Nostalgia

So last night I had a dream about this cereal I used to love. Of course I didn't remember the name, but I remembered the cereal: flying-saucer-shaped sugar puffs that tasted almost exactly like Cap'n Crunch, except the rounded shape of this cereal didn't shred your gums or the roof of your mouth like its current counterpart. I wracked my brain this morning trying to remember what it was called, finally gave up, and the answer came to me (of course) while I was taking a pee. Yeah, that's where I do some of my best thinking....in the bathroom.

Anyone, Anyone? Bueller?

Here it is:

Remember? I loved it!!!

So then I got to thinking about all the things I used to love but aren't around anymore. Like Nabisco Heyday Bars, Tato Skins, and PB Maxx.

So then I found this website that I just had to share:

http://www.inthe80s.com/food/

It's a treasure trove of discontinued and/or nostalgic foods from the 80's era.

It's there that I remembered things like O'Boisies, I-Screams Cookies, and Burger Buddies:

Fruit Stripe Gum

And the product that sustained my body during my early college years:


Not the guy. I don't know the guy. But he's holding a TACO BELL CHILITO. Oh, how I miss chilitos..

Things gone, but not forgotten. Visit the website. If you are wondering where anything in particular went, ask a question under, "Unknown."

There's one product that I am sorry I missed out on, and it created the most nostalgia on the list. Anyone remember Malt-Duck Malt Liquor? It has apparently achieved cult status amongst the 70's kids.

Dang. I' m hungry. See ya!

Thanks for the Idea, Travis...

Well Travis, you got me hooked. I love tests and quizzes, no matter how lame or stupid. And some of them are just downright insightful, like this one: you just pick the shape you like and bingo!

You Should Be a Doctor

You are practical, sharp, and very intuitive. Optimistic and energetic, you are a problem solver who doesn't get discouraged easily. You are also quite compassionate and caring. You make people feel hopeful. You're highly adaptable and capable. You do well with almost any curve ball life throws at you. You do best when you: - Are always learning new subjects - Use your knowledge to solve problems You would also be a good therapist or detective.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

Okay, I am a NURSE, but it's not a far stretch....

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And I wish I had this superpower; it would make married life so much simpler:

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

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And this one was just fun:

You Are Betty Grable

The ultimate girl next door You're the perfect girl for most guys Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.

What Famous Pinup Are You?

Awww, shucks, me?
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A Quickie personality test that was pretty right-on:

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have high extroversion. You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends. You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation. Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!" (no, this isn't me) Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

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And just to confirm what I already knew....(ha ha)

Your IQ Is 130

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Genius

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Actually that was a bit surprising...I haven't taken math in a LOOOONG time...

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And this just freaked me out. All I did was type in my birth name:

Your Expression Number is 4

Practical and down to earth - everything in your life is organized. You are a great writer and teacher. You never forget a detail. Very patient, you have the ability to cultivate talents in difficult fields. You also tend to have an artistic side. You'd make a great architect or classical musician. You face your responsibilities with a positive attitude - and you always get things done. You are serious, sincere, honest, and faithful. Sometimes your strong sense of responsibility leads to frustration. You also tend to develop strong likes and dislikes, which border on dogmatism. At you're worst, you can be a dominant disciplinarian.

What's Your Expression Number?

Now that's just freaky...I can't argue with any of that. How do they do that?

Okay that was an easy-out post. But lots of fun.

Oh, and I found a WONDERFUL quote today: It's from Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural speech:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is the light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Just Breathe...

No, my plane didn't crash. No, I did not walk home. And by the way, I flushed the fish!! I tried to do it humanely. I put a little salt in their bowls every day until they weren't moving much,, then flushed them. I hoped they were so salt-intoxicated that they wouldn't know what was going on...maybe I should have used whisky?

Anyway, sorry to all my loyal readers; my new job is great, just really really intense. I had no idea how crazy this ride would be! It's not that I want off or anything, it's just that I barely have time to do anything but train. Which is good. Training is good. It beats being thrown to the dogs (woops, docs) with a laptop and Palm pilot and a smile on my face....but holy moly, is it exhausting.

