What's in Your UBK?

As if I didn't have enough to do. You know, Blog (which in all honesty I haven't been doing much of lately), email, close up my business, look for a new job, try to catch everyone up on these major life changes (my friends all want to know everything that is new with me. ie:friend)try to keep some semblance of a neat home (Not happening right now), empty the contents of my studio, find someone to rent the space so I don't get sued by the owner, list crap on eBay, attend Tri's still try to have a normal life AND Bigun wants me to list myself on Facebook. I told him I didn't want to. I am honestly too busy for it. I check in on his occasionally to catch up on everyone. So, I told him "No Thanks". He said, "Okay, I'll put you on there." So, I figured I better jump on it before he could. Bastard. So, I'm on Facebook now. No promises on constant communication. No promises on all of the good Karma stuff, or sending mixed cocktails. But, I am there. So there you have it Bigun. Now, go send out your good karma stuff.

On another front,

There I was, standing in line at the the local Chinese Restaurant. My friend, lets call her DAWN, is busy chatting about things. Life, the weather, what she's going to eat...I'm drifting. Listening to all of the other conversations going on around me and yet still being attentive and fully aware of Dawn. She was telling me about her son, her future trip to Egypt this summer, life in general. Finally, it's my turn to order lunch. I finish ordering and walk over to the chairs at the front of the restaurant and wait for my "to go" order. As I am walking to the chairs by the door i overhear a fellow talking with two others. he says..."No, really, it's totally an American dish. If you go to China and order it, they won't know what you are talking about." I laugh to myself and i think, he is talking about Egg Foo Young. Dawn joins me a moment later. I turn to her and say "Guess what?" you know what her reply is..."What?"

So, I point at the fellow I overheard talking and said "He has a UBK too!!" Dawn starts laughing and asks me how is it that I know he too has a UBK. Before I continue on let me explain what a UBK is for those of you who haven't heard me use this term before. The UBK stands for a Useless Bank of Knowledge. Mine, it's full of all sorts of things. For example, the Egg Foo Young thing. BTW, DAWN is the same girl who barely escaped death at the hands of a serial killer rapist. Actually, she barely escaped death by TriSherpa Di to be more accurate. That is another story though. Getting back to the UBK...

DAWN and I have been friends for about 6 years. She always laughs at me and my little bits of trivia. I am a trivia junkie. It comes naturally. I don't work at remembering little tidbits of information. I read it somewhere, or I hear it and it just sticks. You know how some people remember Historical Dates or every one's birthdays or sports stats. I remember minutia. Stuff that the average person doesn't really care about knowing but find it somewhat interesting none the less.

Allow me to give you an example.... not only is EggFooYung an American dish, so is General Tso's chicken and Chop Suey. True. Sorry. They came about when the Chinese who immigrated to the US started creating dishes using the local fare. Hence, if you go to China, don't expect to see these dishes offered on the menu.

What is a Bobeche? It's that curved round glass(or metal) disc with a hole in the center that fits over a candle to catch the wax drippings.

Did you know that baby venomous snakes are far more deadly than adults? It is true. Want to know why? Because an adult strikes and removes it's fangs after one injection of venom. It may strike again, but that's something different. Baby snakes strike and their fangs are so small often times they cannot remove them from the victim. This means they continuously inject venom, over and over again. When that happens, it usually means, D.E.D. Dead.

The Osprey is a bird of prey that plunges into the water to capture fish. Ospreys are large birds, black-brown on top and white below. Sometimes people confuse them with Bald Eagles. Ospreys feed primarily on fresh panfish. They search for fish while flying 30-100 feet above the water. If they spot prey, they hover, then plummet down, plunging into the water feet first. Strong, curved talons and specialized spines on the bottoms of their feet help them hold onto the slippery fish. If they catch the fish, they quickly take off, juggling it in their feet until its head is facing forward into the wind. Then they fly to a perch to eat it. Ospreys can’t swim and have been known to drown, especially if they get their talons stuck in too large a fish and can’t take off. They can't take off because their talons "lock" into the fish and they cannot remove the locking talons to free themselves. The spiked talons either get ripped out or the bird drowns.

Hey Jude -When John Lennon left his wife, Cynthia, for Yoko in 1968 Paul McCartney didn't let that stop him from visiting Cynthia and Lennon's son Julian. Paul has maintained a great friendship throughout his life with Cynthia and her son Julian. One morning as he was driving out to see Cynthia and Julian, Paul began humming a tune and singing "Hey Julian..." Later the song became Hey Jules and eventually turned into Hey Jude. The song has always been about and for Julian Lennon.

