I'm Giving Myself The Worst Blogger Of The Summer Award....

Yes, it's true. I'm giving myself the Worst Blogger of The Summer Award. I've been caught up in so many activities, projects, our children, getting the house ready to put on the market, landscaping, waiting for repairmen to arrive to fix every appliance in the house, trying my hand at redecorating, exercising, still running my online antiques & collectibles shop, practicing my Italian, dealing with my friends dramas, and planning trips and things, I have totally neglected my blog buddies and for that, I apologize from the depths of my heart.

Unfortunately, this is the chaos that is my life these days.

At this point, my old sofa and love seat are still crowded into the living room with my new sofa, which is getting fairly suffocating. It is *so many* days until I leave for Italy and I haven't even begun to think about what I'm taking. I need to sell the old living room set but I'm still using some of the pieces from that set, so I can't really sell it yet. Therein lies my dilemma. It's almost like a Catch-22. The set consists of the sofa w/ pillows, the love seat w/ pillows, the side chair w/ pillows, the matching ottoman to side chair, the cocktail table, the lamp table, and the 4 shelf etagere. So, should I try to sell it with the promise that the other pieces will come later? Or do I go ahead and sell the entire set and live with nothing until I find what I want? Argh! I thought this would be so fun, but it's really only adding unwanted stress to my little world. 

I still have a long way to go getting the house ready to put on the market. Twenty five years in the same house is never good, trust me.

The best part about my entire summer has been swimming. I've lost 7 pounds, an inch in each upper arm, each thigh, and 2 inches off my waist and my bust. However, I still have a long way to go to being in good shape, which is the price you pay for totally blowing off exercise for 10 years. I've been swimming for 3 months and have only missed 4 days total. Yes, it takes that long.

And I swear that as soon as I return from Italy (if I return), I'll be the best blogger ever. I promise....

Oh My Gawd! It Finally Happened After Almost Four Years!

I have to tell you that when I first started my blog (at the urging of K.K. over at Mid Life Gals), I had visions of grandeur. Yes, I was honestly under the delusion that one day I'd be at the grocery store (or somewhere equally as exciting) and one (or more) of my hundreds of of blog followers would recognize me and say something like, "Oh My Gawd, I can't believe it's you! Snooty!" Yes, that is sadly the way my mind functions. Many months later, I came to the self deflating realization that it wasn't going to happen any time in the near future. I was also convinced that I'd soon be offered a *book deal* of some kind, which was also never realized. Thankfully, not much can get me down, so I forgot about those unrealized dreams (they got filed in the garbage along with the many other scathingly brilliant ideas from my past) and I moved on.


So, fast forward 3-1/2 years to today, Thursday, July 22, 2010. Mr. Snoots and I decided to meet at a favorite local lunch spot (dive) that has awesome cheeseburgers and home made french fries. These days, if I'm craving meat of any kind, I try to eat it early in the day, since it's more difficult for the body to process beef if eaten later in the day. So, this was cheeseburger/fries day. Can I hear a Hallelujah here please? Half of the way through my burger (which is all I can eat these days anyway), two ladies entered said lunch spot (dive) and I thought I knew one of them from way back, but considering the decline of my mind these days, I just wasn't sure. Then, on her way to a table, she stopped by our table AND IT HAPPENED!


She stopped by our table and said, "I have to tell you how much I enjoy anonymously reading your blog, especially the foxes coverage." Momentarily dumbstruck, I managed to recover long enough to say, "Thank you!", when all I really wanted to do was sit and stare at her with my mouth gaping wide open, in total awe. I wanted to drink in my first ever (public) recognition of my blog. Honestly, I could have sat there and wallowed in it for hours, but I had places to go and things to do, so I moved on after relishing it for at least 20 minutes. It Was Heaven On Earth. Seriously. I'm still rather giddy from the experience.


It turns out that she and I had been on the Cancer Society Board together as well as both being members of the Junior League. It had just been so long since we'd seen each other that apparently neither of us was able to remember at first. Sure. There's a surprise. Like my mind works according to instructions. NOT. The fact remains, this is a woman I've always admired so it was a special day for me.


