It Takes Two To Tango

I am a good dancer. I started taking dance lessons when I was about 6 and continued taking them until I was in high school. I took ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance. In high school, I was on a dance team modeled after the Kilgore Rangerettes. They do high kick line routines. I loved it. Interestingly enough, I don't really enjoy dancing shows. I've never been a fan of the shows, "So You Think You Can Dance" or "Dancing With The Stars." I don't know why, they just don't appeal to me.

I haven't done any formal dancing since my dance team days, but like most college students, I did my share of going out and dancing. I really enjoyed this, mostly because I just danced with my friends. No guy ever asked me to dance...really. It must have been the vibe that I wasn't putting out. Anyway, I'm not sad that no one asked me.

After college, I did go out with some friends every now and then and went dancing. Like my college days, no one asked me to dance and I was totally okay with that. So as you can see, my dancing abilities are limited to performance dancing and shaking my groove thing with my friends. I've never had lessons on how to do couples dancing.

My husband doesn't really like to dance. We did dance at our wedding. But since he and I never dated and we're not drinkers, we've never really danced. I'd really like to, but haven't. There are two types of dancing that I'd like to learn: the tango and two-stepping. All that keeps coming to my mind are the tango scenes from "The Scent of A Woman" and "True Lies.' As for two-stepping, there's quite a bit of that in the movie "Hope Floats." It just looks fun.

Well, I should scoot out and finish the work that I have so diligently put off for most of the weekend. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful work week!

Fears Uncovered

Hello world! Today is Saturday. It's a busy day in the life of Tassie. I woke up early to see David off (he went to his dad's house about an hour away to help him cut firewood), and now I have to budget my time today. Of course, blogging ranked up there with things I gotta do. I just checked Facebook..so I can check that off. Now to blog, then off to Wal-Mart, school, back home, and then to a bridal shower. This is huge for me. (Not the Wal-Mart or school thing, just the bridal shower.) Let me elaborate.

First, for those of you that know me and probably those of you that don't know me, this may be somewhat of a surprise. I don't feel comfortable in large groups of people. I really think I have some sort of social disorder. I read one time about something called General Anxiety Disorder and it sounded a lot like me. All I know is, Donny Osmond has this disorder and he does okay. At least I think he does, I haven't seem him on TV these days. Who knows? He may be locked up in his house somewhere, afraid to come out. But I digress......

When I say that I don't do well in large groups of people, that isn't entirely true. I think I do okay at school functions, but I think that's because I feel that school is my "turf" and everyone already knows me and is crazy about me--hopefully! The situations that I feel uncomfortable with people are church and most things like showers or parties where I don't know everyone. Weird, I know. So imagine my apprehensiveness at going to a BRIDAL SHOWER for a girl at my CHURCH! Talk about double whammy. Add to this that I need to bring a dish to the shower, and you've got a panic attack in the making. I don't really cook so well. Not because I don't have the ability, but mostly because I don't have the time to learn and since my mom is the best cook ever, I never saw a need to learn. So, now on top of being nervous, I have to make something too. I never do those things right. Everyone's dish or present always looks more put together than mine. Maybe I'm over analyzing things.....it wouldn't be my first time.

New stresses at work also add to my mounting anxiety. I won't go into details, since it's probably boring to those of you who don't know me and those of you who do, already know what I'm talking about. It seems that my already limited time will now be spent at work. I'm thinking of getting an air mattress that I can deflate for the times I spend the night. I have to go into school (again) this weekend to get some things together for a deadline that I have on Monday. I also need to get some creativity flowing as I do some other stuff too. Again, no gory details, let's just say the twitching in my eye has started and now it's also in my bottom lip. When I did National Boards (talk about very stressful) my eye muscle twitched for over three months straight. I'm so not kidding. When I started to feel it happen again, I was worried, because the school year is long from being over.

On a positive note (and I'm sure you were hoping there would be one), I'm happy with my latest haircut. I'm not able to post pictures for a multitude of reasons: 1) There's no one here to take the picture, 2) I'm not crazy about taking pictures in general, and 3) I have STUPID DIAL-UP and it literally takes FOREVER to post anything from my own camera. However, if you want to take a picture of me, post it to Facebook and tag me, then I can easily download that image to my computer and post it to my blog. I think it would be easier if I just moved homes to one in town where hi speed Internet was available. Anyone looking for three new boarders, please contact me. The little one is good at sweeping and can answer the phone.

