Jory says I'm Officially Old!

While channel surfing today I stopped on the Home Shopping Network, which I never EVER do, I swear! I don't know what com-pulsed me to do it, gift ideas for the holidays maybe? I don't know. They were showing this: Bissell Steam Mop with Carpet Attachment for $69.95 as Today's Special.

After watching the demonstration I turned to Jory and told him, I had to have it! And then I giggled, because Who buys stuff off TV? Old people buy stuff off TV! But I was serious, I wanted it and Jory knew I was serious. I jumped up, went into the office and got online to do my homework and found that Walmart & Amazon carry it for $4 cheaper but they don't have the carpet attachment. And while watching the presentation, the HSN ladies were taking calls from satisfied customers and they were all complaining that theirs didn't come with the carpet attachment and how it's not available anywhere else. So if I'm going to order it, then I'm going to get the damn carpet attachment too!

Check out the video...you'll want one too!


Of course I totally ordered it! My very first HSN purchase! I'm officially old. When it arrives (Dec. 10th) I'll review it and let you know if it works as good as they say it does.

Self Portrait November 2008

Led Zeppelin Mama 2008

I don't really like this one, but I'm posting it anyway.

Thinking of Jack

That's me, Joey C. Johnson.

And just for fun

Currently watching Trueblood and reading the Twilight series, I was thinking of Vampires.

Fuck Weeds!

Once again, it was time to remove all the fucking weeds from the back yard. We had done the front yard a few weeks back and had been working on burning them once they dried out, we're still not finished.

Keara and I(Jory doesn't Do yardwork lol!) were determined to take back our backyard from the damn Black Widows who have taken up residence. After about 4 hours of back-breaking work, we had to stop. We made it half way and when we finish it, I'll post a final After picture because I know how much you care. ;) Maybe this spring we'll have another large stash of money to finally landscape, but don't hold your breath.

Not quite a full before picture, we had been working for over an hour by the time I remembered the camera. We had only created one large pile by then, see upper left corner.

Keara made me take this to prove I was there. Serious sweating.

Camera shy Keara taking a break

One of the three huge piles of weeds

The second large pile shown below on the right

We made some serious progress

Half the backyard left to go

Weeds are fun to photograph

After I pulled this weed up I felt bad because it's actually pretty

The Art of Driving Home

After narrowing down the amount of pictures I was going to post, I started noticing a theme. The reflecting lights in each photo look like a different animal (* or object) to me. What do you think?

Rabbits

OK no animal here, but do you see the giant star?

*OK, ok my theory isn't looking so good yet. Just wait. I do however see a monster's face.

Wyoming Cowboy on his mustang (right under/in the green sign). Oh and there's Snoopy!

AND swimmers on the left. This is fun!

Birds

Road Runners

Rooster

Otter?


Flamingos


Sea Horse

Not an animal or object, just Yield.

Bats


Guitars or vacuums


mud flap naked lady

Christmas decorations already!


My house, garage half opened.


The End

Looking Out Again

Another Thursday morning, looking out the bathroom window.

I love how these look like paintings. Taken with my camera phone.

Telecommuting Tuesday

Just got a call from a little old lady that totally bummed me out.

Technical Support, this is Joey. How can I help you?

"I think I have the wrong number, is this 1-800-###-4357?"

Could be, we have a lot of 800 numbers that come into us. This is *Company name Technical Support, who are you looking for?

In the saddest little old lady voice she says, "Suicide Hot line?".

Oh I'm sorry, our numbers are very close, hang on (I totally paused a second here thinking - literally hold on lady, put the gun down, it will be OK) for me a second and I'll get you the correct number.

Fumbling all over our website with the number...wanting to say something to her...making sure to be super nice and sweet and caring all through a phone. I find the number, clearly speak every number as if it's the secret code to disarm the bomb she's holding.
1 - 3_1_4 - #_#_# - 4_3_5_7.

"Oh I dialed 1-800, so it's 314?"

Yeah, 314...

Why are they making people call long distance to get help? That's so retarded. I know it's just one of the many suicide hot lines but seriously? Of course, at that moment of helplessness I couldn't think of the standard and probably most well known 1-800-SUICIDE.

"OK, Thank you"

I almost said have a good night, but corrected myself before speaking and said, Take care.

It makes me horribly sad to wonder whether the hassle was too much and she just decided to end it all.

