Cup of Coffee
THAT is how I feel sometimes when I am at home with the boys trying to unpack and/or clean. Which of course reminds me of the ol' Phyllis Diller saying-
"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing"
On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Reard dubbed "bikini," inspired by a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week.
...In planning the debut of his new swimsuit, Reard had trouble finding a professional model who would deign to wear the scandalously skimpy two-piece. So he turned to Micheline Bernardini, an exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris, who had no qualms about appearing nearly nude in public. As an allusion to the headlines that he knew his swimsuit would generate, he printed newspaper type across the suit that Bernardini modeled on July 5 at the Piscine Molitor. The bikini was a hit, especially among men, and Bernardini received some 50,000 fan letters.
This of course brings to mind two interesting asides of which I don't have time to find the sources on but recall reading years back:
- Most women find swimsuit shopping a traumatic event
- Most men prefer to see women in bikinis even if the woman doesn't have a perfect body...
Hmmm...what say you?
Week 109...Welcome welcome welcome...to the Get a Job Edition of Bonfire of the Vanities...Participants this week receive some career suggestions thrown in with the roasting...After all we therapists are such givers...
Speaking of other givers...let's start off with this opus by GM's Corner. This little (ha) piece really strikes me as something Opie
might have tried to put over on Andy. Great in content but Aunt Bee definitely wouldn't get it...Less is more...Crystal says...Mortician for you.
"Sense and know higher truth?" ,Crystal Clear to me, Cutler's Yankee Station went the opposite way and is enjoying some sort of private polish joke...Crystal says...Lame ass Newscaster on some lame ass station in Michigan.
Boys and their toys... ,TFS Magnum
is thinking correctly here with expecting increasing speed...Crystal says...Designer of Sex Play toys.
Catherine Bosley is out of work???? In need of employment???? Sheesh why didn't I think of having others like Interested-Participant spread the word about me looking for work. Crystal says...Pimp with a pink fedora
Famous? ,For Mean Ol' Meany ,Crystal says...Cruise Director for some cheap ass cruise from Catalina to the Mexican Riviera.
Fry Me to the Moon ...Oh come on this is just too good for a bonfire...Crystal says...Political Strategist.
Six seems as holy to me as 5 ...but drinking makes a great deal more sense...for Soldiers' Angel Crystal says...a soldier bravely serving her country who also serves the souls of many with her lovely art...Keep doing what you are doing...Crystal Clear, You have a calling...
Promises promises promises ...Stale is stale...Crystal says Baker.
NSFE ...Hmmm first I need to thank Beth cause I stole the nifty little flames from her... but sharing this sort of stuff does not bode well for her....Crystal says...Optometrist.
Words escape me...maybe gas will do? ...When Bad Example lives up to his name is that really bad? Crystal says...well someone has to be on welfare...
It's a blog...not War & Peace ,BUT here we have Personal Development-Steve Pavlina sharing the newest sleeping aid...or as Crystal says...Deviser of Torture Techniques to keep Amnesty International busy..
That Darn Cat ...really...what can I say... I am more of a dog person so I'd torch the whole blog...Crystal says...Producer of Music Videos.
Jealous of France and now Italy? Aaron Aaron Aaron,,By the way you really deserve to capitalize the As in your name...You really might want to take a look at your fetish for burqas. Crystal says...Disneyland concessionaire manager
Sad when the comments are better than the post Crystal says...Real Estate agent for Bel Aire area..
So THIS is how they make sauerkraut ... Crystal says...High School Chemistry teacher.
Crystal Clear,Rick doesn't know how to play fair... so Crystal says...Auditor for the Internal Revenue Service.
HOT Muslim Chicks ...oh dear oh my...a bit too apropos...Crystal says...Porn Flick star.
Dead is DEAD...ok? ...Crystal says...Actuary for Mutual of Omaha
With a roundup like this... isn't it Crystal Clear?...Cowboy
Oh weren't we all wondering? MM Contributor Jewboy seems to think so....Crystal says...Carpet Cleaner
Everybody's gotta have somethin' so Crystal says...Crack Dealer.
I'd say it was unrelated ...Crystal says Poet living with terrible angst and unpaid bills.
Unwanted Houseguest? Gotta love the well informed...and well connected...Crystal
says...Lobbyist for Tobacco companies...
Well the time has come to slam this old laptop shut and send you all on your merry merry way...Back to Work...
I really don't know how this happened too...other than the darn show is on the tube three nights a week. So now I am hooked...and I don't like being hooked...other than it is really kind of fun for all of us to sit together around the tube three nights a week.
