I had a dream

So now either you are humming Everything's Coming Up Roses or I Have A Dream by ABBA. Anywho.

I had the weirdest dream last night and decided to share it with you. Lucky you! This dream was right after the dream about moving furniture for a cousin who dropped out of Notre Dame University and transferred to University of Texas. It involved having to having to get my ex-landlord to hitch a trailer to The Cal Mobile, etc., etc., etc. So here is the weird dream.

I was booked to be the comedian who did a stand-up act after Sammy Davis, Jr. performed his song and dance number. I've never done stand-up before (Isn't my life funny enough? Who needs to rehearse?) so I was unprepared. My booking agent was Melissa Rivers. She wasn't too prepared either and I kept telling her I thought it was odd that I was performing after Sammy Davis, Jr. (nevermind that Sammy Davis, Jr. is DEAD!) but she kept telling me not to worry about it. She comes running up to me and tells me that she thinks a Duke Ellington song would be good introduction music for me. She tells me to give her my Duke Ellington cd...like I carry one with me at all times? I tell her I don't have one with me and she says she will ask her dad (who is also dead!).

So we go to her mom's house (which was attached to an amusement park) so that I can cleanup. Joan Rivers' house was HUGE with a bunch of hallways, closets and bathrooms. She had guests there who were also trying to get ready for Sammy Davis, Jr.'s performance (OK people, he's DEAD!) so the house was buzzing with activity.

In the midst of all of this activity I have to go to the bathroom and we're not talking about having to pee. (Read between the lines.) So I go to find the bathroom only to realize the one I find in this huge house is like a communal bathroom and everyone can see me sitting there!

So I'm dealing with that and I'm trying to come up with my comedy routine and I decide I should talk about things people can relate to: having to go to the bathroom; hitting the send button on an email when you really didn't mean to; texting; cell phones. So I get that all sorted out and flush the toilet and it doesn't work! OMG! I'm in Joan Rivers house and I can't get the toilet to work. I'm looking everywhere for a plunger and can't find one. I keep flushing and flushing and flushing and FINALLY it works.

So now it's time for me to get dressed but I can't find my clothes. So I go walking through the house and turn on a light only to realize it was the switch for security system's panic button and when I turned it on it turned on the emergency generator. OY!

So I find my clothes and walk through the door thinking I'm walking into a changing room of some sort but it takes me to the amusement park and I can't get back into Joan Rivers' house. So now I'm walking around the amusement park trying to find a place to change clothes and I'm trying to rehearse my routine and I finally realize I'm going to bomb and be a big dud.

So that's the end of the dream and I woke up tired. Maybe it had something to do with the two Margaritas, beer, Absolut Mango shot and Mexican food that I had last night?

Have You Ever...

...had a dream and you realize that you're having a dream and so you stop the dream? Well, that's what happened in the wee hours of Thursday morning. You see...

I had a dream last night that Calvin and I were in Haltom City visiting Joe & Helen. We were at the church that I went to when I lived in up the Fort Worth/Dallas area. I was doing some outside work at the church and Calvin was out running around and he got out of the gate and took off running down the street.

I started chasing him and then I said, "This is a dream. Why am I going to waste my energy chasing him?"

So, I stopped the dream. Woke up. Sat up in bed. Looked around the bedroom to make sure Calvin was there. Went to pee. Went back to sleep. Odd isn't it?

Make It Work

The other night I had a dream that was VERY disturbing. You see...

In my dream I was planning an event for work. I needed 16 vases with flowers and they needed to be yellow flowers. The person who was helping me was Kenley from Project Runway. I didn't like her on Project Runway so I have no idea why she was in my dream!

Anywho. So Kenley says that we need to buy the flowers at Spec's. Spec's is a liquor store. So we go to Spec's and of course their selection flowers sucks and they don't very many and certainly not enough for 16 tables. Kenley and I start to argue and I tell her that I am going to Kroger to check out their selection.

I tell Kenley to stay at Spec's and to hang onto those flowers because I don't want anyone else to buy them. She gives me her cell phone number and I leave.

