Mini Update
Helped Grandma move house today. Ei-yai-yai -- what a big job. I spent quite a bit of my evening underneath a desk trying to feed cables through a little hole in an attempt to get her computer system hooked back up.

Had a four-hour break to see LOTR-ROTK. Wow. I think that's all I can say. I was so amazed. I had managed to avoid all but one preview. Although I did know about the spider from playing the Xbox game with Hunter. Those elephant things were so bad. (As Nate said, "'Bad' as in 'you one bad mofo'?" Yes.) I much prefer the unkempt Strider look to the clean-hair King Aragorn look. (Of course, this is extremely nice too. Hello, Viggo!)

Still Alive
Surviving Iowa for the most part. Dial-up and only one phoneline means little to no online time. So no profound links for you.

We had our annual mini-class-reunion a couple of nights ago. Kim is presently out of the country, so somehow I think I got nominated to organize the 10-year reunion in her stead. Wait -- I don't even live here. I only keep in contact with two people on any sort of regular basis. Umm....

Tomorrow I think we're doing LOTR-ROTK. Whee!

Merry Christmas to You and Yours!
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

And then there is my birthday. As with every Christmas morning, I run downstairs for birthday gifts instead. Dad always mentions that I was the best Christmas gift he ever got. And someone always recounts how I was taken home from the hospital in a red stocking. 27 years ago.

Little Alan had to go back to the hospital on Tuesday, because he had jaundice. Thankfully he was released again yesterday morning.

We had our immediate family Christmas last night. I had more fun watching the kids open their presents than anything else. Some highlights that I got: Pirates of the Caribbean 2-disk collectors edition, Bob Guiney's 3 Sides cd, and This Book Will Change Your Life.

I think Mom is finished making my birthday "cake". (I get this yummy strawberry danish dessert for my cake, since I don't like cake.) So anyway, hoping you are all having a day filled with love and family.

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to Jesse!! You're a total rockstar.

Well, the one-way tally for this trip was 1012 miles from my house to my sister's... but that does also include all the driving around that Nate and I did this morning trying to find a nonexistent Denny's. The trip was good. Not even a patch of ice to be seen. Hello, global warming? I didn't even need a coat today.

Because I took a different route, I saw for the first time this gigantic cross where 70 and 57 meet. According to that website, it is 198 feet tall. It was unexpectedly breathtaking.

My nephew is a doll.

I miss my wireless cable connection already.

Thanks so much for the birthday and Christmas greetings. I'll hit you all back before the 25th, I promise. Gotta go unpack the car now though.

Shaken Not Stirred
Heard about the California earthquake on the radio today. Hope everyone out there is doing well.

Quote for the Day:
I was sitting in the living room watching television and eatting popcorn with my dad when a Jenny Craig ad came on with all these ladies saying how much weight they have lost with Jenny Craig, when my dad says:
"I gained twenty pounds with Orville Redenbacher."

Happy Birthday to Phebe!!

More Birthday Celebration
Last night I finally got done at the office and still had to go to FedEx. So when I was finished with that, I called Phebe to see if she had eaten already. (It was 7:15.) She agreed to meet me at J Alexanders. She bought dinner for my birthday, so I bought her a movie ticket for hers. We ended up seeing Mona Lisa Smile. (Yeah, and whoever said that wasn't a chick flick was oh so wrong.) It was decent, and I was thrilled to see a little cameo by Tori Amos as one of the wedding singers.

Go Preds! Had great seats even though we were surrounded by Detroit fans.

Dear Libelous Musicians:
If you are going to give interviews while you are in Europe stating that the president of your record label is a rapist and a thief,
(a) make sure they are not going to publish it online,
(b) make sure I don't happen to come across the article,
(c) make sure that president is not one of my favourite former clients, and
(d) make sure that I am not tight with that president's present attorney.

Jerkfaces. Yeah, that means you. And they thought they weren't getting any tour support before.

So yeah, I met up with Ted the other day. He hooked me up with the Telecast album and the new TFK. Not having been much of a Thousand Foot Krutch fan in the past, I'll try to give it a fair chance. (Breaking my boycott of bands with numbers in their names.) From the little bit I listened to on the website, it sounds a little Linkin Park-ish... which doesn't necessarily win them points, but I'll give it a try tomorrow.

