Friday, June 29, 2007

True case of attention-grabbing headline

On a brief break, I came across this article on cnn.com.



Astronaut's attorney: She did NOT wear diapers


POSTED: 12:39 p.m. EDT, June 29, 2007

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- An attorney for a former astronaut wanted to set the record straight Friday: Lisa Nowak didn't wear diapers during the 950-mile road trip to confront a romantic rival.

"The biggest lie in this preposterous tale that has been told is that my client drove from Houston, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, nonstop, wearing a diaper," Donald Lykkebak said after filing motions to suppress evidence in Nowak's criminal case. "That is an absolute fabrication."

The tidbit that Nowak wore diapers during her trip was written in the police report filed after Nowak's arrest in February. The diaper detail became fodder for late-night TV comics and talk radio and even inspired an episode of the NBC show "Law & Order."

There were toddler-size diapers in her car when she was arrested, but they were several years old, Lykkebak said. Nowak and her family had used them when Houston was evacuated in 2005 during Hurricane Rita, he said.

Lykkebak didn't say why he waited until now to dispute the police report.
An Orlando police spokeswoman, Sgt. Barb Jones, said she couldn't comment about the case specifically. She said a court would determine the accuracy of the facts.

Nowak, 44, was charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault in a confrontation at Orlando International Airport with Colleen Shipman, the girlfriend of former astronaut Bill Oefelein. Oefelein told detectives he had a two-year relationship with Nowak but ended it some time after he started a relationship with Shipman.

Nowak has pleaded not guilty and her trial is set for September. She was dismissed from the astronaut corps a month after her arrest.

Oefelein left the astronaut corps at the beginning of June and returned to the Navy.

Lykkebak filed a motion asking a judge to prevent statements that Nowak made to police from being entered into evidence, claiming she had not been properly advised of her constitutional rights.

He also asked that evidence found in her car not be allowed to be introduced in court, saying it was seized without a search warrant. Police officers recovered maps to Shipman's home, large garbage bags, latex gloves and Shipman's flight information.


Now, if that headline didn't grab your attention, I don't know what would. Somehow the story just didn't live up to its headline.

Plan completed - sort of

Well, I did get the dishwasher unloaded, the laundry hung up, the entryway cleaned, and some reading done. I did not, however, give myself a pedicure or take a bath. So that's a bummer. Maybe I'll accomplish the bath tonight. Munchkin was not so helpful last night. She was in need of attention.


We did watch Over the Hedge. So that was pretty cool. We all enjoyed it. Several good lines and big names.

Hammy the Squirrel: Oh! Morning!

Verne: Morning, Hammy.

Hammy the Squirrel: I gotta go wee-wee!

Verne: Oh... Not on the lake we drink from!


Hammy the Squirrel: Wanna help me find my nuts?

RJ: Very tempting, Hammy, very tempting...


Bucky: [while driving the van, the others are arguing] Hey, no fighting while we're driving!
Spike: We will turn this car around, mister! [pause]

Lou: [points at Verne] He started it.


This is a movie that I want to own. Big surprise. Me wanting to own a movie. We also watched an episode of Top Chef. LOVE that show. Way fun. Indulges my desire to be a real cook. Howie had an amazing recipe that I'm dying to try. You can check it out at :




Now I just need to figure out fennel...

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Plan, maybe


So, I have a plan for tonight. I have several things that I would like to accomplish. With munchkin's cooperation, I can do them all. I need to clean up the entryway, empty the dishwasher, hang up laundry, and download some movies for munchkin to watch in the car. I would also like to get some reading done, take a bath and give myself a pedicure. Can I do all this and get into bed by 9? I sure hope so. I love doing a pedicure. I use Revlon's Cherry Crush most of the time. Seems a very sexy color to me.


Spent all day today working on this update of a manual. It's starting to drive me batty. I just get the footers in line, and then it freaks out again. Oh well, that's the way it goes I guess. Tonight will be more relaxing I hope. And I would like to get some reading done. Maybe I can do that in the bathtub. I'll let you know tomorrow how it all goes. Wish me luck!

Nothing exciting

Well, I guess saying that nothing is exciting is a good thing. You know, the whole "no news is good news" idea. Last night was pretty uneventful. Stopped and got lottery tickets and candy bars. Also got cash for lunch today. Then I picked up the munchkin. Went home, played with her, fed her (We ordered chicken and garlic bread from Pizza Ranch.), gave her a bath, and did assorted other evening things. I did go to bed at 9. I need to start getting up at 6 because I don't like the time I've been getting to work. Watched a couple of episodes of Designing Women and promptly fell asleep. Sometime around 1, munchkin woke up crying, hubby was snoring, and I was freezing. So I moved into the livingroom. Munchkin stopped crying, I warmed up and fell back to sleep. Did pretty well getting moving this morning. Got to work right when I wanted to, so life is good. Have a ton of work to do, so I should get to it. Lunch at Guad's today. MMMMMMMMMMM! I love it when people have birthdays! Oh, and having my rooibos tea for breakfast. Not sweet tea. Pomegranate. Yummy.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Current books

I have this bad habit of reading more than one book at a time. And working on more than one project at a time. It drives my husband crazy, but frankly, I like it. When I get bored with one thing, I can work on something else until I need a break from that. So, to explain, here's what I'm reading right now.

The Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt.

I started reading this because we're reading a book by her for our book group. It's kind of odd. I didn't really like the first story, and felt a little angry that I had wasted that much time reading it. The only redeeming virtue was a little nugget in the last paragraph. But last night I read another one of the stories. I much preferred this one. Because I did, I will continue reading.



I am also reading Slave by Mende Nazer. This is non-fiction, and is thus a major departure for me. It's not very often that I pick up non-fiction. But I was inspired by a girl that I work with. Her book group reads a lot of memoirs, and I decided that I needed to branch out. So far I'm not very far into it, but I haven't had a ton of time to read in the last week. More on that later. Really, all I've read is a short description of how her villiage was attacked by another group (I don't remember the name) and how all of the children were abducted. Then, she goes into her life before the attack. That's all I've read about so far. It seems very realistic and heartfelt. I am enjoying it.




On occasion I pull out this one, McDonald's: Behind the Arches. It's something I picked up at work. I love McDonald's, so I thought I might learn a little more about it. The story is really fascinating.





And for work, I'm currently reading two. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton. Also, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Yep, that's of Franklin Covey fame. Great books, both. I am loving them. Can't wait to read more by the authors.

Me in all my glory

So, this is more about me than about the book group. I don't know that anyone will actually read about my boring life, but I'm putting it out there, just in case you're interested. There will be more to come...when I get around to it.