The world through kiddie eyes

When I was a child I would look up at the sky and see the clouds that looked like the roof of a whale's mouth and I would worry that he would close his mouth at any moment and swallow up the world. It never happened, but I still get a twinge of fear if I look up and see those clouds in the sky.

A certain secret someone has sent this postcard to PostSecret:



I guess we're programmed to live in constant fear. Hmm.

'Deep Throat' identity revealed

(Now, now, get your mind out of the gutter.)

The Watergate snitch has been confirmed as W. Mark Felt, the number 2 man in the FBI at the time of the scandal. Why Vanity Fair got the scoop is beyond me...



I really thought this was Bob Barker before I read the headline. :)

Washington Post's Mensa Invitational

Found this via Wabi My Sabi:

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year's winners:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realise it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

5. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

6. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

8. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

9. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

13. Glibido: All talk and no action.

14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

17. Caterpallor (n.): The colour you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:

18. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

I can't find a Washington Post link (they're redesigning their site) or I'd link to them directly. Hope you enjoyed.

The good, the bad, and the scary-ugly

The good: Paris Hilton is rumored to be engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis. If this is true, I'm very happy for the both of them.

The bad: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are still trying to convince us that they love each other. I just threw up a little in my mouth. (I saw someone say that on D*ana's Dirt, I can't take credit for originally throwing up in my own mouth. Oh. Wait. Yes, I can. Ew.)

The scary-ugly: Katie's cold sores. Nuff said. No? You need a visual. Okay! But, don't say I didn't warn you...



(I know this pic is old, but it keeps grossing me out.)

This just in - Access Hollywood proclaims:

Only Tom Will Tell

In an exclusive interview with Billy Bush, Tom Cruise opens up about every single aspect of his life -- Katie Holmes, Scientology, his break-up with Nicole, and what he sees as the biggest danger in the world.

It's truly a side of Tom you've never seen before! You may agree or disagree with Tom Cruise, but he is undeterred, unafraid and enthusiastically a man on a mission. More details

Perhaps we'll learn why Tom Cruise looks like he's permanently on speed lately. Or, not.


Billy: Do you really love Katie Holmes?
Tom: Billy, I'm standing on your floor! HaHA! Me love Ritalin, taste like candy, nummy.

Madame brought to life

*Gulp* Do you remember Madame from Solid Gold and Hollywood Squares, the scary looking puppet lady who trash talked everyone? Cityrag has a side-by-side comparison of Madame and the overly-plastic-surgeoned Joan Rivers.



They look identitcal. Creeeeepy!!

Crane, crane go away

What is it with Georgia and cranes?

Another Crane Climber Reported in Atlanta

ATLANTA May 31, 2005 — Another man has scaled a construction crane in Atlanta, just hours after a murder suspect was ordered jailed without bail following a 56-hour standoff atop one of the high-rise rigs.

On Monday, hours after Florida murder suspect Carl Edward Roland was in court for a hearing in last week's crane standoff, Thomas Eugene Robinson scaled another crane in the same section of the city, authorities said.

However, Robinson, 26, came down from his perch early Tuesday, police said.

"He was lured down with doughnuts and cigarettes," police spokeswoman Marion Lee said. He was arrested on charges of criminal trespass and reckless conduct, she said.

Roland was ordered held without bail pending a hearing Tuesday on a request to extradite him to Florida.

Police subdued Roland with a stun gun as he crawled toward an officer for a cup of water early Saturday. He had climbed onto the 350-foot-tall crane Wednesday. In all, the standoff stretched over 56 hours, tying up traffic in the city's Buckhead neighborhood and drawing crowds of curious spectators.

He is accused in Pinellas County, Fla., of killing his former girlfriend, Jennifer Gonzalez, whose body was found Tuesday in a pond.

Roland, 41, of Clearwater, Fla., faces charges in Atlanta of criminal trespassing, reckless conduct and first-degree criminal damage to property, police said. Source: ABC News

If you didn't know, the first crane incident ended with a tasering. So, this second guy is a lightweight in comparison. Not quite sure what's in the water in Atlanta this year...

You want to hire me, you really do

Kate's World Blog has a doublemint post, the second half of which is a collection from the June 21, 1997 Fortune Magazine of resume bloopers. Here are a select few from the list:

1. "I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreasheet progroms."
2. "It's best for employers that I not work with people."
3. "Let's meet, so you can 'ooh' and 'aah' over my experience."
4. "I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely no one and absolutely nothing."
5. "I procrastinate, especially when the task is unpleasant."
6. "Note: Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as 'job-hopping'. I have never quit a job."
7. "Finished eighth in my class of ten."
8. "References: none. I've left a path of destruction behind me."

I'm definitely hiring these candidates...

Drink your weedies

It's funny what memories come back to you when you're browsing other people's sites. I visited Dandelion Wine today and had this memory: When I was 15 I wanted to know what it felt like to be drunk. I snuck into my grandmother's kitchen cabinet, snatched a bottle of dandelion wine, and proceeded to drink the entire bottle.



