Anniversary Weekend!

It's our 2-year anniversary... not quite sure what to think about that really. I mean, obviously I'm content, proud, all those warm fuzzy feelings. But this weekend doesn't seem any different than any other weekend. In fact, our anniversary weekend plans include Aaron playing video games (his currently verbally abusing our tv) and me working on a new website that Aaron, Chris, and I have started. It's in its infancy right now, so no, you don't get a link to it yet. But as far as any celebratory plans, the biggest thing we're doing is going to see X-Men III: The Last Stand at the Peabody downtown and then going to some fancy restaurant. Now, we were going to see X-Men and go out for dinner anyway, so really, we've only upgraded our regular weekend plans a little. Went from regular movie theater to hugenormous screen and more expensive grub. *shrug* And I'm fine with that... in fact, I'm upset with Aaron for insisting on getting me something when I have repeatedly and concisely informed in that I do NOT want him to buy me anything for our anniversary. Imagne that! How many women get upset when their beaux insist on doing something nice for them? But, the only things that I really want right now are exPENsive - like a $600 Dyson vacuum, a $800 D70 camera, and a $300 KitchenAide Mixer. and maybe a house thrown into the bargain.... but that purchase involves so many 0's that it makes my head swim.

Anyhoo... back to my web designing.... nasty little stats counter html code doesn't seem to be working and I'm about to reach into the moniter, yank it out, and throttle it.

Wish me luck!

Everything you didn't care to know about me

I've resorted to posting one of those "About Me" quizzes. It's not pretty, but there it is.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00 A.M.

2. Diamonds or Pearls? Short answer: diamonds... but really, Long answer: I wear my wedding and engagement rings (gold and diamonds each), of course, but the only other jewelry that I consistently wear is an old $.50 vending machine ring that Alan got at Hastings one time when we where in high school. I would be devasted without any of them.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? DaVinci Code. I agree with KatieB that it wasn't as good as the book. I mean... how ironic is it that Sophie Neveu's role is significantly undercut and that Robert Langdon's role was overshadowing - wasn't one of the book's points that the sacred feminine is minimalized? Or, why was the Opus Dei villanized? In the book, they were innocent and tricked into their actions. The movie completely screwed up many of the messages that the book tried to get across. Meh...

4. What are your favorite TV shows? NCIS (How DARE they get rid of Gibbs?!), Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, and Medium. OMG, did anybody else watch the final episode this Monday? I absolutely LOVE that Dixie Chicks song, "Lullaby". And is it so very wrong to have a crush on Jake Weber?

5. What did you have for breakfast? Nothing, that I can think of. Probably a Twizzler or two.

6. What is your middle name? Marie & Werner

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Crab rangoon, Argolavos (Greek cookies), McD's fries, spinach & artichoke dip... honestly people, I love all food. I'm an equal opportunity eater.

9. What kind of potato chips do you like? Harvest Cheddar Sunchips & Doritos

10. What is your favorite kind of music? Alternative, rock, industrial, musical soundtracks, old country, disney songs... classical... and all sorts of other stuff I particularly love mushy stuff that makes me cry - like "Into the West" from the Return of the King soundtrack and "Lullaby" from the Dixie Chicks

11. What kind of veichle do you drive? a BRAND NEW '06 silver Honda Civic LX that does NOT have a tire imprint on the roof!

12. Favorite Sandwich? Ruebens from The Heidelberg on the MU campus .... Chicken Carbenero from Quiznos... not a sandwich, but I LOVE Roly Poly's

13. What characteristics do you despise? Dishonesty, hypocrisy, narrow-mindedness

14. Favorite item of clothing? my birthday suit! woo woo!

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation - Japan, New Zealand, European tour, Brazil
16. What color is your bathroom? typical renter's white

17. What is your favorite brand of clothing? whichever is on sale for under $20

18. Where would you want to retire? near water and trees and out of earshot of any neighbors

19. Favorite time of day? afternoon and evening

20. Where were you born? Jefferson City, Missouri

21. Favorite sport to watch? Don't watch any sports unless I know someone playing, and even then I barely watch.

22. Who do you least expect to send this back? nearly everyone

23. Person you expect to send it back first? whoever's left

24. Coke or Pepsi? neither, nasty stuff. not a big soda fan, but i do like diet cherry vanilla and diet berry cream dr. pepper