I get to Kroger and they have oodles and oodles of yellow flowers but there is a crowd. I make my way through the crowd and I call Kenley. When I call her number I get a message that she will not accept my call! The biatch blocked my number which in reality is probably something she would do.

And that is the end of the dream.

In Other News...

There is a lady that lives in Caceres. First of all, that tells me she has mucho dinero. So. She has two dogs. I'm not sure what they are but they're big. If they stood up, they'd probably be as tall as she is.

Her dogs don't like Calvin and this lady isn't very strong. She can't seem to control them and she is always yelling at them when she is out walking them. This morning they were trying to get away from her when they saw another dog. They knew Calvin was behind them so these two dogs were pulling her in two different directions and she was yelling.

Hey lady! Use some of your dinero to go to training classes. Better yet, walk one dog at a time. Isn't that a duh thing? Just askin'

BTW

I was at the airport checking a bag at the counter and I noticed that the tag they put on it had the airport code BTW.

When I woke up from that dream I wondered if there really was an airport code BTW. So yesterday I looked it up and there is! BTW is the airport code for Batu Licin, Indonesia.

That got me to wondering what else might be out there.

SUX is the airport code for Sioux City, Iowa, USA.

LOL is the airport code for Derby Field in Lovelock, Nevada, USA

OMG is the airport code for Omega, Namibia

TJM (my initials) is the airport code for Tyumen, Russia

I checked to see if there was a WTF but there wasn't. However, I'm sure WTF is heard many times a day at airports around the world when there is a flight delay, missed connection or lost luggage.

While I'm on the subject of dreams, I had one of those dreams that woke me up. Here's the dream:

I was on a tour of some vintage cars on an estate in the mountains of western Virginia, USA. The building that housed the cars was on the highest peak of the property. It was at night time and while we were standing there talking to the owner, out of nowhere, a guy comes running toward the building with a Molotov Cocktail. Rather than hurl it and run, he crashes through the windows and sets the buidling on fire and commits suicide.

We go running and I tell the owner of the cars that we need to call 911. He says it is useless to do so because they could never get the firetrucks up there so we leave.

As we descend the mountain, I look back and the sky is lit up from the fire. When we finish our descent we are on the football field for Virginia Tech. We're having cocktails while we watch the fire burn out and we get in a hot tub. It gets dark except for the lights from the football field.

While we are having a good time the police show up and tell us that we need to evacuate. The fire has made its way down the mountain and is heading toward us. I look at the guy who owns the property and say, "I told you to call 911."

The next thing I know we're somewhere near Banff or Calgary, Canada in a car looking for my sister who lives in a huge three story Victorian style house. We're driving through moutains and villages and we finally find the house.

When we get there she is ironing and cleaning house and doing dishes and she is pissed. You see...

She has a bunch of my cousins that she is taking care of and she is trying to get rid of them. I tell her to just tell them to leave but she is concerned about Child Protective Services arresting her.

End of that LONG dream.

So when I woke up, I was EXTREMELY tired and if someone can tell me what these dreams mean I will love you forever!

"-ella, -ella, -ella"

I just remembered an odd dream or maybe it was a combination of dreams from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. This is what I remember.

Neighbor Ryan was looking to buy a new house so I went with him to go house hunting. We ended up in Haltom City, Texas in Aunt LuLu's neighborhood. The neighborhood was going through a revitalization so there were plenty of houses to pick from.

The most interesting house was a two story house that had a guest house and a pool but it was on a very small lot. What was odd was that there weren't any stairs to get to the second floor so you had to climb a ladder. I could see hay falling through the opening where the ladder reached the second floor. Neighbor Ryan said it was unusual.

The next thing I know I am waiting for the light rail at a Houston Metro Station. I am with Legacy Alaina and we need to get into the gift shop of a very nice hospital. So we take the train and we get into the Medical Center but then we have to transfer to a bus and go through the tunnels and I keep saying there has to be a better way and someone says that there is a better and tells me what we should have done. I take notes.

The gift shop is closed. However, I know one of the guards and he grants us access but we have to enter through the ceiling of the store by using a ladder. As we are descending into the store, we have to climb through some clouds.