I hated the taste and lost the toothpaste I had intended to use to cover up the smell when my mom came home from her date. She asked me what was wrong with me and I told her I just wasn't feeling well. I have a feeling she saw right through my boldfaced lie, but she never talked with me about it later.

Tweet!

Here's a neat site of bird pictures, simply titled Birds.


"Hi!"

Misuse

I will tell you right now, I don't approve of this:

Mom to advertisers: Place your ads on my baby
LANGHORNE, Pennsylvania (AP) -- When Michele Hutchison's baby is born, she envisions more than a pure bundle of bouncing joy. She also sees a potential billboard.

The suburban Philadelphia mom-to-be is inviting advertisers to put their names on her child's clothing and baby goods, saying the ads are sure to get noticed.

"Everyone looks at babies. We're going to be out and about all the time," said Michele Hutchison, 26, whose second child is due in June.

Hutchison, a stay-at-home mother, has placed notices on the Web sites Craigslist and eBay seeking bids of at least $1,000 for the rights for one month.

She got the idea after learning of a woman who offered to have advertisements tattooed on her body. Rest of article

It's one thing to mark up your own body to make a little cash, but this is child exploitation, no different in my eyes than having your kid prostitute herself, work in a sweatshop, run drugs, etc. Your kids are not in existence to provide you with financial gain. They exist for you to love them and raise them to become productive members of society who care for themselves, their family, humankind, and the environment. Am I wrong here?

Color IQ

My new favoritest online game:



I attempted the Einstein riddle as suggested by ARTCHIK23. Even though I fuzzy logic-ked the answer, I couldn't tell you why. Just a lucky guess, so I don't think I'm in that 2%. Credit for my new addiction goes to Deb at Pocketlint who suggested Games for the Brain - including Colorama - in the comment section of ARTCHIK23's Einstein post. Haven't gotten one wrong yet. Finally, my calling in life! (Ok, just kidding.)

DMB and sacrifice

My first time ever hearing Dave Matthews Band was at a concert that my friend-boyfriend-friend (we had a complicated on-off relationship) took me to see. DMB's music was so enchanting that I was hooked by the very first song they played. I have never lost that love - I buy every album they produce and I wear it out. Whenever I hear DMB I want to hug someone tightly, so much so that it feels like a craving. My husband hates DMB, can't stand Dave's voice. So, that's a bit of a conflict for me. He wants no hugs when he hears Dave, he wants to just turn the station or radio dial or change the CD or click the next song in iTunes. But, because he loves me he leaves the station or radio or CD or iTunes playlist right where it is and he gives me a hug if I ask him to. :)

wholesome goodness

See what happens when you do random acts of kindness? Mindi gave her doorman a piece of chocolate cake, and he gave her an unexpected (nice!) surprise in return. These stories make me smile. :)

Gaspillée and the letter people

I know I promised exciting posts when I returned from the bitty party, but I spent all morning weeding the garden, helping my husband edge vegetable beds, and planting flower seeds. I'm just wiped out. I have been scouring my favorite haunts for fun stuff to post and have found very little that is new and interesting except another Surfilicious post: The Retail Alphabet Game. Look at images of letters and guess which product / company / brand name the letter came from. It freaks me out that I know so many from the 3rd edition without batting an eye. Television was my babysitter for a number of years... I'm not going to include an image here because if I do I'm ruining the game. Editions 1 through 3 have solutions provided, but if you want solutions to edition 4 you have to pay. Such is life, gotta make money somehow!

Piano man riddle

Shocker of shockers, we're actually busy today, but I leave you with this newsbite:

Claims 'Piano Man' mystery solved

LONDON, England -- British police and social workers say they are no closer to finding out the identity of the mysterious so-called "Piano Man" despite claims he is a classically-trained Czech musician called Tomas Strnad.

Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper published pictures of Strnad as a teenage keyboard player which they said showed "an uncanny resemblance" to the mystery man.

"Piano Man" stunned carers with a four-hour virtuoso piano performance after he was found wandering aimlessly near a beach on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, southern England, more than seven weeks ago.

He was wearing a waterlogged dinner suit and tie, from which all the labels had been cut out.

He had apparently lost his memory has not spoken a word since. Rest of story

Seems like they could just ask a relative of Tomas Strnad to find out if Piano Man and Tomas are the same person? But, clearly there is some complication they are neglecting to mention, as usual.

More exciting posts after we attend a party for a great old bitty.

Image meme

Thanks to Angie at Ficken Chingers for introducing me to this neat meme that you answer using images:

The place you grew up;the place you live now;your name;your grandmother's name;your favorite food;your favorite drink;your favorite song;your favorite smell and your favorite shoes.

The place you grew up


The place you live now


Your name

(nice try, you just get my blog name ;)

Your grandmother's name


Your favorite food


Your favorite drink
A tie between...

and...


