Nancy Grace, you've been punk'd!

If there's one "newscaster" these days that I can't stand to listen to, much less cast my eyes upon, it's CNN's Nancy Grace.

The woman takes sleazeball journalism to an all new low - no one can be innocent, and heaven forbid someone have a differing view on a case than she does. It's her show, and by God, no one can get a word in edgewise.

After being bombarded with coverage of the Georgia bride-to-be who apparently got cold feet and ran to New Mexico to escape the mounting pressure of a gigantic wedding/social event, I'm reveling in the fact that little miss know-it-all Nancy Grace was quite literally dead-wrong.

I caught a portion of her show Thursday night in which she had the case figured out. Here's a snippet of the transcript ... But first, imagine the intensity on her face when she talks. Her brows furrowed, her finger pointed at the camera and that thick Southern drawl beating you upside the head.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The police chief did address that issue about whether this could be a case of cold feet today. And he said, well, the longer that this goes on, the quicker that that theory is dwindling.

NANCY GRACE: Well, look, I don`t have a degree in being a police chief. But I can tell you this much: This is not cold feet, all right? This is not cold feet. I know that much. Thank you, to everyone. Quick break. We`ll be right back.

And this is the way she handles things - she boldly makes her point - and then cuts to commercial. Granted, this was another CNN anchor she was talking to, but in many cases it's the guest who is left sitting there without a chance at a rebuttal. I don't have a clue as to why her show is so popular considering she doesn't give people half a chance to present another view.

And have you ever heard of a "degree in being a police chief"? That's a new one to me ...

Cats and credit cards

Apparently, my desk is no longer soley my domain. Until recently, it was the only place I could sit and do whatever I liked without a certain furball having to jump right in front of me.

Times have changed. Anna has realized that the desk is quite the perfect place for her to relax. Why, I don't know ... considering it's usually littered with heaps of papers and general messiness.

When I try to move her, she becomes as heavy as lead. It's like she's pushing down as hard as she can so I can't remove her from her prized spot. She's determined. Too bad I'm stronger than she is. Hahahaha (evil laughter).

At any rate, not much new is going on here. Well, besides ID theft scares thanks to some asshole hacker who tapped into Georgia Southern University's online bookstore Saturday night and quite possibly could be using my credit and good name all over the world at this point.

I've done everything they told me I could do ... canceled credit card numbers, tacked a fraud alert to my credit report (how scary does that sound?!?), but I still don't feel at ease. This is the stuff that ruins peoples' lives. And it makes me want to figure out a way to use cash for everything.

So, basically I have to sit back and wait to see if things are going to be all right. I'm terrible at waiting, and waiting for news about my financial status is not something that makes me happy. So, my mood lately has been jittery at best.

Flowering

Spring has finally sprung at my house - thanks to Jim. I hadn't gotten around to planting any flowers this year, and he couldn't take it any longer.

We stopped by Lowe's yesterday and he made me choose some flowers to plant in my emtpy pots that have been on my deck for over a year now.

I think they look great! Though, I do still have a couple more empty pots ... I guess I'll be heading back to Lowe's to take care of the situation.

Well, it's back to work today after having six days off in a row. Somehow, I just can't get back into the swing of things. I think they should allow for half-days when you come back from vacation. That way you can ease yourself into work.

Somehow I don't think they'd go for that. What a pity.

900+ miles later ...

I'm back!

My trip to Virginia was a much needed mini-vacation. Although Mom and I really didn't go all out, we had some great mother-daughter time.

The drive up to Lynchburg was good - until I got to Marion, Va., where the sky opened up and dumped monstrous amounts of rain and hail while I tried to keep my car between the highway lines and dodge lightening strikes - all while not being able to see more than 2 feet in front of my car. I hate, hate, hate driving conditions like that. Especially when there's nowhere to pull off the road without the risk of getting plowed by another driver who can't see.

But, I did manage to make it there in one piece, and my time in Lynchburg was spent shopping with Mom and visiting with my Aunt Pam and Uncle Wendell. I also got the chance to see my cousin Brad and his new girlfriend, which was cool. But scary - considering I clearly remember when Brad was born. And now he's 19 and quite the ladies' man, apparently.

I left yesterday and made it home in record time - 6.5 hours. I won't say just how fast I was hauling it down the interstate. But, it's good to be home.