But then I learned it was live streamed 24/7 ... Good Lord...So I had to sign up for that...Truly, blogging is a far better pastime for me...Perhaps after Eric and Yvette are booted off I won't be so hooked...Then again...Kaysar is awfully interesting...Hmm...well at least it is something to do when I am not plastering the island with resumes and job applications or until I find my blogging mojo...
I know, I know, I know,...so disappointing isn't it...Well the five of us here can't be the only ones watching...
Circa 1971...my first trip
my sister Wendy with our Grandmother...
Sis and I actually getting along...
The two of us with our Great-Grandmother 
and my most favorite pic of all from this group... my mother at the age of 25......
I am in the midst of making plans to actually meet another blogger in real life this Saturday...As we are both virgins with regards to meeting a fellow blogger in persona...Crystal Clear ...pics are a given...Stay tuned...with very little sleep and in the midst of an Aloha moving sale... I am certainly going to look stunning.... NOT...but I am betting my partner certainly will...
Yes I am close to lift off with regards to Project Aloha...but actually this post is about how very close I am to having one of you be reader/visitor 90,000...... I am watching... just hope it isn't one of you doing a google search for crystal meth... or no panties....
A clean desk is a sign of the truly lazy;
Someone who never wants to hunt for anything.-unknown to me
A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer. ...-unknown to me
I just had to celebrate my seeing the actual desktop! Definitely was a step in the direction of progress...but I won't show you the pic of half of the crap that just made it over to the couch...
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Sister Hand Grenade of Courteous Debate.
and my Reformed Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother/Sister Inspired Arrow of Tolerance. What's yours?
hat tip:Wizbang via CatHouse Chat
Say Hello to Bloggy! This little device that looks a great deal like a ball of leftover Christmas garland is a companion who follows you around all day and will blog for you when you are too busy or too tired. According to the website:
Bloggy is versatile. Our original Bloggy prototype was used extensively by the Clark campaign, where it would rove around the office and just blog whatever. Bloggy's wireless adapter and 8 hour power supply (2 hour recharge in the BlogDock) lets Bloggy roam with you. Bloggy also supports nine supplemental theme modes if you'd like your posts spiced up: Liberal Conspiracy Blogger, Angsty Teen Blogger, Knitting Blogger, Grad Student Blogger, Liberal Democratic Journalist Blogger, Self-Involved Blogger, Rabid Conservative Blogger, Poet Blogger and Cat Blogger.
Personally I would rather have him make dinner and clean up the house so I could spend more time blogging. Check out his own blog at Bloggy's Blog.
Hat Tip: Shirazi over at Light Within
You just know this is a post worthy of a bazillion exclamation points!!!!!! My mother and I have been on the waiting list since the end of the 2nd season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rat bastards send an email this afternoon for tomorrow night's taping at 5 pm and I still am not guaranteed seats....Well just try to imagine the scene I will cause if I don't get in to see the show OR don't get tickets for another taping...If that were to ever happen I can tell you I would most definitely NOT ever watch the show again...ok enough of my fears.... Big disappointment is that my mother is not going to be able to come over for the show....Really takes away 3/4 of the fun and enjoyment but I am going to have a great time in her honor and hope tickets for her come up again and I get to go again...Ok Ok Ok...must call babysitters and get moving!!!! Woo Hoooooo
Pity the kids who really think these type of comments are funny and get a kick out of them. Not that a single ridiculous comment on my blog is going to end them up being someone's bitch in prison, but this is a great example of the type of poor judgment that might just be symptomatic of a larger pattern of behaviors that will end up with them calling their cell mate,Bubba, "Sweetheart".
The comment/e-mail:
Name: killa
Email Address: fuku@hotmail.com
URL: http://www.school.com
Comments: i el u wot all u wierd ppl im taking after scream and i will kill you all!!! u bunch of penis-pullers i av ur email addresses so beware i av a gr8 job as a computer hacker how good is that!!! cya saddos!!
Domain Name btcentralplus.com ? (Commercial)
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To add even more irony to this comment, let me share it was left regarding my post on Bryceton and the Gifted & Talented Program!
Between Bloggers Recognized as Representatives of News Media (Hat tip:PajamaHadin) and Our Ad Was Censored Accepted Updated (Update 2) (Hat tip: Blogs for Terri) , I would say Scooby Doo would most certainly be very proud of us blogging away on issues of personal and social relevance, un-masking villainous and monstrous liars all the while having a cold beer and a piece of pizza.
