of ’06

These are albums I purchased or was gifted in 2006 which either did or did not come out in 2006:

Ta-Dah ~ Scissor Sisters
The Sweet Escape ~ Gwen Stefani
Colorblind ~ Robert Randolph & The Family Band
So Far So Good (Live) ~ Paul Thorn
What's Left of Me ~ Nick Lachey
Loose ~ Nelly Furtado
Ben Broussard ~ Ben Broussard
Let It Die ~ Feist
Demon Days ~ Gorillaz
Gold ~ ABBA
Very Best of ~ Lisa Loeb
Kelis Was Here ~ Kelis
Gordon ~ Barenaked Ladies
FutureSex/LoveSounds ~ Justin Timberlake
The Road to Escondito ~ JJ Cale & Eric Clapton
The Dutchess ~ Fergie
Danity Kane ~ Danity Kane
Alright Still ~ Lily Allen
Walk the Line ~ Walk the Line soundtrack
Magic Potion ~ The Black Keys
Late Registration ~ Kanye West
Back to Me ~ Kathleen Edwards
Vertically Challenged ~ Lady Sovereign
Oh No ~ OK Go
More Shine ~ Si*Sé
Eye of the Telescope ~ KT Tunstall
The One ~ Frankie J
A Little More Personal (Raw) ~ Lindsay Lohan
Aaliyah ~ Aaliyah
The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band ~ Manfred Mann
In Between Dreams ~ Jack Johnson
Good News For People Who Love Bad News ~ Modest Mouse
Colour the Small Ones ~ Sia

That's what I remember, anyway. I'll keep better track in 2007.

As for movies...I paid waaaay too much attention to those. I categorized my movie watching by TV, DVD, and theater viewings. I never missed adding a movie to the list. They're all accounted for in 2006, because in 2005 I didn't keep good enough track and I vowed to keep better track. The numbers for 2006:

Seen in the theater:    8
          Seen on DVD: 143
              Seen on TV: 100
__________________
           Grand total: 251

See the entire list of viewed movies in 2006 here. View the list of movies I saw from Netflix and in the theater in 2005 here (6 in the theater, 126 from Netflix).

Hay, Allie, Ripley, Georgie-girl, and I hope that you had a semi- to über-fantastic 2006 and that 2007 finds you and yours happy, healthy, wise, and able to keep on blogging. :)

And, in tribute to two most excellent bloggers, Helen and Maven, I wish you: Peace!

A fantastic postsecret idea

Based on this postsecret:



...a reader emailed Frank with the following idea:

-----Email Message-----
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 1:09 AM

This postcard just gave me an idea:

I am going to buy a pinata and invite my friends to put their secrets in anonymously. Then we can blindfold each other,beat the shit out of it, watch our secrets rain down, and read them like candy. (I will email you some pictures).

The only friend I trust to do this with, besides Hay, is B. So, when we finally meet in person I think it's time to beat up a piñata. I do understand that if it's not my secret then its hers, and vice versa, but I feel closer to B than I have any girlfriend I've ever had in my life.

A year of random

Your meme, should you choose to accept it, is to dig into your blog archives and post the first sentence of the first post of each of the twelve months of 2006. Joanne and P'nut did this meme, but I need to switch it up a tad and preface by saying that I don't always have a sentence in the first post of the month so instead I am telling you the post title and the first sentence if one exists. Here goes:

January: Georgie snoozes in the new year with Bear on the kitty chair

February: This begs the question: ~ Where do bad boys go?

March: Birdies and Poppies love Regina King ~ We do!

April: Happy fish day! ~ In our 8th grade French class Madame told us all about poisson d'avril*, the tradition of affixing fish (pictures) to people's backs as an April Fool's day prank.

May: Ewwwwwwww! / What A Difference A Day Makes ~ That's what an Oxy pad took off my face last night after it was outside in the dirt all day.

June: Life, the universe, everything, and ...um... work. ~ At Avi's suggestion I am now in an air conditioned environment, no longer melting.

July: Murphy's (gd c-word* of a whoo-ore) law. ~ Your boiler will wait until Saturday afternoon of a holiday weekend to let you know about a soot build-up problem that has been around for quite some time now but is finally getting around to emitting black plumes of smoke out the outtake valve.

August: Bonne chance et merci pour tous les poissons! ~ Taking my first of two practice tests for exam 1 (of 2) today. Wish me luck! Or, wish me to fail, that works too.

September: Pink fan* ~ I've actually been feverishly refreshing my blog and reading my Yahoo mail for comments on the post below this one.

October: R and R ~ I've been a little stressed lately, so I was pretty psyched to have a weekend of fun.

November: Halloween countdown ~ Number of minutes Poppy left work early to greet trick-or-treaters: 120

December: Do me a favor... ~ Bring your hands up to your face, palms toward your nose, and sniff them.


Oh, I love my mind. It entertains me to no end.

In case you want to read the full original post just click on the name of any month.

Don't laugh at me...too hard.

I was just at my brother's house for Christmas gathering and I hurt myself. Playing Wii bowling. For reals, yo. So sad. But, a little hilarious. :)

I also got the following books:



For some reason I didn't have to explain why I wanted a post-apocalyptic book about zombies, but did have to explain the back cover of Amy's book:



My explanation: “She's just weird. I love her.”


ACW, in case you were wondering, I did ask for WWZ for Christmas because of you.

MTV tr3s

Does anyone else consider this promotional commercial one ginormous stereotype, or just me?

Stormy weather

We were going to travel to Hay's parents' house for a holiday get-together today but there is a snowstorm outside. I ventured out to put some outgoing mail in the mailbox and I almost needed a rescue crew.

Critters

Today I was sifting through 3 months' worth of holiday catalogs and stumbled upon one for The Swiss Colony. Inside this catalog were several selections containing chocolate raccoons.

Yes. You heard me. Raccoons. Made of chocolate.

Here's the Santa's Helpers variety:



And the Forest Friends Log variety:



I would really love to receive chocolate raccoons in the mail. But, not real raccoons dipped in chocolate. That's just wrong.

It's kinda sorta good for you.

Today I converted my entire maternal family to turkey pepperoni:



My cousin insists she did not notice the difference. The differences I noticed: the pepperoni is smoother, more translucent, and spicier.

On a cheese plate:




On a pizza:

Unveiling

B sent me Christmas presents:









She warned me about the <3F<3U<3C<3K gift, but I forgot all about it, so I got a big chuckle when I opened it up. :) It's displayed prominently on my home desk, at least until Ripley scoots across the desk for some air time and knocks it down, but I'll pick it back up.

Thank you, B!!!!!! xoxoxoxo

NO boundaries

a heaping bowl of snowmen

My name is Einsteinetta.

I stole this from Bella:

Lunchtime poll, holiday edition

Do you give gifts during the winter holidays to people who serve you?* If so, to which ones? And, what kind of gift do you give?

I admit, Hay and I don't give anything extra to the people who serve us, but we're generous with the people close to us.