You may notice a few more spelling or punctuation errors: I'm writing on my new laptop and the keys are flat and weird and the "mouse" finger-thingy gets in my way and shoots my cursor off the page, picking buttons and popping up windows that I have never seen before. "Esc" is my new best friend!

So out of the last three weeks, I have been at home only one. I spent a week in southern CA, which was nice weather-wise. Beat the hell out of the -7 degrees I arrived home to! Then I was home a week putting my new life together: office, benefits, online training, forms, signatures, passwords(I think I have at least 12 separate ones now, argh!), etc. Add to that the fact that JeepMan now thinks that I can chauffeur him and the kids around (which I can, but...), and the fact that I do need to shower once a day and keep the house reasonably picked up. Suddenly the whole work-from-home thing looses a little of its luster.

Here's a synopsis of my week at home: unpack, laundry, shop for office stuff, set up office, chauffeur (repeat), dot my i's and cross my t's, navigate the abyss of benefits choices, lunch with hubby (repeat), what? I need a formal for this meeting?, try on 30 dresses, holy crap my plane leaves tomorrow, pack, and off to Orlando.

Which may be the home of Mickey Mouse but damned if I got to see him.

Yes, the weather was beautiful. Yes the hotel was lovely (Disney Grand Floridian). But let me just say that having my day planned for me from 6am to 10pm doesn't translate to relaxation. I learned a lot, ate a lot, drank waaay more than I am used to (which isn't much), spent 5 straight days in high heels (never again) and got much less sleep than I need to function. So when I got home what I really needed was 12 hours of straight sleep. What I got was a entire day at MIL's house for JM's birthday (37 - ha, he'll always be older than me).

Oh, and 9 inches of snow.

To be followed the next day by rain, thunderstorms, and HAIL. Yes, hail. In February. In the upper midwest. Crazy.

I have been working all this week on online modules, tests, conference calls (they always sounded cool, who knew they suck so bad?), and I have a site visit tomorrow.

Did I mention the 13 inches of snow we got today? Fortunately most of the 9 inches of snow we got Sunday was compacted by the rain and hail, so there aren't 22 inches on the ground. Still, my snowblower has gotten more use this 1 winter than it has gotten cumulatively over the last 5 winters. Lucky me, Jeep Man loves to snowblow. He doesn't complain at all. He even blew out the driveways and sidewalks of both of our neighbors across the street. They're both foreign and I assume from less snowy parts, considering they each own only 1 cheap plastic shovel. All us true midwesterners know plastic shovels are only for show. And maybe sandboxes.

So anyhow, I will truly try to spread the love from SUV mama and address my award sometime soon. I think "Make Time for Writing" will be one of my pieces of advice - hypocrisy at its best! And I will TRY to visit your blogs soon.

I have not abandoned writing, or you. I just need a little breathing room.

Namaste. Ohhhhhhmmmmmmm.......

Leaving, on a Jet Plane

Sorry for the earworm.

Just want to let everyone know that I will be leaving tomorrow for Southern California for my first week of corporate training. Hey Travis, I'm flying through Dallas, twice! Will stay away from the Lone Star beer...

I don't know what computer access will be like there, and I confess: I do not own a laptop (yet). Yes, I am hopelessly behind the times. While I'm in the confessional, I may as well own up the the fact that I don't have an iPod or any kind of mp3 player either.

Much thanks to SUV Mama for the award (my first, I'm high!!). I will definitely do my assignment next week, if not before! Three writing tips, and re-awarding to five writers.

It's lovely having readers. Readers mean comments. I looooove comments!

I am trying to get my great friend G-girl to start a blog. She loves to write and let me tell you, she's got some stories to tell! I'll publish her blogspot once she gets her ass in gear (kiss, kiss G-girl!). My next goal is to start a blogroll and put all you lovely people on it.

But right now I need to get my butt to bed as my flight leaves at noon tomorrow and I'm only half-packed.

Wish me luck. I hate to fly. I've already packed the dramamine and sedatives.

Funky Dreams and a Kidfight

This is gonna be a quickie, I swear. I've got so much crap to do for starting this new job.

Monnik, I'm going on a diet with you. I tried to shop for a new wardrobe today. GAAAAH!! I will NOT buy the next pants size up, I WILL NOT! It's like saying "uncle" to the fat cells. Giving up. Nope, I'm a fighter (so I finished off all the carbs in the house tonight...can't just throw them away!).