Trivia aside, I also know the lyrics to more songs than I can remember. I know, sounds like an oxymoron. Truth is, I hear songs that I haven't heard in years. In fact I have forgotten the songs even existed. They come on the radio and I can remember the lyrics, from 10, 15, sometimes 20 years ago. That show with Wayne Brady -Don't Forget The Lyrics, well, I could rock it.
I remember stuff. I can't remember what I ate for breakfast, or what might have been said to me 5 minutes ago, but I remember Stuff. Hence, my brain being coined the UBK.
What's in your UBK?

My Week

I was reading Geek Girl's post. It was a great breakdown of her week. I read it and thought, wow, she had a week of weeks I think. Mine, pretty boring. Really boring. Then, I realized, maybe it wasn't so boring.
Monday was a good start for the week. My company is growing. This means I need a Consultant. I need someone who has already grown a couple of businesses to help me out. So, my partner and me met with this guy who believes he can help us. It's not the growing that worries me. It's the bleeding of profits. I want to be sure that the growth isn't hurting our ability to grow financially.
Monday night, I went to Yoga. Yes, yoga. Again. I loved the class. Loved the workout. (is yoga considered a workout?) I don't know if all Yogi's do this or not, but ours has you lie down and relax at the end of class. Breathe and purge sort of thing. She turns the lights out, lights a candle or two and starts telling you to clear your mind, breathe, fall into nothing. You get the picture right? I actually hear a couple of short snores. Yes. One or two folks were really listening to her, or not, based on your perception. Me, well I tried. I did. I couldn't get comfortable. Something about lying on the hard floor (yoga mat did not help so much) trying to relax. I kept tossing and turning. Just trying to find a comfortable position. Then, when the snoring started, I felt the giggles coming on. Not to mention, I was still giggling over the little fart that slipped out when I did the splits on the floor. Come on, farts are funny. Even in yoga class. I Could not clear my mind. The whole place was dark and sort of quiet. Except for the snoring, the yogi talking softly, a few other heavy breathers and me. Giggling. Quietly. Trying not to. That made it even funnier. I am not sure I am going to be allowed back in to yoga.
On Tuesday I fought off a serial killer, rapist. Single handedly. With a knife. He had a gun. This is how it unfolded...
Tuesday we had our weekly meeting at work. Had a contractor come in and give us information on his business and talk about our building a professional partnership with him. Only one problem. One of my colleagues didn't show up. She didn't call, she wasn't answering her home or cell phone either. She would have called if she were able. That's her. That's what she does. My colleague is also one of my dear friends, lets call her DAWN. At about 1:30pm I finally track down DAWN'S sister. It took me about 30 minutes to find her. I only knew the sister's first name and I only knew she worked for an office supply company. So, I start dialing the yellow pages. A few companies later, I hit the right one. I talk to DAWN's sister (who also happens to live with DAWN). Sis has also been unable to reach DAWN. So, I get in my car and head over to DAWN's house. My other 3 colleagues are all just as worried as I am. They asked me to call upon my arrival and to keep them posted on what's happening.
On the way to her house I begin to think of what might have happened. What if she was in a bad wreck on the way to work. Well, if her car wasn't at home, we'd call the FL HP and see what we could find out. At which point we would also start checking with the hospitals. My thoughts though, lets see first if she is home.
To give you a little background, my friend is newly single. She is back out on the dating scene. I knew she was going out to dinner Monday night with some friends. I thought, what if she met someone. What if in her trusting ways (she trusts everyone) she maybe, just maybe met someone and brought him home. You know, to watch a movie or something. Well, what if Mr.Friendly turned out to be Ted Bundy JR. For crying out loud!! What if Mr. Friendly turned out to have a fond admiration for The Green River Killer. You see where this is going don't you? My fears aren't baseless though. It just happens that years ago a friend of mine, one of my closest dearest friends, was kidnapped, beaten, raped, stabbed, and left for dead in her van as the attacker set her van on fire. The attacker left, my friend didn't die. She survived, barely. You can imagine what was going on in my head at this point.
When I arrive at DAWN's neighborhood, she doesn't answer the call from the gate. I get out of my car and flag down a neighbor who was leaving, briefly explained I have a friend who I am worried about, answered her questions of who and where, she let me in the gate. When I pull into the driveway, there is a strange car parked there. It's about 2pm now. I ring the doorbell, knock loudly, shout, pound. Nothing. Nada. No one. Shit. Shit. Shit. I walk around to the back of the house because I can knock on the door to her bedroom(in FL we all have doors from the master to the outside). I knock and shout. Nothing. No response. DAWN is the kind of person who would come to the window. Even if she was naked. No DAWN. I look down at the patio table and there is a knife. I big knife. Swear, it's true. I couldn't make it up.
