One year ago today my family lost a son and a brother, a cousin, a nephew, a grandson.

One year ago today many lost a friend, a confidant, a leader, an organizer, a listener.

One year ago today my brother Paul died unexpectedly. One year ago today parts of my family's hearts died too.

It still hurts. A lot.

There are so many times I read things or hear things I would have wanted to make sure I told him. Jokes and goofy stories and breaking news that I thought I would have heard first only to be told he knew. Although the one thing I didn't get to tell him before he died is how much I thought of him. How much he meant to me. How much I love him.

Paul I miss and love you.

I miss him more than ever.

and last for tonight Pancakes!

Nov. 6
From Cheese to Pancakes
Dave and his very complimentary spouse Britt seem to have gotten a little food poisoning from eating at I-Hop over the weekend. Sister Chef says most likely it had to do with some cross contamination, with some meat or something.

This set off a range of pancake songs. I have to say I love breakfast foods. So it's not too hard to come up with songs like:

when you're feeling hungry...
... for breakfast food ...
... what ya gonna eat?
... hot pancakes!

Pancakes are tasty ... pancakes are fun ... if you don't eat a pancake
... your breakfast isn't done!

Pankcakes...sticky, warm and buttery pancakes, I love the way they are...

It's a pancake life for me it's a pancake life for me! Instead of cereal we get pancakes, instead of waffles it's pancakes I-I crave...it's a pancake life!

There's others...but I sent them yesterday and I can't remember what I wrote...but you get the idea...Pancakes are yummy! I don't know if as yummy as cheese, but up there! Especially the ones my mom makes...she's really talented in breakfast making department.

You can't go wrong with pancakes.

Join in the celebration! Have a favorite memory/post? Let me know. But if you're like me, you won't remember either, I had to go back and read the archives. Help yourself and lets celebrate one year of what I had to say!

Holes, holes everywhere!

See all the lovely rocks? 

This is only halfway. 

This is how my front yard looked after I began digging it up last week. Thanks to hubby's help it's even better. On the second photo you can see the small tree in the back ground...that's where the hole stretches to and there's lots of water down there along with large rocks and lots of stones. We have to move most of it to get the pond liner out. It's hard work. We have started calling it the beginnings of our moat. We're worried what else is down there...maybe we'll find Jimmy Hoffa?

Say Hello to My Little Friend...

Denise and Baby Amy 

Meet my good friend Denise and her new daughter Amy Lynn. I got the chance to drive over to Valrico to visit with them last week while on vacation. Amy was born the Tuesday evening before Easter. We had a blast. Denise made me grilled cheese, which is a fav. of mine and I got to hold her precious girl. She didn't scream actually, which since I am not often around small babies was an honor, so I must have been holding her OK. We had a chance to catch up which was nice. We have been friends since high school and I am so glad we still are.

Coming soon to a Sarah Says near you...the holes in my front yard. I have to take some new photos to show the true scope of how many large rocks and amount of pond liner is buried in my flower garden area...you guys will LOVE it!

What's In a Name?

Was crusin' the net this afternoon and came across this great little article about naming children and all the craziness surrounding some of the horrendous and too typical names out there. I just thought I'd offer up this guys silly article as some fun reading.

Hatch Magazine - What's In a Name?

Scattered and Unclear

Sometimes I Dream in Italian 

I finished reading Sometimes I Dream in Italian by Rita Ciresi last night. I have mixed feelings about this book.

The first 1/3 of this book was really good. It was often funny and touching. It started out about life of Angel and her older sister Lina growing up in an dysfunctional Italian family. But then Ciresi seems to lose her way. Suddenly you are in different time frames which aren't explained and you are continually dropped into scenes this way. The books sinks into crude commentary and too many stereotypes at times. I really wanted to like this book because it started so well. I can see the potential. But the author seems to have lost her sense of which way the book should have gone and it never came back around. Even the ending didn't really bring any closer and left we thinking what the heck? I didn't get the reference on the last page that the author seemed to expect everyone would.

Next I'm reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Album. He's the acclaimed author of Tuesdays at Morries.

Lightning Lose??!

According to the Tampa Tribune's editorial page today the illustrious Lightning did us proud but lost. So now the Tribune is the talk of the town, but in a bad way. Here's the appology from the editorial page editor:

Dear Readers,
We took a puck in the gut this morning when we published the wrong editorial about the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup final on Monday night.
We apologize to the team and to the fans for our terrible error. And we apologize to our colleagues at the newspaper, who got it right in every other way.
In advance of the final, we had prepared two editorials, one for either outcome. When we saw that the Lightning had won, we placed the proper editorial on the computerized page, printed it out and eliminated the other version. Still, somehow, the other version appeared in the paper. We are checking our systems to ensure we learn from our mistake.
It is so important to us to get it right. And today we failed you. We extend our heartfelt apologies.

Rosemary Goudreau
Editorial Page Editor


Here's the correct one:

Lightning Gave Community More Than A Championship

The Tampa Bay Lightning's 2-1 victory last night didn't just win National Hockey League's Stanley Cup. The team's championship run also expanded the Lightning's fan base and bolstered its financial standing. But the team did something else. It generated excitement and pride throughout the community.

Two years ago few could have imagined the Lightning making the playoffs, much less winning the cup. Before last season, Sports Illustrated rated Tampa Bay as the worst of the NHL's 30 teams. Defying the experts, the team went on to win its division. Now the Lightning has proved itself the best team in hockey in one of the quickest turnarounds in league history.

The Lightning's victory should quiet critics who claimed the NHL expanded too fast and argued that teams would never survive in the Sunbelt. The two previous Stanley Cup runners-up have been Carolina and Anaheim, further proof that hockey can succeed where the temperature seldom falls below freezing.

The thousands who gathered outside of the Forum to watch Stanley Cup broadcasts for both home and away games reflected the depth of local fans' support. Such devotion is usually reserved for ``traditional'' American hockey towns like Detroit or in Canada, where the sport is considered the national pastime. It also shows how sports can bring people together in a positive way.

The entire Lightning organization - especially coach John Tortorella, general manager Jay Feaster and owner Bill Davidson - deserve credit for this remarkable transformation.

The Lightning's Stanley Cup win won't change people's lives or solve Tampa's problems. But its exhilarating season has brought fellowship and joy to our community - no small accomplishment. Thanks, Lightning. You've made us proud.


So today it really is:
Lies. Printed Daily.