Below are the most recent 12 friends' journal entries.

Sunday, July 20th, 2008
almsthvn	11:17p	Cat Owners... or rather, those owned by cats, will relate to this, I think. There are 3 videos by Simon - all cattily-hilarious! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
adrianclark	12:02a	Garden wildlife This is a crosspost from View from the Spaghetti Factory. Please leave any comments there. This little chap was hopping around the edge of our lawn the other day. I picked him up to say hello, and he was kind enough to pose for a couple of pictures… That picture’s a bit misleading in terms of proportion. It’s only when you zoom out to see my hand in full that you realise how tiny he is. Barely out of tadpole school. And now, having seen that one, my eyes are now accustomed to distinguishing a couple of his siblings from the spiders and insects scurrying around in the garden. I’m just amazed that a passing cat hasn’t eaten any of them yet…
Friday, July 18th, 2008
adrianclark	6:23p	Of course we mustn’t mock the uneducated, but… This is a crosspost from View from the Spaghetti Factory. Please leave any comments there. I was in Asda a few minutes ago, doing my usual frustrated shuffle behind slow-moving gawpers. Immediately in front of me, a couple are obviously looking for something specific. She heads for the International Foods aisle, but her shaven-headed, tattooed and string-vested consort points out “nah, that’s for all that fackin’ foreign shit”. So they do a quick about turn into the next aisle. “Yeah, thassit”, he mutters, as they make a beeline for the… Dolmio pasta sauces! I coughed a little laugh into my basket.
pootrootbeer	10:39a	Free concerts in Brooklyn ( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. ) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
almsthvn	8:26a	a Typical Morning in Hvn's Haven Browsing LJ, stephaniewalker mentions she went badger watching. That simple item triggered this: I start chanting "badger badger badger badger ..." Katie chimes in "Mushroom! Mushroom!" knight_paladin adds "Snake! a Snake!!" I love my family :) (for those not in the know, go HERE - Badger! (16 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
almsthvn	1:10p	Posted using TxtLJ Sign in bathroom "Hostess Off Duty - Please Seat Yourself" (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
pootrootbeer	12:06p	NO KITTY THAT'S A BAD KITTY ( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. ) (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
almsthvn	7:41p	Independence Day I just saw this quote (I so suck at keeping up with emails). You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~ Erma Bombeck Do any particular July 4th celebrations stick out in your mind that you'd like to share? and for my non-USA friends - do you have any national-celebration stories? I think my favorite July 4th parade was about 15 years ago. I lived in a VERY small city that had a parade route so small that they would loop around and come back. Kids decorated their bicycles, people painted their faces, fire trucks would be all shined up, veteran groups would wave and be greeted with cheers and whistles, and families would walk together pushing their little ones in strollers or toting them in dressed-up-wagons. Then since it would be so hot, we'd set out the water sprinklers for the kids (of all ages) to cool off. I'd love to get to Washington DC and experience the 4th on the Mall. I watch the music and fireworks every year on tv, I'd love to see it in person, just once :) Current Mood: mellow (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
almsthvn	10:11p	That was quick :) We're back home! We had a great time chatting with my crazy cousins, seeing some of my old stomping grounds, and of course, just breathing the air in my hills. .. I got to tell Katie about Princess Falling Rock. She was an Indian princess and her father wouldn't let her marry the man she loved, so she ran away. Her father, the Chief, put up all these signs to let her know that he's still looking for her... so when you see "Falling Rock", you know she's still out there. It's just some silly little thing my Dad made up when I was little and I thought was cool :) .. A 7 year old kid has enough energy to run up and down a 2200 or so year old Indian mound 4 times in the amount of time it takes her out of shape 45 year old mother to do the stairs once. .. My cousin Cathy is a real trooper. She's 6 years older than me and we never had much to talk about when I was little, but now we can sit and chat just fine. Cool. .. My cousin Lisa is a grandmother (WHAT? She's the same age as ME!). Her daughter called today, frazzled with her nearly 4 year old son. He's hit a stage where after he uses the potty, he doesn't want to put his underpants back on. They're clean, he just doesn't want them. So he hides them. Today, Meghan was looking for them all over, and