The day before yesterday my two kids were playing with a slip-n-slide and of course I had to try it too. It seems like the older I get the more things hurt. I didn't get any major injuries, but I do have bruises on my elbows and knees, a scratch on my stomach, and sore muscles. Still it was fun while it lasted so I thought maybe my friends here at tv.com would like to join me for a little virtual Slip-N-Slide party. I rented this massive inflatable Slip-N-Slide racer to set up here on my blog. I will race whoever is first and then they can race the next person and so on. This time the sheep are going to be the ones watching the show from the sidelines. Enjoy!

Anyone who wants can bring their car over to my blog for a free car wash. My soon to be 3 year old will be scraping bugs off of the front bumper and my 5 year old will be merrily cleaning rims and tires. And of course the sheep with be loaded up with suds to get your car shiny and clean. I even have two specialist sheep - one is called waxon and the other waxoff to give your car that extra sparkle in the hot summer sun. Feel free to join me in the shade for a nice tall glass of iced tea while enjoying the show. :D

Some pics from the last ShinyBlackSheep car wash...

Ever felt like this?

Countdown to Avatar Book 3 Premier!

Career Paths I Have Explored...

TRIED

• Florist - I worked in a flower shop for a while. My grandmother is a florist and I enjoy helping her.
• Babysitter - Sad to say this was my absolute worst job performance. I have little tolerance for kids (other than my own).
• Chemical Engineer - I studied Chemical Engineering in college and had two internships working as a Chemical Engineer. Loved it all very much.
• Computer Programmer/Software Engineer - This is what I do now. It has it's ups and downs, but it sure is easy to find work.
• Skin Care/Beauty Consultant - Who hasn't done this at some point?
• Mommy - My kiddos are the best.

DID SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES

• Furniture Maker - Wow, that was a long time ago. I have done some pretty weird stuff.
• DJ/Sound Person - This was kinda fun, but late nights in smelly bars is not exactly my idea of a career.
• Architect - I am actually good at this. I made all of the plans for finishing my own basement and have had several people ask me to do theirs since then. I see the world kind of like a blueprint or a map - hard to explain.
• HardLaborer - I think most people end up doing a little hard labor at some point in their life. I must admit that sometimes as I'm sitting in my cubicle for hours on end, I do wish I was a part of the janitorial crew instead. If only I could get paid the same for doing that sort of job.
• Web Developer - Most of the time I have been unwillingly volunteered to do web pages. I've never been paid to do such, but yeah, I know how and have done it before.
• Graphic Artist (Designing Pamphlets/Brochures/Posters/etc.) - One of my many likes and interests. I've done event fliers and brochures several times and really enjoyed doing them. I also like making sigs, banners, icons, etc. for myself and friends.
• Landscaper - All things garden related have become a bit of an obsession lately. This is another one of those 'if I could only get paid enough' deals.

THOUGHT ABOUT

• Brain Surgeon - I actually went to college with this as my goal. I was in pre-med for a year and then changed to Chemical Engineering and then Computer Science.
• Taxi Cab Driver - I do love to drive. Maybe race car driver should be on this list as well. :D
  Teacher - This one is more of a childhood dream, but I have considered it several times over the years.
• Professional Organizer - I could really get into organizing if given the chance. I have been organizing stuff since the day I was born.
• Lactation Consultant - After going through it myself and then seeing several friends struggle with it, I did consider becoming a lactation consultant for about 10 minutes.
• Psychiatrist - Yeah, when you are surrounded by crazy people this will come to mind.
• Pharmacist - My mother wanted me to go to school for pharmacy. I thought about it, but never seriously.
• Mathematician - I love math. I could easily sit around all day and ponder the great unsolved math problems of the world.
• Photographer - I enjoy taking pictures and am pretty good at it. Photography is something I've always thought would be interesting.
• Musician - Problem: Lack of talent. ;D
• Advertising - I have fun coming up with catchy slogans and stuff. Never really considered this seriously.
• Journalist - I did write for the school news paper in high school, but that's all. I think being a journalist would be interesting though.
• Author - I keep saying I should write a book, but lack of motivation always creeps in.
• Inventor - I have come up with some neat ideas, but none of them very useful.
• Comedian/Comic Strip Writer - Problem: Very few people get my sense of humor.
• Waitress - Don't know why, but I've always wanted to try waitressing?

...and I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up! :D

Before I forget, let me apologize in advance for not having the best blog layouts lately. I am having issues with the blog editor not letting me do certain things - like put in line breaks, spaces, images, etc. I hope it gets fixed soon.

