TomKitten & Other Current Events

TomKitten

I wish I was talking about another cat with stuff on it. Unfortunately, it's scarier. Two of the freakiest people in the world somehow found one another and are procreating. Well, "Kate", wasn't freaky during Dawson's Creek and really wasn't freaky until about 7 months ago--when she met Tom. (And why all the sudden is she Kate? Tom decided to strip her from her whole being, including her name) The whole situation is so shady and they won't even claim how or where they met. Uhh--my guess is he invited her to the Scientology Center and I have the tabloids to back me up. Not only has Tom taken over her mushy mind, he implanted his bebe in her too. I wonder what this child will be all about. I heard Kate wants to marry at a resort in Mexico & Tom wants to do it at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International. Wow. Romantic. Does anyone think that Kate will get fed up and realize her lover is insane? Brooke Shields announced she is expecting this spring, so maybe their offspring will feud on Oprah. I guess we all will have to watch this story as it unfolds...

Karma's a bitch

An Oregon woman bought the winning lottery ticket worth $1 million. The only problem is she is a meth-head, who bought the winning ticket with her deceased mother-in-law's credit card. Too bad she didn't just fork over 4 quarters of her own and then she could be setting up the world's largest meth lab.

What the Greek is going on

Engaged: I swear this was just last week

Moving on to another Greek shipping heir that Mary-Kate passed along...
Happy Birthday Arch!

Today we celebrate the Arch's 40th birthday. They are offering a $1 special to go up today. I went up before, but I'd rather be $1 richer & 1 panic attack wiser! If you love being shoved in a small little capsule that swings 9874756 feet off the ground, then it is definitely your cup of tea.

Things...

Things I love

• the color green
• elephants
• kittens & my cats
  
• laughing
• orange juice in the morning
• firenze
• anthropology
• my sisters
• stationary
• quarters
• mechanical pencils
• electronic staplers
• dancing
• my friends
  
• pumpkin pie
• my parents
• laguna beach
• shopping at staples
  
• ancient cities
• play-doh
• new crayons
• burnt cds
• smell of grass
• cities
• chocolate
  
• david sedaris
• photography
• my gianni
• shredded cheese
• baking at 3am
  
• baby anything
• surfaced brick
• blue ocean water
• my teva flip flops
  
• IU
• art museums
• electric pencil sharpeners
• foreign accents
  
• green grapes
• home videos
• making ginger bread houses
  
• the beach
• speaking foreign languages
  
• wrapping paper
• Christmas stockings
  
• american idol
• cat nip
  
• bike rides
• waterslides
  
• oprah
• c-ville girl's Christmas exchange
  
• space
  
• soft towels
• america's next top model
  
• swimming
• getting mail
  
• manicures
• pedicures
• cat toys
  
• bonfires
• veronica mars
  
• lemon shaped soap
  
• hoodies
  
• soft pretzels
• amaretto
• fresh sheets
• blown glass
• stuffing
  
• massages
• bed bath & beyond
  
• my comfy black pants
  
• confetti
• traveling
  
• lightning bugs
  
• my marsh
• perfume
  
• painting
  
• my pillow
• the container store
  
• ted drewes frozen custard
• new white socks
• conan o'brien
  
• licking stamps & envelopes
  
• the smell of birthday candles

Things I don't like

• boring books
• tv controllers facing me
• spiders
• getting my eyebrows waxed
• smelly towels
• mexican blankets
  
• vanilla scents
• math
  
• sponges
• horrific pillows
• meat-loaf
  
• white stuff in twinkies
  
• digger the dermatophyte
• soap operas
• when winter lasts too long
  
• real fur coats, etc
  
• doberman pincher poop stew
  
• being sticky
• wool
• tomkat
  
• sunburns
  
• joan cusack
  
• the smell of cinnamon
  
• automatic flushing toilets
• mold
• banana flavored food
  
• paper cuts
• sore throats
• socks with holes
  
• when food on my plate touch
  
• weeding
• being cold
• being hot
• cold showers
• jamming my finger, toe, copy machine

Thing's I'm not sure about yet

• interviews
• chicken
• my cell phone earpiece
• coffee ice cream
• ice skating
• tempos
• zoos
  
• eyeliner
• politics
• snakes
• vanilla ice cream
• turkey basters
• shoes with big heels
• orange juice pulp
  

What's on your list?

Fall Festivities

My oh so simplistic masterpiece


Katie's girly pumpkin with botox


John's scary dude


Mmmm...I love fall & pumpkin season. John & I went to a pumpkin patch & chose our gourdy gems. It was as good as a pumpkin picking experience should be. It included hot chocolate, a ride on a tractor trailer, fresh apple cider & an endless patch of pumpkins. We saw all kinds: small, large, bumpy, freakin enormous, rotten, and so many still on the vine! We found our perfect picks & were ready to carve.

