tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:21:42 +0000http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/noreply@blogger.com (Beth)Blogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-4438276348529167774Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:15:00 +00002009-01-04T21:26:30.389-06:00I'm having one of those moments where I'm pretty certain I'm forgetting an obligation. So, this is my plea to you (because I'm old and my brain doesn't always work the way I'd like it to): if I've made some sort of plans, commitment, arrangement, scheme, agreement to do something or be somewhere and you're expecting me to follow-through on Saturday, January 10th, could you give me some sort of http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2009/01/january-10th-anyone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-4483548366097963587Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:52:00 +00002008-12-30T17:08:38.959-06:00friends... to toss aside Hello Kitty and have a new focus for April in 2009! (I love you, April! Keep on Twittering!)http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/i-resolve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-4333326505873447278Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:11:00 +00002008-12-30T13:22:25.367-06:00Sci FiDon't forget about the BSG Webisodes before the premiere (January 16) like I did. Episode #7 comes out tomorrow at noon. Plus, by virtue of being behind, you get to repeatedly see the latest trailer for the Underworld Movie - Rise of the Lycans. Sure, the first five times I saw it, I was all like "nah", but boy that 6th time... woooo... Tomorrow afternoon, after I've finished webisode #7, I'm http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/my-battlestar-friends.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-330154262514602742Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:24:00 +00002008-12-26T07:10:01.283-06:00rantsTech Support Fact vs. Beth: I hate calling tech support and when I do call, I've moved beyond "Tier 1" and likely need someone who isn't flipping through a book looking for a script to match what I'm saying. I need a "real" tech support person, not a glorified telemarketer. One of our hotshot IT staff at work has tried to talk me off the ledge when I carry on about Tier 1 tech support and http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/rant-for-lynn-story-for-tony-tech.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-7334567537622631543Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:09:00 +00002008-12-31T07:10:42.066-06:00story timeChristmas Christmas 1975 Originally uploaded by Big Blue MessI don't remember many Christmas' - just flitters of images - heading to my aunt's house to be with the rest of the family - the children's table at Grandbuddi's - cranberry "sauce" making that sickening sucking sound as it fell out of the can - dressing up stick people using leaves and monkey grass to pass the time, because I'd left my tried andhttp://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/christmas-1975.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-7308940980744778078Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:39:00 +00002008-12-23T09:12:12.336-06:00ChristmasYou're not getting one. Sorry. The truth of the matter is that I went card shopping this year and bought the most amazing and unique couple of boxes of Christmas cards. They were COOL! You would have loved one. I would have even written: "Merry Christmas!" and depending on how well I knew you, I'd throw in a "Love, Beth & " (the other part is left blank for Jay to sign; I refuse to sign another http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/wheres-my-christmas-card.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-5180784539988957885Mon, 22 Dec 2008 01:28:00 +00002008-12-21T19:28:46.047-06:00Scott Griffiths: November 27, 1946 - December 21, 2008http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/scott-griffiths-november-27-1946.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-7327050067706401582Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:59:00 +00002008-12-21T08:07:40.389-06:00birthday S7301639.JPG Originally uploaded by AprilBAs you know, I was born on Christmas... yes, I do still mean the actual day (just like I did last year). It's not some sad plea for attention, I mean the 25th. Not Christmas the 27th or Christmas on January 3rd, but the day when our family happens to celebrate Christmas and that happens to be on the 25th. I'm not faulting you, if you celebrate on the http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/12/birthday-stroll-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-6120769873030142648Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:39:00 +00002008-12-01T06:18:58.265-06:00humorGuys, I'm going to need you all to sit down for this one. I've got something important to tell you that I just discovered about myself and I thought it would be better if it came from me (before you heard it from a friend) and that I told you all at the same time - in this very private forum. If you need to come to me afterwards and ask questions, express concerns or offer well wishes, then my http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/11/confessions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-3681128858123872924Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:40:00 +00002008-11-11T10:53:13.837-06:00rantsI'll be honest with you, I'm not very "woo woo" or "touchy feely" and I'm not an easy sell on force-fed self-help crap (it's the force-fed part I'm against). Sure, I can admit that I'm being a little unfair (maybe a lot) since it seems to work for the masses, but for me most of it reads like a few common sense statements wrapped in a lovely package and geared to make one over-the-top, highly http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/11/211-degrees-of-oh-please-missing-degree.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-7469639542245256226Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:39:00 +00002008-11-10T13:17:19.111-06:00humorFor years now, Wal-Mart and I have had a sort of love-hate relationship. I remember in the 80's when it was all the rage and I lived in my small town; it was the biggest (and only) store that seemed to be open on a Sunday - oh sure, there was Hastings, but Hastings didn't have the zillion choices I craved in a shopping experience. Where I was typically able to avoid cruising the Dairy Queen forhttp://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/11/wal-mart-frenzies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-5731561290365930963Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:05:00 +00002008-10-28T07:05:59.133-05:00story timeThe wedding wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be; in fact, I guess it wasn’t even bad at all. I was expecting a monster truck rally, but instead was treated to a lovely traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony. Still, I would have preferred a monster truck rally - more stories. My best friend, Miss 4th-6th Grade, was there. Yes, I like to mark the Best Friend title by the years the personhttp://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/10/memories-of-beth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-792373992197250455Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:25:00 +00002008-11-11T09:38:27.510-06:00story timeScott posed the following question to his readers about a month ago: That brings up my question, is there something someone said to you, or that you heard at some point, that opened up your eyes and made it possible for you to achieve a new understanding or to change some behavior that was holding you back? I've given this some thought and seeing that there has been a lull