Old Friends

Today I saw a friend in a store that I had not seen in years and it was a complete surprise. They live in Ruidoso now and he was in town for a doctor's appointment. Dale and Lyn were my Sunday School teachers when I was in college. I lived in the dorm and I was poor. Dale and Lyn had 2 little girls, Leah and Lori and they were a struggling young family too so we had a deal for each other. I'd babysit the girls so they could go out for a little while and I could do my laundry. And they even paid me a little. It was a great arrangement.

Leah was probably 4 when I met them and Lori was born the December of my freshman year of college. They were always so close that they shared a room until Leah left to get married even though they could have had their own rooms from the beginning. And when Leah and Mike got engaged, one of the first things he did was take Lori out to tell her that she'd always have a room in their home and could come visit at any time. I liked him for that. The last time I was both girls together was Lori's wedding day. Leah was her matron of honor and she cried through the whole wedding. And Dale told me that both girls now have 2 boys each.

I'm not getting old, right?

Jerry Lee Lewis

I'm Netflixing 'T J Hooker' first season and Jerry Lee Lewis is a guest in one of the episodes. I've always been fascinated watching him perform. He has always been portrayed as a pretty strange little character but no one can deny his talent. And his cousins include Mickey Gilley, another amazing performer and fallen preacher Jimmy Swaggert. Don't you know that is some fun family reunion. Since i have no musical ability, I am always jealous of anyone who does and especially somone who has as natural an abiltiy as Lewis and Gilley.

On the other hand, the acting on TJ Hooker is pretty bad. Or maybe it's the scripts. Either way, it's a pretty bad combo. But I'm holding out for the James Darren days and then, come to find out, he doesn't even start as a regular til the last episode of season one. And with my luck, they will never put season two on dvd. Oh, and the hair is bad and the short shorts are a hoot. And I'm talking Adrien Zmed. Something about all of the rookies runing in shorts that just cover their butts and Sam Browns that hang below the shorts is just wrong. Really wrong.

New Author

I have found a new author named Linda Ladd. Technically, she is not new because she's been a romance writer for several years but she is now writing mysteries with a detective named Claire Morgan. Claire is a former LAPD detective who has moved now to a small sheriff's office in Missouri. I like her character, her partner, her CSI team and her boyfriend. The character is well written and the story has me interested to the point that I don't want to put the book down.

The first book is 'Head to Head' and it was virtually impossible to find. I checked Barnes & Noble locally & online and Amazon and could only find in the marketplace on Amazon for a very unreasonable price. I finally found it on half.com where I paid the price listed on the paperback--like $6.99--for a used book. And that was a bargain. I even went to Linda Ladd's website to see if it was for sale there and ended up emailing to ask and she answered me back!! It was not a form letter but a personal note. She told me she'd just come back from Texas where she'd been on a cruise and she asked if we'd been hit by the hurricane. The week before was our famous Sept 11 flood and I ended up sending her a picture of the Jones under water.

The book was worth the wait.

Too close, but still a win...

Baylor fought hard but someone luckily let our defense off the bus in the 4th quarter and it's another win for the Red Raiders. We are now officially rooting for Okie Lite to pull it out over OU. It's now the 3rd quarter and the bad guys are up by 11. Keeping our fingers crossed here.

2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 11-1

OK, Almost ready to deal...

Tech lost to Oklahoma on Saturday. It was a bloodbath. I am sad, sad, sad. And I'm just now ready to deal. But, this is the best season I've ever seen Tech play and this game aside, I have no complaints. We will go 11-1 and get a good bowl game. We still have a magical offense and it's been a heck of a season.




2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 10-1

My Meeting With the Governor

Last Sunday I went to a bood signing by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He's the former governor of Arkansas. When they were remodeling the governors mansion, he and his family moved a mobile home on the property and he said he was doing that because that is where everyone thought they lived anyway. I'm impressed that he used common sense in a situation where lots of people in his position would have moved into an expensive hotel at the taxpayer's expense. He seems really down to earth and a person I'd like in real life. He is a little conservative and I don't necessarily agree with his views on abortion and gay rights but I'd vote for him for all the things I do like about him. Hope he's running in 2012.