So Legacy Alaina and I have run of the store and everyone in the lobby of the hospital can see us. We get what we need and need to pay but guess, what? The store is closed and we can't pay so we leave without paying. And to leave we have to climb down another ladder into some clouds.

The next thing I know I am back at a Houston Metro Station and this time there are several people with me and a choreographer. We are holding big fake palm trees and the choreographer is playing Rihanna's Umbrella. Rather than dance with umbrellas like they do in the video or on Shut Up and Dance (really known as Step It Up and Dance) we are doing the routine with the palm trees.

I am front and center so I am the lead palm tree and the choreographer keeps telling me that I am overextending my palm tree and it is going to get hit by the train.

We get on the train with the palm trees and Rihanna is still singing. We are heading to the Medical Center (again). We get into the Medical Center and everyone but us palm tree people get off of the train because I HAVE directions.

The dream ends with us palm tree people arriving at Univ. of Texas/Houston Health Science Center. Rihanna is still singing Umbrella.

and I wake up singing Umbrella.

500 and counting. (Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 12.1)

Hello bois and gurrls. It's hard to believe but this is my 500th post! And I know that some of you have been with me from the very beginning and have read all of them. To old and new readers, "thank you!"

I was going to get all sentimental and then I decided, why bother? Y'all deserve a discombobulated post (like most of them have been). I'll think about getting sentimental when the year anniversary arrives.

fave magazine
The party on Thursday night was f-u-n! There was wine, vodka, nibbly things and lots of people to chat with and it was all good chat.

Several Str8 Up With A Twist readers were there as well as Krewe of Olympus members and many other friends.

I received a gift bag on the way out and I will save my comments on the contents of the bag for another post (because I need to take a pic and my camera battery is recharging right now).

dream
I had the weirdest dream on Friday night/Saturday morning. Here is what happened.

I was one of those Swiss Army Guards that protects the Pope at The Vatican. I was in my uniform and I was at a Shell Gas Station fueling up The Cal Mobile. The dividing line between Vatican City and the rest of the world ran through the station and I was on the Vatican City side.

So on the other side a Nazi pulls up, gets out of his vehicle and is trying attack me but he can't because he can't cross the line. I'm getting scared.

So he starts to throw gasoline at me and Vatican City and he says he is going to blow me up. He is yelling and screaming and throwing gasoline and then I see him get a cigarette lighter. I start yelling for everyone to run up the hill.

He flicks the lighter, I see a flame and I take off running. There is a steep hill right behind the station and I go running up it and jump inside of a house.

end of dream

Houston Art Car Parade 2008
Yesterday was the 20th rolling of the Art Car Parade. Other parades have sprouted up in other cities but the original was here in Houston.

The parade has grown over the years. It now falls under the umbrella of The Orange Show which in itself has an unusual origin.

Here are a few pics.

Red Bull had some folks walking around handing out their tasty beverage and of course I had one...probably could have used another so I supplemented it with a frozen lemonade.

If you would like to see more, you can click here.

So that's about it for tonight. And once again, thanx for reading my blog!

Dennis Quaid at 53

Holy cow! If THIS is the body of a 53 year old, I guess there is hope for me! I guess it is time to throw away the Ding Dongs, Twinkies, Little Debbie Snackcakes, Donuts and Apple Fritters.
Boy Culture posted these photos from Vanity Fair/Italy.

In other news...
Yesterday there was a good debate on The View about the flaw threshold for Presidents. Is it about infidelity in the Oval Office or is it about weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist and about Osama Bin Laden being in Iraq? I'm just asking...

I had another dream last night. I told one person about it and I'm afraid to put some of the details on this blog because it could lead to a police investigation or wire tapping. Let's just say it was an odd dream.

The Cal Mobile is back in NoRO. I picked it up this morning. Thanx to Alan for giving me a lift. As I was getting out of his '06 Escape that has more mileage than mine, he wanted to check my satchel to make sure I didn't have any explosives or weapons with me.

I will say that Freeway Ford made things right with me. It took it awhile to get there but all is cool right now.