---
*Garbage collector, mail delivery person, fuel delivery person, etc. I'm not talking about your children or the loved one who cooks meals for you. :)

Paws, please

We were just watching the countdown show of The Soup's best clips of 2006. During the #19 clip, when Kirstie Allie came out in a bikini on Oprah's show, Ripley reached up with both front paws and turned off the TV set then, with her paws still on the power button, turned around to give me and Hay a pleading look. I think she's trying to tell us something... That's the hardest I've laughed in weeks.

Al-lo

Everybody keeps talking about Weird Al's interview with Kevin Federline (who?), but I thought the interview between Al and Jessica Simpson was the funniest part of the show:

Peace lily on Earth

Ripley wishes you and yours a peaceful holiday season.





(Please-to ignore the paper towels in the background. :D )

inTuituion

Stolen from Avi:

Rules:
1. Open your music library (iPod, iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool…

la mienne:
Waking Up: She Only Sleeps ~ David Byrne
First Day at School: We Major ~ Kanye West f. Nas and Really Doe
Falling In Love: Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting) ~ Nickelback f. Kick Rock
Fight Song: Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk to You Prelude ~ Justin Timberlake
Breaking Up: Who Am I? (Live) ~ The Samples
Prom: Have It All ~ Jeremy Kay
Life: Snake Drive ~ North Mississippi Allstars
Mental Breakdown: Forever Love (Digame) ~ Anna Nalick
Driving: Noorie ~ Bally Sagoo f. Gunjan (Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack)
Flashback: ¡Que Lluvia! ~ Juana Molina
Wedding: New Slang ~ Shins
Birth of Child: One Night in Bangkok ~ Murray Head
Final Battle: What If ~ Aaliyah
Death Scene: Limp ~ Fiona Apple
Funeral Song: All Alone ~ Gorillaz
End Credit: Thankful & Thoughtful ~ Robert Randolph & The Family Band

Seafood and the letter C again

I'm going to a holiday luncheon today. At a seafood place. I don't eat seafood. Totally wasted on me. It happens to be my grandmother's most favoritest restaurant, although she is not accompanying me. I wish I had thought to invite her earlier, having her meet my co-workers would have been a trip. :)

Two C things I forgot to say I love are Colbert and Chopra. Stephen is one of the funniest people on my TV set. His interview with Deepak Chopra was hilarious. I thought it was very interesting that Mr. Chopra chose to wear bright red Nikes to his interview. What does that mean, exactly? His theories on reality perception send my mind spiraling out of control.

Part 1:


Part 2:

Recent keyword activity: christmas story randy what did he eat instead of meatloaf

Mashed po-ta-toes! :) Like the little piggies!

10 things I love beginning with the letter C

Heather at Nabbalicious graced me with the letter C from her 10 things I love meme. Here I go.

1. Cats. My kitties are my kids. I can't even imagine what a sad life I would be leading without my girls.

2. Cheese. A world without cheese? Inconceivable! I particularly enjoy the extra sharp and higher varieties of cheddar.

3. Caffeine. Oh, nemesis. I am on a caffeine break right now, but I've seriously been addicted to it since age 6 when I began drinking Taster's Choice and Coke as my main beverages. I don't drink Taster's Choice anymore, by the way.

4. Cuddling. I really like hugging Hay on the couch while we watch TV. It's like a treat to me.

5. Chips. American or English, it's all good. If they weren't bad for me I'd eat them for every meal.

6. Canada. Seriously, what's not to love? Some of the fondest memories of my life were made au Canada, mostly in places where they spoke French, but not always.

7. Chocolate. Just don't mix fruit with my chocolate. That's wrong. Oh, and anything above 70% is just too hard core for me. I particularly love the Lindt hazelnut wafer bar that I've mentioned in the past.

8. Corn. Particularly the popped and cob varieties. With butter. And some salt. And more butter.

9. Catawampus. It's an adjective, sometimes spelled cattywampus or cattywhompus. I like my life askew, crooked, and just not right.

10. Cows. Yes, I like to eat them and their delicious dairy products, but I thoroughly enjoy their company when alive. I particularly enjoy having calves suckle on my hand, which is an experience I can't describe without sounding like a total perv. Just try it. I even enjoy the aroma of their manure, incessant mooing, and spontaneous charging when I get too close.

If you would like me to give you a letter please let me know. If you would like Heather to give you a letter please let her know.

Did you? I know I did. A lot.

Reality check: 95 percent of Americans had premarital sex

NEW YORK (AP) -- More than nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, according to a new study. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past.

"This is reality-check research," said the study's author, Lawrence Finer. "Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades."

Finer is a research director at the Guttmacher Institute, a private New York-based think tank that studies sexual and reproductive issues and which disagrees with government-funded programs that rely primarily on abstinence-only teachings. The study, released Tuesday, appears in the new issue of Public Health Reports.

The study, examining how sexual behavior before marriage has changed over time, was based on interviews conducted with more than 38,000 people -- about 33,000 of them women -- in 1982, 1988, 1995 and 2002 for the federal National Survey of Family Growth. According to Finer's analysis, 99 percent of the respondents had had sex by age 44, and 95 percent had done so before marriage. (CNN)

It's too. damn. hot.

Global warming has entered my body. I feel like I may very well just spontaneously combust at any moment. If I stop blogging you'll know why. :)

REALLY?! Wait. What?!

Circumcision reduces the risk of contracting HIV?! Explain the science. Please. I don't comprehend. Or, is this just another way to make even more Africans have unprotected sex? I mean, c'mon, two clinical trials and we're all done? All ready to tell the guys to cut their penises up? I'm 100% skeptical about this.

I do understand that circumcision can result in much improved hygiene, but hygiene and the HIV virus are not one in the same.

JT + SNL (- Nancy Grace) = FUNNY

I was going to do a post about SNL on Sunday, but it was hosted by Justin Timberlake, and I know Bearette can't stand him. However, so many sites are talking about his performance that I want to add my 2 cents: Saturday's SNL was the funniest I've seen in quite a long time. I thought JT was funny in all of his skits, even if the audience didn't quite catch on in the Target skit, and I thought his live performances were spectacular. Here's his performance of What Goes Around (my favorite motto as a child):



Not sure why that awful Nancy Grace faked rape skit was at the end of the show, but otherwise the writers did a great job.


SPEAKING of Mr. Justin Timberlake, did you know there's a contest for us normal folks which could result in one lucky person singing with him at the Grammys in February?! YAH! I'm THERE!

Holiday edition: Because I know you were all wondering...

Hay and I went to his work party on Friday night, and we had a great time. The food was incredible, the company was engaging and jovial, and our thieves' auction gift received some very big laughs. My only complaint-slash-puzzlement: The waitstaff was quite good at coming around to offer us more hors d'oeuvres every 3 seconds, but they only came around to refill out water glasses once. I had finished my glass of water in the first 30 seconds I was there. Annoying. And, the next glass tasted like bleach.

I finally sent out my holiday cards this morning!

We did get a tree yesterday, but haven't stuck stuff all over it yet. Georgie is enjoying sitting underneath it and staring at the base, which I don't quite understand.

