Lessons in Bees

Today Jellybean told me that she is a little worried about school because "Mary" is in her class. Last year "Mary" was a developing Queen Bee and Jellybean was genuinely confused by her fickleness. and her meanness.

It was incredibly apropos because I just finished confronting a Queen Bee in my own life so I was able to talk with her from a very fresh perspective. But, I'm afraid I burdened her with a curse more than alleviated her concerns. It would appear that she, like me, was born to battle these creatures. And on the one hand I felt a little proud but on the other my heart broke for all of the future heartbreak she is facing. So, I tried to arm her as best I could. Here is what I told her, from one Queen Bee Slayer to another.

I wish I could tell you that girls grew out of this phase. That somewhere hearts were softened and insecurities were wiped away and these Mean Girls turned into compassionate, open women. But that would be a lie. You will meet Mean Girls your entire life. The first lesson that you have to learn is how to recognize them. It is easier to simply avoid their reach altogether than to have to slip out from their grasp once you realize what you are tangling with.

A sure sign that you are dealing with a Mean Girl is if she tries to cozy up to you and get information from you about other people, your friends. She may sound supportive or sympathetic. She generally shows up an opportune time, like when you have just had an argument with one of your friends. Trust me. This girl has no interest in comforting you. She only wants to use you. Your best response..."You should ask her that yourself."

The second and hardest lesson you need to learn is that when you go up against a Queen Bee, you are going alone. Even if you are going to defend your friend against mean things that the Queen Bee has done. You will look at the Queen Bee and all her "friends" around her and when you turn to find comfort in seeing your friends behind you...you will hear the wind in the trees and gravel under your feet. But you will not hear the sound of someone backing you up. I've done this countless times. I wish to God that I didn't feel like I had to fight these battles. But, I truly can't help it. And the worst feeling is knowing that you are standing there completely alone. Even at my age when I know that it is the case, I still hope...and my heart still drops. But, if you choose to stick your neck out and stand up to her, (and you don't have to!) know beforehand that you will be standing alone. No matter how many people told you that this person needed to be brought down. No matter how hurt and upset the person you are defending is, in the end it is your neck. alone. And nine times out of ten, you're going to get your ass handed to you in a pretty package with a bow on top. And after all of that, they will come out of the woodwork to tell you how great it was that you stood up to the Queen Bee.

And the last lesson...nine times out of ten? It won't have changed anything. The Queen Bee will still reign. But you? You have stood up to injustice. You will hurt. But, I have to believe that somewhere in the universe this little flap of butterfly wing has brought about an act of great love.

the one about the birthday gifts...

Another reason we love the kids' school is the parents. We have a great group of laid back, fun, noncompetitive, intelligent folks. The children reflect that. As do their birthday parties. My kids do not buy birthday presents for each other, much less for friends. We make our gifts and the recipients always love them. For example, one of their friends was having a party at a park that has a big fountain. My kids made a whole fleet of paper boats to sail in the fountain and paper admiral hats to go with them. The kids all had a blast with them. There are your standard homemade playdoh and bottles of bubbles which are fun. We have done cookie/muffin mixes in a jar which are actually a huge hit with kids and parents. As are "experience" gifts. Arranging with the parent ahead of time a date you can take the birthday child to the pool with you or a favorite of my kids' friends has been coming over to bake and decorate cookies. Or do a kid friendly cooking class. Be creative! Think about what kids like to do. Then take pictures and afterward make a little photobook and give that to the child. The computer is our friend. We print off fun labels for the bottles and jars. Some other favorites...

• check out this website for really cool templates to make lots of cool stuff.
  
• Custom cds- Each child makes a mix cd of their favorite songs. They design album covers and cd stickers. We package them all in a decorative envelope.
• Library bags. You can buy some blank canvas bags quite cheaply at the craft store. Scan a picture your child drew into the computer. Add some text ie Suzy could spend all day with a good book and print it out on an iron on transfer. Iron it on to the bag. You can use a template to make a library card holder envelope from another piece of child's artwork. You could also make beach bags.
  
