Ripzip-A-Dee-Do-Dah...

2006-07-10T16:03:00.000+01:00

Poor, poor, lonely blog. I'm sorry I abandonded you. I promise to make it up to you.

We've Lost Our Lease!!!

2005-07-25T12:55:00.000+01:00

Everything must go!!

Well, actually, I'm just moving sites. I haven't been real thrilled with Blogger so I'm off to another site. You can find my new blog HERE.

So, I hope you will come and see me at my new home.

Until then...

Just a little pee...

2005-07-23T13:10:00.000+01:00

I loved Phil Hartman and even tho I never knew him personally, I miss him to this very day. I've never felt attached to a celebrity before, but there was something about Phil that you just couldn't help loving. You just knew how incredibly smart, talented and funny he was and genuinely nice. When he was killed I remember being at work, listening to my radio and they announced he had been shot. My first reaction was that it was a joke, but they kept giving details and it soon became apparent that he really was dead. I was stunned and so very sad.

I bring Phil up today because I wanted to change my quote over at Cherry. For a long time I had a line from News Radio there that said: "Dave, I stand still. The conclusions jump to me." I still crack up every time I read it. I can just hear him delivering that line. lol So, I Googled News Radio Quotes and it brought me to The Great Sir Lord Bill McNeil Page. They have quotes from everyone on the show on this site, but I just sat here, reading the Bill McNeil quotes with Phil's voice in my head and was literally crying with laughter...and quite frankly came very close to peeing my drawers. So, to close today's entry I leave you with the quote that almost brought on a flood of urine...

"I remember one time...my father came home from a night on the town which, of course, had turned into a week...and my mother said "John, is there anything you won't drink?"...and my father shot back, "Poison. I'm saving it for you." (laughing) And I and my brother, who is now an alcoholic himself, just about died laughing." (from the episode Led Zepplin Boxed Set)

Brain damage or Adult ADD...

2005-07-21T09:23:00.000+01:00

When I was about 2 years old, I got my head rolled up in a car window and was without oxygen for a couple of minutes. From what my Mom has told me, they thought I was going to be brain damaged and handicapped for the rest of my life. Now, some would argue that that is the case with me...hardy har har. I guess it was fairly traumatic and quite frankly I wonder if it did affect me to some degree. Not with my IQ, but with my ability to grasp things quickly. In some cases I'm able to do that, but sometimes it takes someone two or three times to tell me something before I actually get it! These aren't complicated things either, I'm not talking about Geometry, Calculus, Chemstry or Physics... it' s more like:

"My last name is Deeley"...
"Ok, that's D E A"...
"My last name is spelled D E E L E Y" ...
"Umm...D E A..." ...
"No, D E E L E Y. 3 E's" ...

I sit and think for a minute and try and process that..

"Oh. Ok."

Then I made out the check.

This conversation happened not 10 minutes ago. It's just a small example, but I find this happening more and more all the time. It happened all throughout my childhood too. I'd like to blame it on the accident when I was a toddler. That way I wouldn't have to take complete responsiblity for being a complete moron.

I dunno, maybe it's nothing at all.

I'm going to be warm....

2005-07-20T11:29:00.000+01:00

This is the week of the new heating system. New radiators, new combi-boiler, thermostats, the works. I.WILL.BE.WARM!!!! I'm pretty surprised at how fast things are moving along. Lee, the installation guy, says it will be done by Friday. Quite frankly, there has been a minimum of mess. We've run across a few problems like plaster coming off the wall in the smallest bedroom, holes in the wall where the old radiators were...but nothing that can't be fixed. With a 70 year old house, you've got to expect some problems here and there. It's all going to come together, slowly but surely. The budget this year is going for double glazed windows in the back of the house downstairs, new carpet in the living room, having the walls and ceilings skimmed in the living room, dining room and small bedroom upstairs. Depending on the cost, I may try to convince Martyn that the hallway and stairwell needs doing too. Hehehe...

Right this very minute we're getting a new heated towel rack that also works as a radiator installed. It's taller than I am and is a really nice chrome ladder. I'll post a photo when he's got it installed. It's a start to getting the bathroom redone at some point in the future as well.

