at my client’s office, i’ve been given a corner VP office since the VP is out of town. nice. but that means i have windows. and it’s very stormy in Melbourne today, so there have been all sorts of fun weather noises at the window. around 11:00 this morning, though, i encountered the LOST monster. i’m not kidding. he was there, outside the window.

as i sat at the desk, auditing like a good girl, i started to hear quacking. not just minor i-see-the-duck-at-the-zoo quacking. i’m talking run-for-your-life-you’re-being-attacked-by-a-flock-of-ducks quacking. LOUD. and quite urgent, if a duck can sound urgent. so i went to the window to see what the urgency was with the duck.

nothing there. no duck. no flock. just palm trees and wet mulch. it’s the LOST monster, i’m sure of it.

Frank and i decided to spend Memorial Day at MGM Studios. and i recently learned that Orlando has Chipotle. so naturally, i made sure to get very exact directions from the east coast of Florida to the Chipotle nearest Disney World. because that is the most important part. and we found Chipotle and ate there, and it had been five months since i’d had a burrito bowl, and it was good.

so good.

Frank liked it too.

i didn’t get directions from Chipotle to Disney World, so we drove for about 40 minutes before we realized we were now about 50 minutes from Disney World. we’d been much closer at Chipotle. by that point, we were closer to home than Disney, so we decided we’d go again next weekend for Frank’s birthday. ah well. at least i got my Chipotle.

did i mention it was good?

we were at church all day today, from 9:30 a.m. (really 9:45, we were late) until about 5:30 p.m. and it was a great day. any month with a “5th Sunday”, we have a potluck and then a program where people do readings or recite poems or sing or whatever.

we had Bible class and then worship this morning. during the sermon, the preacher was talking about how power doesn’t necessarily mean good, but that Jesus has power and is Good. he made a list for us:

“Joseph Stalin had power - but he was a bad man.”
“Jim Jones had power - here, try my Kool-Aid - he was not a good man.”
“Adolf Hitler had power - but he was a bad man.”
“O-B-L had power - but he was not a good man.”
“Saddam Hussein had power - but he was not a good man.”
“George Bush has power - but he - HE! - is FROM TEXAS!”

now i had braced myself for “but he is not a good man” so that i wouldn’t walk out of church if that was what was said. :-) but i never expected “but he is FROM TEXAS.” everyone laughed and laughed and looked at me as if to say “are you gonna take that from him?” and i threw up my arms as if to say “and just what is that supposed to mean!” there were 3 or 4 other Texans visiting there this morning, too.

then we had a potluck dinner in the fellowship room. and yes, i cornered the preacher man. i just looked at him with my “i know you dih-in’t” face, and he said, “ooooh, you don’t even have to say it. i knew i was gonna get myself in trouble with that one.” we had a good laugh. President Bush is from God’s Country.

after the potluck, we had another worship service, and after that, we had our program. i was singing in a group of 5 (they recruited me last minute and i actually don’t think i had a choice, it was more like, Sarah, you’re singing with us, okay, if you say so). they announced that “Sister Keisha, Sister Teresa, Sister Fleming…” and others would be coming up. it’s funny, everyone already has forgotten that i’m not married. they walk around saying “where’s your husband?” and “your husband did such a fine job reading Scripture today.” i just go along. whatever. :-) i got up to the front, and the preacher said, “oh Sarah, you’re going to sing??” and i said, “yeah, i think i’m Fleming.” later, the preacher’s son told me, “wow, Sarah, your Texas accent really comes out when you sing.” yeah, i’d say so.

anyway, it was a great day.

Juan has a roundup of links re: JJ Abrams’s LOST. lots of good stuff, go see.

hiya!

