Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thursday Thirteen 134: More Randomness


I've a headache that is turning my mind to mush tonight (hush!), but here's a bit more randomness for the month...


~ Don't you hate it when you wake up with a headache you did not have when you went to bed? No, that wasn't the case today -- I felt fine up until the last half hour of work -- but has happened a couple times this past week. And no, there was no drinking involved the night before. I've never seen the point in getting drunk.

~ Why is it, in a parking lot of more than 100 vehicles, the loudest car will always park in front of my bedroom window? Seriously--if your car is loud enough to wake the dead, it's time for a tune-up or new muffler.

~ Speaking of parking, and I know my friends to the south won't completely understand this, but alternate-side parking rules went into affect Sunday, Nov 15, and last until March 15. Failure to know the date can cost you between $20 and $60 for each memory lapse.

~ No snow yet, but that did not deter organizers from illuminating the 21st annual Holiday Festival in Lights Monday evening. All displays were converted to energy-saving LEDs and the event includes several new ones, including a train and Capitol. The drive-through display is lit every night now through New Year's Eve.

~ Also under construction has been the "world's tallest gingerbread man" over at Hilldale Mall. The 25-foot cookie can be found in front of Macy's and is the centerpiece of Gingerbread Casas for CASA, a benefit for CASA of Dane County, being held this Saturday.

~ And while we're on the subject of holiday charity events, the Marine Corps Toys For Tots campaign is also now in progress. See their website for a toy drop-off site near you, or to make an online monetary donation.

~ Just in time for the opening of New Moon this Friday -- a Jeopardy category last Thursday, 12 November: "Twilight: The Novel." I swept the category. Too bad I didn't get any of the money earned. I could have used it.

~ From what I heard on the radio this evening, so could actor Nicholas Cage, who is "broke." I frame the word with quotes as broke to Cage is definitely not broke to you or me. Apparently, Mr. Cage (who easily commands $20 mil a movie) has a nasty spending habit and went on quite a spree in 2007, which he is now blaming on his business manager. Among his assets: 4 yachts, 15 residences in various parts of the world (incl. castles in England and Germany), 22 cars (9 of them Rolls-Royces), and copious amounts of art and jewelry. Yeah, I'd like to have his problem. Do you know how many books a million dollars would buy?!

~ Line from the book I am currently reading: Why was it that the female gender was so quick to cast each other aside for the sake of a man? Why indeed... To quote a character on Greek this past season: Sisters before misters!

~ NASA has confirmed that there is a significant amount of water on the moon. The search for cheese, however, continues.

~ Though I've only heard it once a few weeks ago on the radio, I have had the song Ain't No Rest for The Wicked by Cage the Elephant in my head quite frequently lately. Guess it really resonated with me.

~ Also invading my mind the past week: It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter. I have no idea why. We have not seen snow since October 10 (and that was only a brief snow shower), it has not been cold enough to snow (we've gone from below normal temps in Oct to above normal in Nov), and I have not heard the song since last winter. I love Bing Crosby as much as anyone, but really... Get out of my head until December. Or at least until the first snowfall, whichever comes first.

~ According to the state Department of Health Services, Bing was not among the top ten baby names of 2008. The top three names for girls were Ava, Olivia and Emma. The top three for boys were Ethan, Mason and Jacob. It's nice to see a return to more traditional (that is, normal) names. You can view the complete top ten here.

Whew! It took me a while, but I finally made it to thirteen. Thank you for suffering along with me. *wink*


LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Paige Tyler * Adelle Laudan * Stephanie Adkins
Mary Quast * Alice Audrey * Tracie * A. Catherine Noon
Hazel * Shelley Munro * Ms Menozzi * Betty * Kristen
Hootin' Anni * Colleen * Brenda ND * Elise Logan
Sophia Parkwood * Jennifer McKenzie

You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE




28 comments:

Mary Quast said...

Wow! What a ramble. I am soooo #1. Too bad about Nick Cage... I always liked him. But I'll take one of his homes if he starts giving them away.

Heather said...

Mary ~ LOL...I would gladly take one of those homes off his hands as well. Or a yacht. Apparently he owes about $6 million in taxes, though, and has put a few of them up for sale.

Alice Audrey said...

I count on sleep to get RID of headaches, not give them to me!

Heather said...

Alice ~ I generally do, too, but it doesn't always work that way. Two factors contributing to it in this case could be the active dream cycle I've been going through, and my neck being turned at an odd angle at some point during the night. It's a never-ending curse of neck injuries, even years after. :-\

Tracie Nall said...

I'm trying so hard to feel sorry for Nicholas Cage right now...........still trying.........hmmmm for some reason I just can't work up that feeling.

And now I am left imagining how many books I could buy for a million dollars.

Happy TT!

Hazel said...

I'm heading to the big screen this weekend for New Moon :) Hope your headache's gone. Oh Cage, does he get to keep his castle....?

Shelley Munro said...

What does Mr. Cage need with 4 yachts and 9 Rolls Royces?

Ms Menozzi said...

Someone needs to remind Nick that he can sell some of that junk to get his money back... I'm with those of y'all who can't exactly work up the sympathy, right now.

