Happy Birthday, Dad and Founding Dad!

Yes, that's right. Today is my dad's birthday. It's also George Washington's birthday. George Washington, of course, is one of our country's founding fathers, and my dad is MY father. Today is a fatherly birthday. A birthday of fathers.

Being fathers isnt the ONLY thing my dad and my founding dad have in common.

Here's an eery list of things they have in common. Coincidence? You tell me, folks...

1) They're both AMERICAN. Yea. I know. Weird.
2) George Washington cut down a cherry tree. My dad may or may have not cut down a tree also.
3) I believe my dad has a few cavaties. George Washington had cavaties too. And then George's teeth fell out. My dad still has his teeth because we have more efficient dentist these days. If we didnt have our dentists, I'll bet my old man would be walking around with a wooden smile too.
4) George Washington co-founded a country. My dad co-founded Sunset Granite (www.sunsetgranite.com <--- Check it out, you know you want to).
and LASTLY 5) They're old.

THERE YOU HAVE IT. George W. and Dad. Very very similar people. With very very similar birthdays.

Now lets move on to me. Last night I was playing with my roomates dog, Bentley. Bentley is a beagle mix and is very hyper, very stubborn, and very un neutered.

Bentley can play for hours, I cannot. Especially when AI is on. And it was on last night. So I tried to stop playing with the dog.

Then Bentley would bark at me. Or lick at me. And then bark at me again. And then REALLY lick me a LOT. And when I would still ignore him, he would start chewing on the couch. Or eat the plants. Or bring me my pillows or towels from out of my room. And socks.

Finally I caved, and tried to take a sock away from him. I realized,then, if I just held on to the sock, he could not chew the couch, lick me, or bark at me, because he had a sock in his mouth. So I held onto my sock last night, and was able to continue watching AI in peace, and Bentley continued to try to take the sock from me.

"This is perfect!" I thought. And watched some stupid girls sing stupid songs stupidly.

5 minutes later, Bentley ran off.

"That's odd!" I thought.

I looked to where Bentley had run off to. Interestingly enough, HE STILL HAD MY SOCK.

"What the!?" I said out loud.

Because, you see, I had never let go of the sock.

I looked down at my hand with the sock and saw that Bentley had chewed my sock in half. It was as if someone had come by with scissors and cut the sock straight through. But there WERE no scissors, just Bentley hyper, stubborn, and un neutered teeth.

The actual point of my story is that I'm down a sock now.

It's a really sad day to be me.

Brrreeeport

The Best Week Ever blog told me to type Brrreeeport in my blog.

So that's what I did!

Because that's the type of person I am.

I do what other blogs tell me to do.

Yuup.

Pump the jam.

I had a very decent weekend. Sunday was a very beautiful day. So beautiful, in fact, that even though I had no one to hang out with, I went downtown and took a stroll around the waterfront. Walking along the waterfront is something I have really missed about my last job downtown.

At one point I caught a man mastrubating. On a park bench. On the waterfront.

The weird part of it all, is that I really wasnt offended. Logically I know it's kind of rude to be pleasuring yourself in public...and most likely against the law...but he wasnt exposed at all, he just had his hands down his happy pants. Also, there were no children anyone near. No one else noticed it. He wasnt staring at anybody in particular. He was just going at it.

I saw it and I think I thought something along the lines of, "Uhh, I guess you do what you gotta do...whatever."

Actually I was on my way to meet Darbie at the Square, so I was probably distracted.

It was nice seeing the Darbs again.

Because we all need good advice sometimes....

http://www.kevinfederlinefanclub.com/wwfd.php

What would K-Fed do??

I heart today.

01. Your name plus "y" Melissay. Dumb question, next.

02. Two feelings you are feeling right now? 1) Caffinated. 2) Bored

03. What are you listening to right now? Kelly and Jodi talking. Apparently Jo's a "poopoo head"

04. A part of a song lyric that's in your mind: "Tonight I'm gonna give you all my looooove in the back seat. Bubble Pop Elec tric."

05. Describe where you are right now? Working... In my office. At my desk. In my office. At my...desk.

06. The highlight of your week? Ermmm. Well I moved into my new place on Sunday!

07. What are you craving to have right now? Skittles.

08. Any good childhood memories? Of course.

09. A not-so-good childhood memory? Heavens yes.

10. What are your nicknames? Melissa.

11. plans for tomorrow? School and work. I start my day at 7:50am and keep on going until 10:20pm. How you like them apples?? (Shut up Brenna! I know what you are thinking! Something along the lines of Dr.'s-in-training work lots more than anyone ever.)