Your favorite song


Your favorite smell
Another tie, between...

and...


Your favorite shoes


Meme away!

Stress reliever

Who doesn't love to pop those packing bubbles? Now you don't have to wait for a package to arrive!!! Credit to Surflicious for leading me to this fine corner of the net: Vice King's bubble wrap. (Manic Mode is very gratifying.) *pop*

Cultured

Some art for a beautiful Saturday evening:

Rubik's cube art (Jacob Davenport)
CSS playground object demonstrations (Stu Nicholls)
7-UP, 1961, enamel on plaster-soaked cloth on wire (Claes Oldenburg)
Campbell's tomato soup (Andy Warhol)
Belvedere (M. C. Escher)
"Tie" pin-up girl (Billy De Vorss)
Lamp Shade (BombDog Jon Lucas)

(Credit to Surfilicious for the idea.)

There's so much great art out there, do a Google search for yourself. ;)

Another data dog Ein cutie pie

I say it often enough that I love from afar Buddy the Wonder Dog, but there's another dog who has a soft place in my heart - Nabby!



Need I say more? :D

Did I not just request that people not DUI?

I know that the holiday weekend tempts people to exact poor judgment, but don't say I didn't warn you...

Police: Director Oliver Stone arrested
BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone was arrested for investigation of drug possession and driving while intoxicated, police said Saturday.

Stone, 58, was arrested Friday night at a police checkpoint on Sunset Boulevard after showing signs of alcohol intoxication, police Sgt. John Edmundson said.


Bad boy Stone

A search of his Mercedes turned up drugs, Edmundson said. He did not specify what kind.

Stone was released Saturday morning after posting $15,000 bail. Rest of article

Bad boy, Mr. Stone.

If you kiss enough blades of grass...

This little guy hopped away just in time to escape my riding mower:



And, for your viewing pleasure, a few of our parrot tulips from the front garden:

do kindness

Every day is Random Acts of Kindness day...



Try doing one act of kindness everyday, food for a happy soul.

Everyone but the Northwest is going to summer school

Apparently most of us are driving around with preconceived notions about driver safety:

Survey ranks states with dumbest drivers
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - When faced with a written test, similar to ones given to beginning drivers applying for licenses, one in ten drivers couldn't get a passing score, according to a study commissioned by GMAC Insurance.

The GMAC Insurance National Driver's Test found that nearly 20 million Americans, or about 1 in 10 drivers, would fail a state driver's test if they had to take one today. GMAC Insurance is part of General Motors' finance subsidiary, GMAC.

More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65 were administered a 20-question written test designed to measure basic knowledge about traffic laws and safety. They were also surveyed about their general driving habits.

Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did worst. Twenty percent of test-takers failed there. Rest of article

The nation versus the top ten ranking state:

Nation -- 82.7
1. Oregon -- 89.4
2. Washington -- 88.4
3. Iowa -- 87.7
4. Idaho -- 87.5
5. Wyoming -- 87.4
6. Vermont -- 86.6
7. Nebraska -- 86.5
8. Wisconsin -- 86.3
9. Montana -- 86.2
10. West Virginia -- 86.2

(Full list of states)

I'm surprised that any states score quite so well, but I'm also surprised there aren't a lot more accidents each day...

Pardon the mess...

It's a holiday weekend so fewer people will be looking here. I'm trying to troubleshoot a problem with my blog since I doubt Blogger will answer me until late next week. So, if things change wildly on you, just brace yourself and hold on for the ride...

Happy holiday!

I'll still be here, because I rarely leave computerland, but for those of you who have a real life and go away for Memorial day weekend - have a blast, drink responsibly, don't DUI, and be nice to fellow humankind.

If you're like me and will be in blogland this weekend, visit often for more posts. :)

Lightsabre duel ends badly

Credit to RootsRadical for leading me to this story about a lightsaber fight that went terribly wrong. The article is Brit-ish, so it's called a lightsabre:

Two hurt in mock light sabre duel

Two Star Wars fans are in a critical condition in hospital after apparently trying to make light sabres by filling fluorescent light tubes with petrol.

A man, aged 20, and a girl of 17 are believed to have been filming a mock duel when they poured fuel into two glass tubes and lit it.

The pair were rushed to hospital after one of the devices exploded in woodland at Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

A third person present at the incident had been questioned, police said.

Videotape found

A videotape was found nearby by police called to the scene on Sunday.

A police spokeswoman said the pair were taken to West Herts Hospital before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, in Essex.

They are both said to be in a critical condition. Rest of article

Moral of the story: Petrol is not a toy. Nope, it's not.

Is that a banana in your pants? Hmm.

Thanks to Regurgitated News for sharing this weird story from Yahoo News:

Man Gets 20 Days in Toy Banana Flashing
STAMFORD, Conn. - A former Stamford police officer has been sentenced to 20 days in jail for lewd conduct involving a toy banana. Arthur Bertana, 63, was ordered to serve a 4 1/2 year prison term suspended after 20 days and one year of probation.