This whole deal with Governor Spitzer hiring a prostitute got me thinking. What OTHER hotels have I stayed in where a political tryst has occurred? I have stayed at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. and The Excelsior Hotel (Bill Clinton & Gennifer Flowers). I wonder if anything happened at The Best Western in Alexandria, Louisiana? I'm just asking...

Ramblings of a Stuffy Nose, Coughing Throat & (un)Caffeinated Mind 10.2

Lipstick Jungle

Is anyone else hooked on this show?

Oprah's Big Give

Touched By An Angel aired on Sunday nights on CBS. This was a few years ago. It would make me cry. I stopped watching it for that reason and then it moved to another night of the week and then it got yanked off the air completely.

So then I started watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Well that would make me cry. I got tired of crying on Sunday nights so fortunately CBS started airing The Amazing Race and other stuff up against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Well, now ABC is showing Oprah's Big Give and for two Sundays in a row that show has made me cry...and it has only aired twice!
If you're not familiar with the show, here is a brief synopsis.

The contestants are give some money and have a limited amount of time to make a difference in the life of someone. "Give big or go home." is the motto.

Last night the contestants were flown to Denver and were told to find somebody to help and they had to do it in 48 hours.

This is the one that made me cry: One of the contestants found an agency that helps women who are HIV positive. She took the women to a spa and to a restaurant for a nice dinner. Listening to the stories made me cry.

One may look what she did and question how this helped the women? Other contestants were giving away cash and getting stuff donated and this one contestant didn't do any of that. She treated the women with respect and made them feel good about themselves even if was just for a day.

So this show has me thinking, "If had 48 hours and $5000 to make a difference in the life of someone, what would I do?"

Dreams

I'm sure it is the medicine I'm taking because I had a really restless night and the dream(s)...it seemed like one long one...wore me out.

It started off in a restaurant banquet room. It was very bright in the room due to all of the windows. Politicians and friends were there. Not sure what was being discussed but I remember everybody started smoking cigarettes...even people that I know who don't smoke...and I was getting upset. I started telling them that there was a ban on smoking in restaurants and they said that only applied to the City of Houston, not Harris County and we weren't in Houston.

Next thing I know I'm being questioned by a Grand Jury about behavior in the banquet room. I was specifically asked if a congressman had pulled out his penis and showed it to everyone and was he hitting on male interns? I replied that I had not seen any such behavior but that people were smoking and I was really upset about that because I couldn't enjoy my food. The judge told me it only applied to the City of Houston, blah, blah, blah and I was finished in the court room.

Next thing I know I'm in a taxi with someone and the vehicle is going down a very narrow street (maybe an alley?) in New York City. Note: I don't see the driver in this dream. So then a guy jumps into the taxi with a knife and stabs the other passenger! I'm doing everything I can to get away from the guy with the knife and everything just sort of stops and goes black.

Next thing I remember I'm still in the taxi but it has been wedged between two 18-wheelers. The stabbing victim is dead and so is the guy who did the stabbing. I have to crawl over two dead bodies and squeeze through an opening to get out and then climb over one of the trucks.

The first thing I notice is how quiet it is. Remember, I'm in New York City so there should be some sound.

I walk down the narrow street and get to a big street and there is no one there. Trees are down and houses are damaged and it is wet and the sky is an ominous green. I can't figure out what happened and then it starts to rain.

Then a car comes down the wrong side of the street and the driver rolls down his window. He says, "I can't believe you survived that!" I asked him what happened and he said a tornado struck New York City and to his knowledge everybody is dead.

I look across the street and there are two women coming toward me and one of them can barely walk. They are both in business attire and one of them has a broken leg. I run over to help and I tell her that she needs to take off her stiletto heels and she refuses to do so.

The dream continues with me telling somebody about the dream and I can't get the facts in order and I really want to because I want to figure out what it means!

***end of dream***

I had a dream

Before I go into details about a dream last night (or was it two dreams), I need to tell you what I did last night which might explain part of my dream.

Last night The Empire of the Royal Sovereign, and Imperial Court of the Single Star Incorporated (E.R.S.I.C.S.S.) held Investures at E.J.'s. I had never been to this event so I might incorrectly describe it. The new Emperor & Empress were introduced and they presented their court. The outgoing Emperor & Empress and Board of Directors presented a check to Legacy in the amount of $41,000. This is money they had raised over the past year. THAT folks is a BUNCH of money to be raised in one year...and we're talking one dollar at a time. And a BIG THANK YOU goes out E.R.S.I.C.S.S.!

