Kool-Aid, pickles and a few rambles

A few rambles...

ONE - I've been moving for the past week and should be finished by the 15th. It's been quite the experience. My plan is to rent the new house for a few months, then buy it. So far, I've spent between $700 and $1,000 on minor repairs, paint and new light fixtures, not to mention the amount of time it's taken.

TWO - I can't believe I was seen in public wearing old flowered baggy shorts and a T-shirt with paint blobs on it at Lowe's by someone I know...


THREE - I couldn't sleep, so I was checking out MySpace profiles of friends of my friends. (Here's mine - probably also dumb) I came to the conclusion that there are a lot of stupid ones out there. More than a few contained statements like this one: "I'm an outgoing introvert. I'm pretty mellow at times but engaging at other times." Are you kidding me??

FOUR - I made a trip to Wal-Mart tonight for Kool-Aid and pickles. An odd combo, right? Evidently it's pretty good, according to a story we're planning to use in the Food section on Wednesday. I'm making it as a test kitchen, so we'll see. Anybody else do any odd pickling? If so, post a comment at the bottom of this blog.

iHype

With all the talk about the new iPhone, I thought I'd check out Urban Dictionary.com to see what new iWords were out there.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• iPerbole - The hype surrounding anything Apple unveils
• iPauseworthy - Something worth pausing the iPod for (Sometimes it's hard to make the distinction between something that is and something that isn't.)
• iPeople - People who are so consumed in their iPod culture that they never are actually seen without earbuds in their ear, and an iPod proudly displayed. (I have one that I use at work when I need to concentrate and in the car, but I'm definitely not guilty of this.)

But no iHype blog would be complete without a few negative Urban Dictionary definitions of the iPod (I still love mine, though).
Here are a few:

• Everything wrong with western society contained within a small media player.
• The Most Expensive way to listen to music.
• Hard drive mp3 player whose only pro is it's aesthetic design.

This one, however, is my favorite.

• A device to offend the counter culture.

Embarrassing questions

I'm a personal fan of anonymity when it comes to health care.

If I had my way, my doctor wouldn't know my name, what my face looks like or where I live. It would free me up to ask some potentially embarrassing (and probably kind-of dumb) questions.

When it comes to asking embarrassing questions, I think most people would adopt that same stance.

But since none of that happens in real life, I'm going to offer readers a one-in-a-million chance to ask those questions - anonymously, of course.

The plan is for me to compile all those anonymous embarrassing questions - for women, men, tweens, teens... just about everybody. Then I'll take them to area physicians and get them answered for the Health page.

To do that, though, I need your questions! They can be about anatomy, sex, noises, drooping, farts, discharges... just about anything! If you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor in person, I'll ask for you.

So send them in...
ONLINE: Post a comment to this blog anonymously.
ONLINE: Use the "Talk Back" feature on shelbystar.com. (It's just above the weather.)
E-MAIL: Send me an e-mail to emilykillian@shelbystar.com.
CALL ME: (704) 484-7000 x 122
MAIL: P.O. Box 48, Shelby, NC 28151
BRING YOUR QUESTION BY: 315 E. Graham St., Shelby

Remember: You have nothing to lose - I'll never mention your name and you'll get that burning question answered.

Transformers

Does anyone remember the Transformers cartoon or have any of the old action figures? We're trying to put together coverage for the upcoming movie and wanted to do a little vintage throwback... Leave info. in the comments section or send me an e-mail. Thanks!

In the meantime, here's a link to the movie's site.

Play this... play list

My sister sent me to a cool site for creating your custom playlist....

Here's mine for now... I'm sure it's bound to change soon.

The war just hit home

The paper normally goes to press around midnight. When it does, those of us who are here check over it one last time before it is delivered to homes and racks around the county.

For some reason, I noticed a story at the bottom of the very last page in the A section. It was a story relating to the Iraq war. I normally skip over those, but for some reason, I began reading the headline: "Roadside bomb kills Hickory man in Iraq."

I'm originally from Hickory, so I read on: "Army Spec. Darryl Wardlaw "Ward" Linder, 24, died Tuesday...."

I know this guy. A few months younger than me, we worked together for a while at a grocery store -- our first high school job. He was a sweetheart. Tall, kind of skinny, a regular guy with an easy smile. I remember him as someone who stood up for other people and for what he believed in -- he got in a fight once in the store's parking lot for that very reason.

I drive through Mountain View a couple times a month, and each time I do, I think to myself that I ought to look him up and see how he's doing.

I guess I should have done more than think about it...

Ward is survived by his father and mother and a 3-year-old son, according to the story.

I hope his son will be told every day for the rest of his life that his father was a great guy who is missed.

Here's a link to the original story.

On the map

Girls Club awards ceremony

The Girls Club YMCA held its annual awards ceremony last week. Here's a look at some of the girls who were given awards.

We need your help!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Lifestyles has a lot of stories planned for the next few weeks, many of which need input from you.

Although I'm not sure how much of it will work out, here's a look at what we have planned, along with various pleas for help.

1. We're trying to have more content on the Web, like video and audio recordings. If you see something in the section that you have video, etc. of, send it in to starlifestyles@shelbystar.com.
   
2. Hair products – what do you really need? When’s enough enough?
   We're also getting samples of products for people to try out. You interested in being on the panel? If so, leave me a note in the comments section.
3. A tall, cold glass of sweet tea - all about the favorite southern drink. How do you like your tea? Leave your notes in the comments section.
   
4. Sounds of summer - what songs do you think reflect summertime the best?
5. Modern wedding gifts - What have you given/received that was really clever?
6. Summer skincare
7. Summer menu changes around the county - Do you know of any places with summer menu items? Leave responses in the comments section.
   
8. Drivers Ed - How parents and students can deal with each other. Got any tips? Leave them in the comments section.
   
9. We need July 4 happenings.
10. Does your church use a unique way of delivering the message?
11. 200 years of marriage - how four siblings have made it an average of 50 years. Do you have any tips on staying married? Put them in the comments section.
12. We're also looking for someone to test out the Snoopy Sno-Cone maker. Any volunteers?
    

Harder than it seems

We tried the Sno-cones and realized why our parents didn't like the contraption... it's too darn hard to put together, as Graham demonstrates here.

Here's video of the experience.