We do have some furniture coming. We ordered a sofa and loveseat. (Go to Fixed Cover and look at 'Toledo'.) We got it in Claret. It was a perfect combination of comfort and clean lines that we both like. Plus they were half price. Ha! It's a start on getting the living room redecorated. Our goal for the house is to make it warm and comfortable, but not slouchy looking. Our other purchase (a wedding present from the inlaws) was a new bed and mattress. The picture doesn't do it justice...the finish is a bit darker. As for the mattress, we got a queen sized, Simmons pillow top. In the words of Miss Chanandler Bong... Oh. My. God. It has to be the most comfortable bed I've ever been on. I don't know how I'll ever drag myself out. Martyn said he'll have to take the first few days we have it off of work because he'll never be able to leave. Ha!

Earlier I posted about not feeling like I was at home...but now that things are changing and going in the direction of what we want to do to the house, it's more and more feeling like it's home. And ours. That's all I've ever really wanted.

Bombs, Blues and Beer...

2005-07-11T13:38:00.000+01:00

Saturday night was pretty interesting for us. After a gorgeous, warm day of shopping and lazing around the house for some of the afternoon, we caught the #60 bus into Birmingham. We were headed to a Pub just outside the city center called The Adam & Eve. A blues band that Martyn likes was playing there so we decided to have a night out at the pub.

It was a cool evening, the bus wasn't too crowded as the evening hadn't really started. We left Solihull about 8:30'ish. It's maybe 20 minutes on the bus to the city center and we were just about there when the bus stopped and the driver yelled to everyone..."this is the last stop-there's been a bomb threat in the city and no one is allowed in." Ooo-k! So, off we got. Luckily, we were only 2 stops away from where we needed to be so we just walked there, but there were streams of cars and people being directed away from the city. We pressed onward and made it there in plenty of time to get a good seat.

Now, since we were in the Pub, we didn't really know what was going on other than there had been a bomb threat. So, we enjoyed listening to the Joanne Shaw Taylor band and had a few beers. Can I just say-Guinness Extra Cold. Dark and lovely! ;o) The band was good. Fronted by a little blonde girl who can play the guitar like nobody's business! She doesn't quite have the voice to sing blues, but her guitar playing far surpassed that little problem. The whole band was great. We had a great time and left the pub close to 1 a.m. We contemplated getting a bus back home but that was about a 1 minute conversation until we decided to take a taxi. The best £12 ever spent! We questioned the taxi driver about the bomb scare but he really didn't know much other than they evacuated the city center and no one was allowed in. I was so glad to get home. I was exhausted, my ears were ringing, I smelled like a cigarette butt and I just wanted to go to sleep.

Slept in on Sunday. I think we finally woke up at almost 11 am. We got online to see if there was any news of the bomb threat. Apparently there were some suspicious packages left in a part of Birmingham that is packed with restaurants and night clubs. There was also one on a bus. The police evacuated 20,000 people from the area and said that the information given about the bombs was too credible to be ignored.

Scary.

We're ok, tho. It made me chuckle because after the London bombings, I let everyone know we were ok and that it was highly unlikely that we would be under any threat. And really, we weren't. Even if the bomb was in Birmingham, we were no where near it and if we had stayed home that evening, we would have been even further away.
I did give a bit of a pause as we had just been to the city center earlier in the day. I'm just glad it was all a scare and that no one was hurt.

So, life gets back to normal.

Tomorrow we have a delivery of all our wedding gifts from our list on Wrapit. It's just like Christmas! I'll have to take pictures and post them. Hehehe. Saturday it's Harry Potter delivery! Martyn is going to an airshow and I will get to stay home and devour HP6!!

All in all, life is good at the moment. We're both safe and I think that's about as close to a bomb as I want either of us to be!

MIT...

2005-07-11T09:57:00.000+01:00

Making Fiends

2005-07-08T20:36:00.000+01:00

Making Fiends, originally uploaded by t-squared.

5 reasons I miss the States...
Charity, Joy, Hope, Kellen and Faith.

I have been Slacker Aunt and haven't written to them. I feel pretty lousy about that. I wish they knew just how much I missed them.

I'm really trying...

2005-06-25T10:48:00.000+01:00

Ok, ok. I know I haven't written about Paris yet. I've really been meaning to but I just can't seem to get the motivation up to write about it. Is that wrong? I somehow feel like such a loser for not being able to get that together. I guess I just need to sit down and do it. I will, I will, I will, I will...I WILL!

It's raining today. Bleah. I'm not looking forward to going out in it but I have to meet Martyn in Birmingham at 1 pm. We're going shopping. Woohoo!

Oh and we got an estimate about redoing the heating in the house. A whopping £3817.05. That would completely update the house and it would be done in 5 days. The guy from British Gas is coming on Monday to give us an estimate and I'm still scoping out other possiblities. Hopefully it will be a bit lower, but I have a feeling it won't be. Oh well.

