I totally think I could have taken that 10-year-old in a fight!

On Halloween, the dogs went nuts every time the doorbell rang and scratched at the glass door in an effort to get at the trick-or-treaters to lick them to death. During one such melee, I was standing outside the door with the kids and to make sure they weren't scared of the puffballs (who each weigh less than 20 pounds-- oh-so-scary!) I told them their names.

One of the boys, who was about 10 years old, said, "Casey looks like she's pretty stupid."

Um, what?!? Being my usual, mature self, I felt I had to defend my dog against this little brat and said (in a haughty tone), "Actually, she's very smart."

"How is she smart?" the boy said.

"Well, she knows sign language. When want her to sit, we don't have to say 'sit,' we just show her the sign and she does it."

I still think the boy was more impressed by the candy I gave him than Casey's abilities, but I'm still counting it as a victory against that little punk.

Bloggin' it Old School

Because I am so very lazy, and we have some new readers, I thought I'd go old school on y'all. I found this while being a creeper and loitering on other people's blogs. Shh. Don't tell the person I got it from.

Feel free to steal it and repost on your blog! I won't even say that you should say something nice about me (i.e. freakin' lazy sj finally posts, and she was totally lame about it).

1) What would you say your most fundamental flaw is?
i have so many flaws, but one particular flaw is my inability to walk away when i should. this applies to many things, and it's fairly universal. it's very hard for me to let go, even when something is hurting me.

2) What was your dream growing up?
i wanted to be a famous actress or singer. but i think it's safe to say I wanted to be famous (which i funny, because now i prefer to be anonymous). i also wanted to be an FBI agent. in fact, a combination of all three would have been ideal. so, an actress playing an FBI agent who had to go undercover as a lounge singer.

3) What talent do you wish you had?
i can sing a decent tune, but i wish i could play the piano.

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
i think it'd be really sweet of you to buy me a drink. you don't even know me! well, unless you're jal (gin and tonic) or srg (tequila sunrise) or KAT (anything goes, but likely, a chocolate martini).

5) Favourite vegetable?
asparagus. even though it makes your pee smell funny.

6) What was the last book you read?
snow angels by stewart o'nan.

7) What zodiac sign are you?
i'm a little crabby.

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
don't you think that's too much information? but really, no. nothing interesting. my vices are more mental.

9) Worst Habit?
i'm a horrible procrastinator.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
i'm not sure i know what you look like. so i likely wouldn't recognize you.

11) What is your favourite sport?
um. my what? well. i watch the red sox, and i throw around the pigskin in the yard with j and friends. but i'm the most clutzy person ever. as is evident by my previous travails.

12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
i'm generally optimistic. but even the most optimistic person has her bad days.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
again, since i don't know you, per se, i'd have to go with a general response. i would likely smile politely and move to the back of the elevator and hope you don't talk to me.

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
i love m&m's, but i feel compelled to sort them by color before eating them. and when i do eat them, i have to eat the largest population first, and work my way around the color groups until they're even. and ideally, i prefer them to have even numbers, but i can work through that.

16) Do you have any pets?
yes, one. Bailey, the english springer spaniel. i used to have a bunny too (Crispix), but my bunny sadly died in December 2007 and i cried for a week.

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
i'd be so happy! we never get visitors! i hope you're not allergic to dogs. and please don't mind that my living room is a mess.

18) What was your first impression of me?
again, tricky. but let's go with - i think all of my blog readers are special and awesome. and i'm not just saying that so you'll come back.

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
incredibly creepy. and never cute.

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
i would prefer to be better proportioned -- i have particular issues with my nose.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
i'll bring the shovel.

22) What color eyes do you have?
brown. but someone once told me they looked yellow, which is a little scary and freaky. i'm not usually so feline.

23) Ever been arrested?
no. i killed all of the witnesses.

24) Bottle or can soda?
i don't usually drink soda. so. a bottle of water?

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
pay off whatever remaining debt we have, redo the bathroom and carpet the stairs. omg. when did i grow up??

27) What's your favourite place to hang at?
my living room. else? with kat and the ph.

