Thursday Thirteen

There are  certain things I really love, or just can't live without, and certain things that are really nice to have.  Here are 13 things of which I (me, not everyone) can never have too much or too many - in no particular order.

1.  Laughter - Whether it's a sit-com, a funny movie, jokes , or my son's crazy voices, I love to laugh.
2.  Flowers - I received beautiful flowers from my daughter over the summer.  It was such a surprise, and fresh flowers just make the house more homey.
3.  Friends - I don't feel like I have a lot of friends, but I know a lot of people.  I'm always happy to make a new friend.

clip art - http://sweetclipart.com/bubble-bath-rubber-ducky-1853

4.  Bath Time - I'm usually in a hurry, and a quick shower is all I have time for, but when I have the luxury of taking a long, hot soak in the tub, it's divine.
5.  Dental Floss - I wore braces a few years ago, yes, as an adult, and now I just can't stand not to floss after every meal.  I have dental floss in every bathroom cabinet, my bag, a drawer at work, even the bathroom at work.
6.  Shoes - Men don't understand that women need shoes for different occasions, different outfits, in different colors for different clothing.   I know many women who have at least double the shoes I have!
7.  Love - Can't live without it.

clip art - http://www.inshape-clinic.com/chocolate/

8.  Chocolate - Enough said.
9.  Money - I suppose I have enough, but I wouldn't mind having more.
10. Photographs - I love taking pictures.  I like them on the walls of my house, in my wallet, at work, and in my scrapbooks.

clip art - http://www.clipartbest.com/book-free-clip-art

11.  Books - I love to read.  I've got so many titles on my "want-to-read" list!  If I ever get through all of them, I will be lost.  I'm currently reading books by an author I found on Goodreads, Mark Gimenez.
12.  Fragrance - I love things that smell good whether it's perfume, body spray, lotion, bath gel, candles, room spray, B&BW Wallflowers, Scentsy. you get the picture.
13.  Time - There is never enough time for everything I want to see and do!

I'm linking up for Thursday Thirteen.  Want to join me?

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Random Tuesday

Link up with Stacy for some random fun.

It's an exciting time of year for basketball fans!  March Madness and the NBA road to the playoffs.

Both University of Houston and Texas Tech made it to the Sweet Sixteen.  U of H hasn't made it to the 16 in 35 years.  They made it to the Final Four in 1982, 1983, and 1984.  Those were the years of Phi Slama Jama, known for their slam dunks.

The Dream

Arguably the most notable former Cougar is Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon who went on to fame as a Houston Rocket.   We still see him courtside at most of the games.  He and Clyde "The Glide" Drexler were part of the Cougars' and the Rockets' success (championships in '94 and '95).  Clyde commentates for Rockets games at home.  He's probably my all-time favorite Rocket (although he did play for some other teams, too).

Rockets Champs '94 and '95

And the NBA playoff seeds are still up for grabs.  Teams that are expected to win are having difficulty, and those that haven't done well all season are turning up the heat.  I'm lovin' it!

Enough about basketball.  Let's talk running shoes!  The foot doctor instructed me to get a certain type of running shoe - ironic since I'm not allowed to run right now.  The doctor had special insoles for me to put in the shoes, so I took out the ones that were already there to put my special ones in.  And this is what I found.

Can you believe how thin they are?  They are somewhat like styrofoam.  I was shocked!  This is what they put in $135 shoes!

And a bit of odd "punny" news.  This happened last August in Idaho.  A herd of 100 goats got loose from their "owners" at We Rent Goats.  The headline was...

"Goats on the lam!  Not kidding around! Herd storms through neighborhood."

Full story

They were rounded up and taken "home" after feasting on flowers, plants, grass, and leaves.  Luckily, "We Rent Goats" had insurance to replace the destroyed gardens and foliage.

And now this...

Hahahaha!

I love a good play on words!

Have a great week!

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Fun Friday

Are you watching March Madness?  College sports is not usually my interest, but I'm so proud of my daughter's alma mater, Abilene Christian University, for making history.

 It is the first time they have been in the NCAA Division I basketball playoffs.  Yes, they got whooped by Kentucky.  Everyone expects that when #2 plays #15.  But just being there is remarkable.  The ACU Women's basketball team, not to be outdone,  made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the second year in a row. Way to go, Wildcats!

Let's have some fun!

Image Credit Drew Litton

Image Credit Gary Varval

Image Credit Geoffrey Walter

Image Credit Drew Litton

Have a great weekend!