I will say this about Paris...it has the best public transportation I've ever experienced. The Metro and RER got us everywhere we wanted to go with the least amount of trouble. Easy peasy. Yes, it was crowded at times and yes it was hot and sweaty..but damn. Trouble free.

One bit of info out of the way.... hehehe....

My first negative feedback...

2005-06-25T09:14:00.000+01:00

I'd like to thank 'Anonymous' for leaving my first negative comment on my blog...and for having the balls to be 'Anonymous'.

Anonymous said...

In England we admire eccentrics, and ......we don't peep into other people's gardens.

23 June, 2005 22:16

Yes, shame on me, the horrible American. Ho hum. I also thought the British admired a sense of humor (maybe that's just my husband).

Believe me, I would rather not have seen it but when I'm in my bedroom or hanging laundry or working in the garden and have to look out and see this (without "peeping", mind you) anytime there's a bit of sunshine it gets to be a bit much.

So please "forgive" me for not being properly "British" enough for you. From what I've seen in public and on television here, no one should really cast any stones. I've seen and heard LOTS worse.

This, I miss...

2005-06-23T14:46:00.000+01:00

, originally uploaded by t-squared.

I love this girl.

Yes, I'm back...

2005-06-20T21:59:00.000+01:00

Elizabeth, originally uploaded by ripzip.

So, I've been meaning to write and I WILL write an in depth post about our Paris trip, but I just thought I'd put up this photo. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful Paris is... but in my next post I will give it a go!

A shout out to my one reader...

2005-06-10T14:17:00.000+01:00

...And you know who you are!(T2)

I'm off to Paris tomorrow. We'll be back on Wednesday. It was tripping me out this morning just thinking about it. Oh yeah, I'm going to France tomorrow... DOY!!! It trips me out that it's just a 50 minute flight.

Anyway, I'm off to sample the continent. Will come back with some stories, hopefully!

Au'revoir!

Oh please...let it be so!

2005-06-08T11:52:00.000+01:00

In doing my daily look over MSN's Entertainment section I noticed this article Ringwald Mulls 'Sixteen Candles' Sequel.

All I could do was silently pray..Please Lord, let it be true!

'Sixteen Candles' is MY movie. I know it by heart, backwards and forwards. It was one of those things that helped me get through the shit hole that is High School. It was the first movie I ever saw that I felt I connected with. It was the humor, the times, the clothes, the music.. God,how I wanted to be Molly Ringwald! I wanted 4 inches of bod and a great birthday! John Hughes should have just quit after Sixteen Candles. Nothing he did after that was as good. Yeah, I said it! Even better than 'The Breakfast Club' which I thought wasn't THAT funny and a touch self-indulgent. Don't get me wrong, I liked it but it was no 'SC'. I think my second favorite John Hughes flick has to be 'Weird Science'. It's the off the wall humor that always got me. Plus Chet as a big pile of shit. Classic!

I do worry that a sequel could be really shitty, but I figure if Molly has held out this long after seeing so many scripts and is finally considering doing it, then it has to be pretty good. I'm hoping. Still, if it is bad, it can never take the shine off the original for me.

I'm not really a Farmer... I'm a Freshman.

He took it!

2005-06-02T16:33:00.000+01:00

He took the iPod with him to work today!

Woohoo!! Just why I bought it for him.

I purged...and I didn't have to binge!

2005-06-02T16:24:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to write about this for the last couple of days but I just haven't been able to get motivated to write. So, today I've decided to get off my ass (so to speak) and write something.

Sunday was a landmark day. Martyn and I did a bit of purging of old things around the house to make a bit of room...for my stuff and future purchases. I was kind of hesitant to do it because I almost felt like an intruder into his world. I mean, here I am, I've only been living here for 2 weeks and I'm saying "get rid of it". It was difficult but I'm glad we did it. I've been reassured that this is now my home and I'm also trying to make a conscious effort to refer to Mom and Dad's not as "home" but as " my parent's house". This is home now. And that's what I keep telling myself.

So, we no longer have any "net" (translation: lace) curtains in the house nor do we have curtains dating back to who knows when...we've also gotten rid of 10 tons of sheets and pillow cases, one outdated cable box and a bunch of dishtowels that I can't even describe. It was a good start and am pretty sure we both feel good about it.

I think we're both just really impatient to have this house updated and exactly how we want it...but it's gonna take time and work. But once it's finished I think we're both going to feel happy about it and feel like it really is OUR home.