finally found them... spinning slowly from the ceiling fan. ROFL! Lisa asked what kind of underpants they were, and when Meghan told her, she quipped "ooo! Spongebob Airpants!" ROFL! .. as soon as Michael left the room, Lisa and my aunt both started squealing "he's SO CUTE, and such a great personality! We LOVE him! Oh my gosh, we're so happy for you!" I love my family. Once again, they make me feel so normal! Lisa also shared some of her adventures from when she worked at DisneyWorld as a guide in the wild animal park. I didn't even know she lived in Orlando, much less worked at Disney. or that she taught dance for 11 years. You'd think 1st cousins would know more about each other. Better late than never. Unrelated, but in a timely manner, I came across this sign on the internut... To illustrate why I love my Aunt Betty so... I asked her how her daughter Deb is doing. Debbie contracted Multiple Sclerosis (MS) several years ago and I hadn't heard about her in awhile. Betty's words? "God's been really good to her. She could be in a wheelchair, but she's still able to move around and work." I don't know many mothers who would describe their child's progressively debilitating illness in such a positive light. I love Betty. I'm so blessed to have these fun-loving, good-natured and awesomely-hearted people in my family. Life's good! Hugs to everyone! Current Mood: chipper (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, July 11th, 2008
adrianclark	11:28p	lolronaldo This is a crosspost from View from the Spaghetti Factory. Please leave any comments there. Poor little Cinderonnie. Wicked Uncle Alex is stopping him from going to the ball Real Madrid. Still, all is not lost… it turns out that his fairy godfather has arrived in the shape of… Sepp Blatter! Yes! FIFA’s own surreal stand-up comedian has likened Cristiano’s plight to modern slavery. Apart from the bit about being bundled into a transit van and driven illegally across borders in the dead of night, obviously. Oh, and the underage prostitution, heroin addiction and constant threat of physical violence. And technically, he probably gets to keep most of his £100k weekly pay packet, giving just a small cut to his agent, rather than having to give the whole lot to a menacing Russian pimp with gold teeth and a machine gun. But yeah, apart from a few small details, tantamount to modern slavery. It’s a shit job, y’know?
almsthvn	1:19p	Brushin' off my dialect We're just about to head out when this popped back into my brain. Does your brain ever do that? You're sitting peacefully and a full replay of an earlier conversation just pops into your head? Happens to me all the time. It just struck me funny so I thought I'd pass it on. I had lunch with a gal-pal today and I relayed to her a message I left with my aunt's caretaker "... and warn my cousins that I'm aimin' for their house tomorrow". My friend interrupted me with a look of astonishment, "Do you REALLY talk like that?" It took me a minute to figure out what she meant. I said, "at least I didn't say fixin' to, like we did in Miss'ippi". She looked at me like I'd just grown a 3rd horn. She said, "do you REALLY say "fixin to", EVER?" I retorted, "what, you DON'T?" We both muttered "Foreigners." ROFL! Then she added "you're hilarious. Everyone should have a Sheryl nearby." I guess that means yall are REALLY lucky, coz I'm in your face with a new post all the time! Y'all behave! Current Mood: chipper (3 Comments |Comment on this)
almsthvn	5:51a	Heading Home We're heading over to West Virginia this afternoon. I'm so excited! I woke up at 5 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep! Unfortunately this has to be a super-quick trip. We'll get there around dinner tonight, hang out with my cousin, then check out of the hotel tomorrow and spend time with my aunt before heading back. I wish there was time for more, but that's all we can squeeze in this time. The main reason we're going is to see my Aunt Betty. I wrote about her here on tblog after she had been hospitalized and told she had only a few days or months to live. That was 2004! It's been a couple of years since we've seen her and I've wanted to get over, just not found/made the time. I was talking to Mom last week and she mentioned how it's a miracle Betty is still with us, and I immediately made plans with my manager to take this afternoon off. I think I can still find my way around. It's one thing to be a kid riding with someone else driving, and entirely different to navigate by yourself :) Hey, it's the mountains, though. If you're lost, you can always aim up hill (or down) and regain your bearings :) I was looking on YouTube for a video with the West Virginia theme song and stumbled across this song instead. I'm still drying the tears ... see, I close my eyes when I sing Country Roads, too :) See y'all when we get back, take care! (3 Comments |Comment on this)