Cautionary tale: You know how all those gift cards are sitting out in the open for everyone to see and touch at many of our favorite stores? Bad people are lifting the numbers from these cards, then patiently waiting for unsuspecting shoppers to buy said gift cards. The bad people check every (day, few hours, whatever) and once the card goes active they buy things with the number they lifted from the card. This isn't a hoax, it's confirmed by: Snopes, the Jackson County, OR Sheriff's department, and a number of other online news and consumer sources. This holiday season I have chosen to buy as few gift cards as possible, and the one card I did buy I bought from their website instead. Also, I have resolved myself to the idea that the money from that gift card might be stolen, and have decided to assume an “oh well” attitude. Even if you purchase cards from customer service representatives there is no guarantee that everyone who has/had access to those cards is honest. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre.

On that cheery note... happy Monday? And happy 4th night/3rd day of Hanukkah!

Politik

I'd vote for John Edwards in '08. I think.

I'm dreaming of a Jam Christmas

Yes, I did think last night's Office was one of the best ever. I shall be downloading it from iTunes so that I may watch it whenever I feel like doing so.

I've sent myself a holiday card:



By the way, it's classified. Hehehehehe. Yip!

47% of a man

Congrats to Erik for winning The Biggest Loser!



I cannot believe that is you. You're less than half your former self! Nuts, man!

Photo credit: NBC

Mostly ungreen again

Guess who stayed home for two days after her original green post?

(If you didn't guess then you need to get out more. Like me, who hasn't been out since I got home from work on Monday.)

Being sick results in me having nothing interesting to say. I just checked in with the world and all I can report is that: lettuce, rather than green onions, might be the E. coli culprit in the latest string of Taco Bell illnesses; the dad from Everybody Loves Raymond died today from heart disease and multiple myeloma; the Saudis will support the Sunnis if we get the hell outta Dodge Iraq. *sigh* I'm all done with this stupid planet. I'm taking off for another galaxy. Anyone else wanna come with?

Update: How could I forget? Senator Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota was hospitalized for stroke-like symptoms, but it wasn't a stroke. If he can't come back to work his position could be filled by a republican. I'm going conspiracy theory on this and saying he was poisoned, but not the same way Alexander Litvinenko was, because that'd be too conspicuous.

green

I'm not feeling well at all today. In fact, I've not felt particularly stellar in a few days. I definitely wish I could have stayed home today. I think this morning's unpleasant feeling is specifically attributed to tomatillo salsa I consumed at last night's holiday party. Soooooo very, very tasty.

Update: water + mini pretzels + 3 Musketeers = a much happier tummy
Sneezes and headache and runny nose are not affected, however.

Recent keyword activity: cedes as a name

FYI: My last name isn't Cedes. In fact, cede is a verb, which is my clever play on "forking it all over" and the use of Poppy Seed, which is the pseudonym I used as a young girl, but that blog is taken. It's dead, but it's taken. I've heard from more than one blogger who has found out my real last name that I have the raddest last name in the world, but I'm still not forking it over. :) I think if you paid Avi $15,000 he might give it to you, but then again I think he knows what will happen if he does. :P (Avi, really, I just like injecting you into my blog posts.)

Off to have the friends Christmas! Later, gators!

This is what they mean when they say, “you've made it your own.”

Ms. Leona Lewis sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow in a way I promise you've not seen before:



And, I'm choked-up-teary-eyed right along with Perez.

Tummy tickle

Buddy the Wonderdog needs a little scritch...

BLOOD BLOOD blood BLOOD bambi BLOOD yucky BLOOD

I found out today that my nephew wants hunting gear for Christmas. Guess which of his favorite aunts won't be directly sponsoring his Bambi bloodfest? Sorry, Nephew...

Team Bryony

I never talk about Paperlilies, but I secretly think she's pretty effing amazing. Evidence:



I saw this back in November, and loved it then but forgot about it. Today I was watching her newest Chicago video and noticed her entry to her own contest video again, so thought I'd share this time. :) (Yes, Bryony has two different YouTube accounts, which she uses for very different purposes.)

Another one of my favs from Ms. PL: like, it's a PDF, BITCH! Ahhhhh, I feel much better now.

And, my other fav that became a bit controversial after a botched eBay sell is the cute blob:

Postcards and addictions

A shameless plug for Kim:



If you are willing to send a postcard to Kim's cousin then email her directly at the address listed in her blog post. Kim told me she recommends that you sign your real name at the bottom, not your blogger name, since her cousin doesn't know what a blog is.


On a totally different topic (yes, this is what it's like inside my head): I think I'm an addict. I can't stop watching the show Intervention, and pretending what it's like to be in the shoes of the addict. Does this mean I'm about to be a “lolly lolly ice head”?

CNET remembers James Kim

James Kim was a senior editor for CNET, so they have posted a beautiful remembrance article and an in memoriam section where you can leave your wishes for the Kim family. I cannot think about this man without getting sniffly. What a wonderful person he was, and what a sad but noble way to die.

Image credit: CNET
Photo credit: The Kim family

Darnit...

James Kim was found dead in the Oregon wilderness. :(

I knew there was no hope when they found just his pants earlier today, but I was really hoping he'd be found alive. One choice to try to help his family and he ends up dying while his family is saved by an umbrella. This world maddens me sometimes.

“This is my kid who embarrasses me. I mean, who I love!! Right!”

Last night I read the front page of my blog through new reader eyes and there wasn't one post I enjoyed, thought was funny, thought was informative, thought was clever, or thought was any other redeeming word. Do you ever go through periods of time where you don't like what your blog is standing for at the current moment? That's my December. And, a bit of my November. It's tough to blog passionately when you aren't feeling passionate about the world's business.

To all my new readers, in lurking form or otherwise: Try the archives. They're much funnier, I promise.

“Two Hepburns walk into a bar...”

Bearette wins the prize for noticing that Katharine and Audrey are different people. I don't know why no one else said anything. It's like if my fly were open or my shirt buttoning job was misaligned by one button or I had lettuce stuck in my teeth and everyone let me walk around all day in that state, except the wonderful Bearette. This is precisely why I made an announcement when I upgraded her to my obsession section after going for over a year thinking she was already there... :)

On a totally different note, DLil: Are you listening to Perez on Howard tomorrow?

I love Katharine Hepburn...

LONDON, England (AP) -- The black Givenchy gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" sold at auction Tuesday for $807,000.

The price, paid by a telephone bidder, was almost six times the highest pre-sale estimate. (CNN)

...not because her Audrey's dress sold for so much money, but because she was an incredible woman.

Update: I was apparently on teh drugz™ when I wrote this post, because I confused Audrey with Katharine. I don't know why I try to blog from work when I'm actually trying to work at the same time. (Note to employer: Um, wait, I don't do that. Ever. Never, ever. Nope, I don't.)

NYC bans trans fat

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the nation's first city to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants -- from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries.

The board, which passed the ban unanimously, did give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance. Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of its foods by July 2008.

Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said recently that officials seriously weighed complaints from the restaurant industry, which argued that it was unrealistic to give them six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.