From where I am standing I can pretty much see into every room in the house. Except the bedroom, the blinds are all closed tight. As I am looking into the kitchen I notice DAWN's purse is there. I also see many of it's contents laying out on the kitchen Island. WTF? That's not normal. Ladies, how many of us pour our purses out at night? Things are not looking good. I pick up the knife. The knife looks like something DAWN's brother might have sent from Abu Dhabi. It's in it's sheath. Removing it from it's cover I note that it is very sharp and curved and should be easy enough to handle. All three of the back doors are locked . I couldn't get any of them open. I walk back to the front of the house. The mystery car is still in the driveway. From the front door I can see through to the back patio. The house is a very open floor plan with lots of windows. I start to look for a key. As I reach up above the door I step on the door mat and hear a tiny "chink" under the mat. Sounded like metal against cement. I lift the mat. Can you believe this? There is a key. To the front door. Who does that?!?! See what I mean about trusting? DAWN is trusting. Before I enter, I call the studio and tell them what's going on and that I am going into the house.
When I enter the house, my heart starts pounding. The sound is loud in my ears too. The house is quiet and dark except for the light coming in through the windows. I am yelling quite loudly now. No answer. There is DAWN's wallet, open, her driver's license is there, her social security card is out, on the island. Not right. A glass is sitting in the middle of a paper plate on the island. It still has coke in it and a few ice cubes. I am standing in the center of the house here. The answering machine has 11 calls on it. I turn back to the front door, make sure it is unlocked, leave my keys by the door in case I have to run. I didn't want to drop my keys and fumble to pick them up. In my mind, I am actually pretty calm. Oh, BTW, I am wielding the knife. A line from a movie pops into my head - something about bringing a knife to a gun fight. But, that's all I have. I just happened to forget my pistola at home today. Dammit. I turn towards the closed bedroom door.
Seriously worried that I could be out gunned here I actually reach across the door from behind a small wall to open it. Pushing it in as I shield myself behind the little outcrop of drywall. I ease my head around the corner after a 15 or 20 second delay. The bedroom is pitch dark. Instead of placing my body in the door I reach out to flip the light on with the knife. The bed is messed up but no one is in it. No blood. That's a good sign. My brain is very calm. I cross over and go into the bedroom. There is no body on the floor either. I turn to the bathroom. Lights are out. My next thought is I need to check the shower. I turn so that my back is on the wall opposite the bathroom mirror. This way, no one can come up from behind and surprise me. I turn on the lights, again using the knife. I am about to ease my way into the center of the bathroom to look in the shower and I hear a voice. It's sort of muffled. The voice says "I'm in the bathroom". (this means water closet aka toilet). Then the toilet flushes.
Through all of this, DAWN had been sitting on the John with a bad case of diarrhea. Yes. The cha cha chas. So -I stabbed her.
No, I didn't stab her. But, I thought about it. Briefly, for a millisecond. I put the knife back in it's case and keep it close by.
Turns out, DAWN did try to reach me that morning. She was really sick and wasn't going to make it. The message never came through on my phone. Thanks for the great service there VERIZON. The calm left my body and I began to shake, uncontrollably. Then I started to cry. Then I stabbed DAWN. Okay, again, I didn't stab her. In real life. In my mind though...
I had to call the studio and tell them everything was okay and that they could call the state troopers and tell them never mind. Then, I got in the bed and laid there for a bit to let my heart rate come back down. Dawn and I start to laugh. It was a sick, you are crazy, demented laugh. I asked her "Who's car is that in the driveway?" She asks, "what car?" I describe it. Turns out it belongs to her sister's boyfriend. He was in the house the entire time. He never bothered to answer my calling out or my knocks and poundings on the door. I yelled "HELLO" and "DAWN!!!" more times than I can count when I entered the house. We went out to the kitchen, Dawn checks and the coward's car is gone. Without a word.
A few minutes later I realized I was STARVING. Not just hungry, but so hungry I would gnaw off anyone's hand that managed to find it's way between my mouth and my food, hungry. We go for Chinese. After eating my little asian snack, my phone beeps. There's Dawn's message saying she won't be in to work today. It's 4:50pm the message is tagged at 9:24 AM. VERIZON SUCKS!!! Just sayin'.
When I arrive home I tell the story to Bigun. He was none too pleased with me. He was very unhappy with the fact that I entered a home believing there might be a killer inside...he was right. But. What are friends for? We kill killers and bury ex's, right?
Wednesday was uneventful.
Thursday, Betty Lou got some new shoes and an adjustment. Bigun and I went to the beach while BettyLou was getting her makeover.
Friday, Busy day of meetings and appointments. Today should be quiet and tomorrow is St.Anthony's
That was my week. Pretty boring, I know.