Today John, Katie & I threw down the newspaper & carved away. We all took ours in different directions & it was so fun to laugh about how in the 80's our parents just gave us sharp knives and now the stores are stocked with child-safe carvers. But hey, we all still have our fingers.

I hope you enjoy our pumpkins. Everyone should really try to take time to carve one. I have been doing it since childhood & I believe it will never get old.

But now comes the fun part: We need you to decide whose pumpkins rock harder. Robby & Courtney's or ours. (Now don't get mislead by theirs because they used pumpking carving stenciling kits, while we used pure creativity & talent...sweat...tears...) So let the voting begin & share your true feelings. Let the best pumpkin win!

Stuff on my cats

So I'm not so good at putting stuff on my cat. Well at least on Bella. Booters probably hates it, but he has such a high tolerance for anything that requires him to move. I'm going to submit some pics to the official big bad stuff on my cat site...wish me luck. Maybe in the upcoming weeks I will even have to hire a manager to book Booters late night televisions appearances. Hey, let me dream.

Go Cardinals

Go Cardinals--Watch the game tonight!!!

Time Travels When You're Having Fun

John and I decided we needed some Indiana culture and decided to attend the Covered Bridge Festival. It's pretty hokey, but the smell of yummy crappy food and crazy music made it a great reason to enjoy the day outside.

We knew the festival would be fun....but we weren't prepared for it to be truly funny. We felt really out of place when we arrived because everyone seemed like they knew their niche at the festival. Pork fritter eaters, lemon shake-up shakers, craft sellers and craft lovers. We felt a little overwhelmed so we decided to go up to this little shack, resembling Geico's Tiny House, that was selling tickets to someplace. We walked up and asked, "Where does this tour take you?" And she responded, "Oh...it goes to this really interesting Pre-Historic village from the turn of the century." John and I couldn't help but bust up laughing. The people behind us laughed, "PBBBAHHH Pre-Historic!" pretty much in the lady's face because they were next in line. We all continued to cackle uncontrollably. The thought of a time traveling T-Rex crossing these covered bridges struck us all as hilarious. John and I tried to muster up an acceptable response and slowly side-stepped out of line. We cracked a few jokes between one another & knew it was going to be a good day.

I posted new pictures, but be aware---don't look if you don't want to see tons of bridges.

I can't get enough

I need to know this person who put spaghetti on their cat's head

Oh my gosh, The DJ's mouth is open




Breaking News: I'm not sure if they are getting funnier or I'm just becoming crazy after seeing so many. Either way, I am in hysterics. You have to browse through the site & take time to really do each picture it's justice. Is it strange that now when I look at my cats I think about how long they will be still & what sort of objects I can force on them? From now on, my camera will be found in my back pocket & I am going to distribute various objects, masks & foods throughout the house for easy access. Watch out kitties. (Thanks Keenan for making me aware of this amazing site.)

Stuff + Cats = Awesome

I have realized that the new phenomenon of "putting stuff on y0ur cat" really makes me happy. I'm not quite sure why, but I can't get enough of it. These cats seems to be living such great lives that they don't seem to be bothered by post-it notes or seasonal outfits on their bodies or even a whole pizza on their head. (Why does that cat look exactly like Diego?!?!) I know that if I put a post-it on my cats they would freak out and run away from me....ferociously licking where the sticky part touched them. I can't even try putting them in outfits. If I did, they would just get real low the ground & act paralyzed in fear. Trust me, I used to do it all the time as a kid. And the pizza? Fugedaboutit. Now that I think of it, maybe Booters would allow a pizza head. He remains pretty still at all times. I am trying to launch Booters' worldwide web career. A while back I sent in pictures of him to the tubcat site. I think he has a lot of potential.

These kitties are real troopers & I wish my day would start off in a slideshow of stuff on cats. I have realized they update this site daily, so I will never be able to get enough. There's "Business on my Cat"--"Housewares on my Cat"--"Food on my Cat" (c'mon the spaghetti pic?!?!)--the possibilities are endless. I just realized people leave comments about the pictures-hilarious. I think I will try to figure out how to send some pictures of my cats with stuff on them. I will have to be really creative. Any suggestions? Check 'em out & let me know what ones make you laugh.

Enjoy.

Craw-meth-sville

I haven't really stepped outside my house much since I have been home, but there is a lot to be updated on about C'ville.

