Caption Please!

I came up with.......


(Click on picture to enlarge)
Improviser tries thinking inside the box.


What captions can you come up with?

Hurricane Names Part II

I've been giving a lot of thought to this hurricane name issue. Which means I have way too much free time on my brain.

Your suggestions and replies were interesting. Queen Boudicca reigns. But, we will have to save her for something else. I have come to the conclusion that ALL Hurricanes are male. If any of them were female, they would not be wandering aimlessly for periods of time. They are male. They are lost. And, they are usually in a hurry and storm through like a bull in a china shop. So from now on, only male names should be used. Secondly, since they normally form in the Caribbean and usually make landfall in the south, the names should be Caribbean or redneck. I think we should use forms of both of them to keep with political correctness.

(You can find the official list of names and interesting facts about them at the National Hurricane Center)

I suggest the following alternative list for the remainder of 2005 (some of the names worked so I left them):

L--won't be used since the 13th depression collapsed. (It was Lee. Bare Lee anything)
Mon---Like, Mon there is a hurricane coming.
N-(Nate)
O-Omon, Omon not another one.
P-(Philippe) You Philippe. That's one strong wind.
R
S (Stan) Don't just Stan there, run!
Tater-seems to be a common nickname in the south
Vin , Vin will it go away.
W
(Q, U, X, Y and Z were named in the previous post on Hurricane names--see comments.)

I'm tired and it's late. You can make suggestions for the ones I didn't finish or come up with better ones. I'll be glad when Hurricane season is over and I can find some other trivial thing to occupy my brain.

Hurricane Katrina

My heart and prayers go out to the people in LA, MS, AL and anyone else affected by Hurricane Katrina. All of us in Florida can relate. It is an awful feeling to watch everything you have blown or washed away.

But, you have to wonder about some people. In one of the newspapers articles today, they interviewed this man who lived on Bourbon Street. He was planning on riding out the hurricane at his house. There was a two mile line to get into the Superdome and he didn't want to wait in it. I personally wouldn't have wanted to be in the Superdome either. But, what got me was his comments. He said something to the effect that if he was going to die, he would rather " die with a beer in (his) hand and (his) best buds." Maybe it's just me, but I don't think he was referring to his friends. Personally, if I were his friend, I'd say you're on your own, Buddy! I have some very good friends that I would risk life and limb for if there was a really, really good reason. Watching a Cat 4 or 5 hurricane come at you is not a good reason. It is stupid. But, if he has burned up the majority of his brain cells, then I guess it makes sense. And, if you are brain damaged enough to sit below sea level and wait for the wind and water to wash your ass away, then I guess I would want to be smoking something extremely good too. I know that when faced with confronting Hurricane Ivan, my sister decided she would rather go rounds with Jose until he knocked her out. Wasted and ignorant is bliss.

Relaxing in the Swimming Pool

The good old days? Swimming pools have come a long way.

This is my mother and the boy next door relaxing in the "swimming pool". This was taken in a PA Mining town sometime around the 1940's. Notice they are wearing the same style swim suit. And don't you just love that hair!


(click on photo to enlarge)

Karnival of Kids

Got those Monday morning blues? Then drag yourself over to Primodonnas for the Karnival of Kids. That should get you smiling. Nothing like children to brighten your day.

My helpers

Boys can entertain themselves with just about anything. They are supposed to be carrying this rug out not bench pressing it. (I was having the carpets cleaned).

Wanted: Dog Psychologist

This stupid mutt of mine is the most neurotic dog I have ever seen. I pulled out my suitcase last night. As soon as he spied it, he started pouting. Now, he won't leave my side. He wants to cuddle and cling like a kid. Folks, this is a 105 lb lab. He really needs a psychiatrist. He will be broken out in hives by the time I return from my trip. He does it every time. Break out the benedryl. I made the mistake of trying to leave him at a kennel. As soon as he spots it, he flops his butt down and somehow makes himself instantly weigh a ton. He won't budge. I did manage to have someone drag him in once. When I returned a week later, he had no voice. His barker was broke. The lady said, "Oh, he did just fine." BS, the dog had no voice. He must of whined and barked the entire time. So, now I have to arrange for someone to babysit. The more I leave, the worse he gets. I love him to death. But, I swear, he drives me nuts sometimes.

