Mobius Stripped

Hmmm

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 01:48:00 +0000

If you write a post on an old ass blog and no one reads it....does it exist?

Ok dammit....

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:32:00 +0000

So apparently I will cave to anything if enough guilt is applied.

And it also appears that it takes nine people to properly guilt me into something.

So congratulations to Maggie, Kat, MySecondJournal, Marilyn, Momisodes, Lynda, Julie, K., and Stan. If the nine of you can find the time to sit down together and really plot things out, you might convince me to give you my ATM pin, tell you my deepest darkest secret (I've mentioned it on here before - it involves ZZ Top and "La Grange"), and perhaps do something illegal on a webcam.

On second thought - I hope the nine of you never meet or speak to each other. EVER.

Watch this space for further updates! Jerks. ;)

The End

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:23:00 +0000

Cheating a little

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:55:00 +0000

Idea, organization, and all-around coolness the brainchild of Lotus.

These really look much better if you click for the larger version.

I'm cheating a little bit with this weeks' winners. I did not take these photos, nor were they taken in the last week - though they are all fairly recent. I have written a few times about being Indian (here, here, and here) and most of my readers have seemed pretty interested. A dear cousin of mine is running for a seat on our tribal council. He took these pictures as a way to show things that need to be fixed and things that are signs of life on our reservation. I have nothing but the most deep-seated pride and admiration for him and the things he wants to accomplish. I desperately hope he wins because it is time for the people of our generation to start working to make the changes we need to make from the inside out. I hope you enjoy these pictures and forgive me for cheating. :) (Also accept my apologies for not visiting other weekly winners lately...I vow to be a better blog buddy!)

A bullet-riddled sign

A lonely court

Would you live here?

Modern American Third World

What kind of playground do your children have?

Proud to serve a country that hasn't always served us

If he wins, change will start here

We need wellness

Investing in the real future

Hands that will heal

From the inside out

Desperately needed

RESPECT

Spirituality

...and the home of the brave.

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:37:00 +0000

BLING!

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:12:00 +0000

(Yeah I know it's the wrong finger - getting it re-sized this week.)

Road Tripping - halfway home

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:28:00 +0000

Idea, organization, and all-around coolness the brainchild of Lotus.

These really look much better if you click for the larger version.

The rest of the bull is behind the hill - we grow 'em big in South Dakota.

There's no way there's a brick oven back there.

THIS.....IS.....SPARTA!!!!

Perhaps the creepiest grain silo in all of Wisconsin.

Oh look - Chicago!

Oh great - Chicago traffic.

A frustrated driver.

Yep, this messes up the whole trip schedule. ;)

Why do they have to grow up?

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Here are some pictures from Noah's first day of Kindergarten. There were no tears. I mean from ME. Noah did just fine.

All packed and ready to go.

Oh jeez - he's too little!!! I can't stand it.

"I'm not completely sold on this yet Mommy."

Noah and his teacher.

"They set out a place just for me!"

Vacation - Rapid City

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:13:00 +0000

Idea, organization, and all-around coolness the brainchild of Lotus.

These really look much better if you click for the larger version.

Watiki water park

Dylan

Pure joy

How to make your kids sleep? Water park!

My high school.

What a handy chair. (groan)

Pooh and Noah

Listening to a story from the Cat.

Hmmm....I'm not sure who is having more fun.

Noah on his ark.

Dylan - another water park

Chris and Noah

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

A story problem for you:
One kids wants to ride the ferris wheel.
Two adults are slightly uneasy about heights.
One adult is a male.
Guess who got to stay safely on the ground and take the picture?
PRICELESS :D

Bad birds

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 05:10:00 +0000

S C R O L L I N G S A T U R D A Y

Melissa at Such Simple Pleasures and Coleen at Manners and Moxie have this really cool “meme“. You go back in your archives, dig up an old blog post, repost it, and let it get some new love!