The ban contains some exceptions; for instance, it would allow restaurants to serve foods that come in the manufacturer's original packaging. ... (CNN)

I know I shouldn't eat stuff that's bad for me. I appreciate that restaurants want to help me accomplish that. [However, ] Sometimes I just wanna eat stuff that's bad for me and that's that.

A sad day in pigland

George Clooney's pot-bellied pig, Max, passed away. :( *sniffle*

In case you were wondering, this is not the reason why DeVito and Clooney got smashed outta their minds on limoncellos. Max just died today at the ripe old age of 18.


Max and George in 1989, courtesy Shooting Star:


A much more recent photo of Max and George, courtesy Clooney Network:

It's [insert time here], make a wish

I have a tendency to look at the clock when it's the following times:

9:11am
9:11pm
11:11am
11:11pm
12:34pm
21:21

No idea why. I get really frustrated when I see 9:11 on the clock, which happens to be the time I witness the most on the clock. I just don't want to think about that until I'm good and ready. Ya know?


Oh, for those who have asked in the comments:

Camera is still the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1 5.1 megapixel with sucky 3x optical zoom.

I won't be posting photos of my hair. I've posted pictures of my hair before (here), even at the current length (here), so those might be more interesting than my current cut.

Avi, I am honored that I have found the weirdest fucking thing you've ever heard of. I find it hard to believe, and expect that someone else has already stolen this world record from me, but it was nice while it lasted. :)

Short shorts for the holidays

I got my hair chopped today. I know that a lot of people who have long hair become very attached to it, but it doesn't seem to phase me a bit. It was down past my shoulders and now it's just above my shoulders, with a bit of layer to it. It's funny to see all my hair strewn across the floor. Next time I'll wait a bit longer to get it all chopped off so that it's long enough to donate to charity. It was just barely too short.

After 32 years of frizzy hair I finally was able to get my stylist to explain to me that a flat iron will keep the stray hairs from curling up. How is it that I've allowed myself to suffer with the friz for so long without getting the help I needed? I will be asking for a flat iron for Christmas. :)

Do me a favor...

Bring your hands up to your face, palms toward your nose, and sniff them. What do they smell like? Mine generally smell like Corn Flakes, if they're not freshly scented by soap. Just curious if there's a standard smell.

Chris Daughtry: My American Idol by Poppy Milicent Cede

Chris is my favorite cuz he put out this album and lotsa people boughted it and I love him.


Someday I wanna enjoy his new box set*, but Mommy says that's for when I'm old enough to ride the big girl rides.


Goodbye! *wave*


---
*Yes, that's totally ripped from Barenaked Ladies, who I also love. But, I also love squirrels and pigeons, so I dunno if you wanna trust my preferences.

7 too many Limoncellos

I have one. quick. second. to post this, and really don't even have this time but I'm gonna shut up now and get to business.



Drunk Danny Devito.
Rosie treats him like a baby doll at the end.
Que la freakando f?
I'm gonna show up to work tomorrow drunk and see what happens.
(Just kidding. Really. REALLY! STOP TRYING TO FIRE ME. YOU LOVE ME!!!)


FYI, a Limoncello is an Italian alcoholic beverage made of lemons and vodka, with sugar and water added into the mix. The recipe I included is for an entire party: 15 lemons to 1500ml 100-proof vodka, 4 cups of sugar, and 5 cups of water.

GAH

My head is being held firmly under water by the people who pay me to get dressed during the week. I shall resurface, perhaps tonight, perhaps Thursday night. We shall see.

Poppy's movie pick Sunday

This weekend I was flipping through the channels because there was ... nothing on ... and stumbled upon The Constant Gardener starring Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes. And I quote:

A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption.

Okay, okay, so that doesn't sound very original or intriguing, but! I shall defend this movie by saying that the acting is impeccable, Weisz allows us to view her naked body in a very pregnant state (she was pregnant in real life), and we are magically transported into the nightmare of every day life in Africa. The script is tight and easy to follow along with even though a bit of the plot is un peu compliqué, and the scenery contrasts vivid colors to the rawness of poverty. If you're expecting a movie about gardening, as Hay jokingly said he was, you might be a bit disappointed, but there is a bit of gardening thrown in here and there. If you ever think you know what's going to happen next in the plot you will find yourself very pleasantly surprised. I give this two thumbs up, 5 out of 5 stars, and the Cede seal of approval. This movie made me cry three times and need to pause part way through for a breather, but if you have an afternoon to snuggle up with a loved one (furry or not), a bowl of popcorn, and a box of tissues then I strongly encourage you to watch this movie.

The next Mariah Carey (in a good way)

Hi, so blogger ate my last post, but that just shows how much I care about what I'm retyping, right?

In case you live under a rock in Europe or live in the States where we're not cultured about things across the pond, allow me to introduce you to a little gem: Leona Lewis. Perez has been cramming his opinion of her down his readers' throats a bit hard lately, but to be fair she is considered a superstar by her fans and by the judges of Simon Cowell's X-Factor on which she is a contestant. Despite her tonsillitis she sang Lady Marmalade and Whitney/Dolly's hit I Will Always Love You on this week's show:



Definitely a Bodyguard-inspired performance.

Puppy party

I think Lucy has only two looks. This one (super excited, ears up):



...and this one (super excited, ears down):



Adorable. :)

violet

Happy day-after-bird-day!

We have returned from Thanksgiving dinner with Hay's family. I am exhausted and covered in dog slobber. Hay may or may not be coming down with a cold. Photos of cuteness will be posted, just perhaps not yet. Too. tired. *zonk*

Poppy-syncrasy

I have never heard the song Muskrat Love so every time someone mentions it my mind automatically plays, in the voice of Barry Hay no less, “we've got a thing that's called Muskrat Loooove”. :) I wonder if Golden Earring appreciates this. Prob'ly not.

Lucky lady

Did you know that Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom are dating? I've known for a couple days, but it's still sinking in.


This photo I found over at MollyGood is too amusing to pass up. According to Molly this is a photo from an Elizabethtown photo shoot. The trailers for that movie were so bad that it didn't even register as a movie I'd want to add to the trusty Netflix queue. The fact that these two are together does not change my mind. Kirsten “slammed” rumors of a relationship with Orlando back in September.

I have a total crush on Legolas, but am oddly not attracted to Orlando Bloom in real life. Is that weird?


The hair, the quiver and bow, and the ears are what do it for me. Miaou, miaou, miaou.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you're stuffed with turkey or its equivalent and surrounded by loved ones who are in the same tryptophan coma as you.

Hay and I celebrated the day with Thanksgiving breakfast (at 1:30pm) and will have our proper Thanksgiving meal tomorrow with his family.

I assure you I am not complaining.

This week most of the company is on vacation, which would lead one to think that one who remains at work rather than taking “easy days” off from work would have an “easy short week”. Nope. Any quiet time is taken up by the many projects, which have deadlines of next week, that have been shoved to a deep crack where the floor meets the baseboard in the very corner of the room. I am staring at 10 pages of notes, trying to squish it all into one concise document to present to the entire company about (something technology-business-y).

