Halloween

Happy-after-Halloween-I've-got-a-headache-from-drinking-too-much everyone! I trust I fine that everyone has survived Halloween, only to move onto the over-commericalized Holiday Season called Christmas. That's right, people. It's not this "happy holidays" crap. It's only "merry Chirstmas" around here, douncha knoooow.
This following clip is toatlly rated PG, and is appropriate for everyone to see. It's a music video of the song "Love Me Dead" from the band Ludo. It's histerical, I promise!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCU1JYmGxcA

This last Halloween, I went out to my favorite Thai food place with a friend from my ward, as well as the teacher I work with. It was pleasant. That afternoon, I went to my mother-in-law's house, Kathy, and watched War of the Worlds and talked. A lot. One of the many things I love about that woman. Our ability to talk about anything for hours.
Ben and I came home earlier than planned, so we didn't have any candy to hand out to the cute kids who came by. So, instead, I handed out Weight Watchers food. Yea........."Have a healthy Halloween, kids. I know where you WON'T be going next year."
"Mommy, this food tastes funny..." "Yea, suck it up, kid. It's good fer ya." *grunt, grunt* *scratch, scratch*
Work has been going well, even though I've been given even MORE assignments to do, but oh well. What can I say? No? Yea, I actually like being employed, thank you very much.
I have lost my nanny job. They found someone else who can work all the hours they need. That's ok, I feel relieved. Now I have more time to write my new book, and just have fun!
Great news...My best friend from high school, Melissa, came by for dinner last night. She is such a doll! I love her more than ever. What a blessing to have her in my life.
I have disovered some things about my health that are not so great...one of my medications has caused me to be borderline diabetic. Also, my iron levels are low. So, I am now on a low carb diet, with plans to join a gym. I will change me medication at the end of the month, and I take iron suppliments and eat a spinach salad every night. Whew. Just what I need, more problems...but that's ok, because life goes on, and my health problems aren't totally serious yet.

Joke of the week: Also, check out the new picture on the right!

The Stella Awards
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It's time once again to review the winners of the Annual "Stella Awards." The Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck of New Mexico who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's. That case inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous, ridiculous, successful lawsuits in the United States. Here are this year's winners:
7th Place: Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
6th Place: 19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
5th Place: Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.
4th Place: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams, who had climbed over the fence into the yard and was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
3rd Place: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.
2nd Place: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms.Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
1st Place: This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons around.

Vampirama!

Happy Monday! It's been the start of another great week. Saturday, I took my nieces to the Crazy Corn Maze in West Jordan. We even took them through the haunted section. Those ninnies. It wasn't scary at all. Of course, this is coming from the self-annointed Queen of Vampires. I hope I didn't scar those girls for life. Well, it'll toughin them up. Isn't that what life's about? Being tough?
So, have I said anything about getting my book edited? My editor did a thorough job, I must say. Yea, it was hard to take, but such is life. I've decided to start a whole new book, one that will have all of the suggestions that my editor has given me. It is good advice, and I do want to publish something someday. Might as well start anew.
Here is a little funny blurp from SNL. Again. This will become a habit. Warning: It IS PG-13.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/102965/saturday-night-live-beauty-and-the-beast
Don't forget to check out my inspirational picture on the right!
Also, my joke of the day:
Wisdom From the Military
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"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal
"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed." - U.S. Air Force Manual
"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." - General MacArthur
"You, you, and you ... Panic. The rest of you, come with me." - U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance
"Five second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal
"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once."
"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do." - Unknown Marine Recruit
"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him." - USAF Ammo Troop
"Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing."
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
"If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe."
"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
"Even with ammunition, the USAF is just another expensive flying club."
"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, ... The pilot dies."
"Never trade luck for skill."
The three most common ex pressions (or famous last words) in aviation are: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" And "Oh S...! "
"Friendly fire - isn't"
"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight."
"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."
"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal."
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?". The pilot's reply: "I don't know, I just got here myself!" - Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)

Hobbie weekend...