Anyway, here's a special *shout out* to Betty! Thanks for being a loyal fan reader. You might possibly be one of very few, but I am thankful for your loyalty!


So has anyone else experienced total obliteration of their blogroll lately? Mine has disappeared like the wind on any given day in West Texas. What is up with that? How can I possibly follow my favorite blogs without links? WHAT IS GOING ON BLOGSPOT? Get a grip because I'm ready to find a new home if you can't provide a better service. Really. Seriously.

I'm Having Blogger Issues... Or Else I'm Getting Paranoid

For several months now I've been having trouble with posting on some blogs. In other words, I can't post a comment of any kind. It happened first with Meg's blog Lucchese To Louis Vuitton. She got tired of me never commenting, so she dumped me. Then, my friend over at Buddha's Place changed her blog to a new format and I cannot comment on her blog.

Now, it has happened with Janie over at Sounding Forth. Ever since she gave her blog a makeover, I cannot leave comments with her new format. I really don't understand this. Other people have changed the look of their blogs and I can still comment with them.

So, if I'm not commenting on your blog, there is a reason why. I just can't determine what that reason is.

Oh - wait! Maybe I'm just not getting the hint or something. Where the bloody hell is the Help Button when you need it?

This is not a good thing when you're addicted to blogging! And, what's worse is... they don't seem to be making any changes to accommodate me. Imagine that.

Happy One Year Blogiversary To Me!

Yes, this week is my one year anniversary. I can't believe that I've been blogging for a whole year now, but it's true. When I first started out, I wasn't sure what I was doing, but within a week I had pretty much figured out this whole blogging thing.



Forget the fact that most of my *real life* friends don't know what a blog is, nor do they care.



Forget the fact that I now routinely embarrass my family & friends by taking pictures of everything.



Forget the fact that my laundry now remains piled high and my house needs attention.



Forget all that! I'm a blogger now, so I do have a mission. Just don't ask me what that mission is. I still haven't quite figured that one out. Was my mission to spill my guts about my past and make others despise my mother? No. Not really. Honestly, I don't know what my plan was and still don't because this is all a work in progress. I can tell you that I feel like I've had the best therapy available in the last year. Some of us need to purge ourselves of the past in order to move happily into the future without being weighed down by that excess baggage left over from the past. I can tell you that it has certainly been successful for me.



So, in honor of my one year anniversary, I'd like to share with you one of my very first posts, since it's highly unlikely that it was read by more than one or two people. Enjoy!



Snooty Primadona's Musings, Opinions & Critiques on Just About Everything Under The Sun… (Which translates to: I can insult the best & worst of people.)



Okay, I feel that I must say this upfront. I'm about as far from a "snooty primadona" as a woman could possibly get. However, I just love that title and had to make it mine! Quite frankly, the older I get, the more irreverent I get, so this just makes so much sense.


This is a picture of me from a few years ago when Big D, Big C and I all had our salsas entered in the Austin Hot Sauce Festival. I think this was from the 3rd year we all entered and DIDN'T WIN ...AGAIN!


I quite often stick my size 8.5 foot in my mouth even though I seriously don't mean to, but then sometimes I do mean to. Okay, I'm a paradox unto myself, but it doesn't end here by any means. People are so very strange and I like to toss wrenches into the works whenever possible. Whenever someone I know (and don't necessarily like) gets too full of himself or herself, I have this uncontrollable urge to knock them back to reality. (Yes, morons, we are all, alas, humans. It's just that some of us aren't sheep...) I just cannot help myself because it's always so much fun to do so. I like to do things like inquire as to whether it's time for them to take their medication or suggest it might be time for whatever meditation exercises they practice, to begin. I get many indignant stares as well as stares of disbelief, which are always most rewarding. Then I just let out a little giggle and move on to something else. Once again, get over yourselves.


