25 things

The following is a facebook note that I was tagged in. Basically, you list 25 things about yourself and then tag at least 25 others to do the same thing. I thought they were interesting facts....tell me what you think!!

1) I have a blog. I write about random things…hence the name and URL:
www.tassieandherrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
2) I don’t like rats and snakes.
3) I truly believe that Bigfoot exists and he has a distant cousin that lives in the deep woods of Mississippi.
4) When eating a meal with multiple items, I always start with the item I like the least, then continue eating each item until I get to the thing I like the best. I eat all of one item before I go on the next thing.
5) I wear a watch all the time, except in the shower. There is at least one clock in every room in my house-even the bathrooms.
6) I am related to Abraham Lincoln.
7) My hair has been every shade of blonde, red, and brunette that you can imagine.
8) My brother is married to my husband’s sister. (brother/sister married brother/sister)
His wife is my sister-in-law twice and our kids are double first cousins.
9) In high school, I drove a 1968 maroon Mercury Cougar. It was an awesome ride.
10) Every year after Thanksgiving dinner, I add jingle bells to my sneakers to usher in the Christmas season. I leave them on until New Year’s.
11) I am very proud of the fact that I’m a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done professionally.
12) I have always gone to sleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.
13) I have psychic abilities—I am often correct about situations that I get a certain “feeling” about.
14) My favorite fruit is the pear.
15) I have never met a cheese that I didn’t like.
16) I have read the Twilight books and seen the movie more times than any other book/movie. It never gets old to me.
17) I prefer to write in pencil as opposed to pen. My pencil must be VERY sharp. I don’t like mechanical pencils at all.
18) I collect refrigerator magnets. My fridge is covered in them.
19) I often wear glitter eye makeup. When I say glitter, I’m talking loose glitter in a bottle.
20) I like the smell of new plastic shower curtains.
21) When getting my teeth cleaned, I enjoy “crunching” the sandy stuff used to buff my teeth.
22) I get lost easily. If you put me in a paper bag that was open on both sides, I don’t think I’d find my way out.
23)A good afternoon snack is a cup of Fritos and buttermilk. Don’t knock it till you try it.
24) By the age of 15, I had been to 49 out of 50 states. The only state I haven’t been to is Alaska and I don’t plan on going anytime soon.
25) I am allergic to cats, mold, mildew, and cockroach dander. Yes, cockroaches have dander.

So Creepy......

Hannah Montana lives in my living room. Or at least that's what it feels like. Raelynn had her birthday party last weekend and when we were buying stuff for it at the evil Wal-Mart, she saw this life-sized mylar balloon of Hannah Montana. Since that's the theme we were going with, she, of course, wanted it. I caved in because...hey...you only turn 8 once!


So we toted Hannah all through the store and Raelynn finally had someone to listen to her chattering and singing while we were shopping. (I do listen to her, but I can only take in so much Strawberry Shortcake and Barbie talk...after awhile it all runs together.) So we got our groceries and headed out to the car, which thankfully I could locate this time. As we went outside, the helium in the balloon contracted and made the balloon look like it was leaking. I hadn't thought about how the cold could do that. We got Hannah to the car and it was interesting to watch her re-inflate after the heater was put on. So far, this is most entertaining this balloon has been to me. We took her on the party and we all had a good time.


Raelynn has continued to enjoy her Hannah Montana balloon all this week. I mentioned in an earlier post that our house is pretty drafty. Many times this week Hannah has deflated and re-inflated as the interior temperature has changed. Raelynn has been very concerned about Hannah and has kept her in the living room near the fire to make sure she stays as warm (and inflated) as possible.


Here's the creepy part. The ballon is anchored to a weight which keeps her from floating to the ceiling. Well, thanks to innovations in mylar balloons that don't loose helium and the weight holding her down, a week later I look out of the corner of my eye and I see a life-sized person slowly spinning around. I don't think Raelynn (or the balloon) realize that eventually I am going to get freaked out and "accidently" pop her. I think I may amuse myself and the neighbors by anchoring her next to our picture window so it'll look like we have a celebrity staying with us.


Lesson learned: Don't buy anymore life-sized balloons. I'm just not in a place where creepy works for me.

A Little Dab'll Do Ya!

Okay, so I hope you don't think I'm talking about Brylcreem. I think my dad used it in the 50's but for some reason, the jingle for it came to my head while thinking for a title for this post. But anyway...in my little corner of the world, I have found the cure for the blues. Add some glitter and the blues go away! Let me 'splain.....