• Customized Word Magnets. In a Word document, make a list of the names of the birthday child and her family members, your child's name and list nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, articles etc. Using simple present tense makes it simpler. ie Suzy happily dances with the singing hippopotamus. Skip a line between each line of text with 3 spaces between words. Then you can either print the sheets off and attach them to adhesive backed magnet sheets (cheaper) or you use printer friendly magnet sheets. We put them in a decorated tin.
• Book Plates. Scan a piece of your child's artwork into a Word document. Format it for large shipping labels. Add text ie This book belongs to Suzy Smith. and duplicate it for each label. Print them out and separate them into a nice stack and tie with a ribbon. We usually include a gently read favorite book with a label already in it.
• Stationary. Have your kids fill a piece of paper with a pattern. Like rows of hearts or rainbow stripes. scan it into your computer and fade the colors out. Fill a whole page with the design and add text ie From the desk of Suzy Smith at the top. You can also do this in landscape so you can actually have two sheets per page after you cut it in half. Print off ten sheets and tie with a ribbon. Then you can use a envelope template to make envelopes from colored copy paper or from other sheets printed with their design on it. You can use card stock and add some little note cards or thank you notes. You can also make smiley face sealing stickers from price dots.

I'm going to try to upload some images of these things so you can get a better picture of them. I don't have them on my new computer so I'm going to have grab them off the old one.

My point is simply that birthdays don't have to be filled with cheap junk and your homemade gifts don't have to be quaint. You can design some pretty cool stuff with your kids and the computer. I'm looking forward to figuring out what we can do with Photobooth!

Muddy Waters of forgiveness...

I'm wading through some muddy waters right now. I can't see where the drop off is. If the bottom is firm. If there is danger below. I've been standing on one side of this river. A woman, my old friend, is on the other.

Our friendship started when we were teenagers. We spent summers driving around in the "frolic-mobile" eating French baguettes hot from the baker's oven and drinking ice cold Dr. Peppers in 46 oz cups, going from yard sale to yard sale looking for some thing that made us laugh or we just had to have. We went away to college together. We played hours of Rummy and starred in my TV show. We broke up. And then a year or so later came back together with the air of inevitability that our friendship seemed to have. I became pregnant and she didn't say, "You have to get rid of it." the way my other friends did. (She and Chowder were the only two.) We waited tables together. We moved in together. We sat for long hours out on our balcony smoking cigarettes and listening to music. We made up stories about limbless cats, victims of tragic factory accidents, and wrote some good and some melodramatic poetry. We went through boyfriends and husbands.

There was an intensity to our friendship that I can't put into words. The friendship consumed me, perhaps us. There would be long times of imbalance. and then resentment. and in 1998 when she quickly entered into an ill-advised marriage the intensity became too much. I held it together to go to the florist and make her a bouquet and to go home and bake her a wedding cake and to take her pictures and to go down to the courthouse and to help her pack her things into the back of her VW bug and to watch her drive away to Texas...and then it all combusted and fell down like ash. And I never spoke to her again.

She was never completely out of my life. One of my friends had married her brother. And another of my friends stayed in touch. I heard of her life. of the birth of her son. I came so close to mailing the beautiful blanket and small teddy bear I bought for him. so close. But, I just couldn't bring myself there again. I never felt anger. or judgment. or ill will. I have always wished her good things. I have always kept her in my prayers. I just couldn't bring her back into my life. I feared for my separateness.

but now we are at the same place on the riverbanks. directly across from each other.
And she has just called out my name.

Cool day yesterday

I had such a cool day yesterday. I had three friends, that I haven't seen in 10-15 years, in town from various corners of the world. We got to hang out for the afternoon while our kids played and then go out to dinner at one of Chowder and my favorite pubs (Even if it is Welsh). I can't tell you how much seeing them and being called by my childhood nickname and maiden name sparked something deep inside that somehow has gotten lost over the years. It was something I didn't even know I was missing. Something that I can't begin to describe or put my finger on. But it was something that is so integral to what makes me, "ME."


And I love how I look tall in this picture! (top right)

Oh! This is so much better!

My darling friend Julie has come to your aid and had mercy upon you by sending me one of her old keyboards. So, send her wonderful beautiful thoughts and prayers tomorrow (Aug 1st) because she will be welcoming her new long awaited second son.

Aha! Now this is what I needed...

First, I went on a second playdate with a kid from the kids' class and his very nice mom. Yeah, I think I might have broken out of the box and actually made a new friend(?) but that may be rushing things. We've only had two dates after all! I still have time to be a complete freak and have her back slowly away adorable sons in hand.

