When in Rome......

I travel for my job. Occasionally, I get to go to cool and exotic places well-like Rome. Being that this was the week after Easter, the crowds were out in force at the Vatican. Mob scene. I mean, it was like Elvis was there, instead of the Pope.

I spent my free time checking out the male scenery-and of course eating gelato which is to die for over there. Forget the pasta...really. Even Ben and Jerry can't compete over there and I'm a pretty big fan of Cherry Garcia.

So..while shopping, I poked into a little shop to buy my nephew a First Communion gift. I thought it was a Catholic shop, but it was really a place for priests to buy their vestments and robes and stuff. I guess I thought the church provided it, but apparently not. They also had habits and what not for the nuns, too.

But what REALLY got me was they had a huge selection of underwear for NUNS! I mean, I guess after all my years of parochial school, you just didn't picture nuns in their skivvys. It just wasn't done. Maybe because we kids were all convinced they weren't exactly human and could read minds.

Anyway, I found myself fascinated by this display of bras, corsets, underwear, etc. For nuns! And some of it had more lace than mine. (Well, we were in Italy, after all) So for the rest of the day, every time I passed a nun on the street I started to laugh trying to imagine if she was wearing lace or the cotton. I know they thought I was crazy and probably prayed for me, and I need all I can get. But still....I mean, underwear for nuns. Only I would get a kick out of that.

Scary.

Your True Love Is a Pisces

Why you'll love a Pisces: Selfless and intuitive, you are perfect for a Pisces that lives to love you. You're sensitive enough to appreciate and explore the deep emotions of a Pisces. Why a Pisces will love you: You're generous and totally giving in relationships, something Pisces demands. You are also dreamy enough to get lost in fantasy with Pisces, but realistic enough to stay grounded.

What Sign Is Your True Love?



Man is a Pisces, so I must be doing something right. :>)

You Are Peeps

You're the type that's more likely to play with your food than actually eat it.

What Easter Candy Are You?

And they say we gossip??????

My Man has become fascinated with neighborhood gossip lately. In short, one of our neighbor's husband disappeared and hasn't been seen for the last month or so. Could have been longer, but no one noticed as this isn't exactly Wisteria Lane. I mean, unless there is crime scene tape, people just tend to go about their business. At least, I do.

So Man keeps saying for the last two weeks. "He's gone, I'm telling you. His car hasn't been seen-and he hasn't mowed. He's moved out. I just can't believe it. Look at his flower beds. Weed central." (Now, who the hell keeps track of when the neighbors mow? And weeds? Come on. The neighbor could be dead, in a coma, or abducted by aliens. Glad we have our priorities straight.) He wanders from window to window, trying to get a glimpse of what's going on.

"Maybe they are having some marital problems." My opinion.

"No, I think she just kicked him out. I'm going to ask so-and-so next door if he knows."

Okay, so that doesn't qualify as a marital problem? "Well, it's none of our business."

And you know how far our advice goes, right? In one ear and into the breeze.

So as Man is setting up our fountain in the front yard-yes, we have one of those. So-and-So from next door makes an appearance in his front yard with his dog under the guise of walking it. What he is really doing, however, is passing on information. The dog is merely a prop. My office widows are open and they are right outside-so I can hear it all.

"She'd done kicked his sorry ass out!" So-and-So.

"I knew it." Man.

"And he left! Just packed up and left his own house. I've been keepin' an eye out for a week, but I got me confirmation from a reliable source."

"No kidding?"

"Yep. Heard it from the guy down at BLNK's. (BLNKs is a bait and tackle shop that sells only bait, cigarettes and beer. I think the last time a woman went in there was to ask directions some time in the 80's.)

"She just threw him out? For what?"

"Don't know for sure. Personally, I think she was damn tired of putting up with his shit."

"Well, I wouldn't put up with his ass, either." Man is disgusted. "Look at his yard. Disgrace." (Picture me pounding head on desk at this point)

So and So-"I told him to call Nature's Way last August. They'd come in and take care of his dandelion problem. Fool didn't listen and now look what happened."

"Damn shame."

"It is."

(The dandelions? Or the marriage? I'll never know for sure.)

Spiders, shoe-shopping and more people who stare.

I hate spiders. Have a fear of them that borders on terror. I mean, I don't like MOST bugs, but somehow-spiders make my skin crawl. Don't most women despise them? I mean, I have very few friends that don't share my feelings about the king of all creepies.

I will admit, however, to never before pulverizing one in public as I did at the DSW shoe warehouse.

My company recently decided it is time to outfit my division with new uniforms. They paid a high-end designer an outrageous fortune to design a couture line of fashion for their beloved employees. (tongue firmly in cheek) Anyway, the new stuff is nice-far better than what we were wearing before. So...new uniforms...new shoes...means a trip to the DSW.

I like that place. Rows and rows and rows of shoes. Even I can find something. I'm not a shoe nut, really. I mean, I like them, but I'm not the type that will buy shoes and THEN the outfit. I'm all about the way they feel as I'm on my feet all day long. As long as they don't tie, buckle or look like something the nuns wore when I was a kid, I'm happy.

After trying on several pairs, I finally find ones that look and feel good. The price tag is a bit steep, but hey, two for two is a good thing.

Then the massive, eight-legged, hairy beast crawls out of the box and across my toe.

I go ballistic. Screaming, shrieking, you get the drift. But instead of just stomping on it as MOST other people would do-or running for my life.....

I grab a shoe from the display and try and kill it. Well, of course, I miss the first time and it runs up the little stool that they have sitting in the middle of the aisle. But I persevere-and pound it into oblivion on top of the wooden seat. I don't realize it at the time, but I'm yelling-DIE, DIE, DIE!!!!!

I also don't realize that I've attracted an audience. Three women-one with a wide-eyed child, one that has to be ninety, and one trying not to laugh.

The insanity finally abates when the elderly woman points out... "Honey, I think you've killed it. For God's Sake! Get a hold of yourself!"

Okay, so there is yet another public venue I can never visit again. Thank God for online shopping...

You Are a Seeker Soul

You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges. You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions. Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist. Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!). Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others. And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically. Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas. Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Mary D on The Quirk Factor

After taking the quirkiness test, I have to admit, I'm a little bizarre. I tend to march to my own beat sorta thing-and always have.

But I don't really think that I'm all that different from most people. After all, if we were all Susie and Stan Stepford, the world would be pretty darn boring. Thankfully, it isn't. And while I have no desire to live on the fringes of society, start my own militia, join a cult, or shave my head and hand out pamplets at the airport-I do like that there is variety out there for people who haven't found their niche.

I think my niche is words. Words on paper. That's where I belong. That's where I'm comfortable. That's where I can be as weird as I want-all the time. :)

So...

For the last couple of weeks now, a new story idea has been brewing in my brain. Something different-WAY different than anything I've ever attempted before. I'm not even sure where the idea came from, but it is there-waiting to be explored.

Wish me luck!

Your Quirk Factor: 43%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it. Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?