ACW and B are probably the only people who have seen my previous work (well, and Hay, but: dur) and that will remain the case, but trust me when I say that I am the master at taking technical jibber jabber and making it so that anyone off the street could at least understand the fundamentals of the topic. My high school creative writing teacher told me that I have this talent in response to a story I wrote about an electrical outlet and I have since let that praise go straight to my head. I'm sure there's a word (or term) for my kind, I just don't know what it is yet. A technical empath? :)


Oh, and one more thing: I don't know what's going on with Michael Richards, but his apology on Letterman was truly ass-i-nine. When he started talking about “the Blacks and Katrina” I got physically ill, walked out of the room, and asked Hay to bump the recording ahead past his pathetic excuse for an “I'm sorry” satell-gram.

OJ special will not air, book will not be published!

News Corp. Cancels O.J. Simpson Book and TV Special

NEW YORK — News Corp., the parent company of book publisher HarperCollins and the FOX network, has canceled publication of the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."

"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

In the book, the one-time football superstar tells how he would have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman if, in fact, he had done it.

A dozen FOX affiliates had already said they would not air the two-part sweeps month special, planned for next week before the book's publication. (continued, Fox News)

Man, this thing is such a disaster. Why anyone thought any of this was a good idea is beyond me. I heard the publisher of his book, Judith Regan, talk about why she wanted to publish it, and in my mind it's the same odd logic as Charles Rangel's opinion of why the draft should be reinstated. Appropriate to state que la freakando f? I think so.

20 questions

Blatantly ripped from the pages of Avi:

1. Where is the only place you can go and feel safe?
Not to be a total drama queen nut case, but there is really no place in the world where I feel completely safe. The closest I get is at my mom's house, wherever she happens to live.

2. What was playing in the background when you lost your virginity?
Sadly, I remember this. It was either Tangerine Dream ~ Poland: The Warsaw Project or The Private Music of Tangerine Dream. I cannot listen to either of those albums without thinking of that experience.

3. What was the first color your room was painted?
White. Until Hay and I moved into our current house I never had a bedroom with painted (or treated in any manner) walls. The first color of our bedroom in the house we live currently was a very dark teal.

4. Where did you go on your very first date ever?
Hmm. I am trying to remember if I dated James before Jim or Jim before James. It was either to see a movie or bike riding around town.

5. If you had to pick one toy from the 80’s to be buried with, what would it be?
From the 80s? ... A Strawberry Shortcake doll, I guess. My favorites are from the 70s -- a stuffed toy wombat and a stuffed toy eggplant.

6. If you could have gone to any high school (real or fake) which would it have been and why?
I loved my high school, so I'd go to my high school over and over and over again.

7. What was the first curse word you said?
My brother taught me to say, “I'm a little fuck” at age 3. I started sing-songing it in the grocery store, much to my mother's horror.

8. What was the first “adult” movie you ever watched?
I know this one! Um, um, um... Well, if Porky's counts, then that's the first one. If something more hard core is implied, then I hafta say, who the hell pays attention to the names? Just get it on, for chrissakes! (I whole-heartedly admit to being mannish in my porn watching style.)

9. What was your mother’s vocal range?
This one takes the dumbest-meme-question-ever cake.

10. What was the meanest thing you have ever done. Was it justified or unjustified?
I kicked my older-by-several-years brother in the balls when I was 10. I thought it was justified, but my mother and brother did not.

11. What was the name of your first pet?
Garfield. He was a cat. Well, a kitten. He didn't live past the kitten stage, through no fault of my own.

12. If you could say anything to anyone and not get popped in the eye what would you say to whom?
I don't have an answer to this question.

13. What are you thinking right now?
Where'd all the good people go?

14. What would you do if you ended up on PYMMOTI?
Before I read Avi's post I didn't even know about PYMMOTI, so before I would have done nothing. Now I'd probably laugh.

15. What are you doing on Friday?
Kittysitting and going to the in-laws' house for turkey dinner.

16. What is your favorite method of torture?
Tickle torture, but not on myself.

17. What do you want your last words to be?
“Never saw that coming...”

18. What do you want as your epitaph?
“This daddyfucker's on her way to kitty heaven!” ? (It's a play on Avi's epitaph. I don't care what it says on my gravestone. I'll be dead by then, unless I pre-order like my dad has.)

19. Which bodily function do you enjoy more?
I like hiccuping, except when they hurt.

20. How would you like to die?
I wouldn't, thanks.

What is this party word you speak of?

I may be too ancient to understand basic concepts, but let's try.

What does the verb to party actually mean? And, how does one have an all night session of partying at a club? Does that mean that the partier danced, ate food, partook of drugs and/or alcohol, and screamed really loudly to the people next to him/herself because the music was too loud?

If you're not at a club but rather you stay at someone's house all night having arrived with the intention of attending a party does that mean you partied all night, or had a slumber party? How about if someone's bra was put in the freezer? Does that make it a slumber party?

And, now I'm also curious about clubbing. Does that word imply you hit multiple clubs in the same night to party at each one? What if all you did was talk really loudly to the person next to you, foregoing the drugs, alcohol, food, and dancing? Is that just hanging out at a club? Or, is that still partying?

So confusing...

What a Betty!

If you want your carpet to match the drapes (so to speak) then try betty, “the first safe color specially formulated for the hair down there.”


Offered in these fantabulous colors: BLONDEbetty, BROWNbetty, AUBURNbetty, BLACKbetty, and FUNbetty (pink).

Thanks to Back in skinny jeans for introducing me to the product! I wonder if you can do highlights...

keyword analysis

I like to include you all in the funny parts of my day. Although one of my biggest keyword finds, karen corr naked, isn't listed I think this is still a funny listing.



You know. Except for the BD Diagnostics bit. Yah... Yup. Not funny. Oh, and the Skylar Deleon search is apparently not funny either. I didn't even remember that I'd mentioned him over a year ago in a post about good child actors going bad. The rest is funny, though! I promise! I think...

TomKat4evah

I apologize in advance to those who are still put off by this couple, but I just have to say that I'm really happy for Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. They seem like a great couple, loving parents, and... like real people again. Sure, sure, there was that super awkward time of couch jumping and trying to force feed us this business of calling Katie “Kate” because she's “a mother now”, but... C'mon, they look so happy and in love!



Original photo: Robert Evans
Photo found via: I'm Not Obsessed / People

End of season garden treasures

Saturday Morning Fever

Hanna-Barbera has weekly vintage cartoon clips! This week's includes Moby Dick Remixed #1 in which the characters try to beat the censor that keeps bleeping out the word “dick”. I'm pretty particular about my cartoons, but this was kinda funny. Cred to Pop Candy for leading me to the HB SMF site.

Unsettling.

Worker kills IT supervisor at business park

BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) -- A shooting at a suburban business park left two people dead in what police are calling an apparent murder-suicide.

An employee and his supervisor were meeting alone Thursday afternoon in an office at BD Diagnostic Systems when other workers heard gunfire, said police spokesman Cpl. Michael Hill.

"Right now, we don't know what the motive was or what the meeting was about," Hill said. "This is a horrible event for all the people in this office."

