Cheek-ah-go

Anybody else remember Fiddler on the Roof?

As of Friday I'm off to Chicago for a meeting.  Way too many hours of education on Fundraising techniques.  Boring....................

So to liven it up I'm meeting Jon, Kevin, and Markie for dinner on Saturday night.  Well...dinner and Deviltry of some sort...I HOPE.  Given that Mark is along I'm sure trouble is guaranteed.  It shouldn't be hard to find a French Diplomat in Chicago.

Now if I can just get through the rest of the week...   

Care to guess what happens when you drop a placenta on the floor?

(n)ICE

I spoke to my Maternal Unit today.  Apparently Southern Indiana is one big field of ice.  Many of her neighbors are without power due to ice-coated branches taking down power lines.

Which means she has several neighbors as guests for a while.  Apparently there's going to be a whole lotta Bridge playin' goin' on.

It's a balmy day in South Dakota.  It's actually 32F.  Any day that snow melts this time of year is a gift from <insert deity, higher power or curse word>.

I've also got whole bunch of prostate going on.  Not mine of course.  Nobody would pay for ME to look at MY prostate (although that's another story for another time).  And I'm definitely getting paid well to look at other people's prostates.

I've really been on a Cooking Channel spree lately.  I printed off a dozen or so recipes for appetizers that I saw made over the weekend.  The buffalo chicken cheddar fritters look pretty amazing.

And finally...

A Week?

I just don't know what's wrong with me.  The old blogging fire is burning low.

Probably because life is just pretty plain boring right now.

Yesterday I chaired a meeting via videoconferencing.  There were 4 different sites participating.  When someone from any of the other three sites would speak that site would show up on the video.

I kept asking the participant from Yankton questions.

Not because I particularly cared about the answers.

Nope.

It was because her video tech was sitting right beside her...and he was smokin' hot.

And for your entertainment I give you this.  At least one little factoid in the following list is incorrect.  Which of you are nerdy enough to catch it?

When It Is:
 
**60 above zero:**

Floridians turn on the heat.
People in  South Dakota plant gardens.
 
*50 above zero:**

Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in  Pierre sunbathe.
 
*40 above zero:**

Italian & English cars won't start.
People in  South Dakota drive with the windows down.
 
*32 above zero:**

Distilled water freezes.
The water in  the Missouri River gets thicker.
 
20 above zero:**

Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in  South Dakota throw on a flannel shirt.
 
*15 above zero:*
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in  South Dakota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

*Zero: *

People in  Miami all die.
South Dakota close the windows.
 
*10 below zero:**

Californians fly away to  Tahiti .
People in  South Dakota get out their winter coats.
 
*25 below zero:*

Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in  South Dakota are selling cookies door to door.
 
40 below zero:*

Washington  DC runs out of hot air.
People in South Dakota let the dogs sleep indoors.
 
100 below zero:**

Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
South Dakotans get upset because they can't start the Mini-Van.
 
*460 below zero: **

ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale.) People in  South Dakota start saying..."Cold enough for ya?"

*500 below zero:*

Hell freezes over.
South Dakota public schools will open 2 hours late, buses will run where possible.

Sticks

The Malignant Stick has been pretty active today.

I'm surrounded by people that seem to have been soundly thwacked with the Stupid Stick.

I'm ready to beat said people with the nearest big stick I can find.

Thank God it's Friday.

It says something about the weather that I deferred blowing snow yesterday in favor of today.  The temp yesterday when I got home from work was -16F.  The temp today should be around 20F.  I'll take that 36 degree improvement.

Ugly Sweater Party tomorrow night.  I 'spect pictures will be forthcoming.

Musical Chairs?

Not quite.

Monday was an all too typical day in South Dakota.  The wind was gusting at about 50 mph.

Given all the snow we had (and the new snow coming down) it was a real white out.  As in I couldn't see the church across the street from my office.  And it's a big church.

