Quigs’ Corner

I noticed yesterday that my light timers are coming on a little too early - for the second time since the beginning of January. This morning, I went around and changed the time they started by 15 minutes later.  Now, 15 minutes isn’t a very long time, but it means our days are that much longer and we’re that much closer to spring!  Here’s to warmer temps and longer days.  

One of Mr. Q’s vendors was generous enough to share tickets with us to last night’s Celtic vs. Mavs basketball game at the American Airlines Center (AAC) in Dallas.  We’ve been lucky to be able to use these seats before, and appreciate the entertainment that Mark Cuban and the staff at the AAC provide.  The seats themselves in are the ‘Platinum’ section which means a separate entrance, parking pass for a very close garage, servers available to bring food & drink to your seat and really nice bathrooms.  The bathroom thing may not seem like a big deal, but have you been to the restrooms at any of these big arenas?  Some of their facilities are just plain nasty - Ranger’s stadium is an excellent example.  Or Fenway Park.  I could go on, but I think you get my point. 

Anyway, these seats, as you can imagine, are not cheap.  But, the people sitting around us?  Well, they either recieved their tickets as a gift or their parents never taught them manners (or both?).  Take the guy sitting next to Mr Q that looked like a younger, more smart-assier Owen Wilson (not sure that’s possible, but trust me, it was), that kept picking his nose. I’m NOT kidding!!!  I swear, EVERY time I looked in LQ’s direction, his neighbor was digging for treasure.  I even thought I saw him eat the rsults at one point!  Holy snot-rocket Batman, do 20-somethings really do this shit!?  AND, do they actually get a second date? 

Oh wait,it gets better…though the Celtics didn’t play their best game last night, they came from behind (as many as 13 points) to win the game in the last minute or so.  A real nail biter.  You should have seen and heard The Nose-picker.  First, when the Mavs were winning he was yelling at the refs for nearly every call they made.  Some of his complaints were justified, some were not.  Whatever.  Then, as the Mavs began to lose their lead, he started yelling at the fans that were cheering for the Celts!  ‘Why don’t you go to Boston?’  ‘Shut up!’ ’Sit down!’ (such orignal stuff, huh?)  OMG I couldn’t believe this dude.  When it became evident that Boston was going to win, he threw his water bottle (after his many beers and cocktails he’d already consumed during the night) into his seat and stormed off, pouting!  Grow up man, it’s a freaking game!  I was really secretly hoping he would have challenged my team loyalties, so I could get in his face.  It would have brought me so much satisfaction to see him taken away in matching braclets courtesy of DPD.  Oh well…maybe next time? 

Anyway, we had a good time, watching the WORLD CHAMPION BOSTON CELTICS beat little ‘ol Dallas.  We got home late, got up for work early and have been dragging ass all day.  But, it was worth it! 

Before you say anything about my not posting here let me explain….well, I can’t.  I’ve been ignoring Quigs’ Corner because I’ve been distracted by another site, Facebook.  It’s true, I’ve strayed.  It’s easy to use, and I put quick updates in it - alot.  I feel like I’m connected ‘cuz my friends comment or post their thoughts too.  It’s fun, and I’ve been in put back in touch with long-lost friends. But, I can’t rant there.  Nor can I say what I may want to really, really say.  I was reminded of that when I read my friend’s blog today that I miss having my own space and place to ramble - FB only allows you so much space, like a NYC apartment.  So, I’m back, and forgive me in advance if I get lazy again and forget to return from time to time, but you’re my first, and you never forget your first.

It’s 2009.  I suspect things I must add a date to will say 2008 for a while, I’ll catch on…around May or so.

It was a quiet holiday here at Quigs’ Corner.  We stayed close to home and did some chores around the house.  We shared Christmas dinner with Mr Q’s dad.  I really miss the Dog, the Queen, Princess and Fire Chief at Christmas… 

Mr Q and I did take advantage of a guest appearance of King Tut at the Dallas Museum of Art on NYE.  It’s amazing to see artifacts that are 3500 years old!  

We’ve been blessed the last week with extremely nice weather, though this too shall change - tonight.   All good things must come to an end; the warm weather and the final days of vacation - back to work on Monday :-(.  

Happy 2009 to everyone - I wish all health, happiness and a comfortable year.

First, I know that I’ve been absent.  I apologize for the lack of attention to my blog.  For the record, this is why I don’t have houseplants.  

Today I was driving around from here to there doing the Christmas tasks - last minute shopping, shipping and the like.  I was listening to a radio station that plays all Christmas music.  In fact two stations.  One plays more contemporary stuff, the other ‘traditional’ music.  Listening to the traditional station, it got me to remembering when I was younger and that was all there really was to listen to.

Each year at Christmas, Ma would dig out the three or four Christmas albums we had that were stored out of reach of us kids (yes they were albums then, not CDs) and then she would queue them up on the hi-fi (if you have to ask what a hi-fi is…..).  My favorite was the Firestone Christmas, a compilation of big artists and big songs.  We’d listen to Bing and Andy and Burl and Ella and Nat sing the classics, and hymns and kids songs.  Of course when I was younger, I really didn’t care for this stuff so much, just that it was Christmas.  Now, I’ve found that I search these songs out each Christmas season.  

