I have been stuck in my house...either in my bed, on the couch, or in my favorite chair, since Sunday night...sicker than I've ever been (the doctor called it bronchitis). I've had an awful lot of time on my hands the last 3 days and I have actually learned a lot...not only about myself, but about the internet, my 2 dogs, and even daytime television.
I have made some useful and not so useful deductions the last few days:- Try as I might, I missed Ash Wednesday mass again this year. I really did make an effort, but hopefully not being able to get out of bed is excuse enough.
- You can really start to smell yourself after 2 days of not showering. This issue has been fixed, just a little FYI.
- I spend way too much time on the internet and I rely way too much on my cell phone, whose contract is up in less than 2 weeks...yay!!!
- Thersa would have been a very good nurse, however, if she keeps shoving cough syrup down my throat every 6 hours, she may be wearing it the next time.
- Even with over 200 channels on satellite, there really isn't anything worth watching on TV, except Ellen (3:00pm Central). That is the funniest show on TV. She has been added to my Tivo, just in case I ever do get to go back to work.
- The mailman is very consitant, here by 11:30am all three days...impressive!
- This list of newly found tidbits could go on, but I'll save that for another day.
Since my life normally revolves around the world wide web anyway, I've had a little extra time the last few days to dig deeper into this very stimulating world of knowledge. I have spent a lot of time on Facebook and Myspace. Anyone that does not manage one or both of these definitely needs to reevaluate their life...hhmm, you know who you are. I've also spent a lot of time on CNN, one of my all-time favorite sites. I can spend hours reading through the articles. And, last but not least, TMZ. Where else can yo go to read about whether or not Jennifer Anniston has decided she's still in love with Brad Pitt? Or see what Rhianna's face really looks like after Chris Brown beat her like Ike beat Tina...and my all time favorite (at least over the last 3 days) is anything dealing with the crazy woman who is now the proud mother of 8 new children, which brings her total to 14!
I've also run across some other sites that I used to visit quite frequently, but have forgotten all about these jewels. The Onion, this really is one of the funniest websites around, in my opinion. They bill themselves as, America's Finest News Source, to which I agree! Another oldy but goody, is Hulu. You can go to this site and watch anything from television commercials, entire television series, and even movies. You just have to be able to put up with their 30 second, very irritating commercials. I guess it has to pay for itself somehow. And, since I am really a huge geek in cool clothes, one of my all time favorite websites is...LiveATC...ta-da! This is really a fantastic website where you can listen to air traffic controllers from all over the world, whether it's approach, departure, or even ground. However, I can't take credit for this find, a friend of mine introduced it to me years ago!
I have also run across some new websites that I have found very interesting. Flixter is a new one (at least for me). It is a lot like Hulu, but it seems to have more shows and movies to choose from. WeatherBonk...this is a site you will have to look at yourself. It's pretty neat, if you're interested in weather. You can pick a city or town, and it will give all the forecast information, current weather info, and even pictures! I ran across hundreds of new pages I have never seen before, but, these were just 2 that I could remember. Let's not forget, I'm on a lot of medication, hence all this free time!
Some other websites that I think deserve honorable mentions: Amazon, Pandora, Ebay, Twitter, Lonely Planet, and the CIA's website (it has a plethora of knowledge).
So I was able to tear myself away from my laptop for a small amount of time while confined to my house. My 2 dogs, Bailey and Gracie, are very funny. I guess I have always been aware of this, but I don't think I've ever witnessed this daily schedule they are on...the ritual they live by (as with most humans and animals). They both sleep with me, but in the mornings, around 7ish (I'm usually at work by 6:30) they go outside and handle their business. Bailey, the older of the 2, is ready to come back inside 10 minutes later, however, Gracie prefers to stay outside. Periodically, she will bark (scream) at some random thing...squirrels, leaves, neighbors, etc. About 30 minutes into this ceremony, she barks at the door, signifying she is ready to come inside. So, in she comes, which means Thersa has now gotten up three times...once to let them out, a second time to let Bailey in, and now a third time to let Gracie back inside (and it's not even 8am). Moments later, after Gracie has figured out there is nothing going on in the house that pleases her, she's ready to go back outside...that's four! This in and out goes on until about 9:30am, all the while mother is giving in to their every command. For the most part of the day, they are outside, especially since the weather has been so nice, except, I have thrown this routine off. They are still trying to figure out why in the world I am home and hardly paying them any attention. They are funny in their own way...the looks they have given me and the sounds they have made let me know they are not pleased with me at all...but that seems to change when it's time to eat!
While I'm not on the internet and making fun of my 2 dogs (that I honestly do adore) I have caught up on daytime television. Now, when I say daytime TV, I mean The Today Show and The View, I have Tivo for all my soaps (God bless Tivo!). I have seen some really interesting stories on both of these shows the last few mornings. For example, Matt and Meredith tried to play a joke on each other, but Ellen Degeneres foiled the plan...ELLEN??? She's on in the afternoon, you just have to have seen it. Ann Curry won mother of the year, but Kathie Lee Gifford stood in for her because Ann was hanging out with George Clooney...WHAT? Hoda Kotb apparently can't score a date to save her life (I hear ya sister). There is one very disturbing fact I learned this morning...More Evidence Links Alcohol, Cancer in Women...this ain't good! I also learned that everyone hated Whoopi's dress she wore to the Oscars, Elisabeth was naked in the Pittsburgh airport yesterday afternoon, and Sherri Shepherd threw her brassiere at Tom Jones last night. And I always thought daytime television was a bore...boy was I wrong!
Of course today everyone on the internet and on TV is talking about President Obama's speech last night, which I thoroughly enjoyed. But the talk of the town seems to be Governor Jindal's Republican rebuttal. Now, I am by no means a political junky. I like to think I keep up with it enough to hold intelligent conversation, but I usually steer clear of political and religious discussions. But while I was channel surfing this morning, I ran across the topic of Jindal. Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News compared his speech to watching a cross between Bonanza and Leave It To Beaver. When the Governor started using phrases such as, "a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland" I knew I had not made a mistake when I voted Democrat in November. CNN is calling for his entire staff to be fired. If this is the best the Republicans have to offer, good Lord! Now, I realize having to follow up Obama's speech could not have been an easy task, however, at least write a speech that makes some since. No wonder most of the country thinks the South is nothing but a bunch of morons! The most intelligent thing I heard come out of his mouth through the entire 12 1/2 minute speech was, "Good Evening and Happy Mardi Gras." I could not agree with him more!