I don't know when I started it, but on Fridays, I "glam" it up by adding some sparkle to my beauty regime. It probably doesn't flatter me and makes me look older and nuttier than usual, but it doesn't seem to slow me down. People around these parts are pretty conservative, so I've had to ease my way back into the glitter. I know it doesn't make any sense, but even though I can't see it, I feel better about my day.

I've gotten the system down to a manageable routine. I put on my eyeshadow and eyeliner as usual and then add some Urban Decay liquid glitter eyeliner on top of my regular eyeliner as a type of "glue" for the next layer of glitter. I must say here that I adore my liquid glitter eyeliner...I have it in many colors and am always on the lookout for new colors. But I digress....While the Urban Decay liner is still wet, I then pat loose glitter on top of that. I have many little vials of this wonderful pixie dust that I find at our local Claire's. Yes, I shop at Claire's and I'm not afraid to admit it. After the loose glitter is in place, I add my usual brown/black mascara. My last step in this process is to take some loose glitter in a different color and spread it lightly on my cheekbones and above on my brow. On the rare occasion, I will also add my fake, glitter eyelashes and some glitter lip gloss. Over the top, you say? Well.....I'd agree with you. Somewhere along the way, I stopped caring how much I resembled a drag queen and embraced my tackiness. All I can say is....it cheers me up and is a great way to usher in the weekend. And if I should happen to have plans Friday night, my face is already dressed for the occasion.

Before you knock it, you should try it. My students love it, which proves that it's "cool."

The Fine Art Of Fire Starting

Okay, so it's no surprise for you to hear that it's cold in my neck of the woods. Mind you, I'm totally not complaining. For those of you who may not know, I was born and raised in Key West, Florida where its residents experience year-round summer. Really hot summer. Experiencing the four seasons is a true delight. This nice chilly weather feels a lot better than being hot and sweaty. And my faithful readers (all 2 of you) know that I detest long sleeves. But on to my randomness.......

The house we bought when we moved here was our first home to own. We chose our house for two reasons: it was cheap and it was on the same street as my parents' house. It wasn't until we had been here for just a little while that I realized why our house was cheap. There's lots of stuff wrong with it, that's why. One of the many things our house is deficient in is the insulation. Also, we don't have many windows, but the ones we do have are drafty. This makes for a warm house in the summer and a cold house in the winter. Now, don't start thinking that I live so far out of civilization that we don't have central heat. I don't know if I'd consider it the traditional central heat, but more of an attempt to be a central heater. Our house has many cold spots, and it's not because we're being haunted. Like I said, we have bad insulation. What keeps us from totally freezing is that we have a fireplace in the living room. Since it isn't the gas kind where you flip a switch and get sudden flames, you actually have to get the wood and start the fire before you get any heat.

It's here that I should mention that my husband is well-versed in all things firewood. His father makes his living by cutting and selling firewood. David and his sisters started working with his dad very early on. His house growing up had a wood burning stove to produce heat. So saying that he had experience with making fires is an understatement. Let's contrast this, shall we, with my upbringing. In Key West, no one has heat of any kind. Maybe a few people have central heat, but most folks make do with space heaters when they need them. I do remember us having an old metal space heater that we stored in the shed for about 363 days a year and since we were all warm-natured at my house, we didn't use it very much. Also, just so you know, my Brownie troop disbanded before I got to become an official Girl Scout and go camping in the woods. My experience with starting fires is basically nill.

So then I married David and moved to any old, drafty house where it gets cold. For the most part, taking care of the fire is David's job. Not that he has to do it, but he's better at it than I am, so we all work within our strengths. That's why I fix Raelynn's hair each morning...not that he can't do it, but I'm better at it. There are times when David isn't around and a fire needs to be made. I'm good at cleaning out the ashes in the fireplace, but not so good at starting the fire. But just saying I'm not good at it won't make it any warmer in my house, so I have become a student in the art of starting a fire.

I must say here that David is truly talented at making fires. There are other things he does well, like drive stuff, but making fires is something I think he could give lessons on. That's a good thing since I desperately need to get better at it. At our house, we use cut up pine pieces (cut by David) as the bottom layer in the fireplace grate. On top of that I use a variation of bark, dried wood, and smaller twigs. After stacking the wood just so, I then light the pine pieces. If I've done it right, the pine will ignite the wood and my fire will take off. My successes in fire making are about equal to my failures. But not being one to give up and wanting to show my willingness to contribute, I continue my quest in making a fire.