We have a new exhibit that they are putting in at our Botanical Gardens. I'm very excited! This is my favorite one by far. We live right down the street from the Garden, so we're there probably once a week in the spring/summer.

Doesn't this look like the best day ever! I even got a little sunburn on the back of my neck...*sigh*

My name is Cakes and I'm a social buffoon...

Don't you love the word "buffoon?" Can anything describe itself so well? I mean it's almost an Onomatopoeia! (and yes, I had to look up the spelling of that word. I thought it started with an "A.")

If you have added me as a friend on various social networking sites, thank you. That was very kind. But, now what? I'm a total introvert anyway, and in real life I have a handful of good friends that I hold close and with everyone else? well. I do the best I can. But, I have to admit that my best is not very good. I'm awkward and stumbly when acquaintenceships get past a certain point and I can come off as either a loud, ridiculous know-it-all or else as standoffish and smug. And now I'm trying to get my bearings in the cyber socialsphere.

So, if anyone wants to guide me through the expected behaviors that I am supposed to be doing I would really appreciate it. I have a Blog 365 page and some very nice women have "friended" me and I'm not sure what the social protocol is. I, of course, accepted the invitation to be friends but do I then add them? I enjoy looking over their pages and have added some new blogs to my daily reads, but what about these comments? What do people normally do here? Someone help an old gal out. I'm afraid I'm coming across as a pompous ass or a cold fish or whatever and that's not the case, I am just an idiot.

The beauty of the Internets

I have loved reading all of your responses to my post about major life impasses in marriage. Your stories have all touched and encouraged me. Life is like that, isn't it? Relationships are like that, aren't they? We do our best to muddle through with grace and love.

***************

Whenever Chowder goes looking at jobs, even international jobs, chances are that I have a "friend" there or near there. It is very comforting and makes the prospect of leaving my community not so scary but more adventurous!

***************

At night when we pray with the children, or when we do petitions at church, my children always ask me who are these people I am asking prayers for and I get to tell them that they are special people I know from around the world. It's amazing how much of your goofiness, and your trials, and your joys, and your lives touch me and stay with me throughout the week.

***************

I'll post about my trip to college later, I have so many blogs to catch up on. My bloglines account is actually laughing at me, I think.

What you should know about the new Sweeney Todd movie...

I've seen this movie twice and both times I noticed an awful lot of confusion among the members of the audience. They didn't seem to know what they were going to see. So, if you are planning on going to see it (And I encourage you to do so.) let me give you three things you need to know about this movie.

1.) It's a musical. Not a pseudo musical like Moulin Rouge, but a full on Broadway Musical by the great Stephen Sondheim. Many consider it to be his masterpiece. It is based on the Christoper Bond's stage play based on the original Victorian story. They sing in it. There is actually more singing than speaking in it. Tim Burton purposely cast actors and not singers, but they do a great job.

2.) It's dark and brooding and graphic. If your only experience with Sweeney is the 1979 original Broadway version, it's not like that. And I love the 1979 version with Angela Lansbury. I have many fond memories from high school watching this movie with my best friend Gretchen while eating cherry pie. But, this is Tim Burton's version through and through. And there is lots and lots of blood. I had to hide my face in my shirt during the kill scenes.

3.) It's a comedy. A musical COMEDY! Laugh, already! Yes, like I said in #2 this one is very dark, but the comedy is still there. It is still funny. Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett singing about the way the different types of people would taste, is FUNNY! So, laugh.

Friends' Thanksgiving...

Fifteen years ago, a bunch of college kids were sitting around an apartment lamenting the fact that we had to spend Thanksgiving with our families when we really just wanted to be with our friends. Thus, Friends' Thanksgiving was born. Since then, every year I have hosted a gathering of my friends and their families for a big Thanksgiving meal the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I make the turkey and they bring the rest.

It has been so much fun. We love seeing the friends that change and the ones that stay the same. In 1998, a friend gave us a tablecloth and since then everyone who attends signs the tablecloth before they leave. We all sit around and read the signatures and how many kids have been added or remember a friend lost to cancer or a move across the country.

But, Friends' Thanksgiving is a constant. Even when we moved far away from home to the Northwoods of Minnesota and we had no friends, we used it as our way of making friends and getting to know the people in our lives.