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Fun Photo

My father-in-law (who is British) turned 90 recently, and my brother-in-law and aunt made him traditional beef wellington.

It was delicious!

For more photo fun, link up at image-in-ing and Wordless Wednesday.

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Random Tuesday

I'm linking up with Stacy for Random Tuesday.

Spring break has come to an end, and while I didn't do anything special, I'm okay with that.  I rested, did some cleaning and organizing, read (lots), went to one movie, had several doctor's appointments, and... that's about it.  I needed it!  I'm experiencing severe burn-out at work right now.

The absolute best thing that happened during spring break is one of our daughter's got engaged.  They're such a great couple, and I couldn't be happier.

And now...
(Going with a food theme with my funnies today)

Have a good week!

Sunday Synopsis

Frozen Past by Richard C. Hale
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was an adolescent novel. It's not. The characters were kids, and the writing was very child-like and stagnant. The main characters are supposed to be Jaxon Jennings, a detective, and his ex-wife, an FBI agent. But the 13-14 year old kids are more prominent in the story, and I really didn't care about them. Much of the story is about their "love story" as if a 14 year old knows what love is.

Someone is watching Luke and Eliana. It appears he is trying to scare them and even frame them for a murder. The kids think it would be funny to put a dummy in the pool and see if it freezes and fools anyone, but someone replaces the dummy with a real kid. The stalker contacts Luke and Eliana through Facebook, and claims to know Elaina's father, so there is a whole backstory about her family. And of course the stalker threatens that if they go to the police, they will both die.

When the murdered boy in the pool is found, enter Jaxon Jennings and his partner. They believe they have a lead on the swimming pool murder, albeit in a different state, thus the FBI, and jaxon's ex-wife, become involved. The kids are having more luck finding the murderer than the police are.

It was actually a VERY predictable story. You will know what is going to happen before it happens, and you will be correct. There really are no surprises. It was like watching one of the Friday the 13th movies, minus the music. You're telling the characters, "No, don't go in there! Get out!" But they go in anyway. It was also rather gruesome like a horror movie what with chopping off the heads of both people and animals, among other things.

I also don't appreciate when authors who aren't familiar with teenagers and youth try to write dialogue for them. I don't know any teenager who uses the description "epic" over and over again. The dialogue was disingenuous. I also didn't enjoy the love story between the teenagers, expressing their everlasting love for one another, thinking they can protect each other better than the police. And what kid has better tracking and hacking software than the FBI? Also, I don't know any parent who would allow his or her 13 year old daughter to move in with the boyfriend's family, much less when there is a murderer on the loose.

This book lacked suspense, believability, compelling dialogue, and character motivation. I don't recommend it.

View all my reviews

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Happy National Pi Day!

Here are some fun facts about National Pi Day (3.14) 

1.  Pi Day is a relatively new celebration in the U. S.  In 1988, Larry Shaw of the San Francisco Exploratorim started the first large-scale celebration in one of their circular rooms.  They have plenty of events "circled" up for today.

2.  In 2009, the U. S. House of Representatives designated March 14 as National Pi Day.

3.  In case you've forgotten, in mathematical terms, Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, or 3.14.

4.  Whole Foods is offering select pies (of the dessert variety) at $3.14 off.  Kroger and Publix also have deals on select pies.  I guess the key word is "select)

5. You can also get deals on pizza pies.  Check out this site. Who doesn't love pizza?

6.  March 14 is also Albert Einstein's birthday.

7.  Steven Hawking passed away on March 14.

8.  Pi Day has its own organization.

9.  The math teachers at the school in which I teach made shirts that they always wear on pi day, but this year, they won't get to since it falls during spring break.

10. Pi Day is not to be confused with National Pie Day, an actual food holiday celebrated on January 23.  National Pie Day was created by Charlie Papazian in the 1970's to commemorate his own birthday.  Papazian, in case you're wondering, is a nuclear engineer, a craft beer brewer, and an author.

11. Pi was originally calculated by Archimedes of Syracuse who lived from 287-212 BC.

12. For an interesting Pi Day activity, try having your friends try to recite Pi, and see who can remember up to the farthest decimal, then reward them with a pie! 3.1415926535897932384626433...

13.  The most important thing about Pi Day, March 14, is that it was my father's birthday.  He's been in Heaven for 14 and a half years, and I miss him every. single. day. 

Sources:  Valley News, Wikipedia, Thrillist, National Today.

Link up at Thursday 13 for more fun!

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