Dear Hobby Lobby,

How are you? I am fine. I'm writing to say to you how much I hate you. I cringe when I pass by you. I wretch at the thought of having to go into your store. For a hobby store, your decor is insanely dull. Your wares are mediocre. Even your inventory is unreliable. You are grotesquely enormous; yet when I have no choice but to shop in your hellish store, you never have all I need. Why do you suck ass, HL? Why is your name so stupid? I'm not 5 years old, Hobby. Maybe think about a store name for shoppers who no longer fit in the front seat of a shopping cart.

Hobby Lobby, you're an asshole. You are an anus of craftware. The poor people who are stuck working for you know nothing useful related to crafts. I have yet to encounter a HL sales person who can say something besides, "I don't know." You don't train your staff, you don't give them decent equipment and they can't make any decisions. You set them up to suck as bad as you, and that's wrong. I feel sorry for people who have no choice but to shop in your store. Thank capitalism I have better choices.

You're not a lobby, you're a waste of space.

Fail, Hobbly Lobotomy, fail.

UPDATE: I did a search on hobby lobby fail and now I know why HL sucks. Because they're a bunch of right-wing, sanctimonious fundamentalist batshit crazy ignorant morons.

Hobby Lobby Owner Builds Bible Museum

Have a nice day!

What's for dinner?

Testing out my camera...doesn't this look yummy?! Sauteed chicken breast and a crunchy green salad. 

Beckie does DIY.

I made my own knitting needles!! Circular ones at that! I am so excited that I am so awesome! I was making a this for my daughter and I was down to the last section, when SNAP! the cable broke! I was soo pissed! These circular needles cost about 10 bucks; which may not seem like alot but keep in mind most knitters have several pairs of needles. The longer the cable, the higher the cost. The pair I had was 36"; pretty long. I was working with a bulky yarn, so the knitting was getting really heavy on the needles. I spent the rest of the evening pouting. The next morning I woke up with the MacGyver solution....you. must. make. them.

Lucky for me, the old man who previously owned my house left a few useful items around; one being string for a weed wacker. Like any good (albeit former) elementary school teacher, I know dowels can come in handy for a variety of things. Even luckier for me, I had close to the right size I needed. And of course, the power tools. I used the Dreme.l to shape and sand the dowels, my cordless drill to bore a tiny hole in one end of the needle, and my hot glue gun to secure the string in the hole. I let the needles set, then used a sander to smooth the joins. Lastly, I applied plumber's tape to the joins to prevent snags (though I still need to improve upon that).

I still prefer metal needles to wood; wood looks better to me but the metal needles knit quicker and don't snag the yarn as much. My jerryrigged homemade handcrafted needles aren't perfect; I need finer sanding paper to really get them smooth and more tape to wrap the joins. But, I have finished her cowl and it looks awesome! You know why it looks awesome? Cuz I'm awesome!

Beckie reads awesome blogs.

So I'm busy doing stuff that really isn't that productive, but such is my life for the moment. In the meantime, please to enjoy by way of a cool brown chick blog, Brown Girl in the Lane. I am no longer surprised when something I need comes to me, especially when it comes to me. I spent the weekend watching the first season of Game of Thrones. I put off watching it because I wanted to limit my TV time, and the reviews I read were very inconsistent. I was skeptical. But I was wrong. I can't wait for season 2 and I'm waiting for the books to come through library loan. Working at a university with access to an entire system of libraries is a huge perk for me! I know I save hundreds if not thousands by using the system. Yay me!

Anyway, Osha is played by Natalia Tena, an amazing (I need to start using another word besides amazing) singer/actress, is the lead singer in a band called Molotov Jukebox. This band invented their own style of music, gyp-step. That.is.amaz-balls. I knew none of this though when I marathoned through season 1 of GoT.

 My geekiness demands I know about the artist/sage/story of the art that speaks to me. I go way past the wiki baseline. I could be a detective; like Jonathon from Bored to Death (not really trying to pimp ech.bee.oh).  Back to point....Tena had me with the song intro which is featured in the vid. And the duck. I am this song. And I'm ok with that. For now.