IMAO debuts today its first Podcast. along with the other IMAO cast, i’m in there, reviewing my favorite of Frank’s guns, Mr. Shiny. there might be some singing, too. :-) i hope y’all enjoy it.

this is the first time i’ve done this in a long time. anyway, i’m watching the ALIAS finale now, so i’m going to make notes along the way…

S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S

* Frank, of course, notes that they’re using Dell computers.
* those are some major sepia tones.
* and we’re supposed to believe that wussy guy is the only guy left alive on his CIA team?
* why did they leave Weiss behind? Marshall i understand, but why is Weiss not in the field??
* on this show, LOL, WWJD stands for What Would Jack Do.
* bloodred horses and angels falling from the sky: Jack doesn’t understand that angels falling from the sky is them diving into the city to save it? so tonight the Chosen One and the Passenger clash, and one doesn’t survive. my question is: is Irina the Chosen One, or is it Sydney? Or is it Spydaddy, Master of the Universe?
* oh, and there’s the one-carrying moment for those of us who didn’t recognize Wussy McWussness from the season premier.
* i think their use of bullets on that homicidal feller was a bit excessive. i’da saved some of those. it only takes one accurate shot, goofy heads.
* so Vaughn has a secret that Irina wants him to tell Sydney. because he’s not as covert as he thinks he is. she doesn’t want them to end up like her and Jack… wha?
* wow, a sister loving moment while they’re trying to save the world. i don’t want to kill you, sister, let’s talk about me getting married.
* Weiss & Marshall working together is fun.
* so Nadia’s been attacked by the zombie thingies. and she and the bride are gonna have to come to punches. that’s not wedding punches either.
* that was a zen moment for me, when Jack punched Sloane.
* Elena always thought of Nadia as a daughter, just like Sloane always thought of Sydney as a daughter. awwww, that makes me warm and fuzzy. when evil people get mushy.
* Vaughn to Sydney: you run faster if i’m chasing you. LOL, it’s true. only she made it out the last time they ran away from a Mueller device, and he almost got dissected by Khasinau in France.
* the man who kidnapped Nadia was carrying a Walther. FYI.
* and little sis has gone crazy mad with sweet sweet Rambaldi water.
* Sloane shot Nadia, but that’s ok by him, because she is Jack’s daughter anyway.
* and they saved the day. deja vu, except this time Vaughn escaped.
* since Sydney brought down the greatest evil… does that mean the prophecy’s fulfilled and there’s no more Rambaldi? i don’t know how to live in ALIAS world without Rambaldi. say it ain’t so.
* Sloane blames himself for the whole thing. that’s sweet. he’s right.
* and let’s not be fooled. Sloane is still evil.
* SANTA BARBARA!!! it’s about stinking time they got there. of course, they’re supposed to get married on the beach in Santa Barbara.
* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT??!!! NOT MICHAEL VAUGHN????
i hope his name isn’t for real Ben Affleck.

well done, JJ. i hope we have till January to conjecture. sweet pizza, that’s a great cliffhanger. thank you.

whoever comes up with theme nights and medley choices on American Idol. producers? choreographers? the band? Ryan Seacrest? i know it’s not Simon. whoever it is, pink slips for all of them!

to butcher the Beach Boys in such hideous fashion. i feel so broke up. i wanna go home.

um. is that a fake Anwar? cameras wouldn’t quite focus in on him, and he cut off his lovely locks. awwww.

i must say, that Mikalah is gonna be a star. i don’t care if she can sing or not, she’ll be some kinda star, and i’d most happily let her replace that Rivers girl on any red carpet.

Simon looks good tonight. and i’m gonna have to finish this post tomorrow night because i’m the stinkin’est tiredest after a super late night last night learning how to load & shoot the gun in stress situations, i must see myself to bed.

ouch, just caught a glimpse live, and i will say: i kinda miss Constantine, and someone needs to do some serious reconsidering about wearing teeny weeny clothes and pounding on stages a la Neckid Britney. as someone whose backfat occasionally overtakes the waistline, i have license to say this, as your friend: backfat is our enemy, and we should always keep it hidden. no midriffs until we can tame it.

see, i’m mean when i’m overly tired. bad SarahK.

nighty night, i’ll finish this recap tomorrow, because really, i must shutty the eyes. ta, musees!

p.s. it’s 05/25/05. that’s a magically mathematical date if ever i’ve seen one.

we’re having food at the wedding reception. and the Little Sizzle has just approved my choice of caterer, so i hope everyone likes Chipotle. :-D

we were in gun class tonight, so i just now see the finale of AI…

Bo’s first song was boring boring boring. “Long Long Road”? long long song that just couldn’t be over quickly enough.

wow, Simon’s wearing a jacket. still a t-shirt, but a jacket too.

this is the first time i’ve ever heard Carrie sound nervous. she is flat flat flat, the entire first song. ouch. i’ve hated a lot of her song choices, but this is the first time i’ve ever heard her sound bad. and it was bad. “Inside Your Heaven” or something like that. a terrible song for the finale performance of AI.

btw, Paula? still nothing to say. and Randy? no, neither one of them pulled it off or brought it home in the end, dawg, they were both not so good.