I am My Father's Daughter
I am so excited to drive tomorrow. Some people don't understand how I can look forward to 14 hours in the car. But a decent roadtrip is theraputic, if you ask me. As long as you're able to avoid getting sleepy, man, a good long drive is the greatest. But I like being alone. My dad likes to drive too. (He had a brief career as a truck driver when he was out of high school... and then, of course, there were the Race Car Driver years. I always say that is where my lead foot comes from.)

Now I must pack. Leaving at first light tomorrow. The goal is to be in Des Moines by dinner time. Crash at Nate's. And be home by afternoon on Monday. Whee!

Email and posting here could be sporadic for the next two weeks. (I have a nephew to bond with, you know.) My cellphone loses service about 45 miles from home, but I'll put my parents' number on there in the event of anyone feeling desperate to contact me.

Hehehe
Thux just brought by Christmas gifts for us. Reindeers that poop jellybeans. Gotta love it.

Pre-Birthday Party
Last night Sandra, RoseAnne, Connie, & Barbara took me out to my favourite Mexican restaurant for my birthday. It was the first time I can remember ever having been sung to by a half-dozen waiters at a restaurant for my birthday. I don't know... I guess I just never go out to eat on my birthday. I swear I was in total shock. They ambushed me from behind and put a sombrero on me. Next thing I know this giant icecreamy dessert was in front of my face, and one of them grabbed the spoon, scooped up some whipped cream, and put it on my nose. I didn't hear a word they sang. I would have given anything to see my face, because I honestly was so surprised. Petra, Recah, and Thux joined us for coffee afterwards. It was just a super fun night.

I'm Dreaming...
This map predicts that I have about a 50% chance of experiencing a White Christmas. (thanks to danielle for the link.) ((And Allison, looks like you've got a chance too!))

Cornfield Commentary -- someone from the motherland. Good old John Deere colors. What can I say? I had to link it.

I am truly saddened. Remy Zero is hanging it up. The only good thing is that their shirts are half-off.

Being a Sams Club member knocked over $200 off my two-week Avis car rental. Thanks to Nancy, the blessed reservations attendent. She totally hooked me up. I love customer service people who act like real people. "We gotta get you home for Christmas."

Friday Five
1. List your five favorite beverages.
Coffee. Dr. Pepper. Mom's Apple Cider. Coffee. And... umm... coffee?

2. List your five favorite websites.
No time to discriminate. See list at left.

3. List your five favorite snack foods.
I'm not super snacky, but I could eat dried cherries all day.

4. List your five favorite board and/or card games.
Warlords & Scumbags, Meow, Hearts, Bohemian Ratscrew, Spider Solitare

5. List your five favorite computer and/or game system games.
Age of Myth, the Myst game series, Motocross Mania


Song for the Day:
Go listen to all the Remy Zero you can get here. Sad.

Happy Birth Day
Announcing the arrival of Alan Joel born early this morning. Both he and mom (and dad too) are doing fine. Named after my father and my brother-in-law -- though I think he'll be called AJ before we know it.

Ang had mentioned that name to me and Mom at Thanksgiving, but they had changed their minds so many times that Mom didn't even tell Dad they were thinking along that line. So when she told him this morning, he teared up. So did I, and I knew it was coming. Yay!

Bradley is relieved that it is a boy.

Okay. I'm ready to go home now.

Happy Birthday: Part II
Birthday wishes to Jay! May the year of the 27 be blessed.

Prayers
My cousin Lisa and her son Joel were rushed to Omaha last night because a liver, a pancreas, and a bowel were available for Joel's transplant. He has had so many surgeries in his 12 years. (One transplant was rejected, another worked... and one time they missed a transplant because bad weather kept them from getting to the hospital in time.) We're so hopeful that this helps fix his little body and so grateful for the technology and the wisdom of doctors... while at the same time, we are aware that another family has suffered a loss to give this chance at normal life to my cousin.

Word
Dang. Good NCIS last night. Who is that woman in the car though?

Who's Alive and Who's Dead? -- you never know when people you thought were dead actually turn up alive. (I could have sworn Richard Dawson passed away.)

A Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeve during the flying sequences of the movie is up for auction at Christie's today. It is expected to fetch between $14,000-21,000 US. Makes me wish people were interested in my used clothing.

Dreams Will Come True
I have been recruited to play Merch girl while Thux is out of the country. I love doing merch. I am a bit concerned though. They just launched a new website, and they got 78 orders in two days. I can only imagine what it will be like when I return after Christmas.

Skyhigh Airlines: "You all look like ants from here." What a great spoof airline website.

Young Katy is all grown up.

Niece/Nephew Watch
8 days until due date.
Still no baby.

Mother Invention
Yesterday Michael came by the office with a bag of fruit and nuts that he got from the storage unit place when he went there to check on the bus. Not having a nutcracker, we discovered that you can wedge a walnut just under the edge of a cupboard door and then pound on the cupboard and get the same effect. Well, not quite the same effect. The shell sort of shatters and flies all around the room... but you get the nut out. Well, you get the nut out in about a hundred pieces. So yeah, that entertained us for a while.

Personal-ly
Today I was reading in the paper about PlaygroundUSA. It is supposedly a free service where you sign up and are able to search for people who share common interests... like pretty much every other human meatmarket out there. In the interest of research, I signed up in order to see how it worked. However, I think it might be crap. Or maybe there isn't anyone within 100 miles who shares my interests... and actually, that quite possibly could be the case.

232
Today I was reminded of the crash of United Flight 232 back in 1989. (Bossman can only seem to remember my hometown by first recalling that I am not from Sioux City.) Though I can remember it like it was yesterday. This site has links to the control tower transcript and the transcript of a speech by the pilot. (Perhaps you remember the movie with Charlton Heston as Captain Haynes.) You can also read an excerpt of a book called Chosen to Live by one of the survivors. This site has cockpit recordings along with an amazing aerial view of the path of the crash.

Niece/Nephew Watch
9 days until due date.
Still no baby.

Happy Birthday Hans & Jack!! Miss you both.

Dead Willy
Anybody who, like me, never took the time to reset your browser default homepage may have noticed this news headline: 'Free Willy' Whale Buried in Norway. Am I the only one who feels a little weird about that? I mean, it is one thing to bury your goldfish, if you choose to not give it "burial at toilet". Burying your dog, cat, hamster, ferret, parrot... that I can even understand. But Keiko was a six-ton sea creature.

I think this raises a very important question. Are dinosaur fossils just the discovered remains of caveman's pets? I'm on to something here.

I also think this is as good a time as any to bring back the link to The Exploding Whale. And here is a link that works for the quicktime movie of the newscast.

In Other News
For those of you interested in driving from Spain to Morocco, you'll be pleased to hear that plans are underway to build a tunnel between the two.

And because I know everyone was concerned about updates, the Australian pilot managed to get off Antarctica.

Last Train to Clarksville
Once again, Vickie was right on with her Survivor predictions. My household was pleased with the end -- and always a pleasure to see Skinny Ryan back. Tina suggested that I need to stalk him. Clarksville really is only like an hour away. I hear the produce is better up in Clarksville. Right -- if only I had that much spare time.

I got a teeny-tiny bit of Peppermint Stick icecream dripped on my mouse button of my laptop last night. Now it's a little crusty. Just felt the need to share.

Subliminal Thoughts
I Say... You Think...
1. Warning:: Label
2. Aspirations:: Goals
3. Starvation:: Lost Boys
4. Lid:: Cap
5. Sketch:: ers
6. Interrogate:: Question
7. Credit:: Card
8. Scotch:: Guard
9. Confused:: Perplexed
10. Paris:: Hilton -- I tried to think of something else, but that was honestly the first thing that came to mind.

Song for the Day:
Ain't No Sunshine - Eva Cassidy
Phebe & Bryan were working on that song the last couple nights, so it's in my head. Gotta go with the Eva version for T. :) It's going to be an Eva afternoon.

Family Style
I forgot something cool that happened yesterday. Phebe, her friend Bryan, and I were going to get lunch at the irish pub, but due to all the excitement of the Dickens thing down there, it was proving to be somewhat impossible to find a table. We ended up sharing a table with a large group who needed two tables pushed together... and we took the spare three seats at the end. They were totally cool about it. I sat next to Jeff -- who I've seen at Starbucks before. I'm going to make a point of sitting with total strangers more often. (Even the waiter said, "Now this is the Christmas spirit.")

