Day 62 - March 31
Listening to: Everlasting Love
Thought for the day: Do you realize my children won't know what a video store is? ~Christian Brummett

It's Thursday…..the day before Friiiiday………….. Back when Christian and Wesley were tykey tots, Thursdays were known and Happy Meal Night. We would go to a fast food restaurant (usually McDonald's), tear up their playground, eat some junk, and take the miniature toy with us. Afterward, we would go to either Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and rent movies to watch over the weekend. It was a big deal. The kids were always excited and I was soaked with relief for not having to cook or entertain for a night. Interestingly enough, Christian said to me last night, "do you realize my children won't know what a video store is?" hmmmmmm.......

We obviously don't do Happy Meal night anymore, but I thought about it tonight while Christian and I were in Subway. I originally was going to use a photo of Christian when she was 3 with a Happy Meal box on her head, but I value my life. As I was waiting to pay I looked out the window and saw these birds munching on what looks like a smashed McDonald’s bag. Who knew birds had Happy Meal Night too!!!

Day 63 - March 30
Listening to: Can’t Help Myself
Thought for the day: Creativity often consists of merely turning up what is already there. Did you know that right and left shoes were thought up only a little more than a century ago?

As I've mentioned before, I am the caretaker of a vast collection of photographs and memorabilia dating back to 1918 where I work. This week I received three photos in the mail, one of which I am sharing with you. The women in this picture belonged to a division of the Old Hickory DuPont Rayon women's industrial league basketball team circa late 1920s.

One thing that several of my coworkers and I noticed about this photo was the shoes. There are no distinguishing characteristic to define what brand they are. One coworker suggested the shoes were Chuck Taylor's. I did a bit of digging and found that the first pair of white Chuck Taylor's wasn't revealed to the world until the 1936 Olympics, so no Chuck Taylor's here. A few of the pairs do look similar to shoes produced in the 20s called Ball-Band Sport Shoes. My guess is shoe choice was slim in those days. Oh how things have changed!

Day 64 - March 29
Listening to: What if God Was One of Us
Thought for the day: If you must smoke, take your butt outside.

I am getting ready to share something that I'm not keen on talking about publicly. I feel like I have failed at protecting my daughter from something that could kill her. I think you’ll understand why I’m willing to talk about it today. So here goes................ Christian smokes. I've tried everything to get her to quit. Now that she is 18, I feel like all have left is prayer............. or inserting little explosives into her cigs any chance I get.

On the way to school this morning we stopped at a gas station. She got out of the car to smoke. A man in a truck next to us randomly rolled down his window and said to her very gently, "You do know those things will kill you right? I know it's tough to quit. It took me two years to do it, but I did and you can to." He smiled and then rolled his window up. That was that.

When she got back in the car, I said "if you ever wondered if God was in your life, you just saw him speak to you via a stranger." I'm sure she rolled her eyes. I didn't see it, but I felt it. My words were still hanging in the air when the song "What if God Was One of Us" came on the radio. I haven’t heard the song in months. I pointed out the god-incidence of it all to her. She laughed and said, "MOM........do you know how many people tell me each week that I need to quit?" I just smiled. I'm glad there are a lot of people on the Get Christian to Stop Smoking Team.........including capital H-i-m.

Photo: a natural ash tray found in my yard. Yuck.

Day 65 March 28
Listening to: I think I’m in love
Thought for the day: Love waits for one thing, the right moment………….and a glass of water.

Twas the morn of Monday and all through the halls, not a creature was stirring except for two giggling girls.....

A genuine show-n-tell unfolded in the hallway this morning where I work. I'd like to say my dear friend and coworker brought this gem back from her trip to Gatlinburg this weekend as a souvenir for me, but she didn't.


Here are the instructions:

Place your GROW a Boyfriend into a glass of water and watch as it grows to 6 times its original size.

Boyfriend will begin to grow after 2 hours and will reach full size in 72 hours

Boyfriend will slowly shrink when removed from water. Then you can grow him again and again.

