The School Year is Not off to an Auspicious Start

1.  Our fearless Library Leader retired.   A replacement has been promised but so far he/ she  isn't forthcoming. So we are rudder-less.  Whoever takes the position has some big shoes (or rather cowboy boots) to fill.       

                                     
2.  The library air conditioner was wonky for the first two weeks and kept cutting off at 12:30.  No matter that school wasn't over till 2:30.  And the temps were 98+

3.  Tech Services ditched the sorta easy for kids to remember log ins and instituted an 8 letter 3 number log on, coupled with 6 digit password.  In their infinite wisdom they didn't test drive this on 5 year olds. Nope, the librarians get that pleasure.

4.  The electricity went out for an hour yesterday.  During lunch time.

5.  The district introduced a new electronic grade book/ attendance program.  It doesn't play well with others, especially the library patron and Accelerated Reader databases.   

6.  My Beloved has been sick with assorted malaises since May.  No end in sight. She is very tired of not being herself and of being sick.   That makes two of us.

7.  Mercury is retrograde

8.  I'm catching a cold.  Achoo! 

9.  A fast moving tropical storm gifted us with a deluge - at dismissal time.

10.  The wireless network keeps going in and out.  Did I mention EVERYTHING in our district is done on line?

11.  Every professional had to spent several hours "immersed" in an on line class on "grading & homework guidelines".  Even those of us who never, ever give grades.  Or homework. 

12.  Last year's second graders did not, as we all hoped mature over the summer. They are as immature as they ever were.  Due to several convoluted reasons many had a sub par first  grade experience.  We will  all pay the price till they graduate. 

13.  We are most likely going to have to pack up the entire school and move to temporary quarters for 18 months while the old school is torn down and a new school built.  Dates are still being written in very shifting sand.

On the plus side, a new 5th grader told me he'd never before enjoyed coming to the library.  And tonight is Project Runway and tomorrow is Friday! 

13 Thoughts on Project Runway

1. Tattoos appear to be mandatory  on both the models and the designers
2. I thought models are supposed to be pretty - some of the woman walking the runway look a little rough around the edges.  Make that very rough
3. What's with the ties? 
4. The facial expressions of the judges are priceless
5. Judging from the commercials Project Runway thinks all their viewers are Moms with Kids.  Don't they know that Queens love the show too?
6. Some of the designers really need to wash their hair. A comb wouldn't hurt either
7. One of the designers might have an eating disorder.
8. Why does Lifetime TV think women are obsessed by dust bunnies?
9. Best comment of the show  "She's a pole dancer in Dubai"
10. The judges are BRUTAL tonight.
11. How did some of these designers ever make it to the finals in the first place? 
12. There is some serious groveling going on among the designers.
13. Why am I, who has no interest or affinity for fashion fascinated by Project Runway?

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13 Things I'd Really Like to Be Eating...or Sipping

1  .A hot fudge Sundae from Marble Slab2.  Crisp, hot French fries4. Onion Rings from Sonic (they make them by hand)5. Creme Brulee6.  A Cheeseburger in Paradise (no mayo)7.  Real hot chocolate made with real milk and topped with real whipped cream8.  A glass of dry sherry7.  Brie on crusty French bread with an apple on the side8.  A big bowl of Pho9.   Vietnamese Egg Rolls with mint and lettuce10. Chips and green sauce11. Potato chips with Liptions Onion Soup Dip (comfort food!)12. New York style cheesecake13. Southern Fried Chicken
And what am I really eating?  Carrot Sticks.  It's just not the same. 

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Thursday Thirteen - 13 Things That Always Appear at Estate Sales

Estate Sales in Houston are mostly Thursday / Friday affairs so I can only shop them in the summer time.  Some are Princesses and many  are Frogs but most all of them contain the following:

1. Chicken Soup books.  Never has so much money been made pedaling banalities. 
2. Christmas Decorations - they  often occupy an entire room
3. A Readers Digest Condensed Book or two.  Or Three. Or Four.  Or maybe more.
4. A couple of community cookbooks
5. A fur something or another.  That always baffles me - it doesn't get cold enough in Houston  to wear fur in very often
6. Artificial Flowers - the dusty, plastic type
7. An angel figurine or two. Or Three. Or Four. Or maybe more. 
8. Dusters and Mumus.  There seems to be a law that everyone over the age of 60 must have own at least 1 duster.  I hope I don't receive any when I turn 60!
9. Cassette tapes.  Often the cassette tape player is missing but there is always a stack of cassettes.
10. China figurines.  Dollar store variety at a low end sale, British bone at a high end. 
11. A textbook dating back to their college days.  Doesn't matter how long ago it was, there is always at least one textbook.
12. A collection of calculators (some of which do nicely on E-bay)
13. Bath sets.  Never opened. 