Well, last night's feast was a roaring success. Even though I had to send out a full disclosure email telling everyone that my kids woke up with snotty noses, to which I got an email back that it was ok because Meg's kids woke up with a snotty attitude. My chicks were, of course, in full representation. In the mix we had two families that have been with me for the 15 years and two people who attended for the first time. The kids ran around like crazy people and the adults locked ourselves in a room with several bottles of wine and the pumpkin cheesecake. This is Chowder with his other dorky pastor friends. (Church talk was banned.)

I tried a different way of roasting my 24 lb turkey last night and it was delicious! I couldn't believe how flavorful and moist and tasty it was! If anyone wants the recipe I'll happily post it, but if no one does I don't want to type it all out.

Oh and the Cakes' moment of the evening was at around 7:30pm when all of my drains backed up into my downstairs toilet and bathtub! It was perfect. I couldn't wash the dishes, bathe the kids, or even use the toilet. loved it. Plumber didn't show up until 7:15pm tonight.

My Chicks...

You know those times when you are gasping for breath and tears are streaming down your cramped cheeks and your stomach hurts so bad that you might throw up? You know when someone has said something so ridiculously, disgustingly offensive that you can't stop laughing uncontrollably? Well, these are my chicks. Well, most of them. There are a few missing. I've been friends with these women for over 10 years, some for almost 20.

The importance of these women in my life can not be overstated. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I can state it. I have visited three of these women and their children in the hospital. Two of them were there when I found out my ex husband had had a girlfriend for a year and a half of our two year marriage. Two of them exacted a brilliant revenge. Three offered to help me bury bodies.

Three of us, while in college, have had our friends around us in apartments, waiting outside bathroom doors while we took pregnancy tests. Two of them were positive. Three of us went through infertility. Five of us have been taken out for wine and tears after miscarriage. Five of us have been bridesmaids for four of us. Two of us have been carried through divorces. Seven of us have had casseroles delivered at our doors under the pretense of burying our noses into the soft neck of a newborn baby. Five of us have a Master's Degree. Two of us never finished college. Six of us are stay at home moms. Three of us are Republicans and three of us are Democrats, while two of us are Independent. We will all fight you to the death to protect women and children. Two of us are millionaires, three of us scrape by by the skin of our teeth. Three of us have impeccably decorated houses and five of us...well. Eight of us help bring the simple material things to a family who struggles at Christmastime. We have eight husbands and twenty four children among us.

I thank God for these amazing, intelligent, hilarious, spirited, crazy group of friends. When I think about moving away, and the idea of having to make friends again, I just kind of shut down. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make friends as a Pastor's Wife? It sucks. You can't really be yourself. You always have this other woman floating around you. But here, I can simply be Cakes. Warts and all. Dirty jokes and all. wine drinking and all.

My blog and I aren't speaking right now.

*sigh*
It's nothing Blog did or didn't do. It's nothing personal, really. I just...do this. I'm a really bad friend. Blog and I were getting along just fine. I couldn't wait to tell Blog all about what I had done that day, and some days I even walked around thinking about how I would tell Blog this story and how funny it would be. Just like I do with all new friends. And then, well. I just started avoiding Blog. I mean consciously avoiding Blog. I'd click down on my bookmark menu, and there Blog would be at the very top. And I would quickly click on something else as I inwardly groaned, and hope that Blog didn't see me and notice I clicked elsewhere...

I was actually just talking to Dr. Steve (he's Chowder and my therapist) about this on Thursday. He suggested I might have some intimacy issues. (As if!) I am lucky that the group of friends I have don't really need me so much. Oh, they love me and enjoy being with me, and they are wonderful friends, but when I do this to them, they shrug and wait for me to come back around. We've been friends for long enough that they call it my "Hermit Mode." It's very cyclical. But, Chowder found my Blog avoidance rather humorous. "You know, you're really just avoiding yourself, right?" hmmmm. that is rather pathetic.

I can't really explain what happens. I just suddenly burrow. out of nowhere. for no good reason. And then just as suddenly a few months later, I look around and wonder where everyone is and why nobody likes me and I don't have any friends! But, luckily I do. I have wonderful friends. Even here. Thanks Kellylynn for giving me a nudge. As my penance I will post a picture of Chowder and I at Junior and then Senior Prom.

be nice. The 80's were a bitch for everyone...