What I Did Last Weekend

Last Saturday Bigun and I did a little grocery shopping. You know, stock up on a few staples and pick up a few perishables. Grocery shopping is never an activity that I look forward to doing. I don't hate it, it's one of those automaton type chores for me. In addition, it is inevitable that I forget to pick up the one thing I most wanted. Here's a few of the items we picked up... fresh fruit,

some light refreshment ( I LOVE this stuff)

Bigun needed some Gatorade and also chose some lovely cashews. Cashews don't last long in our home. Costco has a big tub they sell. It lasts about 3 or 4 days.

I walked away from the cart, being minded by Bigun, to grab a few items. When I return I went to place said items into the basket I noticed a couple of new additions to the cart...

But wait...Twizzlers weren't alone. They were accompanied by these -
I was only gone for about 40 seconds. Not even a full minute. All of that Tri-training has atleast paid off for the Bigun in the grocery aisle. He can speed his way through the donut and twizzler section faster than I can turn and grab a gallon of milk!

Bigun had an earache so I told him to rest while I put away groceries. I caught him on camera "resting".

Grocery Shopping is what I did on Saturday. I know, my last post made my weekend seem much more ...involved. Sad to say, most of you will be disappointed. (feel free to click on the pics for a better view) Last Sunday I hung out in my neighbor's (Orlando) backyard. Here's who I met...

I met a Mime at the pool.

A diver named Seymour

A couple of shady characters, I didn't get their names. Probably kin to the ones ExcelMan will be meeting in June during the Escape From Alcatraz Tri.

A surfer chick. She was pretty cool.

A few Acrobats

They were far too busy for me to catch their names.

But, you know how there is always that one, really big, guy who splashes around and jumps around in the pool? You know the one, always manages to soak everyone sitting poolside. He was there too.

I did get his name. He was actually a really likable fellow. His name was Shamu. Great guy.

There you have it. Now you know what I did last weekend. I hung out in the neighbors yard and met quite a few interesting characters. Any time you head this way, let me know. I'll introduce you. I'll fill you in later on what I did Wednesday. Wednesday I stayed home and played in my own backyard. It's pretty WILD.

The Marctionary aka Bigunary

Okay, first things first. Bigun and Excel Man (as most of you already know) participated in the "Escape To Alcatraz" in Clermont, Florida last Sunday. I know, my race report is a little slow on the keypad. Sorry.

I'm going off on a tangent for a minute. No excuses, just plain truth. In my industry (Interior Design) you really have to stay on top of the latest styles, trends, colors, etc. This past week I had seminars to attend and work to do. Wah wah right? I'm not complaining, truly, just explaining my tardiness on the Sherpa Report for E 2 A. - Seminar, BTW, Fantastic. It was a great training tool for our company.

Back to the RR for E2A. Race - sucked. Wait, I know what you are wanting to say ..."Sucked? Why is that TriSherpa Di?"...okay, let me explain. It.Was.Friggin.FREEZING!!!! It was colder than The Escape from Alcatraz last June. If I had balls, they would have been frozen off. That's the truth. Guess who that is wrapped up all nice and tight in the blanket... How Bigun and ExcelMan's jewels came through unscathed is beyond me. Back to the cold. I am a true blue Northerner. Raised in the wicked winters of upstate NY. I love the winter. Thing is, cold air, cutting wind and standing still for extended periods of time does not FUN make. I froze my ass off. (no one ever died of wishful thinking right?)

The race was small. It was the smallest race I've ever been to. I was surprised at the small turnout. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe not so surprised. The way Zeibart burned the Bigun, it probably isn't the first time for this sort of behaviour and I am quite certain it won't be the last time. OR...maybe, just maybe...everyone has gotten wise to the fact that Zeibart is only after a quick buck and that $100 entry fee is just Zeibart's way of making you feel thankful you were even allowed to participate in his race. Cause I am here to tell you, the after race fare...well, pretty much non existent except for some donut holes and 2 cakes from the Food Store. Wait, forgot, they had some crappy hotdogs too.

No finisher's medal was anywhere to be seen. The goody bags did have a T-Shirt in them. There you have it. approximately 300 people in the race, F'n freezing temperatures, no real food and a T-Shirt. Jeez, I am sure thankful Bigun was allowed to participate in this race AND get ripped off for an extra 5 bucks.

Yes, I know...you have already read all of this in Bigun's report. Sorry, nothing like beating a dead horse, right? I honestly tried to find something good to write about this race. I couldn't. I know, the weather was not under anyone's control. I'll give that much. Just a freak of Florida Nature. Or was it? Because I am now wondering if ... well, nevermind.

Okay, I can think of some good things to report about this race. Bigun and ExcelMan. They did really well. Keep in mind we are talking about 2 boys who are totally acclimated to the warm weather of Florida. They both raced with truly frigid digits. Sounds silly to even bring it up? Well, I had a difficult time just cheering in the cold. My SherpaSpirit was a little lacking that morning. Usually I cheer for everyone, admittedly, I only cheered for our boys that morning. I know, I suck. Sorry. I heard quite a few of the athletes remarking how they didn't feel their feet until about half way through the run. The water was very choppy and very chilly. Reminiscent of the St.Anthony's water 2 years ago. Talk about scary.



Both guys raced with smiles. They looked strong and they barely broke a sweat through the whole race. I did manage to get some great shots of them on the course.

