Gone fishin

I've got nothin, so while it's slow I'm taking a mental health vacation, be back soon.

Weather Report by a Dreaming TTQ

I dreamed that I flew to the DC area and there was NO snow. It was gone, and spring wasn't far off. My whole purpose to go right way was to see snow, to play in snow, to sit indside and watch snow. Not that I don't love my big sister and family because I do, very much. I wanted to be in her house cozy and filled with kids, maybe even go sledding, drink hot cocoa and wear gloves, hats and scarves (all borrowed and mismatched, because I couldn't possibly tell you where my outdoor wear is, if I even still have any).

It's hot here today. I went to the gym and wore shorts and a long sleeve t over my workout shirt. I was warm. I was sleepy. I only worked out for 30 mins instead of two hours. Driving home my eyes were fluttering to shut, I hit a curb. I paid extra attention and crawled into bed when I got home and just woke up. The culprit maybe? Maybe I took one of my night time meds this am instead of a daytime one? I take 20 pills of the course of the day, sometimes more, it's the only logical thing I can think of.

Travelitis

My husband knows me well.

Me: Honey! Look how pretty! (practically clapping my hands in glee)

Him: You want to go there don't you?

Me: Yes

Him: Today?

Me: Maybe Tuesday (pulling up Expedia)

Him: You know, you are suppose to take me with you sometimes.

Me: Honey, we are going on a CRUISE together. (as if that's the end of it)

Him: How much? (to fly roundtrip to see snow)

Me: Ummm, not a bargain, but not bad.

Later today or maybe it was earlier:

Honey: Kendra is coming tomorrow. (Kendra and her husband owned the house next door, she is still good friends with Honey)

Me: Good, Have fun cleaning up the guest bedroom. (Last time she visited I had two days notice, I was pissed)

Honey: She won't be here before noon

Me; Fine, but I won't be here while she's here (The last visit was a disaster, she's was wreck)

Honey: Where will you go? (thinking I'll say mom's and that she will send me home)

Me: I've always wanted to stay at the Hyatt in the middle of Orlando Airport, I'll pick a flight for the next day by wandering the ticket counters .

Honey: She's not coming.

Me: It's fine if she does, I just won't be here.

Honey: I was just kidding. Really, I'm KIDDING.

Me: Okay, well see. I really do want to stay at that Hyatt...

Rare? Just like my steak?

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Huh? INFJ?

You Are An INFJ

The Protector You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity. Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is. You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience. You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them. You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

What's Your Personality Type?

Normal = Normal

You Are 65% Normal

Otherwise known as the normal amount of normal You're like most people most of the time But you've got those quirks that make you endearing You're unique, yes... but not frighteningly so!

How Normal Are You?

You Broke Her

Upside-Down Wishes
by
athenaworkman

Get this custom poster at Zazzle

I usually don't do Grey's Anatomy commentaries, but this really got to me. I should have blogged it last night when it was fresh in my head. But then I decided not to share, then I decided to share.

I usually don't share this. But sometimes you boil over, from guilt, from shame.

You told her she was absolutely ordinary that she was suppose to be extraordinary, You broke her.

I totally get Meredith and why she didn't want to come back. Pretending it's okay when it's not. Being tired of trudging, fighting, ready to give up and being okay with that. It was an accident, but really it wasn't. She was fighting and then she stopped. That's when you think what's the point, and you give up. It seems so much easier to give up and just let go. She was happy on that bed with her dog Doc and no more live people to hurt her, but she didn't get the part about repeating how you died over and over at the most inconvenient times, at first. That maybe, just maybe that is all you get. You don't get peace from giving up. It took me three weeks when I was in a coma to come back, I didn't want to come back, but I did. There was a great possibility of brain damage, I was told that I tried to rip my tubes out and had to be restrained and sedated. And then somehow, somewhere I woke up, three weeks later. And while I was in a coma, the person who broke me died in my head , when he walked through my hospital room door after I was awake, I screamed , rather made as much noise as I could after being on a breathing tube and ventilator. But he was dead to me from that moment on. The devil incarnate. I guess all that matters is that I came back to those who truly love me. The most selfish act I could have done would have been to die. All the people who were so very unselfish to fight for me to come back, to will me to come back To never lose hope. All the while I was stuck in my own head, not responding to real people...like when you are asleep and you ignore your alarm clock and learn to sleep through it. Don't ignore it, do not give up.