A couple of years ago, I made a Christmas mix CD for Ma - many of these artists and songs I fondly remember were on iTunes, and I quickly downloaded some of them and made them into a Christmas keepsake.  Looking back, I’m not sure who I truly chose the songs for, Ma or me, but either way, I’m happy with the songs I picked…they bring back good memories that changed only slightly from year to year, and best of all, I see my mom’s smile in when I hear them.  

Thanks Ma for the tradition, and the great memories they bring.   

Okay, today is November 14th.  A little over a week til Thanksgiving, seven - count ‘em 7 weeks til Christmas.  So, tell me why are there Christmas lights adoring homes in the neighborhood?  Don’t get me wrong, I love the lights - in fact when they all come down, I’m a little bummed.  But seven weeks before?!  I’m looking forward to seeing the decorations, the lighting of the giant trees and the festivities, but let’s wait til it’s a little closer, please? 

 Amended text @10pm:  While walking the dog, I saw a house with a Christmas tree aglow with tiny white lights.  Please, STOP the insanity!!!

We’ve been enjoying warm weather here in North Texas - in the 80s through Sunday.  Then Monday, it was in the 50s.  Okay, let’s say it all together now - BRRRRRRRRRRR.  It’s not that 50s is cold.  It’s that a 30 degree drop in temperature in 24 hours is!   So, I guess it’s officially fall now, since I broke out the fleece jackets that will be my best friend for the next few months.  it was warm again today, and will be for the next week or so, but it’s just a matter of time til that cold weather comes back again. 

Oh, on Monday when it was cold, the dog and cat actually slept on one of the dog’s beds - together!  Now, THAT’S cold.  I think that’s generally referred to ‘hell freezing over’ 

Sunday night, Mr. Q and I went to see Tina Turner with our friend, Jules.  As the title of this post implies, it was AMAZING!

Tina, 68 years young, sang, danced, and shimmied for over two hours.  She had five costume (and shoe) changes, and made quite an entrance on each return to the stage.  She opened the concert from a 3′x3′ platform extended about 25 feet in the air - with no railings or harnesses.  It slowly receded into the stage, all the while she sang the opening number.  There were fireworks and flames shooting out of the stage at some points (half way back on the 2nd level of the AAC, we could feel the heat of the flames!).  But wait, there’s more….she ended the concert on a crane platform that did have railings, but was extended about 20 feet over the audience.  That thing scared me…she walked back and forth on the part without anything to hold on to, and was quite physical on the whole thing.  Oh, and did I mention she did this and the ENTIRE concert 4" - 5" inch heels? (There’s photos from the stage and the concert here - and click on the ‘video’ tab for more treats!) 

The music was great, her dancers, backup singers and band were all excellent.  And, she looked AWESOME!  She’s still got those beautiful legs and used them to dance around the stage all night long.  And she did dance; not some lame shuffle to make us think she was dancing.  I don’t know how she did it, but she did it well.  

The music was a walk down memory lane, including the song from Thunderdome, Golden Eye, a couple of Stones standards, her ‘anthem’, What’s Love Got to Do with It?, along with Simply the Best, Private Dancer and my fav of the night, Proud Mary in which she and her dancers worked those legs (and other body parts) the most.  (As Mr. Q said, can you imagine THAT audition to be a TT dancer!?)

I’ll admit when we first talked about going, I was like ‘okay, not something I need to see before I die, but should be fun’.  It was TOTALLY worth the price of admission.  Thanks, Tina for a great concert!

We were surprised Saturday night by loud ‘booms’ that got our attention real quick while we were getting dinner ready.  I thought we were going to need to run for cover and hide under the bed like Buzz the cat did, but discovered instead that we were being treated to a fireworks display!  I’m not sure what the occasion was, but we had a front row seat to it.  They looked to be coming from the Adriatica area, and they were a nice surprise.  Midnight insisted on joining us - except she hid behind either me or Mr. Q and craned her neck around from behind our legs to watch them in the sky.  I swear if she had hands, she would have had them over her eyes with her fingers spread apart so not to miss something.  Thanks to whomever hosted the display!   

In spite of all the turmoil and bad things going on in the world, I think I’m a pretty lucky person.  Mr Q and I are in good health, despite the fact we need to lose [significant amounts of] weight.  Our family is in good health, and still speaks to us (most of the time), we’re gainfully employed (at least for now), and we live in a nice home and area.  

Those that know me have heard me frequently refer to where I live as ‘Stepford’ for all the rules and cookie-cutter homes, yards, vehicles and children.  Regardless, it’s still a nice place to live, raise your kids and feel safe. 

Over the weekend, I was walking the big black furry one early in the morning, and captured this picture on my phone.  We frequently see hot air balloons early in the mornings or in the evenings this time of year.  The winds are calm and the weather is cool enough for them to fly.  The unmistakable ‘whoosh’ of the propane catches our attention every time, and everyone that is outside stops and watches…it’s a bit of wonder and magic in this crazy world we live in.