Anyway, I had a strange dream last night. It was a "waking dream" where I swear I am awake. My eyes are open, and I can see, but I can't move. And I have auditory hallucinations and even visual ones. I identify with "alien abductees." I think the major difference between them and me (other than maybe a firmer grounding in reality) is that my waking dreams don't involve aliens.

Here's my typical waking dream: someone is in the room with me. I can't see them; they are just out of my field of vision. But I KNOW they are there. I can hear them; moreover I can sense them. And it's generally an ominous presence. I know my eyes are open; I think I am awake. But I am paralyzed. The dreams are almost always accompanied by an overwhelming sense of terror, and an escalating ringing in my ears. At some point I wake up, and I realize it was a waking dream. By then, my adrenaline is pumping and I don't want to go back to sleep for fear that I will have the dream again.

Last night, it wasn't a person in the room with me, it was a cat. I don't have a cat. I'm not really a cat person. I mean, I LIKE cats....just other people's cats.

I was lying in bed, in the dark, and I heard a cat meowing. It didn't sound friendly. I remember thinking, "what's a cat doing in my house?" Then I could hear it in the hallway (which is kind of dumb since I have carpet and cats are sneaky). It was meowing low and growly and coming closer. I could sense that it was in the room with me. Then I felt it hop on the foot of the bed and could feel it crouching there, staring. My terror was overwhelming. I could see it's yellow glowing eyes peering at me out of it's furry black face.

With a shriek, it pounced!!

I screamed and flung it off the bed with my arm as hard as I could! Then I woke up, realizing that I had just lashed out at a dream. My heart was pounding, I was sweating. Strangely, JeepMan didn't wake up. Maybe I didn't scream? But I definitely lashed out: my covers were all flung off me, and I always sleep buried in my covers up over my head.

Unsettling, but not FREAKY. A unique twist on a familiar (if unwelcome) experience for me.

Here's the FREAKY part. I was talking to JeepMan in the kitchen this morning, telling him about the dream. I asked if I had hit him or anything. He got this strange look on his face, then told me, "No, I don't think you hit me...but I had a dream about cats last night too. I dreamed I was driving home from your grandma's house," (she lives on a farm with lots of cats), "and when I got home there were like FIFTEEN cats hiding in the Jeep. I was so mad, because they had left cat hair everywhere! I opened up the Jeep and told them all to scram, then started cursing and cleaning up the cat hair. That's when I woke up."

Sometimes I think when you're married to someone long enough you get this weird psychic connection. No don't call me Dionne Warwick (for those old enough to remember that fiasco). It's just like we are on the same brainwaves or something. Of course, there are also those days when I am pretty sure the only brainwaves flowing in our household belong to me...

Maybe there was a cat outside. But we sleep with a fan on pretty loud. Or maybe I was meowing in my sleep? Or maybe JeepMan was meowing in his sleep. Probably him. He's the weird one.

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Conversation in the car tonight:

Plato: Lulu, you're not my sister anymore.

Lulu: Oh YES I AM!!

Plato: No. You're. Not.

Lulu: UH HUH!!

Guys, you will always be brother and sister. Since you have the same mom and dad, you are brother and sister. Forever. Whether you like it or not.

Plato: ...Okay, but I call the house when we grow up. Lulu has to move out.

Lulu: MOOOOM! I GET THE HOUSE!

Guys, when you grow up you are BOTH moving out. Daddy and I get the house.

Plato: Well, I guess I will have to move into my girlfriend's house. With the kids.

(alert, alert, alert) Kids? What kids?

Plato: (eyeroll) Mom, of course I am going to have kids someday! I already have names for them picked out and everything.

(glance at JeepMan who is trying to keep a straight face).........Really. What are they?

Plato: HotShot and Kickoff.

(not going to laugh out loud, not going to laugh out loud) That's nice, dear.
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Aren't they a little young to be thinking about this stuff? Maybe not. But I think I was at least 14 when I started thinking of names for my future kids. Lucky for Plato and Lulu, I grew out of that stage, otherwise their names would have been Akasha and Acadia.