Tonight, I was successful. When David came home, the fire was burning even though it had yet to warm up the house. With an internal temperature of 54 degrees, it takes awhile to warm the house. But....I got credit for my efforts. Tonight I felt like Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway. I want to pound my chest and declare to no one in particular...."Look at me....I've made fire. I. have. made. fire." Aren't you proud of me?

This Post Has No Interesting Title

This should be me. I definitely need some r & r. I'm up to my eyeballs in grading papers, doing lesson plans, working on a paper due for my grad class on Monday (did I mention this is only the second time we've met?), completing my IRB training (I'd tell you what it is but you'd die from boredom) also for my grad class, and of course all the little stresses that come with being a wife, mother, and teacher. The only other thing that sounds good right now is a massage. At $50 an hour, this isn't a luxury I can afford often. Have I also mentioned that my last paycheck was on December 19th? I won't get another one until January 30th. That sucks. Anyway, I don't have much to say, but felt the incredible need to post in case anyone was reading it on a regular basis. My topic tank is starting to get a little low, so if you'd like to hear my random comments to a particular topic or hear my take on a thoughtful question, please leave a comment. Since I don't have a bathtub to take a bubble bath, my only means of relaxing these days is blogging. Yeah...my life is that exciting!

Sunset Celebrations In Key West

A couple of you have asked for posts on growing up in Key West. I will be happy to oblige you after I tell you why I haven't been as regular at blogging. Basically, my life is busy. I'm currently enrolled in grad school, teach full time, and try to maintain working relationships with my husband, daughter, and friends. When you take out sleep and showering time, there just isn't much left over. That's not really a valid excuse, but it sounds good, so I'll continue to use it until I think of something more clever to say.Every afternoon, as the day passes into evening, a daily celebration occurs at the western edge of Key West. People of all walks of life gather around the seawall and applaud as the sun sets over the water. Some people are celebrating the ending of a beautiful day in paradise but others are just clapping because everyone else is and they don't want to appear confused. How this tradition started, I don't know. I do know that your first trip to Key West will include at least one visit to what the locals call "Sunset." I've never seen anything like it before.

I've seen sunsets. I've traveled quite a bit and seen the sky turn many beautiful shades of violet and gold, but I can honestly say that the sunsets in Key West are truly a work of art. Part of it is just the sheer beauty of it but another part is the fact that this daily natural occurrence draws the nuttiest people in town.

It's been awhile since I was in Key West and even longer since I attended a sunset celebration. Occasionally, we'd have visitors in from out of town, and we'd go with them to view the oddities that I've not seen anywhere else. I can't say that it's a place we would frequent of our own volition, but every once in awhile it provides some amusement. Some of the regulars to sunset have changed over time but the feeling of the place is still the same.

There are many vendors that set up along the water. Some sell local food fare and others sell things that really have nothing to do with Key West but are something you'd associate with a tropical island. Lots of those items can be picked up at the local Walgreens but buying from someone in dreads that smells of incense just makes it seem more authentic I guess. All sorts of items can be found, shirts (both hippie and touristy), jewelry, pieces of art, various items made from parts of the coconut (which isn't native to the Keys), and differnt types of food that have interesting ingredients like Key Limes. Watching the sunset with a chicken kabob marinated in Key Lime juice in your hand just makes the whole event so much more memorable.

In addition to the vendors, there are street performers. For many years the locals just enjoyed the show like the tourists but somewhere down the line, people started barking about how these people needed to be liscened like everyone else in town. Key West is really into codes and enforcing eco-friendly legislation. After much fighting there was resolution and the street performers went on with their entertaining.

Some regulars at sunset that I remember:

*The iguana man: This guy had MANY iguanas and often was draped in them. You could have an iguana sit on your shoulder or arm and get a photo taken for a small fee. In recent years, I don't recall him being there, but I do remember giving him a wide berth when I did see him because iguanas can be very mean. I'm sure that everything they had to put up with every night made them even more crankier than normal.

Then there was the Southernmost Bagpiper. This wasn't the only music you'd hear at sunset but it definitely was the most sad sounding. He is a very good bagpiper, but if you've ever heard bagpipe music, it's hard to make it sound festive. Most times you would see him slowly walking around the pier, wearing his wifebeater undershirt and kilt, playing for money. Yeah, I don't think this is something that most towns have....
There are other various performers that are synonmous with sunset. There are people that juggle fire and just about everything else you can imagine. There's a guy named "The Cat Guy" who brings his cats out nightly to have them do tricks like jump through a burning hoop. I think people in town starting fussing about cruelty to animals at some point, but he's still going strong. I think they should have focused on the cruelty of having to look at his wig. There's a tightrope walker that's been doing his thing for over 20 years. His little setup is now a permanent part of the sunset celebration. If he falls, I'm not sure what will happen to the sunset celebretion as we know it.