Trapped

2005-05-27T11:37:00.000+01:00

I have a bad foot at the moment. I'm not here to whine about it or boo hoo because it hurts... but it's the big reason why I can't and haven't been able to really go anywhere for the last two weeks.

And that sucks.

So. Here I sit. In a new city. New country. And I can't explore.

Bah.

So, when people ask me if I'm adjusting well I don't know what to tell them. I'm happy to be with my husband...FINALLY! I'm even starting to feel like this house is my home...just a little. Culturally, I can't really say. I haven't been able to get out in it yet.

For right now my adjustment has to do with this house feeling like it's my home. And that, so far, is slow going. Now, I know what you're thinking..."It's only been 2 weeks, give it time". Believe me, that's something I've thought myself. However, with all the down time I've had with the foot, It feels like I've been here forever and that should be making progress towards feeling like this is my home. I know that it will come.

What is hard right now is feeling so isolated. I don't know anyone other than Martyn and his family (whom we rarely ever see anyway) and a few of his friends. It's such a huge change from having so much family around or even a phone call away and having my friends close by as well....to NADA.

Yup. I admit it. I'm lonely for my family and friends. I miss feeling at home.

Welcome to England, Neighbor!

2005-05-23T12:08:00.000+01:00

Welcome to England, Neighbor!, originally uploaded by ripzip.

Our next door neighbor Tom on a rare, sunny day. More info on this picture in the post below.

My first week

2005-05-23T11:50:00.000+01:00

It seems the British Government has decided it's a good idea to let me in the country. Yup. I'm in the UK. Just over a week now. It's been a good week I guess. I'm adjusting. It's so much different than when I was here last year. No longer a tourist. Now it's time for real life. I'm a bit scared.

My week has consisted of being around the house most of the time because my I pulled a tendent in my foot. I had a birthday thrown in there. 36. Ugh.

We ventured out on Saturday and went to Malvern. It's about a 50 min train ride from Birmingham. We went to the Quilts UK show. It was a nice day out except for the fact that is poured down rain. Ahhh...Britain.

So, I guess I'm going to have to explain the picture above this post. We live in a semi-detached house and our neighbor that is in the other half to the right of us is named Tom. He lives alone, however I believe he lived with his sister before she died. They were shut-ins. And now Tom is one on his own. It's a Council house so the yard is a mess because Tom never takes care of it and the Council comes in once a year to mow the grass. I guess I can't say that he's a complete shut in because he does own a camper that sits in the drive and occasionally he'll take it for a spin, but he's never gone for longer than a 1/2 hour. I know he's still alive because sometimes I can hear his tv and also because there will be some laundry on the line...usually consisting of 2 pairs of socks, a sweater of some sort, a pair of sweat pants, a duvet cover and a sheet. So, now you have the back story. Well, last Sunday was a GORGEOUS day. Blue skies, sunshine, slight breeze...perfect. Martyn and I had come in from the garden and went upstairs to check email. Well our computer is in the bedroom facing the back garden. Which also happens to look down on Tom's. As I stood up to leave I looked out the window and down and commented... "Oh, naked neighbor!" That got Martyn's attention. At first he thought one of our neighbors was out without a shirt on...but as I was both laughing hysterically and being grossed out he realized it was more than that and had a look. And, of course, I had to get a picture...out came the camera. I was able to hold still long enough to get two shots. I'm just grateful he was on his stomach.

Oh, and his reading material? A magazine about Campers.

Welcome to Britain!

Figures...

2005-04-20T20:52:00.000+01:00

You are

What Rejected Crayon Are You?

Are the people who are spamming me trying to tell me something?

2005-04-20T07:03:00.000+01:00

Now, I know it's been almost 4 months since Martyn went back to England...but honestly! I'm not ready for the Jackrabbit vibrator yet!

I just want to thank those spammers for their concern about my sex life. Really, I'm ok. You can quit emailing me with offers for this fabulous vibrator. He'll be here in less than two weeks and things will then be on the right road.

Am I Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper or Jack Nicholson?

2005-04-20T06:47:00.000+01:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I'm smiling...but am I REALLY smiling?

2005-04-02T10:07:00.000+01:00

Today I confirmed the photographer for the reception in May. He's a friend from Elementary through High School. He's very good, however I dread getting my picture taken. I know it has to be done, but I just look like shit right now. Probably the worst I have in my entire life. Shallow? Probably. I never claimed to be deep.

I think Tom is right. I can't wait to get finished GETTING married and just BE married.

I suppose it all has to be done.

Why I should be in bed right now...