I wrote this post last February in a fit of frustration. Being back in South Dakota has made me remember all over again why I hate pheasants.

I had hoped to put up a my own picture of a pheasant today. I almost hit a batch of them on my way home from my mom's. I pulled over and grabbed the camera, but my batteries were dead. Here is a picture of a Chinese ring-necked pheasant I found online.

This is arguably the dumbest creature on God's green earth. I cannot tell you how many of these idiot birds I have killed with my car. They literally leap in front of moving vehicles. Hunting these things is very popular here in the fall. I'm no hunter, but my heart LEAPS with joy when the hunters show up to kill these dumb things. I may be alienating a few of you save the animal people, but that's ok. These things are too stupid to exist and their complete extinction and annihilation by fire probably wouldn't make me bat an eyelash. Honestly, I can't believe you have to shoot them with a gun. I bet you could just walk up to one with a brick and bash it. Or maybe jog down the road with a net and eventually one will fly right into you. Hey it just dawned on me - a flock of these birds should be: a stupid of pheasants.

Why all this vitriol for a helpless bird? Because I have to DRIVE in this state and these things are a menace. They're fairly big and to smack one with your grill or windshield can cause some expensive damage. It's also really scary to be driving merrily down the road and out of no where one of these things commits suicide right in your face. (Yes, I drive "merrily" - until one of these things hits me, then I drive pissed off, irritable, and discontented.) Furthermore, these dimbulbs aren't even supposed to BE here. They are native to Asia and some sorry jerk brought them here in the mid-1800's. I wish I knew who that idiot was so I could go spit on his grave and curse his descendants. And because they are the stupid breeding rabbits of the bird world we are now overrun with the damn things.

Anyway, despite the possible danger of being shot in the face, I'm even glad when Vice President Cheney makes his annual pilgrimage to this state to shoot pheasant. In my book this is the best thing he does with his entire year.

LOL LOL LOL

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:28:00 +0000

The following video is Dylan's first time driving a stick shift. I apologize for the cussing!

(And just so you don't think I'm a total jerk for giggling at my kid, let me admit that the first time I tried to drive a stick, I wiped out a volleyball net. Luckily no volleyball players were harmed. Also, I'm so old that we didn't have fancy schmancy video cameras to record my silliness.)

Here are Dylan and Noah at the water slide park

Road Trip - Minnesota ya

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:29:00 +0000

Idea, organization, and all-around coolness the brainchild of Lotus.

These really look much better if you click for the larger version.

No Smoking? No duh!!!!

Michelle and Tasina try to break into the wine cave at Carlos Creek Winery.

And why are there so many songs about rainbows?

An institution of higher learning I actually finished.

Michelle's cat is an evil kitler.

The King is dead, long live the Queen.

Tasina and Chris

A hole in one - call the PGA.

Road Trip - through the middle part

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:17:00 +0000

My view for the last few days.

Road food choices - such a hard decision.

Ever driven through windy mountain passes in Appalachia? DON'T!!!!

Ok - it is really pretty up there.

Bye bye Kentucky - hello Indiana.

Back to St. Louis.

My old house in south St. Louis city.

Six years of my life and STILL no Ph.D. Oh well - I got a Master's out of it.

Dylan actually DID finish his school in St. Louis

Trip Pics DC

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:15:00 +0000

Idea, organization, and all-around coolness the brainchild of Lotus.

These really look much better if you click for the larger version.

I never finished my Ph.D. in Pol Sci, but I finally got a handle on Congress.

The "Exorcist" stairs claim another (less than holy) victim.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The US Capitol

Giant 1st Amendment at the Newseum

Inches from a Da Vinci

Inches from a Degas

Inches from Vincent

Ch-ch-ch-changes

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:26:00 +0000

I know it's been a very long time since I posted anything on here. My life has gone through some incredible changes over the last month and I just haven't felt prepared to share them with the world. Someday maybe. I will say that despite having to make some very difficult decisions, I am very happy and looking forward to the future.