Hurricane Names Challenge

I am sick and tired of hurricanes! Katrina, the little b****, is headed towards Pensacola. (Which is where my family lives. She already visited my friends in South Florida.) Whoever is in charge of hurricanes, GIVE FLORIDA A BREAK! According the the NOAA, "In total, this season is likely to yield 18 to 21 tropical storms, with nine to 11 becoming hurricanes, including five to seven major hurricanes." They have to stop their prediction at 21 named storms, because they only assign 21 names. This got me to thinking. So.......... what happens if we exceed the list? Do we start using next years? Maybe that would decrease the number in 2006. Or do we start making up names for the letters they don't utilize? Hmmm, let's see Q, U, X, Y, Z.

These are the names for this years Hurricanes.
2005
Arlene Bret Cindy Dennis Emily Franklin Gert Harvey Irene Jose Katrina Lee Maria Nate Ophelia Philippe Rita Stan Tammy Vince Wilma

What names could we come up with just in case we need additional names? Believe me, I would rather prove them wrong and never make it to "Lee". But, I would rather laugh than worry. So everyone please humor me and send me suggested hurricane names using Q, U, X, Y, and Z.

I can count to ....

I have posted about the Improviser and the Daredevil. One learns early with three boys that you have to try to appear to be fair. So in all fairness to the Chowhound, I will tell one on him. (But, as you will see, I don't have as many stories about him because he has usually been my good child. There are still some though.)

Grandmothers and Aunts who aren't accustomed to being around children can get suckered in without notice. The Chowhound, who was about 5 or 6, sweetly and politely asked to ride back to our house with his Aunt L and Grandmother. No harm in this, (ha ha) they thought. After all he's the sweetest of all my boys. Sweetness had nothing to do with it. It was all about pride. Shortly after the trip began, he pipes up with, "I can count to 1000. Want to hear?" (Yes, that is a one and three zeros. He picked ONE THOUSAND. Not 10 or even 100, BUT 1000.) Suckers. Evidently, they said yes. For when they staggered wide eyed into my house, 3 hours later, they looked like they wanted to scream and badly needed a drink. He could indeed count to one thousand---by ones. To their credit, when he said, "I can count to 2000, too. Want to hear?" They wised up and quickly screamed, "NO!!!" He was really proud of himself, and you shouldn't discourage children. But, I guess even Aunts and Grandmothers have their limits.

Who's smarter, Moms or Computers

I am guest posting for my blogmom, VWBug, of One Happy Dog Speaks. Go visit her site and take a peek at who my son thinks is smarter, the computer spell check or Mom.

Blog Names for my Boys

After a tremendous amount of thought (8 hours of driving without a radio gives you that) I have come up with blog names for my boys:

The Improviser: This is my oldest son. He always comes up with a "different" way of doing things. This is plainly illustrated in my post "Laziness is Hard Work". He has always been his own person. He has never gone with the crowd. His uniqueness will benefit him in the long run. He will go far, but in his time and at pace and by his rules. This also means he can make me VERY AGGRAVATED.

The Daredevil: The middle son. He has no fear. He has been my thank goodness for emergency rooms and health care kid. And, OMG when are they going to call HRS. He is sly and devilish as you can tell from his antics in "Teenagers and Sex".

This leaves my youngest. The Chowhound. I haven't posted about him yet. Just wait. His stories are just as good. But, this tall, lanky kid eats, and eats, and eats. And stays as skinny as a line. I can always tell when he is hungry or wants something because I get the biggest hug, a head on my shoulder and an....I looooooovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeee yooooooooouuuuuuuuu, Mom.

and not to be left out.....is my four legged son. Yes, another boy. Our dog, Remington. Home protection at it's best. He is fat, lazy and neurotic. But, should anyone in a cat suit try to break in my house, they are in really, really big trouble. He eats cats.

