48 Question Facebook Meme

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My father said that I was named after graffiti on a barroom's bathroom wall, "For a good time, call..." Class all the way, baby! My mother emphatically states that I was named Angela because it's a family name on the Busalacchi side. She also states, just as emphatically, that I was NOT named after my Great Aunt Angela. She's dead to us.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last week, while arguing with Jesse. I've always wished he were one of those guys that are destroyed by a girl's tears. No such luck.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yeah, I was just thinking the other day that I really like my signature. It's even and feminine but not girly, and I can see the influence of both of my parents and my Nana in it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Genoa salami.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Coming out my ears-lol! A girl and two boys, ages 10, 5 and 2. I still toy with the idea of another one, and if I felt that we could responsibly support another life financially I would totally do an end run around Jesse for one more baby. But four's my limit. I think.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I'd like to think so. I would need to approach myself first...okay, now I see why my husband said that if he ever saw a clone of himself he'd kill it. *shudder*

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
WTF do YOU think? Side bonus: my kids are fluent in sarcasm. That's considered a second language, right?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, but my daughter doesn't. She had them taken out this past summer and it was awful! The nurses came flying down the hall early to fetch me from the waiting room because she had such a hard time coming out of anesthesia. As soon as they opened the sound-proof doors I heard my baby screaming like an animal. Maybe Jesse and I should've considered the drama and aggression in our bloodlines before reproducing. Nah.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Absolutely not. Would someone please explain why one would purposely seek the sensation previously reserved for those who were unfortunate enough to fall from a cliff? You know, to their death? 'Cause I just don't get it.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Quaker Oat Squares. Although, if you want a bitchin' bowl of Cheerios, throw in a handful of peanuts and raisins. All four food groups-yum!

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No. I don't have a single pair of shoes that tie. No tennies, nothing, since high school. I wear girl shoes that slip or buckle on, period.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Butter Pecan or English Toffee. Dove bars or Caramel Pretzel Klondike bars.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their eyes and their voices, I think.

15. RED OR PINK?
Red is second only to black and white. Pink has it's place, too, but red is best.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I'm impatient. I'm vain, too, but I can live with that. The impatience not so much.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My Nana. My Nana, my Nana, my Nana.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
No! Not unless I tag you! Unauthorized use will result in me personally hunting the culprit down and beating them to death with my laptop! Who writes these questions?! Srsly.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black dress with white polka dots. Barefoot.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
My bella figlia, hammering open a coconut in the kitchen.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Fire-engine red. The color of love, passion, rage and...fire engines.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Last night I laid down for a few minutes with West at bedtime. It wasn't bath night, so he smelled of milk and play dough. I just breathed him in, thinking, "This is what childhood smells like." I love the smell of Sissy's freshly shampooed hair, my mother's perfume, chicken marsala, the "green" smell of the garden in spring, Jesse's pillow, the nape of Walker's neck.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Doug. Jesse was going over to hang out with the guys, and since I was going to the grocery store anyway, Doug asked me to pick up some ingredients for Beef Stroganoff.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Yes. Chris Bidler was one of my dearest friends in high school, and has seemingly only gotten cooler since.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
I just answered this earlier at Stacy's Random Thoughts this morning. I'll tell you what I told her: "I'm so impressed that you can follow football! My first response to your question is, "No. Not until musical theater is legally declared a sport." Actually, that is the only answer I have-lol! We're an artistic family, much more likely to draw a football than watch one. Oh wait! Do the Olympics count?! 'Cause I do love me some Olympics..."

27. HAIR COLOR?
Boring brown.

28. EYE COLOR?
Boring brown, again.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
I used to wear them daily, but as I've gotten older and my migraines have gotten more frequent and severe, I've limited them to special-occasion-wear only. Besides, contacts don't come with rhinestones. ;)

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Shell pasta with fresh peas, tomatoes, dill and a little butter or olive oil and salt.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings (but not cheesy, predictable happy endings-the characters have gotta work for it for it to be worth the payoff.)

