Fictionary: new addition

Riceist: a person who believes that white rice is the superior rice and favors white rice above all others.

Bad News Matrix: How to know when to call

Ok people, those of you who think that e-mail is the appropriate way to notify someone that a mutual (friend/relative/coworker) has died are WRONG. I know it can be confusing to know if it's ok to call or write that terrible news, so I've prepared a handy guide for your use in the future.

Please note it is NEVER OK to share the bad news in e-mail without at least starting a new e-mail thread. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE MISSY!!! Imagine my horror upon opening what I thought was a little update on the stupid ass class reunion to find that my friends Mother-In-Law had passed away --- OVER 8 DAYS AGO. Sweetie, I love you, but if it happens again the next e-mail will be about you.

Let me be clear, I am not picking on one person here; there have been a rash of events that have precipitated creation of this matrix. The tool is easy to use... simply add your score from the first three lines and match your score to the communication method in the last rows. (You may have click on the image to read it.)

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Headline Seattle Times: Lance Bass of 'N Sync reveals he's gay.



I can't believe it... it's shocking. It's like if Michael Jackson revealed he wanted to be a white person.

Streaking!!!!

Relax, there won't be any photos, and we're not talking about naked aerobics so calm down.

I've mentioned the softball team before, and I thought for sure our number was up this past weekend. It was 94 degrees when we hit the field to play the other team from our church (the college kids) and we saw that they called in some favors to round out their team. They somehow added three players from the PLU Women's fast pitch softball team to their roster.

There was much grumbling on our side until we decided to kick their ass just to show them a thing or two. They were a good team they could hit, and were great at getting the ball back to the infield but it seemed like they had too many coaches on the field. "Throw the ball to one, no two, no one... drat they scored again." Tee Hee.

It was a pretty evenly matched game until inning 3 when we accidentally went through our entire line up and was starting back through when they finally got the third out (mine of course.) Anyway - they were good sports and when we go to the tournament we'll try to fill out our roster with some of their folks.

Go Team!

COMING NEXT: The Bad News Communication Distribution Matrix. It's hard to know when to call or e-mail that bad news, this handy chart will help you avoid awkward mistakes.

The recap

Home... it's so nice to be back where it's cool and in my own bed where I can sleep soundly... (HA!!!) I get home and it's hot, muggy, and it's so stale in my room that I was able to fall asleep last night only after taking 2 nite-time sleepy snacks. I have to say, that sleeping in the woods on the slumberjack was pretty fabulous compared to stagnation city.

Enough whining about the heat... I know it will be winter before I can say "M. Night Shyamalan is a crazy dude." (I went to the movies today to get out of the heat. )

The vacation was great! I put the tent up on my own and was able to 'wo'man-handle the slumberjack set up without too much trouble. Gamble Bay was lovely, and we napped in the sun every day. I did lather up with 50 spf - but I'm still sporting a rather nice tan!



Not much was on the agenda so I read like a mad-woman:

The Death of Vishnu - very nice!
My Sisters Keeper - interesting debate about genetics and moral obligation set in a family drama. (I cried.)
Tuck Everlasting - I know, it's a children's book - but I had never read it.
Long Way Round: Chasing shadows across the world (Ewan McGreggor and Charlie Boorman's description of their round world motorcycle journey.) Fun.
Heloise's Housekeeping Hints : I picked this 1962 hardback at the Kingston Saturday market. It is filled with very helpful things to know such as "Having trouble drying your crinoline petticoats? Just put them over an open umbrella! Great!" Seriously, I never would have thought of that.



Here's Becca and me lounging on the party raft.


We also took in the Lavendar Festival. Very pretty!

I took a wrong turn and accidentally ended up at Chief Sealth's grave, so I stopped to take a peak.