I Miss You a Little

John Michael Montgomery sings a song called 'I Miss You a Little' and although it sounds like it's about an old lover ...but it's about his dad. I love this song. Just click on the title.

I Miss You a Little

Sometimes a song can touch a nerve
That takes me back to you
When I pick up my old guitar
And I play your favorite tune
Every now and then, some little thing
I've buried comes bubblin' up
And once in a while, you feel close enough to touch

I miss you a little since you've been gone
A few little memories keep hangin' on
I miss you a little, I guess you could say
A little too much, a little too often
A little more every day

When I go by our old house
I pretend that you're still there
Waitin' for me on the porch
But there's just an empty chair
Wish I could see you just one more time
Before I drive away
So I could stop and go inside, and say

I miss you a little since you've been gone
A few little memories keep hangin' on
I miss you a little, I guess you could say
A little too much, a little too often
A little more every day
A little too much, a little too often
A little more every day

What a Bargain!!!

Check out my brand new antique!!! Boy or boy did I get a bargain. Isn't it beautiful????

A day at the races...

A couple of Saturdays ago, Kyle, Robbie & I went to Hobbs to the horse races. The track is connected to the Casino so we got some gambling out of our system. No craps tables but that's ok...a good time was had by all. I'd been to the dog races in Kansas City but had never seen horse racing in person. The bugler was a little cheesy & we learned it never really pays to bet on the white horse.

Another one bites the dust!!!

Bye bye Okie Lite.

Bring on the Sooners.

2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 10-0

Mike Leach

Mike Leach has been the Texas Tech football coach for the last several years and he truly gets more interesting. He's a lawyer who never even played football. He said his father in law was the person most surprised and confused when he gave up the law for football because he thought his daughter was set for life and then he thought his daughter had married a nut. But it's worked out. He figured you never had to actually play football to know how to play it better. He sat down and figured out a system he thought would work...one that uses a quarterback who throws for over 5000 yards a season to a variety of receivers with a limited running game. His offense was roundly criticized as smoke and mirrors that worked when it worked and failed miserably when a tough defense took over. But our Mike took all of the criticism in and adapted and now we have the right team at the right time. Everyone wants to be like Mike. Or steal him from us while saying he's classless and crazy.

I certainly don't see him as classless but crazy is not too far off. And not necessarily a bad thing. He rollerblades down the middle of 4th Street. He tells pirate stories no one understands. He was in New York and decided he wanted to meet Donald Trump and just went to his office. And he met the Donald. His mind works in mysterious ways and It's a cool thing.

Our Time Our House

Holy Crabtree, Batman!!

2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 9-0

UT is 8-1

I like Halloween Candy...

...am I too old for trick or treat?

Happy Halloween!!!

When I was a little girl, a verrrrrrrrry long time ago, I loved Halloween. I was noticing at a store yesterday all of the people shopping for costumes and all the little kids excited about what they were going to be. We did not have full costumes to choose from but got a mask every year, a plastic thing with a rubber band in the back so it would cover your face. My mom usually made us a costume to go with the mask. Nothing fancy or expensive but made certainly with a ton of love. We took our grocery store sacks and went to every house in our little town. We'd normally get about 2 sacks full and have candy til Valentines Day. That was our advantage...not as much in the costume department but we didn't have to worry about what what were given. We had a carnival at school, a Halloween carnival with all kinds of fun games and the coolest thing, the opportunity to pay money and have your teacher put in the jail. They had to find someone to bail them out. It was way cool. Now they have 'Fall Fesivals' because 'Halloween Carnivals' are way un-PC. I guess it's kinda the same. Anyway, Happy Halloween to anyone who's reading this and I hope you get a great sugar rush!!

Sad, sad situation...RIP Paul

Yesterday at work, a co-worker had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. Later in the day, he had another attack and died. He was 56. We weren't close. We were friendly at work but frankly I knew little about him. He left behind a daughter in college and a son in high school. I saw him every morning and he did not look well. I hope he's at peace and am very sad for his children.