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I saw Inkheart in the theater with my sis Lisa and Bella Figlia. I hadn't gotten a chance to read the books (a shame, as I do love young adult fiction) and thought the movie was darling. Also, Paul Bettany is in it. Bare chested. Yes, I am that shallow.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Please see #19.

34. Summer or winter?
(Spring and) summer.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Kissing, definitely. It makes my husband sad that, with children in my lap/face all day, I've become decidedly anti-hug on the adult front.

37. FAVORITE UTENSIL?
I love soup spoons. I don't know why I haven't bought more of those over the years. Note to self: buy yourself some damn soup spoons, already!

38. FAVORITE DRINK?
Chai tea latte. Pomegranate anything. Pepsi. Blackberry wine.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I am re-reading "Fast Women" by Jennifer Crusie. In between new books, I tend to re-visit favorites, especially Crusie novels. My sisters and I can quote whole passages and talk about the characters like real people, as in, "Doesn't that remind you of when Agnes said, 'Be nuts or cunning, not both, you bitch!'?" Kind of the literary equivalent of comfort food.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Who needs a stinkin' mouse pad?! I live on the edge...

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I didn't watch any television last night, but a few nights ago Jes' and I watched the uncensored version of Carlos Mencia's "No Strings Attached"-flippin' hilarious!

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
My children playing (nicely) in their room. My husband's laughter. Little voices saying, "Mama?" My mother's (and sister's) voice(s).

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I love the Beatles. Most everything they played, really, especially "Lady Madonna", "Hey Jude", "When I'm 64", "Get Back", "Blackbird"...okay, you get my point. I like the Beatles.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Indiana? Ohio? Where's a map?!

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Diplomacy. I can tell anyone almost anything and come off as sane, reasonable, persuasive.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Old St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, WI.


47. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL?
Europe, especially St. Elia- Sicily and Germany (where my families emigrated from.) I'd also love to vacation in Hawaii(Lilo and Stitch), Australia (Steve Irwin), China (Amy Tan), Japan (Shogun).

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
I was standing in the lobby of our HS dorm with my then-roommate Heather Eckloff. Jesse and I made eye contact with one another from across the room. It was a moment. His roommate had warned him that I was crazy and that I should be avoided at all costs. Being the contrary guy he is, Jesse made a point of walking over to introduce himself. He even introduced himself as "Jesse" instead of his nickname "Jester." 'Cause he knew I was special. As he walked away, I told Heather, "That's the man I'm going to marry." She smirked. Who's laughing now, Cookie?!

Spin Cycle: Life is a Song

The first time that I heard this song, I was struck dumb. Here is a sample of what I see in my head every time I hear it. (Warning: While I tried to edit my family life into three and a half minutes, let's just say that didn't work out for me. The song plays several times over-quit when you've had enough-lol!)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Michael Buble Everything Lyrics

You're a falling star
You're the get away car
You're the line in the sand
When I go too far

You're the swimming pool
On an August day
And you're the perfect thing to say

And you play it coy
But it's kinda cute
Oh, when you smile at me
You know exactly what you do

Baby don't pretend
That you don't know it's true
'Cause you can see it
When I look at you

And in this crazy life
And through these crazy times
It's you, it's you
You make me sing
You're every line
You're every word
You're everything

You're a carousel
You're a wishing well
And you light me up
When you ring my bell

You're a mystery
You're from outer space
You're every minute of my every day

And I can't believe
That (you're my) man
And I get to kiss you baby
Just because I can

Whatever comes our way
We'll see it through
And you know
That's what our love can do

And in this crazy life
And through these crazy times
It's you, it's you
You make me sing
You're every line
You're every word
You're everything

And so la la la la, la la la
So la la la la, la la la

And in this crazy life
And through these crazy times
It's you, it's you
You make me sing
You're every line
You're every word
You're everything

You're every song
And I sing along
'Cause you're my everything
Yeah, yeah

So la la la la, la la la
So la la la la, la la-la-la, la la la

Wordless Wednesday: Cat Nap

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Migraines and Misspellings.