So...there were many former monarchs in attendance and visiting monarchs from out of town and out of state. As well as Board members and staff members from Legacy. I didn't read the invitation in detail so I was dressed on the casual side while many in attendance were in black-tie, formal attire or cocktail attire. And with all of the royalty in attendance there were crowns, tiaras, jewels, rhinestones, etc.

Here's the dream:

I'm at Mood in New York City. (Until Project Runway I had NEVER heard of Mood.) Tim Gunn is there. Katy Caldwell (Exec. Director of Legacy) is there and she needs a dress to wear because she is getting married. She doesn't want to wear a traditional wedding dress so the challenge is to design something that Katy likes. I am pulling bolts of material (blues, reds, browns, black) and draping (thanx Rami) material before it is cut. Katy was a tough client to please and I don't know that we ever decided on anything. We were also pulling out rhinestones and bracelets and necklaces trying to make it work.

I finally had to take a break and when I do I realize that Mood is actually part of a store that I shopped at (for real) in Sydney. (So am I in NYC or SYD?)

I go for a walk and next thing I know I am at a trade conference with former business associates. My responsibility is to take photos of them while they are riding in hot air balloons. To do this and to get the closeups, I have to be at the same level. So I am in a gigantic cherry picker that is moving as the same speed as the hot air balloons and I'm getting some good pics.

Well...we are on ground level on a Houston freeway and I realize that the balloon is going to run into an overpass. They're having too good of a time to hear me yelling at them and...

...they slam into an overpass and the balloon deflates. This in turn halts all traffic and brings the conference to an end. No one was hurt.

***end of dream***

I think I have commented before that I have always had vivid dreams. I was often ridiculed by my own blood relatives (i.e. immediate family) because I could remember in detail my dreams. Oh...and I do dream in color.

So if you're wondering what that clip is about, it is Everything's Coming Up Roses from Gypsy. Mama Rose sings, "I had a dream..."

A Rather Odd Dream

So Friday morning when I woke up I was singing a Whitney Houston song. Today I can't remember which one but I do remember it was Whitney. And here is what I remember from the dream.

Madonna was my BFF and we were running around town. We were running errands: grocery shopping, Starbucks, dog walking, etc.

When I get back to the house my roommate Barbra Streisand was there. We decided to clean house and I decided to turn on the cd player. So what do I pop in the player? A collection of Barbra's music. She comes running through the house screaming at me to stop playing her music. I start to laugh and she continues to scream at me. I turn up the volume and she starts crying.

So I go to my friend Heidi's house and her cousin Vicki is there. We are now in Laguna Beach, California (which is where Vicki really had a house) and we're just hanging out. I tell Heidi and Vicki that I need to get to the dollar store so they give me directions. However, the way that I entered their house isn't the way that I exited and the way that I left the neighborhood isn't the way that I approached it. It was almost as if the house and neighborhood had changed while I was inside.

So I get to the dollar store but nothing is priced at a dollar. Everything cost more than a dollar and it is sort of like Sam's or Costco (wholesale stores). Also, most of the merchandise is industrial stuff.

I go back to the car and Whitney Houston is there singing. And I wish I could remember what the song was because THAT is the song I woke up singing.

Analyze and discuss amongst yourselves.

I had a dream

No. I'm not going to recite Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech. And no. I'm not going to sing Everything's Coming Up Roses from Gypsy.

I had a dream last night that wouldn't end! I would sorta wake up, go back to sleep and the dream would continue. It wore me out to the point that I woke up at 500A and walked The Calvinator. So here it is 545A and I'm blogging. Calvin has gone back to sleep.

The dream was about the Krewe of Olympus Ball that is coming up in January (1/26/08). We were Reliant Center getting ready for our dress rehearsal and my costume was ready. People were arguing with each other (not unusual). We had a bunch of extra people who were helping and they were mucking it up. One of the extra people ate a crispy chicken sandwich from Church's Fried Chicken that didn't belong to her. The script writers were arguing with each other. The music wasn't ready. There were a bunch of people who had costumes who really aren't Krewe members and they were bumping into things and knocking over costumes. Mayhem I tell ya!