Nephew joins Marines

My nephew enlisted in the Marines recently. Luckily, he is still in high school and won't be leaving for boot camp until next July. It is scary to think about with everything that is going on in the world today. Especially since he wants to be in infantry. He wants to be a sharp shooter. His only experience with a gun so far has been internet games. I don't think he truly understands what he is getting himself into. But, did any of us at that age? He is a good kid. Doesn't smoke, get in trouble or drink. The recruiter told him that it was ok that he didn't drink; they would teach him.

Laziness is Hard Work

Sometimes laziness takes creativity and hard work. First, let me set the scene for you. It was last weekend. My ex's weekend to have the boys plunder and pillage his house. The main character is my oldest son (OS) and an air mattress. Now, apparently the two older boys have opted to have couches instead of beds in their room. Which translates to I have no where to sleep because everything gets piled on the couch as well as the floor. Evidently, in the pile was an air mattress that didn't ever make it back to my house to be put back in the shed. OS decides to sleep on the air mattress. Fine, bright idea, no problem, right. Well, the automatic pump is at my house. Which isn't a big deal since he has a car and the house is only .5 of a mile away. Yes, it is within walking distance even. But, he decides that it is too much of a hassle to travel soooooooo far. So, he starts blowing it up using his own personal hot air. We are talking about a Queen size air mattress. At some point he decides it has enough air (about the time he ran out of breath and turned blue would be my guess). But, once he lays down, he is still lying on the floor. Now, comes the creative part. He starts piling crap, i.e., video chairs, books, anything heavy he can lift, on one side. He figures this will force the air to the other side, hence making it more comfortable. I can't believe this same child made an "A" in physics last year. I guess once you graduate you no longer need the stuff they teach you. He did not think about the fact that he weighs more that the combination of things that he piled on. His problem was not solved. Of course, the air shifted. Middle son (MS) was shaking his head in disbelief while he told me this. I don't think he wants to claim him as a brother anymore.

Teenagers having sex

Yeah. It wasn't any of my boys. But, how would you handle this situation? My ex calls and informs me that one of our sons let his friend (16) and girlfriend (also 16) into his house to have sex. My first reaction was stifled laughter. Finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore and said, "Glad it wasn't my house!". I don't think he appreciated my comment or uncontrolled laughter. He seemed totally appalled by what had happen. I can understand partly because he found out when his live-in girlfriend's 4 year old daughter brought him a used condom. Well, at least they were practicing safe sex. But, what do you? He called their parents. I'm not sure I would have. I found his reaction particularly humorous because he and I were having sex when we were teenagers. I can remember grabbing clothes and running into a closet to get dressed when my mom came home early one time.

I talked with my son about this situation. I asked him why. He shrugged and said, "It could have been worse, I could have been filming it." I could barely catch my breath to get up off the floor.

Time to Start

Welcome.

I have decided to go ahead and post even though my site isn't quite finished. I also decided not to delete my test post. That is in respect to Harvey at Bad Example. He says that your first post is supposed to suck. It's tradition. I do not want to break tradition before I am even introduced to the family. So, I will leave it because it sucks. I would also like to thank him for the help section on his site. It has a wealth of information.

I would like to pay tribute to and acknowledge my blog mother, VW Bug at onehappydogspeaks. It is through her blog and her encouragement that I took the plunge to attempt this. I would also like to put her on a guilt trip now, because a mother is supposed to be helpful and nurturing. I have been waiting for her to help me with my sidebar problems. and waiting. and waiting. Actually, it's only been one day and I know how extremely busy she is. But, I just wanted to harass her. We have been friends for almost 3 decades so I figure I am entitled. Yes, mom, we are getting old(er). Never dreamed that I would call you mom, did ya!?!

Now, you're asking or maybe not, who the h*** am I. I am Sticks. I am in the prime of my life trying to figure out who I am and what do I do now that my three boys are teenagers. They just don't need mom like they used to. All they want now is my money and my car keys. But, they still give me lots of stories to post. I will post these and lots of the antics they pulled in years past. I have to write them down because I just can't remember like I used to. I suffer from CRS (can't remember s***) and it is getting worse everyday. I think. I can't remember.

Enough for now, thanks for joining me and I hope you come back to see what Chaos is next.

Testing

This is my first attempt at blogging and my first question is, What now?!