Upon arrival home - I set out to see some movies:

Pirates II: well - the barnacle people were icky and Johnny Depp was fun but I say blah! This movie was just a long set up for movie three. If they would tell me where to sent my $9.50 I could sent it now and be done with it.
Lady in the Water: Who knew that M. Night Shyamalan had a sense of humor? He's also relaxing a little and doing more than the casual cameo in the film. I was mildly confused and annoyed by my inability to suspend disbelief... she comes from the POOL? WTF.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend: I didn't actually pay to see this one, after leaving the Lady in the Water this was starting and so I popped in. The movie was by no means full, and I have very little guilt - they got my 9.02 for .50 cents worth of soda and corn. Anyway -- the movie was better than I thought it would be, and I even had a giggle.

Last but not least The Family Stone. (Carrie Bradshaw goes home to meet the family of the male giggalo that Grace Adler bagged at her sister's wedding) Again, this was better than I expected and I was caught up enough to have a little cry.

We have a softball game tomorrow - hopefully the heat won't throw us off our game. Actually, the game doesn't start until 3:45 - so it should be cooling off by then don't you think? Yeah, me neither.

Vacation!

Prepare yourselves... Im taking a one week hiatus.

I shall take my tent, and the slumberjack (which I figured out how to dismount) and going to the woods for a week.

The camera will be in tow and I hear a trip to the Lavendar Festival is on the agenda.

Woo Hoo.

See you in a week.

Cone heads and other clothing disasters

As the 20 year class reunion draws near I'm starting to wig out. I'm in charge of putting together the slide show and it's a freakshow of formerly thin girls, former full heads of hair, and bad clothing choices. This little jem is from "TV day" on spirit week. I think it shows that I was remarkably cool and brave. Too bad my hair is sticking out of the cap.




I'm starting to wonder if its ok to be on the planning committee and NOT go to the reunion? I can't do that... I've already paid for my stuffed pork dinner. I wouldn't want to miss that.

The team that shouldn't win, but does

The church co-ed softball team shouldn't win any games, we're all a little past our prime and the teams we play are fit, young, and have matching shirts. Yet, weekend after weekend we continue to win. It is nutty. We took the league championship last year, and I'm afraid there's not a dang thing we can do to avoid the play offs this year - it's already a lock. Man oh man, success is a b*tch.

This is Ted, retired teacher and pitcher - he looks like a duffer, but he is THE MAN!
Sue, mother of two is over 40 and is about to knock the sh*t (church team) out of this ball.
After the game, we ignore the signs...
and sit down for a post win brew in the public park.
the kids find unique ways to entertain themselves.

Weekend Demolition

These "salads" were served at the picinic we attended Saturday. I thought the blue salad was a joke, but people (not me) were eating it. WOW!

Mom & Dad are remodeling their little house in Yakima, and this is the wall that Mom and I removed on Sunday. It was fun, but it was over 100 degrees in the house so it was wet work.
Of course, its my camera so I'm in none of the photo's but I helped!


Dad's version of helping is a little hands off. "Get that over there!" It's good that he's cute... (If you look in the background, you can see the slumberjack.)

Overcast skies & lethargy

After the sunny hellishly hot weekend in Yakima the overcast days of Seattle are a welcome change. I'm sleeping like the dead at night and am pleased with the not too hot, not too cold temperatures.

My only complaint - and you know I have to have one - is that the overcast skies make me lethargic. I just want to curl up on the couch and watch the latest (rerun) of Veronica Mars.

The plan for today is to head home from work at a decent hour and spend some quality time with my kitty and the TV. Until then, I suppose I should focus on work... YUCK.

Enrony

I think it's ironic that the "design effectiveness" portion of our annual Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) testing is due today - and the news is reprorting that the man responsible for the creation of the SOX law died over the weekend. While he skillfully avoids prison by having a "heart attack" I will go about my day documenting and reporting on what I do, so that we can pay some Accounting Firm to confirm that we are not making up financials like they did at Enron... and World Com and....



Rest in peace mo-fo!