25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? i prefer the term nightingale

26. What size shoe do you wear? 8 to 9 1/2, depending on the shoe

27. Do you have any pets? a gorgeous grey cat named O-ren Ishii Ashenafi Poopoo Kitty Buck - O-ren Ishii from Lucy Lu's character in Kill Bill, Ashenafi from a former student of mine from Ethopia, and Poopoo Kitty Buck is a combination of what she did all over the bed when we first got her and the movie _Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back_. We also recently added Chyna to the family. She came pre-named after the female professional wrestler. I have unofficially changed it to Chickadee Chyna, after the BareNaked Ladies song, "Two Weeks". (Chickadee China, the Chinese chicken, have a drumstick and your brain starts tickin)

28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? visit my blog - http://erinwernerbuck.blogspot.com// and then leave me comments!

29. What did you want to be when you were little? I had a crush on Dr. Bob - a character played by the Muppet Ralph the dog... he and Nurse Piggy... those were the days... oh, anyway, I had a crush on Dr. Bob, so I wanted to be a doctor. Took me all the way to my freshman year in college to decide that the big money was in teaching (hahahahahahahaha... hahahaha..... hahaha..*cough*.... hahahaha... *cough*... *cough*... heh. too funny

30. What is your best childhood memory? Dad telling me beautiful bedtime stories that were from of a book but should have been made into one... playing with homemade play-do with Mom... creating walking trails in the woods behind the house

31. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? babysitter, data entry clerk I, pre-school teacher's aid, telecommunications operator (hey Katie!), substitute teacher, hotdog maker, classroom teacher, cheesecake and dessert entrepreneur

32. What color underwear are you wearing? red with little kung fu monkeys

33. Nicknames? e, sweetpea, bonobo monkey

34. Piercing? 2 ears

35. Have you ever been to Africa? had a vacation home their on the Nile in a previous life

36. Eye Color? green... no, blue!..... auugh!! (What do you mean, an African or European swallow?)

37. Ever been toilet papering? Sorry, self-respect still too intact for that. Maybe next year

38. Love someone so much it made you cry? Of course, many times. some sad, more were happy

39. Been in a car accident? I have been in one (not my car) and my car has been in 5 without me, don't get me started. I can only hope that the bad luck is contained to my old car and doesn't carry over to my precious new baby.

40. Croutons or bacon bits? Sunflower seeds. (Why do so many of these questions try to predict and confine my answers?!) With grape tomatoes sliced vertically, a sprinkle of grated carrots, cucumber slices, bits of broccoli and cauliflower, and lite 3-cheese ranch dressing

41. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

42. Favorite flower? ones full of color with a nice light fragrance that aren't in a vase

43. Favorite ice cream? nearly all of it, i'm not too prejudice in this arena. ok ok, I'll pick - I forget the name, but it's vanilla and cheesecake ice cream with strawberries and pretzels.

44. Disney or Warner brothers? again with the limiting questions! I like Pixar!

45. Favorite fast food restaurant? Roly Poly's, but the nearest one is 3 hours away in Nashville. Around here, hmmm... hard question... don't eat much fast food. When I do, the main requirements are grease and salt. God, I love salt.

46. What color is your bedroom carpet? apartment, so not my choice - a stain hiding brownish tan with grey, black and white kitty hairs

47. Ever fail your drivers test? Nope, got an 80-something

48. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? "from whom"? what wonderful grammer - not expecting that from the average self-quiz thingy. I honestly can't remember... apparently it wasn't that important. Although it wasn't the last one I've received, I did recently get an email from SarahB - Congratulations on the new job, girl! That is amazing! I am SO glad you're out of that old job. You deserve a job that challenges you! If teaching a bunch of college students doesn't challenge you, I don't know what will!

49. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? some home furnishing store once I have a house

50. What do you most often do when you are bored? Add or browse photos on flickr.com or update my blog... or play sudoku and card games on the dashboard (it's a Mac thing)

51. Bedtime? 10:30

52. Who are you most curious to the responses to this questionnaire? anyone - I wouldn't associate with you if I didn't find you at least somewhat interesting

53. Last person you went to dinner with? Aaron, duh and Mom and Megan - we had lunch at Daisy Delight because Ashley works there now! So obviously we had to harrass her a bit before we drove back down to Memphis. It might be months before we're in Missouri and have a chance to tease her again!