It seriously wore me out.

Singing In The Rain from Olympus Goes To Hollywood

Bunnies On The Bayou from Everything Is Bigger In Texas

Batman and Robin from Menage A Deux

Back To The Future from Time Travelers

Speaking of the Krewe...Royal Affair will be on Saturday, January 5 at The Alley Theater. This is a Krewe fundraiser. In addition to wearing beads, drinking & eating, and laughing, it is a good time to make friends with Krewe members and see if you can get an invitation to the Ball. More details later!

I'm having a really frustating day today. That's about all I can say about it. Can't and don't want to go into details. I haven't felt this way in a long time.

Adding to it is that I think I'm a wuss. I woke up this morning and could hear the wind gusting at about 23 m.p.h. A cold/cool front blew in which I really appreciate. However, I wanted to go running this morning but didn't want to be out there in windy conditions. I did get a short run in yesterday.

I'm either going to go spinning or do weights and see if I can work out some of this frustration.

I'm also very disturbed by a story that I saw on the news last night and again today. On Sunday morning while The Calvinator & I were watching the HMSA 25K I heard an explosion and then remembered that they were imploding a hotel in the Texas Medical Center.

Well as it turns out, there could (repeat: could) have been a person in the building. Someone was filming the implosion and right before it was ignited a door was opened and the image looks like someone could have been standing in a doorway.

Yesterday and today they've had the K-9 units going through the rubble. Let's just hope the wind (although the wind wasn't blowing on Sunday morning) caught the door and created that image.

So the other night before I knew about this, I had a dream that a building in Denver where my former place of employment is located was having explosions in the building. The only people who were able to get out were those of us who were visitors. We ran across the street as the explosions continued and I was calling people but no one would answer.

I swear I haven't had any alcohol since Saturday night!

The Calvinator slept really well last night. :-) I gave him an adult Benadryl to see if that will stop his scratching and licking. He was still a bit drowsy this morning.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.5

I thought I'd give you some updates before I do my normal ramblings.

1. Headache - I passed out on the couch last night holding my head. Woke up and went to bed and had a restless night. (see below for my odd dream last night) This morning when I woke up I could feel some drainage going down my throat. I never thought this could be sinus related. Feel a bit better today.

2. Hurricane Dean - Hurricane Dean came in south of Cancun with 160m.p.h. winds. It is heading into the Bay of Campeche and will then make landfall between Tampico and Veracruz. I really feel for those folks in Mexico that are bearing the brunt of the storm. I heard a talking head say that this will be the third strongest storm on record.

3. Running - I met RunnerOne this morning at Memorial Park. He asked how I was doing and I told him about my headache and he immediately diagnosed it as sinus problems. I told him about my odd dream last night (see below) and that is why I was feeling tired.

We didn't run around the park. He surprised me and took me to the track. We did an 800m warm-up and then did 6x400m sprints. Based on the sprints I was running an 8:00 minute mile or less. HA! Now if I could do that for 26.2 miles I'd feel really good about myself.

4. Jimmy Martin - I'm really disturbed about this. (See my post: Missing Person). Like I stated, you never expect to see someone that you know on one of those fliers.

So those are my updates. Here's what else is on my mind.

America's Finest City

This past Sunday was the running of America's Finest City 1/2 Marathon. I have done this run three times and I absolutely love it.

San Diego is one of my favorite cities even if I didn't have good runs doing the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. The weather is great. The scenery is wonderful. And the people are beautiful. I remember the first time I ran Rock 'n Roll I made the observation that the spectators looked better and were in better shape than the participants! Here is proof of the pretty people.

Brad is a catcher for the Houston Astros. During the off-season he lives in San Diego which is where his kids and wife live.
According the Health insert in yesterday's Houston Chronicle, in the off-season Brad lifts weights three times a week and does aerobic exercise (running, biking, Stairmaster or elliptical machines) five or six times a week. He also likes to hit the waves up to five to six times a week.

