I've got a secret.

I have a secret and it's not about who-kissed-who-down-by-the-well. It's BETTER!! It involves The Rouge show this weekend. I can't tell and I sure want to tell but I've sworn myself to secrecy. I don't want to jinx this specialness. But once the secret is out (Friday afternoon) I promise to share!!



It's not the "Don't ask; don't tell" sort of secret. I just can't tell. Almost like I wouldn't tell anyone what my Halloween costume was but then I posted a gazillion pictures of it once I dressed up. It involves hugging, kissing, drinking, taking pictures, karaoke and possibly another romp or two in the Scooby costume. It will definitely include laughing, giggling, pointing, Oh-My-Goshing, and double daring.



And when it's all over, it will most likely be all tears, pinky swears and more hugging. And there will be pictures. LOTS of pictures!! And video footage. And if I'm really lucky, there will be cops. And if I'm SUPER lucky, those cops will be strippers.



And this, folks, is a mystery for Scooby Dooooooo! ('Cept without the camouflaged video projector and Ol' Man Pritchard.)

Happy Birthday to you!

So yesterday was a very important day in the Chatty household! The Chatty-Husband turned 50 years old, to which I cringe as I write. On the upside, the alternative to NOT turning 50 is not so nice, so we'll take it. He took the day off work and spent it with me - ChattyKat.

I did my best to entertain him, although I had a meeting and a doctor appt. During which times, in the interest of keeping him entertained, I left him with a list of things to do around the house. I'm only thinking of him being bored. AND I need to squeeze out as much work as possible before he gets too old to do anything!

The exciting part of our day, besides eating lunch at Guiseppe's Depot was going to Denver and meeting both Chatty-boys for dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Our whole fam hadn't been together since . . . awhile ago when we all went to Old Spaghetti Factory to celebrate my late birthday. The evening is always hysterical when we're together. We made big plans for Thanksgiving together, which is probably the next time we'll gather as a foursome.

Ron got an apple pie from his mom (YUM!), a Barnes and Noble gift card from his mother-in-law and a video camera from me! It's some minute little video camera that looks like something James Bond might use. And since the Chatty-Husband is known for infiltrating the country's enemies, it may come in handy. Or he can use it to get some great drumming footage on November 6, with the club owner being none the wiser! Oh, we're sneaky-sneaky-no-peaky types.

We had a really great evening on October 19. It doesn't get any better than spending an evening together.

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Megan!!

Winter is here WAY too soon!

Yesterday in Colorado Springs was pretty cold. Well, pretty damn cold. My car, which I am unable to park in the garage because we have too much shtuff, was parked in the driveway and covered with snow. I had to (gulp!) scrape my windows. I was not happy about this. Now today the ground is covered with ice. Walking to Starbucks this morning looked reminiscent of a dance step I once used to scale the stairs at Laurelwood (ok, I was tripping and trying not to fall.) This reminds me that on my list of stuff to do before I die, I plan to recreate the Jennifer Grey dance practice down the steps to the LAA Adm. So, charge your video camera's. I'm sure this footage will end up on youtube and POSITIVE it will make the AFV semi-finals. And hoping no one ends up in the emergency room.

Oh yeah. Cold. Colorado Springs. So, we've cranked up the heat and we're waiting for a landscape-y guy to come blow out our sprinkler system (which sounds way dirtier than I hope it really is.) We're prepared to bundle and hibernate. Course, it's Colorado and it will probably be in the 70's in a couple weeks.

I hate the weather here in Colorado. We have two seasons and they are usually both in the same day. But as long as the Chatty-boys live in Colorado, well, here I'll be. I do like driving west toward the base of Pikes Peak. That's a pretty great view. When you can see it. We're totally overcast right now, but I must admit that while we only have two seasons, we have sunny skies nearly year round.

'Scuse me now. I must go iron my white high-waters and dust off my Keds. I have some dance steps to practice. Spotter anyone??

A Little Behind

It's been awhile, I know. Let's see . . . a bunch o' crap happened at work. I left work. Got a new job. Love it! The Chatty #1 son is doing well (altho suffering from side effects of stupid flu shot as I write) and was recently promoted in the Air Force. The Chatty #2 son is doing spectacular as well. The Rouge is getting signed soon. Offers are being offered and lots of thinking/talking/meditating. I'm as proud as any chatty-mom could be! Chatty husband is doing lots of home renovations right now. The Chatty's moved into a house in July and (TG) don't live at my old job anymore. What a nightmare that was!