I've always loved that line of Julia Robert's in "Pretty Woman" when she gets in the elevator for the first time & says "OH NO! I HAVE A RUN IN MY PANTYHOSE! OH WAIT! I'M NOT WEARING ANY PANTYHOSE!" That always cracks me up and the look on that woman's face is priceless!



ON ANOTHER NOTE: For the last several months, I've been undergoing a lot of dental agony, with not just one, but 3 dental MD's. Some of you with dental phobias might want to go on to the next post here. One is a regular dentist, one is a periodontist, and the other is an oral surgeon. I started out with an abscess tooth (yup, OUCH!) so, my regular dentist referred me to both the periodontist & the oral surgeon. The former for a spine tingling & excruciating "deep cleaning" and the latter for a 3-part root canal. Can we talk fun here??? Painkillers NOR Xanax worked on me for any of these procedures, but I've defied the odds & lived to tell the tale. For all of the above procedures I really wish that I'd had my Ipod because the sounds made by the doctors' tools were actually worse than the procedures. Forget fingernails on a chalkboard…. that would have been like music compared to this. Soooooo….. $2,000.00 later, I'm told to come back in 6 months to see if the procedures worked. TO SEE IF THE PROCEDURES WORKED?????? ARE THEY KIDDING???? SO THEY GET PAID THAT MUCH MONEY FOR A "MAYBE" YOU'RE TOOTH WILL LAST?? We're talking one tooth here, people. Is there no justice left in toothdom?



Alright, I've taken my Xanax and have calmed down now (just kidding - I don't take anything).... HAPPY? Well, I am happy and that's all that counts in my book, so get over it.



Life is mysterious.... don't take it too serious... and avoid being a moron at all costs. And my biggest piece of advice for the day is: Take. Care. Of. Your. Teeth.

This Is A Landmark Post For Me... Post #100

Wow, I can hardly believe I am making my 100th post as a blogger! When I first started blogging I was truly a babe in the woods. I probably wasn't doing it completely right at first and I'm sure I made many mistakes, but I caught on pretty fast. I was immediately hooked. For the first time in my life I have a venue for the millions of thoughts & ideas floating around in my head. Or rattling. My use of the English language is sometimes lacking in sparkle factor, but I think I manage to get my thoughts understood. The main point is that being able to pound out my thoughts & observations & memories on the keyboard has been better than any shrink or head doctor could have ever been for my mental health. Not that I would ever go to a head doctor. I think they are for seriously mentally ill people. I'm just mildly disturbed, scarred by careless parents, like most people.



The blogosphere and those of you who make comments have no idea what you have done for me in the confidence department. You all make me laugh when I read your blogs or when you comment on mine. I haven't had this much fun in years. Nor have I ever felt so cleansed inside. Things I would normally let gnaw away at me, I now let roll off my keyboard as if facing my inner monsters for the first time. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's healthier than what would have been said decades ago. Don't air your dirty laundry in public. I'm sure there are still millions who feel that way, but I'm not one of them. It always makes me feel better when I've admitted my mistakes and faced them. And there are many people who find strength in the reading of other people's highs & lows in life. I do. I say get all the dark clutter out of your mind & your soul and step into the light of life.(You would never have heard me say this when I was growing up. I was so subservient.)



So, yes, I do believe that the blogosphere is a very healthy place. Mr. Snooty & I haven't had a BIG argument since I started. You know, because now he doesn't have to listen to my rants all the time. That's one improvement in my life. Also, I'm able to offer unsolicited advice that people I know in The Real World, would probably never accept from me. Improvement #2.



So, I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank all of you out there in the blogosphere for being here and being who you are. Even though I do insane and crazy things at times, I know you'll still accept me because you know that I'm just menopausal, not postal. And when I read your blogs, I am equally as accepting of the zany, funny things you do.



What a wonderful world the blogosphere is....

Oh yeah, this is Monday alright. All day long...