Bertana, who had been on probation for lewd conduct in Stamford more than four years ago, was arrested in March after police said he placed a toy banana in his pants and flashed people on a main Greenwich Ave.

Police said he would place a shopping bag in front of his pants, exposing a bulge to women in a sexually offensive manner.

"It was a yellow, plush, child's toy banana," Sgt. Roger Petrone Jr. said at the time of Bertana's arrest. "It had a smiley face on it."

Information from: Greenwich Time, http://www.greenwichtimeonline.com

I misread his sentence as 20 years and went on a bit of a rant about the inappropriate sentencing, but I now see it's 4 1/2 years with 20 days served. Still, that's just silly.

Buddy the Wonder Dog, and Peepers too!

I love doggies, especially Buddy the Wonder Dog. Cityrag has posted a picture of Buddy with his best doggy friend Peepers. Too cute!

MK's TV appearance

MK has posted the clip of his TV appearance on Idol chat. View it here. He's such a cutie. If you read through his site he was always rooting for Carrie, but I think he felt the pressure of a Bo win so changed his mind for the interview. I really thought Bo was going to win, too. We were duped. ;)

Naughty, naughty Kim

American Idol contestant, TV Guide host of Idol Chat, and apparent bad girl Kimberly Caldwell has been arrested. From Daily Dish:

Former "American Idol" contestant Kimberly Caldwell has been arrested for drunk driving.

Just weeks after ousted contestant Corey Clark claimed to have had a sexual relationship with show judge Paula Abdul, reports have emerged that season two finalist Caldwell was arrested for drunk driving after police pulled her over in her vehicle on May 19 in Burbank, Calif.

Caldwell, 23, failed a sobriety test and was released after posting $5,000 bail, according to Us Weekly. Officials have 30 days to file charges.

Caldwell's representative says, "Kimberly is consulting a lawyer and disputing the charges."

Kim, you're not being a very good role model... She did look a little trashed on Idol Chat the other night when MK was on the show.

Woah...

My blog has taken a turn for the worse - only political posts. Eek. I assure you I will do my best to find news items or snippets of interest that have little or nothing to do with politics. Back to our regularly scheduled program of oddity, quirkiness, and fun...!

Big brother is watching you.

I carpool with my husband during the week. On the way into work today we were behind a Subaru that had some liberal-minded bumper stickers on it. So, when I read this one:



...I got a little confused for about three seconds. But, then I reread the date 1984 and got the joke. Go, Subaru!

Rollcall for dead soldiers

I know this is said way too much, but: And we wonder why the world hates us...

Scott Rose from The Bosh reports:

For All The Good It Will Do Them
If you were an American soldier murdered this past year in Iraq thanks to W.'s lunatic policies, you will be able to hear your name mentioned as your photo flashes on a TV screen over Memorial Day in an extended broadcast of "Nightline." 900 names and counting will be read. Ted Koppel says:"We owe it to these men and women who have died in the cause of freedom that we remember them with honor."

Not that W's supporters would be in favor of that. A similar program was broadcast in April 2004, drawing criticism from some conservatives jerks that it was a politically motivated effort to create opposition to the American presence in Iraq. The Sinclair Broadcast Group, with ties to W., barred its ABC affiliates from carrying the broadcast. Is that outrageous, or what? You send people's children off to get killed for insufficient cause, and then you won't even allow a tribute to them on the airwaves. W. and his cronies of course don't want you thinking about the realities of war; the trouble is, by not protesting W vigorously enough, we become complicit in his madness.

Sigh...

Pace

One of my co-workers forwarded me this mosaic of Pace flags he received from a friend. He printed the image on a color printer and mailed to our colleague who is training for his mission in Iraq:


(Click to view larger image.)

Pace is Italian for peace.

Blogger's permalinks

I understand it makes publishing faster and has server back end advantages, but I do not care for the new permalinks on Blogger. Now when I try to use permalinks all that happens is that you're brought to the page of posts, and you still have to scroll down and find what I am talking about. Before each post was its own entry. This "enhancement" stinks.

"Nick and Jess: The End" a publicity stunt

Seems lots of celebrity couples are doing publicity stunts lately.

Remember the time Ashlee Simpson lip synched? Let me be more specific - on SNL. At that time Jess stated that reports of problems in her marriage to Nick were leaked to draw attention away from the Ashlee scandal, but that the reports just weren't true.

Looks like they tried the trick again to drum up Nick's career, but it severely backfired. From D*ana's Dirt:

A source tells me that the whole Nick & Jessica separation/divorce thing has been COMPLETELY fabricated!!

Nick is working on a TV show with MTV and on a new album. The publicity people think it will be best for Nick to look like his own man, instead of just "Jessica's husband"... so they are spinning the story every which way they can to generate publicity AND to put it out there like Nick's a single man...