Phew! That was close!

Turns out there's already a Dream Cakes out there! Rebecca is already living that life goats, biscuits, tea and all. That takes a lot of pressure off. Thank you, dear....though Chowder now wants to move back to Ireland. hmmmm....seems you've solved one dilemma only to start up another. That's not progress!

Welcome Baby Uisce! *sigh* Could she be more adorable...

Infertility sucks.

period.


A dear friend of mine just went through a painful cycle cancellation. It hurts every freakin time. every time. I hate the heartache. I hate the losses. I hate the hope. I hate the bruises from the needles. I hate what it does to marriages. I hate what it does to friendships. I hate the survivor's guilt that goes along with success. I hate the isolation. I hate the loss of faith.

Infertility absolutely annihilated my Pollyanna faith. And it continues to annihilate it. You see, I prayed for Julie. I prayed hard. And we are told over and over and over and over and over and over that whatever we ask for in prayer, we will receive. There are no vagaries here. Jesus is very specific.

Now you can try to talk around it. "God gives what we truly need." "God has a better plan for us." "God knows what is best for us better than we do." But let's face it folks, that's not what the bible says. Jesus does not say, "Ask and my father will think it over and if it fits into His plan or if He thinks it is best for you, then He will give it to you." Jesus does not say, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move a mountain, if my father had been planning on moving it anyway." That's not what it says. It says, "Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." Very straight forward.

Well, I did that. I went a step further and I begged. I begged for Julie to have a new baby. I begged for my friend's 16 year old niece's leukemia to be cured. I begged FIVE TIMES that my babies be spared and that they be born into my loving arms. (One of those times my husband was doing mission work in Guatemala.)

But, Julie is crushed. Jenn is dead. And my babies are not with me.

There are only two explanations for this as far as I can see.
1.) Jesus was a liar.
or
2.) My faith is inadequate.
Clearly it is not number one. So, that leaves us with number 2.

This has put quite a dent in my prayer life, as you might imagine. I really don't ask much anymore. It seems to smack me in the face too often. It's that mustard seed faith thing. It kills me. Do I really not even have that much faith. I mean, I'm not a bible literalist. I accept context. I accept metaphor and parable. And I have tried to fit this into those categories. But it doesn't fit. It leaves me mute and tiny and powerless staring up a giant mountain of a mustard seed.

Do you have friends?

I mean real friends? Ok. so yes, I am going through a bit of the babyblues (don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on it) and this has put me in a hyper-sensitive state. Pair this with not wanting to end up bitter and alone with my liquor like my mom and you have some uberanalysis going on. And it is far from scientific.

I have told you all about not being any fun. But, it turns out that I am also not very good at being friends. It takes a special person to be with me. Luckily, I married such a person. Dearie is my best friend. We've been friends for 19 years. This is a wonderful wonderful thing. But, I'd really like to have a friend outside of my marriage as well. A friend who is a woman and a mom and wants to hang out. I've never been good at being friends with women. I'm not sure where I go wrong, but I definitely do go wrong. I do have a group of women that I hang out with once a month who truly like me and we enjoy each other's company, but I only hear from them the rest of the month through email. I have had close friends in my past...well, two. But one turned completely toxic and the other lives in Ohio (I don't).

I don't know if this is a common mom thing/SAHM thing/homeschooling mom thing/lots of kids mom thing or a Cakes thing. When I first moved back here, an old friend called me regularly and wanted to do things but then I go through cocoon periods where I just want to be alone. I lost her during one of these. I have tried to make new friends, but I don't make good impressions. Especially now with the baby blues thing. I was in Baby and Me Yoga today, a perfect opportunity to meet moms in my area, and by the end of class I realized I hadn't smiled at anyone the whole class. No smile. at all.

So here I am, wallowing in my isolation. The very isolation that I created for myself. I'm trying to reach out. Trying to force myself to talk to people. I desperately need to talk to people. But the problem is that I don't want to right now. Ok. tomorrow I will talk to someone. maybe even smile and be friendly. I'm not a snob. I'm not a bitch. I'm not even an uppity pastor's wife. but I'm afraid that is exactly the impression that I give.