OK...with the exception of surfing I do all that and I don't LOOK LIKE THAT. :-(

Dream

Oh boy. I had a doozy of a dream last night. Here goes.

I was doing a triathlon at Benbrook Lake in Ft. Worth. For the swim portion of it we had to swim through a sewage pipe. However, when we exited the pipe there wasn't enough water for us to continue our swim so we were in a holding pattern waiting for more water. Everybody is just kinda standin' around and I have to pee. So I go to the restroom and pee and come back to the group and they're still waiting for water to be released from the damn (and I still have to pee).

The water is finally released from the damn and we have to swim upstream (like salmon). I'm holding my own with the group.

Once we finish the swim it is time to start the run (and for those of you who know about triathlons this is outta order 'cause you're supposed to bike after the swim). However, before we could actually start the run, we had to play a game of Dodge Ball followed by a game of Kick Ball.

I was so p!ssed off because as a kid I hated both of those games. So I suck it in and start heading toward the games (and I still have to pee). That is when I finally awakened and REALLY had to pee.

Have a good day everybody.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.1

Ask Marilyn

Where did the word “blog” originate?—Alice Sherman, Redington Shores, Fla.

The word “blog” is short for “Web log,” a site one establishes for the purpose of putting one’s thoughts online for the edification or amusement of visitors, who may leave pieces of their own minds before departing.

Star Jones-Reynolds

I'm not posting anything that hasn't already been said so she can't get me for libel.

Anywho. A few years ago when Star Jones had a severe weight loss she declined to say how she did it. In fact, I think she said it was exercise or Pilates or something along that line. OK folks. I run. I exercise. I don't drop weight like that!

So then Rosie calls her out on it and Star gets p!ssed. So then Star starts to say it was a medical intervention.

So after all of this time (I believe it was last week), Star comes out and says she had gastric bypass surgery in 2003 and has lost 160lbs. OK. First of all good for you Star. Seriously. If you weighed 307lbs. then yes, you needed to do something.

HOWEVER, she also stated that she didn't want to talk about herself and reveal to everyone how she lost the weight. EXCUSE ME? Uh....this is the woman who on The View was always sitting there with her all about me attitude? This is the woman who pimped out her wedding? I don't get it. I really don't.

And I know this is all about timing. She's getting ready to go back on the telly with a new show.

Thanx Lee

Lee Hazlewood who wrote and produced These Boots Are Made For Walkin' passed away.

The recording by Nancy Sinatra was released in February 1966 and hit #1 in the U.S. and United Kingdom. Believe it or not, I remember hearing that song on the radio and remember my parents have the the vinyl 45rpm.

Thanx Lee for giving us that song. It is STILL one of my favorites.

Running & Sleeping

OK. I'm still having some wild dreams at night. Black clouds. A friend's car needing repair. Being in Ciudad Juarez. Seeing a flying saucer car driving down the streets of Juarez (as someone said that could be classified as a true illegal alien).

I got up early on Monday and went to the park and did a 3 mile run. Did some weights yesterday. Went to bed early. Couldn't get up early this morning to go running. Tsetse fly again? Not sure.

To Catch An iJacker

Once again, I think I got bit by a tsetse fly because I sure was sleepy last night. Before I fell asleep around 930P I was watching Chris Hansen do an investigative report about people who intentionally steal iPods. This is known as iJacking.

What kind of got under my skin is that Apple has the technology to catch iJackers and won't do anything about it. You see...I was iJacked in December and was feeling like I had lost an appendage.

I left my iPod nano at LeFittes on December 30, 2006 in the locker room. That's what I get for being a Chatty Cathy and not paying attention. When I realized what I had done I immediately called and sure enough it wasn't in the Lost and Found. I know for a fact that people turn stuff in at LeFittes and it gets returned to its rightful owner so I was hoping that my iPod nano would be waiting for me. WRONG!

I ended up buying a new iPod nano but it still irks me that no one turned it in.

I had a large selection of showtunes loaded on that iPod and all I could hope for is that the person who iJacked me hates showtunes and that's all it will play. Let's start with Ethel Merman singing There's No Business Like Show Business or Andrea McArdle singing Tomorrow or Liza singing Caberet. HA! That'll show you.