Face it, Nick: it could be a LOT worse...

This post was indeed sheer randomness, this week. Thanks for sharing! :)

Betty said...

I don't see the point in getting drunk either. I have more fun without getting drunk, and I can remember the fun later on too! =)

I'm curious about what's alternate-side parking. Going off to google now.

Kristen said...

I always wake up with a headache if I don't get enough sleep.

I'd like to see that giant gingerbread man!

Love the randomness.

Hootin Anni said...

the one about the loud cars...well, what irks me is those nasty LOUD motorcycles!!!

My 13 is notations of a special holiday song...how long will it take you to figure out what song it is? You'll need to scroll down a bit below my Thursday Thunks to find my 13 --they are posted if you'd like to stop by for a visit today....HERE

Have a great Thursday.

Stephanie Adkins said...

YES, I hate waking up with a headache, which I do most days of the week. It's really annoying. Hope you're feeling better. *Hugs*

colleen said...

I love random TT's. They always hold my attention but when I get back here on the comments page I forget what I was going to say!

I hope your headache is gone soon! I think maybe our blood sugar drops sometime while we sleep. Otherwise I can't figure out why we wake up with them.

Unknown said...

LOL the search for cheese continues. Great list & Happy T13!

Heather said...

Tracie ~ Ah, come on...you know you feel as sorry for Nick as I do. *Snicker* A million bucks would put a lot of books in kids' hands who don't have any.

Hazel ~ A friend and I both want to see New Moon, too, but not this weekend. As for Nick's castle...I know his two homes in New Orleans are on the auction block, and I think it said one of his castles was, too.

Shelley ~ Exactly! The yachts were all anchored in different ports (Carribean, Mediteranean, west coast, east coast), but the cars...no idea about those, whether they are older, "collector" models or brand new.

Heather said...

Ms Menozzi ~ He is, apparently, in the process of liquidating some of his assets, at the "request" of Uncle Sam.

Betty ~ That's my feeling exactly! As for alternate-side parking...when you come home tonight, if tomorrow's date is even, you park on the even numbered side of the street; if it's odd, you park on the odd side. Crazy, I know. LOL

Kristen ~ I did see a pic of the gingerbread man in progress, and it is indeed huge. I don't frequent the mall where it is built, but might have to try to get over there sometimes this season to get some pictures of that and the Tree Walk.

Anni ~ Oh, yeah...those irritate me as well, but thankfully we only have to deal with those a couple months out of the year. One of the benefits of winter, LOL.

Heather said...

Stephanie ~ Thankfully, no headache this morning, though I am still a little groggy from sleep. That I can deal with, LOL.

Colleen ~ Low blood sugar...that is a thought. And explains why a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or juice seems to help. As for long posts, I find taking notes on one or two things on which I could comment helps. *G*

Adelle ~ Hehe...I was wondering if anyone would catch that reference. Thanks for making my day! *VBG*

Mia Celeste said...

Ha! Keep me informed. As soon as they find that moon cheese, I want to know. :) Happy Thanksgiving.

Heather said...

Brenda ~ ROFL...I'll be sure to report it here. In the meantime, there's plenty to be found here in Wisconsin. ;)

A. Catherine Noon said...

That thing with Cage is sad. My day job is in the financial counseling field, and it's surprising (to me, anyway) how high net worth individuals are remarkably like you and me.

Just with more money.

Which means more opportunity to be a dumbass.

~shrug~

Great list!

Happy TT!

Heather said...

Which means more opportunity to be a dumbass.

ROFL...So true, Catherine!

Jana said...

I wish I were as broke as Nicholas Cage. *rolls eyes*

Elise Logan said...

ha. yes, i do completely hate waking with a headache. and thank you so much for putting the marshmallow world in my head. :P

Heather said...

Jana ~ LOL, you and me both.

Elise ~ MWAHAHAHA...if I have to have the song in my head, someone else ought o suffer right along with me. *WEG*

Alice Audrey said...

I can see how that would be a problem. The old injury would hurt enough to cause muscle tension, which would start a vicious cycle. No fun.

Heather said...

Alice: Uh-huh! Adding to the fun the past week is a pinched nerve in my right shoulder. It was bothering me over the weekend, and resurfaced last night, bringing a headache with it and making sleep hard to come by. Did not sleep well at all, waking up a couple of times before the alarm. Thankfully, despite a bit of a headache when I first woke up, the nerve seems better today. I'll have to be conscious of how I sit while stitching during the Friday night lineup tonight.

It also didn't help that we seem to have a "mobile pharmacy" slinking through our lot again lately. They were parked out front twice last night, both times with all the lights off and motor running - which was loud and annoying enough to contribute to the headache.

The first time they were through, earlier in the evening, that car ran for more than an hour, maybe hour and a half. Then it came back about 9:30pm and I don't know what time it left (at least an hour later) as the fan I turned on (white noise) drowned it out. And, of course, you can't make out the plate in the dark, and I'm not stupid enough to walk outside to write it down.

Paige Tyler said...

Fun TT! Can't wait to see New Moon!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

ashu said...

wow for Nicholas Cage..lol!
nice info man!
check out: http://www.twilightnewmoon.info