I can still barely breathe...

I don't think Titan will be chasing after skunks again.

Poor feller had been begging to go out for some time while I had my hands full coooking. So as soon as I finished up my cooking and cleaning up around 5am, I decided to walk him. He finishes his business, and we cut between cars heading back to my apartment, and suddenly Titan takes off running full force, dragging me about 15 feet behind on one of those retractable leashes, and boy am I thankful for those extra feet!

The foolish dog was going after a damned skunk! It was still dark, just starting to light up some, so I could see he went after an animal, had it in his mouth, dropped it, then I pulled him away, and I realized it was a skunk when I saw the white striped animal dash into a hole in the ground.

I don't have to tell you how wretched that smell is...like something nasty was burning. I stood outside my door a moment contemplating how to approach the situation, while Titan is foaming at the mouth and drooling. I decided an immediate bath was about the best I could do with supplies on hand.

So now that he's been bathed, I had to throw away his nice leather collar. He's out on the patio until I'm convinced he's stopped drooling and stinking.

Anyhow...fun way to start a weekend, especially when I'm supposed to be gone all day today!

Announcing Baby Jackson!!!

One of my best friends, Andrea, has birthed her first child, third in her clan of kiddies. Jackson is his name, and cuteness is his game!! 6lbs 19" born 8 days ago. This is a pic of him today:

Did you know...

I find nothing quite as insulting as saying I'm not Southern.

And while I'm on the topic of things that irritate me, it really irks me when people call my dog that particular nickname I care not to share so as to contain the contamination.

Not many things can seriously make my muscles so tense that I have to consciously let it go so my shoulders don't get knots, but those do.

Quick update

• Life is good. I'm reconnecting with some friends from way-back-when and having a blast with them.
• My job is EXCELLENT. This has got to be one of the best companies to work for right now. Our managers, directors, and VP are extremely supportive and understanding. They make some hard calls, but that comes with the territory. I just completed a milestone on a project I've been working on for a while. I went out drinking with some coworkers last week and they were quite entertaining!
• I rearranged my living room furniture. That always renews my sense of life for some reason.
• I bought a WebKinz!! It's a virtual world for kids. I thought it would be fun because my nieces love it. I have hit the jackpot when it comes to having something that excites them to tell me about on the phone!
• I'm going through my apartment and throwing away stuff I'm finally willing to let go of, like old shampoo bottles! It feels so relieving to be rid of that stuff. I find it amazing how much "trash" I've been willing to live with.
• My girlfriend, Leann, is coming for a visit this weekend. We're planning on swimming at Nate and Dr. Who's and then to the drive-in theater!!
• Finding a house or property to build is not looking promising.

Desperation.

I am feeling desperate to go to the beach, if even for just a day. Can't wait until Memorial Day weekend!

Regarding Texas' discussion on secession

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion... We have had thirteen States independent for eleven years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century and a half, for each State. What country before ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion?" --Thomas Jefferson to William S. Smith, 1787.

I say we're due.

Preds game!!!

This was Jeb's very first live hockey game! Jeb sat with Nate most the game. We had awesome seats given to us by my company, along with free food, always a plus! Also my step-sister got to join us...I was so excited that she was able to make it.

The most memorable part of the event was, as you can see, Jeb NEVER took his fingers out of his ears the whole time! (ahem, not even when going to the potty or washing his hands!!)

Happy Birthday!!

Today is Whiskey Girl's birthday. I won't say how old 'cause all who need to know already do... I will say, however, that she didn't blow out all her candles the first try!!!

I love you, and I'm honored you're my big sister!

Great fun!

Can you tell we had great fun on Sunday? I had the boys that day. We rode the Jeep and Cub Cadet, climbed the jungle gym, swang, dug in the mulch, piled mulch on the slide to slide into, played basketball, played dueling Guitar Hero on the Wii, watched First Kid, last half of Thumbelina, and the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show movie (which they said they want to watch every day now), and finally all three were in the tub when Mommy and Daddy got home.

It was a good day.

[On a side note, can y'all believe that I have pictures of Eli when he was first born on the blog?? April 2005. How fast they grow!!]

Where is the line in the sand?

Everyone I speak with seems to be struggling to determine where the line in the sand is for their personal lives, but what I want to know is where is the line for the nation? When will we collectively say enough is enough?

For the healthcare direction we're heading as an example. Now the government is saying they're going to "take care of us"...oh they'll take care of us alright! For one, I do NOT want the government actively investigating my medical records. That alone concerns me. But when the government starts footing the bill for people's personal decisions on the care of their bodies, what makes us think they will stop there, because they surely will not. When they're paying the bill, they'll start looking for ways to make that bill less expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if they start mandating diets and exercise routines that THEY see fit.

How far down this road must we go before people see they get better results when they take responsibility for themselves and their actions, or lack thereof? Is there even going to be an option for individuals to keep our personal choice at our own expense? I have my doubts.

Anyway...seeing the future of how government will soon be regulating the population's eating and exercising habits has had me thinking and I wanted to share.

It's about time!!

It has been freakin' cold here!! Someone might think it's winter or something. I just think that because I live in the South, and I have to put up with the summers that we have here, then I should not have to put up with temperatures as low as we've had recently during winter...and without any snow, even!!!