Anyway, I am about to embark on a big long trip around the country - driving all over the place. I'm really looking forward to the whole thing. I will likely not be posting much during this trip so this is the last from me for a while.

I am also still smoking, but have a plan to get back on Chantix and quit again after my trip. I will re-chronicle this second quit attempt when I start. I hope everyone out there is doing well.

Much love to all - Tasina

I Saw Red

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:04:00 +0000

This is a little meme that I copied from Tara. Set your iPod to shuffle and answer the following questions. I'm surprised that many of mine seem to make sense. If you leave me a nice comment, I might actually tell you what happened at La Grange ;)

1. What would describe your personality? D'yer Mak'er - Led Zeppelin

2. What do you like in a guy/girl? Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd

3. How do you feel, today? Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks

4. What’s your life’s purpose? Scenes from An Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel

5. What is your motto? I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick

6. What do your friends think of you? Behind the Bars - Elliott Smith

7. What do you think of your parents? Holiday - Green Day

8. What do you think about very often? Sunshine of Your Love - Cream

9. What do you think of your best friend? Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers

10. What do you think of the person you like? Corazon Espinado - Santana

11. What is your life story? Rebel Rebel - David Bowie

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Money - Pink Floyd

13. What do you think when you see the person you like? Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne

14. What do your parents think of you? Spiderwebs - No Doubt

15. What will be played at your funeral? December - Collective Soul

16.What is your hobby/interest? The Reflex - Duran Duran

17. What is your biggest secret? La Grange - ZZ Top

18. What do you think of your friends? Fly Me to The Moon - Frank Sinatra

19. What should you post this as? I Saw Red - Warrant

P.S. For those of you keeping score at home - still smoking. Think fires in California...that's me. Puff puff hack hack.

Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:38:00 +0000

I just watched Seasons 1 -4 of Lost in an insane marathon. The following video pretty much sums up how I feel about the show by now. Thanks to whoever made this and posted it on YouTube.

Gives a whole new meaning to "Blade Runner"

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Here's a fun headline: "In 2050, your lover may be a...robot"

According to this article, robot technology will be advanced enough in the next 40 years to provide machines that can have emotional relationships with humans. Fully functioning and advanced sex robots should be available in 10 years...if that's more your bag. The person making this claim thinks this will be a good thing for people with psycho-social disorders, or those that are ugly. Although it will be feasible to build free will into the robot so that the possibility exists that even a robot will reject your ugly, socially retarded ass just like the real people do.

Anyone who has dabbled in the world of relationships is going to have a flicker of interest in this. A fully functioning robot who loves me and can be traded in or adjusted any time? SWEET. Teach it to vacuum and do dishes and I might be sold baby. This all brings up a whole host of other questions. If the robot is that advanced, does it have rights? Can you marry your robot? Can you have a poly-robotic lifestyle? If you divorce your robot, are you responsible for its upkeep or do you just get to shut it off?

Mostly though, I think the whole thing is really sad. Robot technology is certainly really cool, but shouldn't we be working towards human compatibility before we introduce the Wonder Lover 3000? Not to perpetuate stereotypes, but do we really want a room full of nerds building an entity to love us? What if the robots become self-aware and bring down the hell of Sky Net on us? Will we need to hire Harrison Ford to eliminate stray replicants? Doesn't perfection ultimately get boring?

And besides, I never really ever figured out how to program my VCR.

Where to begin?

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:10:00 +0000

It's been a rough time.

So here's the deal. I refilled my Chantix prescription. I started taking them on Monday and hopefully will be done smoking next Monday. Last time it took me longer than a week, but I think this time will be different. I cannot wait to be done with these stinky horrible things. I already had a wacky Chantix dream. I won't type it all out but it involved mystical orange cats, a fat gay guy, tornados, and 6 inches of snow. I may be losing my mind.

