Jim's MI-5

Labor Day is coming and for many people that spells a sort of end to the formal summer. This week we look back a bit at summer.

1. What was the best thing you did this summer as in most fun or most positive?

I think the most fun we had was about two Saturdays ago. We went to see the Speed (TV) Truck (a semi) at a gigantic camper place in Auburn. While the Speed Truck was somewhat of a letdown, we all had a huge bunch of fun going through all of the campers. Caleb and Eben would just run from camper to camper, with Caleb saying "I want that one," for each and every one he went into it. (Most of which had a $100,000+ price tag!) We then went to Dollar Tree in Augusta, and had fried seafood at The Barn in Augusta. We didn't spend a whole lot of money that day, but we all said it was just a bunch of fun!

2. What accomplishment did you want to make this summer that you wanted to make?

Well, we made it to a Nascar race, camped at the race track, and completely surprised Eben with the trip for his birthday. I'm not sure it was a completely successful accomplishment, but we accomplished it nonetheless.

3. Was there anything you wanted to do this summer that you were unable to do?

I really wanted to spend more quality time with the kids. I wanted to take them to a lake swimming. I wanted to try to do it without Dwane, simply because I wanted to gain some confidence that I could safely take two kids to a beach by myself. I didn't get to the beach with Dwane, let alone without him. I wanted to spend more time reading books, playing games, and that type of thing. Technically, I'm only supposed to work 8 hours a week, but this summer it has grown to 12, 15, 17 hours. It's amazing how much that extra work time really cut into my "fun".

4. Is there anything you want to get done before the true end of summer in a few more weeks?

Play games with Eben and Caleb! (See #3 above!) I've talked to my boss, and she seemed to be very understanding. We'll see how the next week or so goes. (I'm not entirely hopeful.)

5. Do you have any thoughts about next summer and anything you want to do?

Definitely get a better grip on controlling my work hours. Go camping in our new camper.

I had an opportunity to eat at the new Chinese Jade on Sunday for lunch. We took the kids, and Bill and Julia met us there. I have to say that I was very impressed! Since we are used to fast food fare, the cost was twice as much as we would usually spend for lunch out, so it will have to be a once-in-a-while treat.

I ate all American food, with the exception of one chicken finger. I had fried scallops, fried shrimp, fried haddock, roast beef and gravy, macaroni & cheese, mashed potato, ham with pineapple, watermelon, and chocolate pudding. I think the quality of the food was better than that at Old Country Buffet in Portland. Eben had macaroni & cheese and ice cream, and Caleb had french fries and cake. Dwane had a little bit of everything. I liked the fact that there was American-style food so that there was at least something that my boys would eat. Eben won't eat anything at China Coast, and Caleb will eat only the little Chinese donuts.

I think Bill was much less impressed. He has a much finer taste in food, and really appreciates good flavor. I, on the other hand, tend to like thing a little more on the "bland" side. My mom's cooking is far from bland, but it's much more homestyle than the stuff that they make on Food Network. Bill really appreciates the Food Network type of stuff. That's cool. I wish I was more adventurous with my food. But, hey, at least I have learned to actually kindda enjoy onions over the last several years.

Billy Rhythm's MI-5:

I don't know what inspired this, but let's talk about pet peeves! You know, those little things that are really not important, but still drive you crazy. Tell me about your pet peeves:

1) At the office

Excuses about why things aren't done, or excuses about why someone can't do the work.

2) In the bathroom

Dirty underwear and wet towels left on the floor. How difficult is it to hang the towels and put your underwear in the hamper????

3) In the kitchen

When someone takes the last papertowel and doesn't put a new roll on the holder. (This is the same thing with the toilet paper in bathroom, too.)

And this one is purely selfish--but if you want to use a knife that does not go into the dishwasher, then wash the knife when you're done and put it away. I only use cheapo knives that I can just throw in the dishwasher. I'm too lazy to wash anything by hand.

4) From someone important in your life

Using the debit card 10 times during the week, and then handing me a big ole handful of receipts for ME to put in the checkbook. If you're going to "save up" your receipts, then you put them in the checkbook! Drives me nuts! I hate the debit card anyway. When the bank statement comes, all of the checks are listed by their check number, which makes it very easy to mark as "cleared" in the checkbook. Debit card transactions, however, seem to take forever to find in the register. Not all transactions clear the account on the same day. Some can take 3 or 4 days.

5) On the road

Tailgating. Not using directionals. Leaving trash in the car when you come back from a trip and not taking it to the house to put in the garbage. I'm guilty of this, too.

Billy Rhythm's MI-5:

Billy says:

Ah, yes, MI-5 time. And it's my turn to think up some sould searchin', earth shatterin' questions. I thought I would do some questions on stress, but I couldn't come up with five. So I figured I do a one through five theme. Here they be:

1) What one movie makes you say "I hope I never waste another two hours on that again"?

I think it was called "The New World" or something like that. It was a Pocahontas movie. Incredibly boring. I love all things Pocahontas, but this was terrible. For the longest time, I couldn't even tell which character was which, and I think I know the Pocahontas story fairly well. Maybe I had a problem because I slept through the middle of the movie. I had wanted to see this movie so bad, and it was such a disappointment.