They wanted the whole divorce thing to be publicized, until Jessica FLIPPED OUT and started having a bit of a breakdown... she said she's willing to do it for Nick, but snapped when she actually had to deal with the report of their "divorce" "leaking".

There's the latest twist on the whole thing, from a person I know who has been right EVERY time.

I am telling you, every move these people (not just N&J but all of them) make is contrived... almost like they are acting... only their PR people write the script...

Look for Nick & Jess to take off for Fiji this weekend...... They'd be off to make a baby, but the PR people won't let her do that either!!

My advice to the stars: Try just keeping your private life private, don't make up stuff unless you want it to come true...(haven't you ever heard that in all lies there is some element of the truth?)

American Idol Season 4, Week 19: Season Finale

And your season 4 American Idol is: Carrie.




Congratulations!

Credit where credit is due

Hour 2 of the American Idol finale is friggin hysterical. All the parodies are really funny. Thanks, AI!

Guess who I just saw on Idol Chat?!

MK from popbytes fame was just on my TV screen being interviewed about who he thinks will win American Idol! He warned us he might be on tonight, so I was watching carefully. He's on half way through the show, so if you watch(ed) it, you saw him too!!! :) Go, MK!


(MK on Idol Chat, with and without flash)

(MK at the pre-Oscar setup / credit: MK's friend Cathy)

40 questions

I first saw this at Zazzafooky's site, but didn't have time. QuirkyGirl posted it, too, so now I feel a sense of destiny's obligation...

1. My uncle once: played the part of Jesus Christ in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

2. Never in my life: will I become a Republican.

3. When I was five: I used to take the good steak knives and dissect the mousies that my cat killed. If I was interrupted during a dissection I would put the mouse in a sandwich bag and place it in the freezer for later. (I still have these steak knives.)

4. High School was: awesome, loved it!

5. I will never forget: the summers I spent camping in Maine with my mom.

6. I once met: Soupy Sales, Captain Kangaroo, Spaulding Gray, and one of the Cirque du Soleil clowns. No, silly, not all at once.

7. There’s this girl I know: who chirps like a bird.

8. Once, at a bar: I played pool.

9. By noon I’m usually: wondering where my morning went!

10. Last night: I couldn't sleep so I read an article in Maxim magazine about the downfalls of winning the lottery.

11. If I only had: more time to devote to family and charities.

12. Next time I go to church: it will be for a wedding or a funeral.

13. Terry Schiavo: is in a better place.

14. What worries me most: War.

15. When I turn my head left, I see: three dogs, a wolf, some tomatoes (calendars) and an old ad for a Cyndi Lauper concert I attended.

16. When I turn my head right, I see: My 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Participation certificate, a box fan, and my jacket.

17. You know I’m lying when: I raise my voice emphatically and won't look you in the eye.

18. What I miss most about the eighties: the music and my cat Bear.

19. If I was a character written by Shakespeare, I’d be: a shrub.

20. By this time next year: I hope to start having children.

21. A better name for me would be: a waste of time, I really like my name.

22. I have a hard time understanding: war.

23. If I ever go back to school I’ll: be really stressed out, again.

24. You know I like you if: I smile when you enter the room.

25. If I won an award, the first person I’d thank would be: my mommy. :)

26. Darwin, Mozart, Slim Pickens & Geraldine Ferraro: Slim Pickens? Huh?

27. Take my advice: do not eat the yellow snow.

28. My ideal breakfast is: a big pile of bacon, cheesy eggs, biscuits, maple syrup with crispy waffles, maple creme donuts, maple or cinnamon scones, salted butter, fresh strawberries and pineapple wedges, regular coffee with cream and sugar.

29. A song I love, but do not have is: This would have been a better question a few hours ago. I found the album for the song I love.

30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest: visiting our county fair or our balloon festival.

31. Tulips, character flaws, microchips & track stars: have short shelf lives. (in the case of a character flaw: hopefully)

32. Why won’t people: love one another?

33. If you spend the night at my house: you need to understand that I talk to my cats like they are my human children, and that I sometimes verbalize their dialogue to me.

34. I’d stop my wedding for: wait, permanently? Or, just for a minute?

35. The world could do without: War.

36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: Kill the cockroach. (I dislike cockroaches, but who am I to decide when it is time for another to die?)

37. My favorite blonde is: in Phoenix.

38. Paper clips are more useful than: paper cuts.

39. If I do anything well, it’s: being compassionate.

40. And by the way: I appreciate that you took the time to read all 40!

Bo and Carrie: Both winners?

ONTD has posted information that Fox might claim there was a tie and that both Bo and Carrie are winners. That would be an interesting twist. Neither one is the best in my opinion, so I honestly don't care who wins. Baby V is the winner for me.