Monday also happens to be trash collection day in my neighborhood.

Let me preface by saying that several years ago the city switched to a waste management system with automated garbage trucks.  The little guys don't climb off the truck and heave your garbage in.  There is a mechanical arm that moves out, grabs your garbage can and lifts it to the top of the truck and empties it.  It then lowers your can to the ground and off they go.

The system needs a certain size and rather sturdy can.  The city gave each household the requisite container.  They are all somewhat tall and squarish with a hinged lid.  They all also happen to be brown.

Too much detail? Right.  Live with it.

Anyway...I was kinda grumbly when going home from work on Monday because it was cold and I knew I had to drag the damn garbage container up the driveway to the garage.

Only...I didn't have to, because when I got home there wasn't a garbage container in front of my house.  Not in the driveway.  Not in the yard.  Not in the street in front of the house.

Rats.

Damn wind blew my garbage can away.

I decided to look for it in the morning.  I rather hoped one of the neighbors had retrieved it.

In the morning I noticed a garbage container laying in an empty lot about two blocks away.  All the neighbors had put away their containers so I assumed it was mine.  I retrieved it a lunch time (in the bitter friggin' cold) and put it in the garage.

That evening I went to put the kitchen garbage in the container...and discovered that the container wasn't mine.  It belonged to the neighbors two doors to the South.

I called to apologize for pinching their container.  They informed me their container was in their garage.  Hmmmmm...

They checked that container.  Turns out it belongs to my neighbor one door to the South.

Called the neighbor one door to the South.  Nope.  His container was in his garage.

Only it turns out that the container in his garage belongs to me.

We played Musical Trash Containers.

(Note that since they all happen to be alike we're just keeping the containers we have.  It's too damn cold to go dragging the things around the neighborhood.)

Of all the Boys I've Tagged Before...

Actually, noone saw fit to tag me so I'ma tagging myself.  That should be translated as "nothing important or interesting is going on so I'll post a meme just to get your attention."

The object of 4th picture tag is to:

1) Choose the fourth folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the fourth picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag four people to do the same

Zippy waits patiently for someone to turn on "her" tap.  Patient is relative...after about a minute she turns it on herself.

Now if only she could figure out how to turn it off.

Rabbit

I've got a bunny in my yard.  The snow is criss-crossed with Wabbit Twacks.

Bunny might have a problem though.  There are also bigger tracks intermingled with Wabbit Twacks.  I'm guessing a big dog or a coyote.

So far no signs of spilled blood.

I'm also pulling a rabbit tonight.  The hospital Holiday Party is tonight and I don't want to go.  Among other things I don't like making speeches (I'm the Chairman of the Board).  Soooooooooooo...I'm rabbitting to Sioux Falls to help make table decorations for Michael's wedding reception tomorrow.

Actually...Special Someone is helping make table decorations.  I just plan on making smart-ass comments.  After all, that is one of my areas of expertise.

Viewing Pleasure

Sooooooooo...

The son of a friend of mine got married in Las Vegas today.  I gave he and his bride my old diamond as a wedding present since he couldn't afford one for the engagement ring.

I watched the "webinized" live-cam wedding on a split screen.

Michael's big day on the left.

An X-tube big something else on the right.

Surprisingly...the wedding ceremony was more entertaining.

But it didn't take as long to...finish.

Random

-All of the Christmas accoutrements have been taken down and replaced in storage.  The house feels back to normal...or as normal as it gets.

-We've had a recent influx of hispanics into our community.  Snow appears to be outside of their experience.  In general, when you are driving a little KIA front wheel drive you shouldn't attempt to go over snow banks...particularly if they are taller than your car.

-The Christmas packages are all put away but I have another Package to enjoy.  The new Intern started today and he's kinda cute in a dorky sort of way.  For visual entertainment only.

-More snow.  More cold.  More snow blowing.  More nose blowing.  Bleh.