Well, enough time spent. I gotta get up and do my thing. I hope everyone sends me positive thoughts today as I try to conquer multiple fears. In the meantime, I'm going to swing my hair and walk around in circles with one foot nailed to the floor. Or at least that's what it feels like. Ciao!

Giraffe print? Are you serious?

Okay, so what's the deal with all the giraffe print purses? Maybe other people in the "real" parts of the country have already had this fad and have moved on to bigger and better things, but here in Mississippi, this type of purse is a hot commodity. It seems every other woman has one slung over her shoulder. What I don't understand is, why?


Now, if you have one of these purses, I'm not judging. I'm simply asking--what's the draw? I don't get it! I think that leopard and zebra print is interesting, but for the most part, I'm not partial to animal prints. For some reason, when I see purses in this pattern, all I can picture is the giraffe and it makes me sad. Of course, people, I do realize that it isn't real giraffe pelts, but that doesn't diminish my sadness any. I just don't get it....I don't find this print attractive at all. I'm figuring that someone, somewhere, who's famous or good-looking or both, bought one and it's trickled down from there. Either way, I still don't get it. Most of the purses that I've seen in the print are nice size and shape, just not attractive.



I've been guilty of falling victim to fads in the past. Someday I'm hoping to be the leader of some trend, but I definitely don't think I'll follow this trend. Nothing personal, it just isn't my "bag." And we all know how I'm always looking for the perfect bag......

My Blog Isn't ADD...Ohhhh...Look At That Spider!

The lack of comments on my last couple of posts has caused the creative blog juices to dry up. A sure remedy is to comment!

Really Random Thoughts:

* I went Sonic today and the carhop was wearing in-line skates. I asked her about it and she informed me that you have to be able to skate to work there. They are required to wear the skates. Apparently they have these mystery people who randomly check on different Sonics and they check for things like that. Why couldn't those people teach food service workers to get off the phone and be pleasant?

* I'm very excited about getting my hair done tomorrow. I really like how my hair feels and smells for a couple days after I get it done. If you see me and I'm smelling my hair, don't ask.

* The season premeire of The Office is Thursday night. I can't wait!

* When I came home from class tonight, my husband had strung white Christmas lights in our new carport. I love the glow of Christmas lights. All year round, no less.

* Cooler weather has set in and it makes being outside very nice. On the other hand, my AC at school stopped working so now it is actually cooler outside than it is in my classroom. Have I mentioned that I don't like to sweat?

* I have a couple of occasions in the next couple of weeks where I have to bring food to an event. I don't cook so well and don't have a large recipe collection. Any easy and tasty recipes you have are welcome!

* I randomly break into song and dance in various places.

* I'm ready for fall break. How many more days?

* A woman at my church told me that she's had someone steal gas from her car twice in one week recently. What's up with that? We aren't in a shortage here! Wouldn't that leave a really nasty taste in your mouth? Wouldn't it be better to steal some Scope or something? Granted, your car won't run as well on it as gas, but at least you'd have nice breath.

* My students found a huge spider at school today. It was very pretty. They told me that it was a wolf spider. I don't know if this is true, but if it was true, I feel bad that my kids know more about that than I do. Spiders don't scare me, by the way.

* I found a very small slug climbing the wall in my hallway this morning. David got it off (I wasn't scared, merely grossed out--slugs look weird) and I poured salt on it to watch it shrivel up. Please don't send hate comments to me about this....I don't like slugs and since most other things I don't like (rats, scorpions, rats) move pretty fast, this is the only creature I "play" with.

* I've been thinking about this really cool belt that I got when I was fifteen. It was a clear tube that had sequins free floating inside and it buckled. I've tried everywhere to find another belt like this but I guess I'm out of luck. I wonder what I did with this belt. Even when it went out of style, I still liked it so I can't imagine that I threw it away. It's really sad. If you could see the best, you'd think it was cool too.

Okay, so this post is really rambling...I hope to gain more creative juices from the wonderful (or maybe not so wonderful) comments you'll leave for me. In the meantime, I'm going to go think about spiders, belts, and Christmas lights. Have a nice day!