In an e-mail conversation Will informed me if one Googles "Crystal Clear" , my blog is
the very first result. Additionally, the "I'm Feeling Lucky search brings you straight here to Crystal Clear! A Crystal Clear search over at Yahoo also lands you here with me! Prior to the blog traffic exchange explosion, my simple little ol' goal was to achieve the top spot with Google, so I could just tell family and friends "Oh just go do a Google or Yahoo search on 'Crystal Clear' to find me". I keep thinking I want to change my blog design and want to find something that would fit with the whole Crystal Clear thing but I still pretty much draw a blank as I don't want it to be too girly girl but I also don't want it to be too..._____. I don't know...I want it to fit with the Crystal Clear theme and tag line.
Nevertheless, this really is quite rewarding fun and I am having a blast. Now if I could just find keeping the house presentable enough for unannounced visitors this rewarding and fun!
This was a comment left on my blog. I kid you not. Although I laughed aloud when I read it, frankly I wanted to scream at this idiot:
THIS IS MY BLOG!
; Why are you here if you don't want to read whatever drivel I spew? Are you not coordinated enough to click the Next button? Are you so self-absorbed you surf BE or BC or BZ only for credits so people will read your masterpieces? Please go ahead...live large...fore go the credit and click on along because as long as I can and as long as I want...I will not shut up and I will continue to blog about whatever the hell I want.
I am guessing bloggers such as MuzikDude , Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred , La Shawn Barber's Corner and of course MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and well...Isn't it Crystal Clear I could go on and on and on...I think most bloggers would agree with me, Don't you?
The question over on a post at my Crystal Clear Reads blog:
We get it that your name is Crystal and the blog's name is 'Crystal Clear', but do you have to always reference this in the text of your blog? It has become CRYSTAL CLEAR to me that this is an annoying habit.
The answer here:
Yes, I must always try to reference Crystal Clear in the text of my blog. Fortunately, many other readers have let me know they find it a charming habit. By the way...I hope you aren't involved in or pursuing a career in journalism or marketing.
So very relieved and grateful to see the very talented and special Jill back to blogging. Her recent post allowed me to comment on this whole over-rated over-the-top New Year's Resolution hoopla. Check her out, read my comment regarding resolutions for Idiot-Doctors-Trying-To-Treat-My-Son, and join in the joy of setting resolutions for those screwing up your life!
Ok, it is Crystal Clear I have spent more than enough time today amusing and distracting myself from the clutter chaos in my home. Before I go off to make Fly Lady proud, please allow me to offer up a thought that might just make you chuckle.
I am largely crazy about Ahhnold, California's Gubernator...I was just thinking about his State of the State address the other night when a memory came to me....When he was running to oust that whore Grey Davis, I remember answering a colleague, who asked how Ahhnold could possibly think he could be a successful Governor, with the answer Ahhnold must have been playing and winning at
Bryceton and I also have a blast with this game. I sometimes use the opportunity to work with Bryceton on the skills of thinking and forethought. Can't you just imagine Ahhnold sitting down and playing this game at the computer with Maria and his kids in the background hanging out ?
The following was commented about me:
here on a post by A Thousand Winding Roads by the same woman who titled an entry on her own blog :Blog Without Soul and so eloquently included in it this line:
We are supposed to be a step above the animals.
and concluded with this line:
You get what you give, people.
However, it just gets more amusing when you learn somehow my comment on her blog connecting her comment and her very own post as well as expressing my gratitude at the hearty laugh I was enjoying was somehow mysteriously deleted....Her comment was with regard to this clever but not very insightful post entitled Back Away from the Peroxide, or A Mind is a Terrible Thing To Waste .
It is Crystal Clear many are annoyed by my picture, my tag line, and my number of blogs. It is also becoming more than Crystal Clear I will need to be able to take some ridicule and many people will not make the effort to understand me or appreciate my viewpoint. However, I am truly a bit more than disheartened some people seem so terribly limited in their ability to even attempt to understand my valid and supported points or to deliver any constructive criticism or feedback regarding my opinions that doesn't include some mention of my picture and/or attractiveness.
Oh and by the way, I am not taking my picture off my blog and if I were fat and/or ugly not a single soul would even think to even suggest it.
Really, I am tough enough and can indeed wage quite a fine battle in a war of wits with adequately armed opponents. Furthermore, I even say "Bring it ON" if you have some ability to engage in dialogue and are even open to understanding and learning. I know I certainly am capable, invite such opportunities and promise to not bother commenting on your looks.
UPDATE: Somehow my comment on above mentioned blog has now shown up! Therefore-no more mystery!