The other thing that freaks me out is that I don't want my office to be my last stop. Dying practically at your desk sucks big time, no doubt.

UT Week

Ok, we are all football obsessed, no doubt about it. Our best team ever. And Saturday is the biggest game ever. The UT game is always big but this one is BIG!!! Students have been camping out all week. The game is sold out as are all the hotel rooms. The tv stations have kickoff down to hours that tick off. ESPN game day is coming. And Texas is number 1 in the country and we are number 6. And I believe this team can win. In the past I have dreaded the big, tv games but not this time. I have faith in this team and their ability to win. This team is different. I have faith.

Another good day to be a Red Raider fan

Dang, this is fun!!!


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 8-0

Tech Wins Again

Whiny Texas Aggies Message Board

My favorite parts are always the 'moral victory' posts....they have a lousy football team but Tech is overrated and classless. They have band smack posts for goodness sake!! I too am not sure we are a top 5 team but when it comes to A&M we own their butts. Moral victories are all they have. Maybe Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree can send them post cards from our bowl game.

2008 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 7-0

Hope's Visit

Hope, Dustin and Kodee came for a visit...

Pedicure day

My niece and I got pedicures today. Here is Kodee and Ben>>>>>>>>>>

Loving the Movies

Tonight my niece is here with her 2 kids and they'd never seen a drive-in before so tonight they went to see 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' at the drive in.

When I was a little girl, drive-ins were all we had. It was only open in the summertime and they only showed Disney and Elvis movies where we lived. We would be in our PJ's and we'd get to go on Friday night with Mom and sometimes even Daddy. We'd pull up and put the little speaker thingy on our window and the person on the speaker side would get blasted because the rest of us could not hear too well. We tried to get there early to get snacks because we did not want to miss any of the movie. And we hated, hated, hated the bathroom, possibly the original place we all learned to hover. But, dang, it was a good time!!

Later in life, I'd get to go to my sister Cathy's house in Flagstaff and I'd get to go to the indoor theater. I remember seeing 'Dumbo' and an Elvis movie where he was an Indian, something like 'Navajo Joe'. She never went with me, she'd just drop me off and pick me up. Those movies were the highlight of my summer.

Even now I love to go to the theater. A few years ago, there was a movie called 'The Majestic' with Jim Carrey in it. I don't remember all of it but remember Martin Landau playing his father who owned a old movie theater (the Majestic) and he had a line that asked "Why would people want to stay home watching a box when they can come here?". The theater experience is certainly not the days of old. We now have overpriced tickets, overpriced snacks, people who think it's appropriate to bring 3 year olds to R rated movies, cell phones, gabbers & commercials. But I still love it when the lights go down and the previews start. It still has a little magic.

The changing face of America

NBC is doing a series on their nightly news this week about the changing face of America. Tonight they were saying that the fasting growing segment is the children of immigrants. It showed a young man who was born in the US to parents who spoke limited English so he now has to do everyday things for them like talk to their doctors and deal with service people, a responsibility all of his friends did not have. It was an interesting piece. I talk to people every day who have moved here to pursue their American dream. Some I can communicate with easily and some are not so easy. And lots of them put their teenage kids on the phone to finish up their business. I am a minor part of their day...they have a big responsability.

In January we went to Las Vegas and our cab driver was from Romania. What a nice guy. We were talking about where he was from and how long he'd been here (2 years) and why Las Vegas. I loved his answer. He told me that when he got here his family got off the plane with 2 suitcases each. He chose Las Vegas because it was a place where if you were willing to work hard you could make money. They had enough for a couple months rent and nothing else when they got here. They had to buy furniture, clothes, transportation, kitchen stuff, linens, everything. I cannot imagine starting over like that. He now said his kids--2 teenage boys--are fitting right into American culture....liking American football instead of soccer and they are huge Red Sox fans. His son wanted an ipod for his birthday. This man drove a cab 12 hours a day 6 days a week and his wife had a different job--don't remember what-- that she did the same hours. Both were willing to do this without question so their sons would have opportunities they never had. I was sorry for our ride to end but I liked the man very much. I gave him a big tip. :)

I can't say I don't have any prejudice...like the movie Crash points out, we all do. Everytime I call tech support form my dsl and get Habib it comes out big time. Everytime I have to point at my toes to communicate pedicure at the nail shop i get annoyed. But I fight against it every day and now my nail person knows what I want when I come in so hopefully I will keep trying to become a better person.