I'm totally bummed out.

Looking Out

the bathroom window in the morning

Repeal Prop 8 Restore Marriage Equality

Have you seen Keith Olbermann's "Special Comment" about Prop 8? Keith eloquently expresses why the passage of Prop 8 is so tragic, and he addresses supporters of the proposition directly.
Here is a link to watch a YouTube video of Keith's comments. Please check it out and then join me and over 100,000 other people in signing a pledge from the Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/prop8repeal

Usually, discussions of political issues wind down after elections, but Prop 8 is not about politics. It is about love, equality and civil rights. That's why we cannot let the passage of Prop 8 stand.
We all need to talk to our family and friends about the importance of restoring marriage equality to California.

That is why I am asking you to watch what Keith Olbermann said and then sign the pledge to repeal Prop 8.

The birth of a new Marriage Equality Movement -- the civil rights movement of the 21st Century -- is unfolding before our eyes.

Movements are visceral and popular, often borne of outrage and anger. What we are witnessing on the streets and online is a community of people who have come together to say: "These are our lives. This is our time. This is unacceptable." Organized from the bottom-up by thousands of ordinary people just like you, this people-powered phenomenon is exponentially growing by the minute, online and offline.

This is our moment to stand strong together -- gay and straight -- and say that we refuse to accept a California where discrimination is enshrined in our state constitution. Please show your support by pledging to support our campaign to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California.

Please sign the pledge to repeal Prop 8 -- then forward this link to your friends:
We, the undersigned, are united in our refusal to accept a California where discrimination is enshrined in our state's constitution.We pledge to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California.

153,306 people have signed the pledge*. Please add your name now!

Post compiled from MoveOn and Courage Campaign.

I can only wish the people in Arizona will also repeal our own Prop 102. I believe in Equal Rights, do you?

Telecommuting Tuesday

View from my office window. It's not as dark out to the right as the picture displays, it was taken with my camera phone and we have energy efficient windows so they have a dark tint to them.

But I must say this is a much better view then my everyday cubicle.

And yes, our yard is still just dirt. At least the front is weed free, Thanks to Keara for helping me the past few weekends. The backyard is a whole other story.

It's as if we live in the desert...har har! Yes we live in the desert and we get some crazy ass weeds! If we don't stay up on it...which we haven't yet, it turns into the scary scene above (since we haven't landscaped yet). Then I have to spend my entire weekend weed eating the damn thing and it's not a small backyard! At least the weeds are dying, they will be much easier to pull up then live.

Driving Home

Blog Header November 2008

Add Sopranos Complete Box Set to my Birthday List

WOW, My Birthday list is expensive this year! he he

Jory, you are not allowed to buy these expensive gifts.

I still owe you an iMac.

17 Days until my birthday

Adding LED ZEPPELIN to Birthday Wish List

Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica Limited Edition Box Set being released November 11th! Listing price is $199.98 (ouch!) but preorder through Amazon for $139.99!

2008 twelve CD box set from Led Zeppelin featuring all ten albums in beautiful mini-LP reproductions! The Led Zeppelin 40th Anniversary Cardboard Sleeve Reissue Series features advanced cardboard sleeve replicas of the original UK E-style album jackets, plus six bonus cardboard sleeves including five alternate jackets for In Through The Out Door and one alternate jacket for Led Zeppelin I utilizing the original ink. From their 1969 debut album straight through to their final album in 1979, Zeppelin laid the blueprint for what is now known as Classic Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. It really doesn't get better than this!. Warner. 2008.

Obviously if YOU really want to get me something, anything from here will do. Or if that's not easy enough I've laid it out for you straight on my Amazon Wish List. Now go buy me some stuff!

Hi, My name is Joey and I'm a Geek.

First off, what retard still drives a Hummer? Since we bought our 2008 Honda CRV "Lucy Version 2.0" I have been amazed at what great gas mileage it gets compared to my previous 1997 "Lucy". I had always enjoyed an average of 22 mpg, but with Lucy 2.0 so far I've got it up to 43 mpg with an average of 30 mpg (city/hwy mixed). We're talking about a SUV people!

Which would you choose to drive?

