An Ode to my Best Friend

Oh glorious monkey friend
who brings me bagfuls of fashion
to stymie my shopping bug
I think you shrink them on purpose

(This would have been haiku
but you are too awesome
for so few syllab--)

I'm It

I'm apparently required to respond to a blog-tag, thanks to the superb tag-strategy of Suburban Kamikaze. And of course, now I have to do a meme. *sigh* Can you tell how wearily taxed I am by all of this?

What is it about these stupid lists that is just so darned appealing? Is it the desire to tell the world Who You Are? To call attention to your individuality? To shock or surprise people who thought they knew you? Is it just plain narcissism?

I'm going to ignore all of those theories and go with "it's better than spending the next 15 minutes up to my eyeballs in the excel spreadsheet of statistics that I can't seem to finish."

Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

1. I love to get my hands dirty. I guess that's why I love pottery and gardening and painting and cleaning so much - I get the most satisfaction that I have accomplished something when I have gotten dirty in the doing.

2. I love to sleep. And no, it's not just because I don't really get to anymore - two restless kids, two very nocturnal cats, and a husband that sleeps like the dead makes me the official night watchman (watchwoman?) in our house. But really, I love to sleep, especially catnaps.

3. In 5 years of marriage I have earned somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 "geek points" from my husband for independently coming up with quips or references to video games, comic books, computer gizmos, etc. of which I knew absolutely NOTHING before he began "training" me. At 1000 points I supposedly win a toaster.

4. I'm a closet hypochondriac. Every time I feel a twinge or quirk in the functioning of any of my bodily systems, my mind immediately jumps to the worst possible conclusion and I work my way back to something reasonable from there. I do not voice these concerns to anyone, but someday I am pretty sure I will stub my toe and announce to some unsuspecting soul that I'm sure it's due to loss of coordination from early on-set dementia. The end is definitely near.

5. I write in my books. Yes, even the "fluff". If there's a quip or a perspective that I really like or really hate, I underline it and comment in the margin. That way when I read the book again, as I typically do, I can see what I was thinking about the last time I read it. My husband hates this.

6. I want to quit my job and go back to school. Forever. If I won the lottery today, I would pay off our debt, set up a killer investment portfolio, and enroll in a class. Any class. I want to learn about everything. If anyone has any strategies for making this happen, or winning lottery numbers, please let me know.

7. I am the only person I know who drinks whiskey straight up. Other than Mr. Lady. Although I have yet to try her patented sippy cup method.

Things You Should Know

I recently came across this website through a link on a blog somewhere....sorry, I've been reading and linking so much lately that I can't figure out exactly how I came across this site. Trust me, it made sense at the time.

Anyway...being the list-maker that I am, I have really been enjoying the posts of Marc and Angel Hack Life. This particular list, 50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do, really struck a cord with me. I'd like to believe that I can do at least half of these with some measure of competence, but I think I'll go read the instruction links to confirm this before I start making any claims. This one I know I've got down pat. This one I've done...once...half a lifetime ago....

For the Love of Moose

Everyone who knows me knows that I have a completely inexplicable softspot for moose. They are so huge and ungainly and ridiculous looking, but I react to them just like I would to a baby bunny - they just make my heartstrings strum. And as justification for my insistence that they deserve a greater "awww" factor, check out this video of a Mama Moose sending her twin baby moose to play in the sprinkler left on in someone's backyard. This is sweetness in its essence.


random note: Sunshine would say the moose are playing in the "sprinkles" which always makes me think of diving into a big colorful ice cream sundae.

Gardening Duck

Local news channel WTOP has to come up with 24 hours worth of news all the time, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it literally includes all the news that's fit to print. Which honestly isn't much these days. But thankfully there are still enough quirky duck stories left to fill the headlines and keep us all from plunging into the depths of despair.

A dream come true...

Every once in a while, when the mood strikes me, I check my horoscope at www.freewillastrology.com because Rob Breszny has a wonderful way of making the mundane profound, and of making a horoscope seem completely not ridiculous. This week (beginning March 8) my Piscean prediction reads:

Molecular scientist Robert Bohannon knows a way to cram even more obscene gratification into a doughnut. He has discovered the secret to infusing pastries with a non-bitter version of caffeine. If his innovation is adopted by bakers, a doughnut would not only be able to have its usual sugary kick, but could also deliver the punch of two cups of coffee. Judging from the current astrological omens, Pisces, I'd say you'll soon be able to find a healthy metaphorical equivalent to this pathological marvel for your own use. In other words, you'll intensify your enjoyment of an already fine pleasure.

I fully intend to use this as my inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday theme, "Wired." Personally, I have no interest in a caffeinated doughnut. I enjoy coffee too much, and frankly a cup of coffee with a double whammy of doughnut caffeine sounds dangerous. But this just goes
to show that nothing is impossible....

And the lion shall lie down with the lamb...

Can you imagine anything sweeter than two children, both rejected by their mothers, finding love and comfort from the most unlikely of friends?

From http://abcnews.go.com/International/popup?id=2911566&content=&page=1

Now that's Winter

Wow, 100 inches of snow in Oswego, NY and more to come. I mean, I've been pining for snow, but I'm thinking more like 3 feet, not 11. Actually, I'd happily take 3 inches at this point.

Ahh, Irony

Dixie Chicks score 5, count 'em FIVE, Grammys, including Best Song for "Not Ready to Make Nice." They win the top music industry award for a song that refuses to apologise for saying the things that got them almost completely ostracized by the music industry just a couple of years ago. Now, I'm not a huge DC fan, but as one of the apparently few people who was appalled by the response of the music industry and the public when they retaliated against an artist for expressing her opinion, I am so completely gratified by this whole situation. Congratulations, Chicks, for not backing down!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/11/AR2007021101680.html

HI! Yeah, it's been eight months since my last post, so sue me. I've had a few thoughts that I felt were worthy of sharing as of late, so it seemed to make sense to revisit the blog idea. I added a few new links, changed my pallatte again, and here I am.

So my thought for the day - WHY is Anna Nicole Smith's death a front-page headline EVERYWHERE?

CNN - http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/09/smith.dies/index.html

NPR - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7309890

Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020802435.html

even the BBC! - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6346201.stm

How is it that the reason for her celebrity is that she is a celebrity? Isn't that some sort of catch-22-like logic? I heard a sound bite of her this morning where she said, "It's just so expensive being me!" Being what??? She was famous for being famous. I just don't get it.

Diet Coke and Mentos

If you haven't seen this yet, be prepared to be impressed!

http://eepybird.com/dcm1.html

Be sure to scroll down below the video afterwards and follow the How does it work? link to see the Super Burp girl.