silly is a state of mind

So I've been feeling a bit silly the past couple of days, like happy silly. Last night I was eating a plum and I had to peel the sticker off it and it was stuck on me. I was eating the plum in bed next to my sleeping husband. I suddenly had the urge to stick the sticker on his forehead and wait for him to find as he got ready for work today. I didn't do it, but I was giggling at the thought the whole time.

Today at the gym I was watching Vh1's Celebrity Eye Candy: Naught Girls. The commentary was freakin hysterical. I snorted and laughed out loud, luckily everyone has their own tv's so they can watch whatever they want, and listen on headphones. I looked around and nobody was staring at me like I was a lunatic, whew. Then 10 mins later I did it again, which almost sends me into a fit of giggles...

The Cats Meow

And if you don't know what I'm talking about..Checkers is a fast food restaurant here in Florida, their greasy bags cam with holes that said to cut here and put your cat in the bag to make a "cat wrapper". Lo and behold Youtube never fails:




The walk in the middle of the clip makes me giggle ..because that is how my beagle walks when I we okay,okay I put his boots on him. By the way did I ever post a picture of the beagles new Pimp Jacket? It's on the hanger, I'm having some technically difficulties with the wardrobe and actual picture taking. Honey is not thrilled because its fuzzy and PINK. Fletch is a boy beagle. Real men wear pink right? Dogs are color blind right?

This is Swishy or Is it it Jessica Devlin?

Is Swishy really Jeri Ryan who play Jessica Devlin on Shark? You tell me.

Bloggers can be anyone which means they can be famous, they write under names like Swishy. Sometimes they slip up and let a few things out and if you are a faithful reader you might pick it up. Swishy and Manic Mom had their picture taken with an author, Manic posted the picture. BAM! Swishy jumped off the screen at me. I yelled Holy Batshit Batman! Swishy is famous! She's that smoking hot babe from the TV show Shark. So you see what I'm saying people? Pay attention! Your bestest blogging buddy could be Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan...etc..so be careful to shy away from that threesome unless of course that's your thing. I prefer some witty , independent girls to buddy up too, women of strength and character AND who make me laugh with their writing..

So back to Swishy, here's her story... Swishy has a part time boyfriend who she call semmy, you know like a semi-boyfriend, who drives a semi-trailer (he loves the open road and the money ain't bad) semi-monthly and can only get a semi-hardon when in bed, hence he is Swishy's semi-boyfriend, the other needs Swishy has are met by yet another semi-boyfriend. Swishy is in semi-heaven. So go check her out.

I posted a pic she sent to me and a pic that was on the internet. I'm still convinced that Swishy is the girl on Shark

Work it, Girl Part 1

Karen over at 17 Kinds of Bored loves music, so since she bored , I challenged her to make me a playlist to work out to. She accepted, she totally rocks. So here it is.