It's always interesting (and sometimes very sad) to see what possessions people decide to hold on to. 

The Thursday Thirteen

The Thursday Thirteen

The Thursday Thirteen was always one of my favorite memes.  When the creative juices ran dry The Thursday Thirteen normally inspired a weekly post.  When it comes to Cyberspace things come and go so quickly and one day it vanished.  It's since reappeared in a different place.  


Of course, now I can't think of 13 things to write about so I'll fall back on .....


13 Things I Did Today


1.  Got very wet - H-Town is being washed away by daily thunderstorms.  Makes me happy I'm off for the summer.  Thumbs down to the former, Thumbs up for the latter. 


2.  Wrote E-bay auctions - it won't sell if I don't list it.  DUH!  Thumbs level


3. Went to an estate sale.  Found a Betty Crocker Red Pie cookbook.  Thumbs Up! 


4. Ate some very good sushi.  Thumbs up (licking sushi rice from said thumb)


5. Had BumbleBerry Pie.  A La Mode no less.  2 Thumbs Up!


6. Ran the dishwasther AGAIN.  Thumbs Down. Actually it should be thumbs up that I have one. And that it works.


7. Did not fold the sheets.  I hate folding sheets.  Both thumbs down.


8. Wrote my required "comments"  for my Book studies by blog that I'm doing this summer.  That will get a thumbs up when school starts and I get to take 2 flex days. Make that 2 thumbs up, one for each day.


9. Wasted to much time on Facebook.  Thumbs down!


10. Season7 of Project Runway arrived on DVD.  Watched it.  Also listed Amazon stock.  That made watching it a Thumbs neutral.  Season 8 starts on July 29th.  Happy Dance!


11. Read a book. Thumbs Up.  It's summer I now get to read again


12.  Thought about culling some clothes. Didn't do it.  Thumbs down


13.  Spent 30 minutes with Mr. Wi Fit.  Thumbs Up, though any good it did was negated by #5.

Thursday 13 - 13 Good Things About 2008

The general opinion of the Blogsphere is that 2008 was a year to forget, to kick out the door and one many people hope will never come round again. In my standard glass half full mentality there were some positive events.

1. Daughter #2 got married to a delightful young man. We couldn’t be more
pleased with our new SIL.
2. We visited Daughter #1, meet her boss, viewed her workplace and were impressed.
She’s happily settled (and has health insurance!)
3. The wedding of Daughter #2 went off without any serious hitches and a
wonderful time was had by all.
4. My book business continued to do very well and it continues to grow.
5. Progress was made at chipping away at Mount Debtmore (see #3)
6. Given I work in a school that serves this country’s fastest growing ethnic group
I’d say I have pretty good job security.
7. My beloved works builds medical facilities - whose demand grows as
the baby boomers age . She has job security too.
8. As much as I hate my alarm clock I still really do love my school, my school and
my fellow teachers.
9. I still work with the best bunch of librarians in the state. Our director continues
to challenge me.
10. Web 2.0 delighted and astounded me. It makes life-long-learning fun.
11. We stayed healthy
12. Hurricane Ike did not destroy our house or disrupt our life to much.
Many others were not so lucky.
13. We have a new President Elect – and he’s one reason 2009 will be outstanding!

The Thursday Thirteen Site is suddenly MIA. I hope it returns PDQ!

Thursday Thirteen - My New Laptop

Thirteen Things I Love and Don't Love about My New Laptop

1. It’s pink! It’s confusing people because they don’t think of me as likeing pink. Little do they know I have a thing for flamingos. That’s Good.

2. I now have a working back up computer (my old one). That’s Good.

3. It has Vista. I like it. I thought I wouldn’t. So what was Bad is actually Good

4. It is blazing fast. That is very, very , very good.

5. It’s a Dell. Tech. Services is in India. That’s Bad.

6. Microsolf Outlook Home & Student 2007 Edition no longer comes with Outlook. That’s Bad.

7. I spent 2 hours talking to India trying to solve that particular problem. That’s Bad.

8. It was finally solved. That’s Good.

9. It took me threating to return the computer to be allowed to buy Outlook. That’s Bad.

10. It’s possible to transfer data from the old comptuer to the new one. That’s Good.

11. It requries a $40 Data Transfer Cable which isn’t mentioned in the ordering specs. That’s Bad.
12. Radio Shack sells them. That’s Good.