Oh, the picture was taken on U.S. 460 - about 10 miles from Mom's house on my way home yesterday. I thought the sky was beautiful.

Fun times

A quick post ...

Having a blast here in Virginia with Mom! We shopped ALL DAY yesterday - that is until my allergies hit me hard. Thank God for Benadryl, is all I have to say. It knocked me out, but at least I could see again - oh, and breathing is kind of nice, too!

I introduced Mom to Sparks last night. Much to my surprise she absolutely l-o-v-e-d it! So, we giggled our way through Saturday Night Live and then hit the sack. I think I died, I was so sleepy.

Today will be more shopping, of course! Woo hoo!

Skinny legs, tight pants and expensive bikes

There's just something about a guy in ultra tight pants who rides a bike that costs more than my car is worth. I was lucky enough to witness about 100 said guys today in Rome at the Tour de Georgia.

High up on that list of those incredible athletes is Lance Armstrong, pictured here (at top) coming in to the finish during time trials this afternoon.

It had been raining like crazy, but Jim and I stuck it out to the end. It's not like we really had the option of leaving, considering this will be the last time we'll get the opportunity to see Lance compete before his retirement this year.

I'm incredibly tired and have a long trip to Virginia ahead of me bright and early tomorrow morning, so if you want to see more pictures, they're up on my Flickr photo pages. There's several good close ups of some cyclists that Jim took with his new fancy-shmancy camera. (Yeah, I'm still jealous!)

Overheard in Chattanooga

I read this site regularly and have to laugh at some of the incredibly narrow-minded, dimwitted and down-right uneducated things people say.

I finally have something to contribute, but since I don't live in New York City, I'll post it here. This actually happened last night.

Conversation between Jim and an unnamed person who he happened to run in to:

Lady: Did we get a new pope today?
Jim: Yes, we did.
Lady: What's his name?
Jim: He's Cardinal Ratzinger from Germany. He took the name Pope Benedict XVI.
Lady: He's from Germany?!?!?
Jim: Yes.
Lady: Oh, I thought he was Catholic.

Garden surprise

Jim's house has a rather large back yard and a good-sized front yard, too. Last summer, with all the renovation work he was having done, yard work was the last thing on his mind. But leaves had piled up, hedges were in desperate need of a good shaping and the back yard area was just way too over grown.

It was time to do something about the yard, so we took a weekend and dove right in to leaves, hedges, flower pots and tangled vines. Well into day 2 of Garden Fest 2004, I decided to take on the "landscaping" on the side of the house.

Where there should have been flowers and some hedges, there was just more brown leaves - about a foot deep. So, after attempting to rake the area out and failing miserably because the leaves were just so packed in there, I opted to get down on my knees and pull the mess out with my hands.

All went fine for, say, the first hour.

Then it happened.

I reached down to grab more leaves and felt something move in my hand. I looked down and when I realized exactly what it was that was edging its way around the back of my hand, I let out the most nightmarish, bloody-murder scream fit for a horror movie.

It was a SNAKE ... a snake that promptly went flying into the air and as far away from me as I could possibly fling it. Had there been an Olympic sport called "snake throwing," I would've won the gold medal.

I don't like snakes. They hiss and slither and have big fangs and latch on to people with those fangs. And they don't have legs - that's the most shady thing about snakes, if you ask me. In short, snakes creep me out and I don't want anything to do with them, and I especially don't want to hold one in my hand!!

So Jim, who was in the back yard at the time of the great snake catastrophe, came running around the house to see if I still had all four limbs or if I was alive, for that matter. What he found was a very distraught Stacey jumping around the yard like a crazy lady.

I was done with the yard work.

That was all it took. The rest of the afternoon was spent planting flowers in pots on his front steps. I didn't touch leaves, grass, shrubs or anything else on the ground. I was not going to risk meeting the snake's family members who very well could be hiding close by.

And thus ends my snake story that I promised Eddie a long time ago.

Sure way to toss your cookies

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a big drinker. Although, my life does seem to get a little more interesting after a few drinks, but that's not the point ... At any rate, when I do decide to sit down with a drink of something other than my beloved Diet Coke, I like for it to taste good. I'm over my college days where I'd will myself to like just about any drink. Sooo, with that said:

WHAT THE HECK WAS BUDWEISER THINKING?!?

