Extreme randomosity

I was threatened by a scary friend the other day to post something new, so I'm doing that now in an effort to avoid violence and harrassment visited upon my person!

1. I just finished reading Deborah Santana's book (yes, THAT Santana...the wife of Carlos) "Space Between the Stars", and truly enjoyed it. It's an autobiography, describing her life as a biracial person, and her growing in to the person she is today. I found her writing very lyrical and poetic; she wrote about things that couldn't have been easy to put out there in front of the whole world, but that was the point... If you're looking for a good read that has a good message, this is it.

2. Why is it so damn hot already? I know it's July now, but it's been REALLY HOT for several weeks. That doesn't look good for the rest of the summer, y'all!

3. Why are there so few butcher shops in Nashville? (Sorry, vegetarians!!) I did a Google search and only found a couple, which was disappointing. Hubby wanted to check out meat markets in our area, so we ended up driving to Russellville, KY, which is about 40 miles from us. But it was way worth the trip! The drive was beautiful, for one thing, and we truly got great stuff at a bargain. The ribs, and later the burgers, were fabulous! I guess we'll be visiting Russellville again!

4. Some blogs I love but haven't had time to add to my blogroll yet:
From Guinness_Girl: http://mymentalbuffet.blogspot.com/
From PapaSquirrel: http://squirrel-squad.blogspot.com/ (This is a real-life friend of mine in Memphis, TN who has marvelous taste in all things hip!)
From a lovely woman named Cathy: http://arthritisrants.blogspot.com/
From the very interesting Charity Doc: http://fingersandtubesineveryorifice.blogspot.com/
About Domestic Violence: http://homesweethome.wordpress.com/
Cute Overload = cute animal pics with funny captions -- warning, very silly: http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/
Doctor Anonymous: http://doctoranonymous.blogspot.com/
In a Doc's Mind: http://docsmind.blogsplot.net
An incredibly funny mom in the Nashville area: http://suburbanturmoil.blogspot.com/
Another interesting Doc: http://foofoo-5.blogspot.com/

5. I didn't list this above because it's special: http://freecycle.org This is an organization that helps folks get rid of things they no longer need that might otherwise end up in a landfill, though my experience is that people give away lots of good stuff, too. For example, Hubby & I picked up a 21-speed mountain bike yesterday that simply needs new tubes for the tires. We happened to also be giving away a bread maker that needed a new pan, but still worked and was usable. It ended up in a trade, which was cool, but the breadmaker could have gone to others, too. Today I saw someone giving away Hootie & the Blowfish tickets for a concert here tomorrow. If it wasn 't outside where it's Hell-hot, I'd ask for them myself. You frequently see people asking for or offering things that one would need for setting up a new household -- like college students, or maybe even displaced people..like when going through a divorce. Anyway, it's a really cool idea that actually works! It's free, you're not allowed to charge for things you put on the list, and I highly recommend it!

6. We've been making a lot of homemade icecream lately. Last night was Ben & Jerry's Fresh Peach recipe. It was very good, but contained raw eggs, which I'm a little leery of. I think I prefer the custard method of making icecream to the raw eggs one, but it WAS very creamy. Maybe because I overbeat the eggs & stuff, but still... Anyone have any recipes for me? I have a Rival Ice Cream Maker, and I think it does like 1 or 2 qts.

7. We'll be doing some traveling this month, to deliver my car...my BABY...to my brother in Florida, who is buying it for his family. It's a 95 T-bird, Moonlight Blue, with pearl grey leather seats and a moonroof. Oh, and a V-8 engine -- not very welcoming of the high gas prices we have these days. The thing is, I don't drive much, so I don't have to have a very economical car necessarily. Hubby bought a new Scion xB, the one that looks like a shoebox on wheels? Honestly, it's the coolest car! You feel like you have so much room inside -- there's a lot of dash space and little cubbyholes for things. He has his XM radio wired in so we listen to that mostly when we drive. I will now be driving....(cue foreshadowing music) his MINIVAN!!!!!!!!! No, seriously, we have to have the van so he can haul his equipment around, but I swear, never in my life did I see myself driving a minivan. A convertible, yes; a minivan, no. What's happened to me????????????? lol

8. I feel all bruised. I've been back in Physical Therapy for about 2 1/2 weeks now, and honestly, I feel more pain now than I did when I started. I will speak with the therapist about this today. I could take stuff for pain, but then I couldn't drive, which wouldn't work on days when I have appointments. I've tried stretching daily, which is part of what I'm supposed to do, but I think I may have strained something(s) last week when we were adding some new exercises to my regime.

9. I have the most wonderful husband on earth. I hate to say this out loud sometimes, for fear of being seen as a braggart, but I am truly blessed. He spoils me rotten -- not with material things, but with love and attention, which are of much great value. He seems to revel in doing little things for me, like paying attention to how much liquid is in my glass and refilling it if it gets low (in his opinion). I have to tell him not to sometimes because I love to crunch on the ice in the glass, but he is ever-vigilant. He also loves to grill, so he does a lot of the cooking lately. He goes to the Farmer's Market on his way home from work to get the best local tomatoes and corn and other veggies, or exotic spices from the international market. I could probably ask him to drive to outreaches of the county to get some little thing I thought I wanted and he'd do it without asking questions or complaining. He does the hard work in the garden and yard; he massages my aching bodyparts with one of those professional massagers you get from a chiropracter's office; he seems to relish every compliment, every lovey-dovey expression; he brings me sweet cards for no reason; he remembers and celebrates our anniversaries, even the day we first made contact, our first date, etc. Btw...have I ever told you we met online, through personals ads? We did -- 3 years ago -- and have been married 2 1/2 of those years. :)

10. Hubby's son is a doll and truly one of my dearest friends. I know I could call on him for any reason whatsoever and he'd be at my aid ASAP. He is growing into the man his father is, but at a much younger age, which is better -- less crap he'll have to endure and more pleasure to be gained. He values his dad's counsel, and his dad values his as well. I am so blessed by the love and respect they have for one another, which was hard-won, according to them both. They went through some tough times in the past, but now they are amazingly close. I'm so happy for them both, and just bask in the glow of their love.

11. We're going to visit my entire family when we take my car to my brother, and though I'm slightly nervous about it, mostly I'm looking forward to it. We are planning to celebrate all summer birthdays when there, which will include both sisters, 2 of the youngest sister's children, and a sister-in-law. Might as well have a party, huh? :)

Well, that's as far as I could get today. I hope that this post keeps me out of harm's way! You never know, though -- my demanding friend is very unpredictable. ;)

WIP