2005-03-30T09:35:00.000+01:00

Mainly because I need to get up fairly early in the morning. However, I can't seem to get to sleep lately. I lay there and my mind races, thinking of all the stuff I have to get done in the next month and I just lay there looking at the ceiling, wide eyed. I don't know if I can get it all done. It feels extremely overwhelming sometimes.

Don't get me wrong...I'm looking forward to starting a new life in a new country. I think in a lot of ways it's going to be a huge adventure. It's just been all the waiting and getting ready for it to happen.

I'm exhausted.

Jesus, Peeps and Hardboiled Eggs....

2005-03-27T20:39:00.000+01:00

Happy Jesus Back from the Dead Day!
No, I didn't go to church. No, I didn't buy Peeps. No, I didn't color hardboiled eggs. What I did do was sleep in, watch a little bit of King of Kings on TCM and now I'm talking to Martyn on Skype (http://www.skype.com). I think I could still make it to the grocery store an get some Peeps because I think I want to do a little jousting...I found out how to do this from another board. It looks great. Check out this link to see how to do it... http://www.punkasspunk.com/peeps/joust/

Why is it that it feels like any other day? Maybe it's me. Perhaps I just don't care. What scares me is that since "leaving the fold" I've become apathetic to any kind of Christian holiday/ritual/service, etc. I think I'm flirting with agnosticism. I just don't know if G/god is there. Sometimes I feel like there's something out there but I'm not sure what or whom. I always used to think that people who said there was an energy or a higher being of some kind were idiots. Mainly because I was smug or because I thought they were lazy. I don't know. I just know that it used to annoy me. At the time I felt sure about the certainty of G/god and so I couldn't uderstand how anyone could question that.

And now look at me. I'm questioning EVERYTHING!

Sometimes I get this fear that maybe I'm wrong. I think about when my sister was little and she said she didn't believe in G/god. Then immediately said she hoped G/god wasn't mad at her for that. That's how I feel sometimes. I hope he/she isn't pissed off at me for trying to figure things out. Maybe the Mormons are right and I'll live in double wide trailer in eternity, eating nothing but hot dogs, mac and cheese and drinking Kool-Aid...watching WWF and Cops non-stop on tv. Who knows.

What I do know is nothing makes sense and I've got to start trying to figure some of this out before I drive myself and everyone else completely bonkers. Ha!

So, on that cheery note, Happy Easter!

Just a little ice...

2005-03-26T22:31:00.000Z

Just a little ice..., originally uploaded by ripzip.

Ok, I'm blogging this photo mainly as a test because I'm trying to figure out the whole flickr/blogger connection. I love this picture...even if it did ruin the biggest day of my life. Ha!

Last day of work and 2 hours sleep....

2005-03-26T21:16:00.000Z

Why do I do this to myself? Last night I stayed up until 5:30 am because I was reading and didn't want to put the book down. Knowing full well that I had to be up at 7:30 to get ready for work. Doy! So, here I sit in Gift Shop Hell...round about the 6th circle...tired and crabby and hating every person that walks in the shop. How is this different from any other day? Less sleep the night before. Shit.

In 1 hour and 45 minutes I will be forever free of the torture that was this job. Thank you, Jeebus!

And so it begins...

2005-03-26T04:02:00.000Z

You know, I almost feel like I'm jumping on some huge bandwagon by starting this blog. However, I have a feeling I'm going to need the outlet as I get ready to leave the good ol' US of A. Why would I want to leave, you ask? Well, I married a Brit and he's FORCING me to live with him in England. Ok ok...not forcing me. I guess I just have this strange desire to live with my husband.

Am I nervous? Hell yeah! It's a huge undertaking, moving to another country. But all the "t'
s" are crossed and the "i's" dotted. Got my visa to enter the UK and the plane tickets are bought. I leave for England on May 13th. Somehow it's a bit ironic that I'm going back. All my ancestors came over from England after joining the Mormon church in the 1800's. Now, I'm going back to England to escape from it! Ha!

What am I going to miss? My family, my friends, my sister's dog, Cheetos, El Pato sauce, Miracle Whip, real Freeways, the NBA, sunshine... nah, I get about as much sunshine here in Washington as I will in the UK.

Right now I'm working a crappy job in a hotel gift shop. It pays shit money but some is better than nothing I suppose. And it keeps me off the streets. The great thing is that my last day of work is tomorrow. Woot woot! After that I'm concentrating on packing, tying up loose ends and basically waiting for my husband (Martyn...light of my life!) to get here on May 1st.

Life is good right now...scary, but good. But isn't that when it's the best?