12. Your three plans for today? Work. I was planning on showing Lindsay my new place since we're pratically NEIGHBORS! Aaaand, you know, working.

13. Are you thinking of someone right now? Is my bladder someone? Then YES.

14. Ever gotten drunk before? Drinking is for sinners.

15.Favorite color? Uhhh. Red. Blue. Does anyone really care? Really? I dont think they do.

16. Ever been beat up? Dumb question. I'm gonna make up another one.

ehem... #16. Are you the coolest person ever? Yes. Yes I am.

17. Say something to the person who posted this before you? Heeeey guuuuuuuurl.

18. What do you want? A day off. Which is what I get one Thursday of this week. But alls I'm doing is cleaning at my parents. LAME.

19. Fill in the blank: its a good day to __ Take your dog for a walk. Have you SEEN IT OUTSIDE?!?! IT'S FREAKIN BEAUTIFUL!!!!

20. Say anything you like to whoever is reading your answers? Heeeeeey guuuuuuurl.

21. Are you feeling hungry? No, I'm eating Natural White Chedder Cheetos.

23. Last friend you talked to online? Ugh, I dunno.

24. What do you like about the night? Thats when all the good stuff happens...

25. If you were on a farm what would you want to see? Umm. I like the cows. They're always soooo...soooo. mellow. You know? It's like they're always high. "Duuuude" the cows say to eachother "This grass is AWESOME! I could just, just eat it all day." But as humans, we only hear, "mooooo" It's true!!!

--the gospel, according to melissa.

26. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A Barbie Doll.

27. Last gift? Jodi got me some trail mix.

28. Did you like it? Yea, except Kelly keeps eating all the stupid nuts!

29. Do you play an instrument? I play my iPod.

30. What song did you last hear? That footloose song. "Loose, foot loose, kick off your Sunday shoes, Jack get back....something something....something...EVERYBODY FOOT LOOSE"

31. Your good luck charm? The zit at the end of my nose.

32. Person you hate most? George Bush.

33. Who makes you laugh the most? Ummm. I dunno. Myself. Actually Bentley (my new roommies' dog) made me laugh a lot this morning.

34. What makes you smile? Misfortune of others. Particuraly celebraties.

35. Who has a crush on YOU? I hope no one.

36. Who do YOU have a crush on? John Cusac. In "The Sure Thing"

The Onion

It has finally slowed down a little bit in FA. Last night I read this article at www.theonion.com. I dont know why I thought it was so hysterical, but I did. I also thought I would share it with all of y'all.

Black Box Records Last 90 Minutes Of Hot-Air Balloon Crash

February 1, 2006 | Issue 42•05

FAYETTEVILLE, AR—A black box recovered from the scene of Sunday afternoon's crash of a hot-air balloon gave investigators a chilling glimpse into the craft's final, somewhat terrifying 90 minutes in the air.

Enlarge Image

Local police locate the black box within the wicker basket.

"I hate to imagine their ordeal," Fayetteville Police Chief Dwight Gibson said. "Suspended dozens of feet off the ground, at the mercy of the wind, the good part of an afternoon spent not knowing where or when you'll come to a somewhat bumpy stop."

Gibson said investigators located the black box for Mild Blue Yonder Hot-Air Excursions Ride 592 next to a set of power lines about four miles south of Fayetteville Sunday, "in near perfect condition, considering it hit the ground at 6 miles per hour."

Using information from the flight data recorder, it has been determined that Ride 592's wicker basket skidded nearly 35 feet across the grass before falling on its side, ejecting its three passengers and pilot.

"One quick-thinking civilian thought to use his cell phone to alert authorities to the disaster," 911 dispatcher Myrna Baines said. "Then he called his family, his friends, the hot-air-balloon company, and then a coworker, to reschedule some appointments."

Emergency crews arrived on the scene 40 minutes before the crash, responding to calls from area residents reporting a low-flying hot-air balloon. Said Officer Jason Cheyenne: "We got stuck in traffic, so the wait for the balloon to crash wasn't too bad."

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were on the accident scene overnight, inspecting the lightly scuffed wicker and rainbow-striped nylon debris and reviewing information obtained from the flight data recorder.