My sister has shamed me into updating this blog and I really hate not keeping up. So, maybe I can be a little more update-y for the future. (Here's wishing . . .)

Oh, and today is The Chatty-friend, Elliot's birthday. Happy Birthday, birthday-guy!!

My Sister Made Me Do This AGAIN!

1. What’s the first thing you wash in the shower?
   my face
2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
   white - it's the only one I own now
   
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
   yes
4. How are you feeling right now?
   tired and a little overwhelmed right now
5. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red?
   cracker jack bag in trash (NOT mine!)
6. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
   something depressing that had to do with work, I think
   
7. Did you meet anybody new today?
   nope
8. What are you craving right now?
   melons - every color
   
9. Do you floss your teeth?
   twice everyday - I feel dirty if I don't
   
10. What comes to mind when you hear “cabbage”?
    Patch Dolls?
11. Are you emotional?
    yeppers!
    
12. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
    no but I smell a challenge!
13. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
    spoon and lick it
    
14. Do you like your hair?
    mostly no
    
15. Do you like yourself?
    am I s'posed to?
    
16. Would you go out to eat with Oprah?
    no way - she'd find all sorts of stuff wrong with me and I'd become her mission project that's just depressing to think about
17. What are you listening to right now?
    Drop Dead Diva - GREAT show!
    
18. Would you go sky diving?
    I'd sooner swim with sharks - and I'd NEVER swim with sharks (on purpose)
    
19. Have you ever met a celebrity?
    Does Jackie Mason count? And does it count if I just stalked him but didn't formally introduce myself?
    
20. Do you rent movies often?
    no
21. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?
    my ring
22. How many countries have you visited?
    one outside of the US that I was sober enough to remember
23. Have you made a prank phone call?
    It's been many years, ok??
24. Do prefer brown or white eggs?
    everything white is CLEANER
    
25. Do you use ChapStick?
    only out of desperation - it belongs to Sean
    
26. Do you own a gun?
    Ron bought me a pink pearl handled one but it didn't load right and I've never gotten it fixed. I don't even know if we still have it (locked in a gun safe)
    
27. Can you use chopsticks?
    no and I have no desire to learn
    
28. Who are you going to be with tonight?
    Sean and Shelby
    
29. Are you too forgiving?
    not terribly
    
30. When was the last time you cried?
    only moments ago . . .
    
31. What was the last question you asked?
    "Can I please help??"
    
32. What is your favorite time of year?
    Fall
33. Do you have any tattoos?
    two and I love them
34. Are you sarcastic?
    Can I get you cheese with that whine??
    
35. Have you ever walked into a wall?
    ya mean today?
36. What’s your favorite color?
    green - many shades
    
37. Have you ever slapped someone?
    no but I ran over one of Stephen's friends once
    
38. Is your hair curly?
    wavy - I brush the wave/curl out every morning
    
39. What was the last CD you bought?
    The Rouge, “Heat & Light”
40. Do looks matter?
    looks ALWAYS matter - do you want cheese with that whine?
    
41. Is your phone bill sky high?
    With 5 phones on our cell bill, I spend more on AT & T every month than most people spend on their car payment
    
42. Do you like your life right now?
    with one exception
    
43. Do you sleep with the TV on?
    every once in awhile
    
44. Can you handle the truth?
    yes
45. Do you have good vision?
    it's ok - could be worse
    
46. Do you hate or dislike more than three people?
    easily
47. How often do you talk on the phone?
    I tend to e-mail or text more often than I talk on the phone
48. Who was the last person you held hands with?
    Ron
49. What are you wearing?
    tshirt/jammie pants
50. What is your favorite animal?
    Shelby
    
51. Can you hula hoop?
    with practice
    
52. Do you have a job?
    Yes
53. Have you ever crawled through a window?
    Yes
54. What was the most recent thing you bought?
    Landscaping

The Rouge Rocked it!!

Last Night's Show: The Rouge at Red Rocks

By Kiernan Maletsky in Last Night's Show

Wednesday, Jul. 8 2009 @ 8:55AM

Kiernan Maletsky

Imagine that you are a member of the Rouge. You've just completed your first tour. One of the stops was at L.A.'s Knitting Factory, where you played for six labels and a couple of them showed interest. Less than a week later, you come home and play Red Rocks, which I hear is a big deal.