13. I’ve already sold enough books in July to recoup half the cost. That’s Very Good Indeed.

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13 Reasons Today Should of Been Saturday

1. Alarm didn't go off 2. Forgot to put coffee in the coffee pot last night. No matter how state of the art the programmable coffee pot is , it does need actual coffee in it to operate. 3. Stopped at Starbucks for the necessary caffeine fix. Put cup in cup holder. Turned a corner. Cup fell out of cup holder spilling the latte in the process. Will have to clean floor mats when I get home 4. My new pants are to tight. Must stop eating sweets. Schools are not a good place to diet. 5. I was convinced it was Friday. It's Thursday. Still have tomorrow to get through. 6. The 3 headed monster known as the TAKS test rears its ugly head next week 7. The cat tried to use the litter box and missed. 8. The washing machine has temperament. I suspect it will soon become an ex-washing machine. 9. The hot, muggy summer weather has arrived with a vengeance. I fear record highs are in our future. 10. The batteries to the library laptops are giving up the ghost. No funds to replace them. 11. Teachers are very, very tired and tempers are short. 12. It's about time for a new laptop but I've not heard anything good about Vista. 13. The kids are wild and woolly and so ready for school to be over. So are we. On a positive note - there are only 24 more days of school!

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13 Reasons Kids Ought to Blog

. Kids gravitate to anything involving a computer
2. They can get comments and feedback which makes writing fun
3. They can share their writing with anyone in the world
4. The computer takes care of spelling and grammar so they can concentrate on the topic.
5. They can select their own topic (within reason!).
6. It improves their writing skills without them realizing it
7. They can add pictures, which makes the subject more interesting
8. It’s a lot easier to read than a hand written journal
9. They are writing with a purpose
10. It’s collaborative
11. It’s “real world learning” – that’s a current educational buzzword
12. Future job skills – so many companies have blogs these days
13. And most of all, because it’s fun!

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Thursday Thirteen - 13 Reasons to be Thankful

Yes, I know it's a cliche but it's Thanksgiving, which is good day for cliches, thankful thoughts, good food and football

My Beloved - 10 years and counting and she continues to make my heart sing

My girls - all grown up, college graduates and on their own in careers they enjoy

The Internet - it gives me friends, a business and shopping from my couch

My job - while I don't like getting up in the morning, I very much enjoy it when I get there.

My Parents - who decided on their own to sell their house and downsize.

Our House - It's been 7 years and I love it as much as I did when we moved in

My Bookselling Friends - both my actual and my cyber ones

Thrift Stores - whose wares allow me to resell at a 200% mark up

The USPS - I couldn't run my business without them.

Gizmos and Gadgets -Digital cameras, Media Scouter, Cell Phones, Tivo and more

Masterpiece Theater - A bit of enlightenment in a cultural wasteland

NetFlix - so I can enjoy the above while packing books

Health Insurance - I may gripe about it but at least I have it.

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13 Reasons I Love My Job

Thirteen Things I Like About My Job

1. Kids (well most of the time)
2. I get paid to read aloud
3. I have a ironclad excuse to buy puppets, kid lit & lava lamps
4. There is a ready made appreciative audience for any new cake recipes I want to try out.
5. Computers to play with and on
6. Long holiday breaks
7. Wonderful staff
8. Even more wonderful principal
9. 10 commute
10. Outstanding leadership from our library director and staff
11. A new and different project ever year
12. Never the same and never boring
13. Getting paid to do what I’d do for free!

13 Things I Need to Do to Get the Library Ready ...for The First Day of School

1. Create the AR incentive charts
2. Unpack the stuffed animals
3. Catalog all the books I found at the thrift stores & garage sales this summer
4. Update my Calendar
5. Change out all the flags
6. Put together the library schedule
7. Create a fall library display
8. Dust!
9. Plan the teacher’s book preview and food fest
10. Lesson plans for the first 3 weeks
11. Finish my Activ-Board FlipChart
12. Lay in a supply of food to bring for lunch.
13. Find the alarm clock!

Summer is over...Whahhhhhhhhhhhhh

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13 Goals I Didn't Attain This Summer

1. Lose 20 lbs
2. Exercise 3x a week (hence the failure of #1)
3. Clean out the closet under the stairs
4. List the back log of books in the garage
5. Re-do the front porch window boxes (60 days of rain)
6. Blog at least 3x a week
7. Plan all my lessons for the entire school year
8. Go to school and get the cataloging backlog caught up
9. Write an article for Library Sparks
10. Write an article for BookThink
11. Wax the floors (ugh)
12. Re-organize all 600+ Amazon books (halfway done!)
13. Get my checkbook balanced (I hate numbers!)