Store wars

This film short is way too cute - tofu d2, princess lettuce, cuke, obiwan cannoli, lord tader, chewbroccoli, ham solo, c3peanuts... It's a commercial for organic produce, but it's really well done! Definitely worth the time. It's even cute while it's loading!


first fight scene


egg troopers


cuke, obiwan cannoli, ham solo


ham solo and chewbroccoli


squash trio


Thai fighter


Princess Lettuce


Yogurt


Cuke and Darth Tader have a
lightsaber fight on the produce scale


The deathmelon




THE END

Funky!

I just did a google search for poppycede and found this. Neat! Maybe because I link to them? (Sorry, Kim, your multi-part J story is now a little more popular than I had inteded...)

Runaway Bride is going to the slammer where she belongs. (or NOT)

Fresh from CNN:

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia (CNN) -- Jennifer Wilbanks, the Georgia woman who fled the state and faked her own kidnapping and sexual assault before her wedding, was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury, the Gwinnett County district attorney said.

Wilbanks, 32, is charged with one count of making false statements, a felony punishable by five years in prison, and one count of making a false report of a crime, a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail, District Attorney Danny Porter said.

"We believe that the grand jury made the appropriate decision," he said at a news conference.

"At this point, the next step in the process would be the issuance of the bench warrant for her arrest," Porter said. "I feel confident that arrangements can be made for her to turn herself in, and then we will take the next step from there." Rest of story

I know you can't see, but I'm doing the happy "you got what you deserved" dance.

Just some advice for brides-to-be: If you don't want to marry your partner, just tell him/her so you can work it out or call off the wedding. No drama, no made up stories that promote racial tension, no wasting copious amounts of police and volunteer time, no trying to get the nation to sympathize with you.

Update: Pooey. She's just paying a fine. From CNN: Runaway bride agrees to pay $13,250 for search costs

Nick and Jess: The End

From D*ana's Dirt:

OK, here's the deal.

Last night E! Online posted a headline that Jessica had filed for DIVORCE from Nick... but now there's a retraction and an apology up at www.eonline.com!

E! deeply regrets that a draft report from E! Online, which contained some false information regarding the Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson marriage, was accidentally disseminated. The couple has not filed for divorce. E! apologizes to Nick, Jessica, their families and their fans for any distress this may have caused.

Yeah, OK. How on earth does one ACCIDENTALLY post a report like this? Why would they be "drafting" a report about someone filing for divorce if it didn't actually happen? Are they preparing for the POSSIBILITY of it happening? Seriously... and this is E! - they are pretty reliable when it comes to this kind of stuff... I think someone's daddy flipped out and threatened to sue...

Now, according to www.perezhilton.com, a source says it was actually NICK who filed for divorce a few weeks ago!!!

Sad day.

Ditto. :(

ON MY ROAD

This site, simply put, shows pictures of people in, on, or around the author's street wherever the author happens to be at the time. Here's the site's explanation:

people on my road - I am one of those people who when on holiday find other people's homes in other countries fascinating, imagining how they live, their homes, are they wildly different to me and my life. Taking that further, I decided to take snapshots for 5 minutes each day chronically a moment in people's lives as they pass down my road in Dublin. I debated whether or not to slightly blur their faces and decided no as it would defeat the purpose. Enjoy and feel free to comment on the site.

Give it a visit, see if you're "ON MY ROAD". :)

Cogent

My favorite high school English teacher used to say words to us that were not part of standard vernacular, because he actually wanted us to learn something. He would then exclaim, "look it up!" if we didn't know what it meant. He expected us all to have our own dictionaries in class every day, and we did. If someone forgot their dictionary and he told that person to "look it up!" that person would jump out of their seat, go to the back of the class, and look up the word in the mammothly unabridged dictionary that sat on a shelf all of its own.

My favoritest word that he taught us was "cogent". Whenever I hear that word I am instantly reminded of him. Here are a few memories of him that surface each time I encounter cogent:

a) He once tried to accuse me without accusing me of submitting a paper written by someone else because I used the word "atribute" (yes, misspelling of "attribute"). He didn't think I had any sort of extended vocabulary, so he thought that I had bought a paper from someone else and submitted it as my own work. He was so wrong. I was a computer nerd, and used the command "attrib" in DOS, so I happened to have "attribute" in my working vocabulary.

b) My sophomore year I had a dream about him having sex with me on the floor. I was on the bottom, and he was on top, thrusting into me as he read Shakespeare out loud. I couldn't look him in the eye for two weeks after that, and I look everyone in the eye (I think it's rude not to...).

c) He taught us the expression "SOL", but he told us it meant "Sorry Out of Luck" instead of "Shit Out of Luck".

d) He regularly let us into the teacher's lounge so we could buy soda from the vending machine.

e) He was my most favorite teacher in high school, and I really loved high school so that's saying something.

Anyway, back to the point: I was blog rocketing and found Cogent's site. This is definitely not my high school teacher, but a great site nonetheless.

Woman jailed after calling 911 about pizza man

This just in:

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- An 86-year-old woman was jailed after police said she called emergency dispatchers 20 times in a little more than a half-hour -- all to complain that a pizza parlor wouldn't deliver.