B to the E is toe-up nasty. (I don't care if people don't use that expression any more - because that's just how baaad this stuff is.)

Jim happened upon the energy drink/beer this afternoon at Bi-Lo before coming to work. And because I love Sparks so much, which is basically supposed to be the same thing, he grabbed the four-pack and gave me two to take home with me after I left work. I was looking forward to settling in with a couple drinks tonight after a long (and freezing) day a the office.

So, when I got home, I stuck them in the freezer to chill a while. Forty-five minutes later I eagarly popped the top and took a sip. Whoa!!!! I don't even know how to describe the taste other than to say it's like beer with an extra twang of fruityness. It makes you want to pop your tongue - you know, when something's really bitter and gross?!?

So, I'll be sticking to Sparks from now on when I need that little pick-me-up of energy drink and beer. Just say no to the B to the E, unless you like that sort of thing.

Sweet Virginia

Friday I'll be hitting the road - in 8 hours I'll drive through only two states where I'll see mostly long interstates, a road sign here and there and lots of pine trees. Pretty boring, indeed. But my trip ends in Lynchburg, Va., and that's what makes that long, tiring drive worth every minute of complete and utter boredom. I get to hang out with my mother, who I don't see often enough.

I'm a shopper. It's in my blood, thanks to her - my mother is THE ORIGINAL shopaholic. The difference between mother and daughter, however, is that Mom spends money. I dig deep for sales and clearance items, rarely paying full-price for an anything. And I've been known to carry a shirt or pair of pants around a store for an hour and then decide I don't have to have it, so I'll put it back. This drives Mom insane - it actually makes her cranky. Regardless of our shopping styles, when we get together it's a shopfest - from open to close, we're in the stores. I may not buy anything, but it's the experience that drives me from one shop to the next. We have the same taste in just about everything, so there's always something to oooo and ahhhh over.

So, this weekend Virginia needs to watch out. The shoppers will be on a mission ... exactly what kind of mission remains to be seen. But fun will be had by all, and it will be so nice to hit the town with my favorite girl.

Oh, and the homecooked meals won't be so bad, either!

Take a hike

I'm so ready to get outside and enjoy this weather that it's killing me! Instead, today was spent running errands and buying groceries. But, I did manage to get lots done. Next up: Go to work. Yippee.

Last fall, Jim and I drove up to Cloudland Canyon for a day hike. It was absolutely beautiful - this is a picture of one of the waterfalls there ... it was great getting down to it, but climbing back up was another story!

On the way back home, we stopped to watch the hang gliders launch from the top of Lookout Mountain. Even though I'm not one who gets her kicks from taking a leap off a cliff, I was in awe of how beautiful it must be to soar above the trees looking out over the countryside. I actually considered signing up for the training, but my fear of heights got the best of me.

Hopefully sometime soon I can hit the trails again. I'm definitely ready!

Winter white

I've just tried on my summer clothes from last year. And by the grace of God at least half of them still fit. ... The other half, well, I'm just not little enough to pull it off. (That sounds so much better than I've gotten fat.)

But besides the obvious weight gain (which I'm fighting at the moment), I can't believe how white I've gotten. Last summer I tanned up well. I don't mean super dark - I would look silly with dark, dark skin considering I'm so fair normally. But, I had a nice glow. And I want it back. Sleaveless shirts and shorts just look gross atop white, white skin.

So, I can't wait for our pool to open! It seems like it's about that time!

Evenings ...

I don't get many of them with my work schedule. But when I do, rarely are they as perfect as tonight was.

Not that I did anything spectacular. It was just a Stacey kind of evening.

To summarize:

* Chicken wrap for dinner - with all the goodies ... garlic herb grilled chicken, cheddar, Tomatoes, lettuce, ranch dressing all wrapped up in a spinach tortilla. Add a Diet Coke and ZING! You've got my favorite quick dinner/lunch/snack these days.

* One minor indulgence - Cinnamon streusel muffin - still hot from the oven. Jim gets the rest of them tomorrow. Lucky guy, because those things rock.

* Pilates. No video - I hate that video. Mari Winsor gets on my nerves, and those people who are planted atop those ridiculous platforms doing what she says make me mad. I don't know why - but they do, and so I do it on my own. And it was a great little workout. Feeling sore - but the good sore.

* Candles. Lots of 'em lit all over the place.