There you have it. My race report. That isn't really why I am here today. I am here to talk about something I think you are all well aware of now. "The Marctionary". If you have listened to the podcasts of Tac and Bigun...you know what I'm talking about. Don't you? Yep. Thought so. Here in The Land of Blog you probably all know it not as "The Marctionary" but rather as "The Bigunary".

Some people, you may know someone like this, they know the English language well. So well, in fact, they take certain liberties with it. By liberties I am referring to the Art of Reinvention. Reinventing the English language for the sake of...well...for the sake of...okay. I am at a loss here. Wait, it's Bigun I'm talking about here. It's reinvention for the sake of a laugh, for the sake of the new word just sounds like it fits better. In his mind anyway.

Am I crossing a line here? Busting my husbands chops in public, amongst all of our Blogger friends? Hell, if you can't bust your hubby's chops with your friends, who can you bust them with? Right...? Right?

Bigun, for those of you who have met him, he's a funny guy. He pretty much considers his art of getting a laugh to be a no holds barred sport. If reinventing words for a laugh works, well, he's bound to go for it.

Here are a few examples. You and I would probably say the word "discombobulated" he would say "noncombobulation". Here's one - you and I would say "spectacular" Bigun would say "spectaculous". Everyone else in the free world would say "oxymoron" he would say something like "morononobia". I know, directly translated, not even close to the same thing. But when translated in a Bigun conversation, you can't help but laugh. So, the next time you listen to the Taconite and Bigun Show, you may want to pay attention to how the English language is being reinvented by our own Bigun. He's a funny guy.

Leave him a message on the PodLine 813-990-0951. There's a hot British chick asking you to leave a message. If you can't download for an I Pod, make sure you let them know. They can supply a link for an MP3 also.

Well folks, that's all I've got. Have a great week and hopefully, I'll be chatting with you sooner than a month from now....

I Have Been Cheating

Yes. I have been cheating and I am sorry.

I have been cheating on my posts. Craziness is exactly what it has been here for a while now. My J.O.B. is taking more time along with all of the social events, Tri's, etc going on - craziness. So, I have been shortchanging all of you on my posts. Sorry, but posting with lots of photos has been a quick way to let you all in on the goings ons around here. Cheating. I know. Sorry.

In addition, because of my short amount of time, I have been skimping on the comment love. I am still reading everyone's posts but I find myself clicking on the next because I am always so pressed for time. I am still stopping in to see everyone as I always have but have been skipping the comment love. Cheating. I know. Once again, I am sorry. Truly. Bear with me through my busy season and I'll be back in full swing.

This is a sample of what I do for a living. This home was a newly built home. The clients moved here from Chicago. They had no furniture at all for their home. So, I came in and created this -

This is a "during" shot. This client ordered the sofa and decided she loved the Tiger pattern so much, she wanted more. So, I painted the pattern onto the face of her kitchen bar.

And in her art "niche"

For those of you who have asked -There is a tiny peek into what I do for a living. I do it all. Custom furnishings, draperies, bedding, carpets, floors, faux finishes, you name it. Right now I am about to install a beautiful copper ceiling in a home that is being built. It will be so stunning. Stunning.

Right now, in my world, everyone loves me. They don't love me because I am charming and beautiful. Well...maybe that's it....yeah, it probably is, but in reality, they love me because I make their homes beautiful. Just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Right. ( I am laughing very hard out loud right now)

If it was to be done before the Holidays, they should have started in July. Swear. Custom upholstery, drapes, bedding, it all takes time. These days, more time than before. You see, in the effort to meet Americans' desire for nice look for little price, everyone has gone overseas for their product. So, those fabrics that used to be milled in North and South Carolina no longer exist. The mills are all closed down and the fabrics are now coming from China. This means, lots and lots of wait time if the fabric isn't in stock. Well, no one ever picks a fabric that is in stock. Trust me. So, custom is defined as: Wait. Period. Please. Don't shoot the messenger.

Okay, enough of my bitch session. With all of that said, I am still insanely busy. I like it that way. My days are not so easy and they are very long more often than not. But, I really do like it this way. So, please forgive me if i cheat a little for a bit on my posts. Please?

We partied at the Bigun house this past weekend. It really was a fun filled evening. I felt like the Bride again. The house was full and I barely got to spend time with anyone person for more than 5 minutes at a time. ExcelMan and Green Eyed Lady joined in the festivities along with 20 other people. My life is so full of beautiful people. I truly have wonderful friends. TriFeist came over for a bit. It was so much fun to meet her. I feel guilty that I didn't spend more time learning about her. I have no doubt we'll see her again. Her Hubby was working so she was flying solo. I smell a dinner coming on...