54. Ford or Chevy? why would I buy either, BLECH. Give me a Honda, Toyota, or VW... and if I'm not paying, then give me a Lexus.

55. What are you listening to right now? music from RahXephon (kick arse anime series)... before that, "Lullaby" (2x), "He Mele No Lilo" from Lilo and Stitch... and "If I Were a Rich Man" from The Fiddler on the Roof

56. What is your favorite color? blue-green-purple hues

57. Lake, Ocean or river? creek

58. How many tattoos do you have? a few chicken pox scars...

59. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Egg. Religion is not a science.

60. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? who cares? you don't... I don't... next question

61. Time you finished this e-mail? 4:35 pm.

62. Time you posted this e-mail to your blog? 5:40 pm.

Welcome to the Web, Dear!

Come one, come all - to my husband's new blog: Ramblings of an Embryologist!

Contrary to it's name, it's not about his job so much as a political forum.

And while we're here - check out this screenshot of his site!

I'm such a mutanist.

This post is pretty much taken straight from a conversation I had on MSN Messenger, where I
rarely ever abide by grammatical rules.  Deal with it.  :P

today i subbed a high school and helped one of my classes to organize together to lodge a formal complaint against their regular teacher.

(they actually had legitimate complaints against the teacher?)

ooohhh yeah.  
let's see... to name a few, blatant favoritism that the whole class had noticed, swearing about one student to other students, not following the curriculum at all, inconsistent grading (says she'll do one thing and then randomly changes her mind), gossiping about students and faculty to students, terrible classroom management and then blaming the students - to the students, assignments and classroom inconsistent with assessment... that's only about half... can't remember most of it

(what?! how did it go?)

i used my powers as english teacher to talk to them about keeping in mind their intended audience and tailoring the writing accordingly, to organize their letter to emphasize their main points, to use detailed examples to back up numerous points, to understand any arguments that the reader might have and to address them... even how to use a round robin to keep any one person from getting the brunt of any lashback.

even if it wasn't an english class, and even if i was only there that day, i know that i made a difference.  that's what real teaching is all about - seizing the moments that matter to students and turning them into learning experiences.  this problem really bothered the students and they learned so much more because they cared about the cause; it wasn't just for some random assignment.

Rage Against the . . . Self

I'm not sure what trigger me this time, but the second Aaron and I started playing tennis this evening, I was in a (nearly) silent rage.  The target for my emotional self-mutilation tonight was my decrepid tennis skills as I saw them.  

It surprises and worries me each time my blood boils like that.  For however long it lasts, I can honestly see how people can hurt the ones they love in a fit of anger, when normally they are mild peaceful people.  Luckily, Aaron is wise enough to give me space, and I am aware of myself enough to make him.  B/c I know that if he were to get too close and/or get in my face, verbally of physically, I would have been more than capable of joyfully beating the living snot out of him.

That is what worries me most - that in the heat of a rage, I am capable of willfully inflicting harm - and that I want to make somebody else hurt as much as I do.

Luckily, I know that if I stay isolated with time I can calm down on my own as if nothing ever happened.  In this case, my anger finally melted into tears, Aaron called it a game, and I sulked back home... where I chopped brocolli and cauliflower as if it were W's symbolic rod of staff.  Aaron, love him, even tried to give me a hug.  It was too soon though, and I wasn't able to receive anything just yet.  What a great guy... to bear with me through all of my hormonal waves.

Argolavoues/Argolavos

After attending the Greek Fest, I tried with all my might to find the recipe for one of the cookies I'd had there. Much to my dismay, my Dogpile search literally came up empty. The only return I had was from the Greek Fest's own site, and they didn't include any recipes. I tried seaching for all the related terms I could think of, but could never find the cookies I so desired. I then came across an online bakery, Elia Greek Specialty Sweets. Although she didn't have argolavos on her menu, I emailed her my conundrum, and she emailed me back with the following recipe - from a '78 Greek church cookbook! Because these are the yummiest cookies I've had in quite some time, I'm included the recipe. And because Jennifer (Elia's) was SO fantastic, I'm officially pushing her website! It's not so easy to find good Grecian sweets, so you're welcome. :) On the same thread, I'm sharing the recipe Jennifer gave me so that more people can enjoy these cookies. Such numminess should not be squirreled away.