* "Sex and the City" - Back in the day when I had HBO and they were still filming this glorious show, I would never miss it. Thank God TBS picked it up. It's kind of comical to watch the toned-down version, but it's good nonetheless.

* Open windows all day and all night. Fresh air (well, minus the pollen) is my favorite thing about springtime. Give me an Allegra and a few open windows and I'm a happy camper.

That's it so far. Woo!

And this is why I'm sneezing

This is what you get when you park your car anywhere in the parking lot where I live - Pollen everywhere!!!

This picture is just one afternoon's worth of the nasty yellowish-green stuff that attaches itself like a magnet to whatever's in its path.

It's all over the asphalt, entryways, roofs and stairways at my apartment. I am doomed. Absolutely finished. Sniff, sniff!

Oh, and this picture is of the culprit. The nasty little catterpillar-looking things that hang down from the tree limbs.

These trees are ALL OVER the place here. I wish I knew what kind of trees they are - seems like I would remember that sort of thing after my leaf collection project in high school biology ... At any rate, I hate these trees.

Just wondering if it's this bad everywhere else - or is it just my luck here in Chattanooga to be tormented with the stuff?

I really could do without.

Congratulations, Allison!

I've been meaning to post about this since Thursday when I got the exciting news, but haven't been able to really sit down and make this big announcement to the world ...

ALLISON AND LUIGI ARE ENGAGED!

I'm so excited for them - they're the cutest couple, and I honestly think they're perfect for each other. How often does that happen?!?

Allison has been my closest friend since the seventh grade.

We spent so much time together through junior high and high school that, although neither of us had brothers or sisters, we really weren't alone. I'm sure our parents never understood how we could talk on the phone for hours on end every night - about boys, of course. Or how we could manage to argue about the silliest of things one day and be perfectly fine the next.

We've had a lot of laughes over the years, and God knows we've been through a lot of craziness - both good and bad - together.

Now I'm in Chattanooga and she's in Atlanta. And even though we don't see each other often enough, there's still that strong friendship that I know I can always count on. I can't wait to be a part of her happy day!

Adventures in shirt folding

I have just spent an unnerving 10 to 15 minutes learning how to fold a t-shirt. How could it take someone of my age that long to learn how to fold a stupid t-shirt, you ask? And why am I just now learning?

a. Because I was taking instructions from an Asian woman. Maybe Japanese? I don't know, but I didn't speak her language, and she sure as heck didn't speak mine.
b. Because it was cool as cool gets. I swear.

Click here to learn this crazy cool method of folding. I lifted that site from this site which I'm really loving these days.

And for those of you who've seen this before, then you're way more web-savvy than I am - which is not a huge deal considering most of the planet is. But go ahead, revel in your coolness!

I'll be folding shirts.

Shelves

I've become a sucker for Blackbird's ideas for Friday photos. By Friday, I usually am ready for the week to end, so not having to think of something to blog about is a welcomed treat.

So, here's a picture of one of my bookshelves. Books and a mess of little things are what you'll find. Isn't my little world just so intriguing?

On another thought, I've discovered a brand of shoes that I have fallen in love with. You guys know I love my Birkenstocks in the summertime, but damned if it kills me to plop down a hefty $100+ for a pair of sandals every year - even if they are sent straight from the heavens. Sooo, I might give Cudas a try.

Never heard of them before, but I spotted a pair in April's edition of Lucky magazine (pg. 92 if you've got one on hand), and I immediatly jumped online and discovered that these shoes rock. And they look like they very well may be as comfy as my treasured Birks.

We'll see!!

Gross post

Disclaimer: Don't read this if snot, chapped skin and/or blood grosses you out.

Now, for all you fearless souls - I'm in a bind. A dilemma that's got my eyes welling up with tears every time I touch my nose or move it the wrong way. It's really odd and rather gross, but I've got a chapped nose!!

After months of sinus and allergy problems - involving a lot of gooey nose running - somehow the inside of my snozer has become so chapped that it cracks, peels and bleeds. Saline spay only goes so far to alleviate the pain. Allergy medicine takes away the sneezing, but the chappiness refuses to go away!

I need a cure. And I need one fast.

Or, by God, I will cut off my nose despite my face.

So. Very. Busy.

I've seen myself coming and going these past two days. I wish I had time to write more, but things will (hopefully) mellow out tomorrow!