In addition to work and regular home things I have been working on various projects in my home too. My walls have been painted and repainted more than once in more than one room. The Guest suite is almost done. I have to finish putting the bed together. I had the bed frame in there but now have a beautiful carved black poster head board and foot board to add. The delivery guys forgot to leave the rails, so the bed is not put up yet.

Finally finished painting the hall bath - it is metallic gold. LOVE it. It looks fabulous with the red curtains in there. In addition to that I redid our bedroom too. Bigun recovered the headboard a while ago and i finally put the new bedding on the bed. It's red, mingled with gold and bronze. The bedding. It looks so gorgeous with the red sofa in there. Stunning. I still have to finish the venetian plaster in there and the painting. It'll happen, just don't know when. I am also building some built-in bookcases in the office. The painting is done and the desk and credenza are in but the book cases are only about 1/3 of the way finished. I'll finish them in between putting the final layer of glaze on my Dining room walls. Are you seeing a trend here yet? Many projects, little time and millions of ideas... that's me. Oh. I work too. Cook often. Take care of the dogs, try to keep up with the house ( not always successfully either), work in laundry every now and then as well. Thank the Lord I don't have children too. I would be three stories up at the asylum. How you women with kids do it, I'll never know. My hat is off to you all.

Oh. I almost forgot. I read too. I read a lot. It's my get away. My sanctuary. Books. I love them. I love the way the ink smells on the pages when you crack that book for the first time. If I fall asleep with ink smudged fingers at night, I feel good. I just finished a couple of books. One in particular,

"In an Instant" . Bob and Lee Woodruff.

Editorial Reviews
Book Description

In one of the most anticipated books of the year, Lee Woodruff, along with her husband, Bob Woodruff, share their never-before-told story of romance, resilience, and survival following the tragedy that transformed their lives and gripped a nation.

In January 2006, the Woodruffs seemed to have it all–a happy marriage and four beautiful children. Lee was a public relations executive and Bob had just been named co-anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight. Then, while Bob was embedded with the military in Iraq, an improvised explosive device went off near the tank he was riding in. He and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were hit, and Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury that nearly killed him.In an Instant is the frank and compelling account of how Bob and Lee’s lives came together, were blown apart, and then were miraculously put together again–and how they persevered, with grit but also with humor, through intense trauma and fear.

Here are Lee’s heartfelt memories of their courtship, their travels as Bob left a law practice behind and pursued his news career and Lee her freelance business, the glorious births of her children and the challenges of motherhood.Bob in turn recalls the moment he caught the journalism “bug” while covering Tiananmen Square for CBS News, his love of overseas assignments and his guilt about long separations from his family, and his pride at attaining the brass ring of television news–being chosen to fill the seat of the late Peter Jennings.

And, for the first time, the Woodruffs reveal the agonizing details of Bob’s terrible injuries and his remarkable recovery. We learn that Bob’s return home was not an end to the journey but the first step into a future they have learned not to fear but to be grateful for.In an Instant is much more than the dual memoir of love and courage. It is an important, wise, and inspiring guide to coping with tragedy–and an extraordinary drama of marriage, family, war, and nation.A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury.

Please read this book. It brings to light a serious issue facing our nation, it's soldiers, it's families. People may not agree on the war in Iraq and they may not agree with why we are there or the policies of our leaders. It doesn't matter. Our men and women are still there. Support them. Supporting our soldiers is what matters. Freedom isn't free and the men and women who are there, in Iraq, they know this. Does your personal freedom depend on the war in Iraq? I don't know. I won't presume to guess either. What I do know is that a tyrant who murdered his people and tortured many more is now gone. Our men and women are there to help the ones left behind in the debris.They are there to help them put their lives back together. To gain their freedom. The daily struggles they face, both our soldiers and Iraq's citizens, will be a long and hard road.

I did not want to turn this into a "heavy" post, but I am compelled to say this-

Our men and women who are returning home with missing limbs, post traumatic stress disorders, brain injuries, and more, they need our help. They need OUR help. What can you do?

Sgt. Gonzalez from Alpha Company of 1/38 Infantry Regiment patrols Baqubah, Iraq, on Oct. 3.
ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

No- I haven't been at WalMart - they kicked me out...

Sorry Everyone,
I know I have been away from The Land of Blog for a while now. Life has been busy here though. Although it was tempting, I have NOT been at WalMart these past weeks. They quit trying to clean my windshield after the first attempt and found I was penniless....
I have been super busy at work and with other things. With our trip to Chicago coming up I have been trying to get as much done for work as I could before leaving.
In the mean time, let me show you a few of the things I have been busy with...

Boo came over for a visit...tickling Kitty was at the top of her list of things to do at our house...Brisco loved chasing her around.

My niece Alex and Mom Lisa were here from NC for a quick visit.....

There was a going away party for our friend Becky (2nd from the left) She has moved to Dallas.