Reminds me of when I went to Acme Oyster House with the boys... you don't have the choice but to sit with strangers there.

Last night I spent a whole hour watching this Otro Rolla program on the Spanish channel. Understand that I took like a year and a half of Spanish, so I mostly had no idea what was going on -- but I did see Jeans and Ragazzi perform... if only I knew who they were.

Mariani dried cherries? Sour. Not a tasty treat. I try so you don't have to.

Total bummer. Visible School was robbed of a whole bunch of gear.

Lost Boys
This morning at church, I ended up sitting behind this group of young black men all dressed in crisp white shirts and black trousers. At the end of the service they played a video telling about the wars in Sudan. In 1991, the Dinka tribe was ravaged. The men were killed. The women and girls were taken into slavery. And these young boys were left to fend for themselves. 20,000 of them crossed the desert to Ethiopia where they were eventually turned away, so they wandered back across Sudan to take refuge in Kenya -- this wandering taking years. Just boys! Many of them died from starvation and attacks by lions and hyenas. They were known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.

These young men sitting in front of me were 10 of them. Because we are taking a special offering for Sudan next week, the pastor had invited them to come up on stage and share with us. It was so incredibly moving. Many of them were missing teeth, and they told, in broken English, what help is needed in southern Sudan. They finished by singing a few songs in their native Dinka language. It was absolutely beautiful, and I was moved to tears.

My God, how fortunate we are.

It's one thing to just hear the story, but it was a totally other experience seeing them standing right in front of me. Now I just want to know more.

I discovered that a film has been made about these "lost boys". It follows two of the boys around after they have come to the States and documents the challenges they face here. (I guess it is going to be on PBS sometime next year.)

Folks Dressed Up Like Eskimos
I had my first roasted chestnut ever today. Quite tasty in a potato-y sort of way. (According to these directions, roasting chestnuts is not a science, so you can do it yourself!) If you're in the area, be sure to check out the Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin tomorrow from 1-5. Lots of people walking around in Victorian garb -- even the police had on the old fashioned hats with their billy clubs.

Mom just called: "I'm in Barnes & Noble right now. What was the name of that book you asked for?"

Yes, Christmas is always filled with lots of surprises at my house.

Bah Humbug
Lance had a great post on Thursday. ("You're a Mean One, Mr. Webel" -- can't link directly to post, sorry.) The story behind the post was that he, as a middle school teacher, had told his students that Santa is not real and was later visited by a parents of one of the students who wanted Lance to know that the father did not think it was Lance's place to be dispelling the myth of Santa Claus. He went on to write a very thought-provoking post about the possible repercussions of lying to children.

I cannot ever ever remember believing in Santa. Maybe it was because we did not have a chimney. To this day, all of us children go "brush our teeth" after dessert on Christmas eve knowing that "Santa" needs to fill our stockings (which are actually just gift bags anymore)... but I am pretty sure that we all knew it was always Mom. Weird.

Song for the Day:
Between These Walls (am version) (video) - Junkie XL

Where Will I Be?
Next Saturday night, you'll find me in Row P, Section 115 for the Preds vs. Red Wings game. Aww yeah. Luckily I only have to pay half since Michael owes me a ticket.

Song for the Day:
High and Dry - Radiohead
~Two jumps in a week
I bet you think that's pretty clever don't you boy?
Flying on your motorcycle,
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition,
Kill yourself to never ever stop
You broke another mirror,
You're turning into something you are not~

Happy Birthday to Dan "the man" Lake!!

I just ran across my friend from high school's husband. And what's even better is that he happened to list the International Aviation Phonetic Alphabet, which is great because just yesterday I was wishing I could remember the word for "N". Though I guess I didn't write about it, Nate & I ended up tagging along to their New Year's Eve party last year. However, they've apparently moved to NYC since then. Seems Amanda is getting her masters at NYU (*jealousy*), while Jason is writing a play. Hopefully I can catch up with them when I'm home.

I've been a bit lax in mentioning the cool stuff going on at the places I visit regularly. But don't miss Ice Blue over at BlueDaniel... also check out his great archives in the "Etc" section. Also, make sure you catch A South Glen Christmas over at Magnolia Glen. Oh what fun...