At least I have 6 people in this very house who like me and like being with me. They even actually seek me out to be with. Need to focus on that.

Last night my dinner club went out to a restaurant that Zagat's has rated in the top 10 in the nation. It was phenomenal. To my surprise, I walk in and at the reservation desk is standing a a man I was very good friends with in high school. A man I used to go to concerts with all the time. Everyone from 10,000 Maniacs to Nine Inch Nails (The Pretty Hate Machine tour.) We always had a great time. Unfortunately, it turns out he also had a monster crush on me. I seriously, had no idea. he never breathed a word. I ended up marrying another friend we hung out with in high school. ouch! Well, now he is Executive Chef of this restaurant.

The sad thing was, I was so happy to see him. I really liked him alot. He was such a fun, good friend. He came around and gave me a hug and we tried to chit chat, but it was crazy awkward. (I think it had a lot to do with the Hilary Clinton hair that I'm sporting right now while I try to grow it out. Honestly, yesterday I finished drying it kind of down and Dearie gave me a bit of a grimace. I told him to stop looking at me like that. He said, "Like what?" I said, "Like, 'Nice wig.'" It's very very bad right now.) Anyway, he was just weird. And that made me sad.

But then, after we had all ordered (they have this great 1/2 entree for 1/2 price thing so you can basically order two entrees and get to try lots of stuff) well, suddenly this other food starting appearing that wasn't even on the menu! Compliments, you know. And it was all incredibly tasty. I ordered The Pan Roasted Marinated Chicken with Local Yard Bean and Sweet Corn Succotash, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Corn Sauce AND Char-Grilled Hanger Steak with Amish Blue Cheese “Tater Tots”, Creamed Local Spinach, Collinsville Horseradish. Blue cheese tater tots?! They were incredible! Yummy yummy yummy,

Then, we were debating deserts and we ordered, but out came our waitress with this three-tierd tray with basically two of every desert on the menu, plus this custom arrangement of goat cheeses...I was in heaven and shoveling the stuff in left and right. I had to be rolled out of the restaurant. And I thought, phew! I must have misread that whole encounter. I mean crap! It's Friday night at this hot restaurant and he's the freakin EXECUTIVE CHEF!! Well, we spent 3 hours there eating and drinking (1 glass of red wine, people, relax!) and I asked my waitress if he had time to come out and say good bye so we could thank him. The waitress came back and told us he was cleaning himself up and would be out in a second.

He came out, we ooohed and aaaahed and thanked him. But again, he was really really... weird. Not at all comfortable talking to me. And I left, sad. My friends agreed with my assessment so I know it isn't just my paranoia. And it's bothering me. I'm thinking about sending a simple thank you note and then just leaving it alone. But would that be appropriate? And I loved the restaurant and I know Dearie would love it too. I don't want him to think he has to do special treats if I come back. He invited Dearie and I to come in, but from his weirdness, I don't know if he really means it. It seems tacky to me. But, it's not like I can sneak in, if he came out and saw me...that would be really tacky.

ugh! maybe I should just leave it alone, alone.

Jeez~I'm all nervous and stuff...

ok. So Danigirl tagged me. *blush* and now I have to look all cool and profound.

"The idea behind this meme is that you're supposed to click on this page, generating semi-random quotations until you find the five that best express who you are or what you believe." A pretty large undertaking for a blogging Newbie such as myself, but I will do my best.

I think it would be a good idea.
Mahatma Gandhi, when asked what he thought of Western civilization
Indian ascetic & nationalist leader (1869 - 1948)

Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince", 1943
French writer (1900 - 1944)

The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war.
E. B. White
US author & humorist (1899 - 1985)

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson
US poet (1830 - 1886)

Too many have dispensed with generosity in order to practice charity.
Albert Camus
French existentialist author & philosopher (1913 - 1960)

Egad...they are all so damn serious. Hang on...

Now this guy was a genius:
Efficiency is intelligent laziness.
David Dunham

and here...my truth
I believe that professional wrestling is clean and everything else in the world is fixed.
Frank Deford

errrrrr....now I'm supposed to tag someone else? Is that right? In that case I will tag Beth because she needs to be distracted from her pending travel plans for her upcoming adoption. yay! and Shelly so you can see her pretty pictures and drool over her life