-People are suffering from salmonella reportedly from Taco Bell, but the newspaper won't disclose the restaurant. Shady.
-Wal-Mart is deserting its old building--only to build a Super Wal-Mart right next door.
-Target is still not coming back :( and JCPenney remains to be the 3rd huge vacant building in town.
-South Mont is trying to play catch up with the other high schools and build an addition that still encapsulates the old buildings 70's flair.
-Crawmethsville remains to have the largest meth bust in the state.
-The city is trying to educate people who are at risk to use meth by putting up a billboard by Uncle Smiley's restaurant. It shows before & after pictures of meth users. Hey, it's a start.
-The new library has its grand opening on the 9th. All of you are cordially invited.
-Arni's Pizza has renovated their building & now they actually have a parking lot.
-Everyone better push their inoperable cars into hiding because a new ordinance allows the city to tow 'em away. They define an inoperable car as "an abandoned vehicle on private property as one that's at least three model years old, is mechanically inoperable and left in a location visible to public property for more than 20 days." Good thing my Dad got the Tempo off our hands.
-A new Chinese "all you can eat" restaurant has been open for a little bit. It's right next to Wal-mart...but in a few months it will be next to the abandoned WallyWorld, but behind the new Super Wal-Mart. I find the place pretty tasty. Very affordable & it adds some culture with it's huge pagoda that canopies over all the tables.
-Keep your kitties indoors. Supposedly a coyote is on the prowl! EEK!
-There are no gambling quarter machines :(
-I have no digital service on my cell phone. I have to drive to Indianapolis to find out how many minutes I have used.
-The "south" Shell station has officially closed. Another abandoned building. They moved closer to downtown...I checked it out, it's enjoyable.
-Billy & Diego (our kitties) now know how to open their food drawer in the kitchen. I have found them both sitting inside the drawer chompin' on some kitty chow.
-My mom & I are all ready for Halloween. We bought a huge glowing pumpkin from Big Lots and it looks wonderful on the front porch.
-A huge furry spider jumped from my mailbox into my car today when I was getting the mail. I am sure he is procreating and I fear that he will pounce on my lap next time I'm in the car. I know this isn't C'ville news, but it's been on my mind.

Well, that's the news around here. Hope all is well in your neighborhood.

This is your birthday song. It isn't very long-HEY!

Happy Birthday Courtney!!!

I love my family so much. We work like a little efficient city. I think all of us carry multiple roles to make our family work. Dad, the ultimate businessman, keeps everything straightforward. No shenanigans here. He tells us how it is, but sometimes we have to question his bizarre behavior. When he goes out on errands he always says where he is going and then adds he will come back. For instance, "I'm going to go to the store & come back." Being the sarcastic children that we are, we always say, "No way?! You are going to come back Dad?" We love him. And to this day he always comes back.

My mama is always trying to make everyone achieve maximum comfort. She always stuffs another pillow behind your head on the couch and covers you with a nice blanket. Glass of water with a straw? She's got it for you. And a nice little bowl of chocolate ice cream on the side too. No matter how bad your day is, she can always make you feel better. Many a day I call, and she just knows how I'm doing, and is still the only person that can make me feel like everything is okay. In college, I would call when I would feel like I was walking the plank...aka going to a scary exam or totally overwhelmed by a paper. Sometimes I would call post-plank walking and she always has just the right words and tone to make you feel like you are still fantastic & it will all be okay. She is such an incredible woman & I love her so much.

Courtney is hilarious. But she doesn't always know it. She feels so strongly about things & is a very passionate person that sometimes we all just crack up when she is telling a story. She tries to remain serious, but slowly breaks into laughter because she realizes how ridiculous she is being. I hope that never stops, I don't think it will ever get old. You might be surprised that we are still friends after childhood. She used to bully me, force me to stick my hand in a cup of very very hot water---slam my hand in a cup of cold---then back into the hot. (All with my eyes closed or the cups scrambled. Fun game, Court!) She didn't let Ky & I hang out with her boyfriends, but to us, the bored children that we were, that just meant she was challenging us to a fierce game of "see how mad we can make Court without her screaming because her boyfriend is around." Haha, now that was a fun game. Hey, I'm the little sister. I think this type of behavior is written in my contract. When she wasn't pushing me around or accusing me of "ruining Christmas"--she paved a great path for me. Now when I, or any of my friends, have peculiar rashes or medical problems, she always helps out. Haha, she knows way too much about a lot of people.