in my writing pending http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/10/new-understandings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-4205543198737106032Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:20:00 +00002008-10-06T05:55:52.822-05:00SamWell, it's the crack of dawn and I'm wide awake so instead of tossing and turning or drinking warm milk, I thought "what the hell, I'll poke the Big Blue Mess". Plus, warm milk just sounds gross. I mean, does that really make you fall asleep or does your body throw up a white flag and offer a truce, "you stop drinking that and I promise to make more seratonin"? Anyway, this is mostly for Charla http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/10/sam-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-8939412699523037966Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:19:00 +00002008-09-29T18:06:19.357-05:00moviesI think it's safe to say that I'm not a decent movie reviewer; I just don't have the vocabulary or even the thought pattern that could produce a well thought out critique. In fact, I know I offend my friends when I've seen some highly praised art house film and I come out saying, "I hated it". I get grilled with "why?" because it sucked, "why do you think it sucked?" a lack of imagination on the http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/pathfinder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-2047970871282366697Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:50:00 +00002008-12-30T16:19:45.069-06:00SamLast Thursday, I almost completely lost it – Sam, our adorable little beagle, ate a big bag of trail mix. In truth, Sam eats anything that has any hint of flavor – the only exceptions are: pills, broccoli and socks – if it’s not pills or broccoli or socks, which oh please, don’t insult her puppy sensibilities, she greedily snarfs it down – things like: panties (the smellier bits), Q-tips, http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/tried-to-bump-off-sam-how-was-your.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-2035084060078031291Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:41:00 +00002008-09-05T09:57:05.411-05:00GeekrantsWhen I post on the Big Blue Mess I assume a certain level of geekery from my handful of readers and I completely forget that there are those of you who haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about. While I try to remember to include links, a few things get through the cracks and that brings me to this follow-up post. Charla asked, “Who is Dawn?” And I’m going to have to say that I don’t actually http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/who-is-dawn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-5255047351513113249Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:55:00 +00002008-09-04T07:56:32.297-05:00GeekCome to think of it, I do have a story from the convention. I conned everyone into attending the Dawn Look-Alike contest, which I had remembered as being highly entertaining from two years before when Anthony Daniels (C3PO) hosted. When we got there, we’d just come from a lovely dinner, which originally was just going to be drinks and the next thing we knew we were eating lobster grits and http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/box-dawn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-2925286490916709838Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:05:00 +00002008-09-03T10:08:24.714-05:00Sampets Sam Back Home Originally uploaded by Beth DoughtyI picked up Sam first thing yesterday morning. As soon as she was moved from the kennel to the vet area in back, I heard her baying up a storm; she was so excited. She burst out of their area, pink bow flopping excitedly and ran around the lobby baying loudly (the sound normally reserved for "Oh MY GOD! I smell a FOX!!!! or is it RABBIT?!?! OVER http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/sam.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-8261425845779587517Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:51:00 +00002008-09-03T13:32:21.604-05:00GeekI don’t have a lot of “stories” from Dragon Con. Sure, there was the gal that made it her personal mission to scream at all 70,000 attendees as they made their way up the stairs at the Marriott. She was delightful – had a great set of lungs – and when I say “lungs”, I mean that literally – those two little sacs that you draw air into – hers were abnormally large. Thanks to her tremendous volume http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/so-say-we-all.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-5599376917648439437Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:13:00 +00002008-09-02T19:27:38.424-05:00 P8300162 Originally uploaded by thekieHere's Kendra's shot where she upset the angry little troll that guarded Edward James Olmos. What you miss by just the picture is the woman hollering at Kendra to knock it off; it was priceless. On a side note - the other celebrities who didn't want to have their photos taken had a little sign in their area showing a camera crossed through - not the BSG http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/angry-little-troll.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-6159548657471763828Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:20:00 +00002008-09-01T21:34:59.212-05:00GeekfriendsWe got back from DragonCon today - for a quick glimpse at a few of the happenings, check out April's Twitter. Just a quick "who we ran into": Chatted up Jerry Doyle who was lamenting the Hilton's bar not being open at 11:30am.Stood next to James Hong at our hotel's buffet; all I could think was "it's LO PAN!"Took April's picture with James Randi (the Amazing Randi)Sat a few feet away from James http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/09/aprils-twitter-about-dragon-con.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-8735045854184252446Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:53:00 +00002008-08-28T19:11:43.361-05:00GeekThis is just a post on the fly as I run around the house and do all the things you need to do before leaving on vacation and prepare for Dragon Con. I may be ruining the surprise you all had planned, but I still plan to pretend I didn't know that you all had secretly planned on coming. You guys! You're too much! Let's meet for dinner. For a trip to a science fiction convention, it isn't enough http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/08/dragon-con-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-6540141851037254816Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:13:00 +00002008-08-27T18:25:01.738-05:00The writing on the Big Blue Mess really began as correspondence between my friends and family. In fact, when you read an entry, it’s very close to the kind of e-mail or letter you’d receive from me if we wrote back and forth. Sure, they’re expanded upon, dolled up, and loosely spit shined to better fit a more “blogging” style, but essentially every entry is a letter just like I’d send to a friendhttp://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/08/dear-insert-your-name-here-epiphany-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21981543.post-3206864164237013931Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:26:00 +00002008-08-21T19:28:11.348-05:00humorBack in the day, when you walked uphill in the snow barefoot both ways… when children labored in sweatshops and (no, wait…) errr… people still used leeches to cure the sniffles – umm err well, you know, back in the OLD days – a person could identify crazy. It was easy then, there was the eye spacing… I mean, c’mon everyone knows that if the space between your eyes happens to be larger than the http://www.bigbluemess.com/blogs/main/2008/08/crazy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Beth)1