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13 Reasons Why Today was a Very Good Day

I sold a $650 book. It arrived safely and the buyer is happy. Yeah for hitting a new new high dollar book selling goal

I spent a good bit of the afternoon sitting in Cricket’s Creamery lost in a new book. Yeah for Beth Gutcheon. Must find some more of her books.

I arrived home to find I’d sold a $100 & $150 book. Yeah for making money while reading.

I thought my scanner was broken. The Socket Scan folks sent me a patch and it’s fixed. Yeah for technical support that works.

I had a facial today. My skin feels wonderful and I’m still feeling relaxed. Yeah for being pampered!

It poured late in the afternoon and I was safely home as opposed to being stuck in traffic.
I love a rainy day- providing I’m home! Yeah for summer break.

I found a copy of the Rich Dad/ Poor Dad Cashflow game at the Goodwill for $1.99. I sold it last night on E-bay for $170. Yeah for E-bay.

The house is clean & I didn’t have to do it – yesterday was cleaning people day. Yeah for them!

I put out 3 different things for Freecycle and every one of them was picked up. Yeah for stuff moving on to a new home.

I now own one of my Holy Grails of books -an ex-library copy of Carney’s House Party. It’s just like the copy I read as a child & I got it a steal of a price on E-bay. Yeah for finding a Holy Grail.

I may actually make my elusive and never attained bookselling goal this month. Yeah for Art of Books.

I found a barely used pair of Ann Taylor brown shoes at the thrift. Yeah for my feet not hurting!

I have another book that’s just as engrossing as the one I just finished. Yeah for summer reading and Linda Francis Lee.


Now if I didn’t have to go back to work in 2 weeks life would be absolutely perfect. But then who said life was perfect?

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13 Things about Thrift Shops

Thirteen Things about Thrift Stores 1. Child having a tantrum 2. Several small children making a mess of the toy area with no parent in sight 3. A woman chatting so loudly on her cell phone that the rest of us know way more about her love life than we want to! 4. Multiple copies of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" 5. Several woman who are already expecting 6. A Singing Billy Bass (may or may not work) - not that anyone cares 7. Someone plaintively asking if there is a bathroom (there never is) 8. A pervasive smell of sweat and mothballs 9. Last years fad holiday gift - Blooming Onion makers are no longer all the rage 10. A Clear Channel Communication radio station - and during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas it's Christmas Carols 24/7 11. Zillions of Beanie Babies - the bubble burst on those long ago 12. Numerous customers in need of a wardrobe makeover - and a good dentist 13. Treasure! Such as the 13 Leather Bound Franklin Signed First Edition books I found today Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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13 Thoughts

Why do the weather people start frothing at the mouth when it just might rain/ freeze/ or comes a hurricane? It might freeze in Dallas (300 miles to the north) and the local weather folks are giving the impression that a blizzard with 2 feet of snow is imminent.

What earthly purpose does a Hummer serve in a large urban area where it never (despite the actions of the weather people) snows? It eats gas and dollars and screams “Conspicuous Consumption”.

Why do the “Ban the Harry Potter” folks not only want to keep their children from reading Harry Potter, they also want to prevent everyone else’s children from doing so too? Who appointed them as parents for the world at large?

How can people take Pat Robertson seriously? God speaks only to him? From Moses to Pat Robertson is quite a comedown. I would assume God has better taste in friends and spokespeople.

Laura Bush is an educator and a librarian by education. In fact, she actually taught for a couple of years. You would think she try to talk some sense into her husband about No Child Left Behind.

I am so out of touch. I picked up a copy of People while waiting in the grocery line and I had no clue who the People that People is talking about are. The only thing I know about Brittney Spears is that she does not care to wear underwear.

Speaking of – no amount of money appears to keep some women from sinking to their trailer trash roots. Take away her cash and she’d be your standard “married young, no college, barely finished high school, 2 kids in 2 years, twice divorced, future alcoholic floozy. With a mullet.

The latest trend in home décor appears to be “Home Theaters”. From the ads I gather you have one with 6 flat screen TVs on the wall and recliners with cup holders and pull out / fold out trays. If the furniture came with an optional catheter there would be no reason for a couch potato to ever arise again.