You know some day I'm going to have to make a bunch of straw stars.

Friday Five
1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
I like a little snow. Just for Christmas though.

2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?
I just appreciate being home with family.

3. Do you do have any holiday traditions?
We always have the same yummy chicken and rice on Christmas eve. Then we all go sit by the tree to read the Christmas story. Then presents. Then cheesecake and apple cider for dessert. Christmas morning is always about opening my birthday presents by the tree in my pajamas.

4. Do you do anything to help the needy?
I usually pick up some gifts for those places who distribute to families who don't have much.

5. What one gift would you like for yourself?
Massage.

Don't Build Your House on the Sandy Land
After little Audrey's dance recital last night, I got home just in time to see the ceremony of Ryan & Trista. I also witnessed one of the stupidest wedding moments in my life -- the layering of the multicolored sand. I thought the Browning poem was flirting with cheese, but the sand was too much for me.

How Cold
I've been reading up on the story of the Australian adventurer who is, essentially, stranded on Antarctica. It is my understanding that he intended to fly from New Zealand, over the South Pole, and land somewhere in Argentina. However, stormy weather caused him to use more fuel than anticipated, and he was forced to land at a US-NZ air force base without enough fuel to continue on nor to turn back. Apparently the NZ and US officials are refusing to sell him the fuel he needs to leave according to a policy they have to discourage tourists. Sort of makes us out to be the bad guys... even though this article mentions that the nearby Italian base is not helping either. You can read an interview with the pilot here. Poor guy.

Skin = Sponge
My Indiana girls might be interested to know that this week I became a wholesale buyer of Arbonne. I just love their products and figure signing up would be worth the 35% discount I would get. They don't use any mineral oil in their products, because our skin acts as a sponge and absorbs all the yucky chemicals in a lot of today's beauty products. I can't wait to get my order!

Along the same lines, I was just reading that they are developing a spray-on birth control.

Oops
MovieMistakes.com noted some of the movie blunders in The Fellowship of the Ring and in The Two Towers. Peter Jackson had the chance to retort in this Newsweek article.

RTB VTP
Don't miss the Rocky Top Brigade Volunteer Tailgate Party over at Tommy's this week. It's nice that someone is focusing on the true meaning of Festivus.

I'm in "sick denial". My limbs were waging war with my mind when it came time to get out of bed this morning. (Something along the lines of "heck no, we won't go.") My eyeballs feel gummy, and all I really want to do is sleep... forever.

However, thanks to my Horrible Home Remedy, I can at least breathe through my nose. Yesterday my sinuses (sinai, if you will) were working overtime, and my nose was all stuffy. Now understand this is one of the hardest things to convince yourself to do... it is a complete mind over matter game. Or would that be matter over mind? Mind over mind?

Anyway, the big secret is this. Stuffy nose? When in the shower, get a little handful of water. Then convince yourself to sniff the water. Anyone who ever went swimming as a child knows the extreme discomfort this action causes... but I'm telling you... by the time you get out of the shower, those air passages will be open. I recommend doing one nostril at a time, and sometimes repeating the process is necessary if there is a lot of blockage.

I learned this from a registered nurse... and I even found it referenced here under "Instant Relief".

Happy Birthday to Jusup (one of Manda's best friends)!!

This is a Nasa satelite photo of the damage path of a tornado in Maryland. And a very cool picture of lightning striking a tree.

Sorry Blogger was broken on Tuesday, so I couldn't get that last one to post earlier. I had also written a bunch of fun stuff that wasn't so cranky, but I lost that in the meantime. Oh well.

Belated Happy Birthdays to Krystal (6th), Gianfranco (8th), & Randy (9th)!!

Rant
I hate that I know enough about this to actually have an opinion (a strong opinion at that), but my excuse is that I usually have my television on when I'm working at home... and due to the lack of remote control, it usually ends up on MTV all day.

Rich Girls on MTV. This isn't like The Newlyweds where it was so unbelievably stupid that everyone loved to watch. No this is just unbelievably stupid. Somehow I just don't think that it is "reality" television. I think these are girls who are used to getting what they want who are trying to make "reality television". (How many times can Jaime mention she wants to write for a teen magazine?)