I have had a great time finding these riddles and posting them here for you all to enjoy, but I think this will be my last riddle installment for a while. I may change my mind on this, but that's kinda how I'm feeling today. If you really enjoy the riddles and want me to continue with them then please let me know in a comment and I will continue posting a few, but not as many as I have lately.

The winner from Round 9 was super_snotling. 500 rolls of duct tape will now magically appear in every nook and cranny of his house, car, and workplace. He also recieved another 50 rolls of duct tape for so generously selling me the answers to my own riddles. Way to go super_snotling - let us know what creative inventions you come up with for all that duct tape. Here are some ideas... http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/walter/images/photos/tape-trenchcoat.jpg http://www.bcpl.net/~jthorsse/fgkwhg123/after.jpg http://www.aeropause.com/archives/gfreemduct.jpg http://daddytypes.com/archive/duct_tape_baby_mianro.jpg

Anyone can play. Please add up your points and post them with your comment. 2 points for nailing the answer, 1 point for kinda getting it, 0 for not knowing or missing completely. The winner for Round 9 gets an all expenses paid trip to the sheep farm.

A wise King wants an honest child to take his place on the throne. He gives each of his 3 sons a pack of flower seeds and tells them that the one who grows the most beautiful flowers from these seeds will have his throne. Six months pass and the king checks the flowers. The first 2 had beautiful flower beds while the last child had nothing in his plot but weeds and no flowers. Yet, the king chose this child to have the throne. Why? [spoiler] The 3rd son was the only one that didn't cheat. The King had baked the seeds so they wouldn't grow, which means the first 2 didn't use the seeds from the packet he gave them. [/spoiler]

TWO x TWO = THREE Each letter stands for one and only one digit, and no digit is represented by more than one letter. Can you work out what digits the letters in the above multiplication stand for so that the identity above is actually correct? [spoiler] 138 x 138 = 19044 [/spoiler]

What can be driven, but has no wheels. And can be sliced, and still remain whole? [spoiler] A golf ball. [/spoiler]

There was a wise king who had two sons. He wanted to make sure his two sons would not fight over his fortune when he was gone. What did the king write in his will to ensure his two sons would split up his fortune fairly? [spoiler] He wrote one son would split up all his fortune into two piles. Then the other son got first pick! [/spoiler]

What word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right? [spoiler] NOON! Here it is backwards: NOON! :) [/spoiler]

What is so special about this sequence below? 8 5 4 9 1 7 6 10 3 2 0 [spoiler] The numbers are in alphabetical order. (eight, five, four, nine, one, seven, six, ten, three, two, zero) [/spoiler]

A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, an attractive girl named Sarah. The bus driver had to go on a long bustrip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Sarah seven apples. Why? [spoiler] An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away! [/spoiler]

To what question can you never answer "yes"? [spoiler] Are you sleeping? Are you dead? What's the opposite of yes? Are you me? [/spoiler]

The winner of the shiny, black, wool gloves from Round 9 was
super_snotling. I hope you enjoy those even though I'm sure you are
partial to angora. I'll warn everyone in advance - I got a little
silly
with these today.
Anyone can play. Please add up your points and post them with your
comment. 2 points for nailing the answer, 1 point for kinda getting it,
0 for not knowing or missing completely. The winner for Round 9 gets a
roll of duct tape.
Fill in the blanks using the same three letters at the end as at the
beginning in the same order to find a place where water flows free:
_ _ _ ERGRO _ _ _
[spoiler] UNDergroUND. [/spoiler]
There are seven flies in the kitchen, which one is the cowboy?
[spoiler] It's the one that's on the "Range". yee-haa! [/spoiler]
Fire is often maintained above me, & if you remove my first letter, you
will find the home shared by everyone you have ever known.
What am I?
[spoiler] A Hearth. [/spoiler]
I'm white & used for cutting & grinding. When I'm damaged, humans
usually remove me or fill me. For most animals I am a useful tool.
What am I?
[spoiler] Teeth! [/spoiler]
I am a rock group that has 4 members, all of whom are dead, one of
which
was assasinated. What am I?
[spoiler] Mt. Rushmore [/spoiler]
A man goes out drinking every night, returning to his home in the wee
hours of every morning. No matter how much he drinks, he never gets a
hangover. This drink is very well known, but is rarely consumed, served
warm and taken straight from its source. The man is a sucker for a free
drink, especially since he can't live without it.
What is his favorite drink? [spoiler] Blood... the man is a Vampire.
[/spoiler]
I have a light side and a dark side, and I hold the universe together.
What am I?
[spoiler] Duct Tape! (Official Answer!) [/spoiler]

Hello, hello! Before I get started on the Riddle stats, I want to say one more time. Krath - we really miss you and hope you get better soon!
Sorry it took me so long to get back to more riddles. There was a tie on round 7 between LMH68 and super_snotling with 8 points each. I had to go dig around in the shed out back for a second shepherd's hook since there was a tie, but I found one. Make sure you put those to good use you two!

