Silly Putty

I have this cabinet above my desk. It's basically where lots of documents, binders, handouts of a business related meeting or event go to die. It's pretty much the equivilant to under my bed. If it's put there, it's not a mess, I don't see it, it's forgotten about, it doesn't exist.

So I had to go digging through this cabinet today to find an old binder from ages ago that I never did find, not because it's not in there, I'm sure it is, but because I stumbled on a precious gem instead. A small yellow box with the "Windows" logo on it. Something we handed out at the Microsoft PR booth at some trade show. Inside...Silly Putty.

Here's what I've made today:
19 Pretzels
A finger trap
A wicker basket (stamped the wicker with my diamond setting from my wedding ring)
6 roses
A fossil print of my eyelashes
a pair of lips
a braid
a thimble
a pinocchio nose

Here's what I do know about my random Friday gem. I've lost 6 hours of productivity today, I still need to find that binder, and I'm pretty sure I need to throw away the putty, it's filthy.

Family, isn't it about time?

My church has commercials. Not infomercials. There's no 2 for 1 baptize in the next 53 minutes special offer. (although it's not a bad idea) They're commericials that are usually of a young ethnic family, (to prove that mormons aren't just a bunch of whities) and they typically go something like this...

It's a beautiful day out and son wants to play catch

Dad is very busy with work, tells son no

Mom gives dad "look" (one one with arms folded and eyebrows raised)

Dad has mild inner-struggle

Music swells...

Dad makes the right choice, dad and son play catch

strong finish...

The whole family is sitting on the couch laughing and eating popcorn.

tag line...

Family...isn't it about time?

I think they're great. Ok, sliiiiightly cheesy, but really...a great message.

But what happens when the family grows up? When the parents are empty-nesters, The kids get married, have kids of their own, and the nuclear family is now the extended family? While the easy answer is that the message now applies to their young families, what's the message for the grown up family?

I have 6 siblings, 6 grown-up siblings. 6 individual personalities, priorities and problems. I don't really remember sitting around, all 7 of us, laughing while eating popcorn - but I'm pretty sure we did. Now we're spread all over the US and Puerto Rico, far away and quite frankly, out of touch.

They way I see it, the message is good when the families are young and the relationships aren't complicated...the message is even better when that family has grown up.

Family, isn't it about time? Yes, it's time. And dad, let's play catch.

Pain in the Gas

I'm getting a new laptop at work, as such I'm forced to dig into all my folders on my old computer and do some major deleting. This isn't a quick task people, I have worked here for 7 years.

Once upon a time, when I found myself more amusing and with more time on my hands I was really into having a funny picture on my IM with some kind of witty caption. For an entire month I posted pictures with captions that cleverly tied into my last name, Riggs. Riggatoni, Rigganator, Riggy Bank, Riggermortis, Riggy Smalls, Rigsaw Puzzle, Oil Rig, Little Miss Riggy, Riglet, Rigganometry, Rigabyte, RigFoot, Riggie Fry, Rigley Field....anyway, what was my point?

Oh, right...deleting folders on my work computer.

So I came across this picture in my IM picture folder. It's a picture of gas that costs $2.33. An arm. And a leg.

I would kill to pay $2.33 again.

So long outrageous gas prices that sadly don't feel so outrageous anymore....

So long "month of Riggs" IM picture folder....

Home Loanership

We bought a house. No, no. Correction. We signed papers that increased our debt to the multiple six zeros and as such, we now reside in the indebted dwelling responsible. While it's much more spacious with it's bigger rooms, tall ceilings, wide staircases and double occupancy showers(hee, hee)... it's slightly suffocating at times. Exit fractional rent payments, shoe sales, Nordstrom lunch breaks, international vacations...vacations in general, and enter Ramen Noodles. No seriously. Hadn't touched the stuff in years, and just last month, a 150 count economy crate of half beef/half chicken ramen noodles was purchased for $6.99 at Costco. In 150 days, we could consume enough sodium for 15 lifetimes.

Did we fall into the trap of being completely phased out of the growing housing market in Portland? Maybe. Do we regret our decision? Yes, from time to time. (mostly in the throws of a repressed retail therapy meltdown) Do we really really enjoy the double occupancy shower?...Don't be a pre-vert!

We met, we fell in love, we got married, we've settled in Portland by buying a home, this I'm sure raises the obvious next question...yes, there will be two new additions soon. A boob job for Lindsey is next on the list.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Like a big Pizza Pie.

At first, it makes no sense. No sense at all. When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie?

Dean Martin you old flirt, whatever could that mean?

It was 3p on this sedetary Tuesday, I had eaten the entire contents of my lunch bag by 11:30a and I was on my way to the kitchen to sneak just a few saltines to see me through the rest of the day when...the moon hit my eye. Congealed cheese, withered pepperoni, crust on the south side of soggy from it's own sweat and grease. There it was, a half-eaten, pizza pie.

I can only imagine how my eyes lit up the sight.

Dean, you are a poet and a gentleman. And that's amore.

'Taint MisBehavin'

My husband has what he calls a "taint" - I actually won't go into any graphic description of what he's referring to. But the basic idea is, "it taint this and it taint that"

Twelll.....

It taint Oscar season no more, and it taint Blockbuster summer yet. Which translates too...MOVIES SUCK RIGHT NOW!

Visiting http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ (website that posts movie reviews from a mass variety of critics that accumulate to deem them either "fresh" or "rotten") you'll find that 9 out of 10 movies, 5 which are currently topping the charts and 5 which are set to open this week, are all ROTTEN. And I'm not talking teetering the fence rotten, like truly and almost unanimously ROTTEN. In fact, #2 and #3 on the top charts don't even break through to the double digits.

"Because I said so?" - negatory
"Epic Movie?" - nine
"Norbit?" - wait, another multi-character, fat suit, Eddie Murphy film?!?!! - NICHE.

I suppose film makers have one very small window in which to release a piece of crap film that won't premiere defenseless against an Oscar buzzing masterpiece or a mega-hit summer blockbuster. And yes please, keep the small window cracked, because it stinks in here!

Harry Potter and Spidy better be worth this agony. My Netflix is burnin' up.

And whilst I'm foamy with suds on my soapbox - Oscar season was a bit of a yawn. Except The Departed and Blood Diamond, those movies were siiiiick. And the Academy would like to thank, Leo.