They show the episodes so often, I think I could do a running commentary on each one from memory. In fact, someday, I just might.

Now, I know that a lot of 18-year-olds are completely self-absorbed and don't know they don't have a clue... but it really makes me all irritable.

Okay... three little points I just need to get out and then I'll stop:

#1. To the powers that be at MTV: Watching dogs yak and pee was entertaining once. On The Osbournes... two years ago. No one cares if Sam has to mark 10 trees on his walk or if Midge has a tummy ache.

#2. To Ally: Get a grip. After watching her breakdown by the swimming pool, I just wanted to reach through the television and smack her. Somebody get the girl a cd of Michael Jackson's "Have You Seen My Childhood" and tell her to shut up. "This may sound really pompous, but I don't understand how people perceive me." This show isn't helping.

#3. To Jaime: People in the midwest do not wear cargo pants because they need more pockets. You may have been to Europe and all the boutiques in New York, but you don't know squat. Be quiet. You're making yourself look stupid. And try smiling, dear.

And just because I needed some affirmation, here are some great things that other people had to say:
▪ Suburban Bliss: among other great points... "in the same episode, Ally expressed some concerns about living outside her father's shadow and making a name for herself. I have great news for Ally. She has made a name for herself and it's something like 'Stupid daughter of Tommy Hillfiger'."
▪ The Blueprint: "Perhaps they decided to participate in this show to dispel stereotypes, but they reinforced my preconceived notions to a degree I couldn't have imagined. I understand that these girls are just high-schoolers and are therefore retarded by nature, but I can't believe how disgusted I am by them."
▪ There's actually a petition to get the show off the air. Granted, no one is signing it, but still...
/Rant

Baby Gender Predictor: maybe a little safer than the ol' drano test.

Work the System
Why.... why can I not rent a car to take me from here to my parents' house? I know it is 900 miles, but give me a break. Is 200 extra miles on your one-way policy going to kill you? You've been so good to me in the past, my dear sweet Avis. Help me. (I actually determined that I might have to one-way rent to some undisclosed location around mile marker number 450... and then one-way rent the same car from there the rest of the way.)

Subliminal Thoughts
I Say... You Think...
1. Blizzard:: Cozy
2. J:: Brooks
3. Control:: Freak
4. Blood:: Thirsty
5. Mysterious:: Ways
6. Annoying:: Can you hear me now?
7. Throat:: Lozenge (what a fun word!)
8. Condom:: uhh... you said "condom"... heh
9. Search:: Starsearch
10. Heartfelt:: Emotions

Gone Crazy: Feel Free to Join Me
Okay, I have wasted literally hours on this. Hamlet - The Text Adventure... gaming the way it used to be. I'm so frustrated. I've gotten to 58%, but I've run completely stuck. I'm getting ready to pull out my Shakespeare to figure out if I'm missing a major plot point that would help me. So yeah... feel free to play around with that and let me know if you figure out how to get past Nell or Othello. Ta.

Amendment:
Make that 68%. Now... how to get that kerchief...

Amendment #2:
Four hours later... I have a revelation...

Amendment #3:
74%... where the frick is the newt?

Worst Album Covers Ever
Worster Album Covers Ever

Holy Blogger Freakout, batman.

Umm, to anyone who hasn't gotten an email from me lately: It's not you. It's me. And you're not the only one. I've had an anti-email week. Sorry.

I'm pretty sure that the ads for Prince of Persia are about the coolest thing right now. The music from Melo-D definitely makes it. I have nostalgic ties to that game though. It's come a long way since the good old 16-bit days.

Why??
I'm quite certain that you have most likely missed out on the fun and games over at the SC Johnson website. There is the Windex® ShineTime game, the Raid® Insect Killer game, the Raid® screensaver, and the Dow Scrubbing Bubbles® screensaver. I'm sure you're all rushing over there right now as I speak.