28) Do you believe in ghosts?
i'm not sure. when i'm home alone, i definitely don't.

29) Favourite thing to do in your spare time?
i love to read. i also am addicted to online scrabble. i am aware of what a nerd i am, thank you.

30) Do you swear a lot?
i try not to. but unfortunately, i do when i'm upset over something.

31) Biggest pet peeve?
i get really bothered by people when they take advantage of others, or abuse others. i don't like bullyish or manipulative people.

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
quirky.

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
i have a great appreciation for it, but i believe that it fades, which is unfortunate. i believe (too much) in the grand gesture and love letters.

35) Do you believe in God?
i believe in a higher power. i'm generally a spiritual person, though not a religious person.

36) What happened to question 14?
it got into a knife fight with question 26. neither was triumphant.

OK, back to the funny...

I'm not sure SJ has done her husband J justice about just how funny the dude can be. He's the type of guy who might go-- let's say-- an entire card game without cracking a joke. But other nights, the boy is on fire with the one-liners, the dirty jokes and the awesome comebacks. It never fails that the Pretend Husband and I spend the car ride home going back over our favorites on the nights J is "on."

In any case, that's my long introduction to the funniest thing J has said lately. I was talking to SJ the day after Halloween and I mentioned that srg and her lovely family stopped by our new house (since we're now practically neighbors). I also mentioned that it's possible I weirded out srg and her lovely family by mentioning like 17 times how we should meet up for dinner one night at the only restaurant in town (what? is it that obvious we're desperate for local friends?!?)

SJ thought it was great that we were interested in hanging out with one another and turned from the phone to explain to J what I said. She asked J, "Honey, wouldn't it be great if the PH and KAT became friends with srg and her cool cat husband?"

J's reply was less-than-enthusiastic, though: "You know how [the PH] doesn't like to mix his side dishes with his main meal? It's kind of like that."

I'm not sure, but I think SJ's husband may have implied I'm a hot dish (either that or I'm mashed potatoes, but I'm not sure how to take that).

Still pondering how many jobs I might have right now. In the meantime, you should go vote...

I have exercised my right to vote every time I've been eligible. Because I believe I shouldn't comment about how the government runs unless I've supported it or tried to change it. And while I don't post political signs in my yard, or argue politics or try to sway people to the candidates I support, I'm proud to cast my vote.

This morning, I was joined at the polls by more people than I've ever seen. Standing in a busy parking lot waiting to walk into the town hall of my new (old) town, I thought, "I'm proud to be an American," perhaps more proud now than I've ever been. It's just nice to see so many people care about what happens today.

I don't care who you want to be president. I don't care what your beliefs are or whether they are the same as mine. But I do care whether you participate. So, if you do nothing else today...

The company Christmas party is going to be pretty awkward if it turns out I don't actually work there...

Last month, I didn't have any jobs. Now, I have two... I think. In addition to the full-time gig at the newspaper I used to run and am now running again, I applied for a part-time position as a news anchor for a radio station. The application process has been one of the strangest I've experienced, but I'm pretty sure I was hired.

When I first applied for the job, I got a pretty positive response. We set up a time for an interview, I went in and was asked some questions and given a tour of the building. But in between comments like, "Oh, it would be so great to have another female here" were ones like, "I wish you the best of luck in your job search."

So I left there, sent the obligatory thank you... and never heard from them again. Oh, actually, I did hear from them again, but not for about two weeks. That's when I received an email asking if I was still looking for part-time work and what my availability was. Suspecting I was being hired, I emailed right back, expressing enthusiasm for the position and giving the request information... and didn't hear from them for another week or two.

The next email said my paperwork was winding its way through the company's hierarchy and asked if I could come in for training sometime in the next week. So, I showed up there this weekend, filled out tons of paperwork, learned how not to sexually harass my coworkers and was assigned a passcard for the door. But, here's the thing-- nowhere along the way have I been asked to work for the company, nor have I really discussed what shift I'll be assigned, nor has my pay ever been mentioned (although I remember filling out some tax forms so I suspect I'll be getting paid something...)

I'm going back next weekend for more training and was told I might even be on the air that night. So, what do you think? Am I hired?