Kyleigh is like another mother to me. (I'm sure she is grinning right now...she has been anticipating her blog debut). Since she was a toddler she was always taking care of other people. Her kindergarten teacher even said all the kids would go to her with all their problems: bumps, bruises, un-tied shoes. I swear Ky was born with an old soul. On summer days, you would find her with cooking in the kitchen by herself, wearing 4 inch red hot heels and pretending she was holding her own cooking show. Some days she had an English accent, some days not. Need I remind you, she was 7. As we got older, I became her little "rag doll" friend. I basically woke up in the morning & she told me what was on the agenda that day. She made all the plans & I just had to get into step. Unless Courtney came in & took over. Then Ky's plans meant nothing. She still tries to boss me around, but often I still find myself her little rag-doll.

Today is Courtney's 29th Birthday & I can't believe it. I still feel like we are kids riding our bikes around & exploring the Christmas tree farm. She fulfills all the big sister characteristics. She is smart, protective, a leader and a counselor. Yesterday she did something amazing. My mom's herniated disk was causing her excruciating pain & Courtney performed an unexpected spine surgery on her last night. It was so nice knowing my mom was in good hands. My mom said she is relieved from the back pain. It is so scary knowing a family member is in such pain, but it is amazing to know that another can heal it.

Today, being Courtney's Birthday, we have a lot to celebrate. We are a wonderful family, we can face anything together. Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister, Courtney! I love you!

Happy 51st Birthday Carolyn Holli Hood Burkett

Happy Birthday MOM!!! I am sad I couldn't spend your birthday with you mom, but I know you had a good time celebrating with your friends this past weekend. I thought this was a good picture of us since it is you and your two babies. (not that i'm a mama's boy or anything weird) I know i've told you about a baker's dozen times, but you need to come and visit St. Louis sometime. Keenan and I are sad that we don't see you and Dad enough, but those times when we do meet up are always great. I am really looking forward to having Keen/Mont come up for Thanksgiving, and we will all have a great few days together. Take care of Cheney and remember he has a birthday coming up too! Trick or treat. Also, if and when you pass out candy on Halloween, make sure to give mulch to the pillowcase kids who aren't dressed up. Fall is coming and it won't be the same if we don't go to Wessler's Orchard, so whenever I get home this fall, we have to go. Well, I can't wait to see you, and I hope you had a great day! We can only hope we'll be as youthful and vibrant as you are when we're your age. Thanks for everything and I'll see you soon.

I love you,
John

Cha-Ching!!!

I have found my calling. Some might call it an addiction, but I just say I'm trying my luck. Friday night John, Brad, Natalie & I decided to go to Dave & Busters. We walked in and I felt like a kid in a candy store. Games...money machines...prizes everywhere. Stimulant overload. We decided we should eat some dinner & take time to let all of our surroundings soak in. After we scarfed down our dinner, we headed for the game room. This time I was walking around and really checking out all the games...I needed to be frugal with my game card & had to choose wisely. Soon I realized this place was even more amazing than I had imagined.

While in college, we spent many anight bowling. I disguised my need and passion for gambling by showing interest in bowling. Why? Because at the front door of the bowling alley there was a money gambling machine. Keenan & Monte know exactly what I'm talking 'bout. The kind you could drop a couple (or 50) quarters into a little slot and watch them tumble down to the sliding money floor. If you positioned your quarter well or screamed loud enough, it would land in a magical spot...pushing and forcing the other quarters to fall down into the abyss of pure elation (my little hands). Oh man. I need to go bowling right now.

As we walked into the game room with nothing but ass-kicking on our minds, I found MILLIONS of money game machines. My mind could not comprehend what my eyes were seeing. The left, right, far and near--MONEY MACHINES EVERYWHERE. I grabbed my Dave & Busters game card and became a card swipin' fool. I haven't had an inanimate object ever evoke so much joy, despair, hope, and grit from me. I can never get enough. I walked around the game room like a vulture, sizing up all the different games...looking at my chances. Are more coins hanging over the edge on this one or that one? I made my decision and went in for the kill. I found my perfect money machine. I slid my card...watched my coins drop and then they were allll mine to strategize with. I used the "skill shot" to perfect my aim. It allowed me to make my coin drop so precise, I almost giggle thinking about it. The "skill shot" was a button that controlled a plastic coin shaft and allowed it to move back and forth. After, umm I would say just a few tries I banked on the Cash Roulette. Natalie was my witness and we shrieked together in celebration. I dropped the coins in just the right places & sometimes dropped two at a time to really disturb the moving money tray. And MAN...it was raining coins. Coins were getting pushed over the edge, flowing like it Niagra Falls. We were jumping around, celebrating my new feat. If you do well on these Dave & Buster games, you can get tickets. Seriously, the ticket slot exploded when I won. I didn't know what to keep my eyes on. The coins falling out of the sky or the tickets I won filling up the game room. I think I saw some people running for cover.