Honestly I cringed at first when I realized NominalMe linked to my post about not returning the phonecall to N. Then after being very grateful for the acknowledgement of my blog and upon a more complete reading of the post I had to laugh because it appears, unbeknownst to me until now, that I am a bit of a Blog Explosion joke and annoyance!
Well, it is Crystal Clear Shirazi understands the need for multiple blogs and was kind enough to link to me and to comment on the professional appearance of my blog. So here is a bit of an explanation to help make it Crystal Clear to those of you who are curious and annoyed by my many blogs:
Crystal Clear- This blog, my main blog is for writing...originally was set up and meant to mainly chronicle the journey of getting a diagnosis for Nethan. Along the way (still searching for a diagnosis) I have written and enjoyed writing about various issues such as illegal immigration, the war in Iraq, single motherhood, and my precious raisons d'etre.
Crystal Clear Memes- When I was first blogging and wasn't so full of material and finding my voice so to speak, I liked to do more memes. Having a meme to perform each day made it much easier to sit down and blog. After I began to find my voice I didn't like to have all those meme banners over on the side but was participating in the various memes quite frequently. I moved the memes to their own blog. I really felt throwing in the memes with my regular blog cluttered it more than anything. Now, besides Baker's Dozen (my fave all time meme), I don't keep it up as much.
Crystal Clear Photography- I adore photographing my kids. I also enjoy photography as a creative outlet. At the time I started the photography blog I was participating much more frequently in photography memes. Typepad has some nice templates to display photographs and I felt it showcased my pictures better than throwing them in with the main blog. I still hope to pick back up the digital camera and start participating again.
Crystal Clear Reads- If you haven't figured it out by now, I adore the internet and blogosphere. I don't know whether it is my age,eye sight, or computer monitor but I just hate hate hate having teeny tiny type on the sidebars. After joining Blog Explosion I became aware of so many blogs I wanted to share and comment on and wanted to visit regularly I decided to set up a blog for my blogroll. It works for ME. It is much easier for ME to click on over to my blog and find the blogs according to my categories. I thought I was adding something to the blogosphere and for those of us who hate just a name.
Crystal Clear Moblog is for my Treo600 camera phone but lately my pics from my phone have not been posting at all and are not really of high enough quality to throw in with this main blog or with my Photography blog.
So there you have it. I really consider this Crystal Clear blog my main blog and the others as pages off of it. I just capitalized on Blog Explosion's ability to list several blogs to have more 30 second opportunities. I would think people who join Blog Explosion are interested in discovering interesting and different blogs AS WELL AS gathering readers and linkage for their own blogs. Seems my marketing techniques of using my picture, my blog name, directory bids, and the line of Crystal Clear might just be working...Now I am genuinely trying to consistently provide quality posts worthy of 30 seconds or more of attention , to get readers to think &/or feel about things important to me, to comment, and to be worthy of being blogrolled. In the meantime, please let me make it Crystal Clear....I am having an absolute BLAST.
In this photo, Brigitte Nielsen accidentally accomplishs something I never even dreamed could be possible...Could she have possibly lost her mind completely and rid her home of all mirrors????
Honestly, he really is doing far better than I am at this point. I am so physically and emotionally exhausted. As much as I wanted to write about the upper GI series so that other Internet maniacs researching stuff like this would have our experience to prepare themselves... I just can't. I so greatly appreciate all the comments.Well perhaps I can write a bit... I think there is a little confusion about what he had done today so I wanted to clarify that ...today he just had the upper GI series. He won't have the actual lap/bowel biopsy until January...So no answers at all yet about anything. I was able to stay with him through it. Since he hadn't had a thing to eat or drink since last night, he was nicely desperate enough to slurp down the barium sludge. I could see it going down his esophagus nicely. I wasn't and am not surprised as I really do think the problems he is having are lower down in his system. He has never in his life vomited. So after a bunch of pictures we had to wait to take some more about 30 minutes later. Then came back for another xray and then told to go wait again and tried to have him drink some more barium but now he was not as cooperative...then more xrays with Poo Poo and myself right there with him...Then I was finally able to feed him and he scarfed down some McNuggets and fries.