We have all thrown out phrases such as, "it's raining cats and dogs" or "spill the beans",  without much thought at one some point, but most of the colorful phases in our speech are rooted in historical events, fables and myths...  Here are some of the backstories:

*Scholars think "spill the beans" originated in ancient Greece, where voters cast ballots with white or black beans.  If a clumsy voter knocked over the jar or helmet that held the beans, the secret(or verdict) was out!

*The origin of "raining cats and dogs" is a bit murky.  According to one account, heavy rains in 17th-century England turned city streets into rivers that carried trash, along with dead cats and dogs. 

*No one knows where "a skeleton in the closet" originated, but here's one theory:  until the Anatomy Act was passed in England in 1832, it was illegal to dissect a body(with the exception of executed criminals), and doctors were only allowed to work on one cadaver during their careers.  Those who didn't want to get rid of the skeleton kept it hidden in a dark corner or hung it in a closet.  ::sketchy::

*In the Middle Ages, scholars wore a square cap similar to our graduation mortarboard.  People believed the hat actually helped them think- and the term "thinking cap" was born.

*In ancient Rome, the general and politician Pompey believed that salt was an antidote to any potential poison in his food, so he added a grain of it to everything he ate or drank.  That's why when people are skeptical of something, they "take it with a grain of salt".

i love surprises.  i love dreaming up a way to thrill someone that i care about with something that will excite or please them to no end... 

so, greg and i discovered the new Stephen Marley album, Mind Control, which we love and have been listening to constantly...  then i checked his myspace page and saw that he was playing house of blues in orlando last sunday... i got right on, bought us tickets and began working out the logistics... nicole and steve were to watch the kids, i got new tires for the car, replaced the headlight that burned out two days before, checked all the fluids, filled the washer fluid, planned to pack  a cooler with Red Stripe, of course... a couple of bottles of water, etc.  i had the directions all ready to go, comfy pants to ride home in ... you get the deal.... so, the day before(sat.) the kids were cleaning their rooms, and in an effort to motivate them greg tells them that whoever finishes first will get a reward....... being kids they collaborate to finish simultaneously so they can both 'win'.... what do they want to do?  go bowling.  when?  SUNDAY.  this is not good.  so i try to ignore them while i decide how i'm gonna dodge the bullet and get greg outta the house.  sunday morning i hear him on the phone telling michael about bowling and then he gets off and suggests that we invite the fox family as well.... AND he tells the kids they can invite a friend!  now i have to act like super-mega-bitch mom and say that i don't want any of those people to come, can't it just be a family thing?  so greg's confused and the kids are pissed...  HELP!!!  i print out the tickets and leave and run to the store for beer and ice... upon return i start searching for my AAA card, just in case...greg follows me inside and says, 'what are you planning?'  i reply, 'what are you talking about' as i think to myself  'how in the f*ck did he already get into the back of my car and find the f'ing cooler?'  he asks again, my answer remains the same... then he points to the desk and says, 'stephen marley tickets?'  my well watered flower wilted instantly and i said, 'you're a f*cking asshole.  why do you always have to ruin my surprises? goddamn it!!!  you SUCK!'   (earlier when i went to print the tickets it was taking forEVER so i hit cancel, then print, they printed immediately, i hit cancelcancelcanel again just in case, then left for the store.  apparently that didn't work.) so i fully berated greg for my own carelessness... :0  and told him how i had planned eveything out SO perfectly and then he expressed his utter joy and after shedding a few tears that my perfect surprise wasn't turning out the way i had wanted it to i sent him in to shower up and get ready to roll!  tickets, check.  beer, ice vodka limes, check. (i know, i know, no lectures-please!)  directions, check.  cash, id, check. (nicole, can you believe i remembered my id?  i'm gettin' better.)  nicole is on her way, we hop in the car and....... and...... yeah, nothing.  it was DEAD!  wtf!?  it's hot as hell and greg is trying to jump it, switching batteries like a bat outta hell so we can get on the dang road to no avail...... called my dad, or rather my knight in shining armor, borrowed the big truck, threw the cooler in the back and hit the highway...   whew!  not exactly how i had envisioned it all coming together, BUT greg and i had some great 'alone' time, reminiscing about all kinds of shit, listening to some old school tunes, talking about life and our kiddos, i drove....  we got some white trash snacks at the rest stop and then a bird collided with the grille at 80mph in a gruesome explosion of guts and feathers, yeah...not cool.  i wasn't sure whether or not i needed to throw up, cry or pull over - then g handed me the red stripe, nice call.  the show exceeded our expectations and we had a great time.  back in the truck and back on the road, it was a rough drive, but knowing that i was doing it all for him made it  easier... until he started snoring.  then i was just flat out jealous that he was getting to sleep as i toyed with the a/c and radio to try and keep myself awake.... but then i smiled thinking about how close we livee to the i-95 exit and how once we're off we're there... and then we hit the detour... had to exit okeechobee, west to congress, then south,  and....argh.  after a 12-minute detour, hell yes i was clockin' that shit bitches, we made it home, cruzan greeted us, n&s exited and i stumbled into my bed.  bottom line is this, my intentions were golden and successful.  ordinarily i would have let the bumps along the trail really aggravate me, but this time i allowed myself to extract the comedy and fill my head with laughter.  it was an amazing journey, and just like you always remember the camping trip when the rain kept you up all night,  i will remember the battery and the bird and my bloodshot eyes on the drive home and the smile on his face - and that alone was worth every minute of it! 