Bo’s second, the favorite of his songs from the season, “Vehicle”. i really don’t like the song, and if i recall correctly, he was much better the first time he sang this song.

Carrie’s favorite this season was “Independence Day”, also my favorite of hers from the season. i think she was much better the first time.

so far, this is shaping up to be a disappointing finale. the nerves are getting to them. they’d be getting to anyone, but it’s making me sad.

Bo’s third song, “Inside Your Heaven”, the one Carrie sang first. he’s been a little flat on it, too, but not as flat as Carrie. i think the song was written badly, with odd notes, and it’s hard for either one of them to make anything good of it.

the 2 original songs they picked for the finale are possibly the most boring songs i’ve ever heard. Frank and i are quite underwhelmed tonight. i’ll buy both their cds (unless the title of Carrie’s CD is “I Like to Sing About All Things Sin”), but blah.

Carrie’s last song, “Angels Brought Me Here”, mostly boring, but that one long note was almost disastrous, but she pulled it off and if i had been home in time to vote, i’d have voted for Carrie.

Saturday i went running for about 20 minutes, mostly walked, but got started anyway. last night i went again for a half hour, and then we did yard work. what made me actually exercise twice in a row? my cool new shorts. i bought them at Sam’s & they’re neato and modest and LARGE. what made us do yardwork? Saturday the neighbors told us if we ever need to borrow their hedge clippers just ask. hint hint.

went to the neurologist yesterday. he told me stuff that Teresa and several others started telling me months and months ago. he said stuff like give up chocolate, nuts, avocados, caffeine. right. so then we compromised on me testing foods to see if they give me migraines (cheesecake = definitely). and he’s sending me to get my head examined (so next time Frank tells me i need to get my head examined, i can say, i already did. you next!) and for bloodwork too. and he gave me new meds to try that might not make my neck stiffen and make my throat swell a bit like the Imitrex did. so things are happening.

my bank has now sent me a third debit card with the wrong name on it. i’ve even told them twice that they need to fix it. they say, okay, we’ll send it out right away with the correct name. it’s getting annoying.

great fun going on tonight after work, i’ll tell y’all about it later.

no kidding, i really got an email with that subject line. the body of the message was simply “You are sad”. actually, i’m always happy to correct the spelling and the misgivings of someone even more ignorant than myself. coservative is probably supposed to be “conservative”, and i’m quite happy, thanks. and someday, if you find Jesus, you can be happy, too.

saw Episode III today did we. engineer day at the theater it must have been, because see several of Frank’s coworkers did we.

that the best of the first three episodes it is, my opinion is. watch Episodes IV, V & VI this evening will we.

i really need to check the p.o. box more often! i went there today, and judging by the 3 Entertainment Weeklys awaiting my arrival, it’s been about 3 weeks.

anyway, i got gifts!

engagement present from maggie katzen: the cutest cat picture frames, one silver (i’m going to call it Sydney), and one calico (it shall be Minerva). they’re precious. thanks, maggie! one note, though, Rowlett is not in Oklahoma. you should let go, you’re in God’s country now. :-) i sat there reading your first initial and last name over and over and going, i don’t know a (your name) in Rowlett, Oklahoma… hmmm… then i figured it out, laughed, and decided not to drop off your package at the local police station. :-D

the other package awaiting me was from Kim. she sent me 3 cds of mushy songs for wedding song suggestions. sweet. thanks, Kim, i’ll let you know if we use any of them!

bloggers are the coolest.

i’m an evil hag, and i know it.

there’s a local car dealership that advertises on FoxNews every morning. at the end of the commercial, the owner’s daughter and granddaughter are standing there by one of the cars, and the mom is holding the little girl. the mom says something about come see us, and then she says, “Hey! We’re in Cocoa!” while her little daughter says, “Hey!! Nah-noh-nah-noh!!” someone should tell that owner that his little granddaughter isn’t up to three word sentences yet.

