Big Leather Couch

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FRIEND
DIANNE of "Forks Of The Moment"
Make sure you visit and send her wishes!

Bought and decorated our Christmas Tree this weekend. We both decided not to go hog wild on the outside. We would have had to replace most of the lights as we were in that half the strings have half their lights working situation.

So, we did the front entry and the two windows again only this year in multi-colored lights. It does surprise me how many people have left multi-colored lights for white lights. I do like the white, but it is nice to mix it up year to year.

The tree, well that got white lights again, but only because I wanted to do a snow tree. It has been too long since I had the opportunity to do one.

I know I spoke of this once before...but it was around the time I was 10 or 11 I guess. Mom and dad went on a cruise the week before the week before Christmas. The ship was the Ocenanic with an Italian crew.

It seems the ship was going to be in NY for the whole of Christmas week and the crew was going to be there without family. Mom and dad had gotten friendly with their stewards and ended up inviting these two gentlemen to our home for the holidays.

They did not speak a lot of English, but enough to get by. They did ask if, as a gift, could they decorate the tree for us. Whether they thought it strange or not, mom and dad agreed. Well these two men took a roll of cotton --- do you know it is quite possibly impossible to find cotton in rolls like they sold when I was a kid. I went to two drug stores and a grocery store and could not find any! --- where was I - OH yeah,

So they took a roll of cotton and turned the tree into something almost magical for us kids...the tree had snow all over it --- INSIDE our house!

Well, this is my interpretation. I used Eco-Snow. It is not a polyester fiber, but is am eco-friendly substitute...but you know what? It is still not cotton. It still does not shred like cotton does.

I like how the tree came out...more importantly, Nancy likes how the tree looks. I put on the lights, she put on the ornaments and then I added the snow.

From outside the window -

Please go visit TRAVIS at "Trav's Thoughts" for a really great post on the battle at Pearl harbor that occurred on this date in 1941.

Let us remember the damage done to our country's military and the lives lost and those forever changed by this attack:

4 battleships sunk,
4 battleships damaged including 1 run aground
2 destroyers sunk, 1 damaged
1 other ship sunk, 3 damaged
3 cruisers damaged

188 aircraft destroyed
155 aircraft damaged,
2,345 military killed
1,247 military wounded
57 civilians killed
35 civilians wounded

So, like one of the first people I met in March of 2006 on the American Idol boards was a fellow New Yorker/Bronxite named Busy. Busy and I were part of the original band of 6-10 who formed THE SOUL PATROL - rumor has it that Busy even came up with the moniker.

I can't remember...I tend to have STML (right TURNBABY?).

But that is not the point of what is coming up...I know - hurry along sonny, we have tons of other cool blogs to read - so anywhoodle and HECK-A-DOODLE, when the Hoochies & The Hotties were formed, Busy was an original member and went by Rocker Hoochie. Busy and I bonded over our love of classic rock and roll and the girl owns an original vinyl of Iron Butterfly's Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida!

Add to the above, she sews, and reads (I mean like a book every other day - she has read more than any person I have ever met), and she is raising two fine children and if you don't know Busy, you should! You can visit here at "BUSY WITH LIFE".

The last year or so, we have drifted apart...Busy was not blogging as much - or at least I could not find where she was blogging - she would make an occasional comment here, but I could tell she had visited more often.

Then on Tuesday evening, I received this comment:

Now, I have to name a few bloggers...

Well, it is a meme and we do have a Queen of memes - and she is eternally grateful to all of her loyal minions who fly their Peace Globes each year. She is also - and I have said this a ka-billion times - a brilliant writer who takes her readers on journeys of fancy and tales of love and life all done in an impeccably styled pencil-skirt. I present the award to my blogger buddy, MIMI of "Mimi Writes".

Next will be one special lady. She is a loving mother, a good friend, an activist for the ills she sees in the world, a creative writer and she does it all while she is in pain with various ailments. Does she speak of these often? Not at all.

What she will speak on is her causes and she speaks loud and clear. She will write Wordzzles like no ones business...and she will make you smile with tales of her youth.

Oh and did I mention that, when she has her snark on, there are very few who can keep up with her? Well, tis the truth kiddies. Finally, DIANNE of "Forks Off The Moment"is a good blogger buddy.

Finally, this lady is raising two kids to love and respect the world as she does. She sings for her church choir, she volunteers in her children's school, she is sweet and caring and has a mouth like an interstate truck driver when she lets it rip...
All of her friends and loved ones say a little prayer each day that the ills she suffers will lessen so that she can enjoy her children even more.

She is selfish though...she is off to the beach and not once...NOT ONCE...did I get an invite to join she and her family...I just do not understand!?!?!?

Nah, seriously...DESERT SONGBIRD of "The Ice Box" you are a good blogger buddy!

Above, I made a mention that MATT-MAN of "Bagwine Ruminations" would get a tingle from the fact that someone was gushy. You see, we need your help.

You must go over to his site and help deprogram him. It seems that Matt-Man's body and mind have been invaded by the spirit of Mr. Rogers. He is spreading his saccharine laden thoughts across the bloggosphere turning it into his own personal "BIZARRO WORLD" and causing some people to begin acting like zombies.

Don't believe me? Well, we thought some might be skeptical, so we hired one of the best, most insistent paparazzi to capture a picture of Matt-Man as he exists, today, in his Bagwine abode...

