Licking Her Way to the Finish Line

So, now I know why the make-up girl kept touching up my lipstick. Evidently my most prominent nervous tic is licking my lips over and over and over and over...Oh, well, I still get the money. YEAH!! In fact, I'm taking the fake check with me to school tomorrow to show the kids. They were very excited today over the outcome of yesterday. Tomorrow will be really a scream. (or a squeal, or shouting...)

The Millionaire people said they'd send the real $50,000 dollar check within thirty days after the program airs. I hope to see it by Thanksgiving. Then, of course, the bank is guaranteed to "hold" it for another unknown number of days before they allow me do anything with it. But, finally, I will get to enjoy all the zeros in my account for a little while until I begin paying off bills. My one indulgence planned is to remodel my bedroom closet with those neat shelves and racks and shoe holders. When we bought this older (fixed-up) house in an established neighborhood, an important feature was the bigger lot size. Our neighbor's house isn't so close we can slap it. But, I gave up walk-in closets for the big lot and the pool/spa. I'm going to fix that in a few months.

• Yes, Meredith Vierra is really that nice in person. Everyone associated with the show is very kind.
• Thank you again Jessie for narrowing down my choices as Phone-A-Friend.
• Thank you Shelly and Brian for being willing to get The Call.
• Thank you all of my children for having such wide and varied interests that caused your mom to read up on so many things that my knowledge pool was expanded continuously. Seriously, raising children is an entire graduate degree because they open up your world to all kinds of topics.
• HEY! Emily Burdin out there in Maryland! I hope you're doing well in college!
• After the $500 question, it was all profit because I'd flown out there on mileage from CoolGuy, and all I paid for was the train from Baltimore to NYC, and a very pricey hotel room on Eighth Avenue.
• I was so nervous I mispronounced a French word--for shame--I took French in high school. It's tray-bu-shay not "tray-bu-shett." I'd still like to look up the group in Pennsylvania who build them for fun and chunk pumpkins every year.
• My friend in the school where I worked for 10 years in Southern Maryland gathered a bunch of my buddies there in the art room and they watched me during their lunch break. Go Leopards!!
• I'm glad it's finished. I'm exhausted.
• My lips are chapped real bad, too.