Happy Birthday Me

First birthday present (in advance): Turtar determined that the problem with my computer was a dead hard drive. (I love you anyway, iMac of 4 years! xoxo) He ordered a new and improved hard drive, disassembled my non-user serviceable computer, replaced the hard drive and reassembled it. Remember, the iMac is one of those computers where the whole CPU is built in behind the screen. More proof that my husband is a genius!

Second birthday present: *gasp* *swoon* two full bouquets of yellow spider flowers, orange gerber daisies, exquisite orange roses, baby's breath, another purple filler flower and another red flower that makes me think of tigers for some reason.

Pre-Birthday Menu: (ie, the day before my birthday)

Nachos made with lime flavored tortilla chips, Monterey Jack cheese, taco seasoned ground beef, more Monterey Jack cheese, (microwave to melt, then add) sour cream and Newman's Own Mango Salsa (which, by the way, is the best mango salsa ever. It isn't expensive like those in the refrigerated section billed as 'fresh'. It isn't mango & peach (don't water down my mango, punks!). And it isn't as spicy as the Costco stuff (and doesn't have to be purchased by the quart, or whatever huge amount Costco has available.))

Birthday Menu:

Spinach salad with sliced strawberries, candied pecans and a mango ginger vinaigrette

Pita sandwiches filled with sauteed onions and red peppers plus sliced brats off the grill

Grilled vegetable skewers with onions, orange peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and cherry tomatoes

Mango passion fruit italian soda, and then raspberry Schwepps later

Chocolate butter cake with triple fudge chocolate frosting (including mini chocolate chips in the frosting) (very sweet, but hey! It's cake!)

And the only disappointment for the taste buds was the Publix Premium Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream. Don't buy that. It's gross. We may have to throw the rest of our carton out. I should have stuck to the tried and true mint chocolate chip. I may have to buy a replacement ice cream to perfect my birthday meal after the fact.

Oh, and the primary children sang to me. I told them I needed them to sing extra loud because I'm getting old and Her Nibs piped up, "You're not old, Mommy!" It was very sweet.

Sean Hannity is a Liar

He makes it look so easy.

I have bad news. It's about my dear iMac of 4 years. It was so sudden. Just two days ago, I was creating documents in Pages, updating Facebook, checking my email and syncing my iPod. Then it froze. I actually had to do a hard shut-off. Yes, on a Mac. That was upsetting, to say the least. But I never thought it was serious. Sadly, my darling iMac never woke up again.

Tragedy strikes when you least expect it, or maybe any trouble is more tragic when you're not prepared. Well, I didn't expect it. I mean, I don't think there were any warning signs. But, thanks to my diligent husband, we were prepared. Not 6 months ago and with the aid of our tax refund, Turtar set up both an extra, portable drive, and an external hard drive to back up everything on my computer. Thanks to the genius of Time Machine, I didn't even have to remember to run the back-ups. It ran automatically pretty much all the time. Where would I be without you, Turtar? You're my hero. You saved the day, er, the data, which is even better, or at least as good. You diverted the distress from this very grateful damsel. (I think that's earned you some extra kisses.)

What's the connection?

buffalo wings and celery sticks

cross-country skiing and rifle shooting

Why? Why are these things connected? Who put these together? It doesn't even make sense!

Even more puzzling is the connection I've discovered between the state of my house and my personal body image. Seriously. My house is pretty good right now. But two weeks ago I was sure my children would be taken from me if anyone from any government agency could see in. And I felt awful. I felt uglier and fatter than I ever have in my life. I know I'm not alone in this. I brought it up at lunch with some of the girls and they said they feel the same way. I can't decide if that's reassuring or just sad.

Now, two weeks later with a presentable house and clean laundry, I feel amazing. It's astonishing. I feel like I lost 15 lbs and bought a sexy dress. Next time I'm feeling bad about my appearance, I'm going to clean out my fridge and mop the floor.

I miss Leno.

Have the writers gone on strike again, or was Letterman always this bad?

Sarah Palin announced her resignation on Friday, just before the nation celebrated Independence Day. Is it exciting? You betcha! But all my favorite comedians were on holiday. Craig Ferguson, Letterman, Stephen Colbert and especially Jon Stewart. I'm having fun with the news coverage, but it's time to break out the real jokes.

Actually, Palin herself is really the joke, or more like the punch-line. She was great for a laugh during the campaign, but she just keeps getting nuttier and nuttier. She cracks me up. Sometimes when I listen to her comments or read something quoting her, I start to think that the sleep deprivation is getting to me because I just can't make sense of it. It is so reassuring to hear Liz Trotta (on Fox News, of all places) calling her 'inarticulate'. Or CBS News, who described Palin's resignation speech as 'rambling and sometimes confusing'. She really doesn't make any sense at all!

Sarah Palin said "I don't want any Alaskan dissuaded from entering politics after seeing this". Quite frankly, everything I've ever seen or heard of Sarah Palin has only served to bolster my own confidence in politics. I have no political ambition, but I couldn't be that bad at it. At least I can compose a coherent sentence.