Anyone can play. Please add up your points and post them with your comment. 2 points for nailing the answer, 1 point for kinda getting it, 0 for not knowing or missing completely. The winner for Round 8 gets a pair of wool gloves. Enjoy!

What are the only 2 states that have their state name in their Capital? [spoiler] Oklahoma City and Indianapolis [/spoiler]

What is the next letter in the series: "B, C, D, E, G,..."? Why? [spoiler] The next letter would be P. They all rhyme. [/spoiler]

What are the next two letters in this series: A E F H I K L M ? [spoiler] N and T are next. Why? These are of the alphabet that do not curve. [/spoiler]

The following number is the only one of its kind.
8,549,176,320
Can you figure out what is so special about it? [spoiler] It's the only number that has all the digits arranged in alphabetical order. [/spoiler]

I guarantee," said the salesman in the pet shop, "that this purple parrot will repeat every word it hears." A customer bought the bird, but found that the parrot wouldn't speak a single word. Nevertheless, what the salesman said was true.
How could this be? [spoiler] The parrot was deaf. [/spoiler]

I'm a little late on this because his blog has been up for three days now, but I wanted to ask all of you to please keep our friend Krath (Ricky) in your thoughts and prayers. He has been ill for several weeks now and three days ago his younger brother Aaron signed into his accound and posted that he has fallen unconscious. There haven't been any updates since then. I realize we all have different beliefs so please say a prayer for Krath however you feel best.

Here's the link to his blog if anyone wants to leave a message for him there...

Krath's blog

The winner for Round 6 was super_snotlingwith 7 points. Way to go super_snotling!! Enjoy your jar of pure lanolin!

Anyone can play. Please add up your points and post them with your comment. 2 points for nailing the answer, 1 point for kinda getting it, 0 for not knowing or missing completely. The winner for Round 7 gets a genuine shepherd's hook. Enjoy!

There are two plastic jugs filled with water. How could you put all of this water into a barrel, without using the jugs or any dividers, and still tell which water came from which jug? [spoiler] Freeze them first. Take them out of the jugs and put the ice in the barrel. You will be able to tell which water came from which jug. [/spoiler]

Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? [spoiler] Sure you can: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow! [/spoiler]

A man was found murdered on Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police. The police questioned the wife and staff and got these alibis:
The Wife said she was sleeping.
The Cook was cooking breakfast.
The Gardener was picking vegetables.
The Maid was getting the mail.
The Butler was cleaning the closet.

The police instantly arrested the murdered. Who did it and how did they know? [spoiler] It was the Maid. She said she was getting the mail. There is no mail on Sunday! (next day air and email doesn't count) [/spoiler]

Which does not belong in this group:
Apple, Grape, Banana, Cherry, Pear [spoiler] The Banana. It's the only one that needs peeled before eating. [/spoiler]

Cross out six letters and you'll find a word that we should know. The word must be spelled out in order.
SBAIXNLETATNERSAS [spoiler] Bananas. The letters you needed to cross out were: (S-I-X-L-E-T-T-E-R-S) [/spoiler]

There was four-way tie between HellOnEarth101, xemhanort, LMH68, and Nicasso_ in Round 5. Congratulations, each of you gets a fresh bail of hay!

Anyone can play. Please add up your points and post them with your comment. 2 points for nailing the answer, 1 point for kinda getting it, 0 for not knowing or missing completely. The winner for Round 6 gets a jar of pure lanolin. Enjoy!

What row of numbers comes next?
This is a tough one!
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221 [spoiler] The next row is
1113213211
Starting with the second line, every line describes the line before it. In writing, it is:
One One
Two Ones
One Two One One
etc.
etc. [/spoiler]

What kind of cheese is made backwards? [spoiler] EDAM cheese (made backwards is edam) [/spoiler]

What is the next 3 letters in this riddle?
o t t f f s s _ _ _ [spoiler] e n t
They represent the first letter when writting the numbers one through ten. [/spoiler]

The next riddle has two possible answers. Give yourself 2 points if you get one or 5 points if you get both!

How can you make the following equation true by drawing only one straight line:
5+5+5=550

Can you figure it out? [spoiler] Draw a line on the first plus sign. This turns it into a 4! The equation then becomes true:
545+5=550
Alternate answer: Draw a line through the equals sign, making it a "not equal to" sign [/spoiler]

What do these 3 have in common?
Superman
Moses
The Cabbage Patch Kids [spoiler] They were all adopted! [/spoiler]