Getting Ready

If all goes as I wish, I should be getting my sorry ass back to work this week.

Finally walking without crutches and driving my car again, I've gotta get as much joy as possible into the next few days as possible, 'cos all too soon I'll be back to the ol' grindstone!



I tried a new lambic beer



Bought Easter candy



Saw pretty water



And windmills!

And I still have a couple of days left...

New Blogthing!

And since everybody knows that Blogthings are one of my many addictions....

You are Bettie Page

Girl next door with a wild streak You're a famous beauty - with unique look And the people like you are cultish about it

What Famous Pinup Are You?

The funny thing is that I resemble her in an odd sort of way.

Thursday Thirteen

I was delighted by the fact that the numbers on the scale are going down now. At long last some of the weight that I put on while I was incapacitated is coming off, but there is still plenty left to go...

I like to eat, so this week's thirteen is:

Thirteen things to snack on that won't destroy my diet

1. Strawberries
2. Grapes
3. Oranges
4. Tuna in water
5. Rice cakes
6. Dried fruits
7. Salad with lite dressing
8. Popcorn lightly salted with no butter
9. Cereal with skim milk
10. Low fat yogurt
11. Veggie burger on an English muffin
12. Frozen fruit juice pops
or
13. I could just feast my eyes upon this!



Mmmm... No calories at all!

Wordless Wednesday

Random Observations

My computer hates me!

When I can't exercise, I eat. Not a good thing.

Beer makes the world a better place!

I WANNA GO HOME!

Not being able to work sucks.

YAWN!
Zzzzzzzz...

Down To The Wire

In a little more than a week I am going to the doctor, at which time I should be released to go back to work. An end to this medical imprisonment of boredom is near, but each day until the end becomes increasingly difficult. Things that brought me great joy before this have now become humdrum and boring. I have too damned much time on my hands.

I will admit that I probably never would have completed Sometimes The Angels or The Sun Will Shine Again if this hadn't happened. That is probably the best thing to come of this...

But for the next week there is still excess time on my hands. To preserve my sanity, I will do the following:

Take at least one walk daily
Read a good book
Spend at least 20 minutes daily on my cloudwalker
Go out as often as possible
Drink beer whenever it is available
Photograph the beauty of spring





And while I'm at it, I will try to remember how miserable and bored I was for the past three months when I do go back to work!
(At least for a little while...)

Barley's & Hop's Reviewed

Barley's & Hop's Bottle Shop and Restaurant is a new establishment at the South Park Shops in Bethel Park, PA. One step inside and you will feel as though you have died and gone to beer lover's heaven. The walls are lined with exotic imported beers from every nation imaginable and, of course, the local domestic classics like Iron City. On one side are the bottles intended to be taken home with you, on the other are the chilled bottles which can be consumed on the premises. There are also several varieties of beer on tap. If you are bringing the kiddies along or if you are a tea-toataler, there is also a nice selection of root beer.

This was my beer selection...



A Belgian lambic raspberry flavored beer, priced at $8.95 per bottle and worth every penny!

Now seated at a cozy table that appears to be made from an old keg with my chilled beer poured into an appropriate glass I am free to choose from a menu full of all sorts of delectable appetizers, sandwiches and wraps.

These were my choices...

For an appetizer I chose the meat & cheese platter a mix of our European cheeses and German cold cut meats. This also included some of the tastiest pitted black olives that have ever passed my lips.

My entré was knackwurst made with very lean beef and pork and natural spices with a full body flavor served with sauerkraut on a sandwich roll with German potato salad.
Mmmmm... Tasty!
Please refrain from making comments about me eating German sausages!

I will definitely be returning to this establishment frequently. The food was out of this world, and I'm looking forward to sampling beers from around the world without having to leave my home state of Pennsylvania.

Musical Mayhem

I created a group for Michael Schenker fans at one of my favorite online hangouts, Last FM. The group is called quite appropriately, We Love Michael Schenker!

At the present time we have a mere five members, so if you are registered at Last FM and are a fan of Michael's, please apply for membership...

The amazing thing is the variety of music listened to by the group's current membership. Since all groups have a radio station based on members' musical tastes, I am able to share this bit of musical mayhem with you!

Click here to check it out!
(And apply for membersip while you're there!)

Save The Seals!

Seal fur belongs on seals, not people! Don't let this sweet little critter end up being someone's coat!

In 2006, more than 354,344 baby seals were killed for their fur -- clubbed, shot, and skinned in the largest commercial hunt of marine mammals in the world.