there’s another local car dealership that advertises on FoxNews every morning. this guy’s granddaughter just says his name and repeats him over and over. he says, “i’ll take $2000 off!” and she says, “Grandpa, that’s two thousand!” he says, “i’ll take $3000 off!” and she says, “Grandpa, that’s three thousand!” and over and over, in a panicked manner. even though she just said Grampy’s name two seconds ago…

now, i’m all for using cute kids to sell merchandise, but these two little girls are only serving the purpose of making me laugh every time i see them. especially that girl in Cocoa. i just walk around the house after i see the commercial repeating, “hey! nah-noh-nah-noh!”

and no, i don’t know what car dealership she’s advertising. :-)

i was going to post a bunch of recent pictures (of everything except me, your big-as-a-house hostess), but i can’t find the cord that connects the camera to the pc. oh well. mostly flowers and cats.

speaking of being big as a house, it just doesn’t matter what i do. start exercising, eat smaller portions, whatever. all the same. more pounds.

so i’m back on my Coke kick, because i’ve always been skinniest when i drank 4 or more cokes a day. and Sizzle and i discussed this today. the reason Coke makes us skinny is because of all that sweet sweet caffeine. it’s like speed except not so fast.

blast it, i’m getting back to 110 before the wedding. i really liked 110 last year.

and i liked wearing teenager jeans in the single digits and looking good doing it. now the only way any of you will see a picture of me before drastic weight loss is if some out of touch papparazzo starts following me and snapping candid shots of me with all 40 pounds of my saddlebags hanging out everywhere.

i’ll be a monkey’s neice before i let Frank see me neckid like this. thank goodness i have 6 months. how far in advance does one have to schedule lipo?

nah, too disgusting and risky for me. i get queasy just thinking about it.

anyway, i’m not as depressed about it as i sound. there’s always drastic measures: get home from work and run 3 miles with a bottle of water in each hand while the 5:30 sun beats down on my fat butt. i did that in 2000 and got all the way down to 108. i looked good. and it only took 3 months of running my butt off. see, the thing about me running is that i can burn as much fat running as other people burn walking, because i run so slowly that i run at a walking pace. seriously. i can’t run fast. so i burn as many calories as running and as much fat as walking. sweet deal for my turtle-paced pinkytoe.

that’s enough about that.

i tricked up a Pampered Chef recipe last night (read: i only had half of the PC ingredients and wanted meat in the chili), because i didn’t want to go grocery shopping but figured we should eat. here’s the final recipe, after i added my magic.

what you need:

1-1.5 lbs. lean ground beef
1 bell pepper (i used yellow, red would be good, green would be yucky because i don’t like those)
1 medium yellow onion
2 cans of Rotel (next time i’ll use one original and one extra hot)
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tomato paste cans full of water
(the recipe called for a 28-oz. can of diced tomatoes and a regular can of tomato sauce, but i didn’t have any of that)
2 cans of dark red kidney beans (i used Bush’s, and the recipe called for black beans)
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp. chili powder (i just shook and shook and shook the jar until it added enough red)
salt & pepper to taste
lots of crushed red pepper
sour cream or cheese and cilantro to taste

what you do:

brown the meat & saute the onion & pepper with the meat. drain most of the fat. add all the other stuff & mix well. simmer over low heat for a while. add a dollop of sour cream or some grated cheese, and throw on a little cilantro if you like.

it’s not bad.

wow, i haven’t blogged since Tuesday. i promise i missed y’all more than you missed me. anyway…

medical update… i went to the allergist today for the first time in 3 years, and he has me back on allergy meds for my airborne allergens and prescribed me new pills for my migraines that hopefully won’t make my neck stiffen and my throat swell like the Imitrex did.

and he is sending me to a neurologist for the migraines, i heard the terms “MRI” and “CT” so yay for that. never had those. :-\

this super easy chili stuff… last night i made a pampered chef chili recipe but really tricked it up, and it was good.. oh, i should post that for the Carnival of the Recipes, i haven’t done that in a long time.

it’s nice to work close to home… i work far from home, usually a 35 - 50 minute drive, depending on how stupid the people in front of me in traffic are.. i started a new client yesterday, and it’s 25-30 minutes and really close to where Frank works, so we’ve been having lunch together every day, a nice thing that. i’ll be on this job for a few weeks.