This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan, #1 Spot
Joints and Jam - Black-Eyed Peas, Behind the Front
It's Tricky - Run-DMC, Greatest Hits
Switch - Will Smith, Switch - Single
Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet, Get Born
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot, Mack Daddy (even white boys got to shout!)
Do You Want To? - Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better
You're So Damn Hot - Ok Go, Ok Go
Roots Radicals - Rancid, ...And Out Come the Wolves
Fell in Love with a Girl - The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
Why Can't I Be You - The Cure, Galore
Freak Magnet - Violent Femmes, Freak Magnet
Pump It Up - Elvis Costello, The Very Best of Elvis Costello
I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash, Unchained
36-24-26 - Violent Femmes, Add It Up (1981-1993)
I'm Going to the Place - Lyle Lovett, My Baby Don't Tolerate
TV is the Thing This Year - Dianne Reeves, Good Night and Good Luck Soundtrack
Work Song - Nina Simone, The Best of Nina Simone: The Colpix Years
Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers, Hot
Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
Word Up! - Cameo, Pure Funk
Jumpin', Jumpin' - Destiny's Child, The Writing's on the Wall
Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Rolling Stones, It's Only Rock and Roll
Hard to Handle - Black Crowes, Greatest Hits
Stand On It - Bruce Springsteen, Tracks (disc 3)
You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry, The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection
Hot! Hot! Hot! - The Cure, Galore
Mystery Dance - Elvis Costello, My Aim is True
AM Radio - Everclear, Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1
Pink Cadillac - Jerry Lee Lewis feat. Bruce Springsteen, Last Man Standing
Cold Hard Bitch - Jet, Get Born
From Small Things, Big Things One Day Come - Dave Edmonds, Chronicles (1968-84)
The Rascal King - Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, Let's Face It
Respectable - Rolling Stones, Jump Back: Best of the Rolling Stones
Little Black Backpack - Stroke 9, Nasty Little Thoughts
I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too - Reel Big Fish, Why Do They Rock So Hard?
Beverly Hills - Weezer, Make Believe
Steve McQueen - Sheryl Crow, C'mon, C'mon
Goodnight and Go (Radio Version) - Imogen Heap, Goodnight and Go - Single
Survivor - Destiny's Child, Destiny's Child

And here is one of my current playlists, I would list the other two tonight but I'm lazy for now. Todays workout? 2 hours 37 mins on 3 different cardio machines, then Honey came and took me through the weight machines, I was actually working out from 1:30-5:30. VH's 1 America's Next Top Model is great show to watch while you are on the cardio, I listen to my music and read the captions..

Going The Distance- Cake
God is a DJ -Faithless
Darling Nikki -Foo Fighters
I'm Only Happy When It Rains- Garbage
Kid Rock - Bawitaba
Tainted Love - Marilyn Manson
SOS -Rhianna
I Wanna Be Sedated - The Offspring
Uncle Kracker - Heaven (featuring Kid Rock)
Sorry -Madonna
Alegría - Cirque Du Soleil
3 doors down - kryptonite
A Case of You - Tori Amos
Cool - Gwen Stefani
Darling Nikki - Foo Fighters
Desert Rose (with Cheb Mami) -Sting
Dont Cry - Guns And Roses
Ex-Girlfriend - No Doubt
I Wanna Be Sedated - The Offspring
Jumpin' Jumpin' - Destiny's Child
Little Things - Lilly Allen
Living La Vida Loca - Riki Martin
Sorry - Madonna
Tourniquet - Evanescence
Turn Your Lights On -Carlos Santana & Everlast
You Spin Me Right Round - Boy George and Culture Club
90s - Jock Jams - I Like To Move It

I'm thinking every week I should post a new playlist from readers..anybody up for the challenge next week?

Grocery store karma

I'm a big believer in karma, not so much in the "you are going to hell for that". So today I'm at the grocery store buying stuff for dinner tonight. I was just coming from the gym were I had a good workout, I was there for almost three hours and on the cardio machines the whole time. So back to the grocery store, they had a sale on soda, and like always when it does go on sale, I load the cart up with four twelve packs. So far so good, I browse the veggies and fruit pick out what I want with very little trouble, I head to the ethnic aisle, I want tofu stirfry for dinner, so I go and check for new sauces that meet my dietary standards (low or no sodium, no fat, low carbs) if you look at every label you will find something different everytime you go to the grocery store. Today I found The Iron Chef's General Tso's sauce, It was five bucks, but would last awhile if it's really good and you only need a couple of tablespoons. Whatever it meet my rules, I'm worth it. I get to the check out and into my car, I'm already leaving and I started thinking about, they didn't charge me for the soda (nine dollars worth). So I'm conflicted, then I figure I'll be back and besides they sold us 4 jars of the recalled Peter Pan Peanut Butter which I didn't return yet. I know shitty thing to do just driving away. I get home carry the bags into the kitchen, honey starts to unpack the bags and before you know it the Iron Chef sauce rolls out of the bag and hits the floor and breaks. So now I have 4 jars of recalled Peanut Butter that can't be eaten and I didn't get to use my new sauce. How ya like them apples? So do I return to the store with the peanut butter and tell them I wasn't charged for the soda and give them the peanut butter back without a refund?