Argolavoues
1 cup butter softened . . . . . . .1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 egg white, stiffly beaten
8-10 oz slivered almonds

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg yolks. Stir in almond extract and flour, mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 inch logs. Dip in stiffly beaten egg white, roll in almonds. Place on cookie sheet and bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15 -20 minutes. Yields about 30 cookies.

It's a simple recipe, and I think the variety I had used a little honey, but they are well worth it! Go forth, my minions, and bake!

Hopa!

Aaron and I headed to Midtown today to the 48th annual Big Fat Greek Festival. We successfully plumped up on Grecian style chicken served with spanakopeta (spinach pie), rice pilaf, homemade Greek bread and a floyera (rolled baklava). Then, after purusing the marketplace and purchasing an adorable bracelet (blueish beads), we watched various groups sing and dance - complete with Grecian attire. There was a band of children, ranging from 18 to 5 - the littest one was SOOOO cute! I even joined in and learned one of the dances, although at that point, so many other non-Greeks were trying to learn that it was a bit of a madhouse. Regardless, I stuck it out - hopa! And did I mention the desserts? Hooo... honey-licious. We got a box of everything: melomakarona (stuffed honey cookies), argolavos (almond crescent cookies), koulouria (traditional Easter cookies), kourambiethes (sugar covered cookies) paximathia (coffee biscuit cookies), galatoboureko (custard pastry) and indokarida (coconut cookies), kataifi (shredded filo, nuts and honey) and karethopita (spiced honey walnut cake)! I'm a fan of the argolavos, personally.

When we got back home, we played a round of tennis, which would explain why I'm still so tired. I must say, I can tell that I'm getting better. Last week I actually dove for the ball and literally left skid marks with my palms. My personal favorites, however, are when I make Aaron zigzag all over the court trying to follow my returns. Mwa ha ha ha...

Saturday Pastimes

Everyone is ordered to check out this videos, as I found them hilarious and thought I should share the fun.


This first one shows radar tracking of FedEx planes coming into Memphis during a recent storm, which we've been having plenty of this past month.

While you're at it, watch this video of a fantastically talented comedian demonstrating the Evolution of Dance.

Last but not least, learn from the feline masters the art of puppy massage!

Enjoy!

Progression of days

Still can't say that anything has really changed in my world lately. Without any real job prospects, my past is uninspiring and my immediate future is monotonous. Everyone around me continues to be as bloody cheerful about my supposedly sure-fire success as they were a month ago. And Chyna continues to sprawl her fluffy white tum-tum across my computer desk in decreasingly discreet poses. So long as she's comfortable, right?

Interesting day today. Subbed at D.M.S. again for the first time since it scared me far away. That would be the time when I subbed for a 6th grade class (b/c the veteran teacher was run off by the students and had to take personal leave). Yeah, lucky, innocent me... walking into that brouhaha. Let's just say that all but the FBI was called in that day to contain the students. A girl even got in my face and threatened to teach me this that and the other... the next week I hear on the news that she was caught bringing a knife into school. Anyway, after that first taste of public school, I stayed away from all county schools for quite some time... nor have I returned to this school. Until today.

Of course, I was not expecting roses. But, I did learn a valuable lesson. More accurately, I was retaught a valuable lesson. Difficult groups of students can happen to good teachers. Having a class or two of disrespectful hooligans sometimes happens and there isn't much that anyone can do when they're thrust into a classroom for a random day. Frequently now, I've subbed at schools, thinking at the end that it was merely an average day at most, to be complimented at the end by various faculty that I had done an amazing job - that the students liked me and that I maintained classroom management sometimes better than even the regular teachers themselves.

See, schools? See what you're missing! I ROCK as a teacher! Students love me! Faculty loves me! I don't just babysit; I don't just maintain a low-key status quo - I ROCK as a teacher! :P ppbbtttt!!!! :P

Oo, on other news, a pair of camouflaged rifle-toting persons where spotted near a Shelby Co H.S. today. Police were immediately called to the scene, and the news crews haven't really said anything more than what I've just said. (Although they took 6 times longer to say it and used much more sensational words.) Let's just keep in mind that the county schools are the GOOD schools. Regardless of the drug busts, the students bringing knives to school (and threatening teachers), and the random camo sauntering in the soccer field - this is daisies and roses compared to the stories out of Memphis City schools.

