Preparing for Time Off

I am so excited!! I am taking the following two days off to do a whirl-wind Quilt Shop Hop through the San Francisco Bay Area. (Shop Hop by the Bay) Which basically means I am going to go driving up and down the coast stopping in at 13 different quilt shops over the next two days.

I've spent some "quality" time mapping out my route, rather than actually doing my work. But I think I have it down to a science. I can't wait!! Of course, it would be nice to do this tripping around with somebody else, it would have to be a quilter-type person because non-quilters just don't get it. Of course there are a lot of things that other people are passionate about that just do not blow my skirt up!!

The one thing that I haven't figured out just yet is my budget. I really don't need any new patterns, books, fabrics, tools, or basically anything quilt related, so I don't know what I'm shopping for. My initial intention is to just hit up the shops and see if they carry fabrics and patterns that I like...well that and to get my "passport" stamped, my "free" gift at each shop, and the shop hop pattern. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that I might actually win one of the prizes, but since I seem to have sorry luck, I won't hold my breath!!

Vatican's 10 Commandments for drivers

I came across this article on Yahoo! this morning and it just floored me. (To see the whole article go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070619/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_road_rage)

My favorite part is the fact that we now have 10 additional Commandments that are focused solely on driving:

1. You shall not kill.... Duh, didn't we already have this one?
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.... Can somebody explain this one to me? "A means of communion" the only time I commune with others on the road is when I look in the mirror and can tell they are listening to the same radio station I am because they are singing along!
3. Courtesy, uprightness, and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events..... Is this supposed to be only for driving? And, if so, how can "courtesy" help me deal with the jerk on the cell phone that swerves into my lane?
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, expecially victims of accidents.... I would, but blook makes me a little woozy, besides I do try to allow ONE person to merge in front of me when an accident has blocked the lane.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.... What does the Vatican think we are doing with our cars - "an occasion of sin"?
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.... Again, duh - take the keys away from the drunks!! Isn't there a whole other campaign focused on this? Does the Vatican REALLY need to jump on board?
7. Support the families of accident victims.... Okay, but does this have to be a Commandment?
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness..... Yeah, hold your breath for that one!!
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.... WTF?
10. Feel responsible toward others.... How can anybody command how I am supposed to feel, especially towards others? You can command how I am to act toward others, but you can't command my feelings!!

So, those are the Vatican's Ten Commandments for Drivers. So, here are some additional questions that I have....

1. Are these sin-worthy commandments?
2. If so, what would be the punishment... 10 Hail Marys and wash the Bishop's car?
3. Do I have to include these in my confessions now? "Forgive me Father for I have sinned. I have had impure thoughts four times, I coveted my neighbors ass (as in donkey) twice, and I was not courteous when the truck driver cut me off on the on-ramp."
4. And finally, how big of a sin is it to break the Driver's Ten Commandments while using the Lord's name in vain, because if any of you have EVER driven with me, you pretty much know that I cuss like a sailor when driving!!

Introducing Myself

Hi. My name is Andrea, and I'm an.....

Oh wait, that is a different meeting!!

A little bit about me...I have a tendency to be sarcastic, or at least I think so. I have a friend who tells me that I'm not, so I guess that would be based on how you define sarcasm. Having just looked up the meaning of sarcsam at merriamwebster.com I actually have to agree that sarcastic is something I am not; I am more of a sardonic and/or ironic person. This is good to know, because there are a lot of people out in the world that don't appreciate sarcasm.

Other things about me: I'm blond-esque, meaning with a little assistance from my hair stylist I am blond even though I grew up as a cornsilk blond child. I graduated from Texas A&M ergo I am an Aggie. I am an Aries, which I don't really know what that means but I make certain that I read my horoscope every day!! I have relocated to the San Francisco Bay area from Dallas/Fort Worth in the last year and am really happy with my decision. My family still lives in the North Texas area and visit when possible. I quilt, or rather I piece quilt tops and send out the finished product to somebody else to actually quilt. If you are a quilter, you understand this, if not and are TRULY interested, let me know and I'll explain. If I could actually make a living at quilting, I would give up my current "career" and do it, but that just isn't possible right now.

The only other thing that stands out is I love to read, I hope to someday write the "Great American Novel" (but what English major doesn't want to do that?), I have a tendency to sit around and watch a lot of crap television (e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer and/or Celebrity Fit Club) which I always blame on the ass-magnet that I have that is attracted to the big couch magnet!!

And now, I need to begin working on my day. I will include more later....

Today Is The Day

Well, today is the day that I start blogging. After much thought, I've determined that I want to share with the world a little bit of who I am and what I do. I also wish to have a place to display some of my work and see if anybody is interested.

Of course, there will be a lot in here that will be my rambling about the world around me.