I took this photo on my third trip to Fry's Electronics in the last 2 weeks. I'm telecommuting from home every Tuesday for work (YAY!) and working on a laptop without a separate keyboard and mouse will drive a person crazy! Out of the 4 keyboards we have kickin' around the crib, not one was USB. Not to mention the only working USB mouse in the house has been on it's last leg for some time now. And with my headset taking the first USB port, the mouse would then take the 2nd port, leaving no other ports to plug a keyboard into. So anyway bore bore bore, you're getting so bored.....I needed to buy: wireless mouse, USB hub and a USB to PS2 adapter.

First purchase was the wireless mouse, during my lunch on my first Telecommuting day I ran over to Officemax and picked this one up.

A few days later I went to Fry's (the first trip) to pick up a USB to PS2 adapter for $1.99 so I could plug in my keyboard to my laptop. But I wasn't paying much attention, being surrounded by all sorts of geeky computer gear can over stimulate someone like myself. I found myself immersed in external hard drives, specifically a 1TB Buffalo DriveStation FlexNet. When I saw it on sale for $139.99 I almost wet myself. We've been researching online for a while now and I had not seen anything cheaper then $169. I called Jory and got the OK to purchase it and I went home.

The next Tuesday morning I pulled out the adapter and grabbed one of our extra keyboards hanging around and realized I had bought a Female USB to PS2, MOTHER FLOWER! I obviously needed a Male adapter...GRRRR.

A few days later I went back to Fry's (2nd trip) and picked up the correct Male adapter.

You'd think by now I would try it before my Tuesday Telecommuting morning, but you're wrong. I pull out the ol' work laptop, grab my super kool wireless mouse, usb hub, keyboard and adapter and start setting up. After everything is all plugged in and computer is running, the adapter wasn't being recognized. I read online that they only work with come keyboards...good to know now.

Anyway, now that this post is way too boring for even my taste and I'm SO OVER it...blah!

I ended up buying a new wireless keyboard which happen to come with a wireless mouse. So now we have two wireless mice (technically 3 because we already had one for our laptop, but somehow that slipped my mind until I purchased #3).

I promise to never again post anything as boring as this was. I'm sorry. I'm only publishing it because I spent three days working on it which is totally ridiculous!

History Made

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois, before an estimated crowd of up to 240,000 people.

With Obama's projected win, he will become the first African-American to win the White House.

I have never cried actual tears for anything political, but during Obama's speech I shed many. I honestly felt inspired and proud to be an American for the first time in a long time. I believe his speech will be remembered forever, it's up there with Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a Dream" for me.

If you haven't watched it, take a moment and do so. Maybe you need inspiring too?

Fuck You Shrub Lovers...Obama Won!

I knew it would happen, but it feels so good for it to be over (well over enough for me to celebrate). Obviously all the votes will be counted, but there is no question this is a landslide!

Obama's speech will be remembered forever, Tears People, in my eyes! For the first time in a long time I felt Proud to be an American and hopeful for our future. There is no doubt history was made today and I'm proud to be a part of it!

Enjoy our Election Day photos

Getting organized at 7 in the morning is not the easiest thing.

Proposition Persistence

The guy on the right asked if I was voting Yes on Prop 102 for marriage (to be defined as one man and one woman) and I laughed and said "OH HELL NO!" I believe in equal rights, Thank You Very Much!

Jory getting his morning dew on.

He made me take one of myself, since I'm always shooting him.

I VOTED!

Vote for Obama!

Do me a favor...Go out and vote for OBAMA tomorrow!

Halloween at our house

We only had 4 or 5 cute little trick or treaters this year, but that's an improvement to last years total no show.

November NABLOPOMO

Maybe this will help get me back to posting? Or it's just another expection I have for myself that I won't live up to. Geeze just typing that sentence made me question my cup half empty/full or completely empty mentality. Maybe it's the fact that I'll be 32 years old this month and I'm no closer to fulfilling my life goals. ie. Being a mama to a living child or two.

I've been reading my journals from high school and other then the fact that some of the things I wrote are just down right silly, I'm shocked at how troubled I was. It's amazing how much I had forgotten! All I really remember is how much fun we had, all the crazy adventures, those way too drunk nights or all night trips. I remember the hard times, how depressed I was but I guess when recollecting those stories for new friends now, I don't remember how suicidal I was, seemingly ALL THE TIME! I was Screaming for help and it seemed no one was listening.

I'm thinking about sharing some of those posts here. Just trying to build up the courage. You never know who reads this blog (mom) and I have to be OK with really Putting It Out There.

Stay tuned.