Dorothy Densmore was charged with misusing the emergency telephone hotline, jail spokeswoman Mandy Giannini said.

She told dispatchers Sunday that a local pizza shop refused to deliver to her south Charlotte apartment, said Giannini. She also complained that someone at the shop called her a "crazy old coot," Giannini said.

Densmore wanted them arrested. Instead, police came to arrest her, and she resisted, Giannini said.

It's unusual for someone to face charges for nonemergency calls, Giannini said. But on Sunday, Densmore kept calling 911, even after she was told to stop, Giannini said.

When an officer arrived at her apartment, the 5-foot (1.5-meter) -tall, 98-pound (44.5-kilo) woman attacked him, Giannini said. Densmore scratched him, kicked and bit his hand, she said.

Densmore also is charged with resisting a public officer and two counts of misusing the emergency telephone system, jail records show. CNN

Way to go, America! Get all those crazy coots in jail, lest the terrorists have won!

America has spoken

...and apparently they want Idol to go away:



I personally chose option 2: just the last 10 minutes. If CNN had not added the word "avidly" to choice 1 I would have chosen it.

For those of us who want an Idol fix, there's American Idol Season 4 brought to you by Brent.

Darn.

I work for an employer that takes up acres and acres of land. Rather than just wasting those acres, my employer chooses to plant beautiful trees, shrubs, and flowers in as many locations as possible. This morning while I was walking from one building to the next I realized that the trees are perfectly in bloom, and wished I had remembered my camera which I had intended to bring today. If I can remember, I'll snap a bunch of pictures and post them. So gorgeous here. I always complain about living in the same place where nothing is ever going on, but it is truly (one of) the most beautiful place(s) on Earth.

American Idol Season 4, Week 19: Original song, favorite song, original song

Let's just get to it: I'm voting for Bo. Hubby's voting for Carrie. So, our votes are a wash.

Okay, anyway.

After last week's show Ryan flipped a coin, Carrie won the toss, and she chose to sing second tonight.

Round 1 - Bo sang an original song, and Carrie sang a different original song.
Round 2 - Bo sang Vehicle and Carrie sang Independence Day.
Round 3 - Bo sang Carrie's song from round 1, Carrie sang another original song that sounds very similar to Bo's first song.

Carrie was sharp on all the songs, and sounded like crapola. Hubby disagrees for round 3. He thought she was incredible. (My ears hurt, though, so how could that be?!)

Bo sucked on the first original song, rocked on Vehicle, and made the original song that Carrie sang horribly sound like gold.

I want to vote for Vonzell, at least I got to see her in the audience.

Poppy out.

Gallery of the Absurd

Thanks, city for pointing out Perez's link to Gallery of the Absurd - Gossip Fueled Art.



Definitely a keeper! This site is brand-spankin'-new so give it a bit to accumulate more goodness.

Oh!

!!!! Kim just totalled her car!!!! Gah! This explains her really bad day! Please go visit her and leave her a nice comment.

Tiger

< geek >I have unsuccessfully attempted to unvault my Panther home directory so that I could back up my files and migrate to Tiger. So, I crossed my fingers and ran a little Disk Warrior, a sprinkle of Repair Permissions, a dash of upgrade installer, a pinch of software update, and now I am running Tiger 10.4.1. Yay... Widgets... Which are exploitable. Yikes. I do like spotlight, though. :) < /geek >

I N S A N I Q U A R I U M

I'm addicted! Ack! Thanks to P'nut for enabling me. :)

Practice saying "you're hired" 5 days a week!

Would you like to learn how to be Donald Trump? Then fork over tons of cash to enroll in Trump University! (Thanks, Regurgitated News.)

Secret lives

Comfort Addict has posted a thought-provoking golden nugget about how each of us has separate mini-lives (identities?) that don't necessarily overlap, so we become different people when we are fulfilling said sides of ourselves. I think this is my list of identities:

• IT professional (although I secretly wish I knew absolutely nothing about com-pu-tors, and often pretend not to)
• Mommy to 3 of the best kitties in the world
• Blogger
• Gardener
• Philanthropist - just don't have enough money to do it on a big scale, but I'd give away oodles of money if I had it
• Couch potato - ok, how about film critic, then?)
• Closet linguist - not very good, obviously, but practice makes perfect
• World traveller
• Cheese taste tester

I have other secret identities, but they're secret.

A(comes before)lphabeti(...)Zation

I keep finding blogs misfiled in my blogroll. I get the sneaking suspicion that little g-nomes are visiting my blog and switching the blogs around. In my true life I am pretty anal about alphabetization, so I'm pretty embarrassed each time I find blogs in the wrong order on my own site. *tsk* Dunno. Just had to say I'm sorry that my blogroll is occasionally out of order. But, aren't you at least a little psyched that I'm introducing you to so much goodness across the information superhighway, Al?

Wow.