I have joined more than 353,000 people worldwide in opposing the cruel seal hunt. Together, we can make the Canadian government end this hunt. I urge you to join me in stopping the seal hunt forever.

Please take action today to help end the cruel Canadian seal hunt by sending an e-mail to Canada's Minister of International Trade, David Emerson, immediately. Thank you!

Click here!

Thursday Thirteen

Spring arrived on Tuesday evening at 8:07 PM. That's what the weatherman said...

Thirteen signs that spring is finally here!

1. The flowers begin to bloom.



2. Thundershowers!

3. The return of the robins.

4. Strawberries begin to appear in the produce department.

5. There is still light in the sky after 7 PM.

6. You can finally leave the house fwithout your hooded parka.

7. Flooding on the Mon Wharf!

8. Your favorite bands start to announce their summer tour schedules.

9. Pastel colors (BLECH!) dominate the ladies' clothing department.

10. Gasoline prices go on the rise!

11. Tanning products and sunblocks begin to appear in more obvious places in stores.

12. There is an abundance of articles on diets that will have you looking good in that bikini in just ? weeks in just about every women's magazine on the shelves.

13. Your children are able to tell you (to the minute) exactly how much time is left to the current school year!

Wordless Wednesday

Words Of Wisdom

Always remember....
When life hands you Lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!

The Hair Metal Player Of Doom

I've finally got the 5G Baby nearly filled. It is truly the hair metal player of doom. On it are my complete colletions of the following artists:

Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker Group
McAuley-Scenker Group
Schenker-Pattison Summit
UFO
Scorpions
Poison
Guns 'N Roses
Poison
Gorky Park
Wildhorses
Ozzy Osbourne
Winger
Whitesnake
Def Leppard
Bon Jovi
Dokken
AC/DC
Nickelback
Skid Row
Vanilla Ninja

How the hell did those GIRLS get on there?!
I must really like them!

Picnic Anyone?

Spring is just around the corner, but you'd never guess it from these pictures that I took yesterday...



It definitely isn't weather for a picnic.



But the covered bridges sure do look pretty...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I may not have found a pot of gold today...


But I did find meself something nearly as good...

Green Beer!

It's amazing, but in forty-five years, to day is the very first time that I've ever had it.

I guess it jusy goes to show how not Irish I really am!

It's Not Easy Being Green...

Especially when you're not even Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

You Are Emerald Green

Deep and mysterious, it often seems like no one truly gets you. Inside, you are very emotional and moody - though you don't let it show. People usually have a strong reaction to you... profound love or deep hate. But you can even get those who hate you to come around. There's something naturally harmonious about you.

What Color Green Are You?

Thursday Thirteen

I don't go back to the doctor until April 3, but I am so ready to go back to work, so this week's thirteen is:

Thirteen reasons that I wish I could go back to work NOW!

1. I am bored.

2. I miss goofing around with my co-workers, even the most annoying ones.

3. I miss my customers.

4. I miss all of my doggie friends!



5. I need to get back to my normal lifestyle if I am to lose the weight that this injury has caused me to gain.

6. I feel fine and I'm sick of hopping around with a pair of sticks!

7. I don't want to run out of sick leave.

8. I can't wait to hear all of the jokes about how I'll do ANYTHING to get out of working in the wintertime!

9. All of this family togetherness is getting to me, and the rest of the family as well!

10. I don't want to have to totally relearn my route!

11. I don't want people complaining about how much time off I've already had when I take my vacation in September. It's not as if I've been enjoying myself these last few months!

12. I want to be rid of all of the 39¢ stamps in my stock before the rate increases in May.

13. I miss my alone time.

From Me To Michael

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Keep the Party Going With This Virtual Irish Coffee! To: Michael Schenker From: She Schenker

What Virtual St. Patrick's Day Gift Should You Give?

It probably is a good thing for both of us that virtual gifts are alcohol-free!

Wordless Wednesday

I Just Ain't Irish

They say that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day...

According to this quiz, not this girl!

You're 15% Irish

You're not Irish. Not even a wee bit. Not even on St. Patrick's Day!

How Irish Are You?

But I got meself an Irish name, just in case they are wrong...

Your Irish Name Is...

Grainne Boyle

What's your Irish Name?

Bring on the green beer!

Manic Monday

It's time for Lisa's meme again!