Trying - Molotov Jukebox
I feel like I'm half complete
Trying to find my place in the sun and run and I run and I run but I can't compete
My friends say I'm fine but I'm fraying at the seams
and I just can't sleep
My nightmares I keep through the day and they won't go away
and I taste defeat
.. ..
Obsessed restless mind
I wish I knew the right way to fill out my time
but I let the alcohol flow and I put on a show but you know






More Natalia Tena here.

Beckie is on fire.

So today is Day 1 of the Inferno Plan from TurboFire. I've already messed it up. After studying (cuz I'm a nerd) all this material they give you, I did the wrong exercise routine. I was supposed to do Fire 55 but I did Fire 30. Plus, I forgot to eat before I left home to get to work. Sounds odd considering my 26" thighs are as thick as a woman's waist. They didn't get that size by me being forgetful about food. During Inferno, you are to consume 1200 calories a day. It's now 9:39 AM and I've had 690 calories already. I've always resisted using food journals because I think it's such a waste of time and won't make a difference. Well, considering my stats below, I'm open to try anything to get this fat suit offa me. I am on track with water; I've already had 2 8oz. glasses plus a cup of Earl Grey tea (no sugar or milk). I think if I take Rockey for a nice long stroll this evening I'll be ok for Day 1.

I was able to stay about 75% up with the video. I thought the trainer would be Denise-Richards-annoying but she's way better. Chalene definitely does a good job of keeping your energy level up without bursting your eardrums or pissing you off.  While I am a bit uncoordinated, I don't think I did too bad following the steps. Workout music generally sucks chunks in my opinion, but the tracks I heard were motivating. I have to take my photos this evening, which I'll add later. Here are my stats:

My "Before" Stats (10/10/2011)
Chest       43
R. Arm    14 1/2
L. Arm    15 1/2 (I'm a leftie!)

Waist       40
Hips        46 
R. Thigh  26
L. Thigh  26

Total inches  211
Weight          207 lbs.

This is how I dooze.

 Somebody drop that boom-boom kack beat...

I kicks it on my single speed bike
You know, that's how I'm living life right
Don't need no brakes cuz I don't go fast
Don't need no gears cuz I'm not going past u
See me and say ha-ha ha-ha she funny
But I know you is paying out that money
To fill your tank you can't feel your bank
Making all that stank in your caged up jank

Rolling on the twos, rolling, rolling on the twos
Rolling on the twos, rolling, rolling on the twos
That's how I dooze, I'm rolling on them twos

My ride to work is like stupid short
Like Judge Miriam of People's Court
You can't stand the rain cuz you all dried up
You can't take the pain cuz you so gassed up
Fien'n for that petrol got you going hard
Hooking for that retail is just so retard
Your problem is this you forgot what's real
You let them talk you into more than you can deal
When you were young you knew how to have fun
Now you grown and all you do is moan about
this and that and now you feel trapped
but what you can't see is how to be free
You gotta wake up so you can stay tuned
channel your grind and free your mind

Rolling on the twos, rolling, rolling on the twos
Rolling on the twos, rolling, rolling on the twos
That's how I dooze, I'm rolling on them twos

When I grow up...

• I will never need to ask my mother for money.
• I will pay all my own bills.
• I will not be in debt.
• I will never bounce a check.
• I will pay all my taxes.
• I will not marry (again) without a prenuptial agreement (if ever).
• Exercise and meditation are habits.
• I will not suck.
• I will have a dog.

Today I...

1.  Forgot to set my alarm clock to 5:30 AM. Got up at 6:10, but I did write 3 pages. Ruminations on a novel.
2.  Made breakfast. Did not walk the dog.
3.  Packed my lunch--homemade black bean & corn chowder.

4.  I did NOT go back to bed. I usually do. Yay me!

5.  Rode my bike to work. In the rain. But I had to walk it up two baby hills cuz my ass is fat.

6.  Got to work early (for me).

7.  Got paid at midnight and I'm already broke (it's lunchtime as I write this).

8.  Might actually start organizing my craft room/office/doggy day room.

9.  Started on The Taste of Salt and Rubber Balls and Liquor. I can't read one book at a time. I'm abibliophobic.

10. Meditated. It felt so good to sit. Don't know why I stopped.

11.Went to bed by midnight. Mostly.