Finally today, we send our best out to Amy Mickelson. Amy is the wife of PGA golfer, Phil Mickelson and it was announced yesterday that she has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

Tests will continue and treatment is expected to begin with “major surgery” within two weeks, according to an announcement from Gaylord Sports, Mickelson’s management firm.

Because of this, and rightfully so, Phil has withdrawn from the PGA tour for an "indefinite period of time". Our prayers go out to Amy, Phil, and their 3 children.

Yesterday I posted my review of the new Springsteen CD...all is good, until about 3:30pm when I go to check out new comments and THE POST IS GONE...It is not showing up here on The Couch...the post is no longer listed in my post listings...I Google the title and BAM there it is...I click on the link and I get a message "THIS PAGE DOES NOT EXIST"

And I freak...WTF WTF WTF?!?!?!?!?!

I go to the help area here on Blogger - which is a total joke - and post a new subject asking for help and....cue crickets...

yup...NOTHING...

So...I say to myself "SELF, when you get home, just post the damn thing again without the formatting and be done with it"...because luckily, that post I wrote in Word first and then just copied it into blogger.

Well, you know what happens next...

CUE THE MUSIC...

When I get home I look and see a tab open on Firefox that has my posts page on it. I click on that tab and BAM! the post is sitting there with "scheduled" next to it"...now I know it posted, hell you guys saw it and commented, so without refreshing the page...

I say to myself "SELF, click the publish button and see what happens"...

CUE MUSIC...

And BAM! the post reappears! Comments and all!

This has also caused another worry to come back into my world...what happens if blogger has a massive F-UP and all my posts disappear...two, coming up on three years worth of my writing gone forever...

So, I am planning on trying to transfer them all over into my external hard drive just to be safe, but that could take a loooong time...

OK, I am beginning to feel a tad better now - maybe it is the Single barrel Jack helping...mmmmmm ya think?! LOL

Remember to comment on that post, if you want a chance to receive the CD of Working On A Dream...

So, yesterday over at MATT-MAN'S "Bagwine Ruminations" he talked about having to go out and buy cigarettes and booze as they were snowed in and I left a comment that even he enjoyed - will freakin' miracles ever cease???

I post it here again, for all yall to read...I have now been asked by STARRLIGHT of "Here Comes A Storm In The Form Of A Girl" and DIANNE of "Forks Off The Moment" have asked I write their obits and I will be doing that over the next weeks...

So, here is Matt-Man's...hope you giggle....

(Associated Press)
A frozen Matt-Man was found today in Bagwine OH. His fingers were wrapped around the car door of his puke-olive green car.

Investigators have learned he was trying to escape his shared apartment for alcohol and cigarettes, which had run low as a result of a small winter storm.

Government officials took this as an omen and immediately signed into law a bill banning all liquor and cigarettes from the tiny hamlet.

Residents angered by this new law all began protesting by walking around in a glassy-eyed daze uttering the phrases "I'm Matt-Man Bitch" and "Cheers".

The Governor Of Ohio is said to be considering calling in the National guard to put down this "Dawn Of The Dead" like reaction.

When contacted, the room mate of the man now referred to as the "Bagwine Popsicle" had the following statement "S**t, you mean he never even got the booze? Friggin' loser...can someone give me a lift? I need a drink...and a room mate. Jay wanna come move in with me?".

In a related story, Centerra Wine Company, the makers of the product Richard's Wild Irish Rose, today announced they would be laying off 200 workers. In a statement the company said "Damn, that guy was 70% of our market share, we are not sure we will be able to survive this loss." The company plans on erecting a statue of a man frozen to his car door in honor of the "Bagwine Popsicle" at it's corporate headquarters.

Got most of the lights fixed tonight, but did not have the big ladder for the one last strand that fell like the stock market...will get that done tomorrow and then it is off to Greensboro for the Christmas Party this weekend.

Bought Nancy a new dress for her birthday later this month. She picked it out --- I picked it up...EXCEPT...they gave me the wrong dang dress...

YUP..you got it folks...ready set

HECK-A DOODLE!!!!!!!!

SO, I am back to the store tomorrow with a picture of the one the woman was SUPPOSED to give me...Should have pictures on Monday...

Not enough hours in the day...not enough days in the week...not enough weeks in the year...

I get moved tomorrow at work, so I have to be in a tad early...BUT..I get a window!!! WOOOO!!!

Yup, as of tomorrow, just like TRAVIS from "Trav's Thoughts", I get a window to look out on! Unlike Travis, whose window looks over the Puget Sound, I get a class-A vision of the parking lot!

Hey it beats looking at the woman who sits in the cube next to my old one. LOL

My friend LEELEE from "Thoughts And Meanderings" has a video of Bruce and the band on Conan O'Brien and I have to tell you...Clarence Clemons is looking more and more like Wesley Snipes...it is almost scary...Don't believe me...go check it out!

OK, it is late...but PLEASE head on over and wish DIANNE from "Forks Of The Moment" a very HAPPY BLOGGOVERSARY!!!!

She is not feeling well and I know she will appreciate the shouts of congrats from all y'all...tell her Bond sent ya...

Until Monday...

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!

Brian Setzer Orchestra "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree"

ENJOY......