I hope you share my passion for this type of gambling. The night soon came to an end because I ran out of points on my card and redeemed my tickets for a stuffed animal dog. John got some sunglasses with attached sideburns...but of course he needed some of my tickets to afford his purchase because I totalled banked. One great thing about the bowling alley is that it gives you cold hard cash...no bells & whistles, which is very bowling alley-esque.

Please, if you see these money machines, just drop in a quarter for me. I bet you can't stop, but don't blame it on me.

Errr.

Yahoo is really annoying me. Check out my new photos at www.whitneyiu.shutterfly.com

Weekend Whirl

What a fun weekend. I'm sad its already Sunday night. John & I took full advantage of our weekend. On Friday night we saw the Allman Brothers concert. What a great show! They played Midnight Rider, Sweet Melissa, Jessica...and many more. (No "Ramblin' Man"--don't ask) Greg Allman's voice sounded amazing. I even used the adjective rich, like Paula Abdul would on American Idol, to describe his voice...haha. (umm who's ready for the next season?!?)

On Saturday we wasted no time & got to Forest Park as quick as we could. We couldn't wait to see the hot air balloon race! I took my bike & John brought his blades and we spent the day exploring the park & enjoying the day. This weekend the weather was amazing. Ahhhh. We made it over to the balloon festivities & met tons of really cute dogs...big and small.

Side note: I mentioned going to the balloon race to John & he seemed kinda indifferent to it and decided to look it up on the internet. The website showed that the Energizer Bunny would be in attendance & he exclaimed "The Energizer Bunny is going to be there??!?!?" Almost like he just found out his long lost best friend was in town. He then proceeded to get really pumped...and I learned that my boyfriend had a deep love for the Energizer Bunny. The Bunny sealed the deal & we were on our way to the race!

It was so much fun watching the balloons fill up with air. The Energizer Bunny started the race & we watched it float up and above us....you can imagine John's excitement at this moment. The Bunny's take-off was kind of a "Ladies & Gentlemen, start your engines" message & within minutes 70 balloons floated up in the sky. The colors were beautiful against the blue summer sky & it we loved watching them take off and float up high. We took one balloon, Rat, under our wing and rooted for our little rodent.

After the take-off, there was no time to spare because we were on our way to the Coldplay concert! The band rocked the house and it was great to see them again. John & I were a little dissapointed because the set list was basically an exact match as the Indy show and they only played an hour and a half. I enjoy them so much, that I won't hold it against them. We decided to top off the night with some munchies from Denny's.

Sunday John asked me if I wanted to go shopping (gasp) to help him find some clothes. We found some good buys and John needed to burn off some shopper's angst, so we returned to the park for some biking/blading. We then enjoyed a late Sunday dinner in & watch Million Dollar Baby. We took tons of pictures this weekend and created a little St. Louis mini-tour of photos. I will get those all up later today. We really had a great weekend & I hope all of you did too!

(Sorry about the color of the text---for some reason it won't let me change it?!?!)

%#@*%$!*&

I am totally freaking out. I haven't heard from the job people all week. I totally thought I would hear back early this week. I called yesterday & haven't heard back. All the possibilities of why this is happening are running through my head. Everyone is telling me not to freak out, but I want someone to tell me why I shouldn't be freaking out. This is making me crazy & and I'm not feeling so hot about myself. It upsets me that if I don't hear from them today...I will have to go all weekend. Waiting is hard. Ugh, I just want some relief.

I Went Platinum--I'm Famous

This weekend I made crowds scream, dance and many even said they saw my aura glowing because I was rocking so hard. I know, I can't believe it either. Unfortunately, I need to come back to reality and realize that I am not a rock star. Even though I rocked crowds so hard they sycronized danced, it wasn't real life...per se. I was playing Karaoke Revolution. This game is a way of life. I believe the world could all get along if everyone got their daily dose of Karaoke Revolution. There are variations of this game all around the world. Suck at singing? Put the setting on easy. Rock real hard? Advanced. Anyone can do it. The game makes you yearn for true talent and breeds major competition among your friends. No matter how the game turns out, you always feel good about yourself. Except for those who fall on their knees during a performance due to a failed song...we won't focus on that. Besides, it's just like in life, you gotta brush your knees off and try again. Trust me...you can't stop. You can even wear a head-set like Britney Spears or use a standard microphone. Whatever feeds your rock star style. Both make you feel equally important, but I tend to like the head-set because it doesn't inhibit my dancing abilities. I think every morning I should sing "Red Red Wine" or "ABC" to jump start the day. Gives me the natural high I need to get through the day. Word for the wise: Don't play with John. He kicks ass.