Well, I'll stop my complainin' now because today we had a high in the 60s and expect at least 4 more days of temps in the 60s. Tomorrow I plan on at least a short ride on the bike...that always serves as an attitude adjustment.

Y'all enjoy this wonderful break in the weather if you're anywhere nearby!!

You asked...

Nate got me the Autocom Pro-Rider: Super Pro AVi kit.

It is freakin' awesome!! It's noise cancelling. I can hook up my phone, iPod, GPS or bike-to-bike radio! I can be listening to music, and when the phone rings, it will mute the music and put the phone through. When speaking bike-to-bike, it will lower the volume 50%. This thing is freakin' awesome...Oh, wait, did I already say that?

Sigh...

I am in such a wonderful place in my life right now. In no particular order: I start my new job on Monday! (I got promoted!!!!) I have a lovely apartment that I enjoy. I'm a Tennessean again. Nate got me a sound system for my motorcycle for Christmas. I'm surrounded by a family that I love and loves me. It's just all good right now.

I'm happy.

Getting a bug...

If only I were referring to the fact that I've been a little sick the last couple weeks, I would be better off. However, I'm referring to the obsessive thoughts of going for a ride on my motorcycle. I had so much fun on the Natchez Trace, I can hardly wait for the next adventure. I'm looking forward to using what I learned to make the event even better.

After two and a half days of riding, I finally got really comfortable that I can maneuver however needed, to trust the bike and the fact that it wants to do the right thing on the road. Another thing I learned is that a seat pad is worth it's weight in gold, and I bought one shortly after returning home. I also look forward to getting a sound system for my bike/helmet. No more earbuds for me!! I think I got the packing right last time, I had all I needed, and didn't bring hardly anything I didn't use (just a few emergency items).

Anyway, I'm getting the itch, and winter doesn't even start until tomorrow!!

Couldn't tell from watching the news...

But I guess it's official that Obamination is the president-elect now that the electoral college has voted. Can you tell I'm excited yet?

What a day...

So my former college suitemate comes up to visit me for the weekend. We're veggin' out watching movies. We're in the middle of a horrible movie (I'm too ashamed to state which) and we hear someone banging on the door. I hestitantly open the door because I'm still in my pjs, not quite decent for public viewing, and there are 3 fire engines, 2 ambulances, half a dozen police cars, and they're all going up and down the stairs to the apartment above mine. I grab my coat and walk out with my neighbor, who was the person banging on the door, in the cold to find out what's going on.

I hear talk of carbon monoxide and I see girls crying. I notice some residents gathering and get the quick version. Some one tells us they're evacuating the building so I run in to put on some clothes and get my dog. During the 5 seconds I'm inside someone else comes banging on the door saying everyone must vacate the premises immediately. At least I had time to put on some clothes and grab some socks.

So we're standing outside for a couple hours, begging for information from anyone official-looking as they walk by. My dog gets a lot of attention from the cute firefighters and cops....hehe... ;). Here's what I got, though it seems incomplete still:

The two new girls that moved in above me last weekend have been vomiting and have had headaches all week. That morning both had passed out/fainted. One even hit her head when she collapsed in the kitchen. (I had slept in, so I didn't hear the loud thump.) They reported it and called 911. Upon inspection, it turned out to be a bigger deal than just their apartment. It was ALL the apartments in my building, 20 units, had a gas leak. Well, one apartment didn't have a leak, but it was the only vacant apartment! Go figure. They said that my apartment was actually worse than the one above me where the girls passed out. And when I heard that, I immediately started feeling nauseated and got a headache!! Amazing what our minds can do to us.

So we hung out a bit longer with the cute firefighters so we could flirt anytime they came by to pet my dog. We hear they're not going to let us in for at least one day, maybe two. They start escorting us in one by one with a firefighter carrying a meter to quickly gather some clothes and necessities for a hotel.

Then we go to the apartment's clubhouse where we all wait for word on which hotel they're sending us to. The apartment manager arrives to approve the hotel and get a handle on what's going on and talk with us all. She's a dog lover, so she makes certain to find a pet-friendly hotel.

By the time we get to the hotel and check in, it's been about 4 hours. I immediately go to Target to buy a carbon monoxide/gas detector. And now I'm chillin' in the hotel. They now let us in to our apartments, but we cannot stay there more than a few minutes.

Family

I just want to post some pics of my family because I love them and miss them.



and...

Scenery pics for MM.

The Indian Mounds

The Old Trace where merchants who floated down the Mississippi to sell their goods in Natchez, MS, would walk home back to Nashville, TN.

The grave markers of a few unknown Confederate soldiers.

A waterfall where the water tasted great!! Naturally filtered running over the slate.

An overlook at one of the stops.

The Ride...

Now it is my turn to post pictures from the Natchez Trace ride!!

Equipment check after first hittin' the road and consulting the TomTom on where we should stay the night.

Dr. Who at one of the Indian Mounds historical stops on the Trace.

Little Red is ready to go!

Aww!! Ain't they cute?! If you can read Nate's shirt, it's funny.

Nate paying his repsects at the gravesite of an unknown Confederate soldier.


I taught Dr. Who how to ride my motorcycle!!

Democracy?

Mentsh has something to say, folks. Go check her out.