On a funny note, on Ugly Betty last week Amanda was saying she always called her credit card company after hours so she'll get someone in India because they are nicer to her. She was telling the guy on the phone if she paid her bill, she couldn't pay her rent and if she could not pay her rent then where would he send her bill?

Iron Chef America, fish and beer

I love Iron Chef America, especially when Bobby Flay is cooking. He always seems to be having a good time. Just to make things clear, I love watching cooking shows but I don't like to cook much and frankly don't recognize most of what they are cooking. The secret ingredient seems to be fish every other week and frankly it looks pretty disgusting. I am admittedly fish illiterate although I've eaten grilled swordfish, salmon & grilled halibut and I like all of those. I think if I had to see them raw I'd probably change my mind.

I'm watching now and the secret ingredient is beer and they are making a lot of stuff with it...fish, of course, chicken, desserts, brats & slaw...I have not seen anything that looks good yet. I don't normally consider myself a picky eater but yuck.

Julie Chen is a guest chef and admits she's not a drinker and has tasted all of the beer and is a little drunk. It's actually pretty amusing.

Bobby Flay is serving really big shrimps with their heads on. Yuck.

I don't like beer much so I'd probably not make a good judge. Yuck.

I love Blue Bunny

Blue Bunny has sugar free ice cream that is to die for. They have several flavors, including Strawberry, Peanut Butter Fudge and my absolute favorite Caramel Turtle Sundae. When I think the world doesn't have anything good to offer, I eat a cone and life is right again. I'm just saying

That one was tooooooooo close!!

2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 6-0

Jamar Wall is my hero.

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch

We went this week to the Taste of Home Cooking Show and really enjoyed it. A home economist makes several dishes onstage while we follow along and enjoy watching. I do lead the exiting life, no doubt about it. They always give away all the food and a bunch of door prizes though I've been several times over the years and have never won anything. The big prizes this year were a dining room set from Dillards and a $2400 Electrolux stove. It looked extremely cool but sadly went home with someone else. Maybe next year...

But this sounded like the best recipe, which in my eyes is quick, easy and full of chocolate.

8 Cups of Chocolate Chex Cereal
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
6 Tablespoons of butter
3 Tablespoons of light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla or white chocolate chips

Place cereal in a large microwave safe bowl and set aside. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

In a 2 cup microwave safe measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter & corn syrup high for 1 minute. Stir and mirowave 30-60 seconds longer, stir til blended. Stir in baking soda til disolved. Pour over cereal and stir til evenly coated.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes, stopping to stir every minute. Spread on baking sheet and cool 10 minutes. Break into pieces.

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt vanilla chips and stir til smooth. Drizzle over cereal mixture. Refrigerate til set and store in airtight container.

This is Billie: I'm thinking a some mixed nuts stirred into the cereal at the beginning sounds good and almond bark is cheaper and smoother and easier to work with for the drizzle. It can be quickly microwaved but it has to be watched because it does not appear to be melting so it needs to be stirred every 30 seconds or so. And I think this sounds darn yummy.

Harrell- Crabtree Heisman Campaign

HARRELL-CRABTREE PASSORCATCH2008.COM

These are hysterical.

The University has set up with this website to promote Graham Harrell & Michael Crabtree for the Heisman. Both players are extremely talented and it would be great if one of them won. Tech gets no respect for our game, our record, our opponents or anything else frankly so it probably will not happen but I challange anyone else to come up with a campaign that's more fun.