Warning: Choking Hazard

Day 66 - March 27
Listening to: Leader of the Band
Thought for the day: Human life is a story told by God. ~Hans Christian Anderson

(photo: 1972 - Jaw Dawson and Kenton J. Hull)

Today I attended a memorial to help friends and family say goodbye to Kenny Hull, a father, friend, and music educator whose reputation was larger than life. The memorial was a celebration of life rather than an occasion for mourning which says a lot about the man he was. Though he had many accomplishments, the one that affected me the most was that he was responsible for laying the foundation of the McGavock High School band. It has been 34 years since he was the band director at the school, yet the expectations and traditions he established are still evident today. His legacy had a tremendous impact on my life as well as the lives of my children. I almost missed the opportunity to get to know Kenny as a friend, but fortunately that changed about five years ago. I can honestly say that he was one of the kindest people I have ever met.

Hans Christian Anderson once said that a human life is a story told by God. God’s story in Kenny Hull is one that left the world in a better place. I am grateful for his story.

Day 67 - March 26
Listening to: Give a Little Bit
Thought for the day: If I eat one more Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss, I’m going to sprout a little white Kisses banner out of my head.

Today, my body was tired and my soul weary, so I took the day off from the world and didn’t do much. It was heaven. I did have one little chore to attend to. You are looking at my working list of Vietnam veterans from the 37138 zip code. The Old Hickory Veterans Memorial Park Committee will be installing a plaque in tribute to the Vietnam veterans this Memorial Day. The process makes me an absolute wreck and I constantly fight the desire to run away from 37138. I am the president of the committee and am therefore responsible for any name that inadvertently doesn’t make the list. Our group has installed plaques for WWII and the Korean War. In both installations names were unintentionally excluded. It is so difficult when a veteran confronts me and tells me his/her name is not on the plaque. I hate it. It doesn’t matter that hundreds of veterans who do find their names cast in bronze praise me…………..it just takes one left-off veteran to sink my emotional battle ship. So………… I spent time going over my Vietnam notes for the tenth time today...............and drowned my worries in the comforting silverness of Chocolate Kisses.

www.ohvmp.org

Day 68 - March 25
Listening to: Moonlight Feels Right (heard it in Kroger – elevator style –giggling as I listen to it on Youtube right now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnB_X_O9zyc)
Thought for the day: Why oh, oh why, oh why do I NOT HAVE A FIREPLACE? @A*$% !!!!

Note: The coworkers mentioned are all men. Their names are withheld for obvious reasons.


Before I left for California, I got myself a real professional ped-eee-cure. My toes looked good…………… so good that I wore sandals to work when I returned on Wednesday (it was still warm).

As I was making my rounds to say hello to everyone, I stepped boldly into Coworker #1’s office. Without hesitation, he said, “KB – YOUR TOES ARE BEAUTIFUL.” I giggled and made some negative comment in attempt to negate his compliment.

Five minutes later I bumped into Coworker #2 in the hallway. “KBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE………….

woahhh………….look at your toes.”

Today, I ran into both Coworker #1 and #2 co-mingling in Coworker #1’s office. The topic of my pampered feet was mentioned, so I asked: “DO GUYS, in general, HAVE FEET FETISHES………… or are you two coincidentally just freaky feet fetishy?” Coworker #1 said, “I don’t know, let’s go ask Coworker #3.” So we walked across the hall to Coworker #3’s office.

Coworker #1: “Do you like women with painted toenails?”
Coworker #3: “Why yes, yes I do.”
Coworker #1: “Why?”
Coworker #3: “When a woman takes care of her toes/feet, it’s usually a good indicator that she takes really good care of the rest of her body.”

There you have it! No fetish, just logic. Three out of three men surveyed like it when women get pedicures. PEDICURE AWAY YEE WOMEN!!!!

Day 69 - March 24
Listening to: Cut the Cake
Thought for the day: Why are they called red buds when they are purple? Are they embarrassed to be purple (little inside humor poking fun at a friend)?

Spring: a time for roller-coaster temperatures, various named Spring Winters, and cultivating lawn onions. Tonight we are expecting frost. I’m not sure which Spring Winter we are currently experiencing, but it might be the one that kills off the red buds (featured in my photo). Why is there no lawn onion winter?

