Grey's Anatomy Penis Shot?

If what I think happened actually happened on Thursday night the FCC is going to have a mad cow...

Grey's fans: did you happen to watch Thursday night (you know, the "penis fish" episode)...and did you happen to see the shot of what appeared to be the penis of the actor when he dropped his pants? TJ turned to me an was like "was that..." and I replied "no...it couldn't have been..." Then, just yesterday as I was out to dinner with my good friend Gini she asked me "so, when you watched Grey's Anatomy Thursday night, was that that guy's penis?" I couldn't believe it! I was amazed that someone else had the same thought that we had...in fact it appears that she and her husband had the same discussion about it that TJ and I did.


So, what do you think? Was it a penis or just a figment of our imagination? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Husbands

I have not blogged all week! Honestly, I just lost track of time (and lost myself in an AMAZING book called Red...maybe I will ramble about that at a later date). I honestly didn't think it had been that long since I signed on, but it had. (Not that it really matters anyway--no one really reads this but me) :-)

To the topic at hand: husbands. Specifically mine.

TJ was going golfing today. No big deal--I don't mind Saturdays to myself. This means I can have coffee in peace, read a book, clean the house if I want, do laundry (shudder)...basically, do whatever I damn well please. I love days like that. Days when you don't have to worry if your husband is going to come up with something that has to be done right then and there. So, needless to say, I was happy and content and looking forward to a lazy, "on Shannon's schedule" day. Ha!

I was peacefully sleeping at 6:20 this morning when suddenly I heard a horrendous noise...TJ had set our security system off. And that sucker is loud, let me tell you. I sat straight up in bed like "What the hell?" He looks at me kind of sheepishly and says "I forgot about the motion detector...sorry." I groaned and rolled over to go back to sleep. At 6:25, the light in the bedroom comes on. Again, I was like "what the hell?" He then asked me if what he was wearing would be okay for the day. I mumbled a "yes" and rolled over again. At 6:30, he turns the bathroom light on and heads into the closet. He gets out like five hats and starts trying to decided which to wear. He asks me "which one?" At this point, I didn't care--I told him to pick one because they all serve the same function: they keep the sun off your head. At 6:33, he decides to leave to get coffee at McDonalds. Now, I know that Bud is coming at 6:40 to get him, so I know how all of this is going to turn out. At 6:38, just as I am almost back to sleep, the phone rings--it's Bud and he is in our driveway. I proceed to tell him that TJ is getting coffee and he will be back. At that point I gave up...and now (as you can see by the time stamp) I am up.

Moral of the story:

When TJ's up...everyone's up!

It's the FURminator!

Allow me to begin by saying that I love my dogs, but I HATE dog hair all over everything. Honestly, if I put on a black shirt or black pants I am toast by the time I walk out the door...fur flies our of nowhere and I am a dog hair magnet. I have tried everything to get keep the dogs from shedding a great deal: brushing, bathing, changing foods...you name it. So, you will have to excuse me when I say i was a little hesitant to try the FURminator (crazy name, right?). First off, it was $35.00. Those of you who know me know that I don't spend $35.00 on ANYTHING...ever. I am the most tight fisted person you will ever meet...honestly. Just ask TJ. It drives him crazy that I won't spend ten dollars on something.

Anywho. My mom and I went to PetsMart today and I looked at this FURminators. I couldn't believe something so tiny could actually reduce shedding by 90% (that's what the package says!) and that "dogs really love it.". It was behind a locked case, so I figured it must be something special. After prowling the aisles to find someone to unlock case, I reluctantly took this unassuming tool from the lady. She told me that they worked really well and that all the groomers there used them. I perked up a little: professional endorsement (or she was just trying to sell one of the damn things!). I purchased said de-shedding tool and headed home.

After struggling with the thick plastic package (what did they think would happen: it would break...sheesh!) I headed over to Gizmo and started brushing. He tolerated it for a while and then decided that he didn't want to be brushed anymore. The amount of hair I got out of him was okay, but it wasn't amazing as I had expected. By this time Loki had decided he wanted to see what it was all about, so he headed my way and sat waiting. I began brushing him and was instantly amazed. Loki's hair has always been thicker than Gizmo's, so he always sheds more. The hair that came out of him was INCREDIBLE...piles upon piles of hair were in my living room. More hair was in a Kroger bag (it is full, by the way), and the best thing is that Loki loved it--so much so that he fell asleep. And, when I stopped brushing him and went to do Gizmo again, Loki followed me and looked at me like "Hey...I'm not finished!" All said, I brushed Loki for over an hour and he slept most of the time.

I would rate this product pretty high on the Shannon Scale (which means precisely Jack Crap). In all honesty, if you have a dog/cat and you are constantly picking up pet hair, give it a shot. It is expensive, but, in the long run, I think it will all be worth it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it seems Loki wants to be brushed again...

myspace

I created a Myspace account! I have joined the masses...unfortunately.

I never wanted an account with them mainly because I associate it with my students and I sure as hell don't want anything in common with them. However, TJ told me last week that I should make one because his sister asked him to make one. Soon, he had a page and my friends were telling him I should make a page. So, I caved under peer pressure and did it.

I will admit it is easy to get sucked into the whole thing. You start clicking on friends and suddenly you are finding people you haven't talked to in years. I found a girl I used to teach with today. I didn't even know she was still around, but there she was. I guess Myspace isn't the devil like I thought it was--but it is complicated.

