An Arizona Cheesehead's Thoughts

We were in our department meeting today and our boss started telling a story about how his Uncle took his brother and him rabbit hunting when they were kids. The boys used rifles to shoot the rabbits and that was hard and the Uncle used a shotgun and, while it was easier to kill the bunny, it was a lot of cleaning before you could eat them. He was using it as some sort of analogy on our big project and the few items we have left to complete. Apparently, he wants to use a rifle to finish the job and avoid the shotgun. I think it's just good that I don't own any firearms considering how the past few months have gone.  I don't know what all he was going for because I couldn't get past the thought of shooting rabbits and I said so. "That's a terrible analogy. I don't want to think about killing little innocent bunnies. I keep picturing Thumper and it's just wrong." It didn't take long for my brain to do a few mental table joins and thi...

My friend Cheryl and I drove over to California on Friday night so we could hit the Disney parks early on Saturday. We left after work and by the time we got to Blythe we were a might peckish. After checking out the fast food establishments on the right side of the freeway, we decided on Jack in the Box, or Jack in the Crack as we like to call it. As I pulled into a parking spot, we were facing a Circle K and saw two dudes on the side of the building. One was walking around, more like weaving, with a paper bag covered object in his hand. The other was sitting on the side of the building. I said to Cheryl, "There's some men for us. Which one do you want?" She replied, "Well, the one who can't walk away, of course!" We went inside to get our dinner and when we got back to the car weaving guy was nowhere in sight but sitting guy was actually up and approaching my car. "Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you but I haven't eaten and I was wond...

I went to Disneyland on Saturday with my friend Cheryl. Our friendship goes back to high school and we've been to many theme parks together. She knows very well that I hate the water rides because I always get soaked. She also knows she can get me to go on them anyway though I'll bitch the whole time. We hit Splash Mountain early in the day. My Facebook status afterwards? "Well played, Splash Mountain. Well played." Half soaked My right leg got completely soaked as did my sandals. I had my camera in that pocket but it made it through unscathed. While I wasn't literally dripping wet, I did leave some damp seats in my wake on the next few rides. Cheryl? Even though she was sitting directly behind me, she was dry. Just as I was getting to only slightly damp, we went over to California Adventure and just had to go on Grizzly River Run. That's the one where eight people sit in a really big tube and go through the rapids. I loathe that ride. The wo...

It seems fitting that I restart the blog with a small world story since I love those so much. We got an email on Wednesday from Ladd, the President of the Dubuque, IA Parrot Head Club. He was in town for business and wanted to know if there was a chance to meet up with some local club members. I was happy to tell him that we were going to be at our Margaritaville on Thursday for their summer entertainment night and that we'd love for him to join us. He noticed that I have my blog referenced in my email signature and mentioned that he was from Madison. That's not the small world part of the story as lots of people are from Wisconsin. As we were chatting last night, I told him about the family visit that I had just made with my parents back to the homeland. He asked where my parents were from and I said my Mom was from Baraboo and my Dad was from Wisconsin Dells. He told me his Dad was from Lake Delton which is 3 miles away from the Dells. He whipped out his phone and sen...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love Sherman Alexie's writing and have read most of his books but didn't realize he did a Young Adult tome. I read this because it was our book club choice this month. Mostly based on his own life, the story is told by Indian Arnold Spirit, JR, better known as Junior. Junior is persuaded to move from the reservation school to a public school 22 miles away. This makes him an outcast on the reservation and at the new school he's an outcast until he becomes the star of the basketball team. His struggle between two worlds is a big part of the story. This book is filled with serious topics of alcohol abuse, poverty, violence, sex, death and racism. It's told in a way that makes it very relatable and the illustrations by Ellen Forney are a great addition to the story. I would recommend it to everyone from tweens on up. It's an eye-opening story for those not familiar with l...

Fallen by Lauren Kate My rating: 3 of 5 stars A young adult book that was kind of angsty but I still liked it. Luce Price has always seen dark, threatening shadows and has spent lots of time in therapy and on drugs for her "craziness". When she's sent to a new reform school, she meets a lot of interesting characters, including two boys. One who pursues her, the other who avoids her. Of course, she likes the one who avoids her. Because it's a paranormal story, there are lots of reveals on supernatural beings, reincarnation and the battle for humankind and Earth. First in a series and I'll read the second one. View all my reviews

The Next Best Thing: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner My rating: 3 of 5 stars Weiner's latest is about Ruth Saunders, a young woman who was horribly scarred in the car accident that killed her parents when she was a child. Her Grandma raised her and encouraged her to write then pursue her dream in Hollywood as a writer. Ruth's dream of frontrunning a TV show is realized but then turns into a nightmare of the studio interfering, stars being divas and her own insecurities. NIce view of the world behind the TV screen and I wonder how much of it was inspired by Weiner's short stint of producing her own TV show. View all my reviews

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Loved this book! Jenny Lawson, known as The Bloggess with a blog following in the hundreds of thousands, is funny, touching and incredibly open. Her stories from growing up with her Dad's taxidermy hobby and penchant to keeping wild animals in the house to her tales about the many fights she and her husband have are hilarious. I totally want to hang out with her. When she talks about her anxiety issues, I want to hug her and tell her it's all going to be OK. View all my reviews