"The flight data recorder indicates that about 30 minutes into the balloon ride, a burner began to perform erratically," NTSB spokesman Richard Schneer said. "When the pilot lost what little control he had of the craft, he panicked, and the passengers followed suit, sending the whole basket into chaos."

Investigators believe that over the course of a harrowing hour and a half, the balloon slowly lost altitude and descended at a 25-degree angle. The voice recorder revealed tense moments on board during the descent.

"We believe that when the balloon picked up a wind and floated upward, the panic subsided," Schneer said, "only to flare up again when the balloon began to float downward. Once the balloon successfully cleared that corridor, calm was restored, then lost when a section of the balloon began to sag."

"Our data would seem to indicate that this cycle happened seven more times," Schneer added.

Schneer said the conversation that took place among the passengers "was awful tough to listen to."

"One passenger, a female, said that her life passed before her eyes, minute by minute," Schneer said. "Then when that was over, she reflected on her life's quieter moments."

"Some of the audio is unclear, but we believe one passenger got into an argument with his wife because he forgot to take out the trash before he left home," Schneer said.

Another passenger painstakingly narrated the accident for rescue workers, explaining, during much of the last 40 minutes of the descent, where the balloon was likely to touch ground.

"We talked about the wreck, sure," Baines said. "But we started chatting about other stuff as well. He's a pretty cool guy. Some of us might go out and grab some beers with him later on this week."

Kurt's Survey

Unlike all of the other Kurt Blog Readers, I am posting his survey proudly on my blog instead of hiding the answers in the comment section. Because I like Kurt better than any of yous kids.

What is your favorite texture?
Things soft and fluffy. Like new little fluffy puppy texture.

If you were a mushroom, what would you look like?
I'd be cut in slivers, and shriveled on a pizza my parents were eating. My younger sister would pick me off. She doesnt eat mushrooms.

What was the first thing over $30 that you remember purchasing with your own money?
Jeepers, I dont remember. Probably pants or something.

How did you come by that money?
Uh, I earned it somehow?? Again, I dont remember.

You’ve been kidnapped by a deranged tattoo artist. S/he has promised to release you after tattooing your left cheek (the one on your face). The design can be anything you want. What would it be?
Ooer. Probably a Cindy Crawford mole. Soooo sexy. I hope a deranged tatto artist DOES kidnap me.

Use your most favorite adjective in a sentence. (please identify the adjective for your audience)
I dont have a stupid favorite adjective. But I did use STUPID as an adjective!! To appease anyone who cares.

Think of a scenario.
........done.

What is your favorite smell?
Depends on what part of the year it is.... What mood I'm in.... How I'm feeling.... What I'm wearing. Today, I smelled freshly cut grass, and the sun was shinning outside, and it was slightly warmish. So the freshly cut grass is my favorite smell of the day.

You are a Super Hero. How did you get your powers? (e.g. struck by lightning, fell into a vat of toxic waste, fairies sprinkled you with magic powder, etc.)
Err, ugh....I cant really think of a good answer. Damn your survey, Kurt! I'll just say I'd get some neato superpower my getting a papercut from stuffying the 06/07 FAFSA into FA packets. I'd have the power to tell when people were lying to me about their financial situations. I'd be an FAO extradonaire!!!

Where would you have rather been while on your last vacation?
Somewhere dry.

You discover a new species of insect. What do you name it?
Ant.

Has that already been used?

Damn your survey, Kurt! I'd name it Yardfectoid.

Describe the perfect dessert.
Well, it would be sweet. It'd have custard. Chocolate syrup. And other sweet things. That make it good. And perfect.

Pokka Dots, Plaids, Zig Zags, or Checkers… If you had to have your living room painted in one of these styles, which would it be?
Uhhh, checkers, I suppose.

In three words, describe your elbow.
Joint on arm.

A bank robber, cannibal, corporate lawyer, politician, cult leader and a pop star are in a lifeboat with you. The lifeboat can only support six people. If one person is not thrown out, you will all die. Everybody voted to throw out somebody different, so the decision is yours. Who do you toss from the lifeboat?
The popstar. That way I'd be the prettiest person left. Heh.

What was the gist of the scenario that you thought of earlier? (did you forget?)
It had something to do with a dream I had the other night. Involving a black bear, a cow, and broken glass.