There are lots of other characters there at sunset. One is the Silverman who poses as a live statue. People usually get a kick of watching him and trying to see if they can get him to move, very much like the guards outside Buckingham Palace. Somehow, I don't think Silverman would be welcome there. There's also the "Cookie Lady" who drives around the pier selling her homemade cookies and sounding a lot like the front man for a sideshow at a circus. She looks real "earthy," and that not's something I want in a cookie. Interestingly, I haven't seen her or any of these other performers anywhere else in town. Maybe they're like vampires and only come out at night. Perhaps they frequent different places than me....I'm not sure.

Looking back, I think I took this event for granted. I'd like to see what's going on there now and if there are any new regulars. There's nothing here in Mississippi to compare, although one time I did see some hunters sitting real still on the tailgate of their truck, parked in the middle of a dirt road, waiting for a deer to cross so they could shoot it. I wanted to pull over and watch the event and applaud because it looked more like performance art than hunting. I'm not sure that clapping would have been welcomed or helpful in their efforts to be quiet. Although Key West sunsets are something that I do miss, I have to say that watching the sun go down behind the woods near our home in a swing built by my husband has a certain beauty of its own. I think it's all about appreciating the uniqueness of where you are and experiencing life no matter where you are on the map.

Just Say No To Long Sleeves!

Okay, so I realize that a lot of you out there are really cold right about now. I'm no different. It's mighty chilly for the south. Most people around here don't really care for the cold weather, but I'm really enjoying it! Now mind you, when I say I enjoy it, I'm not talking blizzards, school closings, or ice on the roads. I don't enjoy cold that keeps you a prisoner in your home or freezes the water in your pipes. Let's face it people, you don't want to be around me if I haven't had a shower or washed my hair. Not that I'm all that stinky, but more because I freak out when that happens. You can take my electricity, but boy don't mess with my running water! But I digress.....



For those of you that don't know, I was born and raised in Key West, Florida. If you've never been there, all I can say is that it's the closest thing you'll find to a tropical island in the contiguous United States. It's a nice place to visit but in my opinion, not the best place to live. But that's another post for another time. Back to our story.... Living in the Florida Keys means that you experience one season all the time-summer. Hot summers. Most people wear shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops due to the heat. In some places there, that attire is considered dressy! I think when I lived there, I owned one pair of jeans. I know I owned many pairs of shorts. As for shirts, I'm a big fan of t-shirts and for work I had a collection of short sleeved shirts. Notice I didn't say long sleeve. And no, I didn't really have sweaters or sweatshirts either. I didn't even own a "coat." If it got chilly (which in Key West is 65 degrees), I'd put on a windbreaker and that would do it. Most locals there would get bundled up like they were going skiing, but not me. I don't wear long sleeves, sweaters, or sweatshirts. It's only shorts sleeves for me, even now that I live somewhere else and experience all four seasons. Tomorrow will be in the thirty's and I plan on wearing a short sleeve shirt. You might be asking why I would do such a thing.



The answer is easy. I don't like to sweat.



Here's what I don't get: It's wintertime, and it's cold outside so people really pack on the layers of undershirts and shirts and sweaters and coats and mittens and gloves and hats and scarves....you get the picture. However, how many of those people actually work outside? I mean really.....don't most of us (or at least the people that I know) work indoors and mostly go outside to get to the car to go home? Isn't it heated in your workplace? If it is, wouldn't you get HOT being in all those layers? Or am I the only one who works around here??? I don't know. All I do know is that if I wear short sleeves and put on a jacket, I can take the jacket off or put it back on depending on how cold I feel. You can't do that with a sweater. If you did, you might not have a job for very long.



So you see, there's really no need for me to get any "winter" clothes. I will say that I've progressed from wearing shorts to work everyday to now wearing pants. All of the people that I work with now wear pants, with no one wearing shorts or dresses. I'd really like to keep my job, so I gave in to the jeans. I'm happy to say that I now own about 6 pairs of jeans and several pairs of pants, both in black and shades of tan. But as for the shirts.....I'm not giving in. Short sleeves will rule the day around here. That is until my heat gives out and I need a sweater. But you'll let me borrow one, right?