Why, when the line at the post office is out the door do some people decide to dither over what kind of stamp to buy. I can understand wanting “Love” stamps for wedding invitations but other than that who cares. Do they really think the envelope opening machines are going to notice?

ED – based on the number of ads one would think every male in America suffered from this problem. The fact that the birth rate isn’t falling leads to think it isn’t true but someone sure is buying a lot of this stuff.

And why do men get ED ads and women ads for Depends? Why isn’t it the other way around?

You need a license to operate a car but not to parent a child. Both, if you used or raised incorrectly can reek all sorts of heart rending havoc. So why do you need one for a car but none for a child?

Scouting for books is so much fun. Packing them isn’t. Life is not fair.

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13 Ways to While Away an Ice Day

Schools across the Houston area never opened up on Wednesday due to freakish ice storm. This only happens once per decade so I figure I need to take advantage of the opportunity. Who knows what form blogging will take by the time the next ice storm rolls around.

1. Go back to bed!

2. Read the paper while leisurely sipping a cup of coffee – as opposed to spilled coffee on
my white shirt as I navigate morning traffic. I am such a klutz.

3. in a Black & White Film Festival. The Heiress (the Olivia DeHaviland version),
All About Eve (after all, Houston had a bumpy night), The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
(Vivian Leigh).

4. Munch away on Pad Thai for lunch at my favorite Tai place. Getting there required no
slipping & sliding up the overpasses. Better yet, it’s a weekday so I could take advantage
of the lunch special prices.

5. Finally finish folding the laundry. I hate, detest and loathe folding sheets.

6. Snuggle with the kitties and a good book (still reading The Boleyn Legacy)

7. Write E-bay book descriptions for the box of books that’s been sitting on the pool table
for entirely to long. How fortuitous of E-bay to schedule a 20cents listing day tomorrow.

8. Pack up every book that needs mailing. Murphy’s Law being what it is, no sooner do
I finish packing than I get another order. It’s money in the account so who’s complaining?

9. Light a fire in the fireplace. Watch the cats watch the fire.

10. Sip a large cup of hot chocolate – the real kind, made with milk and topped with a dollop
of whipped cream.



11. File books away in their proper boxes in the hopes that I can find them when they sell.

12. Delete the deadwood from E-Bay inventory. Freecycle it and make

a couple of other people very happy.

13. Hope for another icy night!

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

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13 Depressing Sights or Places to Be on Dec. 25 & 26

1. The Laundromat. At 8am , enroute to feed my friends cats I passed a Laundromat. Not only was it open but inside sat a lone man – doing his laundry.

2. A stack of unsold Christmas Trees. The Houston Garden Center near
our house appears to be the resting place for the surplus trees. The weather was damp and the sky was gray and that added to general gloom of the sight.


3. The cars in front of the X-rated video store. It too was open and while the parking lot was not SRO there were definitely customers inside. Of all the places to spend Christmas Day, a “Private Viewing Booth” is truly last on my list – right above “a prison cell”. Not that I’ve ever (knock wood) seen the inside of either them.

4. Christmas cards that arrive on Dec. 26th. They always look forlorn.

5. Wrapped Christmas gifts under the tree. On Dec. 24th they appear mysterious and festive. On Dec. 26th they appear tired and shabby.

6. Store shelves after the “Dec. 26th” holiday bargain folks have picked them clean. I’ve always wondered what happens to all the unsold decorations. Could someone enlighten me?

7. Stacks of leftover Christmas goodies in the grocery store. Who could possibly want a about to be stale sugar cookie bell sprinkled with red sugar?

8. A lone Christmas TV Ad that slips by and is still running on the 26th. I’m so over those ads anyway and ones that aren’t pulled on the 25th are not only tiresome, they are ludicrous

9. Bus terminals. Depressing under the best of circumstances. On Dec. 25th I would assume that they are soul stupefying.

10. Movie theaters. In Houston they tend to do a good business – mostly because I think folks need a break from to much “Christmas Cheer” and “Christmas Togetherness”. Movies are something a family can do together but it does not require conversation or any sort of interaction.

11. Pro sports events. I don’t feel any sorry for the athletes, they are paid such obscene amounts of money, nor sorry for the announcers who also earn a hefty salary. However, I don’t think the camera men and other behind the scenes folks make enough mega bucks to take the sting out of being away from their family.

12. Obligatory news stories of the “Troops at the Front Lines”. Those boys and girls belong home, celebrating the holiday with their parents or their wives and children. Especially the latter – so many of them are the parents of little ones. It’s the little ones that make Christmas a magical time.