Utterly Random

Imagine you are on a first date and the person you are with has food stuck in his teeth. Would you tell him/her? What if he had food on his chin, nose or shirt?
I think that what I'd do would depend largely upon what the guy was like. If he was someone who made me feel comfortable I'd probably tell him about the food between his teeth and possibly wipe something off his chin or shirt. I'm not sure what I'd do with someone who made me feel uncomfortable...

What breakfast cereal best describes your personality?
Grape Nuts



With the emphasis on NUTS!

Who would you most like to have a dream about tonight? What would you like to dream?
It should be painfully obvious that I wish to have sweet dreams of Michael Schenker!



It should also be painfully obvious that we'd be having hot, steamy SEX!!!!

Higher Life Forms

Those who believe in reincarnation say that if you lead an exceptionally good life, you will be reincarnated as a higher life form in the next...



SOMEONE must have led an incredibly good life the last time around, 'cos I don't think that life gets much better than this!

From The Celebration

Here's the cake!


Notice that we opted for the "1 - 0 - 0" candles rather than catching the cake on fire.

And here is the birthday girl...


On her left is her daughter (my mom) and on her right is her granddaughter (me)!

100 Years Ago Today

My wonderful grandma made her entrance to this world.
She's still here with us today.
Still living on her own in her own house.
Going out to celebrate with the family this afternoon.
Let's hope that all of the candles on the cake don't catch the place on fire!

The Addiction Thing

I do not deny that I am an alcoholic. I know it. I accept the fact.
I've done the 12 step thing. In some ways it made me feel a lot better. I probably could use a meeting or two (or three) right now...

The fact is that I just don't want to be hypocritical. Meetings, staying sober, it's all good, but it doesn't make me numb (emotionally). Right now, numb is what I feel that I need...
Add to that the fact that I have serious doubts about my higher power and what it is...

I know there is a nice deep bottom waiting out there for me somewhere. I haven't hit it, YET!
I'm keeping it fairly under control.
Besides, I don't feel like being a tea-totalling freak of nature right now.

Thursday Thirteen

I'm feeling a bit frisky this week, perhaps because I started physical therapy...
So, my thirteen for the week is:

Thirteen words that I'd use to describe Michael Schenker



1. Beautiful
2. Blonde
3. Sexy
4. Talented
5. Deutsch
6. Naive
7. Confused
8. Tall
9. Moody
10. Misunderstood
11. Open
12. Warm
13. Strong

Two Weeks Until Spring

According to the calendar, spring begins on March 21, a mere two weeks from now.

That miserable groundhog in Punxatawny said that we'd have an early spring...
LIAR!

I am so sick of looking out my window to see this sort of thing...



Yeah, it's pretty, but that's about all!

Wordless Wednesday

What's In A Name

Here is what the people at Blogthings have to say about Michael Schenker...

What Michael Schenker Means

M is for Marvelous I is for Innocent C is for Charming H is for Honest A is for Arty E is for Earthy L is for Luscious S is for Silky C is for Complicated H is for Happy E is for Extreme N is for Nervy K is for Kind E is for Extreme R is for Responsible

What Does Your Name Mean?

If at all possible, this makes me want him even MORE!!!

Manic Monday

It's time for Lisa's meme again!

16 days until spring and counting!

What is your favorite part of spring? Your least favorite?
I love spring flowers and the warm sunny weather...



I don't like the rainy days all that much, but they're still much better than the snowy days of winter!

It's Severe Weather Preparedness Week this week. What's the most severe weather event you've experienced?
Flash flooding is common in our area since we live along the Monongahela River. I live on high enough ground that flooding does not effect me personally, but Pigeon Creek runs through my mail route, and I am quite frequently forced to make major detours due to flash flooding, especially in the springtime.

Daylight Savings Time begins next Sunday, three weeks earlier than in previous years. How do you feel about DST? Love it, hate it, couldn't care less?
I love having the extra hour of daylight in the evening, but hate having to leave in the dark in the mornings. But since I probably won't be back to work for at least another month, it probably won't effect me... THIS YEAR!

This Isn't Really Funny

I suppose that I should be ashamed to admit to how many of these are actually true for me...

You Know You Drink Too Much When...