Hopefully today will end as well as it started.

Tomorrow I'm gonna...

1.  Get out of bed at 5:30 AM to write.
2.  Make breakfast and walk the dog.
3.  Pack lunches for me and the boy.

4.  Not go back to bed.
5.  Ride my bike to work.
6.  Get to work early.
7.  Ride my bike to the store.
8.  Start organizing my craft room/office/doggy day room.
9.  Start on a new book.
10.Meditate.
11.Go to bed by midnight.

TV

Lately I've been paying a little more attention to my routines. Let me share my after work routine. I walk home, wash dishes, change clothes, use the bathroom (not necessarily) in that order. Talk with my son about his day, foot wrestle with the dog and sit in my favorite chair to watch DVR'ed episodes of my new favorite show, Supernatural. This is THE.BEST.SHOW.EVER. EVER!! I should state openly that my pop culture sensibilities are closer to that of  a 13 year old boy than a nearly 43 year old black woman, but that isn't meant to imply a lack of mass appeal this show has. I knew I would forever <3 this show when I saw this episode, Route 666. The show's creator, Eric Kripke hails from Ohio, my home state. Some of the best people I know are Buckeyes.

We've only recently started watching the show. I stumbled on it one day when I was playing hooky. They are onto season 7 and I'm not that far along yet. Basically, the two brothers are hunting evil. The show writers explore urban legends, cultural myths, religious prose, etc. The writing is witty and fresh. This type of show appeals to both me and my son. There are cultural references which he doesn't always get but he can appreciate the funny parts. In one episode, Dean and Sam were forced to play 80's TV cops. In another episode, a demon went back in time to save the Titanic. Why? I'll just say this demon and I both have an aversion to a particular Canadian songstress , eh?

Every episode features a balls out rock soundtrack of some classic rock legends. There are lots of Easter eggs in just about every episode. 

Did I mention Dean drives a '67 Impala? Beckie loves the muscle cars. 

This tickled my geek bone and my Jesus Hong funnybone all at the same time.

Jesus Made My Pizza

Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox: Create an original family tradition

My extended family celebrates traditional Christian holidays. We also recognize birthdays in one form or another. I love my family, but I feel like it's time we reconsider what and why we celebrate. Personally, I don't like holidays. Holidays bring up bad memories for me, particularly Christmas. Since having had kids, I've gotten alot better with it, but it will never be a favorite. I secretly yearn for the season I can pack my bags and take a solo cruise or flight to a tropical island and chillax with my Kindle and Chardonnay. I'd take the dog too if I could.  That to me would be a Christmas I'd love.

Now that I've typed this, I realize it sounds like I think my kids and my family are a bother. They really aren't; far from it. They bring me joy in ways I never thought possible. But it's a private mental space that I need to occupy and I can't do it with others physically present. I'm an only child; what can I say!

Date and time of solstices and equinoxes
year	Equinox Mar		Solstice June		Equinox Sept		Solstice Dec
	day	time	day	time	day	time	day	time
2004	20	06:49	21	00:57	22	16:30	21	12:42
2005	20	12:33	21	06:46	22	22:23	21	18:35
2006	20	18:26	21	12:26	23	04:03	22	00:22
2007	21	00:07	21	18:06	23	09:51	22	06:08
2008	20	05:48	20	23:59	22	15:44	21	12:04
2009	20	11:44	21	05:45	22	21:18	21	17:47
2010	20	17:32	21	11:28	23	03:09	21	23:38
2011	20	23:21	21	17:16	23	09:04	22	05:30
2012	20	05:14	20	23:09	22	14:49	21	11:12
2013	20	11:02	21	05:04	22	20:44	21	17:11
2014	20	16:57	21	10:51	23	02:29	21	23:03
2015	20	22:45	21	16:38	23	08:20	22	04:48
2016	20	04:30	20	22:34	22	14:21	21	10:44
2017	20	10:28	21	04:24	22	20:02	21	16:28