goats on ropes

amongst other things (the comcast offices, a mercedes-benz dealership) are what you can find in lovely lindon. we were just driving aimlessly last night (actually on our way to the target in af because i like it better and trying to avoid rush-hour traffic on the freeway) when we happened upon this most intriguing of sights. and not only were there two goats on ropes (not leashes), but they were in the front yard with kids playing with them. mind boggling. almost as mind boggling as the goat tied to a tree in the front yard of a million dollar home in alpine with nothing but a large plastic doghouse as refuge from all the questions of passersby. (what the @$%*& is a goat doing tied to a tree in the front yard of a million dollar home in alpine? who the @#$*& does that?)
on a brighter, less confusing note...we ate at a yummy thai place in af, thai village. the restaurant is very quaint. it's an old mansion off main st. all the bed/livingrooms have been converted into dining rooms. i got the spicy nooder wiv chicken. it was dericious. (i won't say the same for mor's masman curry; he got a couple wrong pieces of chicken. blech.) and i must confess, even though i'm not a water drinker, thai village is home to some of the best not-bottled water i've ever tasted. i would go back again simply to quench my thirst. ahhh...
in today's news...i should not be left to my own devices in the quilted bear. i walked around that silly craft store for over an hour today. picking things up, putting them down (not in their proper place, sorry), picking them back up, putting them back down and so on. i ended up with a couple cute tin tiles to hang in the boudoir, a hand-painted 8x10 red frame and two key hooks (on which to hang our keys, der). i then moseyed over to robert's. overpriced. end of story there. and then to seagull book or whatever church bookstore is next door to robert's. i grabbed a couple little books i've never been able to find at border's; they've got quite a nice selection for such a small store. (and i earned 170 points towards my next purchase, whatever that means.) cafe rio for lunch, "happy valley" at the in-process-of-being-renovated wynnsong, border's for shits and giggles, costco for churros, and finally best buy. to make a long story short--too late--we left our house today with delusions of grandeur, and returned the proud owners of a half-price 47" toshiba plasma. how the @#$*& did THAT happen???

question of the day

Q : what do you call four over-18yrs-old boys in cut-off shirts running four-across (that's side-by-side-by-side-by-side) on the 3ft wide sidewalk?

A : gay.

"i don't think i want to play golf anymore." - aew

today, my coopy turned 5. it was celebrated with a small family party of exchanging gifts, eating yummy cake and visits to the hospitals. (yes, plural.) after unwrapping his most favorite present ever--golf clubs--he did what any normal birthday boy (or girl) would do: took them for a test drive. a drive that apparently ainsley's adorably adorable little face got in the middle of. as coop was taking his first swing (because of course not-good things happen on every "first time" event), matty yelled at painy to move back so as to not take a whack to the face. well, she moved back. then moved back AGAIN as coop was mid-swing.

she took it right in the forehead. it dropped her, but she was up on her feet in no time flat. matty ran over to check her out and took her inside to wipe the blood off her face. that's when he saw the extent of her injuries. the impact of the swing had popped her open, all the way down to her little skull. after reassuring coop it wasn't his fault, erica, matty and pain were off to the closest hospital. (on the way there, ainsley was more worried that she wasn't buckled in than anything else. "but why am i not buckled? i need to be buckled!" if my sister has taught her kids one thing, it's car safety. coop and ains both got on me and mor about not getting buckled fast enough, those seatbelt nazis.) one ct scan, a trip in the ambulance resplendent with sirens blaring, a visit from the neurosurgeon and plastics doc, iv sedation, three rows of 60+ stitches, lots of apple juice, and a partridge in a pear tree later...ains is doing well with JUST a linear skull fracture and tiny intracranial bleed, not to mention a new i'm-the-little-sister scar. she gets to stay overnight in the peds unit for observation until sometime tomorrow.
coop--who, did i mention, is 5 yrs old today--has already been up to visit her, took her teeny hand in his after she was put back together and just kept saying "i'm sorry, ainsley. please get better. i'm so sorry." he's such a softy, it's probably better he hit her than the other way round. otherwise, erica and matty could have had a REAL mess (both literal and figurative) on their hands.

this is the picture mor took of painy right before we left yesterday. kind of ironic she's showing us how strong she is, isn't it?
keep her in your thoughts and prayers please. not that her appetite will return--she asked for a 'dilla as soon as she woke up from getting her stitches--but that she'll recover fully and fast from her humpty-dumpty ordeal.

conclude

we're here!!!
the eagle has landed. the chicken is in the pot. and all that rot. and we made it without incident (ie our luggage is in hand, penny is in one piece, and all flights were on time and relatively turbulence-free). phew.

my new favorite number

that's right, kids. 67 is my nuevo numero favorito. that was the high for today (and year so far) with cloudless blue skies and annoying birdies chirping their annoying little songs that didn't seem near as annoying as yesterday. i enjoyed the sunshine streaming through my crystal clear windows (the ones without the saran-wrap-like heat-trappers) and set to it. cleaning, that is. and laundry. and dishes. and...you name it, i pledge-d it, windex-ed it, soap scrub-ed it, tide- and downey-ed it. there is no better feeling than a clean house.

except--did i mention?--the 67degree weather.

continue

3 days!!!

top five - take 2

the 5 most amazing things i saw/heard today:
5. a really super cool (including body kit and spoiler) purple eclipse with personalized plate reading "poopie" - yeah, your car is just that, a poo pie
4. a book at borders entitled tales of a chinese grandmother, which made me think of this guy which reminded that he's getting married in august (hooray, ahmikelau!)
3. my reflection in the mirror of the outfit i changed into after work; black uggs, cutoff nike sweats, blue colts longsleeve, light blue zip-up hoodie, unbrushed ponytail bun (even mor commented, "nice all-day give-ups*")
tie for first. i'll let the public decide its favorite...
1. the words of a girl at my office "i had to smell his scrotum"
1. a durango that was riding my tail all down center st got pulled over by...ready for this?...the bike police! they were wearing fluorescent yellow vests and biking shorts and their bikes were equipped with a little police blinker light on the front, which they turned on as they pulled the poor girl over.

*this is what mor calls sweatpants, of any kind. it stems from the boys at work not wanting to get ready for the day after workouts. (i guess i was an all-day give-up kinda gal all through high school. and college. and still am on weekends. and after work. and...)

also, it was this girl's birthday yesterday. pop over and wish her a belated one.

commence

countdown to indiana...

8 days!!!

karma

so remember those two stinky, snorty, squatty pugs i told you mor and i rescued from certain death and animal-shelterness? yeah, well, guess who was caught red-handed doing a deuce on our front lawn today. answer: those two stinky, snorty, squatty pugs. the jerky owner and soccer ball-casted daughter were just out for a leisurely stroll this quiet sunday afternoon and happened to stop by to pay their respects, sort-of-speak. nice, huh? i'm half-tempted to enlist penny's help in an act of revenge. or maybe i'll seek out the girl i knew in high school who pooed in a brown paper lunch bag and smeared it all over her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend's windshield. i wonder what she's up to these days...

oh yeah it was maybe my birthday wednesday. thanks to all you well-wishers and gift-givers. (but mostly only to the gift-givers.)