Your doctor finds traces of blood in your alcohol stream. The back of your head keeps getting hit by the toilet seat. The parking lot seems to have moved while you were in the bar When you go to donate blood and they ask what proof? You think the Four Basic Food Groups are Caffeine, Nicotine, Alcohol, and Hotties. You have a "happy hour" at home When you are sober, people ask you what's wrong? You spend all night making a board game called Alcohol Land Although you drove home the other night you can't remember how you got home or where you parked your car "Hi ocifer. I'm not under the affluence of incohol." Your favorite drink is ethanol. "Why does everybody think I have a prinking droblem?! - I don't have a prinking droblem!" "I don't have a drinking prob..pleb..prub.. *hic* Pash me another, tarbender." You can spend a whole night holding up walls to prevent their (your) collapse. You instinctively know where the alcohol is in a store you've never been in before Clubs raise their drink prices because you haven't attended in a while You think beer and ramen make a good breakfast You frequently urinate outdoors. When you first wake up and you're afraid you're gonna die and a half-hour later you're afraid you won't. You fall asleep taking a dump. You believe that spilling a beer is alcohol abuse. You go to the john to hurl, but you take your beer with you. You find it's easier to study drunk. You're on a first name basis at the detoxification center. Beer ads make sense. You wake up to the sound of your dog drinking out of the toilet and you're so dry that it sounds mighty thirst quenching. You wake the next morning and start drinking a few of the half empties left sitting around the room. The space on your driver's license that tells your eye color reads "bloodshot". You fall down a flight of steps and DON'T spill a drop of your beer. You mix your cocktails by the litre. You grow a beard because it stops beer that's running down your chin. You put off urinating in hopes of reaching that near orgasmic Zen-like piss. When the bottle says 20 standard drinks but you only get 5. You spell Alcohol with a capital letter out of respect You lose arguments with inanimate objects. You have to hold onto the lawn to keep from falling off the earth Your career won't progress beyond Senator from Massachusettes. 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case - coincidence?? - I think not! Two hands and just one mouth... - now THAT'S a drinking problem! "Norm!" is what they say when you enter the bar. You can focus better with one eye closed The parking lot seems to have moved while you were in the bar You fall off the floor. You discover in the morning that liquid cleaning supplies have mysteriously disappeared. Hey, 5 beers has just as many calories as a burger, screw dinner! Beer: it's not just for breakfast anymore. The glass keeps missing your mouth. Vampires get woozy after bitting you. At AA meeting you begin: "Hi, my name is... uh..." Your idea of cutting back is less seltzer. You wake up in the bedroom, your underwear is in the bathroom, you fell asleep clothed. - hmm. Every night you're beginning to find your roomate's cat more and more attractive. If you're on a diet, you cut back your food calories to allow for alcohol calories. "Take me drunk, I'm home!" You wake up naked lying in the corner of a bus depot. You drink to get over a hangover. You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends who drink too much.

Get Your Own Addicted Meme Here

More cool things for your blog at Blogthings

Something That Needs To Be Said

Michael, darling, do you realize that....

You are a better guitarist than your older brother?
You always have been and always will be.

That you are also better looking than your brother?
It took me a while to realize this because you tend to ugly yourself up when he is around.
You need to stop it!
The gene pool gave him dark hair and brown eyes. If he's unhappy with that, it is his problem, not yours...

Your older brother is jealous of everything about you?
He's your brother. You love him. You admire him. So you don't see it, but others do. I do.

He wants to be you, or at least he wants to be a large part of you.

And I can't help but wonder, how much of yourself have you given him in the name of brotherly love?
And how much has he just taken?

Pondering Things

Since yesterday was my oldest son's 21st birthday, I took him out for dinner and drinks. Of course I had a couple of beers myself. I have fallen in love with a raspberry flavored wheat beer called Purple Haze. After about two of them I felt fantastic.

I can't help but thinking how great life would be if I could constantly keep my blood alcohol at that level...


Three cheers for alcohol!

The Truth Can Be Found

By taking silly Blogthings quizzes...

Your Love Life Secrets Are

Looking back on your life, you will have a few true loves. You're a little scarred from your past relationships, but who isn't? It's important to you that your lover is very attractive. You like to have someone to show off. In fights, you speak your mind and don't hold back. You know you're right, and you can get quite angry about it. Break-ups can be painful for you, but you never show it. You hold your head high.

Your Love Life Secrets, Revealed

Sometimes the accuracy of these things is uncanny!

I'm Getting There

Today I gathered up enough courage to print out a physical copy of those The Sun Will Shine Again lyrics.
Dammit, I want to print them again using a smaller font. The author's note at the end, "With all of my love to Michael Schenker, 2/16/07," printed on a second page, alone.

I also remembered to bring Michael's business address over here, so I know where to send this...

I must compose a cover letter to go along with those lyrics. I do not want to sound like some sort of demented freak.


What to say....

I'll think of something, eventually...

I'm getting there...
Can anybody say
?