What would you do?

Find out later what I did in this situation...stay tuned

FIRE!! FIRE!! Fire!!

What did you do this Saturday night? My highlight was a firedrill (i.e. Chinese Firedrill) at a stop sign involving all of us changing seats. Around my sleepy bedroom suburbia we often see cheerleaders doing this on sporting event nights and sometimes the football players are in the car behind and then it's pandemonium. But Grown people like us, you don't see that everyday. I can go into the details which precipitated these adventure, but rest assured we were all sober

Chinese Firedrill. Get at least 2 people in a car (the more the better) when the light turns red everyone get out and run around the car and yell "fire, fire!" Then get back in the car but switch drivers. Then drive off when the light turns green and act like nothing happened. (Called Chinese Fire Drill because China is so crowded that there is no place to run in a fire. So you have to get back in.)

Wikipedia's definition:
A Chinese fire drill is a prank that was popular in the United States during the 1960s. It is performed when a car is stopped at a red traffic light, at which point all of the car's occupants get out, run around the car, and return to their own (or go to other) seats. Chinese Fire Drills are sometimes executed when one needs to get something from the trunk of a car. Occasionally, if one of the participants is late to get inside the car, the others might drive off without him/her. People have reported its use as early as the 1940s, so it is likely that the phrase was current at the time, but simply was not written down that early.

The term is also used as a figure of speech to mean any large, ineffective, and chaotic exercise. In this usage, it is often shortened to just "fire drill," omitting the offensive insinuation that Chinese people are more likely to engage in such disordered activity.

NOTE:
The phrase Chinese Fire Drill, in the sense of "a state of utter confusion," first appeared during World War II. Chinese here comes from British military tradition of using the word to mean clumsy, inept, or inferior. It is likely that this was not intended as a slur on the Chinese people, but rather a play on the phrase "one wing low" which referred to a clumsy pilot and was thought to sound Chinese. Regardless of its origin, it is currently considered offensive

Insane Cat Owners Dye Their Cats

Okay I've gotten more than one e-mail of these pics and I'm sure ,many of you have seen it too, but I just had to throw my two cents in.

Dressing your pets up is one thing but would you pay up to $15,000 to have your cat's hair dyed only to have it grow out in 3 months? And how many valiums did it take for the cat to let the person doing the dye job? Yeah some of these cats look really cool, but people lets stick with dressing them up if we can't help ourselves (myself included). Do these owner go "Oh, poor kitty kitty", I'm sorry I had to knock you out with a freakin horse tranquilizer and you peed on yourself in your carrier, but look how pretty you are now! Mommy (or Daddy) just thinks you are the bestest cat ever! I'm sorry, pookie about the horribble smell of hair dye and bleach, and the burning sensation, but wasn't it worth it?

More Pictures here:
Insane Cat Owners Dye Their Cats

Who busted my lip angelina Jolie Style?

The cold weather here in sunny FL, hasn't even hit 32 degrees yet, though that is expected tonight. Can someone please tell me what the hell happened to my big pouty bottom lip while I was sleeping? Remember Angelina Jolie's lips in Girl Interrupted where they have red lines from cracking? I have red lines and what appears to be teeth marks in my bottom lip. My bottom lip is normally very pouty to the point of being obese and now it's horrible. I just had a shopping extravagance for Blistex, I bought a few different kinds. Reading the ingredients really didn't work out so well, all I know is that chapsticks, etc..have a shit load of sunscreens, most have two or more things for sunscreen. That's great, but what about healing lips? This is a picture of my unchapped lips. If I had gotten off my ass and went to Circuit City, I could have showed you for real on Youtube. Scary though me having a web cam in my possession

Dude I hate the hiccups

Girl hasn't stopped hiccupping in three weeks

Jennifer Mee, 15, hiccups something like 50 times a minute. It was kind of funny at first, but now it's become much more than an annoyance. "It's actually really stressful," she says. (Check out the audio slide show.) "Really, there's nothing much I can do except stay home."