In other news, I managed to slip on some stairs last Friday and re-injure my injured knee. Brilliant, I know. This is all directly attributable to me being shallow enough to buy shoes for cuteness with no regard to sturdiness. I saw the orthopedic surgeon and he said that I did not tear my newly reconstructed ACL. He thinks I tore some cartilage and maybe hurt my hamstring (which is already weak because that's where they harvested the new ACL from). He stuck a GIGANTIC HORRIBLE PAINFUL AWFUL WRETCHED needle right into the space beside my kneecap and shot me up with steroids. I almost punched him in the neck. But I'm glad I refrained because he's a nice guy and the steroids kicked in today and I feel tons better. I hope 'roid rage doesn't kick in too.

So that's where I am. Thank you all for the concern. There is a TON of other stuff going on, but I don't want to blab all my stuff out here on the Internets for the world to see. Things are steadily looking up though and I'm in a much better place than the weekend I started smoking like a house afire. It's all good dude.

Epic Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:35:00 +0000

If you ever want a really good laugh, head on over to Fail Blog. They've got some really funny stuff on there.

In other fail news, I've been chain-smoking for about 72 hours straight. My throat feels like it's made of ground glass....and lava. I'm not going to go into what's making me do this...mostly because it's waaaaaaaaaay too long to type out. haha But I do have a plan.

I think I have one refill left on my original Chantix prescription. I need to call Walgreens and check. If not, I'll call my doctor on Monday and get another prescription. I do not want to be a smoker again.

I hate this.

Mr. Roboto

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:51:00 +0000

I don't know if this is the coolest thing I've ever seen or potentially the most terrifying!! You tell me.

Genetics

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Mon, 26 May 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Dear DNA,

Did you forget that a large part of our make-up is Native American? I know this puts us at all sorts of risks for terrible things like diabetes and other fun diseases. But there's supposed to be some give and take. I'll look out for the diabetes thing and you allow me to get a decent tan. What's that you say? Irish genes? Well, yeah....we have some. What??? That's no fair!!! Why do I get the Native American propensity to get diabetes (gestational only so far) AND the Irish trait of frying like an egg in the sun???? What a rip-off.

No wonder I almost flunked science. I guess I'll go buy some sunscreen.

A very disgruntled and in a lot of pain,

Me

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:42:00 +0000

DO NOT SCROLL DOWN

IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH

GRAPHIC PICTURES TO FOLLOW

Ok, your fault. I warned you.

Exactly 6 months ago tomorrow, I took my little tumble down the stairs. That was a lot of fun. I wound up tearing my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) completely in half as well as damaging some cartilage (meniscus). I do not recommend this. About a month after the fall, I had reconstructive surgery on my knee. The surgeon harvested from my hamstring and created a new ACL for me. This sounds super gross, but the other alternative is to harvest from a cadaver. Yup. CADAVER. NOOOOOOOO thank you. No cadaver parts for me. Uh huh. No way.

So anyway, my orthopedic surgeon - who was cool as all hell and cute as all hell for that matter - took some pictures from the inside of my knee. I don't know if he just really likes to give you all the information, really likes his job, really likes photography, or is really completely insane. In any event, while I did consider using the following pictures as our Christmas cards for the year, I managed to restrain myself. Honestly the pictures don't look like much of anything if you didn't know what they were. I think they kind of look like something you'd see at the bottom of the ocean. So if you've stayed with me thus far, here you go. The first is the torn ACL, the second is the torn meniscus, and the third is the graft. No fair giving me comments about how you had an involuntary personal protein spill after viewing these - you were warned. :)

Call the fashion police

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Thu, 22 May 2008 05:02:00 +0000

I have recovered from my TT burnout and am back with the all humiliation list. Here are 13 life and fashion "Dos and Don'ts" from my life in the 70's and 80's. Feel free to actually LOL. (But hey...in my defense...it was the 70's and 80's!)

