Will the penguins or Lisa Marie Presley save the day?

With the Friday bloghop, I was constantly on and off the laptop, checking for posts from my fellow hoppers. The sun went down, and still the posts were arriving... and my 'hop to it' took a little longer then anticipated. 

Teddy, my (mostly) adorable stuffed personality  was not amused, and fast losing patience. Arguably, I had taken 'his allotted time,' but now close to finishing I asked what it was that he'd like to watch? His usual Friday forte is to watch a movie while, simultaneously, listening to rock music. (I never really question. I am merely the keeper of the CDs and DVDs.) Being so late, you'll see them hanging until sometime Saturday, when I'll tip toe in and retrieve said laptop...(shhh.)

Teddy chose action-adventure with the Penguins of Madagascar. Great choice but the music... what is up with this Teddy dear? 

He thinks the early Lisa Marie Presley music is 'kicking'? The song is rather bouncy and gets me going, but what is she talking about? Teddy explained that in this song, Lisa is singing to herself about not liking her choices. (Oh. Okay.) She refers to herself as an "Idiot," singing, "... you're an idiot and I hate your guts; I'm never gonna wish you well...". But she makes different choices and becomes happier. (Can we listen to a happier song, Teddy? Teddy?)

Well ~ listen to one, both, or I'll see you on Saturday for my choice! (Goodnight Teddy... Teddy?)

Celebrate the Small Things

I love this blog hop!

Each Friday, we post what we're celebrating - those small achievements for our week! 

Then we hop around other blogs, offering congratulations to other people.  And if everyone visits at least a few other blogs, we'll all have some congratulations.




Thank you to our sponsor and co-hosts!!
Lexa Cain

LG Keltner @Writing off the Edge

Katie @thecyborgmom

 What am I celebrating? 

1 - A gift of a huge jar of peanut butter... now I'm really making cookies. The house is warmer and I'm well fed!

2 - Big bargain at the grocery store on Christmas candy. Hershey's usually sells for $3.89 a bag. They put the white chocolate with peppermint on sale for ...  .28 cents a bag. Ten bags cost less then one at regular price. I love peppermint!

3 - Finally finished going through all of the closets of clothes. (I inherited everything it seems). At least 10 bags go to the free clothing outlet.  They give everything away - which I love! Please donate when you can, what you can.

I hope everyone has a fun celebration day. Thank you for hopping over here! And now ~  the linky vehicle we travel on... I'll be over to see you (smile).

Winter beauty - the Magnolia Leaf

There's a pale blue sky. A bright morning sun is partially hidden by a curtain panel. 

At the edge of my yard tall grasses have finally met Winter. They stand tall and dried in the glow. 

The forest beyond, has leaf-less trees silhouetted in black. Only a few magnolias with dark green leaves reflect the sunlight in tiny sparkles of light. 

It looks like Winter when life slows down, and appears dead. It is cold, and yet it is beauty.

With a kitty-cat to guide them...

Which definition of "living in a fishbowl" applies to your life?

1 - You feel like you have no privacy, and everyone knows your business?

2 - You are living in a fishbowl, and never take the time to look outside of it? 

I present today's example of a cute kitty watching a fishbowl. (Try to imagine his face is not magnified, okay?) He is staring at the top fish in the tank, is he not? The topmost fish is paying no attention to the kitty. This fish is facing in "our" direction. Looks like this little fish is a number 2. 

However the bottom fish is swimming sideways, and possibly has an eye, (only one) on the kitty. It would seem this little fish is a number 1.

So, do you feel you're a # 1 or # 2, or maybe a combination of both...  possibly a number 3?

Your turn... 1, 2, or 3... 

What's the kitty, you wonder? He's a number 4...  another tale for another day.

A thought...

I am Professor X

It was cold... a rainy night... the wind was howling... I couldn't sleep. (Wait, the wind was not howling... you're exaggerating.) Right, but I couldn't sleep and that's the important part. Continuing, I tiptoed onto Facebook, that monstrosity of pithiness, to find this awaiting challenge. "Which Super Mutant are you?" It was something I'd never thought about... and yet. It was cold, rainy, the wind was howling, and I couldn't sleep. I felt up for the challenge and answered the however-many, all-important questions to determine my Mutant personality. (Actually, I couldn't remember who or what the mutants were. That of itself was a great rediscovery.)

YOU ARE PROFESSOR X 

"You’re a lover, not a fighter, although you could kick someone’s ass if you wanted to. You believe that true strength comes from being able to get stuff done without being a bully. Besides, you get more satisfaction from outsmarting someone than you do from inflicting pain on them, because anyone could do that. You’re better than that."

I am? (You are?) How wonderful! I was delighted! But just who was/is Professor X? When in doubt trust Wikipedia: 

"Charles Xavier (also known as Professor X) is a member of a fictional sub-species of humanity known as mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. He is a powerful telepath who can read and control minds. He is the founder of the X-Men and runs a private school that shelters and trains mutants. He fights for peace and equality between humans and mutants in a world where anti-mutant bigotry is widespread."

Oh my goodness - that explains so much. I'm probably busy reading and controlling minds. I'm not sure I have time to run a school, and when do I do it? Seems I'm very busy without even being aware of it. No wonder I can't sleep. I'm Professor X. Oh the pain of of finding this out! Why didn't someone tell me. Better yet, if I read minds, why didn't someone think about it? I might have had a clue. I wouldn't be sitting on Facebook, cup of cocoa in hand, wanting to find the sheep department. I needed to sleep now more than ever. I was tired. No wonder - I was Professor X.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief - as only dcrelief can - closed down my Facebook page - leaned back in my office chair. Aw, how wonderful... in another time and place, I'm Professor X. The world is safe when I'm around. That must mean there are extra funds. Funds? I do get paid for this gig, right? (Only in your dreams.)

My blankie felt so good. A small glow in the fireplace. Cocoa gone? (Cocoa gone.) I settled into a rhythm of peaceful breathing... Professor X... who knew?

challenge - to do or not to do?

Are you doing the "A to Z" blog challenge? Have you ever done it before?

I feel a bit apprehensive about doing this. It's not about the theme or the daily posts. I know exactly what I'd do... in fact it's (semi-)practically all set. But there's another big question lurking behind my decision.

What is my motive?  I'm not about "followers."

I love the people who "join my journey," visiting and leaving a comment about something they like or relate to. I've been blogging since 2006... having followers has never been the reason for my blogging. And since I don't see myself as a writer, cranking out books, I haven't sought an audience for my blog works.

One big fear is not visiting enough blogs. I know me. I'll want to see them all. I read that last year there were 2009 participating blogs. At a minimum of one minute, per blog, it would take over 33 hours to visit them all. So I may as well toss that fear in the trash, right... maybe?

What exactly are the benefits to participate in the "A to Z" challenge? Can you tell me? Or maybe you can share a joke and we'll call it a day! (smile)