(St. Petersburg Times)

Watch her Video

Wearing a clothespin on my nose

Dear Abby,

I hate to bring to bring up such a delecate matter, but maybe you could give us some advice to get through this. My husband and I have 90lb Doberman and he has horrible gas today. The problem is I think my husband has been giving him table scraps OR the dog is eating his own poo. The cat and the beagle have already cleared the office, and usually all three of them lay here with me while I play on my computer. Also, my husband has taken to bellowing WHO FARTED?. The rest of us are getting tired of yelling NOT ME!. I know it's not my husband trying to blame HIS farts on the dog because he isn't even home. I made sure our doberman pooped when I took him out, yet this awful stench still lingers in varying waves of potency. These farts are going to be hell tonight when we all pile in the bed, I'm not sure if we will all make it through the night. Plaese help us. Maybe some miltary unit can donate older model gas masks to us if there is a program like that?

Tired of stinky dog farts,

TTQ

Valentines Quiz

Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me"

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out. Your heart is open to where ever love takes you! Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking What turns you off: fighting and conflict Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Happy Valentines Day

Day 1 at the gym

Mom and I hit the gym today, we worked side by side on the stretching equipment and then the treadmill, then the elpitical. I'm starting my workouts 10lbs lighter than I was on my Wedding Day. My goal is to always weigh less than I did on my Wedding Day. So today's workout was good, but I can't wait to hit the gym with Honey. I need him to teach me the weight machines, and he is psyched to get to the gym and use the machines as well. Cool thing every cardio machine has it's own flatcreen tv WITH cable. All you have to do is bring your own headphones.

I'm not feeling as crazy as yesterday, maybe it was the work out. Anyways I'm tired of being moody and cranky, I'm hoping I get motivated to finish everything I have started here at the house. The bathroom is done, the kitchen is 3/4 done. Now, I just have to get the packed up Christmas stuff out of the corner of the living room, it's all ready to be put away but we just haven't seem to be able to get it put away.

I don't do mornings or stress

I'm floundering here, so very close to just dropping out of reality all together. It doesn't show on the outside, but on the inside, what a freaking mess, my muscles are taut, my nerves are tightly wound and curled. My recall memory is for shit, and I'm tired, tired, tired. I'm going to give the taxes another go and pay the bills tonight. Maybe then I can get some peace within. Mom, Honey and I are joining a gym tomorrow..though I really feel like playing a nasty contact sport at the moment. The good news? All the active wear I tried on today fit nicely and alot was too big, though I didn't buy any. I have some here. I wear them to the grocery store and running errands. I was just hoping to find something to perk me up, a new pair of sneakers or some work out clothes. Also on the good side I really freaking mastered my ipod last night updating playlists. It had features on it that I didn't ever bother to play with.

TTQ SAYS TAX TIME SUCKS

Do I look scary? Good. It's tax time. duh. Ms. do her taxes within 45 mins of having the w9's is confused. I have figured them twice, both came out really different, sigh. I NEVER HAD TO FILE MARRIED BEFORE. See, marriage messes everything up. I hate seeing my tidy piles and my re-worked forms, because I don't know which one is right. I am seriously thinking of taking them somewhere to be done. There are alot of different sources in our income these days, and each one sends you to a seperate worksheet then back to the main form. Bloody Hell. I use to be good at this shit. Now I'm some befuddled that everything is starting to unravel. I'm misplacing papers I had, my household spreadsheet isn't being updated..and where do I find this damn post office rebate thing????????? AAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKK.

Anybody know what those tax people charge you to complete your forms? I hate not being able to do, but I gotta move on. Before I hurt someone.