Imagine the feeling of stepping onto that stage, hollowed ground, only a couple years removed from living in a tent in your friend's backyard in Baker. Can you imagine what that would feel like?

These guys aren't too cool to enjoy this. Not even close. There's a wall backstage where bands have signed. The Rouge signed somewhere between Coldplay and the Beatles. They cried, all of them, when they stepped onstage (it's worth noting here that they had to tell me this later. It's not like they were bawling through their introduction.).

I should be clear: the members of the Rouge have no grand delusions about what's happening here. They understand they're opening for a comedian who's opening for a Bugs Bunny cartoon, which is opening for Jaws. Bassist Jack Egan said after the show he was surprised at how supportive the crowd was. And I pretty much agree with him. I mean, it was a rock and roll show where everyone was sitting down, so that's not perfect, but the people down front were treating the guys like bona fide stars, and even the stragglers in the back were tapping along or swaying contentedly. But that's gravy. At this point, just being here is unbelievable enough.

Kiernan Maletsky

I've never seen the Rouge before, so I don't know if Josh Vaught has always thrown his arm into the air every couple minutes or if that was his way of expressing his euphoria. Either way it was a fitting gesture, his index finger extended like they just won a damn championship. I don't think I've ever seen a drummer smile as much during a set as Steve Voss did last night. They were playing hard, sure, but that wasn't going to stop guitarist/keyboardist Adam Call from mugging for the photogs crawling all over the stage. They've got this androgynous slink to their stage demeanor; a little glitter on the drums, a lot of exposed chest, and Vaught cocking his hip to belly-button height. Yet there's more than enough stubble and sweat to go around. It's all rock and roll.

We like this band at Westword, and I get the sense that our enthusiasm is waxing. The addition of a third guitar, handled by Mike Griffith, allows the band to drape even more warm harmony on their songs. Vaught has the sort of voice that fills your head, the sort that earnest songwriters have been using for years to make people believe, not just pop music but the inherent goodness of humankind. They've told us before that they're out to make people feel better about things.

Unsurprisingly, the big fancy sound system at Red Rocks suits the Rouge. It makes heady music headier, it gives the swells drama and the a cappella breakdowns echo. A guy sitting near me, who has been ready on every fill with his air drum kit, yells a request, "Six Shooter!"

Half the band looks in his direction and points. This is too much. He gets his request one song later.

The set ends with the title track from their EP Heat & Light. The sound in Red Rocks falls back to chatter, the dealings of the hemp ice-cream vendor, the wry MC. The Rouge go to work breaking down their equipment and manning the crowded merch table. They spend the next hour signing autographs and hugging fans. Don't be surprised if their debut LP isn't self-released.

My sister made me.

1. What is your occupation right now? An asst mgr for the multi-family housing industry, specializing on medical leave
2. What color are your socks right now? Not wearing any.
3. What are you listening to right now? Cool air fan and quiet. Ahhh.
   
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Coldstone Creamery Birthday Cake Remix ice cream, which my mom loved also!
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Many years and a fortnight ago, I did.
   
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Ronnie.
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I love her like a sister!
8. How old are you today? No ones f''in business. Obviously, if I wasn't OLD, I would tell.
   
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Does DWTS count?
10. What is your favorite drink? Anything that intensifies the effect of my Dilaudid.
    
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Hmmm. Nosy, aren't we??!!
    
12. Favorite food? Carabba's classic lasagne, lately, but mostly I just think about it and dream about it because it's so carb-filled.
13. What is the last movie you watched? Haven't watched movies in awhile but I'm watching the first 4 seasons of Scrubs.
14. Favorite day of the year? Christmas Day.
15. How do you vent anger? Mostly internal. Ya know, the healthy way!
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies.
17. What is your favorite season? Fall, when we Coloradans can stop being embarrassed about the brown landscape.
    
18. Cherries or blueberries? Love the blueberries. Hate the teeth staining properties.
    
19. Living arrangements? Oh, it's so complicated right now. I'll leave it at that.
20. When was the last time you cried? Monday? Scrubs has some extremely emotional moments, followed by hilarious ones. And narcotics bring out the teary in me.
    
21. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes - layed out by color and Shelby's blanky.
22. What did you do last night? Layed around waiting for death. Very painful infection right now.
23. What are you most afraid of? Anyone or anything messing with my loved ones. Snakes and sharks too. Ain't too fond of fire either.
    
24. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese of course!
    
25. What is your favorite kind of dog? Partial to Taco Terrier. Love certain Bull Terrier mixes because of lovely Molly and Papillons are the cutest ever.
26. Favorite day of the week? Saturday.
27. How many states have you lived in? Three long term - Oregon, Washington, Colorado.
28. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds, and the more the better.
29. What is your favorite flower? Sunflower.
30. What is your favorite song? The Rouge - Six Shooter
31. What is your pet peeve? Self-centered mean people.

Cut and paste the questions and write out in comments - Thanks!
ch-k

My new favorite website!

I HAVE to share! I just absolutely LOVE this new website. It's www.fitday.com. You can use the trial version or purchase the download for $19.95. It's the perfect way to track everything you eat, every time you exercise and WHY you eat and WHERE you eat and WITH WHOM you eat. When you enter the food (if it's not in the database, you can put in custom foods that will always be there when you go back for them) it tells you the amount of calories, protein, carbs, fat and misc nutrients you are ingesting. There is a diary you can track moods, or MIGRAINES or any other issues.

But then if you are thinking "But Chatty-Kat, what if I want a personal trainer so I will exercise more?" The bestest site I've found is www.efit4me.com. You choose the training tools you have available to you from a list on the site. They compile a training program from those items and a schedule of when you should workout. When you go into your specially designed program and click on each exercise, there is a computer image that demonstrates HOW to do the exercise. It's SO cool! I've never seen anything like it. I'm using the trial version, but if you subscribe, (and I'm sure I will!) it's about $6/mo or an even better deal for the annual fee of about $60/year.

I have a HUGE library of exercise DVD's but my favorite program is easily Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds. I even got the Chatty-husband to do the one-mile program this morning! I absolutely love to exercise - it's just getting myself to do it when I'm tired. It's easier to watch tv with a big bowl of ice cream than to put on a sports bra and proper shoes, switch TV to DVD, maybe move something out of the way and start the exercise. BUT SO WORTH IT!! I love the feeling after about 10 minutes, when the endorphins kick in and I get that higher-than-halcyon feeling. It makes me happy and energetic and I really love it. Just gotta do it!

Thursday Thoughts

Hi there!

Thank goodness it's Thursday-one-day-closer-to-Friday! Really, Saturday is even better. I have a full day of work to face today - big corporate boss will be here, which means I gotta be on my toes. And all the regular blah, blah, blah stuff too! I know, I know, I have a job, which makes me luckier than about 677,000 other Americans this week.

Stephen had oral surgery on Tuesday morning, which meant he recuperated at my place for several days. Several glorious days for me and several not so great days for him. I mean, he had the pain. (Course he also had the drugs!) I just loved having my little guy around to baby awhile. Then he left last night, which crushed me but I'm trying to be positive and not let my heart disintegrate into a gazillion pieces. I just miss my boys! Sean started his new job this week and he's slowly processing in and getting a feel for it. I'm so excited for his new adventure! The Rouge's CD should be out by the end of March. Still being mixed. Can't wait!! I've heard a rough mix version of most of the songs and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! I'm giving them to everyone I love (course!) and taking them to stores to play overhead (i.e. Kirk and Hill - only the bestest women's store ever!!!!)

Well, 5 minutes til I start this show, so I better sign off for now . . . Have yourself a terrific rest of your work week!

CK

I YAM WHAT I YAMMER

I am what I eat:

• I am meaty
• I am cheesy
• I am eggy
• I am dairy-y
• I am smaller bits of cottage cheese, almonds, vitamins/supplements and green powder capsules

I am what do:

• I am shoppy
• I am read-y
• I am write-y
• I am card make-y
• I am jewelry crafty
• I am cook-y

I am what I like:

• I am shoe-y
• I am handbaggy
• I am clothes-y
• I am good book-y

I am what I watch:

• I am Family Guy
• I am American Dad
• I am Lie To Me
• I am design decor shows
• I am true crime shows
• I am newsy

I am who I love:

• I am my parents
• I am my grandparents
• I am my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew
  
• I am my aunt, uncles and cousins
  
• I am my husband
• I am my boys
• I am my little girl dog
• I am my BFF, niece and nephs
  
• I am my friends

I am not-too-secret:

