Sunday, December 16, 2012

Riffday: I don't know if there'll be snow but have a cup of cheer

1. Remember I told you that I knew the puppy chewing stage would get worse?  It did.  It is.  Oh my lord we cannot find enough stuff for her to chew on.  If you have ideas, let me know.  Unfortunately, she doesn't like rawhide bones.  Padded envelopes are a favorite, which is convenient since due to online Christmas ordering, it seems that several come per week.  I've taken to giving her kindling off the woodpile just so she won't drive me crazy. 

2. I consider myself a Christian, albeit a thoroughly unorthodox one, and Christmas is easily my favorite of the church holidays.  But can I just say for the record that no, I do not mind if someone says Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas?  I have friends who are Jewish, Wiccan, atheist, and who-knows-what-else and I'm actually really glad there is a neutral way to wish them the joy of the season.  Celebrate it however you want-- light a candle on a menorah, believe in Santa, burn a yule log, head up to the ski slopes, go to church, fast and pray, sit with a Jameson next to the fire.  I hope everybody has the kind of holiday season they enjoy.  Happy Holidays.

3. I admit I listen to some strange stuff for a 51-year-old.  I actually like hip-hop. Well, some of it, anyway. I like to have something with a beat when I'm on the treadmill or doing my workout.  But you know how you always hear lyrics wrong?  Like back in junior high when we all thought the guy was from Georgia when he sang "my eyes adored ya"? (yeah, I know, showing my age there.)  The whole problem with hip hop lyrics is that when you think you're hearing the lyrics wrong, you're really not.  After weeks of thinking, that can't be what he's saying, I finally googled it today, and yup, he is saying that. I don't even want to think about what it means.  (Originally this included the lyrics I was trying to figure out, but I deleted them because this is a family-friendly blog. usually. sort of.) 

4. I have successfully conditioned the chickens to go out in the snow. *pats self on back* It took three days of hand-carrying them out to the usual spot where they get their scratch.  This morning when I went down to the coop, even though it was about 25 degrees, they were all out in their yard, waiting for me to let them out so they could roam, standing right out there on the snow.  :-) 

5. The only problem with this is that they want to roam someplace where it is warm, so if the garage door is up, they like to hang out in there, cheerfully sharing their chicken by-products with us.  The garage is also where Sadie goes when she is in trouble.  You can probably see this coming.  This afternoon I found her terrorizing a poor chicken who was huddled in a corner behind Dean's exercise bike, shivering.  Fortunately no harm was done.  I did check before I shut her in there, but apparently not carefully enough.

6. Thesis revisions are coming along.  It's taking longer than I anticipated, because I am so dang tired of working on it.  It's hard to force myself to do it.  But I'm pleased with what I've done, and I'm anticipating that it will be finished tonight and e-mailed back to my advisor tomorrow after a final read-through.  I checked in with the grad school and the deadline actually isn't until January 18th, so I have plenty of time.  I just don't want to be working on it in January.

7. Peace and healing to the families and the community in Newtown.  I'm just speechless with horror every time I think about it.  I originally had something longer here, but I think I'll just leave it at that.

11 comments:

  1. Oh no. It's not "my eyes adored ya"? "like a million miles away from me you couldn't see how I adored ya?" I better go google that lickety split. Perhaps the fact that we learned that song together has something to do with it. Happy Holidays, for sure. ;>)

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  2. Have you ever tried the Kong? My brother's Catahoula can chew through a ham bone in the time it takes you to turn away and look back. It took him a couple of years to finally destroy his Kong. And in the meantime, you can fill it with peanut butter, dog treats, or just about anything else you want to, and the dogs have a fun time trying to get it out.

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    1. oh that is a great idea. I'll see if I can find one.

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    2. I had to go to Target this afternoon anyway and they have them. Great idea, she loves it!

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  3. The only thing about looking up lyrics online is that they're often done by people just listening and guessing. I find mistakes all the times--that I know are mistakes because I can hear the "right" lyric, and know it's right cause it makes more SENSE.

    Like this one:
    When I hell I pay the rottweiler
    There's only one flo, and one rida

    Which should be:
    Who in the hell done paved the road wider?
    There's only one flo, and one rida

    lol

    Good luck on the revisions.

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    1. Terri, you nut. lol I know I love screwed up lyrics, but I think this is the real thing. Since I don't think my more sensitive readers ever look at the comments, I'll tell you-- in "never Enough" (It's an eminem song, but it's not eminem speaking at this point), the words go: No matter how many battles I been in and won / No matter how many magazines on my nuts / No matter how many MC's I eat up / oh, it's never enough. MAGAZINES ON MY NUTS? What the hell is that? It makes me giggle every time I think about it, even though it's probably something horrible.

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    2. lol I went and listened and yep, sounds accurate alright!

      (Oh I should have mentioned, the lyrics I mentioned were from Flo Rida. So that part, at least, was odd but accurate.)

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  4. I'd second the Kong and also, my lab puppy loved those big ropes to chew on. I'm sure after she's two or three, she'll settle right down! ;)

    Congrats on the chicken herding. And, yeah, wish me whatever kind of holiday you want to - I'll just be glad you are wishing me well.

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    1. and why exactly wouldn't I be wishing you well? I suppose you are probably referring to the general incivility thing we've got going these days. Just lighten up and enjoy yourselves, everybody. BettyBear and I are relaxing by the fire with our Jameson.

      I'm a bit giddy because I JUST FINISHED AND E-MAILED MY THESIS REVISIONS. I was relieved my defense was over, but I didn't feel done. NOW I feel done. WOO-HOO!!!

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  5. I'm with you. I celebrate Christmas, but say Happy Chanuka or Happy Kwanza for all I care. As Karen said, I'm just happy you're wishing me well.

    I'm glad the Kong worked (late to the party, that's me). And I'm so excited about your thesis! YAY! Congratulations!

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