Trust Me
Go here. Click on "Sounds". Click on "Forss" (guy with hands by his mouth). Click on the last "Listen" for the Standard 1A Medley. It's a brilliant theme and variation of one of the world's most annoying cellphone ringtones. (Which also happens to be the one that one of my roommates uses. Though they hate my ring too.) :)

359
Ever notice how you can find a 360-degree view of almost anything these days? Here's some I came across:
▪ Stonehenge
▪ Mt Everest
▪ Foster Park
▪ the 9|11 Tribute in Light
▪ The Kennedy Center Concert Hall
▪ The Kitchen at Poche's Restaurant
▪ Brighton University
▪ Summer Lake Inn
▪ Mooloolaba Beach
▪ The dining room of the camp that I went to as a kid
▪ Chateau Figeac

I know winter is a couple weeks away, but our whole office smells like winter thanks to this yummy Silver Fir Illume Candle we've been burning all week. If ever I wished the internet had scratch-n-sniff capabilities, it would be now. It's so wonderful! I wish you knew.

The Snowman Kit -- I always thought the whole point of snowmen were to go pull out your dad's old scarf and hat... but I guess these little kits would be just dandy otherwise.

My Twinn lets you make dolls that look just like your child. This was the closest I could come to me as a child sans freckles. (And then we have the Manda doll.) Okay nevermind... they're freakin' creepy.

The Fix Chicks: who says that women can't be handy? Some people are surprised that I have a tool box. (Granted, it's just a box with tool in it... but that makes it a tool box nonetheless, right?) My rebuttal is always, "Listen, I had work-study in the theatre... I could build you an entire house out of plywood, 2x4's, cardboard, and a bucket of screws."

The thing last night wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be... but hey, it was at a cool place (BaroTwenty3), there were free drinks, and I ended up talking to a cool chick who didn't know anyone else there either.

Friday Five
(There is not one this week, but I missed last week's anyway.)

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?
No. I don't particularly like trying on clothes, and I don't like the other people.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?
Coffee.

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?
Online for items where size or comfort is not an issue.

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?
We'd get a couple dollars here or there for helping out around the house. I can't really remember how much it was. And then I started working in my dad's office after school to make extra money.

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
The bayonet lightbulbs that were the same size as the other bayonet lightbulbs that are all too big for the lamp that I'm trying to get to work.

Connie says I need to keep a little notebook with the Dutch vocabulary she is teaching me. Because I grew up in a really Dutch community, she says that my pronunciation is impressive. We even had a little Dutch language class when I was in third grade... most of which is forgotten, though I can still count to ten and sing a little song about a mouse.

So today's phrases are:

goede morgan (hoo-deh moor-hen): good morning
waarom niet (var-ohm neet): why not?
heel goed (heel hood): very good

(Of course, the "g" sound is that sort of phlegmy scraping noise that those other languages use.)

I'm ajMathelete
Just a little tidbit for you here. I don't know if everyone knows this... but a number is divisible evenly by 3 if the total sum of all the digits is divisible evenly by 3. (If you need to know why, read here.)

i.e. 2532 is divisible by 3, because 2+5+3+2=12 which is divisible by three. (2532/3=844)

This is an especially handy trick when you have two roommates and are trying to figure out utilities.

Cha-cha-chain... Chain of Fools
When trying to decide whether I want to link to a site which I may or may not eventually want to visit again, I think I try to err on the side of having too many than wishing I could find something again later only to find that I didn't put the link anywhere. (i.e. where in the world is that site where they let you order free skater, surfer, skiier and boarder stickers once every six months???)

So yesterday I came across Old Man in the Crosswalk (new blogger) who had linked to Darren Barefoot (Technical Writer, Playwright, Raconteur, Miscellanist, and Canadian) who linked to 25 Albums that Should Not Have Been Recorded.

We're on a Mission from God
So tonight I am getting paid overtime to go to some iTunes event on behalf of one of our clients. I think it will be interesting, but I'm not super into the schmooze level required for these kinds of things.

Today on The Daily Report: If Filmmakers were Web Designers.

The guys were in town for sales conference today. They were well received, and they were even persuaded to play a little bit of my favourite "You are Mine". I got to bring Roy to the airport. (He was here for a full 14 hours this time.) It's always good to chit-chat with him.

When I got back to the office, the other three were here. When I went into the conference room, Darren stood to his feet as though at attention. I must have give him a startled look, and he responded, "A lady walked into the room." He's such a good guy. A dying breed, I tell you.