Well, on such a cheerful note... I'm going to veg in front of the tv. WIll and Grace, My Name is Earl, and Office Space come on tonight! Woo hoo! Speaking of Thursday night tv, Teachers is a terrible, horrible, pathetic excuse of a show. I don't want to talk about it anymore. It is an empty-headed animal, a food trough wiper. I fart in its general direction. Its mother was a hamster, and its father smelled of elderberries! (I love Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail.) :)

Nothing new

Nothing has really changed since my last post, but I couldn't stand the first blog being so depressing. I've applied for a few more jobs, a one of which I'm qualified for, two I'm not. I figure it can't hurt so what the heck. Fortunately I have some wonderful friends (especially my husband) who are a wonderful support team. I feel bad for them having to try and cheer me up. What can they really say? Not like they can get me a job. No, they're stuck to phrases like "I'm sure you'll get something any day now", etc. Far be it for me to complain about other people caring about me and believing in me... but when everyone is so confident in my impending success, and then I fail... it just makes me feel that much worse. If I'm going to fail, I wish nobody else would have to know about it. I know it's because people care about me, but I hate having to tell people that I've been turned down for yet another job. Like, what's wrong with me that I don't have one? I want someone to admit the truth to me - that yeah, I may not get hired at any school, but that I still have other options, that I won't be completely screwed. I'm tired of unfounded optimism... I want realism with engagable options.

Regardless of whether or not I do get a teaching position somewhere, I would like for Aaron and I to buy a house. I've determined that even if I only substitute for the entire year, if I can make a whopping $800 a month (that roughly equates to subbing in a public school 10 times/month), then we can afford around $1,000 a month for mortgage. But, if we do decide to get a house, I'll probably have to get a part-time evening job or something. I'm going to try and stick to subbing though. I need that exposure in the school systems and to stay around kids. I've been checking out other fields... but if I'm qualified for the job, I don't want it; and if I'm at all interested in the job, I lack either experience or the right degree.

Anyway, that's where I stand right now. Moving in no descernible direction and very grumpy about the whole affair. It's a pity, too; I'm a bloody good teacher. Those schools don't know what they're missing.

Jobless bum

So, I've been turned down for another two jobs. It's already May and I have officially run out of prospective schools where I'd actually want to teach. There's only one opening in Shelby county, so I'm not too optimistic about that one. I actually applied with Memphis City Schools today... If it comes down to it though, I don't know if I'm equipped to handle an inner city school. I look (and am) so young and "fresh off the farm"... they'd spot me out in a second and eat me for lunch. I don't think I could handle it emotionally.
But I'm running out of options. Aaron and I had talked a while back... assuming that I would get a job, and at that point, it seemed a given, our immediate life was planned out thus: this fall, start teaching; a few months later, buy a house; coordinate mating calls so that a baby appears around the end of my second year. We had it all worked out to a T. All hinged on the one thing that doesn't seem to be able to materialize.

And it's not just that... it's the frustration and self-doubt that comes with being rejected; it's being stuck at home feeling worthless; it's not having colleagues and other adults to get to know. I'm frustrated and don't know what to do about it. Without a teaching position, I have no purpose, no drive. I'm worthless.

Cinco de Mayo!

Miracle of miracles, Aaron and I did something other than sit on our rumps last night - we actually went out! And we're not even talking about the cheapie theaters like usual (we did that tonight), but real, honest-to-goodness grown-up activities. I know, I'm as shocked as you! We joined up with Nikki and Brad and two of his friends, Jeff and Eric at a "Mexican" restaurant to officially celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The food didn't taste any more Mexican than it did Italian, *shrug*, but at least it got us out with other people. I feel sometimes like I live in an isolation booth since we moved. After we finished our overly priced lemonaide-itas, we headed downtown to a rooftop party. Which, if I may say, was pretty darn cool. Ok, so the party was a drag, but the view was amazing! Here we were, surrounded by high rises on three sides, facing the Mississippi river, in view of the DeSoto bridge and the Pyramid, and to top it all off, the Redbirds game ended with a huge fireworks display - only two blocks away!
After starting our night off with a bang, we headed to Beale St, which was packed with people coming from the Memphis in May Beale St. Music Fest. A religious fundamentalist group had also picked that evening to picket and pass out flyers, which gave the atmosphere a decidedly interesting twist. We ended up abandoning Eric at O'Sullivan's because he wandered off and stopped answering his phone. Apparently this wasn't the first time this has happened, but I still feel really bad about the whole thing. I can't imagine how awful I'd feel if my friends did something like that to me. Unfortunately, I was a little too tipsy and confused at the time to say anything.
So, although it ended on a rather meh note, I'm just thrilled that I got out of the house finally and got to talk to other adults. I hate not having a full-time job... humans were not meant to live so isolated. I miss my friends!!