Another Game Day

2008 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 5-0

Game Day Again

2008 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS 4-0

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

A couple of years ago, several of us were headed for Vegas and in the airport here in Lubbock, this guy who worked for Sonic was flirting with my friend Christy and told her he invented the term winner, winner chicken dinner. We knew it was a come on but he was pretty amusing. Then today I watched a movie called '21' and they said the term was 40 years old. So then I wondered where it came from so I Googled it. According to Askville at Amazon.com, it is a casino term. Here is there explanation and it sounds good toAnswers:

Years ago every Las Vegas casino had a 3 piece chicken dinner with potato and veggie for $1.79. A standard bet back then was $2.00, hence when you won a bet you had enough for a chicken dinner. So now you know the rest of the story. me, true or not.

No confirmation that restaurant was Sonic...

Brothers Bonding???

Daddy and Uncle Jiggs

Uncle Jiggs and Mildred

Uncle Jiggs is my dad's little brother...he's 86

Game Day

Tech 43, SMU 7

This is my absolute favorite part of the game...the Masked Rider leads the team onto the field while the band plays the fight song.

The game was sold out...love to see the Jones full. We were in the northeast corner and our seats were not bad. We did have sun though. Lots of sun. We cheered for the cloud that eventually covered the sun and showed us mercy.

And I love the Saddle Tramp Circle. Go Tech Go. Fight Tech Fight. Win Tech Win.


The team scored at our end...and we found out the hard way that if the opposing team pulls your QB's helmet all the way off during a face mask penalty and he still gets away and throws an amazing TD you don't get to count it because the ball was dead the minute he was helmetless.


2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 3-0

The 100 Year Flood

Yesterday we had 8 inches of rain, the most ever in one day. Or in a hundred years. It's all a little confusing. Channel 11 here is calling it the 100 year flood so maybe it's the most in the last 100 years. Whatever, there is a lot of water out there.

This is the Texas Tech football stadium this morning, The Tech-SMU game is scheduled for 6pm tomorrow. There is a drain under the stadium and the Lubbock fire department hauled water out today. There was a lot of water on the streets yesterday but very little on the road today yet they cancelled public schools, Texas Tech & LCU. Courts were cancelled. Garbage pickup was cancelled. But the game goes on. I have to say I'm happy...see, I go to 1 game every 3 years or so and that game is tomorrow. God Bless Texas!! No city services but football cannot be stopped.

My Favorite (almost) Fall Words:

Touchdown Red Raiders!!!




2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders 2-0

Gotta Love Youtube

Some interesting and fun stuff from Youtube:

Light Bulbs

Take your kid to work day

Cactus Cuties

Overwhelmed

On Saturday I went to Target to pick up a few things and walked into an aisle where the parents were with their college age daughter, picking up stuff for her new digs and I was overwhelmed by the memory of doing the same thing with my mom, getting stuff for my new dorm room. It's been 33 years since my first day of college and my memory made me feel like it was just yesterday.

I miss my mom.

Lake Day

Captain Kyle

Saturday Aug 9, 2008 ^^Robbie

A beautiful and relaxing day at the lake, a time to forget all of your cares.

I'm still recovering from the sunburn.

<< Deb

New Delhi Freight Train

This was at a street dance on July 3. The Maines Brothers Band is finishing up their show with 'New Delhi Freight Train' and a really good time was had by all. Steve is on the far left, by the monitor. Kenny is on lead, in the vest. Lloyd is on steel guitar and behind the pole Donny is on the drums. Richard Bowden is on the side playing his fiddle. We can't see Cary Banks or Jerry Brownlow. The original Maines Brothers band. The kids in the black shirts are next generation. What talent.

Speaking of talented next generation, Lloyd's daughter is Natalie Maines, the big mouthed but talented lead singer of the Dixie Chicks. Or as Larry the Cable guy calls her "that little fat chick in the middle".

Dr McDreamy is a jerk

I really like to Netflix entire seasons of television shows so I can watch without waiting. And I don't have to commit to a show so when it's screwed up by the networks and gone before I know it, I won't have wasted my time. Even without Netflix, I record everything I watch. But Netflix is a very good thing.