Been There, Done That, Got The T-Shirt....Literally

If my life had a uniform, it would be shorts, a t-shirt, and my trusty Teva sandals. I think most people have a plethora of shirts, but most people have more sense that to wear them as much as I do. I have "dressy" t-shirts that I save for work, but my screen printed tees are the subject of this post.


My belief tends to be that you can't really prove you've been somewhere unless you have a shirt to prove it. That's the excuse I give for spending lots of time shopping for shirts when I go on vacation. Having the shirt makes me feel just a little closer to the trip I took to get it than the situation in which I find myself. Most of my shirts have writing or designs reflecting my travels on the front. There are a select few shirts that is designed both front and back. I say that's more for your money, folks! People in all directions know where you've been.


I have lots of different shirts in lots of different colors. I think my all time favorite shirt is one I bought long ago (and sadly no longer have) to a trip through Booger Hallow, Arkansas. My shirt proudly displayed the town name with the interesting fact that the "population is 7, counting the coon dog." I thought this shirt was so cool.


I have shirts for work and even shirts from David's work. David is very particular about the shirts he wears and he's not much of a t-shirt wearer advertising stuff. That explains why I have two shirts from his school. Not only did I get his work shirt, I also took his shirt that advertises his orthodontist. Supposedly, if he wears the shirt to his appointments, he'll earn more "bucks" which he can later spend. He could care less about this incentive, but I may try to sneak in and see if I can get them for myself. His green shirt advertises that they improve the world, one smile at a time. It's not really his thing, so I wear it for him. Don't worry, after my long bought with braces, my teeth look good so I'm not misrepresenting.


I also inherited a shirt from my mom that she got when her knee worked on. Yes, her orthopedic clinic gives out shirts. When did advertising dentists and doctors start? Those shirts should say, "I got a new ________ (knee/smile) but you can't tell. All you can see is this dumb t-shirt." Another memorable shirt was the one that was given to me when I bought my first Saturn. I think it was an initiation to the Saturn "cult." I think in fine print it should say, "This is the most expensive shirt I own. The car was free."


The kids these days wear some pretty funny shirts too. I see shirts all day that advertise the selling of a sibling, the protest of homework, and the support for playing video games. I think the funniest shirt I saw a kid wearing at school said, "Enough with the learning already." I wished I had one of those in my size.


Raelynn has had her share of cute shirts. One says "Girls Rule" and she enjoys wearing that one. The one I like best (for obvious reasons) says, "My mom is a rock star." When she outgrows it I may frame it and hang it in my house. After all, how can I prove that I've had a child unless I have a shirt that declares it?

Fun With Yearbook Pictures

I just couldn't resist posting these pictures. Thanks and a shout out to Laura T. who posted about this site a million years ago and I'm just now trying it out. For those of you who are interested in getting your own "cool" yearbook pictures, go here. Here are some other pictures I came up with.
It's a little spooky looking at yourself (with mighty big teeth I might add) in this manner. But I really did have a good laugh, and after today, I totally deserve it.

What's really scary is that I've had some of these hairstyles. And sadly, they didn't look this good on me.
All right, I'm gonna try posting this but I apologize if the pictures are placed all weird in the post. I still haven't really gotten the hang of putting multiple pictures in a post. I'm learning and it's slow going. Have a great weekend ya'll. I'm gonna go tease my hair so I can have "condo" hair. Please comment if you know what this is....I'd love to walk down memory lane with you. I promise I'll have great hair.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A Very Tired Teacher!

So I feel that tomorrow will the be the day that my superhero costume comes out of mothballs. School has been really busy with Fridays the busiest of all. I will have no break from the kids tomorrow, since the specials teacher will be at a meeting. Did I mention that Friday is a busy day? Graded papers go home, STAR notebooks need to be stuffed, newsletter (that I haven't written yet), the homework sheet needs to be prepared....the list goes on and on.

I guess I should be thankful that I look good in tights.

So, I must go and write my newsletter, grade some papers, and file papers for tomorrow. It promises to be a long night (did I mention that I have family in town too?) and with no break.......well, the my bladder will get a workout tomorrow. It's a good thing I'm a superhero, otherwise I'd be in trouble.