2) Stretch your left and and your right hand out to your side. What two things do you touch?

On my left I can touch a kitchen chair. Caleb brought it in the computer room so that he would have a place to sit and watch TV. (I was occupying the computer chair, and he wanted a chair of his own.) On my right, I can touch the file cabinet that holds my clients' files.

3) You're being roasted at the Friar's Club. What three comedians are at the head table with you?

Boy. I really don't know comedians. I guess I'd have to say Billy Rhythm, Bill Cosby, and either Caroline Rhea or Rosie O'Donnell. (I think Rosie is funnier, but honestly, I have a hard time getting by some of her political views. She's very hard-nosed about what she believes in. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but she just doesn't believe in the same things I do.)

4) You're making supper for someone special in your life. What four things (entree, side, vegetable, dessert) do you prepare?

Well, my someone special is my husband, Dwane. What are his favorite things? For the entree, I'd pick surf-n-turf: lobster and a good, tender steak. Or, I might pick a seafood platter. Oh, wait a minute. I have to prepare it? Let's stick with the lobster and steak. (Although he'll probably insist on grilling the steak himself.) For the side, I'll use my steamer, which I use ALL THE TIME, especially in the summer. I think I'll make some steamer clams and some corn on the cob from Beth's sweet corn. That takes care of the side and the vegetable. For dessert, I'd try my best to make a four-berry pie with whipped cream. Yes. I think he'd then be full.

5) What five minor things would you change about your current domicile?

NO CLUTTER. NO CLUTTER. NO CLUTTER. NO CLUTTER. NO CLUTTER.

Is that five?

If I have to say five different things, I'd still say no clutter. Then I'd say I'd like to have the floor-board finished in the new room so that I can get my scrapbook stuff organized again. For #3, I'd like the windows in the new room finished. They need to have trim, window shades and curtains. (The window shades and curtains were purchased a year ago. I'm waiting for the trim to be put up.) #4 - I'd like Caleb's room emptied out of all of our junk so that he can have his own room. That will cut out a lot of the clutter in the living areas. #5 Can I pick a new bedspread? I'd really like a new bedspread. One that's pretty, but not too girly. One that's soft, but not so soft that the rough spots on my heels catch on it. (Oh! That's gross!)

Well, he did it. Dwane traded his motorcycle. The Kawasaki Ninja that can go 180 mph is out of my life. Thank you, Lord. I trusted Dwane on it, but I don't trust other drivers, I guess. It's just one less thing I have to worry about. I really hated to put my foot down and say, "Dwane, you can't have it," but I'm so glad that he came up with this idea to trade it all on his own.

After going camping at New Hampshire International Speedway in July (which I would never recommend to anyone with kids because of the drinking/swearing that takes place, even in the "family lot"), Dwane decided that he loved camping. We just needed a bigger camper. Our little 14 footer was not going to cut it. So he traded in his motorcycle. An even swap for a....

34 FOOT MEGA HUGE CAMPER!!

There's a couch that folds into a double bed, a swivel rocking chair, a dinette that folds into a twin bed, a queen-size bed, and 3 twin-size bunks. Comfortably sleeps 8 adults, and if you wanted to squeeze in little kids, goodness only knows how many you could pack in.

We need to put in some new flooring (for aesthetic beauty only), and the walls need some paint. The previous owners (who had only owned it for about 4 months), had painted it this chartreuse green. Very, very bright. Then, the wife cut out little butterflies, flowers, and bugs and placed them strategically on the walls. She has three girls, ages 9-15, and actually, for pre-teen girls, this decorative effect is really quite nice. But, alas, it doesn't bode well with my three men. I think we'll change the decor over to be very similar to our mini-camper: blues/tans/lighthouses, etc.

We had a chance to try out the new Tim Horton's on Sunday night. Since Billy Rhythm often does "restaurant reviews", I thought I would add my own two cents.

First of all, let me say that there is virtually nothing there that either of my kids will eat. Maybe some rolls or bread, and maybe a doughnut, but that's it. No fries. No chips. No chicken nuggets. So, we went next door to Pizza Hut to get them breadsticks with cheese, which is a favorite for both of them.

Dwane ate a turkey bacon club, with which he was very impressed. I had a bowl of clam chowder, a roll (plus another roll that I added on), a honey crueller, and a diet soda. My entire meal was $3.15 plus the cost of the other roll (and I have no idea what the cost of that was as it's not listed on the take-out menu, and they don't provide an itemized slip). Anyway, I thought my meal was a bargain. The clam chowder was not like Mom's or Ma's, but it was ok for "clam chowder in a can" type of clam chowder. Typical restaurant fare, I'd say. The rolls, and the honey crueller donut (or is it doughnut?) were both to die for. Very, very good.

As far as sandwhiches go, like I said, Dwane was impressed. I, however, tend not to like sandwhiches a whole lot. By the time I take off all of the vegetables, and scrape off the mayo/mustard stuff, I end up with a little meat and cheese on bread. For that, I think $5.50 is too much.