Green Eyed Lady and I shared a date with this guy. Man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh! sorry, Oh man. Chris Isaak Hubba Hubba. If any of you haven't seen him in concert - I highly recommend it. This isn't a show just for women either. Isaak gave the best Concert I have been to, after The Tubes. (yes, I said it, The Tubes).

Go see Chris Isaak in concert if you ever get the chance. EDIT: I must clarify here, Isaak is second only to The Tubes. Tubes still hold #1 spot, then Isaak, then McCartney, then Bowie. Yupper. That's it. (the links will take you to 2 different sites for The Tubes) here's a pic. or two....

I have patiently been waiting for this......

(click on the pictures and they'll enlarge)

To become this.

In between all of this I have also managed to remake and hang drapes for a client, close a nice sized sale on a large project that consumes all of my days and nights, open 2 new large projects, shoot engagement photos for a young couple, get in one 15 mile ride ( I know - shabby) read the new Harry Potter book, devoured Son of a Witch and started 2 other books. It's my only defense against the Insomnia. We leave for Chicago Thursday morning. Tomorrow I'll try to get what I can finished at work. Cross your fingers. Hopefully, I'll come back more relaxed. lol

Right now, I have to go polish my cowbells. I don't want Big Mike and J-Wim to have a bad first impression. ;)

p.s. - I sure have missed you guys.

What?!?! It's All About Me?!? Again?!?!?

A little bit about ME
Well, this is kinda cool. Rather than try to gather my 8000 different thoughts into a potentially book sized post, I get to just fill in the blanks to answer some questions. Pretty easy and fun I think.
Tagged by Tri-DogMom
Jobs I’ve Held
when I was 14 - I bagged groceries at the commissary on the small housing area I lived in Germany
Came back stateside and worked at Burger King - yep, fast food. I never ate at a Burger King until I was 16 years old...
One Hour Foto, Photo Center, Lester's Photography, Photo Center -again, Lawson and Weitzen Attys at Law, Photo Center ( a different one), Photo Journalist with Columbus Ledger Enquirer (GA), The Design Firm, Norwalk The Furniture Idea, now I own my own Design Studio

Movies I Can Watch Over & Over
Dave,
An American President,
Outlaw Josey Wales,
Army of Darkness,
Excalibur and the one that goes without saying... A Christmas Story.

My Guilty Pleasures
Double Stuff Oreo Cookies
Raspberry Milano cookies
shoes
Pedicures and facials
Sushi
Guinness
shoes
cool t-shirts
unusual jewelry
hot bath
shoes


Places I Have Lived (in order)
Arlington, VA
Asmara, Ethiopia
Fort Ord, California
Rome, NY
Romulus, NY
Pruem, Germany
Fayetteville, NC
Clarksville, TN
Acton/Boston, MA
Columbus, GA
Atlanta, GA
Houston, TX
Brandon, FL

Shows I Enjoy
Desperate Housewives
American Idol
How I met your mother
Lost
Wheel of Fortune
Gray's Anatomy
House
Cold Case ( the actual true story one on Discover channel)
CSI - Vegas

Places I Have Been on Vacation
All over Europe
Albuquerque,NM
San Francisco,CA
Valley City, OH
surely there are more...

Favorite Foods
Raspberries
Sushi
White Chocolate Raspberry anything
Anything Peanut Butter and chocolate
Salsa
Fish
Ramen ( I know)
Tomatoes


Websites I Visit Daily
Lots of blogs (see sidebar)

Awards I’ve Won
Gosh lots of pseudo nerdy stuff when I was a kid.
In High School "Most Likely to Expose" lol, swear...I always wore a mini skirt to school, because it was against the rules. I got away with it because I refused to be told what I could or couldn't wear (always in good taste). So, I was awarded appropriately upon graduation.
As an adult, here and there stuff with different jobs
Platinum Designer Nationwide for Norwalk -

Nicknames I’ve Been Called
Skinny ( I used to be)
Di

Now, I guess I get to see who really reads my blog by tagging 5 more people: I have chosen 5 people who inspire me...
Geek Girl - well, because I love her! She's a great writer! and she pushes through to the finish every time.
J-Wim & Mike - they both have overcome enormous obstacles to change their lives
Duane - because he could easily say "enough" and he never does
Aimee - because she is a newly christened TriAthlete as of Saturday, August 4th!!! the mother of 3 kids (unless you count TriDummy- then it's 4) who keeps busy with a gazillion things and keeps going.

My New Computer

Bigun told me Thursday that he bought a new computer for my bike (the one he 1st gave me has never worked on my bike).

I still haven't seen said computer...