ALIAS 2 hour event… i won’t spoil anything for anyone, but ALIAS last night was so much fun!! “are we on comms?” “YES, you are BOTH on comms.” hahahahahahahahahahahaha! and so much fun to see yet another thing that the APO team can do in expert fashion! that stunt there at the end was better than Syd & Vaughn fixing a Jeep in North Korea like they were putting a wheel back on a tricycle!

livingroom… Frank has an old black trunk with brass handles and lots of duct tape. it was a very conspicuous decoration in the livingroom. key word being ‘was’. i think it shall go in the guest room and i might cover it.

Frank buys stuff… tonight we went to best buy, and Frank bought some stuff. among the stuff, the first season of Scrubs, the DVD Zoolander (i wanted it so much!). i can’t wait to watch both. then we went to the sporting goods store, and Frank bought us a punching/kicking bag to hang in the garage. i can’t wait to kickbox it.

i hate the Old Navy bikini girls.

preferred wedding venue is out, it’s already reserved, unless we get married at noon, and really, i don’t think people will karaoke as much in the daytime. better shroud them under the dark of night.

ok, i just can’t be as snarky now that we’re to the top 3, so we’re back over here for AI. whee!

Vonzell’s first - “I’ll Never Love That Way Again” - Randy’s actually right about the pitchy thing. she had many many flat notes. and i don’t really think it was the right song for her.

Bo’s first - “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” - Fantastic. i knew it would be when i heard what it was he would be singing.

Carrie’s first - “Crying” - i’m just glad she’s not singing “I’m a Whore” or another such song. i didn’t think that song was going to showcase her very well, but she was excellent.

we agree with Simon. Round 1: Bo then Carrie then Vonzie.

Vonzell’s second - “Chain of Fools” - risky, since Fantasia did it last season and released it on her single, but Vonzell is outstanding. she really does better with fast songs, and it doesn’t hurt that that was her audition song.

Bo’s second - “All I Need is to Hold You Tonight” (a capella) - talk about risky. and wonderful. and i yelped at the end. sweet music.

Carrie’s second - “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” - doggone. grudge is gone, i forgive her. i actually got chills. beautiful.

Round 2 - Bo, Carrie, Vonzell.

Vonzell’s third - “On the Radio”, chosen by Simon. the personality songs are the best songs for Vonzell, and she is so adorable on this song. well done.

Bo’s third - “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” - wow, that was some Constantine-esque camera muggin’. yeah, it was a great performance, too. he’s going to be so successful.

Carrie’s third - “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” - if you ask me, Randy chose that song to sabotage her. that song has nothing to it, no vocals, no range, it sucks. and it’s too low for Carrie (we have about the same range, so i’m an expert on Carrie’s vocal range). thank goodness she can fake it and add her own flare. she pulled it off, dawg, but i blame Randy for that one. horrible song choice.

Round 3 - i don’t know, they were all about the same for me.

so tonight:
Bo
Carrie
Vonzell. i’ll miss her. for real.

this morning, we got up at 5 a.m. and, after 20 minutes of me looking for socks, went for a walk. we walked for 35 minutes, got our hearts going, blood pumping, etc. eventually we’ll get to jogging, but i’m so glad we got started.

what else… ah yes, we went shooting Saturday, and my shoulders were sooo sore yesterday. must have been all that straight shooting… i had so much fun!! i actually fired the .45s better than i fired my P99 on Saturday. granted, the P99 was still good, but the .45s… don’t mess with me. :-)

k, enough bragging… the kitchen is getting cleaner. i even swept the floor last night, and i abhor sweeping. i was able to actually get furniture from storage on Friday evening, so the entryway now has my little yellow/gold desk thingy that i had in my Amarillo kitchen. it’s so cute there! you know what’s cool? moving into a nice big house and already having all the decorations i need to make it look lived in. going to storage or out to the garage is so great, because i’m finding all this stuff i’d forgotten i own, stuff that i didn’t even get to use in Amarillo.