In a nutshell, Tim Horton's has good food, but it's menu is too limited for my tastes and those of my kids. This will probably be just an occasional stop for us.

But, don't worry, Ma, we can always go get soup and a roll, and just get go through the drive-through at McDonalds to make my kids happy. Let me know when you're ready to go!

This spring, I adopted a cat from the animal shelter. Her name was Buddy, and she was black. She was a great cat. Great, at least, until July when she peed in my bedroom. I put her outside so that I could try to get the smell out of the carpet. (Once a cat pees inside, they keep going back to the same spot and doing it again, so I really needed to get the smell out before she could come back in.) Within 24 hours, though, she was hit by a car. I felt (and still do) absolutely horrible. I cried and cried and cried. Dwane said I shouldn't blame myself, because we couldn't have left her in the house to keep peeing. I had no intention of her being outside forever, just until I could get the smell out. When I checked her paperwork after she died, I saw that the shelter had written that she was relinquished by prior owners because she didn't like their dog (which the shelter told me), and that she kept peeing in the laundry room (which I hadn't known.) I'm not sure that I would have ever been able to get her to not pee in the house, and I was so meticulous about her litter box! (By the way, Eben doesn't know that she was killed--he knows that she is missing, but he doesn't know she died. Please don't tell him.)

Today, I adopted another cat. I fell deeply in love as soon as I saw her. A gray tiger named "Foghat". She was named after the "electrified, hard-rocking boogie band" of the 1970s. I don't know that her name fits her personality. Even though she's only been here for 3 hours now, she just loves to lay on my bed, and she rolls over on her back when I walk into the room. (When a cat shows her belly, her most vulnerable spot, she's showing that she totally trusts you.) She purrs and purrs and purrs. She's already used her litter box, too. And, she loves Eben. Eben has even said that he'll let her sleep with him. (He wouldn't let Buddy in his room.) Caleb likes her from a distance, but because she's affectionate, he moves away from her when she tries to hug him.

As much as Buddy was a good cat, I never could really "bond" with her. When I first saw her in the shelter, I thought she was a nice cat, but there just wasn't that "spark". I felt like I adopted her because one of the volunteers "talked me into it." With Foghat, though, it's like Sarah and Alfie. We just go together.

Oh, and by the way, we have changed Foghat's name. Her new name is "Maggie Mae Cuddly Cat Wight". I wanted "Maggie Mae", Eben wanted "Cuddles", and Caleb wanted "Cat". So we just put them all together. Caleb still calls her "Cat", and objects if you call her "Maggie".

Lisa's “Things You Don’t Discuss at a Dinner Party” MI-5:

I really like upbeat, positive, easy MI-5 questions. This time, however, I thought I’d go with something deep, awkward, and thought-provoking. The topics are not my favorite topics to write about, but now no one can accuse me of only preparing “easy” questions. I will list the topic, and you can say as much, or as little, as you’d like. You can express your own view, or you can talk about the issue in light of today’s political climate, or tell some story that relates somehow to the topic. Here goes:

1. Political Parties

I signed up as a Republican right after I turned 18. There was a primary coming up, and I wanted to vote for Jock McKernan, because I thought he was cute. I didn't do any research about political parties, I just thought Jock was cute. As it turned out, I think I fit in best with the Republican way of thinking, except for gun control. Keep in mind, too, that I am not too big on politics, so I haven't done a whole lot of research about it.

2. Abortion

I am pro-life. I believe life begins at conception. I think some people in government like to play it both ways, though. They want to say that a fetus is not a baby in need of protection when it comes to abortion, but when it comes to a mother and her fetus being killed by a drunk driver, all of a sudden those same people now claim that the fetus is a baby, and the drunk driver has 2 counts of manslaughter against him, and not just one.

3. Gun Control

I don't necessary have a huge problem if someone wants to have gun that's big enough to go hunting (although I personally have no interest in ever going hunting, and would actually prefer that Dwane wouldn't). However, I have a huge problem with someone needing a semi-automatic or machine gun under their pillow for protection. I don't think that's quite necessary. Maybe because I live in a virtually crime-free neighborhood. But wouldn't a gun that can kill a deer also be enough to wound a gun in the leg if you needed to get away???

4. Prayer in Schools

I don't think students should be "forced" to pray. God doesn't want someone to come to Him because they are forced. However, I think it would be good for our country if schools would allow a 1 or 2 minute time of silence so that kids could pray if they wanted to. The way the world is going, the more prayers being said, the better.

5. Katie Couric, Brian Williams, or Charlie Gibson? Someone else? (I needed to do at least one question that was somewhat “fun”!)

Historically, I have like NBC, so I think I would've said Brian Williams a year ago. When Katie Couric decided to jump to CBS, I thought maybe I'd watch her. I'm finding, though, that I'm really like Charlie Gibson on ABC. This kindda happened because Dr. Phil is on ABC at 5:00, and then I just don't bother to change the channel. I really think Katie's strength is more "playful, spunky interviews", and I'm not sure how she'd be being serious all of the time. I'm going to watch her for sure, just to see how the newscast might be different. Ok. I guess I didn't really answer the question. Right this minute, my answer is.....Charlie Gibson.