On a happy note - I finally won a free song on iTunes from a Pepsi bottle.
Sidenote: I don't prefer Pepsi, but I was determined to win a free song. And I don't know why that was a personal goal, but it was - and I'm secure with that, dammit.

Burgers and Band-Aids

I don't know what it was about today, but both Jim and I managed to split open our fingers with kitchen knives.

The first incident occurred while I was on the phone with Jim planning what we were going to do for dinner (burgers won out). I was washing some pretty sharp knives out of the butcher block when sllliiiiice! My index finger was really cut. I've never had stiches, so I didn't know what to do. But once I got the bleeding to stop, I opted to slap a Band-Aid on the cut and let it be, even though it looked and felt terrible. (Have I mentioned I hate hospitals, needles and everything else that goes along with any kind of medical procedure? That's how I've avoided stiches all these 28 years!)

So, Jim comes over a few hours later and we grill out. Yum! Summer is on the way, and we got a taste of it tonight - grilled hamburgers, corn on the cob and potatoes. There's not much better than that!

After dinner, Jim was taking care of dishes (what a guy!) when he asks if the stack of knives on the countertop were dirty. For the record, I told him to leave them alone - that they were what I was attempting to clean when I sliced open my finger this afternoon.

Did he listen? No.

Did he do the same thing I did? Yes. Only worse.

So, after the bleeding finally stopped I asked to see his cut (gash). He refused to go to the emergency room, though he admits that if I had sliced open my thumb as badly as he did, my butt would be at the hospital right this very moment... Sheesh!

For the love of anagrams

I stumbled upon this site tonight and found myself far too entertained.

You just enter in your full name and click the button. PRESTO! You've got your very own anagram.

My name was magically transformed into "costly weeny sage" - Nice, eh? I thought so.

Taking a breather

There are few advantages to not having the same set schedule at work every week - BUT one wonderful thing about it is that if I request off Friday and Saturday one week and Sunday and Monday for the next week, I've got FOUR days off in a row without having to take vacation time. That is what I'm in the middle of right now, and it's been spectacular!

Friday I went to Rome, Ga., to visit my dad and stepmother. I had some much-needed work done on my car while I was there at my dad's mechanic, who thankfully is trustworthy and inexpensive! That's a combination that seems to be rare these days.

Saturday morning and afternoon I did nothing all day. I mean nothing at all. Lazy bum - that was me!! I was in my pajamas until I got ready to go out last night with some friends. It was great!

That afternoon Jim stopped by to show me his latest grand purchase - which I am completely envious of ... a brand new digital camera (I can't remember what model it is, but it's the Pentax version of the Nikon D70). It is incredible - the photos are so crisp and clean. He got a steal for the price he paid, considering they had a promotional offer that included an additional killer lense for free and he gets free photography classes, as well.

So, Saturday night Jim and I met Holly, Waide and Keith out at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and drinks while we watched basketball. Very fun. But so cold! We almost froze to death at BW3 - they had the air conditioner on and blasting arctic air right on our table all night. Nevermind the fact that the temperature outside was in the 40s. Made no sense whatsoever.

Today I have no plans, and it's wonderful. No plans tomorrow, either. Yippppeeeeee!!!!

What's it

This is what happens when I get bored.

I take pictures of random things and try to make them look interesting.

Any idea what this might be? I'm sure you smarties can figure it out!

YOUR ANSWER:

OK guys, this is what you all were peeping down in the mystery photo. It was an empty bottle of Budweiser!

I really loved your guesses - very fun to read what you thought you might have seen.

Thanks for playing my little game!

The essentials

All right, Blackbird has another neat little anti-meme that I decided to get in on.

So these are my shoes. Well, the essentials, anyway.

Back row:

* Black Doc Martens (which I am still trying to break in. sigh)
* Black shoes (not sure what brand - White Mountain, maybe?) I wear these to work most of the time. They're comfy, yet dressy enough for the office.
* Nike tennis shoes (Just took them off for the picture!)

Front row:

* Black Franco Sarto sandals (Great for wearing to work with capris - though not too comfy.)
* Brown leather sandals - I LOVE sandals and have tons of them, but these are my favs for now.
* Black Etienne Aigner heels (ouch) - For when I have to.

And that's it. I have lots more, but these are the ones I really need.