Lily Allen Smile

Lyrics to Lily Allen Smile

when you first left me
I was wanting more
but you were fucking that girl next door
whatd you do that for

when you first left me
I didnt know what to say
id never been on my own that way
just sat by myself all day

I was so lost back then
but with a little help from my friends
I found the light in the tunnel at the end

now youre calling me up on the phone
so you can have a little whine and a moan
and its only because youre feeling alone

at first when I see you cry
yea it makes me smile
yea it makes me smile
at worst I feel bad for awhile
but then I just smile
I go ahead and smile


whenever you see me
you say that you want me back
and I tell you it dont mean jack
no it dont mean jack

I couldnt stop laughing
no I jus couldnt help myself
see you messed up my mental health
I was quite unwell

I was so lost back then
but with a little help from my friends
I found the light in the tunnel at the end

now youre calling me up on the phone
so you can have a little whine and a moan
and its only because youre feeling alone

at first when I see you cry
yea it makes me smile
yea it makes me smile
at worst I feel bad for awhile
but then I jus smile
I go ahead and smile

Happy 8 Months

8 months ago I married this man.
I would do it all over again and not change a thing.

I like my ear.

I was going through my memory card for my lackadaisical and unconforming participation of Flickr's 365 pics. I found myself hating them all and after about 90 pictures I decided I like my ears. I have a cute ears. So here is a picture of my cute ear. Yes I know I said ear, I haven't decided if I like the other one yet. And don't worry about the odd cropping, I only liked one eye and one ear.

Anna Nicole Smith Vs. The Whack Astronaut

Hmm what do these two ladies have in common?

1) Media News Headilnes this week.

2) I suspect severe Mental Illness

3) Um shall we say "incidents" both commited in Florida

4) Diapers (Ms. Nowack used hers to make a trip quicker, but Anna Nicole had baby diapers)

5) Seemingly bright futures way back in the day "Rock Star Status"

6) Bad publicity photos to no end (drug induced, mug shots, hospital pics)

7) Endless converstaion topics in our house (Honey has been following Nowack and I myself have been following Smith's)

8) The news paper report high-stress lives in both women. Duh. It's not rocket science, oh wait it was in one case.

9) Errr...Loving someone to death? Pure speculation and a bit rude of me to make this jump.

10) Complicated love lives involving waaaaaaaayyyyy too many people.

11) Innocent daughters who will probably need some intense therapy (again I'm just projecting, but it sounds like a logical progression to me)

12) Business as usual at Hard Rock, OIA and NASA.

Open for comments, then I'll let it go......

Anna Nicole Smith Died this afternoon

4:02 PM EST, February 8, 2007


NEW Anna Nicole Smith collapses, dies at Hard Rock in Hollywood (Florida)
HOLLYWOOD (Florida) -- Actress-model Anna Nicole Smith was found unresponsive in a hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Sun Sentinel Full Story and Pics

Google Guy opens Terra Bite Lounge a pay as you wish Cafe

A Kirkland cafe with no prices

By Amy Roe
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

With its blood-red walls and black leather sofas, Kirkland's Terra Bite Lounge looks like any other coffee shop — until you get to the menu. There are no prices listed. Terra Bite doesn't have them.

You read that right: No prices. Customers pay what and when they like, or not at all — it makes no difference to the cafe employees, who are instructed not to peek when people put money in the metal lock box.

"Does it really matter to any of our patrons ... whether they pay a dollar or three dollars or five dollars?" said Terra Bite founder Ervin Peretz, a 37-year-old Google programmer.

He doesn't think so, at least not in the comfortable lakeside enclave that is downtown Kirkland.

Through his "voluntary payment" cafe, Peretz is poised to become the Robin Hood of the Starbucks set. Using an efficient, low-overhead business model and narrow profit margin, he figures he can finesse the largesse of well-off latte lovers to cover the tabs of the less fortunate.

The idea emerged during a booze-fueled debate in a Saigon bar, where Peretz and a colleague had traveled to blow off steam after a period of long hours at work.

Peretz argued that people are essentially good, but can be influenced by their environment. If people see good, they'll be good.

In November, he set out to prove his point, leasing a $4,000-a-month retail space in a new mixed-used building at Kirkland Avenue and State Street, dropping "in the low six figures" on startup costs and hiring his girlfriend, Susie Allsup, to manage the place, along with one part-time employee.

The name Terra Bite (www.terrabite.org) is a play on the tech term "terabyte," a trillion bytes, as well as a reference to earth and food.