Hey, everybody! It's Dr. Nick!
Only Simpsons watchers will get that.
I have another SNL short right here...WARNING: It's really PG-13. Everything is bleeped out, and it is REALLY funny, but be warned!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/1404/saturday-night-live-snl-digital-short-natalie-raps
So, this last weekend...in my exciting life..I ignored the house and concentrated on my hobbies. I felt so refreshed by the end of the weekend! It pays to play!
I watched all of season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Awesome. And I watched almost all of the Vampire Diaries. And I read books about vampires. Again...awesome.
Oh, and I fit in scripture reading on top of that.
Think I had time for Ben? Uuuhhhh, yea. Ben. I'm married to that guy, right?
Just kidding. I made time for my wonderful hubbie. He doesn't really care what I do...as long as I'm happy. Well, I'm happy being married to him.
I'd like to dedicate this blog to my mother, Laurel. She is the best mom ever! She listens patiently to my boring life, and even cares! Props to mom. Have a great week, people...and don't forget to order your Pamphered Chef from my sister in law Wende Batson! Check out the new pic on the right!
Joke of the day: BELIEVE it or not , These are REAL 911 Calls!
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the brown house on the corner. Dispatcher: Do you have an address? Caller: No, I have on a blouse and slacks, why?
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is your emergency? Caller: Someone broke into my house and took a bite out of my ham and cheese sandwich . Dispatcher: Excuse me? Caller: I made a ham and cheese sandwich and left it on the kitchen table and when I came back from the bathroom, someone had taken a bite out of it. Dispatcher: Was anything else taken? Caller: No, but this has happened to me before and I’m sick and tired of it!
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What is the nature of your emergency? Caller: I’m trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn’t have an eleven on it. Dispatcher: This is nine eleven. Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one Dispatcher: Yes, ma’am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing. Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I’m not stupid.
My Personal Favorite!!! Dispatcher: 9-1-1 What’s the nature of your emergency? Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart Dispatcher: Is this her first child? Caller: No, you idiot! This is her husband!
And the winner is……….
Dispatcher: 9-1-1 Caller: Yeah, I’m having trouble breathing. I’m all out of breath. Darn….I think I’m going to pass out. Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from? Caller: I’m at a pay phone. North and Foster. Dispatcher: ! Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic? Caller: No Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble breathing? Caller: Running from the Police.

I throw it on the ground...

Yo, people! The title "I throw it on the ground" is brought to you by the SNL short about a rapping actor who throws things on the ground. Check it out!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/99944/saturday-night-live-digital-short-on-the-ground

It's too funny, I promise. Hey, have I ever lied to you? ... Ever? ... Well, let's not go into that.
I was sick yesterday, and stayed home from church. It's a sucky feeling.
I have been reading a great series about the "Night World" by L.J. Smith. It's totally awesome! It's clean, for a series about vampires and werewolves.
A little tip from me, something to make life a bit more entertaining...talk in a Minnesota accent as much as you can. In fact, my new voicemail is a Sarah Palin spoof, so call my phone and listen to it! It's fuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnyyyy.
And speaking of funny, again, check out my new picture on the right. That mouse has been in a lab for faaaaaaaarrrrrr too long.
Life is pretty good...can't complain much. Well, I want to, but not publically. Know what I mean? Ok, that's all for now.
Joke of the day:

Healthy Level of Insanity
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How To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity
1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. On all your cheque stubs, write 'For Marijuana'.
3. Skip down the street rather than walk and see how many looks you get.
4. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
5. Sing along at the Opera.
6. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream 'I Won! I Won!'
7. When leaving the Zoo, start running towards the car park, yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'
8. Tell your children over dinner, 'Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go.'
And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity
9. PICK UP A BOX OF CONDOMS AT THE PHARMACY, GO TO THE COUNTER AND ASK WHERE THE FITTING ROOM IS.

UEA

I have been off of work since last Thursday because of UEA. Bless the education system. I have been able to keep up with visiting a few friends, going to do sessions at the Temple, and I have been watching Conference with my sister Kat. She fed me the most delicious maple pumpkin cake. Crap, that woman can bake! She spoils me. Every girl should cook for their siblings. It's in their sister contract. Ha. That reminds me. My father used to say he was allowed to humiliate me, because it was in his "daddy contract." I just know I'm going to use that one on my future kids. Heck, I might even use it on the kids I work with now...
..."I'm allowed to torture you...it's in my nanny contract...now shut up and go get the duct tape." lol
I'd like to dedicate this blog to my sister-in-law Wende. Wende, you are the best. I have complete faith in your writing abilities! I'm your biggest fan! Everyone should know what a neat, easy-going, intelligent, kind-hearted, beautiful woman Wende is.
I hope I've thoroughly embarrassed you, Wende. I'm allowed to do that. It's in my sister-in-law contract. Brahahha!
Joke of the day:

Thoughts from 25-35 year olds
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-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?
-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
-There is a great need for sarcasm font.
-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.
-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"
-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and I instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
- Bad decisions make good stories
-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....
-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...
-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

Ben is back!