Subliminal Thoughts
I Say... You Think...
1. Scrooge:: bah humbug
2. Ribbon:: ooo pretty
3. Physical:: Mental, Spiritual, Emotional
4. Income:: Tax
5. Dream:: A Little Dream
6. Notebook:: computer
7. Disney:: Manda
8. Combo:: pool
9. Booty:: Pirates
10. Skin:: deep

Okay. I'm over it. I am a big fat NaNoWriMo loser. I'm okay with that. I think if I attempt next year, I need one of these fancy-schmancy Progress Meters (aka NaNoWriMoProMe).

I just got The Importance of Being Earnest for the same price as a rental. It's decent. I saw the show at the IRT with one of my old youth groupies, and I thought it was better... but I think they stayed true to Wilde's tale. (Is it movie choices like this that make him surprised that I might actually enjoy DD?)

Mmm... Kitties!

My desk faces a window. (Always a bad idea.) The blinds are usually shut on that side to avoid blindness, but they slant down, so I can still see the ground outside a bit. A little while ago something small, slender, and very white crawled past. I know there is a calico cat in the neighborhood, but this definitely was not that. I jumped up to go to the back door just in time to see the tail end going underneath the shed out back. I couldn't get it to come out... not sure if I really wanted it to anyway.

When I came back inside...
Karl: What was it?
Me: I don't know. It didn't respond to "creature".
Bossman: What?
Me: You know. "Here creature, creature, creature." Didn't respond.

Guilty Pleasure Song for the Day
Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey
Okay, I'm not a big Mariah fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I heard this song in a store. There's something about the lead up to the key change that gets me every time.
~I know that you'll be back boy
When your days and your nights get a little bit colder
I know that you'll be right back baby
Oh baby believe me it's only a matter of time~

Quick Recap
▪ Went home.
▪ Hung out with the fam.
▪ Saw snow.
▪ My niece and nephew are adorable.
▪ My sister is extremely pregnant. (Though not due until my birthday, she is hoping she doesn't wait that long.)
▪ Created some new Christmas decorations.
▪ Three Musketeer reunion.
▪ Food.

I think this would be nice to see if not own: The Work of Director Michel Gondry. (If only for the Massive Attack and Bjork vids alone.)

A Conversation with My Mom
As we were trying to pick out a new coat for her.
Mom: But that one has corduroy. I thought you girls hated corduroy.
Me: Mom, I'm wearing corduroy.
Mom: Oh, I guess you are. I thought you hated corduroy.
Me: That was fifteen years ago when you made us wear it.

More later. Still trying to catch up.

Thoughts from a Plane: Seat 17A

Flight from one home to the other requires no less than two airplanes.
One a crop duster.
The other a jet.

Southwest. Northwest.
The change in direction equals the difference between
a glass of gingerale versus the whole can
and one bag of peanuts versus two of pretzels.

Across the aisle is a baby in pink named Laura
(as told to the inquisitive flight attendant)
asleep in the arms of her sleeping mother
also in pink.

Ahead of me is the woman who was originally seated next to me
whose first words to me
(as I indicated that my seat was
the window-seat partner to her aisle seat)
were: "You're kidding me, right?"

Once the cabin door closed, she collected her things
and almost apologetically told me she was moving
to the row ahead of us
"to give us more room"...
as if I was going to miss her leather pants, romance novel,
and two bottles of purple juice.

Across the way is someone with my idea
watching an unidentified movie with army men.
Laptops are so handy when it comes to traveling.
If only I had remembered to bring my headphones.
I'm sure not everyone wants to listen to Donnie Darko right now.

"Time's fun when you're having flies."
Is that a punchline to a joke or a quote from Kermit?
I don't know but it just came to me
as I attempted to come up with a witty way to close this thing.

The Mouths of Babes
This morning the pastor asked the children what the time of year before Christmas is called. These were their answers in the order they were shouted out:
▪ Thanksgiving
▪ Jesus' Birthday
▪ Christmas Eve
▪ Hanukkah
(the answer we were looking for is Advent.)

Last night I had some quality time with my brother cutting his hair before he left for the night. He has two new tattoos on the back of his arms. He said I was the first person to figure out what they say, because they look sort of like flames or something but not necessarily words. One arm says "Forever" and the other says "Searching". He's a cool kid.

Two home-cooked meals left to go...