Chrysalis

Why stop at just one? How about this as his new avatar?

Actually, my favorite mis-hearing was not a song. I was talking to my husband and he heard me say, "It's not the sea ice women." That made no sense to him so he asked me to repeat it. Again I said, "It's not the sea ice women." He shook his head and got really frustrated and said it still didn't make any sense. He asked me to say it AGAIN! I refused. I said it's not that important, let it go. He insisted-- he HAD to understand what I was talking about. Please, he asked me, say it once more. So I repeated very slowly, "It's-not-the-sea-I-swim-in." Finally, he GOT it! When we want to point out a communication problem, we still refer to the sea ice women

"I'm not talking about groovin it" eventually got corrected to be "I'm not talking about moving in"

Where did you find such a cute dog? He's adorable! He looks like he's going to be a fun and loving addition to your family. How does he get along with your cat?

yield

ram

Thanks, Sally, but I am going to have to ration myself on playing the Google geography game. I'm so competitive and so compulsive that I waste tons of time looking up the typical vegetation in Russian tundras or how to tell if you're reading Spanish or Portuguese signs. And, really, when there are no signs of human habitation, how can one possibly tell the difference between a lovely rocky mountain stream in Alberta versus one that looks identical but in Northern Italy or eastern Wyoming?

Gosh! This makes me feel humble and inadequate! I'm so happy that Mama Cat and the kittens eventually led long lives in happy homes!

Yes, undiagnosed allergies can be a real challenge to find and eliminate. I second Sazerac's suggestions. My husband has extremely sensitive skin and used to break out all the time. I learned years ago to give all of his clothes, sheets and towels 2 rinses. After the wash cycle and first spin I re-set the dial to start the wash cycle all over again but this time with no soap. So the clothes get one wash with soap, one wash with no soap, and then the regular rinse/spin. When our washing machine was in the basement this system was a real pain in the neck. But now our laundry room is off the kitchen and it's a breeze! And my husband has no more rashes or hives.

Gemzee, in the States Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday and most people have the next day (Friday) off of work. Many of them like to spend the day getting started on their Christmas shopping. Therefore, many stores advertise big sales for the Friday after Thanksgiving. If the sales are big enough (like 25% off) and/or the sale items are popular enough (like flat-screen TVs) then a lot of people think it is fun to line up outside of the store before opening time so they can all rush in when the doors are unlocked and grab what they want before the item is all sold out. Somehow, the Friday after Thanksgiving got named Black Friday. (By the way, there are a lot of Black Fridays in our history named for a number of historical events. The term Black Friday did not originate with Christmas shopping.) In recent years, with the increase in popularity of online shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving is often a big sale day for online retailers. I think the thinking is that a lot of people will spend some time at work on Monday using their company's computer to do online shopping. This day is often referred to as Blue Monday (I don't know why "blue" instead of "black").

Vitamin C. Lots of vitamin C (with rose hips). At least 1000 mg in the morning and again at night. Continue for several days until flu symptoms long gone. Linus Pauling discovered this and was correct. My mother has sworn by it for decades and now I do, too. Vitamin C works to prevent colds and flu IF YOU CATCH IT RIGHT AWAY. Then follow with hot toddies as prescribed above. :)

Thank you so much Action and friends! Your good wishes really brightened my day. It's amazing to think that I actually got this far. There sure were days when I doubted it would ever happen but here we are! Thank you all for propping me up and pushing me forward during those times when I needed a little help. :)

Marti, I trust you when you say that even though you get these thoughts/feelings you are not in danger of relapsing-- I get that. I also understand that it can be irritating, confusing and somewhat alarming to have these thoughts/feelings. I suspect that between the change of weather and the holidays a lot of subconscious stresses and triggers pop up that you might not even be aware of. Maybe you're out shopping and you see something that would be a really great gift for your daughter (if you had a daughter). But it's too expensive-- much as you would love to see the smile on your daughter's face, this item would blow your whole gift budget. Then you fleetingly think that if your so-and-so boss had recommended you for that promotion last year you would have enough money now to buy that present. He's a jerk who just wants to build his career on your back and... and so it goes. You see how a train of thought can run through your head instantly and make you feel stressed without you even being totally aware of it. You THOUGHT you were just out Christmas shopping. How could that possibly make you stressed and angry and wanting a cigarette??!! Something (or some set of things) is triggering your thoughts about smoking right now. This is just a weird time. Try not to take it too seriously. Think about it the way my grandmother used to refer to her ailments. When her joints started hurting she would just shrug her shoulders and say, "Must be a storm coming, my rheumatiz is acting up today." Think the same way about your temptations. Say to yourself, "Must be something emotional going on today, my Nicodemon is acting up." and then just go about your day. PS-- Love the rug! I remember when you put that room together. I'm so glad you finally found the perfect rug to tie it all together. Good choice!

Aw, Saz and I don't hurt when we spank! Those are just little love taps. How does one know who is the "Challenger" in these games?

Well, I tried it again. I did OK, especially the one where the signs were in Portuguese but the landscape looked hot and dry! :) Here's my score http://bbc.in/1ymTwvw

Wow! I got the first one right (southeast Georgia, USA). Of course, I live in Georgia so that may have been a factor in my success. :) I think I'll rest on my laurels for a while.

Well, it looks like everybody likes the dress whether it's the short one or the long one. So you can't go wrong! Try them both, keep the one you like best and return the other. Easy Peasy! :) (Sorry to steal your line, Sarge.)

I see. I'm beginning to understand. We have several large states (Alaska, California, Texas and Montana for example). We have several states (or at least regions) with unique characters (New England, Plains states, Dixie, etc). We have some states with a lot of local color (Las Vegas, New Orleans, Blue Ridge Mountains, Pacific redwoods, etc.). We've even had several states or localities featured in popular television and films (Miami Vice, Hawaii Five-0, Dallas, Blue Bloods, Chicago Hope, etc.). But as far as I know, only Texas has it all-- size, character, color and fame PLUS a sticky-outy piece on the north side and a sticky-outy piece on the south side that makes it easy to identify on a map! :D . Thanks for explaining that to me, mates!

OK, you Brits, answer me this. Some of your countrymen named a lot of our states (impressive!) and some didn't know hardly any of our states (rather like our own high school students). But tell me-- why do almost all Englishmen know Texas?? Why Texas, for Pete's sake??!!

That's a tough one. If it was somebody's cancer fund for their poor, sick child I would want to return it. If it was some drug dealer's take for the day, I would want to keep it. If I gave it to anybody else so they could "look into it" (i.e., giving it to my boss or the cops or something) I'm afraid that THEY would keep it! No fair! So I would probably take it to my attorney for safekeeping and then advertise in the Lost and Found section of the newspaper (yes, a real newspaper) requesting the owner present some proof of ownership. If nobody could provide satisfactory proof of ownership after 30 days, it's mine.

I'm going through a frugality kick just now. After a careful analysis, I discovered that many things I routinely purchase are 10% less expensive at my local Target store than at my regular grocery store (For those who don't know, Target is a national discount store.) So I am now purchasing cat food, paper plates, dish soap, etc-- things I call "paper products and sundries" at Target. Today being Black Friday, I discovered that I can purchase (online) a Target gift card for 10% off. So I bought a big gift card for myself to use when I purchase my paper products and sundries. :) Poof! I'm saving about 20% off a lot of my standard purchase items. I feel clever and frugal and I didn't even have to wade through the crowds to do it!

cornucopia

I am with you on Number 5 - burp! :D

Because we LIKED him! He was our FRIEND! Remember??? :(

applause