I did a little research to find the Spring Winters. They are supposedly the byproduct of Appalachian lore. Each winter corresponds with the budding of the named plant. Ladies and Gents here are your Spring Winters

Blackberry winter (this one actually helps the blackberry plant)

Locust winter

Redbud winter

Dogwood winter

For more info:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2410/#discuss

Day 70 - March 23
Listening to: You’ve Got a Hold on Me
Thought for the day: “Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.” ~ Elizabeth Taylor

If you fry or put cheese on just about anything, I’ll eat it. So, my confidence was high when the Wednesday Night Dinner Club announced a place called Cheddar’s Casual Cafe as this week’s pick.

Feeling a bit Petunia piggish after my recent bountiful food experience in California, I ordered the Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa. I gave it 4 fins out of 5. My only complaint was that the dish screamed for more mango salsa. My friend Nic ordered the chicken tenders. He gave me one. I ate half of it at the restaurant and brought the other half home. These chicken tenders deserve some kind of chickenmongous-yummy award. Holy Chicken! I’m trying my best to not go back to the refrigerator right now and scarf down the other half (I peeped at it to get the picture - it tried to lure me).

Though good, Cheddar’s food was not what I will remember about the loss of my Cheddar’s virginity. When I opened the menu, I had to do a visual check of everyone’s hair. I was specifically looking for mall hair. Why? The menu prices were circa 1980s. In other words their menu prices were CHEAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP.

Definitely recommend this place as a family-gotta-go place.

http://www.cheddars.com/Menus/index.php?state=Tennessee&menu=371

Day 71 - March 22
Listening to: Back to Life, Back to Reality
Thought for the day: Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance and necessity. ~Democritus

The plural form of the word breakfast is breakfasts. Do I always have to agree with Mr. Grammar? Breakfastses is more apropos to me when it comes to talking about breakfastsES at my Dad's house. This photo shows what his breakfastES looked like. Every morning we had home made bread, fresh fruit, and my Aunt Martha’s pear preserves. It tasted as good as it looked. I suppose if it had tasted like kitty poo Roca at least I could have bragged about the visual appeal of breaking my fast. Now that I am home, breakfast has lost its color in more ways than one. Breakfasts at my house are just that.........breakfasts.........no es. :-(

Day 72 - March 21
Listening to: Dancing Queen
Thought for the day: Big sigh................HOME!

Last night at Jon and Liz’s wedding reception, my dad asked me to dance. I said, “No.” He looked at me as if I had a third eye. It was too loud in the room for me to explain to him that despite having 15 years of ballet training, I’m fairly certain that I am in possession of the molecular DNA known as “50s-era white kid banned from watching Elvis shake his hips because it is evil.” Kris lost her groove…………..not sure Kris ever had a groove. It is what it is.

Not accepting defeat, my dad asked Christian to dance. With no shame in her game, Christian quickly accepted his invitation. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to see my daughter dancing with her Grandfather. They just don’t get to spend much time together. When they returned to our table I asked Christian what she thought of his dancing. She said, “Granddad Jim has MOVES.”

Being persistent my dad and Christian eventually convinced me to dance with them. At some point I decided I didn't need groove to have fun with my family.

Day 73 - March 20
Listening to: The Rainbow Connection
Thought for the day: Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. ~The Skin Horse in the Velveteen Rabbit

When my little brother was in his late teens, he adopted the “I’m of age I can self-destruct if I want” mantra. I think he was a card carrying member of similar named teenager union………..he may have even been president. The rest of my family sat back, chewed nails, worried, worried, and worried. We thought he might be lost for good. Then, he met Liz. LIZ……the daughter of a Rock of Gibraltar-type family, Gates scholar (yes she dined with Bill), and graduate of Cambridge. At first, we were all like, “pfffth, yeah…….this won’t last.” But it did. Then Jon started to change. He became motivated. He grew up. He ditched the stupidity of youth. I credot Liz for the metamorphosis.

Tonight, Jon and Liz married. My only regret about their marriage is that I don’t live closer. I absolutely adore the woman my brother married and am beyond happy to welcome her into my family!!! Congratulations Jon and Liz! I love you both beyond words!!!

Day 74 – March 19
Listening to: Earth, Wind, & Fire
Thought for the day: The last super moon occurred on January 19, 1992.