Chickadee Chyna

Everybody, say hello to the Buck family's newest addition. Her name is Chyna, but I've been calling her Chickadee Chyna, from the Barenaked Ladies' song, "One Week". Think: "Chickity China the Chinese chicken, You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin'"

Anyhoo, Chickadee Chyna's adjusting very well to the new home. She's already consistently staying out from under the futon and after we put up a baby gate (to keep O-ren from going jujitsu on her) she's very friendly toward O-ren. O-ren's a bit grumpier, but I can't be too hard on her; she's actually taking this all very well. I'm pleased with how well the transition is going.

Hey Mum!

Hey Mum, you get your very own post to help you navigate this site. It's pretty straight forward though, so hopefully you won't have too many problems. I have the site set up to only show just my lastest few posts, the semi-recent can be found over on the right hand side, under Ramblings of Old... and my really old posts can be found under Archives (under the Ramblings).

Be sure to check out my flickr.com pictures. Whichever picture you click on, that's where flickr.com will take you. Once there, look over to the near-top right and click on empress e's photostream. That'll set you up to see more. Or, right below that link, you see two pictures - you can browse through one at a time from there. Just browse around; make yourself at home.

I recommend setting up a hotmail account - just click on this link -> Hotmail. Near the top right of the page you'll see 4 tabs - click on the one that says hotmail and from there you can set up a new account. Once you've got that set up, you can EMAIL ME so that I can send you an official invitation to my flickr.com account. That should make it much easier for you to get a flickr.com account and be able to see all of my pics.

LOVE YOU!

and if you have any questions, I'm sitting at my computer! :) ... until around 5:45, then we pick up Chyna.

Quotes, thoughts, and other interesting occurences

Interesting quotes, I thought:

In this country, American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate. - Marian Wright Edelman, 1992

I am more than the sum of my push-up bra. - e, on why I can't stand Victoria's Secret, 04/30/06

Frightening thought:

Terri Hatcher looks frighteningly similar to Michael Jackson.

Interesting occurences:
Yesterday I got a call from Aaron saying that I should be ready to head out when he gets home b/c we've got a big evening ahead of us. Since our brand of usual excitement ends with seeing a movie at the cheapie theaters, I was in complete shock when he said that we were going to the Grizzlies v. Mavericks NBA playoff game. Apparently, his boss couldn't (or didn't want) to make it to this game, so we were the lucky garbage cans to take care of the tickets. And such a tough job it was, too. All in all, we spent less than $30 on dinner w/ dessert, gas, parking, and 2 near-front row club seat tickets. I even got my face plastered up on the giant tv screen thingy! Granted, it was only because the person next to me (a despicable Mavericks fan) was dancing around... but I still made it! Not only that, but we came away with 4 Grizzlies towels and a fancy-schmancy souvenir cup. Can't beat that with a stick if I tried. :)

On another note, in the same conversation when Aaron said that we're headed to the FedEx Forum, he also said that we are officially getting another cat. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but a colleague recently divorced, and we are the appointed designees to rescue the poor feline from a completely undeserving ex-husband. Her name is Chyna, after the WOW (Women of Wrestling) wrestler. I'm not at all keen on the name... but since the cat has a few years under her belt, I can't very well change her name. Unless she doesn't respond to Chyna as her name, then we'll see. O-ren thinks Kitty is her name after all. To this refrain of new cat-ness, Mom isn't at all thrilled about the addition. For all that she was against our getting O-ren in the first place, she now can't bear the throught of Princess O-ren Ishii Ashenafi Poo Poo Kitty Buck sharing her throne with any common mrow. Aaron is supposed to contact his colleague today, so potentially I may pick up Chyna today.