God knows...
Life is one big road
With a lot of signs and turns & twists & curves
Even though the road is rocky
My main thing's to rock and keep on rockin'
From city to city, Backyard to yard
And we be seein' the sights, standin' under the lights
And the spot is hot, it's cold and lonely at night
And I'm feenin' and I'm dreamin' and I'm holding you tight
But hold on, every single road I roll on
Comes to an end and I'm back home again
So baby please don't cry, there's no valley low and there's no mountain high
And our love don't die with the passage of time
It just grows more, and just keep strong
And even though i'm gone, I am never too far
You're the light thru the dark, shining right thru my heart
So my journey must start...

Tag Rules: Once you've been tagged you have to write a blog about yourself with "six weird habits/things about yourself."

At the end you need to choose 6 people you want to tag and list their names.
Don't forget to leave them a comment that says you've been tagged to tell them to read your blog.

I'm just gonna shoot from the hip here~

1.  I am an OCD list maker.  Seriously ridiculous.  I scratch shit 'to do' on shreds of paper, junk mail, napkins, whatever is handy... then I consolidate and organize it and get utmost pleasure from checking things off, only to add fourteen more things to it.  I recently 'found' a list from about six years ago when we lived in a different house... half the crap on list never got done and I'm still here, breathing, living, making more lists.

2.  Sand.  Rocks. Dirt.  I collect samples from wherever the wind, boat or wheels take me.  And I have recruited friends and family who may travel to exotic locales to collect on my behalf... Interestingly, you think beach, you think sand and that's about it, but comparing the samples is pretty inriguing.  So feel free to collect for me...

3.  I brush my and floss my teeth in the shower.  It's a habit I picked up in high school to save time and here I am almost 20 years later still doing it.

4.  Virgo = super-retarded-over-analytical about everything!  Really?  I could go on for days about this one. 

5.  I'm totally possesive about my friends, and family for that matter.  I think it goes back to the whole Virgo thing.  I wanna protect everyone; save them from rotten boy/girlfriends, help salvage their relationship, solve all their problems. 

6.  I am addicted to planning, again, See Weird Habit #1.  Although this gives me great pleasure and fulfillment and it allows me to get totally creative which is super important.  Color parties, pool parties, birthdays, dinner menus, floor plans, vacations, surprises...oh, lord!  I love it!

Other weird habits... I just thought of this.  I pick my toenails.  If I chip one, I don't grab a file, I am SO not that girl...  I'll just pick at it and then I'll just 'check' the other ones and invariably find one that is too long... Gloria, remember the ride home?  Hahaha. 

Anyway........ I choose:
1.  Greg - can't wait to see if i agree...
2. Gloria - i know you LOVE me for this...
3. Aurelia - time to share my dear...
4. Steev - well, you're just weird period...j/k
5. Katie - i think there's definitely some freaky shit there and...
6. Jessalyn - i just wanted to see if you were still out there ;)

Piece, Love & Happiness...

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www.thedoctorschocolate.net for a special price...

How bad is being around a smoker?  Enough to raise your risk for heart disease by as much as 40 percent!!!  Breathing secondhand smoke regularly is as damaging as smoking one cigarette per day.  Not cool.

Cigars are a greater source of secondhand smoke than cigarettes.  The aging and fermenting involved in the manufacturing process, along with their nonporous wrappers makes them even more dangerous.  A large cigar emits up to 20 times more ammonia, five to ten times more cadmium(a carcinogenic metal), and up to 90 times as much carcinogenic nitrosamines.  Sounds yummy.

 

nothing too pressing or important to say... just the filler stuff.  spent the day cleaning, folding laundry, filling newly found jars with some prized sand, sifting through junk mail and trying to decide on tile and fixtures for the bathroom.  i'm getting excited even though we're still in the demolition phase.  this should be the last weekend of dust...then comes the fun part!  i'll do the tiling and greg will set the toilet/vanities/sink/tub... then paint and pretty-ing up... and i get a bonus room now... my zen room dissolved in the demolition and a new seaside sanctuary is emerging -probably out of a need for somewhere to showcase all of the amazing sand i am collecting.  so that will probably take shape before the bathroom since only one wall has been affected.  i'll post some before and afters when it's all said and done.  the kids just watched raiders of the lost ark and indiana jones and the temple of doom... harrison ford looks like a baby!  great flicks though.  i could ramble on, but i'm off for some lemon sorbet and my bed...mmmmm.  sweets and sleep, two of my favorites.  more again soon...

Saturday night slideshow is up and running... you still had to be there... and sadly, out of respect, no mistress of mayhem pics...