NKOTB...The Right Stuff!

I had just settled in for a quick catnap yesterday afternoon (they're becoming much too frequent these days) when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail. I decided to go ahead and check the message and it's a good thing I did because...my fellow bunco babe Shelley was calling to see if I was still interested in going to the New Kids on the Block concert. For free. In a suite. Uh, heck yes!

So I met her and her work buddies there. First time I've ever been in a suite for any event. Pretty posh. There was a group in the suite next door who had gone all out and were decked out in 80s garb...side ponytails, mini skirts and leggings, big day glo jewelry, etc.

First off, I loved me some NKOTB back in the day. I'm pretty sure I practiced the dance they did in "The Right Stuff" video. And Donnie Wahlberg was one of my biggest celebrity crushes growing up (second only to Michael J. Fox). In fact, I was elated when he starred in NBC's Boomtown for the lone season it ran. And even though the Saw movies really creep me out, I loved watching him in them. Yes, ladies, I still think he's got it (Oh, oh, oh oh oh, oh, oh, oh oh). Here are a few of my thoughts of the NKOTB concert experience:

1. The Jabbawockeez opened for them. I love, love, love MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew" and these boys were Season One's big winners. I so wish I was a hip hop dancer. Or a b-girl. Or could at least moonwalk. Their performance was a little long but I enjoyed them. It's interesting to note that nobody else in our suite had a clue as to who they were and used their time on stage to go to the bathroom, grab a drink, or find something to eat.

2. I was actually impressed with the New Kids. I didn't give them enough credit going into it and had some serious doubts about this whole reunion tour in general.

3. They did a whole lot of slow mo and gliding sequences in their routines. A whole lot. While impressed with some of their dance moves, the slide/glide thing got old pretty fast. Especially when in conjunction with strobe lights.

4. They changed outfits way too often. I'm not even sure how they managed to it so often and so fast. Interesting that every single outfit every single time was white, black, rhinestone, or a combo thereof.

5. Donnie said "Tulsa" more times last night than our mayor has. Kathy, by the way, was spotted in a nearby suite. Whodathunkit?

6. Cute little Joey McIntyre dropped the F-bomb. I was kinda shell shocked. I mean, I get that he's in his 30s and all, but he's Joey for crying out loud!

7. I once again found myself wondering what Jonathan Knight's role in this group really is. Solo time was split fairly evenly among Jordan, Joey, and Donnie and even Danny got to show off his break dancing skills more than once. But really, what about Jonathan?!

8. I don't think I've ever been to a concert where I've seen women actually throw their underwear at the performers. I mean, surely it's happened, but I've never actually seen it until last night.

9. I'm curious as to how they're going to write Donnie's comeback into HBO's "Entourage" script in the next couple of seasons. Man, I love that show (produced by and based on Donnie's lil brother Marky Mark's life in the limelight)!

I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little

So my crazy friend Donna's daughter got married on Saturday. They're a big Catholic family. And this was a big Catholic family wedding...complete with an open bar. Oh yeah. I'm not really a big wine drinker but let's just say I ended up on the dance floor until midnight. Lord I hope there aren't any pictures of that! But it was a good wedding. They held it at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum which at first was a little weird but as the evening wore on (and the wine sunk in) it was really pretty cool. The ceremony wasn't a Catholic mass...short and sweet. And too bad the officiant was already hitched himself. I thought he was adorable. He had that lead singer of The Counting Crows thing going on.

And I made it through the evening without Crazy Donna's mom trying to matchmake me. The last time I saw Fern she was so excited about setting me up with one of her many (56?...told you it was a big family!) grandchildren. Apparently the one she has in mind for me isn't much of a looker but is so, so sweet. Well of course he is.

And Crazy Donna made it through the evening. She was crying as soon as she was led down the aisle, all the way through the vows, and on into the father/daughter dance. But then the party started and she lived up to her name (which is Crazy Donna, if you hadn't noticed already!). Let's just say that while she made it through the evening, her underwear did not. It went home in one of her daughter and new son-in-law's gift bags. That's right, folks, she peed her pants on the dance floor. She would absolutely kill me if she read this. Good thing she doesn't know I blog...

Needless to say, I got home fairly late. The wine plus the time change didn't really do much for me or the Spanish lesson I had to teach in Okmulgee on Sunday. Oh yeah, had to give my dad and his mission trip group some basic Spanish pointers before they head down to Mexico next week. Again, I love Jesus but...

Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

Yeah, Val named me that. Just wanted to follow up and let the public know that the kittens now have names...at least until they're claimed by their future families and given permanent names like Harry (ahem, Val...).

One of my counselor aides at school helped me brainstorm and we came up with Dolce and Gabbana for the white kitties and Dooney and Bourke for the black furbabies. I'm so not a fashionista but I think the names are really cute. I just hope the white ones are girls and the black ones are boys. But I don't know when I'm going to be able to figure all that out...

Around the House

So I had a fairly productive weekend...On Saturday I did my regular thrift store circuit and found a restaurant quality chrome shelving unit. I debated about whether or not to buy it. Even left the store only to return a few hours later to make the purchase. Thought it was a great bargain but found out later that it wasn't such a fabulous deal. Bygones. I've been wanting a shelving system for my kitchen for a good while now so I'm pleased. It's nestled in between my fridge and this random wall on the other side of my cabinets. So now I have a pantry of sorts that I'm able to roll in and out when I need to get something.

And on Sunday my wonderful mother came over to help me paint my bedroom. I have a minor issue with motivation and procrastination. I've been putting off this paint job ever since I moved back to Tulsa three and half years ago. My mom had painted it the light green back when we thought she was renovating Loraine so I could sell her. That didn't happen and I've hated the color ever since. Check out the paint swatch I slapped up a couple months after moving back. Yep, that's over three years ago now, too. Wow.