• I am a germaphobe
• I am somewhat OCD
• I am not even close to meeting my own expectations
  

I am what I believe:

• I am karma
  
• I am pay-it-forward
• I am positive energy at work in the universe
  

I am what I wish:

• I am an avid exerciser
• I am a guitar player
• I am a published novelist
• I am a watercolor painter
  
• I am a stay-at-home career person
• I am healthy for the rest of my life
• I am loved
• I am able to love without regret
  
• I am balanced
  
• I am the mother of a successful rock star who is healthy and loved and makes intelligent decisions
  
• I am the mother of a healthy, brilliant, successful network security specialist who lives his dream, is loved and knows he is loved
  
• I am the wife of a healthy, loving man who gets to live what he loves

I am what I lie:

• Let me get it, Mom. You can pay next time. Promise!
• No offense taken.
• Ok, Grandma. I won't get you any Christmas presents cuz you decided to boycott gift giving. Promise.

I am what I miss:

• cake
• donuts
• ice cream

I am all AM-ed out! Your turn!

CK

10 White Trash Confessions

No one wants to admit certain things. I hate to admit the white-trashy side of myself. But it's clearly there and I don't want another week to go by without blogging so I better just start confessin'.

1. Country music. I know, I know. How completely red-necky of me. I LOVE Rascal Flatts. I dream about Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus and Joe Don Rooney. And I never thought I'd dream about a guy named Joe Don. But from the time I saw his bare nekkid backside in the video of "Melt" I've been a BIG fan.

2. I love writing/talking white trashy with my sister. We're able to turn it on and off rather quickly and it makes our visits/conversations way more funny! Anyone listening in would be totally convinced we're completely uneducated.

3. I used to buy my dad the Jeff Foxworthy page a day calendar of "You Might Be A Redneck." Some days he was so amused by the cartoon he had to fax me a copy! I haven't bought one of those calendars since he died. I probably should cuz I always think of him when I get an emailed trash joke or cartoon. And he was the LEAST trashy person I ever knew.

4. I sometimes like to spend the whole day in bed - watching tv. How very trashy and unproductive.

5. I love nice makeup but I still love my L'Oreal mascara.

6. I drive a really nice SUV, but I ghetto it up with a Walmart bag looped around the gear selector for my trash.

7. Except for one pair of Teva's, all of my flip flops come from discount stores.

8. When Ron and I "ran away from home" in December, we moved into an apartment. Seems we're going backwards. But it's a really nice place and I'm almost exactly 49 steps from my office. (Love the commute!!) It's still an apartment, though!

9. I like fake plants better than real ones. I kill everything. I wouldn't feel this way if I could keep them alive, but what's a trashy plant killin' girl to do??

10. I HATE watching COPS but Ron likes it and sometimes when he watches it, I get that damn theme song stuck in my head and have to hum, bee-bop and sing to it for days!!!!

Let's YOU share your trashiest secret so I don't feel so alone-trashy.

WELCOME BACK TO ME!

So I took a sabbatical.

I'm back now. When I last wrote, it was my sister's birthday in September. Then my manager left and I did both jobs for awhile. Then they hired someone else. Then I had to train that person. Then I had tough times with a lot of stuff - nothing earth-shattering. Then it was the holidays. Then I went to San Francisco with my BFF. And I had a terrific time. Then Ron and I left home. We moved into a smaller place for just us. Now I'm an empty-nester. Now I'm doing lots of other stuff. Spa days, cooking classes, craft classes, trying to exercise more, eating better, decorating the new place, reading and watching cool shows on tv. And spending lots of extra time with Shelby-Belle. And Ron works in Boulder during the week and comes home on weekends. So, Busy Chatty is my name lately. Trying to visit each of the boys as often as possible. Planning vacations. Wanting to design jewelry more but my tools are in Oregon, which I'll get in April when I visit Southern Oregon. And I've been dieting. Successfully this time. Starting ballet class so I don't trip so much.

To my friends who had their kids way after me and still have to get babysitters to do anything, believe me, your time is coming! And it's kinda nice. But kinda sad. I miss the boys terribly and wish for the days we all lived together. But no one is ruining our furniture anymore so that's kinda nice. And fewer chatty-persons to clean up after. That's kinda nice too.

So I'm back now. I plan to blog more. And my sister promises to give me blog topics.

Happy New Year!

Chatty