I had every intention of getting my derriere out of bed early this morning, so that I could get in a full day of doing all the little things around here that I've been neglecting since I discovered blogging. Yes, I'm having so much fun blogging that I'm really ignoring all of the other aspects of my life, except food and personal hygiene and feeding the cat. I see that I am totally becoming a computing/blogging slut puppy and I'm going to do something about this new development soon. Very soon. I am actually expecting this new phase in my life to lose its shiny-new feel at some point in the near future. Kind of like buying a new CD and listenening to it over & over so that you can be equally as tired of the new music as you are of the older music. Then, everything rather magically achieves common ground and life returns to normal. Okay, this is my plan, alright?

I've also been tagged (again!) by Tammy @ The Color of Home. Since it is different than the others, I will go ahead and do it in spite of the fact I'm growing tired of memes, lol.

How long have you been together?

We have been married 30 years and 6 months. Bewildering but true.


How long did you date?

We dated approximately a year, but we had known each other all through grade school. That fact was important because I remembered him & he had no recollection of me, lol.


How old is he?

He and I are the same age... 55. Only he's 3 months older than I. The old fart.


Who said "I love you" first?

I have no qualms whatsoever that it was me. Once he said he loved me, he of course, thought he'd never have to say it again. I straightened him right out on that issue.


Who is taller?

He is. I'm 5'4" and he's 6' (and shrinking)


Who is smarter?

No ambiguity here. Book/politics/worldly matters smart: Hubby
Common sense/people/artistic smart: Me


Who does the laundry?

The majority of the time I do it. Nonetheless, when I get slovenly about the laundry, he does a load of his things only. He's not allowed to ever do mine. I'm sure you can figure out why that rule is in place.


Who does the dishes?

Since the kids have been gone, the hubby has assumed the duty of doing the dishes most of the time. Although, I am known to occasionally soil my manicure.


Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?

He sleeps on the left side of his bed and I sleep on the left side of my bed, lol. You do the math.


Who pays the bills?

I paid them for the first 15 years, then he took over. I had my hands full enough with 2 midgets.


Who mows the lawn?

The lawn service. Hubby used to mow it but he only did it when he felt like it and I wanted it done on the same day every week. He also never edged the lawn (I used to go out & do the worst parts with kitchen shears). So, we have a great lawn guy now who mows, edges, and uses the blower to clear off the property (so it can blow back later the same day). He comes every Thursday. Without fail. It just kills the hubby that he has to pay $35 per week to have the yard done. It's good exercise for his stingy bone.


Who cooks dinner?

When the kids were growing up, it was always me. Even the grilling. Since the kids have been gone, the hubby is beginning to love cooking, so I welcome this new denouement. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the time I went on a cooking strike for a month.


Who is more stubborn?

We're both stubborn but he is way more stubborn than I. Uh-huh! Uh-huh!


Who kissed who first?

We pretty much went at one another simultaneously, with great vigor.


Who asked who out?

He asked me out. In my day, nice girls didn't ask guys out. Unless he was a complete Neanderthal, in which case desperate measures were generally accepted & approved of.

Okay whatever. I asked him out which I guess, makes me a slut. But I'm a married-30-years-to-the-father-of-my-children slut, lol. I should definitely get more snaps for that.


Who proposed?

He did. It was right after we had just completed an especially rigorous round of *Feet Fights* on the sofa at his apartment. We never do have feet fights anymore. I miss those. But, I'd probably just get hurt anyway, lol.


Who is more sensitive?

No question here. That would be me. In every way. Although... he does bring me my favorite flowers after we have a squabble and always gets me what I want for anniversary, birthday & Christmas. It took 20 years for him to reach this point, but now he's much more thoughtful than he was in our early years of marriage. Plainly, the poor dear creatures have to be trained most of the time.


Quite honestly, I don't think I have anyone left that will do another meme. I've already tagged everyone once and some seemed a bit peeved about it while others didn't even do it, so I'm just going to let this ride. Sorry Tammy. HOWEVER, if you want to play along please do so & be sure to let me know so that I can add a link to your blog, for playing.