More than coffee, sandwiches or even convenience, Peretz is selling good karma.

"People want something different. They want simplicity" of payment, he said. "They want to be taken to a new place, and they want to contribute to something."

Just how much they want to contribute is another matter.

While charities like the Boomtown Cafe in downtown Seattle charge $2 for Saturday brunch or let people exchange work for meals, Terra Bite is a for-profit business, and Peretz refuses to suggest prices. Each day he records how much was sold and how much was paid.

So far, Terra Bite has served up to 80 customers per day, averaging about $3 per transaction, he said. When the shop brings in a steady flow of 100 customers a day, Peretz figures, he will more than break even.

But will new customers pay, let alone pay it forward?

Even without posted prices, "social monitoring" — the feeling that others are watching what you do — can enforce payment, said Erica Okada, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Washington Business School.

With its anonymous drop box, Terra Bite has minimized, if not eliminated, that effect. Under these circumstances, Okada said, the economic model predicts that Terra Bite customers won't pay anything.

But they do.

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Tonja Maciolek told the barista to charge $4 to her bank card for her bagel with cream cheese and coffee. She said she's a patron because she's sensitive to price and would prefer to name her own, even if it ended up being the same.

Kate Lewis, a 17-year-old high-school student who often hangs out and studies with friends at the cafe, said she would actually pay more than the going rate for her double-tall latte because she admires what the business is doing.

"It's kind of like a social experiment," she said.

Lewis is skeptical voluntary payment would work in larger, more anonymous places like Seattle, but in Kirkland "there's a social standard."

Unwritten as it is, the standard helps Terra Bite extract a psychic price.

Chris Allar, who lives nearby, said every transaction at the cafe forces him to do some mental math, and a little soul-searching.

"It's always hard to see if you paid too much or too little," he said.

Allar put in $3 for his 12-ounce chai tea latte. The anxiety, "a feeling of did I really pay enough," was free.

Peretz admits that Terra Bite treads on shaky ground. He's got to attract enough paying customers to cover the cost of those who pay less or not at all.

Peretz isn't worried that people will abuse Terra Bite. There's enough money to fund the honor system, and enough honor, too, he said.

What does bother him is the prospect that customers might become cynical and think Terra Bite is just a gimmick, and that he's insincere.

All he's really trying to do, he says, is skim the froth off the high-end economy and spread it around a little.

Besides, he added: "If it turned out that 20 percent of the population were dishonest, we could just put in a cash register."


Amy Roe: 206-464-3347 or aroe@seattletimes.com


Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

It's not a tuuumah

Yay, Good news on the CT scan, nothin new really..better to err on the good side than be sorry later. I did tell my Dr that he shouldn't make me worry about things like that for sooooo lonnnnnngggggggg. Anywho's an increase of a med for a bit and hopefully that will get things going smoothly, if not we will try somethin else. But all is good and stable. Yay me!

Glory Box

Photo: TTQ, Viscaya Jan 2007


Glory Box

I'm so tired, of playing
Playing with this bow and arrow
Gonna give my heart away
Leave it to the other girls to play
For I've been a temptress too long

Just. .

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be ee, a woman
I just wanna be a woman

From this time, unchained
We're all looking at a different picture
Thru this new frame of mind
A thousand flowers could bloom
Move over, and give us some room

(CHORUS)

(INSTRUMENTAL)

So don't you stop, being a man
Just take a little look from our side when you can
Sow a little tenderness
No matter if you cry

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be ee, a woman
Its all I wanna be is all woman

For this is the beginning of forever and ever

Its time to move over



Portishead
Glory Box
Dummy
1994
(Video on Side Bar)

Uncle Fletch gets a room makeover

Complete with mirror disco ball...

Are We There Yet??? How about Now? Are we there Yet?