To change the background and layout you have to know HTML code. Yeah...because I study that in my spare time. I finally got most of it worked out, but I'm still a bit overwhelmed with trying to change colors and fonts. I guess that's why I like Blogger--it is so damn easy to use...and change things.

Now, you'll have to excuse me...I am off to join the Myspace revolution!

Virginia Tech

As a teacher I am always worried about the safety of my students, my colleagues and myself. TJ always tells me that I should teach college because it is better and he wouldn't worry about me as much. After yesterday's incident, he has changed his tune. It is sad to think that nowhere is safe now. And, considering the amount of publicity that this has gotten over the last few days, I would not be surprised to see an outbreak of school violence in the next week or so. It's always how it happens. Those who take actions like this are looking to make a statement or prove a point and, if those incidents keep getting so much air time, I worry that the shooters are being glamorized. It seems that if the media would leave it be, things would be better. I am not saying that we shouldn't know what happened; what I am saying is that it shouldn't monopolize our air waves.

And, as far as the shooter goes, I am appalled by the fact that he took the actions that he did and then took his own life. It's like he couldn't even face what he did. Instead, we are left to try to figure out his motives. That makes it even harder for all involved.

My prayers go out to all the friends and families of the victims.

A Sigh of Relief

After 16 long months of papers, discussions, interviews, research projects, article critiques, portfolio exhibits, diversity fairs, and reading textbooks, I submitted my LAST assignment for my graduate class this morning. I am officially FINISHED with all my coursework for my Master's! I can't tell you all how happy I am.

Surprisingly, the program was really great. I learned a lot and it became part of my daily routine. I will miss the people I was working with and it will be odd not to have to sign onto Blackboard anymore, but I think I will get over it--my free time is mine once again!

I can't believe I'm finished. I didn't think it would ever happen. I ran upstairs and told TJ as soon as I was done and then I did a dance in the hallway (in my pajamas, no less...I'm not ashamed to admit it). I can't believe this day has finally come. I can focus on teaching again and family again and ME again.

And I have a Master's degree. That is quite an accomplishment. At least I think so. I feel great about this whole thing. So great, in fact, that maybe going back to work tomorrow won't be too bad. I might actually be in a good mood on a Monday.

Stranger things have happened.

A-Chooooo!

I never had allergies growing up. I love Spring...the beginning of warm weather, the new tree growth, the flowers, everything. Then I turned 25 and all hell broke loose. I started sneezing, my eyes watered and were itchy all the time and I was miserable. Everyone was asking if it was allergies, and I responded "no, of course not" (because I had never had the problem before). One day I was sitting in the office at work and someone asked me that same question, and I once again responded that I didn't have allergies. He said "I didn't get mine until I was 25." It was like a light went on in my head. I immediately called the doctor, made an appointment and, what do you know, he said I had spring allergies--specifically trees. Great. Just great.

So, I have been ready for the little buggers each year since, but this year they snuck up on me and they are horrible. I was hoping that the cold snap would take care of them, but, as I sit here squinting through one good eye and one watery, itchy, swollen one, I realize that the cold snap did nothing for my allergies--instead it just made me cold. I can't wait until they trees are done doing their thing so I can go back to doing my thing--being outside.

My Name is Shan...and I'm A Gamer

This is something that many people don't know about me. They know that I love classical music, jazz, reading, the theater, opera, the works...but I am also a gamer. Yes, the English teacher is a gamer. Sad, right? Sad that I devote time out of my week to sit in front of a TV and play a game. But, as sad as it may seem to some of my more "sophisticated" friends and colleagues, I have to defend my choice of entertainment.

We weren't allowed to have a gaming system when we were growing up. My mom and dad refused to buy us a Nintendo or Atari (yes, and I mean original, not Wii). They wanted us to do more productive things with our time like read or play outside. In retrospect, I am happy that they were like that. I really think I am who I am today because they made me do a lot of different things. When the weather was nice, my brother and I were playing football or basketball or baseball, and we got a lot of exercise. We also read a lot and my mom read a lot to us, so I know that helped us, but I can't say I was never jealous of my friends who had gaming systems. I remember going to friends' houses and playing Super Mario Brothers for hours. And now that I am older and on my own, look out!

TJ and I own three gaming systems now: the original Playstation, a Playstation 2 and an XBox 360. I play them all. I have all the Spyro the Dragon games for Playstation and Playstation 2, I have the Crash Bandicoot series for PS2, and I have plenty of other games that I have devoted time to, but none like my latest endeavor.

After TJ bought his Xbox 360, he brought home a game called Oblivion. He bought it because the guy at the store said the graphics were amazing. He tried it out and immediately hated it because it is a role playing game, and that is not his thing. He was actually going to sell it when I asked him if I could take a look at it. I made a character (named her Ima Weenie because I was sure I wouldn't like the game, either...more on that later) and started playing. Before I knew it, four hours had passed. The game is amazing. I have devoted more time to it than I care to type here (because it is borderline embarrassing), but it relaxes me and makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

So, why this ramble today? Simple: I just found out that a new expansion pack for the game was available and it is downloading as we speak! A whole new quest line, new challenges, new places to explore!

Some people may roll their eyes at the thought of a 29 year old woman gaming in her spare time. They may roll them further that I actually was excited to find that this new quest line was available. You know what I would say to those people? Relax. I still do adult things, but, every now and then, it feels good to leave my responsibilities behind and become Ima Weenie.

Damn. Should have given her a better name.