Police identified the supervisor as Harold Creech, 59, and the employee as Morris Lyons, 52. Authorities would not say whether a gun was recovered.

Creech supervised the information technology department at the office, said Susan Glack, who acted as family spokeswoman.

The office park is located in the community of Sparks, about 20 miles north of Baltimore.

BD Diagnostics' Sparks facility manufactures instruments to test for infectious diseases, according to Colleen T. White, a spokeswoman with BD Inc. BD Diagnostics is a division of the larger company. (CNN)

Body image and the only control goes out of control

This post contains adult subject matter. Parental discretion is advised.

Ana Carolina Reston died Tuesday of complications from anorexia. She was 21 years old, 5' 8" tall, and 88 lbs. Although our stories are not similar, her story inspires me to share my own.

People take up eating disorders for a lot of reasons. My reason was because I was an overweight tween and was convinced that boys didn't like me with that extra weight. I chose bulimia over anorexia because I love food. I didn't even understand that throwing up was a way to lose weight until I heard about it on a TV news special. As soon as I saw that special (which, of course, was trying to steer people away from it) I knew it was the answer for me. I lost 30 lbs in one summer and arrived to my first day of high school with a beautiful-to-me figure.

I stayed the same weight my first year of high school. In my second year I began dating an older guy. Over the 2 years that we were together I gained 30 lbs out of apathy for my relationship and for myself. When he and I broke up I resorted to bulimia again. I lost the 30 lbs.

I kept this weight off until I moved out of my parents' home and my boyfriend went away for a year abroad. I gained back 15 lbs. I returned to bulimia when I was hooking up with my roommate while still dating my boyfriend long distance. The roommate told me I was special while my boyfriend was placing me nowhere near the top of his priority list. He was dating other people too, so we were actually cheating on each other. Doesn't make it any better, but in my head it made sense at the time.

I kept the weight off until my 3rd year of college, when I was in a relationship with a man I had known from high school but met up with again in college. We didn't actually care for each other and chose to eat instead of just break up. He finally broke things off after a year and I resorted to bulimia.

I then began dating his best friend. My relationship with my ex's best friend was extremely tumultuous. He cheated on me when I was on a business trip and we broke up. I returned to bulimia for a few months, during which time I hit bottom about my issues with men. I resolved to live on my own and enjoy being independent and was able to end my dependence on bulimia.

I was not looking for the love of my life when I met Hay, but that's ironically when you find it. When I started dating Hay I fessed up to my bulimia (he's the only man in my life that I ever told) and told him I would do my best to not do it again but asked him to help me if I ever did.

I've relapsed for a day or two every so often over the many years since. It's like an old friend, my learned coping mechanism for my problems, so sometimes I choose it over dealing with my issues until I remember that it's not the right answer.

This is not how I lost 50 lbs over the last year. Blogging my thoughts and feelings has had a lot to do with my weight loss success. I've managed to maintain my weight through normal eating and sporadic exercise (as in, a walk every now and then :), although I'm not 100% convinced yet that I will be able to keep the weight off permanently.

I remain untreated for my bulimia, and as each day that I don't participate in this self-destructive behavior passes I can more easily tell myself that there is nothing to say to my health care providers about it, that it is something in my past. I don't think this is the right thing to do. If I ever go to therapy again (went once for a family issue and once for a boyfriend issue) I have told myself that I will tell my therapist. If I never go to therapy again I will likely not tell anyone except my children who have a right to know their family medical history and who deserve to know their mother as a whole person, not just the good parts.

I'm not good with finishing posts on such a sappy note, so: End scene, close curtain, and good night to all my adoring fans. I hope that my story inspires no one to become bulimic and someone to seek treatment for it. You are not alone.

Poppyland drama

We think our neighbors staged their home so that they could sell it. It's a big conspiracy. Do people normally cart in staging furniture to stage their rooms for photos that go on the web? I know that Sell This House and other such programs talk about staging your home, but our neighbors actually emptied entire rooms and put staging furniture in them for photos then brought their own furniture back in. Their home looks amazing. They just forget to mention that their home (across the street from ours) shares a property line with a saw mill that runs 6 days a week, including holidays, and has an ugly fenced dog kennel hanging off the back of the house. To each one's own.

PS - If you were looking for info about the chocolate pie, see the update below.

choco-choco-choco pie

Update: Since so many people are asking, the above is just this:


...with Nestlé Toll House chocolate chunks all over the top. The pie dish is reindeer-themed and comes from Christmas Tree Shops.

housekeeping part 2

I tend to make foolish mistakes. When I was cleaning up the blogroll I inadvertently removed ThoughtNuggets while removing a blog that truly is dead, Thought Bubbles. If you were on the blogroll before but suddenly find yourself removed then please please please leave me a comment or send me an email to let me know. Make sure to include the link to the blog you are no longer seeing. Thanks. :) Sorry once more to NuggetMaven!

.:|giggle|:.

I am now very excited to pick out my holiday cards. :)

I have started shopping online for gifts, and so far these are my two favs:



Both are available from HearthSong.

Day planner

Friday: Welcomed the return of my co-worker who accepted another position elsewhere but has since decided she likes it better back where she was. (*cheer*) Went home a smidge early since I went into work a smidge early and crashed on the couch.

Saturday: Took Ripley to the groomer's, went grocery shopping while she was being groomed, brought her home, went to two game stores and Subway with Hay, came home and made a pie, then went with Hay and the pie to home of another of my co-workers and his lovely wife for a yummy dinner and hang out session.

Sunday: Woke up late, cooked more of those Pillsbury Cinnabon buns, went with Hay to Agway to buy a case of suet and Home Depot with Hay to buy a 28' ladder, came home, and crashed.

Monday: Called in sick due to general malaise-iness, slept in, took it easy for the day, then brought Georgie to the vet's.

Something I've learned which makes me quite happy: A handful of peanuts fills me up so that I don't snack at night and helps to clear out my system. Fascinating, isn't it?

Something I've learned which I just didn't know before: According to the show Intervention alcohol can cause atrophy of the brain and result in increased violence and aggression of its user.

Housekeeping

I'm going through my blogroll links to check that bloggers are still blogging. I give a lot of slack to the long-term bloggers who haven't posted in several months, but if it looks like a site has been abandoned or taken over it's outta here. Lemme know if I axe your blog but shouldn't have. Also, if I have a link to your site that's out of date please let me know what the new link is. I started from Z and am up to the H's. Not too bad for one night's work.

And, finally, I swear I fixed this a long time ago, but tonight I definitely moved Bearette's blog up to where it's been in my heart for over a year now - the blogs I just can't live without section.

tRippin’

Now I understand why Perez thought Fergie was ripping off Gwen. Here's Gwen's new video for Wind It Up which is very similar to Fergie's Fergalicious:



It's all been done before so who cares who's ripping off whom. I just saw a snippet of Janet Jackson on Ellen's show and she was sampling two songs at once while ripping off her own Rhythm Nation dance moves. Happens.

Spider-Man 3 trailer

Watch an exclusive trailer in HD and widescreen at ifilm. See the full movie in theaters May 4, 2007. Yip!