26 hours till I find out the results of my my ultrasound and CT scan. I'm a mess, I'm tired, I'm not hungary. I only gained 3.5 pounds on a 9 day vacation. I figured I would gain 15 pounds, and I was okay with the that. In fact one morning we split a large piece of cheesecake, a napolean, two eclairs (one each) and I had a Edy's fruit and ice cream bar. For 9 days I ate everything I shouldn't eat. Protein, Salt and fried foods, and desserts wherever they looked good. The mass is still in my stomach, taunting me with their firm hardness. I haven't done a sit up in years, like maybe 6 years. Abs and tummies just aren't this hard on their own...which is what I was dreaming till the doctor found it. My mom was quick to pint out that they sometimes remove tumors that weigh 25 lbs, how great would that be? It'd be like liposuction only covered by insurance. ( Her thoughts, but she also lied and said I didn't have a muffin top in a picture she took of me last week, okay so maybe it wasn't a muffin top, but I should have put my jacket or whatever I had with me back on before the picture) Which would probably cause me to gain 25 lbs from being too sore to do anything but lay there pop a percocet, and muhch while watching tv for two weeks. Her other advice is that when she had her breast cancer, she quit smoking because she was doped up on percocets and never really noticed when she last smoked. She was a light smoker like me, I only smoke in one room, and my car. Last week I only smoked 12. You would think it would be easy to quit since I don't smoke alot. Notice the pencil, when ever I get the urge I'm going to chew on a pencil, pens don't work so well, You get ink mouth sometimes by surprise.

Gladys Hardy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Gladys Hardy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show



This is a riot on so many levels... watch it. seriously.

Phone envy

What do you do when you have 4 months left on your carrier phone contract, and everybody is complaining about their phone besides me? My phone is the one that is up for a free upgrade, I was going to wait till June and pick one out (when our contart is up and we may move to another carrier, but I sit here doing, yes, more research on phones. The only input I get about a phone replacement is "I want one that doesn't suck" and "I want one that doesn't drop calls". But do they actually know what's out there? Hubby doesn't seem to want to wait 4 omnths now, he's had it since May. I finally got him calm by saying that I would gladly take it to the Cingular phone store and have them look at it, but that we were not going to be buying a new phone for $200.00 this month. Just not happening.

Here is the PDA and the phoneI like today.



Nokia N800 $399.00 Without a plan, phone only.



Nokia 7370 $329.00 Without a plan, phone only

I have F'ing Issues, Ok? Now hand me a tissue

Yeah so the trip to Ft. Lauderdale sucked for the most part. Or maybe I just need my meds upped.

Did I mention that the Superbowl Parties were kicked off around Mon or Tues? A) I don't watch football B) I don't drink. Need any elaboration? Didn't think so.

My mom listed the townhouse with a realtor, the new girls had the place looking real cute. They are young girls working in a beach club. Did I ever mention I was a succesful bartender in my early 20's? Then I became a succesful drinker, and the owner told me to get a real job he wasn't going to sit around and turn into a 40 year old bar wench, because I had brains and this was not my destiny. Not sure if I was fired, or I left after our heart to heart.

He's known me since I was in high school. Did I mention I got a phone call last week from a friend/roomate/etc. Tommy( The bar owner and the step father of my friend) has just been diagnosed with liver cancer. He has 3-4 months to live.

Did I mention that in the midst of the Fletch having surgery, I was having ultrasounds and cat scans because my Dr. found a mass on my right abdomen. I had felt it but didn't think much of it then I was worried about Fletch, then about Tommy.

Spent the entire week in Ft. Lauderdale in a massive panic attack, I was so off my rocker it never dawned on me to take a xanax till Tuesday when my husband asked if it was working. He was ready to drop everything drive 4 hours to pick me up and drive us home that night. Sweet. I love me some Honey.

By Wednesday , Mom was ready to leave early if I wanted or if it would make me feel better. She's a good mommy

I was determined to stay and and do our touristy thing in Miami by visiting Viscaya, it was calm and beautiful. Pics will be popping up here or you can click my Flickr banner and it will take you to some I uploaded already. They just aren't cropped or flipped..just raw pics.

So those are my issues well the ones I can remember. I have awesome a coping mechanism where I can shut down completely and pretend that everything is a ok, when it's not really. I used to think I wouldn't mind being agoraphobic, but when it really starts to kick in, It's really not fun. Like I said maybe I need my meds up