Today we went to the Corona Del Mar tidal pools. Just in time for tonight's historic super moon, I was treated to a super moon warm up when the human super moon made an appearance (right side of photo). I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t hold the camera still. My dad was laughing at me and not the super moon. He had no idea I was photographing him with a super moon. I wonder if the tides at the tidal pool were stronger than normal because of the presence of a human super moon.

As you can see, the weather is a bit cool and gloomy. I assure I am in California and not Maine.

Day 75 – March 18
Listening to: My dad talking to my daughter about college.
Thought for the day: "I'd like to try that Chick-a-Flee." My dad innocently expressing a desire to eat at Chick-Fil-a.

Last year when I had my wisdom teeth removed, I ended up not being able to eat solid foods for a month. I suffered severe cheeseburger-itis and had ugly bovine withdrawals. I considered obliterating a cheeseburger in a blender to calm the withdrawals. Like a good Facebooker, I shared my pain with the world. What followed was a discussion about who has the best hamburger. In-N-Out, a California hamburger chain, was discussed. I decided immediately that an In-N-Out cheeseburger was in my future. Today I realized the cheeseburger dream birthed a year ago when I had holes in my mouth the size of Texas. It was worth the wait.

Lucky for me I found out prior to lunch that there is a secret code for ordering at In-N-Out. You are looking at two In-N-Out cheeseburgers with one order of fries ordered “animal style” and one ordered “well done.” In-N-Out does not display these codes in the restaurant, but the cult followers know what they are. Take a peep at the codes. http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/

Day 76 – March 17
Listening to: Looks Like We Made It (a side of Barry Manilow with my lunch)
Thought for the day: May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty. ~Irish Toast

Christian, my daughter, put on the shield of bravery and made the trip to California with me leaving behind her friends for Spring Break. I’ve known my daughter for 18 years and 9 months. The last time I spent this much time with her without her brother present was 18 years ago when she was in the womb.

Today we went to San Juan Capistrano Mission, a Spanish Catholic mission founded on All Saints Day in 1776. The mission was home to a ginormous stone church that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1812. Ruins of the church are all that remain. I was terrified Christian was going to be bored. At first, my fears seemed justified, but when we entered what would have been the nave of the great stone church she became engrossed, grabbed my camera, and started taking photos. I realized at that moment that I have no idea what my daughter finds interesting. I'm grateful for an opportunity to learn.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Juan_Capistrano

Day 79 March 16
Listening to: my family talking over a spot of tea
Thought for the day: RIP Kenny Hull. The world is a better place because of you. ♥ :-(

I spent today in airports and on a plane. The experience brought out the raging control freak in me. Before you think I have control issues because I’m not the one driving the plane, stop. Not being the pilot IS on the list of things that torque me, but it is way down on my “I NEED TO BE IN CONTROL” list. The number one airport/airplane control freak issue for me is what I refer to as pee panic. Basically, I’m terrified of being on the plane (or anywhere else for that matter) and not being able to go pee pee. I peed five times before getting on the plane.

The funniest part of today’s story is what I saw once I parked my empty bladder in a seat. I eye-eves dropped on the laptop of a passenger sitting near me. He was working on a presentation about urinary incontinence. I started to ask him for therapy, but reminded myself I can hold it………..I just don’t think I can. I kept quiet and buried my head in book.

Day 81 - March 14
Listening to: Born This Way
Thought for the day: Happy Spring Break Ya'll!

You should know Bo by now. Today is his EIGHTH appearance in my 365. If you want to know why Bo is a 365 ho, see day 218, 290, 248, 246, 187, 131, or 116.

You should also know George Clooney. RAWR. I welcome him to the 365 with my entire being even if he does have a girlfriend who's smart, skinny and disgustingly beautiful.

Yesterday, Bo asked me to create a doctored Spring Break photo for his Facebook profile. When I asked him what he had in mind, he told me to use my sense of humor. If you ever wondered what kind of sense of humor I have, the Bo assignment is a perfect illustration of Kris humor.

I think I did George a favor by putting Bo's face in his place. George is hot and all, but I prefer seeing him in suits/tuxs.

Day 82 - March 13
Listening to: The Living Years
Thought for the day: Zombies make great pets. They already know how to play dead!