I didn't try to knock the kitten off of the entertainment center and then catch her by her head. Swear-to-God. I love the kitty. Slightly less than I love the plants she was chewing, but still...

I forgot to stop at the hardware store to pick up the metal braces that I need to fix my recliner. Crap.

This migraine is killing me. Blogging with shades on is stupid. With two o's: "Stoopid."

Conversation with my 5-year-old Friday night:

West: "A robber isn't a very good job."
Me: "It isn't? Why not?"
West: "Because then they don't have any food."
Me: "Really?"
West: "So I think all the robbers are dead."
Me: "That makes sense." (?!!)

Katie is so funny when she rolls over for me to rub her tummy. I don't know what it is about a squirming dachshund that makes me laugh, but I highly recommend it.

I won't join my kids' online communities when they're grown. My mother is going to have a f***ing fit when she sees that dad posted pics of his first wife and his ex-wife's son. I hope that Mom doesn't switch to DSL. With dial-up, the damn things will never load, and as Martha would say, "It's a good thing!"

I'm going to wait a few more days before scrubbing the kitchen floor, just in case the elves are on their way to do it for me. It could happen.

The idiot that designed shower door tracks clearly never tried leaning on one while trying to grab a slippery pink limb to scrub.

Where are my migraine meds?! If I had lived in the 1800's, I totally would've been one of those women that sipped laudanum all day.

I loved the fifth grade. How the hell did I become a fifth-grader's mother?! Unreal.

My pal Casey (pal sounds better than "chick I stalk online," right?) over at Half As Good As You posted a link to a cool site. I'm not gonna give you her link. Go over there yourself, and then leave a comment telling her how cool she is. Wait! Finish reading my blog first, then go...

Here's my cool link contribution. In case of emergency, click here.

I need someone to remind me to put dinner in the crock-pot tomorrow morning.

Holy Sh**, I really am turning into my mother.

Why do I always misspell tomorrow ("tomarrow"). Going back to change it pisses me off enough that you'd think I'd remember to spell it correctly, but I never do.

I think my meds are kicking in, so before I pass out I'll say, "Goodnight. For more Random Tuesday Thoughts, visit Keely at The Unmom."

Spin Cycle-Rhyme Time

After many-many weeks of surreptitiously reading posts at Sprite's Keeper's Spin Cycle I've decided to join in! This week's spin asks participants to write (or quote) a poem or piece of prose. I was going to write something fantastic just for my first spin, but let's face it...it's Thursday, it's late, and frankly it's too much pressure! SO-I submit for your reading pleasure (I hope!) a small poem that I wrote shortly after My Bella Figlia was born:

Hybrid child
your father and I
we spliced our genes
found in-betweens
where we could bide within you

Into air
uncurling daily
you far exceed
our scientific greed.

Is NOTHING sacred?

Alright, people. I could be wrong, but I generally think of myself as a fairly reasonable person with well developed diplomatic skills, HOWEVER...While flipping through channels last night, I came across a performance of Celtic Women-Somewhere Over The Rainbow. While these women have lovely voices, I feel the need to protest this milquetoast, colorless rendition of a song so entrenched in american culture; the signature song of an amazing singer who was, perhaps above all things, loved for being heartbreakingly human.

Call me mean, but I suddenly realized why so many of the "historical romances" I read as a teen began with the MacGregor marrying some innocent off to the neighboring clan. It wasn't to forge an alliance, it was because the girl wouldn't shut the f*** up! Seriously, ladies, go sing something Celtic and leave the greats alone. Judy wasn't ethereal, and when I reach the pearly gates I expect my choir of angels to have some attitude.