Spectacular views over at Three and Forty:

For impulsive minds only

Have the urge to buy something, but just not sure what to buy? Try visiting The Impulsive Buy! They review products for you, so you can even buy something that has a bit of quality to it, or at least know that your impulse purchase is going to let you down (because TIB said so). Enjoy! Now you can never say that I never gave you anything. Or, conversely, always say that I did give you something... eh. :D

Donuts, anyone?

I really thought I ate enough for lunch, but now my tummy is growling for these donuts* made from tube biscuits.



NUM!!!


(*aka "doughnut" for the snobbies out there ;)

Why do we blog?

I don't want your money. I am not an actor, or writer, or any member of the entertainment industry. So, why do I come here to author my short and long tales, not-so-mainstream opinions, and abstruse witicisms? My answer: it's just therapeutic.

I originally was just a blog reader. I am thirsty for entertainment news, so I would do Google searches for entertainment sites. I first came across popdirt which satiated my need for pop news. But, soon my craving became boundless, and I did more and more Google searches until I found cityrag which I loved reading passively. Tales of Buddy the Wonderdog sprinkled in with celebrities around NYC made me feel like I was in the know.

Then, one day, I found "black lilly" at city who had come to NYC for a visit and posted some wonderful pics of her time (including one of Buddy's polaroid on the wall at Sugar Sweet Sunshine!) for blogreaders to marvel over. I visited her site and was hooked. She was so raw, so open, so unabashedly opinionated. She convinced me that I, too, could blog. And, she knows she is my muse because I've told her so. Blog started, and here we are today, with black lilly no longer confused so she has metamorphosed into Tiger Lilly, a beautifull fllower ( :) ) with a sharp edge, and me "forkin' it all over" to a certain extent - daring to give you a little more information about myself, but not too much (unless you give first).

I have to wonder, though: which stumbling block will make me stop blogging? The birth of my first child? (Not to worry, no bun in this oven yet.) The death of a close family member or friend? Blogger block? A(nother) mean commenter? A new hobby which consumes my blogging time? Nothing - I keep blogging infinitely with my secret identity preserved? I guess time will tell for me.

So, why do you blog? Discuss.

Who doesn't love a good museum?

Don't get enough of your own spam? Visit The Museum of Spam. Although the authors do ask you to donate and offer you spam filtering software, my interest is that there is such a thing as a spam museum. I thought everyone on the planet loathed spam so much that no one would dare make spam into a point of interest...

Chronicles of Narnia

In case you were sad that the LOTR movie trilogy has come and gone, try The Chronicles of Narnia.



Looking very much forward to watching the first one. (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - remember now?)

A happy ending, for once

A girl who had been abducted earlier today was found alive in a shallow grave because police saw her hand sticking out of the grave:

(CNN) -- Police found an 8-year-old Florida girl buried alive with minor injuries in an abandoned landfill Sunday morning, hours after she was reported abducted, according to officials in Lake Worth.

Authorities have detained a suspect, identified as 17-year-old Milagro Cunningham, whom they said the girl identified as her attacker.

Searchers found the girl inside a yellow recycling bin, which was inside a 30-foot dumpster.

"There was a yellow recycling bin, and the lid was flipped open," said Lake Worth Police Sgt. Mike Hall. "And inside the dumpster was a pile of rocks, boulders. And you could see a hand in there."

The girl was taken to a hospital, Police Chief William Smith said.

The suspect will be charged as an adult, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County state attorney's office.

Cunningham will face charges of attempted murder, sexual battery on a child under 12 and false imprisonment of a victim under 13. Rest of story

It's a happier day than it could have been...

Hey, don't piss off my figures.

I really like it when people get pissy in their blogs. I do!

The BiPolar has a funny post about stupid sayings. My personal fav:

"Blood is thicker than water"

No shit. Concrete is also thicker than water. So is pancake syrup. You got any other scientific breakthroughs to share with us Dr. Hawking ?

See? Funny! Now, please go read the rest and come back and post a comment. Merci.

Trick the Sith (aka The Sith Sense)

Darth Vader is waiting for you to ask him to guess what you're thinking. Sound required. Creepy Darth Vader breathing sound abounds.

Photo collage

A selection of my favorite images from the Montréal trip...



Interesting industrial architecture on the way into downtown - don't forget to merge!

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A horse on break

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One of the ships docked at the quai

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A fête du Canada mural on the outside of one of the quai warehouses

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A little art in the park

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More park art

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School children enjoying this fantastic sunny day

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Anchors away

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Science center flags

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An art sculpture in front of the science center

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Ice cream, anyone?

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A bicycle built for six!

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A beautiful flowering tree on the pathway to Cirque

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The reason for our trip!

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Sign on one of the old buildings on Place Jacques-Cartier

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L'Usine de Spaghetti, num!

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A sidestreet pathway

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Bonsecours Market

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Another building sign

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The artwork above our table at Restaurant La Marée

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A rockfish made out of copper that has sat at the door of La Marée for almost 30 years

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