Behold! The Living Lettuce! I can only afford dead lettuce, so I am not sure how tasty this is. Living lettuce is hydroponically grown in a greenhouse, is pesticide free, and is packed with its roots so that it will stay fresh for a month.

Using “living” in front of any word is funny. Zombies probably use "dead" in front of the same words.

Living room - a place where the family gathers to watch TV and play Wii
Dead room - a place where zombies gather to snack on brain fritters and play pin the flesh on the corpse
Living will - a legal document that a person uses to make their wishes known regarding life prolonging medical treatments
Dead will - a legal document that guarantees that a zombie will rise from the grave and walk amongst the living
Living trust – a trust that you create while you're alive, rather than one that is created at your death
Dead trust – What a zombie writes when he really means Trust Deed (deed of trust). Zombies are dyslexic.
Living large - ability to pay for and enjoy a very expensive style of living
Living dead – Zombies, or college students, at Waffle House – brains scattered, covered, and smothered…………’nuff said.

Day 83 - March 12
Listening to: Green Tambourine
Thought for the day: I always wanted to be Tracy (who played the tambourine) on Partridge Family. What does that say about me?

I’ve helped clean up tornado and flood damage and in both instances I thought nothing could be worse. Then, the earthquake/tsunami happened in Japan on Friday. How do you clean something like that up?

I recently watched the movie 2012 and it is difficult not to think about that movie in conjunction to what happened in Japan. With the country moving 8 feet and the Earth’s axis changing, were the Mayans right? What if the change is gradual and not an overnight 12/21/12 thang? I will be in California next week and I pray California doesn’t decide to migrate to Mexico while I’m there.

Anyway, seeing houses swept away by a massive wall of water has put a lot of things in perspective for me. Suddenly the ordinary seems extraordinary. Suddenly house needs seem Trivial……..yes that is Trivial with a capital T. Probably for the first time in the history of Kris, housecleaning was joyful today.

Day 84 - March 11
Listening to: Things Can Only Get Better
Thought for the day: Here's to matrimony, the high sea for which no compass has yet been invented! ~Heinrich Heine

Today…………….TODAY was my day of reckoning! I made a bet two years ago that I would be remarried by 3/11/11 (see day 140 http://on.fb.me/foqfoG for more detail ).

Typically, I’m a competitive person to a fault. Not this time. I accepted defeat with grace. When I woman’d up, ceremoniously entered the room where the challenge had been laid down, and presented my $1 matrimonial gambling fee, my counterpart granted me "Bruce Clementcy" (my bookie's name is Bruce Clements). He extended the bet another year…………………phhhht……………... What does he gain? Double or nothing, or $2. What do I gain? He has to drink an entire bottle of champagne (he does not like champagne).

I accepted the year’s extension and as seem in this photo "Bruce Clementcy" is writing the amended date on the gambling wall-o-shame.

Day 85 - March 10
Listening to: A dog snoring in the distance……….
Thought for the day: When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum.

BUSTED!!! Pearl rarely goes kitchen counter scavenging and why a Diet Coke and lime prompted her to do so on this occasion is beyond me. Maybe she had a Corona hidden away somewhere. I’ve had a pond scum of a day. Pearl always makes me smile no matter how thick and green the pond scum is. I don’t expect tomorrow to be much better based on what happened today, but the one thing I CAN count on is that Pearl will be happy to see me when I get home regardless of how crappy the scavenging selection is on the counter. Dogs rule!

Day 86 - March 9
Listening to: Angels in the Architecture
Thought for the day: We speak the Queen’s English in this house! ~Rick Murphy

Rick and Sean. Father and Son. Teacher and Student. Murphy Stadium Ping Pong Champion and Runner Up. These guys are two of my favorite men on the entire freaking planet. I went to listen to Rick’s high school wind ensemble (Columbia Central High School) perform at the Middle Tennessee Band and Orchestra Concert Festival at MTSU today. Obviously, Sean is a member of the CCHS band. In addition to CCHS, I heard some excellent bands today! Congrats to all of them for achieving such a high level of excellence despite the reduced rehearsal time due to snow!