13. Martha Stewart Magazine. No matter how hard we all try, Christmas never quite measure up to the yardstick held so firmly in her hand!

13 Musings on Hospitals

My Beloved’s back went out so lucky me got to accompany her to the Doctor’s office, which is part of one of Houston’s major hospitals.


1. Pulling into the parking garage and encountering 4 employees who are obviously loitering outside (in the rain no less) smoking cigarettes and drink soft drinks does send a positive message to prospective patients.

2. I understand why hospitals need linoleum floors but why do they have to be battleship grey in color?

3. Hospital halls are very, very long and battleship gray or beige linoleum only add to the sense of endless corridors.

4. It’s easy to tell the nurses from the pharmaceutical sales representatives. The nursing staff wear Crocs & scrubs, the sales reps wears pencil toe 3” heels and $500 suits. I wonder whose feet hurt the worse at the end of the day?

5. When did mint green and dark purple become mandatory accent colors for the medical profession?

6. I realize that hanging around a waiting room can be boring to the extreme but what is wrong with a book or a magazine to while away the time? Why must the room be dominated with a big screen TV with the volume turned up LOUD?

7. Especially on a weekday morning when the only choices appear to be game shows and Fox News. Don’t the receptionists get tired of the constant drone of sound?

8. And speaking of waiting rooms? Who selects the chairs? May they one day have to sit in one for 2 hours while cursed with back pain.

9. Potted Poinsettia plants (slightly whilted) are mandatory décor during the Christmas season. The red of the flowers clash with the purple of the mandatory accent trim.

10. Hospitals have lots of bathrooms. That’s a good thing.

11. They don’t have an unsecured wireless network. That’s a bad thing.

12. Food in the hospital restaurants costs twice as much as a meal in the real world. They must assume that everyone who enters the doors earns a doctor’s salary. NOT!

13. Is there any other place on earth where both so much happiness and so much sadness are contained under one roof?

13 Things I Don't Like About Christmas

I’m feeling rather Scrooge Like this week. Most likely our unseasonable high temperatures and humidity have some bearing on this.

Incessant Christmas Carols. Clear Channel Radio starts their Christmas Medley about mid- October. The medley consists of The Little Drummer Boy, Have a Holly- Jolly Christmas, It's the Most Magical Time of the Year and White Christmas. Play and repeat. Over and over and over again.

Christmas makes school children wild and crazy. Very wild, crazy and rambunctious. Everyone is so ready for the winter break (which is a good thing about Christmas) and tempers are short.

All of network television goes on hiatus and we are treated to one re-run after another, not to mention one sapppy Christmas special after another.

It marks the beginning of the College Bowl season. This was fine when the bowls consisted of Sugar, Orange and Rose. Somehow, I have trouble taking The Chick-Fil-A Bowl, The PapaJohns.com Bowl and the Meineke Bowl seriously.

Said re-runs and bowl games are interrupted by Christmas themed commercials. The musical backgrounds for said commercials are selected by Clear Channel.

The traffic! It’s bad enough in Houston under the best of circumstances.

The pressure! I don’t think even Martha Stewart has a Martha Stewart Magazine Cover Page worthy Christmas. If this is such a blessed time why does every magazine and newspaper include lists and tips on surviving the season?

Mugs! Who decided that Christmas Mugs are a suitable gift for all holiday occasions? They must have unlimited cupboard space. May they be pelted with them.

Tacky Decorations. Christmas seems to be a license to kitsch. In Houston, it’s spawned a rash of giant blow up lawn art. The fat Santa’s were bad enough but this year the best yards are sporting a giant snow dome with moving figures and Styrofoam snow. Did I mention our weather is unseasonably warm?

Food – to much, to sweet, to high calorific. I don’t want to see, let alone taste another slice n’ bake, sugar sprinkled star cookie for a very long time.

Holiday Decorated Sweats, Shirts, Vests and Sweaters. Perhaps this is a Texas thing but Christmas seems to result in woman wearing sequins in the daytime. A 50+ woman with a double F chest has no business wearing a shirt adorned with a snowman who has appliquéd goggley eyes atop each nipple. Don’t get me started on twinkling Christmas light earrings and Reindeer headbands.

Slim pickings at the thrift stores and garage sales.. Slim pickings are not good for acquiring inventory.

Long, long, lines at the Post Office. Which has Clear Channel Radio playing.
Did you know that they really do play “Holly Jolly Christmas” once every 15 minutes?


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