Hip hip huzzah! Meine liebe is back! Poor Ben has worked so hard at his day job and at the Fair, his feet were bleeding when I massaged his tootsies a few days ago. What a great, hard working guy! And when I came home today, the dishes were done and he was cooking dinner. Where did he drop from, heaven??? Ouch. Hard landing.

I now have 3, count that, 3 freakin jobs. I work as a Teacher's Aid, and as a nanny, and now I work after school as well. I stinkin live at Redwood Elementary. I know what you're thinking...la-di-freakin-dah, she works 3 jobs. Well, I'm a bit stressed, but it's good for me to be so busy. I feel better, mentally, that way. My friend at work job me a huge Dr. Pepper, and I totally needed the sugar and caffeine to keep me going. I even offered some of it to the teacher I work with, Amanda. She gratefully took a few sips. I'm not a germaphobe or anything, so it's no biggie.

Boo-hoo!

Ben is working at the Utah State Fair, as well as his usual day job (offing gophers with a shot gun...man I'm jealous) for the rest of this week. Boo-hoo! I'm so alone!
Not really alone...I still have peeps to hang with. So I'd like to thank all the individuals who hang out with me in my pathetic, I-can't-stand-being-alone stage. Don't worry, I'll get over it. Someday. So, in the meantime, I eat whatever I want...not that Ben holds me back or anything. It's just that I know he doesn't like cereal for dinner every night. Something about proper nutrition, I don't know. But still, it's great eating breakfast foods every night, especially since I have to do the dishes now. Yep, just a bowl and a spoon for me!
That's right, people. Ben always does all the dishes for me. Isn't he great? I'm UNBULEAVABLY lazy. I do have a good excuse for my laziness, though. Just give me a second to think of one....nope. Fresh out of lame-butt excuses. How about it, anyone? Anyone want to make up an excuse for me? Oh, I've got it. I'm busy pursuing my career as an author. Yea, that's a good one. Makes me sound so serious and motivated...so un-me.
Seriously, though, I just found out that I have a good reputation at work. Wow. I've worked have for that, so that is a nice compliment. Life is going good. Warning: The following joke is a little off beat. Enjoy!
Joke of the day:

top 50 childrens book that didnt quite work
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1. You are Different and That’s Bad
2. Take a Walk Down the Railroad Tracks with Me
3. Dad’s New Wife ‘Greg’
4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share
5. Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An "I-Can-Do-It" Book:
6. A Children's Guide to Hitchhiking
7. Kathy Was So Bad Her Mommy Stopped Loving Her
8. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
9. All Cats Go to Hell
10. How to Kick Ass At School
11. Some Kittens Can Fly
12. Adoption: A Fresh Start
13. Grandpa's new Casket
14. Fun With Abandoned Refrigerators
15. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
16. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
17. Strangers Have the Best Candy
18. Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get your Way
19. Why You Were An Accident
20. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
21. Pop! Goes Froggy, And Other Great Microwave Games
22. The Man in the Moon is Actually Satan
23. Nightmares: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
24. A Child's Guide to Final Arrangments
25. Eggs, Toilet paper, and your School
26. Why Can’t Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?
27. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
28. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry
29. The Surprise at the Bottom of the Pool
30. If It Feels Good, Touch It!
31. Making Grown-Up Friends On The Internet
32. 101 Fun Games To Play In The Road
33. You Can’t Help It If You’re Stupid
34. Patty Went Splat! (Don’t YOU Forget Your Seatbelt)
35. Bullies Have More Fun
36. Mommy’s Got A New Baby To Love
37. Timmy’s The Wrong Color To Be Your Friend
38. I Dare You! 101 Challenges To Prove You’re Not A Sissy
39. Michael Jackson’s “Fun” Place
40. Harry Potter and the Stoned Sorcerer
41. I Am My Own Grandpa
42. Who’s My Daddy?
43. Fatherhood: A Guide for the Adolescent
44. Small Objects and Electrical Outlets
45. Different Daddies Each Day of the Week
46. Operation and Nomenclature of the Colt 1911-A1 .45 ACP
47. Little Hands, Big Toasters
48. How To Make A Plastic Bag Space Helmet
49. Santa Claus And Other Lies Your Parents Told You
50. Fun With Things Under The Kitchen Sink