Rick is legendary for some of the stuff he has said and done as a teacher. I imagine some day Sean will have a copious amount of stories to tell his children about being a student of his father. I cannot imagine my Dad being my teacher. The only time that I assumed the roll of a student to him was when he tried to tutor me prior to an Algebra test in high school. His words of advice were, “Math is a language, you just have to know how speak it.” I made a 14 on the test…………. ME NO-A-SPEAK-DA-ALGEEEBRUHHH

H.

Day 87 - March 8
Listening to: Afternoon Delight
Thought for the day: Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday,” or commit mass gluttony on whatever it is you plan to give up the next 40 days!

Happy Fat Tuesday! My neighbors are in the Mardi Gras spirit. This particular neighbor’s house is one of the houses in the hood that causes covet mayhem in my brain and heart. I plan to give up coveting for Lent…………….maybe. I coveted hard today.

In other Mardi Gras-related news: A coworker brought a king cake to work today. The festive cake was eaten faster than a Tootsie Roll sitting on my desk. It was eaten so fast that no one knows who found the baby…………….which means…………….it is entirely possible the baby was swallowed. Talk about your “I went to the bathroom and a baby fell out” story! Just imagine!

Day 88 - March 7
Listening to: Cats in the Cradle
Thought for the day: I swear this will be my last toilet photo…………..I hope.

Guess who is home from college for Spring break? You know, I have sat through 10,000 hours of safety meetings at my work and NOT ONCE have we talked about the safety of men putting the seat down for their women folk. A potty seat up is a broken hip waitin' to happen. My son has forgotten all that I taught him. Sigh.

Tonight while I was walking Pearl, my neighbor and his son, Owen (~6 years old) were pulling out of their drive way. Owen rolled down his window and said, “hi Kris! My mom fixed my hair. She parted it on the side. Do I look handsome?” I said, “Yes, Owen, you do,” smiling so hard it hurt. I could just imagine his mom licking her palm and slicking his hair back. He then said with 2 tons of uranium boy energy, “Me and My Dad are having a boys night out!” I said, “COOL!” As Owen and his dad drove off I wish I would have told Owen that I too got to have a boy’s night with my son……………and then reminded him to always, always, ALWAYS put the seat down when done pottying.

Day 89 - March 6
Listening to: Tie a Yellow Ribbon (I always wanted to be a "Dawn")
Thought for the day: I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes; I had one thousand and sixty. ~Imelda Marcos

I had to say goodbye to a beloved pair of shoes today. If I didn’t have boobs, hips, and lust after men, I would seriously question my gender. I don’t spend money on shoes, purses, and hate to shop. Imelda Marcos I am not. With the exception of running shoes, I don’t think I’ve ever spent over $20 on either a purse or pair of shoes. Oddly, today is the first time that I have felt emotion over a pair of shoes since being made fun of for wearing “buddies” in elementary school.

Some day I will buy a Coach purse and/or a pair of Jimmy Choos…………….if hell freezes over you know what has happened.

RIP ugly shoes that had no support but allowed me to feel like I was walking barefoot while keeping my feet dry.

Day 91 - March 4
Listening to: Ballroom Blitz
Thought for the day: It becomes increasingly easy, as you get older, to drown in nostalgia. ~Ted Koppel

Lunch boxes were a HUGE deal to me when I was a child. In my mind they were a status symbol and key to being a part of the popular crowd. Carry the wrong lunch box and you were banished to the loser lunch table…………..or so I thought.

I started thinking about lunch boxes today when my friend Lynn mentioned the cast of Welcome Back Kotter would reunite for a TV Land award show. I immediately thought of the Welcome Back Kotter lunch box. Two of the most popular girls in school carried this lunch box. I would follow their example at some point and own the box myself.

During lunch break, I hopped on Ebay to see if I could find my first lunch box. My search ended up in me eating a pound of nostalgia for lunch.

Photo 1
This lunch box might as well have been a high dollar designer hand bag to me. It was my brother’s lunch box and the first lunch box to whisper to me, “You need to carry me to be popular.” I drooled over this piece of tin………..AT AGE 5 (it’s freaky that I’m not into expensive purses at my advanced age)!!!!! My brother was kind enough to let me borrow it a time or two.

