I'm sick of the Swine Flu...

Dear Media:

I get that the swine flu is going around. I also get that it's bad news if you catch it. What I don't get is how there are so many high risk groups who should get the vaccine, and that there's none to be found in most places. Please stop scaring the public into what's starting to resemble hysteria. It seems to me that if there's a shortage of vaccine, it makes no sense to broadcast that every night. Also, don't follow the segment on the shortage of vaccines by the segment on how serious H1N1 is... We all understand at this point.

Thanks for your consideration.

Hugs and Butterflies,
Lindsey "High Risk" P.

Things that are Annoying...

I was working on a "blog" (if you could even call it that...) a few years ago, and made this list of things that I find to be annoying... These things were at least annoying to me as of 2006, when I made the list.

Annoyances

...that are the most annoying. A list of things that bother me.

(In no particular order...)

Failure to utilize the turn signal
Driving more than 10 miles under/over the speed limit...(I'm a square...)
Socks without matches
The lump you get in your hair after you've had it in a ponytail
Bad Breath
People who don't cover their mouth when they sneeze/cough
People who don't say "bless you" if you sneeze. Would it kill you??!?
The color purple. I'm just not a fan.
Forgetting to close windows and letting it rain in...
When you really want a sandwich and realize that the bread's moldy
When someone who should doesn't remember your name
...When someone you wish wouldn't does...
Gel toothpaste. Ack.
Listerine.... DOUBLE ack.
Going to the dentist
Bird poop on the freshly washed car
Dropping little bits of cork into the wine bottle
Swiss cheese. Hate it.
Valentine's Day. The premise is nice... but the holiday, not a fan....
Hangnails
Non-name brand tissues... spring for the Kleenex already.
One-ply toilet paper... see above.
The scraping sound of teeth on silverware... gives me chills...
When the dryer doesn't get the clothes dry the first time...
...and I'm out of quarters
People who talk on cell phones in restaurants...
...while you're talking to them
Store bought applesauce... I always forget until I buy it. Yuck.
the word "gizzard"
...and when I see gizzards on menus of any kind....
getting my eyebrows done... the cowlick in my left eyebrow...
country music with too much "twang"
sunburn right behind your knees
...and in the part of your hair...
tea that's too strong;
coffee that's too weak
Sweaters that itch
when you park your car and realize that you're in a mud puddle
...and then you step in it and your socks get wet through your shoes
Breaking in new shoes when the old ones were more comfy
Lipstick on your teeth
...or melted in your purse when you left it in the 90 degree car...
vanity license plates
static cling
the melodic minor scale
Getting stabbed in the boob by your underwire bra
MATH
Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving...
...and after Valentine's Day...
People who don't leave messages when they call
Commercials for feminine hygiene...
...or those with politicians promoting "little blue pills"...
Spyware
When you buy a 2 liter bottle of soda and half inevitably goes flat
Forks with only 3 tines
Sweet Pickles
Diving
Water in my ears
Canker Sores
Making cookie dough and realizing you're out of eggs
Ugly Bridesmaid Dresses
The fact that wedding invitations come addressed to "...and Guest" when you don't actually have a guest to take.
Relatives who are WAY too enthusiastic to set you up on dates with random strangers.
The fact that you can only wear black socks with black pants.
Forgetting to check the lint trap in the dryer for the dark load of laundry.
Forgetting to check the pocket of your black pants for rogue kleenex before throwing them into the wash.
The term "wild" when referring to someone's hairstyle... It's never a good thing.
Iowa winters.
Religious propoganda disguised as cupcakes (it's better not to ask).
When one random strand of hair sticks to freshly applied lip gloss.
Buying songs on the jukebox and leaving before they're played.
Overanalyzing things that shouldn't be overanalyzed.
Incorrect first impressions.
Earmuffs.
Guilt trips.
Realizing that the bag of Tostitos is nothing but crumbs.
Swiss Cheese.
My inability to read minds.
Hindsight.
People who won't get a clue.
Valentine's Day.
The holes on the salt shaker don't work with Kosher salt.
When M&M's melt in your hand.
The huge vocal range of Ave Maria.
The fact that I'll never probably have any need to sing Ave Maria for anything... (love that song)
NetFlix DVD's that are scratched.
Plants that are supposed to be "impossible to kill"... but aren't.
Anyone who calls me before 9 AM on the weekends.

I'll admit, some of these are probably less annoying to me now; but I still think it's a pretty good sampling.

There she is... I don't know why I complain about weekends when I get to look at this face all day... Oprah pales in comparison to hanging out with pint-size. :)

In other "news", I have started Christmas shopping and am well on my way to being all finished up with that. Now the big thing is to come up is my own list of "wants" to tell people when they ask, and they're already asking... I can easily come up with a list of things I don't want/need, but people somehow seem less interested in that list.

A few things that I always recommend (that will probably make it on to my list again...): Votivo Red Currant Candles (votivo.com), Bochner Chocolates (bochnerchocolates.com), Philosophy "Senorita Margarita" Bath/Shower Gel (philosophy.com), Beautiful stationery (papyrusonline.com), Music that's easy to listen to, Crafty things (beads, scrapbook stuff, sewing stuff...), Gifts that are handmade... I'm noticing that it may not be as big of a stretch as I thought to figure out what I want for Christmas.

About a couple of the things mentioned above:

Votivo Red Currant candles may be the best smell on earth... I could (and would if asked!) be a spokesperson for them. The make entire rooms smell DELICIOUS. I could smell that smell every day and be a happy woman.

Bochner Chocolates are made inIowa City, Iowa, where I went to college... They are delicious and incredibly beautiful. I always feel a little guilty eating them because they're so nice to look at.

Senorita Margarita is probably the best smell that I've found for shower products. Philosophy has a lot of great smells; but some of them smell so much like food that I think it would feel weird to smell like them... (For example--who really wants their hair to smell like a gingerbread cookie?)

OK. Done with the product recommendations... for today.

Saturday...

After having a child, I've realized that the word "weekend" means very little to me. Sure, it's Saturday and technically the weekend, but I always thought weekend meant "time off". Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that I'm not the first to notice that being a parent is way more than just a full-time job--it just never occured to me until I was the one with no "weekend"... Being a mother to an infant apparently is (or should be) synonymous with losing all track of time. It could be Monday, and for all I know it's Wednesday (not that it's terribly important). Fridays used to be the day I looked forward to, and Saturdays the best days of the week. Now, the best day is the one where the baby sleeps well during naps, and I can watch Oprah uninterrupted; whatever day that may be.