Jaren is not as catchy as Jam

...but, I have a feeling that's the relationship to watch for the rest of this season of The Office. I mistakenly visited GMMR* before watching tonight's episode, saw the episode title, and knew exactly what was going to happen for the entire episode. I hate it when that happens.

I love the faxes from future Dwight. Brilliant.


*Don't click that unless you want to spoil your Office appetite.

A plea to the masses

Can we pretty please stop talking about Kevin Federline so that he just disappears off the planet? This is the last time you will ever see me mention him. That is all.

And now for something completely different, Logan's Run ~ Futurepast:

Does anyone else see the utter irony in this?

Carey's Fur Coat Lost in the Mail

A $7,500 fur coat Mariah Carey donated to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been lost by the United Parcel Service.

The coat was en route to Mongolia, where it was to be given to refugees to help them keep warm this winter.

Animal-lover Carey sent two floor-length mink coats she received from a rich admirer to PETA bosses, asking them to donate the furs to the charity's annual winter drive to help clothe homeless and needy refugees around the world.

According to PETA sources, one coat was on its way to Switzerland, where it was to be packaged in a sealed container bound for Mongolia to be included in a Swiss Animal Protection Society drive -- but the coat never arrived.

UPS tells PETA the coat cannot be located and is lost. After filing a claim, the anti-fur charity will be reimbursed the full $7,500.

The other coat Carey donated did get to its destination -- Los Angeles -- and will be used as the canvas of a new anti-fur campaign, created by graffiti artist Marcus Suarez.

The coat will be used as a prop at PETA protests later this winter. (Daily Dish)

This sounds so ridiculous as to possibly be fake. *tsk*... I just can't wrap my head around this one.

Accountability

Texas executes killer carjacker

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Convicted killer Willie Shannon was executed by lethal injection Wednesday night for the carjack-slaying of a man who was on vacation with his family in Houston more than 14 years ago.

Shannon spoke directly to the widow, two children and brother of his victim, Benjamin Garza, and acknowledged that he "took a father."

"It wasn't my fault. It was an accident," he said of the shooting.

Shannon, 33, smiled and hummed as witnesses filed into the death chamber, and said he was going to heaven. He said if he saw his victim, he would ask Garza for forgiveness: "I'll say when I see him, 'I'm sorry."'

He urged the relatives of his victim to "go home, have fun, smile. I'm happy. Why should I lie now. I have no anger. I have no fear."

Ten minutes later at 6:24 p.m., he was pronounced dead.

Garza, 38, was trying to catch a catnap in a parking lot July 19, 1992, while his wife and three kids were shopping nearby for some shoes when Shannon jumped inside, pulled his gun and demanded the family's 15-year-old Ford wagon.

Shannon has said that his gun went off as the two men struggled in a parking lot when Garza refused to surrender his station wagon.

Garza had been living under a new identity in the federal Witness Protection Program for a decade after testifying at drug trials in the Rio Grande Valley. Shannon has said he thought Garza believed he was there to kill him, and started fighting for his life.

"I was just unlucky. And he was unlucky, too," he testified. (CNN)

No, Sir. You brought a loaded and UN-locked weapon with you, you premeditated the carjacking, you chose to struggle with the man that you chose to carjack, and you shot him. That's not unlucky, that's murder. Take some effing responsibility for your actions. Don't tell his family it wasn't your fault and that you're happy, you jackass!

Sitting, waiting, wishing Poppy remix

Is it Friday yet? ... No? ... How 'bout now?

Blogger Rumsfeld Gates

That would make a nice baby name, n'est-ce pas?

Blogger can bite my bum, it's been down for a long time for me. All I wanted to do was post the following (NO LONGER) BREAKING NEWS items:

-- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down, sources tell CNN.

and...

-- President Bush nominates former CIA chief Robert Gates as defense secretary to replace Donald Rumsfeld.

An interesting day in the USA. Sometimes midterm elections do matter. :)

The pessimist's interpretation of the midterm election

As presented by The Daily Show:

Shut UP! *shove*

I just got back from a full day of meetings and client visits to this email:

Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 16:09:02 -0500
From: CNN Breaking News
Reply-To: newseditor@MAIL.CNN.COM
To: TEXTBREAKINGNEWS@CNNIMAIL12.CNN.COM
Subject: CNN Breaking News

-- Britney Spears files for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline, citing irreconcilable differences.


Wow. In celebration of Britney's independence the SS Cede will serve grilled maple-flavored pork chops and homemade mac and cheese on the main deck. BYOB.

Vote, baby, vote

Hay and I got up extra early to vote this morning. Despite a shot of Starbucks coffee drink from the dairy case my ass is not awake yet. Nothing new there, actually.

So, did you “write in” any names? I almost wrote Hay's name for one, but then what if he won? I don't want a politician for a husband.

Daughtry's first single

Listen to Idol finalist Chris Daughtry perform his first single, It's Not Over, at AOL. Preview more songs from the album here. The full album is available November 21. Thanks to Tabloid Whore! for the heads up!

On cleaning, starring, killing, sailing, (over)eating, reading, driving, and opinions

Yesterday afternoon Hay and I finished cleaning out our garage which was royally messed up from summer projects. Basically, every year we mess up our garage so badly that no cars can fit in there, but because we live in an area with a lot of snow during the winter we always clean out the garage in October to fit the cars back in. I wasn't ready until this weekend to help out with that project, but we finally got it done. We only had to throw away 7 bags of garbage and recycle one load of cardboard boxes. (Only. Ha.)

Last night I went to see my co-worker's kids star in their school musical. When the show was over we went to find her kids. Her son's eyes lit up when he saw me, which was quite unexpected. He has never been particularly excited to see me before, so I didn't quite know what to say. I finally stammered out that he did a fantastic job and that he should be very proud of himself. Next we saw my co-worker's daughter who squealed my name and skipped over both parents to give me a ginormous hug. I feel bad that my co-worker and her husband didn't get a hug until asked, but I appreciate that she was so excited to see me. :)

This morning I went to read Perez and that's where I found out that Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging. Hussein is definitely a control freak (to say the very least) because he was pretty effing pissed off that he won't die by firing squad. Apparently he sees more honor, fulfillment, and (what? ... perhaps reverence by those who have judged him) in being riddled with bullets than just getting his neck snapped. Maybe I've got it all wrong. What do you think/know?

After the cheerful time spent considering Hussein's demise I went sailing with another co-worker and a bunch of his friends. The water was a bit choppy and the weather was pretty cold, but I still had a fan-freaking-tastic time. Today was the last sail before the boat is tucked in for the winter. I took photos, but forgot my USB cable at work, so I can't share those with you until tomorrow. For now just pretend you were there with me. To help you along, I'll let you know that we talked about the following subjects: politics, (lots of) layers of clothing, bagels, the Boston Red Sox, England, France, Moscow and “Будьте здоровы!”, Italy, computers (surprise), and terrorism.