( There is actually a McDs in the hospital) then waited an hour I think and one final xray. My plan is to call the doctor tomorrow morning. As the barium is quite constipating I have been offering juice and water like crazy. His belly is huge and quite distended, I am highly anxious for it to start coming out...I imagine tomorrow is going to mean several changes of clothes...He was so darn sweet. He had to initially have his legs bound..He was clearly a bit scared but oh so brave...was so still each time they took the xrays... He kept Poo Poo right next to him and when I told him they were taking his and Poo Poo's picture with that big machine he actually SMILED :-) for the machine...So quite a long day...I also realized something about myself that is off topic but it is my blog so I am allowed....I have written before about how CHELLA is truly akin to a personal hell for me. I am, it seems to me, ultra sensitive to the children...visually. As a therapist the stories I have heard and hear on a regular basis are atrocious and emotional and people often wonder how I can listen to them day in and day out over the years...well I can and clearly do...it is really nothing to me compared to having to see all the things I saw today...I am haunted....Reminded me of the Oklahoma City Bombing years back where the onsite daycare was devastated...I cried for several days and still can cry if I don't stop myself...9/11...shudder and sick when I recall seeing those people falling...dropping out of windows...By the time of the recent Chechnya Beslan school incident I wasn't watching TV any longer... and refused to look at any pictures on the web either...Thinking about it I cried and I still really have to shake my head hard to get it out of my mind....So it is Crystal Clear that auditorily I am your gal, I can handle just about anything...even regarding kids...be helpful and lead my life just fine... Although I am from time to time really haunted and bothered by the things I hear from people and the things kids have been through...I can process it far more quickly than I can this type of day... The stories and things I hear don't haunt me as much...It is Crystal Clear to me I am far more sensitive visually than I ever realized...Makes sense as well if you know my passion for and love of photographing my kids too...No punch line...that is IT tonight ...Thanks again...
In college we joked that Breakfast of The Champions was a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Now a cup of coffee is necessary to get me moving in the morning and somewhere around dinner I eat something which is sometimes nutritious...I need to change this and today breakfast included some mini bran muffins...So I am curious in a humorous and serious way what do you consider Breakfast of The Champions?
Won't you smile if you help me smile today? ... And to be Crystal Clear about it...I will be smiling if I know you are smiling too...so for today a quick,easy simple thing you can do to help one person on this planet whom you have never met smile...is to click on this link right here
or e-mail me here with a question or comment...
If you are not from Blog Explosion which really does seem to be doing something very nice with my stats and are interested in bumping both our smiles up a notch and have a blog you are interested in sharing please click
No it won't stop the war in Iraq, no it won't change your feelings about the election if you voted for Senator Kerry, but it will help one very fatigued and stressed mom with two kids know she helped someone else smile today as well as getting a smile herself...
Somethings are just too cute to laugh at alone and this Memo to Tom Brokaw is one of them
Once again Andy shows me the way to some laughter and brightens my day with this little find. I have so many questions I want to ask I don't know where to begin!
if this is me or not...Kind of makes sense but I wasn't crazy about the questions...
You are mRNA. You're brilliant, full of important,
interesting information and you're a great
friend to the people you care about. You may
have sides to you that no one understands. But
while you understand more than most people,
you're only half-there most of the time.
Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Another one I wish I'd thought of...but Powerline blog reader Jim Duistermars came up with this little goody
Let's see, now I can have Nethan in the onesie and slap this on the bumper of my POS car
I truly hope the Bush family is laughing their asses off over this one because they certainly deserve a hearty laugh at CBS's and Mr. Rather's expense...
I wish I had thought of this!
I have no idea how I ended up at this site but put your coffee down before you click HERE
Woo Hoooo.... I finally figured out how to network the 2 computers and tested it by uploading this little pic...I wish I could give credit where credit is due but I can't....
Bryceton's first attempt at a "doodle" and I thought it was quite clever to come up with a "Donut Dollar"...
With Permission and Courtesy of my new found Doodlebug buddy Hemi-
Fun, Fun, Fun Stuff!
Once again stumbling around aimlessly while avoiding paying bills led me to this site called Doodlebugs. Just giving it my first shot I came up with this original piece of art...I was inspired by their challenge of Split Personalities...If you create your own account and/or own doodles please let me know! Also check out the other real pieces of doodling and you will be amazed at what some talent can do with a mouse... 
Until the opening ceremonies were actually happening I honestly had no idea it was even an Olympic year. Yes I know I should probably be embarassed or ashamed to be so out of the loop but I just have no interest and actually could go off on quite a rant about all that is very very very wrong about the Olympics...Instead I will share Yeti Sports with you. I found them on Fej's Blog and they really are quite a hoot in addition to being able to suck an hour out of you before you even know it...Clearly I should have followed Jeff's example though and made Bryceton's lunch for the first day of school before I started playing...Guess I just send him with a Lunchable since I still have to clean up dishes from dinner and get the video camera and digital camera ready for the First Day of 2nd Grade footage...