SIDEBAR: And yes, I had another wild dream last night. Won't go into the details but it was about being in New Orleans, a Mardi Gras parade, Canal Street being flooded, friends arguing, buying some cool art in the CBD, having a Krewe meeting and a Mystery & Fantasy Ball meeting on the same day at the same time at Texas Wesleyan University. Talk about a dream that wore me out!

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.0

I didn't get a good night's rest last night. The Calvinator woke me up around 200A when he went running from the bedroom to the front of the house barking. It only lasted a few seconds but it was enough to wake me up.

THEN I had this awful dream about snakes and dog poop. I was living in a library and my bedroom was painted green. There was a huge sculpture of a snake that went around the room and the head of the snake was hanging from the ceiling. It was a piece of art titled Garden Of Eden.

There was a librarian position open and I was going to be interviewing people. However, applicants kept arriving early and would walk into my bedroom and find me sleeping and see the snake and leave.

(In my dream) I finally get out of bed and walk through the rest of the library to get to the kitchen but sorta have to walk outside. There are dead snakes and dog poop everywhere. I was very frustrated and decided that I wanted to move but the place that I wanted to move to had just been leased to Donatella Versace.

That is the point that I finally woke up (around 445A). I woke up The Calvinator and took him for a walk...it was already 80 degrees outside.

Running & Spinning

I did a 3 mile run yesterday morning at the park because I planned on going spinning later in the day. Well, later in the day arrived and I decided that I didn't want to spin. I just wasn't in the mood for a hard workout from Connie. So I did some weights instead.

I may do a spin class on Thursday.

I did a 4 mile run this morning at the park before I took The Calvinator to doggy daycare.

I'm at the point where I need to decide if I'm going to the Houston marathon in January or the 1/2 marathon. If it is the marathon, then I need to start bumping up the mileage. Anyone care to weigh in on the decision? Remember...a marathon is 26.2 and a 1/2 is only 13.1 miles. I have done several of both.

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

PREFACE Ever since I was a little kid I have had vivid dreams (in color of course) while I sleep. My family has always "teased" me because I have a knack for remembering the details. Joe suggested one time that I write down my dreams. I've always been afraid to do that because I'm afraid the journal will fall into the wrong hands and I'll be sent away to an insane asylum.

At this point in my life, what have I got to lose. So...I'll start posting some of my dreams beginning with the one that happened early this morning.

DREAM I was working at a dance studio and it was going out of business. My job was to make sure that the building was vacant before I turned off the lights and locked the doors.

Before I left the building, I decided to "check my look in the mirror." OMG! I weighed 400 lbs.! However, it must have been one of those trick mirrors because if I turned sideways, I looked like I could be the cover model for Men's Fitness.

So I decided to go running. Some sort of marathon I think because the next thing I know I am near Sammy's Barbecue and Sylvania Park in Ft. Worth. Turns out it is some type of relay and Runner One and his wife are supposed to run the next leg. They don't want to so I keep on running but get put in a hold pattern on Beach Street at E. Belknap.

The finish line is somewhere near Joe & Helen's house but I know that there has to be some loops in there because I have at least 3 more miles to run and their house isn't that far.

I finally get the go ahead to run again and I only have 30 minutes if I want to come in under a 4 hour 30 minute marathon. So I take off down Beach Street toward N.E. 28th Street. And of course there are loops. Loops that take me into backyards and kitchens! UGH!

I finally approach the finish line which is at the Texas Motor Speedway (nowhere near Joe & Helen's). However, it had turned into a velodrome and the track was painted scarlet red. I had to dodge the cyclists to make it to the infield.

Guess who was waiting for me in the infield? BFF AttyHou who was eating a bag of Lay's Potato Chips fried in Trans Fat!!!!! And of course I partook of the chips.

EPILOGUE That dream woke me up around 430A and I was worn out and terrified. I got up out of bed and started my pre-run routine. The Calvinator was asleep. I got him walked and then went to Memorial Park for a 4 mile run! Talk about motivation.