That being said, I did not watch Grey's Anatomy from the beginning but now I am speeding through season 2. I really like the medical stuff and most of the relationships and the characters but there are some things that really annoy me. Dr Sheperd aka Dr McDreamy is gorgeous, no doubt, but is a jerk. He picks up a girl in a bar (Meredith) and then finds out she is an intern who will be virtually working for him. Instead of stopping things, he continues the affair even though Meredith faces extra scrutiny from her fellow interns and bosses when they think she'll get special treatment. Then it turns out he's married to Addison. Addison cheated on him and they are separated but it turns out he did not even mention her to Meredith. She shows up at the end of season 1. Meredith is naturally shocked and hurt.

Fast forward (in Netflix-land) to season 2. Addison has asked McDreamy for another chance. He is torn. Addison hurt him but they have history. Should he try again with with his wife of 11 years or go after Meredith? In true 'My Fair Lady' fashion, he decides to have it all his way. He decides to stay with Addison to work on his marriage but doesn't put his heart into it. He talks her into giving up her practice in New York and moving to Seattle so they can work on things. She gives, he takes. Then he moons over Meredith the entire time. He won't tell Addison he doesn't love her but won't let Meredith move on with her life. And Meredith...OMG...what a whiny, selfish bitch. She can't walk away either...she sleeps with everyone along the way all the while bemoaning that she'll be miserable for the rest of her life without McDreamy. She has good friends that love her, a good career and all kinds of opportunity yet without McDreamy her life is over and she's gonna whine into infinity. Bitch.

There are now 4 seasons in the books and is this gonna happen for 2 more years? It was time to move on in season 2.

Movie Innocence

Tonight I watched 2 movies...The Music Man and Walk, Don't Run. These are 60's movies...1962 & 1966 respectively. I've seen both before but could watch both over and over. I have in fact. Both have sweet and innocent love stories, no violence, no blood, no 'f' word. Just good stories that leave you feeling better for having watched them.

The Music Man tells the story of Professor Harold Hill, a con man who goes into Iowa to swindle an entire town by selling them on a boys band, not to be confused with a 'boy band' of the new millennium. His plan is to have the money collected for the instruments and uniforms and be on the last train out of town but he falls for Marian the librarian who sees right through him from day one but later realizes that he has instilled a sense of pride into the town that benefits them all. And he tells Marian's little brother Winthrop that for the first time in his life he got his foot caught in the door. Everything works out, of course, and the 76 trombones go marching down the street. Love it.

One side note, Winthrop is played by cute little Ronny Howard, later little Opie Taylor and bigger Richie Cunningham. I saw an interview that he was pointing out that the camera never showed his feet as he was dancing to 'Gary Indiana'. And once on Happy Days, Marion & Howard came out of 'The Music Man' and she commented on how much Winthrop reminded her of Richie when he was little. Too funny.

Walk, Don't Run was Cary Grant's last movie. Older but still a compete charmer. He is a businessman in Japan during the Olympics who shares an apartment with young and beautiful Samatha Egger. He ends up meeting Jim Hutton the street and bringing him as another roomie at the apartment. He then plays matchmaker for Sam and Jim who are adorable together. Again another happy ending. Just like I like them!! Cary Grant was too adorable. Always

Name Change

I've been blogging for a while under Bellchimetime but have decided to change to this blog name. I had started to do this last year and found that the old posts did not transfer over so I stopped but am feeling that Sneakers57 will inspire me more so here I am.

The Last Lecture

I read a book this week called 'The Last Lecture' , written by a man named Randy Pausch who is a professor of virtual reality at Carnagie Melon University. The last lecture refers to the words of wisdom a teacher would give to his students if it were indeed the last thing he could tell them. Randy Pausch adds another layer to this ...he is dying of pancreatic cancer and expected to live less than 6 months.

Randy tells us all about his childhood and his dreams and his jobs and his family. He doesn't ask for pity because of his situation but I am sorry that he's dying. He has a wife who loves him and 3 children who will grow up without their father and that is a sad thing on any level.

But....this book is an ego filled crock. I have a feeling that if I met him I wouldn't like him very much and the truth is he is spreading psycho-babble that is not anywhere near original or profound. I guess he's providing financial security for the family he is leaving behind but little else. He got my $20 bucks so I guess he accomplished his mission.