If you didn't already know it, I'm a big bargain hunter (thrift stores, remember) although it may be more correct to call me a cheapskate. I rarely pay full price for anything. So when any home reno project is looming before me I head to Home Depot to scour their "Oops" paint selection. I found a gallon of a pretty gray with just a hint of blue in it and I thought it would be perfect. A score for just $5! A few weeks later I was shopping at Target (just to pick up a pack of bottled water, mind you) and found a great rug half off. It's charcoal gray with a floral motif with touches of light blue. Thought it'd match the paint perfectly. Man, this story is really boring. Sorry. Long (and boring) story short, my mom came over and we knocked out the bedroom in just a few hours. But it's more of a blue paint with a hint of gray instead of the other way. I was kind of bummed at first, but it's growing on me. Take a look.

The next thing on my list is to get rid of the brown bedding and headboard and pinkish bedskirt and find something that fits in my new (ahem, blue) color scheme. Maybe I'll actually cross it off my list before the next three years come and go.

Furbabies For Everyone!

So I woke up in the middle of the night on Friday (Saturday, technically) and I flipped on my bedroom light so I could dig around in my medicine drawer in the hallway. I realized that my cat Olive was in a laundry basket I had prepped for her last week in hopes that she would actually have her babies in it. Preferable, of course, to my closet on my shoes, the basket of towels in my bathroom, or on my living room rug. Sure enough, she was there with two little white kittens. I was in bed before midnight and this was around 2:30 AM. She had had those babies without making a peep! Everything seemed to be going okay so I turned off the light and wondered how many little kitties would be waiting for me when I woke up. Just the two. All day yesterday I was so thankful that her first (and hopefully last) litter was so small. My mom is probably going to take one of them so that meant I only had to find home for one kitten!

So then I went into the bedroom around 11:00 last night and peeked into the basket and saw a blur of black. What the...?! Sure enough, a third little baby was in the basket with everyone. Is that normal? Do they wait almost 24 hours in between babies? I had read that the wait was usually like 10 minutes to an hour. Usually indeed! So I checked on the little family of four around 11:30 and noticed Olive's stomach was kind of spasming. Within a few minutes I saw a little pouch protrude from her nether regions and watched her as she licked away. There was a tiny paw sticking out of her...with claws! Yowza! I panicked for a moment that I'd have to pull a breach kitten out of my cat's vajayjay by its lone little paw but thankfully nature took its course and the whole thing oozed its way out. Pretty cool to watch a living thing be born. Pretty creepy, too. So then I was worried about going to bed and waking up to even more babies. As of this posting (21 hours later) there are still just the four. Two white and two black. I squished around on Olive's belly a lot today trying to determine if a couple more were hiding up in there. I think we're good. Except now I have to find three good homes instead of just the one. Drats! Any takers?

Trying to come up with names. When I had the pug puppies I named them after classic movie stars. I had a Humphrey, Buster, Bing, Greta, and Ingrid. Any suggestions for these babies? Of course, I can't really tell the gender of these little guys though. I'm pretty sure I could tell with the pugs right away. Hmmm....

Let's Play Catch-up...

So...where to begin? Let's start with basketball. My girls finished the season 3-3 landing us in second place overall. Everyone competed in the playoffs and we came in second place there as well. We played the first game of the day and went into double overtime and won by two (or was it just one?) points. The second game started off strong and we were ahead by halftime but the other team caught up and beat us by two. Alas. I was so proud of them! But so not prepared for the tears that came with the loss. I should have known better.

Moving on to the eCrush. I broke things off with Chris last month. It was a tough decision but I'm sure it was the right one. He is a sweet, sweet man and I hope only good things are in store for him. But that means I must endure more eHarmonizing. The horror! The horror!

And now on to Geronimo, my faithful sidekick of seven years. Simply put, he bit the dust. On the way to work one morning last month my trusty companion (on whom I was depending for at least another six months of faithful service) breathed his last breath and emitted billows of smoke from under the hood. My mechanic encouraged me to start the car-buying experience a little earlier than I intended. So, in the course of one short day, I welcomed Greta the Jetta (still pondering the name) into my little world. So far, so good. But a Jetta was nowhere on my radar.

And Olive, that sweet little stray cat I brought home in September, is a ho. Knocked up, I tell ya! Guess I should have paid more attention to Bob Barker or the posters in my vet's office. Her belly is quite swollen and now I can feel the little furballs swim around in there. Equal parts creepy and cool. I'm guessing within the week I'll have three to six extra mouths to feed. How do I get myself into these situations? Oh well, better her than me!

New Years came and went. My resolutions (if you even want to call them that) are pretty simple: 1) reduce (clutter, waste, and my waist!) and 2) create (art, crafts, journaling, and (ahem) blogging).

That, in a nutshell, is the past couple of months in the life of Courtney.

Lesson Learned?

So today at work I had to make a DHS referral but when I called I got a message that it was closed for Presidents' Day. Later I had to figure out why I still haven't received a bill for my first car payment. Called the bank my loan is through and got a message that it's closed for Presidents' Day. Oh yeah, had forgotten. On my way home from work I thought it'd be a good idea to deposit a check I received last week. Pulled into the checking lane at the bank only to find the blinds closed with a sign posted that it was closed for Presidents' Day. Righto. Don't worry, I came home, marched right up the steps and wondered why I didn't get any mail today.

Yes, folks, today is Presidents' Day. And everything is closed. In observation of the holiday, I will refrain from blogging a catch-up post just yet.