VIRB

Friday is here, and I have one thing in my in-box, and one thing in my voicemail, and I cannot wait till 4:30 because I just want to go home. It hasn't been a terrible week or a busy one or anything - just one of those ones that seem to drag on and on, especially since I'm so tired these days.

Because I have no real plans for the weekend, and nothing much to blog about that would interest anyone, I think I will serve up a batch of Eprops and Anti-props to amuse you. Enjoy.

E-Props - To Things that Enhance my Bliss

The New Dairy Queen Crispy Chicken Wrap - I realize DQ is really intended for things like Dilly Bars and Blizzards, but I've never been a huge fan of ice cream. I am a fan, however, of any food that is cheap enough for me to actually eat lunch once in a while, and at $1.39, the new Crispy Chicken Wraps are yummy. Not as good as the shredded chicken sandwiches the Ohio DQ's have (Joey calls them "chicken jelly" sandwiches and is obviously not a fan), but good nonetheless.

Frank Say's Manuscript - As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to keep up with a writing project, particularly a book-length one. I mean, seriously, people, creating another world full of other people and events with your own real world full of people and events getting in your way all the time is not that easy. So, I send this E-prop out to my Yahooligan friend Frank Say, whose 83,000 word manuscript for his book, Nine Lives, is now in my hands for editing. I congratulate Frank for finishing such an undertaking, and appreciate him passing it off to me for inspection.

The Rock Road Branch Library - Libraries. You gotta love 'em. Lots of free books. Free music. Free computers to use. Helpful people with glasses. And occasional chances to pay off your fines with cans of food. Seriously, what other place does that? When's the last time you could pay off your car with lima beans?  And my library of choice these days is the Rock Road Branch Library, which is such a great contributory to my husband's and my eclectic taste.  Where else can you get cross-stitch books, IRS instructions, and pick up some Tupac music in one stop without spending a cent?

Generous Bosses - This is just a healthy shout-out to my boss, Gary, who gave us those awesome Cardinals tickets for Tuesday night. It was a really memorable first-time experience for me, and I know the fellas loved it too. So, E-props to Gary's generosity.

Ozzy Going Home - I realize that if you looked at my blog a year ago, you'd see me being pathetically in love with Ozzy from Survivor. But, hey, a girl can change her mind, right? I don't like people who are deemed invinceable by the general public. I don't like jocks. I don't like show-offs. I don't like arrogance or cockyness or "I'll-never-have-to-use-my-Immunity-idol-because-I'm-just-so-much-better-than-these-morons-that-they-will-treat-me-like-a-god-and-never-vote-me-off" attitude. So, last night, when Ozzy got his torch put out, I couldn't have been happier. Now, just to get rid of Amanda and Parvati, and I will be happy.

Anti-props - To the Things that Enhance my Misery

Songs with the Singer's Name in Them - I have just come to realize recently how very much I am irritated by song lyrics that include the singer's name. I most recently noticed it in a Madonna song, but now that I think about it, it dates back to even the days of Vanilla Ice and Mariah Carey, and probably even before that. I just don't think it's necessary to be so vain that you need to sing songs about yourself or have your backup singers chanting your name in the background. Did Elvis ever do that? Did the Beatles? The lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner don't have some line in them about "the k to the e to the y" do they? If the people listening to the song don't know who you are without you telling them in the lyrics, then perhaps you shouldn't be singing.  The only exception I'll grant here is Eminem and Tupca. Because he sounds cute when he says "Slim Shady," and because, Tupac, well, he's gone.

The Overuse of a Particular Clean House Phrase - I watch the show Clean House a lot, particularly when Joey is down in his man-cave and I'm too tired to clean my own. Niecy Nash, while louder than anyone I could stand in person, really is funny and cool (and I wish I had her collagen)….but unfortunately I do have one complaint about the show in that the phrase "of it all" gets muttered way too much by her and her crew, particularly the yardsale diva chick, Trish, and it's not really necessary. I guess I'm just annoyed by the repetitiveness of it all. You know, the redundancy of it all. Which leads to the peeveness of it all.

Girl Power - I'm a female, of course. I have a mother, a daughter, a sister, and countless aunts, in-laws, and cousins who are female as well. But something I loathe is the attitude of girl power - no matter where it occurs, and it occurs way to often. It was in that Power Puff Girls cartoon. It happens when we're little with boys vs. girls in gym class. It even happens in chatrooms, on Survivor (which is exactly why Parvati, Natalie, and Amanda need to leave), on ESPN commentaries, and in households. Forgive me, ladies, but I do NOT think women are the stronger sex (at least not physically), I do NOT think we have to prove we are, I do NOT think everything always has to be boys vs. girls, I do NOT think men are evil and boys have cooties, and I do NOT think there should be lines drawn in your loyalties based solely on gender - unless you're talking about bathrooms and hygeine commercials.

Amazon.com - I know that Amazon is THE place to buy books and other stuff online because their prices are low, the shipping is easy, and they have a great selection. I'm not going to boycott them, because I'm an Amazon customer myself. But I have to, at the very least, give them a big heaping helping of Anti-Props, considering that they have decided to drop my publisher (Publish America) from their lineup, and will, therefore, not be selling my books anymore. If you wanna buy or give feedback on my books, you'll have to go to Barnes and Noble.com. Besides, Amazon never had a Starbucks.

Yellow Highlighters - Highlighting things, in general, is not something I enjoy doing, but of the myriad of highlighter colors, I find yellow to be the most obnoxious. It hurts my eyes, and gives me a headache, and I think it should be considered illegal. At least in Missouri.

So, there you have it, people. E-Props and Anti-Props, fresh outta the oven. Now, back to the daily grind….because spreadsheets and voicemails await…

…and so I ran…

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