Photo 2
TA DA!!! This was my first lunch box. It was given to me on my 6th birthday gift. I squealed when I found it on Ebay and of course I threw a bid on it. I’m not sure what I will do with it if I win the bid. Maybe it’ll gain me some new popular friends if I carry it around with me. I absolutely LOVED this lunch box.

Photo 3
THE Welcome Back Kotter lunch box…………….aka the popular people magnet lunch box.

Photo 4
You KNOW I owned a lunch box with a dog on it. I even had a Snoopy lunch box at one point. This lunch box was one I threw a tantrum for in the store. I experienced tantrum regret afterward as the popular crowd didn’t seemed impressed by my choice…………..in my mind anyway. No one probably cared.

Day 92 - March 3
Listening to: Elderberry Wine
Thought for the day: It would take 11,624 pecans, stacked end to end, to reach the top of the Empire State Building in New York City.

Wednesday Night Dinner Club – yeah I know it’s Thursday.

I didn’t write about the dinner club outing last night because it was my Dad’s birthday. BUT………..I had leftovers today, so it is completely acceptable that I write about it today. We went to O’Charley’s last night. It’s not a restaurant you wax poetic about or insist your friends try, but it is always predictable……………..well……….

except for that one time I had an OC waiter quit during my meal.

I ordered the California chicken. It was loaded with grilled chicken, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and peeeeeeeeeeeecans. Do you say peeeeeeeeeeeeecan or puuuuhcaaahn? However you say it, the pecans in this salad are like FREAKING CRACK. I typically don’t like pecans or pecan pie, but these pecans are soaked in some kind of sugar crack whoop whoop stuff………..@*&%(*&%^(*. Supposedly pecans can improve your love life. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Then there are the infamous O’Charley rolls…………….

Day 93 - March 2
Listening to: They Say It’s Your Birthday
Thought for the day: A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown

As many of you know, today is my Dad’s birthday. He is 71. I have to tell a Dad story in my 365 to honor the day.

When I was little, I would run like a banshee to greet my Dad every day when he came home from work. It was always a happy occasion………….well almost always. He made such a big deal out of it. He’d pick me up and give me a big hug. One day, the whole routine unfolded a little too quickly. My dad, being the nerdy professor physicist that he is always had pencils in his shirt pocket (note all of the crap in his pocket in the photo…hee hee hee). On this particularly day, one of the pencils in his pocket, stabbed me. The lead sunk into my arm like an anchor on the sea bed. I screamed. He comforted. Our lives would change forever. From that point forward, the afternoon greeting changed. Though there was no less love in the greeting, it became cautious and more methodical.

The lead is still in my arm and is very visible. You would think this would be an incident I would want to forget, but it isn’t. Sometimes the good outshines the bad. I loved those afternoon greetings and I treasure the tiny spec of blue in my arm that indicates where the lead lives. It is a constant reminder of my Dad.

Day 94 - March 1
Listening to: American Idol
Thought for the day: I am suffering from a SEVERE case of Charlie Sheen fatigue.

Notice anything odd in this picture? The shirt hanging from the ceiling halted me in my tracks when I walked into my employer’s maintenance shop today. I stood mesmerized for several minutes contemplating the meaning. Was it a sign? As my mind was reaching a conclusion that maybe it was just a good place for someone who has been doused with water (as is prone to happen at my work) to dry a shirt, one of the mechanics explained. First off, the mechanics wear uniforms. One of the mechanics, I will call him Havier to protect his innocence, temporarily took a “desk” job last month. Desk job = no uniform. So, the other mechanics “retired” Havier’s uniform and hung it from the ceiling ………...just like the pro athletes do. They are so clever.

Day 95 - Feb. 28
Listening to: Beethoven Symphony 7 (doesn’t really go with the topic at hand, but hey….)
Thought for the day: "Ye cannot fully understand the relations of choice and Time till you are beyond both." ~C.S. Lewis

A THREE SEATER! I haven’t seen a three-seater since I visited Shofner’s chapel; a country church built in 1808 and located in no-man’s land between Tullahoma and Shelbyville. There was a three-seater outhouse adjacent to the back of the church back when I attended the church as a child. I was fascinated by it. It was the first outhouse I ever saw.

I will spare you my potty humor. I am curious to know, however, if anyone really drunk has tried to make use of one of these porcelain thrones.