tomorrow is the

first day of February.  I will try a photo challenge.  Remember how I wanted to do one for January but the month had already started?  Well, tomorrow I will do it.  It might not be with my camera and only with my Instagram app but I will do it.  Who knows.  Maybe I'll do it ONLY with Instagram and make that part of the challenge.  We'll see...

in about 1987

everyone (or at least a lot of people I knew) wore kung fu shoes.  I had some.  Although a lot of people wore the basic ones, I opted for Mary Janes.  Guess what I did.  I went and ordered me two pairs of kung fu shoes... Mary Janes, of course.  This time I got some with a print.

But I also had to get my 1987 basic black.

Next I think I might go for brown or leopard print.

excuse me for

my absence but it's been a little crazy around here.  You know those nights when you get in bed and you just think and maybe say, "ahhhhhh"?  I've had quite a few of those lately.  We've had Eric's 18th birthday lunch celebration, the actual birthday dinner, Mom ending up with pink eye, several trips to Houston and one of those trips being a full day of shopping and then there's the normal stuff that goes on each day.   I do have a couple of pictures from yesterday.

I heard clanking and knew the cats found something to play with.  I figured there was no harm in that.  When I made it to the living room I saw the clanking was a cup of water that had been knocked off the table.

After we got Mom into a doctor and back home with medicine, I drove to West Columbia to pick up egg rolls and a pan of noodles from our favorite manicurist.  I got to drive through this.

Last night we had Eric's birthday dinner.  He wanted Chinese food and banana pudding.  I ended up not making the dinner but drove to Pei Wei and picked up a family order of sesame chicken (his favorite dish) but we also had Vietnamese egg rolls and chicken with noodles that I picked up from the manicurist.  I know it was an unusual combination but it was his birthday and that's what he wanted.  If anyone is questioning why there aren't any pictures of the birthday boy then they've obviously never had a teenage boy.  Pictures are rare.

Now to get going for everything on the schedule for today...

i finally got the

picture I wanted... sort of.  Mom drove me around the block last night and I had my camera set but it wasn't going to happen.  I could've tried to work a little harder but we were stopped in the middle of the street in front of a stranger's house.  (Making us seem almost as creepy as the tree.)

Here's what I got with my camera.  You get the idea of how creepy this tree looks.  I really think this is the creepiest tree I've ever seen and the lighting only adds to the creepiness.  One could possibly imagine this tree coming to life, talking and grabbing a person.

As we drove off and got too far to back up down the dark, winding road, I remembered my phone in my pocket.  We drove back around the block and I got a better image.  It's not what I wanted but it's better than what I got with the camera.  Pretty creepy, huh?

To end this post on a lighter, cheerier note, I give you Strat.

okay, i did end

up with a picture for today.  Mom called and I made an unplanned trip to Houston to pick up a part for the RV.  I didn't take my camera since the battery needs charging but I did have my phone along with its many apps.  I pulled off on 521 and took this app enhanced photo of the dreary weather today.

If that doesn't make you want to curl up with hot chocolate, a blanket, the remote and lots of good tv, then I just don't know.

i have no picture to

show.  I wanted to show one but wasn't able to get it because the lights were out.  I'll try to get it tonight.  Even though I don't have anything to show, I do have a few things going on.

It's that time of year where I rely on Zyrtec D to get me through the day.  Sinus pressure, itchy watery eyes, sore throat from drainage, it's all here.  The problem with Zyrtec D is I can't take it at night because it makes me restless.  I have the same problem with Tylenol PM.  I toss and turn and feel itchy.  So since it's a 12 hour pill, I take one early and hope it gets me through the day.

Today is the first day of Eric's last semester.  I'm positive I'll cry at graduation because I'm a cryer.  I get angry and I cry.  I get sad and I cry.  I get stressed and I cry.  I get scared and I cry.  The strange thing is, sometimes I react by uncontrollable laughter.  I'm one extreme or the other.  Don't judge me.  Nobody's perfect.

I'm excited but feeling a little sick because we're getting rid of cable this week and getting AT&T U-verse.  I'm excited because AT&T has so much more to offer and U-verse sounds pretty awesome.  It has so many more channels and so many more HD channels compared to what we have.  And however internet awesomeness is measured, it'll have more of that too.  It makes me feel a little sick because I have to call and end the relationship with our local cable company.  I dread going in and turning in our equipment and facing them so I think I might send Eric.  They've always been nice and helpful and quick to respond to problems.  One time I had the cable guy come and fix whatever I messed up on with our sound system and wiring.  He came while I was out Christmas shopping and I called home to ask Eric if he'd come yet.  Eric told me he finished and they were playing video games.  Well, it wasn't just the friendliness of the cable guy because that always seems to happen to Eric.  Anytime someone comes to deliver or do work, they always start conversations with Eric.  He even made an online video game buddy with the pizza delivery guy.  He doesn't get that from me... or Cosme.  Anyway, I hate to break up with the cable company.  I don't think it'll be as bad as breaking up with the yard guy.  It's not like the workers at CMA have any control over what channels they offer or the quality of the reception.  For now though, I need to catch up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Speaking of which, next time I dvr it, it'll be in HD.  Woohoo!