we have a thousand plant ledges, and i’m actually starting to put plants on them. Frank says it’s starting to look like a jungle in here. :-)

last night i made IowaSoccerMom’s Throwdown Crawfish Etouffe, except the Publix near our house doesn’t have crawfish tails, so i made a modified Throwdown Shrimp Etouffe. i made a couple of changes to the recipe though. when my friend Tarina and i made this, there seemed to be too much onion in the dish. so i made it with about 2/3 of the medium yellow onion, only 3 green onions instead of a whole bunch. oh, and i used Extra Hot Rotel instead of original, just because i wanted it super spicy. result: sooo good, and Frank kept talking about it last night. i’m thinking he wants that added to the list.

gotta go shower. it’s a brand new day, a brand new week, and David’s Bridal has wedding dresses on sale for the month of May. ta!

i picked up Indian food tonight, Frank’s treat for doing his chores on his day off. the order wasn’t ready when i got there, so they offered me a table to sit at while i waited, and then they offered me a drink. “oh, no thanks, i’m fine.” so they brought me a mango smoothie.

i’ll never forget it. it was so wonderful, tangy and sweet, beautifully yellow-orange, smooth and creamy.

i might dream about it tonight. it was so good.

it’s kinda been a sorry week. i don’t want sympathy or hang in theres, i just want to talk.

life is crazy insane. i have migraines off and on, but next week i’m going to the allergist, and he’s going to test me and put me back on meds, and this time i’m going to have him test me for food allergies too, and when he tells me i’m crazy for thinking my migraines are allergy-related, i’m gonna stomp on his toes until he changes his mind.

so it’s less than 7 months to the wedding. i can’t possibly dream of moving twice, planning a wedding, working, trying to get Frank’s house clean before my mom comes to visit next month… no way Jose. so i’m quitting my job. haha, just kidding. really i’m just not going to move twice. i’m staying here. and that’s that. i’ve started taking over. started cleaning out closets and cabinets and decorating. there are actually things on the walls! and greenery on the plant ledges, dvds alphabetized. and candles. they are coming out! rock waterfall…. i’ve already sold his washer and dryer. i should be taking before/after pictures.

that reminds me, i went over to Celebration this week, and as i was leaving, i took a few pictures of these amazing irises that line the river that runs through the town. the entire river. yellow, orange, red. very calming.

wedding plans… so far we have a date. that’s about it. 7 months.

i miss Chipotle. but there are several in Orlando, so next time we go to Disney World, we’ll have lunch at Chipotle.

some of my big long projects at work that were supposed to be smallish projects are wrapping up this week. hopefully all of them. which means i’m going to work some this weekend to get it done.

the house is a disaster. still. and i have about 75 boxes to unpack.

the psycho X got married to a poor unsuspecting Christian girl, and his incredibly naive and gullible mother tells people everywhere she goes that i left him for another man. oh, and they pray for me every day, because i just kinda went crazy. i pray that the new wife doesn’t go through all the hell he put me through. i’m sad for her.

Frank’s taking me shooting this weekend, and shooting is fun!! also, cleaning the guns is fun!! so that’ll be nice and relaxing.

and Frank has tomorrow off, so i know that when i get home from work, the dishes will be done, and that will be one less thing for me.

i love our congregation. they’re wonderful people.

i love Minerva and that Stupid Monkey Purr Purr. and of course i love Mr. Wonderful.

my back and shoulders are all out of whack, and that always contributes to me being low. i’ve been sighing a lot this week.

i’m tired. i’m going to bed.

i have a sneak preview of the last 2 hours of 24!! over at IMAO…

for our Marines engaged in Operation Matador and all of our troops home and abroad…

24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.

after all, i went crazy. i pray for them too. after all, they clamped their hands over their eyes as tight as they could and pretended to have 20/20.

over at IMAO.

#13471 that Frank J. is a man.

all of his ugly art is on the walls, and all of his pretty art is in a closet.

heading down U.S. 1 tonight, i saw…

an Oldsmobile.
Oldsmobile.

with spinners.
Oldsmobile.

look, i’m a blogger.

(more…)

that since Jack let Audrey’s husband die, she’d be off the show and therefore not infecting my screen with her homeliness.

bummer.