Chapter 2 of The Escape Adventure EDITED FOR CHOCOLATE

Bigun and I are here in San Francisco. It's such a beautiful city. I really do love it here. Yesterday when we arrived we were pretty tired. My allergies were in full showing. Sneezing like a mad woman for the 6 hour flight from Atlanta to San Francisco. We checked in at the Hotel and settled in a bit then headed down to Fisherman's Wharf. We enjoyed a little time there, over a superb burger. Medium rare with cheddar

On the way back to our Hotel we made a brief stop at Chocolate Heaven. OH. My. Chocolaty. Heavenly. Delight. Now, Bigun will attest to this, I am not a chocoholic. In fact, I rarely buy it and when I do, I hide it from him. I can make a single chocolate bar last a week or longer. Swear. It's true. I savor chocolate when I have it. A little piece of chocolate here and then later, a little more. Bigun, sees chocolate and it is no longer seen. He can wipe out a single bar in mere seconds.

Yesterday was different. I got my hands on a 1/4 pound of Dark Chocolate Amaretto Cordials. The name of the shop is dead on, Chocolate Heaven. Those little dark delights are undeniably the best thing since, well, since the harnessing of fire happened. Normally, a 1/4 pound of chocolate would last no less than a week. As of 4pm today, that whole 1/4 pound of cordials have dutifully disappeared. Yes, I gave a couple to Bigun. He is after all my husband.

I digress...after a brief time at the Wharf, we came back to the Hotel. We thought we should think about resting up after a long 24 hours before arriving here.

Bigun and I awoke at a bright and early 4am Cali time. Oh. Yes. Wide awake. At 6am Bigun headed out on his run. Turns out - my allergies aren't allergies at all. I am sick. Yep. My only solace, those cordials that are now consumed in entirety. We made it out of the room for a trip to IHOP and then Walgreens for meds. Came back to the room and I slept until about 1 o'clock. Got up and moving and again hit the Wharf. We got to see a guy swallow fire, we had a beer, some water and awesome Calamari . I lasted about an hour and a half and Bigun thought it wise that I get back into bed and save up my energy. My head hurts, my nose has a mind of it's own, my lungs are filling up with lots of lovely yucky stuff and I am running a pretty good fever. Please cross your fingers for me that I'll feel well enough to make it to the race Sunday. I simply cannot miss this race. I can't.

I am pretty sure I can muster up enough energy to walk downstairs and get a cab back to the chocolate shop..... maybe not, but a girl can dream can't she?
Well, I wish I could write more and be more entertaining but, that's all I got.
Bigun just returned from his first swim at the Aquatic Park. Seems the water is a tad bit chilly. I think his family jewels have disappeared. Thank goodness we aren't looking to have children now. I'll leave that tale telling to him. Thanks for keeping up with our journey and thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts. It is greatly appreciated.

Di and Bigun.

Betty Lou's Got Back

Here she is getting ready for her maiden transport of Fred and The Red Rider - Green Eyed Lady's ride. I tried to get out of work early yesterday so I could hit Flatwoods for a nice bike ride. Early turned into late and late turned into later. We didn't get to the park until about 7:15pm. We had time to do one lap of 7 miles. Park closes at 8:30 so it was a good thing I was done after one lap.

My legs weren't tired, I could have ridden longer. My neck though was another story. It was screaming at the end of one loop. Today, it's my shoulders that are feeling the ride. My legs don't feel like they've done anything. Hopefully I can add another 4 miles to my ride tomorrow. Betty Lou's diggin her new booty gear.

photo courtesy of Green Eyed lady

Cosmetic Surgery

Today Betty Lou and I took a little trip. I dropped her of to have a little "work" done. She has wanted this since the day she came to our home. Today, it happened. While she was undergoing her little "operation" I went to Calidesi Island for about 4 hours. This is how I spent my day....

I ran into the Dollar Store and found a cute little Beach Chair. It wasn't a dollar - it was 12 dollars...Dollar Store? I guess they never say it's the One Dollar Store...
After that I headed to Honeymoon Island to catch the ferry out to Calidesi Island. While waiting for the ferry to launch I watched a dolphin herd mullet in the little inlet. This Dolphin had to be 700- 800 pounds. It was huge. The ferry's Captain concurred.

As we were headed out on the water there was an Osprey perched on a post having lunch....

I wouldn't have minded a little ride on the Hobie Cat. Beautiful.

After a 20 minute ferry I landed at Calidesi... it's full of beautiful sites...the sandpipers were flitting all over the sand. Finding little edibles everywhere.

People were enjoying the sounds of the wildlife mixed with the sound of the water crashing on the sand and lapping at the beach

Green Eyed Lady joined me....

I hope you enjoy.....

this school of dolphins were amazing. They were actually jumping out of the water. I was too slow to catch it though. There were about 10 of them all together.

There's more....about 123 photos more.

Alas, all good things must end.
Finally, it was time to go pick up Betty Lou. When I arrived, she was checking this guy out.

That's right Carmen, Betty Lou was totally mackin' on your dream ride...She was flirting and showing off her new Booty Hardware....

I showed up in the knick of time. Next thing you know, I'd have had little mini's zipping all over the place.