for the past few

days I've wanted to go for an early morning drive with my camera.  I really thought it would happen this morning but it was way too cold.  I stay colder than everybody else so lately I've been doing a lot of layering.  Right now I'm wearing two shirts and one of those is warm and cozy like a big fleece blanket.  I was doing fine but my feet were freezing, as usual.  I remembered the emergency nor'easter friendly socks I bought in Boston and now I'm wearing those on top of my regular socks.  The bad thing is if anybody else was here, they'd be fine.  I'm sure they'd be wearing shorts and t-shirts.  The good news is that green is showing back up on the plants and winter will be gone soon.  The bad news is that green is showing back up on the plants and summer will be here soon.

i was carrying

the recycling things out to the garage but put them down for second.  I came back to this.  I think Lucille wants to be recycled.

here's a little back

story for you.  I have my grandmother's china.  I really like it and it looks like me.  A while back Mom mentioned some glasses that Grandma had that I also wanted.  When everyone came down for Christmas she found them boxed up in the shed.  Lauren brought them by and I knew something was up when she wanted me to get the box out of the trunk but had a smile on her face.  I could see the box had clearly been sitting in a backyard shed by certain debris left on it.  I did my best not to touch it and put it down just outside the garage door.  Once I put it down Lauren so kindly informed me of the snake eggs in the box.  AAUUGGHH.  The box has been sitting outside ever since.  I felt like anything that might have been living in it might be gone by now.  Plus, there is some nasty weather expected today and the glasses probably would be better off inside.

(Looking at the radar and out the garage, it looks like everyone but us is getting rain.  I know it has tornadoes and hail mixed up in it so I'm playing it safe.)  Anyway, bad weather and garbage day meant it was the perfect time for me to put gloves on and get the glasses out of the box and in from the weather.

This was mean of my sister but I guess I had it coming.  I've been known to do some pretty mean things...  which I've since apologized for and didn't really think something like this would be necessary.  I'm just saying...

This box apparently was nesting a whole village of snakes.  I put my gloves on and pulled the glasses out one by one and unwrapped them.  The newspaper was dated February 20, 1994 so these glasses had been packed away for a while.  I don't know how the whole snake egg-laying process works but that's a lot of eggs.  It was worth it though.  Although I haven't been able to bring them in from the garage just yet, the glasses are all unwrapped.

I don't know.  Part of me feels that letting them air out will serve a purpose.  I'm sure that's just some illogical thinking on my part but it makes me feel better so that's how I'm doing it.  Now I just hope they look good with my everyday dishes.

so i haven't

actually gotten around to the 30 day photo challenge.  At this point, being the 5th and all, I figure I should probably just wait until next month.  Only then I guess it won't be a 30 day challenge.  Oh well...

So here's the new lens towering over the 50mm that stayed on my camera 85% of the time.

I love it.  I haven't taken pictures of anyone in the house yet since that was part of my promise if I were to get it.  (You know, because everyone around here is aching to have their pictures made.)  So guess who the victims are.  Right.  After Lauren stayed in bed sick, I washed all the bedding.  First let me say I keep a plastic cover over the bed when not in use so the cats don't lounge around and get their hair all stuck in freshly washed bedding.  I got the sheets back on the bed but haven't gotten around to the quilt yet so the sheets are back on but covered with the plastic drop cloth.  (Give me a break, it's not like it's a room that people normally go in.  It's not like I have plastic on my couch.)  Anyway, the other day Eric noticed Lucille had pulled back the plastic to lay on the sheet.  I moved her and fixed it.  This morning I walked past the door and saw the same thing.

I reminded her she shouldn't do that.  (You know, because the cats understand everything I tell them.)  Then I look to Strat who is on the quilt that hasn't been washed.  He looked up at her and I asked why he let her do that.

He said, "HEY! How many times have I told you not to do that?"

Yeah, I don't expect anyone to believe that but you have to agree it kind of looks like that.  And it does fit into the story.  Anyway, he just looked up at me after that, knowing that he didn't need to get up from the quilt because now the sheets need to be washed again.

And those were the first few pics made with the new lens.

and...

photo-a-day fail.  Oh well, I came close.

And as fast as it came, Christmas went.

I asked for a new lens for my camera.  I opened a box to find this kid's camera inside.

I was sincerely stumped.  I know the look on my face was blank.  It was a gag gift and my lens is out for delivery.  Needless to say, I'm pacing today.  I keep walking past the door, knowing I'll have to sign for the lens.  I'm so excited.  And I think tomorrow I'll start with another photo challenge.  This time I'm taking baby steps and doing a 30 day challenge.