When I returned home I was starving so Hay and I went for lupper-dupper to LongHorn for steaks. I had two fountain soda Cokes, bread, salad with blue cheese dressing, baked potato with butter and sour cream, and the New York Strip steak. Hay and I always get our dessert to go when visiting LongHorn, so there's a chocolate stampede waiting for us in the fridge. If you've never thought to do so, instead of stuffing yourself silly or refusing it altogether even though you crave it, get the dessert to go! Then you can have a romantic feed-each-other moment with your sweetie (or a pig-out by yourself) once your belly has recovered from the meal.

I am still reading Microserfs because I barely read it while I was studying for my certification, and now I'm trying to get myself back into reading (including the Face Down series of books that B got me into a while back). It's weird how I get so excited for reading and then go completely off of it, but: a) it's time to catalog shop for the winter holidays; b) in my defense I read thousands of pages for my certification. Really! Every page of 6 of the books, as well as a bit of the lab book! So, a break from reading is actually a treat right now. Still, don't want to lose the taste all together and only watch TV all the time. Bad for the brain.

Oh, (B, hide your eyes) did anyone watch the Mythbusters where the crew proved that talking on a cell phone while driving is more dangerous than being at .08 on the breathalyzer scale while driving? I didn't see it, but Hay was telling me about it. I can say from my personal experience that I am less able to pay attention to my physical surroundings while trying to talk to someone on the cell phone and drive at the same time, and that I've been rear ended by someone who was on her cell phone and distracted. I'm not saying this proves any scientific conclusions, but how about you tell me what you think?

I've given you lots of information to process, so I'm going to stop typing now and let you digest it all. (Ha! I'm funny!) If anybody needs me I'll be face down in my chocolate stampede.

cinnamon buns

ShinyStat

I've added a new counter for the number of people simultaneously visiting the blog, under the "Party people in the house!" section. Please let me know if any advertisements appear or other slimy things happen when you visit my blog. Thanks! :) I just enjoy seeing how many other people are here with me.

“Innocent” tail shaking taken to a ho. nuva. level.*

French artist Alizée performs to her hit song J'en ai marre:



...and, then there's her performance set to the Ying Yang Twins' song, Shake:



What a difference a song makes...

Cred to JJ for introducing me to the dirtier version.



*“whole 'nother level” is a famous line by character Eugene Struthers played by Keegan-Michael Key on MADtv. This clip with Xzibit and The Rock is my favorite (and happens to be the newest as of this moment).

Random bits

When I was in college I studied French, German, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese all in the same semester because I had just realized that I could not continue on my path to becoming a veterinarian and wasn't sure what to study. That was the only semester I achieved a 4.0 GPA (perfect score for my university). I went on to graduate with a BA in French and a minor concentration in Asian Studies. By the time I finally realized I needed to switch majors from pre-vet to French I was already a senior, so I was a second-year senior when I graduated. I have always been embarrassed by this because on paper it looks like it took me five years to study French and that my cumulative GPA means I sucked at it. In fact, I never got below a B in any of my French or Asian Studies classes, but by the time I switched majors the damage to my GPA and pride was done. I'm looking forward to the day when I can accept the past and not be embarrassed by it. Right now the only satisfaction I get is that I somehow graduated with a GPA of exactly π. My French name is Natalie. My Chinese name is 白思治。

When new people meet me they think I'm either weird or nice. I am much more complex than those two words, but those are the two first impressions I inevitably make.

I would much rather experience life vicariously through others, although I absolutely adore travelling to and being in new places. I am on the edge of introversion and extroversion, so am always either tired from my experiences or disappointed with myself for not experiencing something new. My favoritest places on Earth:

⇒ Peggy's Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
⇒ Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
⇒ Schroon Lake, NY
⇒ York Beach, ME and its surrounding towns
⇒ Okmulgee, OK
⇒ Knoxville, TN
⇒ Liège, Belgium
⇒ London, England
⇒ More to be determined

I enjoy helping others, but I don't enjoy the resulting reliability upon me.

I am often in my own little world so people basically need to yank me out of that to communicate with me. It's easier to yank me out via IM or email than it is in person.

I have enjoyed drinking coffee since the age of 7.

I've always hated the phone because of two rather traumatizing-at-the-time experiences in my youth. I'd rather not get over this trauma, because I rather like not enjoying the phone.

I hate Thursdays. Except when the day is over.

That day that just happened just now just a moment ago? It SUCKED.

The Office better be particularly stellar tonight. I need TV therapy.

Trans-spired

Do any of you ladies wear a “man's deodorant”? Do any of you men wear a “lady's deodorant”?

I switched to Old Spice High Endurance Invisible Solid (Pure Sport scent) about a month ago because the only women's deodorant on the planet that actually works for me has been discontinued, so I had to take drastic measures. Men's deodorant seems to work better on me. I'm down right stinky if I don't wear the right deodorant, and that's on a regular low-impact day. You don't wanna smell deodorant-free exercise Poppy.

Betsy Ross and a nice, stiff alert drink

To read about the two most trusted names in news (that'd be Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert) visit Rolling Stone. Consider yourself in the hot seat and on notice if you don't read the article.

Halloween countdown

Number of minutes Poppy left work early to greet trick-or-treaters: 120
Number of decorations placed around or outside the Cede household: 57
Number of bags of candy purchased: 5
Number of hours the light was on (the sign that we're giving out candy): 4
Number of trick-or-treaters received in said time: 6
Number of trick-or-treaters who were the neighbor kids from our street: 6
Number of fairy princesses that made the entire event worthwhile: 1

I look like Drew Barrymore, dammit!

Inspired by AnonymousCoworker. I am confused that Drew Barrymore is not represented, because I'm quite certain I look a lot more like her than I look like Posh Spice.

Google it

KATIE'S REVENGE: An interesting “eye for an eye” case.

“Don't fuck with me, fellas!”

Hay and I watched The Omen 666 last night. Before the movie started Hay decided to go put together a load of laundry, so I sat in the living room watching Damien swing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth on the DVD's menu screen. After about 30 seconds of that I shut off the TV, ran upstairs, and told Hay I just felt like keeping him company. :) The movie was great, the right amount of copying the original but updating to today's world.

Also this weekend we watched our second Lewis Black special. Hay saw Black on a YouTube clip of The Daily Show, and ever since we've been recording Daily and have added all of Black's specials to our Netflix queue. He's a really funny (political) comedian, and I love his finger twitch and burstful anger to emphasize points. I like how he can explain politics to those of us who have a small portion of our brain reserved for understanding this subject, then he can turn its darkness into something we can laugh at. This world is a really scary place, always has been and always will be (until it is decimated), so a little laughter is great coping medicine.

We did some other stuff this weekend, but it doesn't fit into the fuck theme, so I'll omit it. What'd you do this weekend?

“Don't bug me.”

psa

Turn your clocks back tonight (if you participate). Who's excited that DST will be longer from now on? And here I thought we were getting rid of this silly clock changing ritual. murr......

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Country

I was visiting Rhea over at The Boomer Chronicles and learned that these two guys are hitching to every state capital in the USA. As of this moment in time they have visited 23 states in 19 days. If you're willing and able to help them reach their goal you can contact them directly at: 310-494-8058 or If you want to take the virtual journey with them visit their flickr space.