Don't let anyone take nudie shots. They'll wind up on the internet forever.
Do be a natural redhead for at least a couple of years. I'd love to have this color back. *note to self - call salon tomorrow*
Don't ever mix brown and purple. I look like a small gay boy....not that there's anything wrong with that.
Don't bite your nails. Someday you'll be 35 years old and still putting that bitter tasting stuff on your nails to break this habit.
Do be a wild girl. I look like a feral child raised by wolves. And who lets a little kid stand next to a dog this big??
Do fear the Claus. The whole thing still kind of freaks me out. And also DON'T wear a jumper or overalls. Ever.
Don't dress like a freaky fundamentalist child bride. I have no explanation for this outfit. I hope I was in a school play or it was some sort of weird history day at school.
Do be a cowgirl. It's South Dakota. They make you ride horses. Although I don't think Polo shirts and silly haircuts are part of that package.
Don't be a cheerleader...except in an ironic way. Oh my good grief. Rah rah rah. This might be the worst of the lot. That's me (the world's most cynical, least peppy, had not a whit of school spirit cheerleader ever) in the center.
Do get tatted up. My first ink.
Don't be a horrible judge of character. The worst thing about this picture is not the stupid jeans with the deliberate rip. It's not the unbelievably unflattering tied shirt. It's also not the absolutly insane looking bangs. It's the fact that the guy with his arm around me is now incarcerated for a very bad thing. *shudder*
Do embrace your silly decade. Where to begin? The Cosby sweater....the acid washed jeans....the 'extra from a bad Poison video' messy giant hair....the studied look of teenaged boredom....what a goofball! But enough of that guy on the left - I look great! ;)
Don't forget which day is picture day....and retakes day. My giant hair cannot even be contained in the outline of the shot. That's too funny. I think the Aqua-Net company ought to be paying me a dividend for keeping them in business.
Bonus #14 - Do have the ability to look back and laugh. Okay a new decade didn't help me at all. I love big hair. End of story.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

New food

noreply@blogger.com (Tasina) — Sun, 18 May 2008 23:39:00 +0000

I made a new recipe the other day. I think this one is a keeper. Below is the original recipe from All Recipes with my changes in italics.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken - I just put the chicken in raw and shredded it up before serving. I may brown it next time if I have time for that, but it was fine this way.
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomoatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce - We used medium heat enchilada sauce. I might use something hotter next time. The dish needs more heat.
1 medium onion, chopped - I used 5 chopped green onions.
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water - I used another can of chicken broth rather than more water.
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper - Didn't measure this...just added pepper until it felt right!
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 can of black beans - I added this to the mix.
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro - I'm not wild about cilantro so I skipped this one
7 corn tortillas - Rather than do steps 2-4 below, I just bought tortilla chips. I think I would have preferred those Fritos scoops.
vegetable oil

Directions

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. I put this together in the morning before work and it was ready by the time we got home. I skipped the next 3 steps.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

As I said above, I skipped the tortilla part of this. All of us really liked this dish. It was super easy to make and very tasty. The consistency is almost like a salsa so scooping it up with the tortilla chips was very easy. I suppose more or less liquid could be added to adjust to the consistency you like. The only thing I would do next time is turn the heat up a little bit. My husband isn't wild about super hot food and even he said it needed more kick. I don't know exactly how I will do this - maybe hotter enchilada sauce, maybe some jalepenos, maybe some cayenne pepper. There are lots of variations that can be done with this recipe. Enjoy!!

Mobius Stripped

Hmmm

Ok dammit....

The End

Cheating a little

...and the home of the brave.

BLING!

Road Tripping - halfway home

Why do they have to grow up?

Vacation - Rapid City

Bad birds

LOL LOL LOL

Road Trip - Minnesota ya

Road Trip - through the middle part

Trip Pics DC

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I Saw Red

Lost

Gives a whole new meaning to "Blade Runner"

Where to begin?

Epic Fail

Mr. Roboto

Genetics

***WARNING - WARNING - WARNING***

Call the fashion police

New food

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING