bookses 2

Found this over at Tense Teacher and thought I'd play along with a twist...

Look at the list of books below.
* Bold the ones you’ve read.
* Italicize the ones you want to read.
* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.
* If you are reading this, tag, you’re it!

Poppy's additions:
* Underline the books whose movie version you've seen.
* No pressure on the tagging.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) (cartoon version)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible (although not all the way through)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) (top fiver)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

“The geese made me do it.”

Geese are always getting a bad rap!

This is why my future children will never be left alone with certain members of my family:

CENTENNIAL, Colorado (AP) -- A 53-year-old woman who claimed she received spiritual messages from geese before allegedly stabbing her toddler granddaughter to death was found not guilty by reason of insanity Friday.

A judge ordered Carol Lynn Pappas committed to the state mental health hospital, where officials will decide "when and if she will ever be released," said Kathleen Walsh, spokeswoman for the district attorney.

She faced life in prison if convicted.

Authorities said Pappas called 911 from her son's home October 29, 2005, and said, "I flipped ... the baby was crying and I couldn't handle it."

When police arrived, they found Pappas holding a phone. Both her hands were stained with blood, and an 8-inch knife was found near the body of 21-month-old Madison Pappas.

Madison had been stabbed numerous times.

Authorities said Pappas had told her son she had been receiving spiritual advice from geese flying over his house, where she was living.

Court records showed she had been admitted to hospitals for psychiatric care at least six times in 2005, including six weeks before the slaying. (CNN)

That is effed UP.

mulling it over

Anyone planning on going to BlogHer? It's July 27-28 in Chicago. I'm up for a windy city visit, I think... assuming I wasn't added to the no-fly list.

NSFW Harry Potter NSFW

Really. Not safe for work. Honestly. You really shouldn't click the link below without understanding that nakedness will appear on your screen.

Click here to see Daniel Radcliffe's full frontal nudity promo shot for EQUUS.

In case you didn't catch on yet, that link is NSFW.

And, Daniel is 17. Just so ya know.

(Please don't tell me I didn't warn you. Cuz I did.)

Reno 911!: Miami

Hay and I have every intention of going to the theater to see this tomorrow Sunday*:




*I forgot about something Hay has to do tomorrow. :( But, we will go on Sunday!

Pop(py) quiz

What is the name of the drinking game that was played on last night's Cocktails episode of The Office? Anyone?

Oh, man, I just tried to find the answer on my own and read the rumor at GMMR that we won't see another new Office episode for six weeks. I've had entire relationships that lasted less than that! Not many, but some! C'mon!

Favorite moments of last night...
Jan: “That's what she said.”
Roy: “I'm going to kill Jim Halpert!”
Karen: “I'm a slut.” (okay, so that one's paraphrased)

bookses

Found at Avi's:

Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Horror best, then sci-fi. Fantasy is better in movie form for me.

Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
I really don't care. I just wanna read, man!

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Amazon.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
B&N for fiction and because of the Starbucks attached, Borders for foreign language and non-fiction.

Hitchhiker or Discworld?
Hitchhiker (book 1) is my bible.

Bookmark or Dogear?
I do a variety.

Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
Hmm. I guess Asimov.

Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title, or random?
Sorted by category, then by author, then by size.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Keep!!!!!!

Keep dust-jacket or toss it?
Keep!

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I take it off while I read the book then I put it back on when I shelf it.

Short story or novel?
I love novels and short stories, but I can only read short stories when they're in collections. By themselves, they don't give enough satisfaction. [Avi's answer preserved.]

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Harry.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Stop reading when I fall asleep.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time?"
Dark and stormy, that's my style.

Buy or Borrow?
I do both. I have a membership to the library right next to my office building so I'll borrow or wait for a book to be gifted to me a fair amount of the time but will buy when I can't find a copy to borrow or need to add it to a collection.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Recommendations.

Lewis or Tolkien?
I'm not qualified to answer that. I've only read Tolkien lately, and read LWW when I was in 5th grade but don't remember it at all. I did see the movie version of LWW but I'm not answering this question based on my recollection of a movie. That's not fair to the authors.

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Collections.

Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Cliffhangers are fine as long as the last book in the series is published already (which means I wait until the series concludes to start reading the books) and ends tidily. :)

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
I prefer evening and beddtime reading.

Standalone or Series?
Series for most things. I enjoy true crime in standalone form.

New or used?
I prefer new because I am a germophobe, but I'll borrow and buy books at rummage sales and then wash my hands after I put down the books.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is the book I thought no one had heard of but it was almost made into a movie starring Drew Barrymore, so someone's definitely heard of it...

Top 5 favorite genre books of all time?
I can't answer this.

Favorite genre series?
I guess I'm not familiar with exactly what this means. I like really violent books with a good side story of lusty affair-type behavior, but I won't read trashy romance novels so I'll go for the Grant County series by Karin Slaughter.

Currently Reading?
Ceremony by Robert Parker (thanks, Avi!)
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (thanks, ACW!)

good deeds

So far today:

1. I pretended that I didn't know that my client had moved her mail folder to a different portion of her hard drive, thus causing her mail program to forget about its account settings, (evil POP) mailboxes, and address book. I just smiled politely and moved the files back to the correct directory while I said, “good thing this backup of your mail settings is on the drive!” I have helped many other Mac users who have done housekeeping on their drives and who inadvertantly removed core operating system files, program settings, and data. It's their fault, but they never accept the blame so why bother to verbalize the blame? There are subtle ways to scold people that are much more effective than being blunt.
   
   
2. I saw someone on the floor trying to wrestle a bag of garden salsa Sun Chips that were trapped almost at the bottom of the vending machine. I paid for a packet of Pop-Tarts and another bag of Sun Chips to force the original bag to come loose. I told the wary vendee to keep all the food, all I wanted was a water from the machine next to it, then I bought myself a water. She asked me why I did all that. I smiled and told her “because I'm a nice person”* then I walked away.
   
   
3. I pressed No instead of Yes when the person in front of me at the ATM forgot to respond to the “Do want another transaction?” question. (I could have wiped out his account...) I then mistakenly hit Français as my language of choice for my ATM transaction and had fun hurriedly reading the screens while the person behind me acted impatient. I would have enjoyed more time to explore my comprehension of Business French, but oh well.

*Damn you, Avi, you're always right.

New career

I've decided I would like to be a Playboy bunny. Not a playmate, a bunny. I want to walk around in a bunny costume with a big, puffy tail on the back.

(Yes, I'm watching The Girls Next Door for breakfast.)

Edit: Apparently there is some “confusion” (bunny ears!) about which type of bunny I mean, so I'm posting a photo of Deanna Brooks in her gear.

Toast over IM

Hay: Can I interest you in some cold toast?
Poppy: Probably not. Why do you ask?
Hay: I have some!
Poppy: Why?
Hay: I made toast and then got stuck talking to folks.
Poppy: You know we're not in the same building, right? Not even in the same town?
Hay: Eh? ... I could save some for you!
Poppy: Thanks? ... This conversation is so random it deserves to be on the blog.

Thin building material

OCONOMOWOC, Wisconsin (AP) -- A man says he broke into an apartment with a cavalry sword because he thought he heard a woman being raped, but the sound actually was from a pornographic movie his upstairs neighbor was watching.

"Now I feel stupid," said James Van Iveren, who has been charged in the case. "This really is nothing, nothing but a mistake."

According to a criminal complaint, the neighbor told police that Van Iveren pounded on the door and kicked it open without warning February 12, damaging the frame and lock.

"Where is she?" Van Iveren demanded, thrusting the sword at the neighbor, the complaint said. "Where is she?"

The neighbor told police Van Iveren became increasingly aggressive as he repeated the question, insisting that he had heard a woman being raped. The complaint said that, with the sword pointed at him, the neighbor led Van Iveren throughout the apartment, opening closet doors to prove he was alone.

The neighbor later played for police the part of the DVD he believed Van Iveren heard downstairs.

Van Iveren, 39, of Oconomowoc, was charged with criminal trespass, criminal damage and disorderly conduct, all while using a dangerous weapon, and is scheduled to appear in court March 5. Together, the misdemeanor counts carry a maximum sentence of 33 months in jail.

Van Iveren said Tuesday that he heard a woman "screaming for help," grabbed the sword, bounded up the stairs, kicked in the apartment door and confronted the man who lived there.

"I intended to hold it behind my back and knock. But I froze and instead, what happened happened," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Contesting his neighbor's account, Van Iveren said he didn't look anywhere in the apartment except the front room, and that he never threatened the neighbor with the sword.

"I had the sword extended, but that was all," he said.

Van Iveren, who lives with his mother in the downstairs apartment, said he did not call police when he heard the noises because he does not have a telephone. He said he barely knew the upstairs tenant.

Police seized Van Iveren's sword, which he said was a family heirloom. (CNN)

I can scream my head off at home (for whatever purpose) and no one hears me. Or, maybe they hear me but they don't bother to check. I appreciate that this guy wanted to help out what he thought was a woman in distress. I think the circumstances are odd, but I feel bad that he might get jail time just for trying to help somebody out.

Edit: This is precisely why I'd rather have a man break into my home with a family heirloom sword to save me even though I was just watching a porno vs. ignoring my pleas for help when I'm being held hostage. Thanks for sharing that, Molly, and for being annoyed enough to call the cops.

Britney (not really) on Letterman last night

I'm not talking about Britney. I'm just offering you a great comedy clip:



:)

Sarcastic? Moi? :D

I have no idea how much of my sarcasm comes across on my blog. I'll let you know that I am very sarcastic in real life, pretty much because I think people say a lot of stupid stuff out loud and I must mock it in a witty way. My officemate has told me more than once that he can never tell when I'm kidding because I have a super dry British (my heritage!) sarcasm about me. Here's how I rate:

You Have Your Sarcastic Moments

While you're not sarcastic at all times, you definitely have a cynical edge. In your opinion, not all people are annoying. Some are dead! And although you do have your genuine moments, you can't help getting your zingers in. Some people might be a little hurt by your sarcasm, but it's more likely they think you're hilarious.

How Sarcastic Are You?

Do you agree with this assessment based on my blog personality?

What did you get when you took the quiz?

Thanks to my girl sourpuss who deserves a much higher sarcasm rating than she got. :)

Unix, Inix, Wuinix

I would seriously like to kill -9 the rest of this day. I need a nap.

Totally on a tangent: I've worn Old Spice deodorant since October and I absolutely love it. Randomly, out of the blue, totally unexpectedly, today my deodorant decided to react with my body to smell like the scent of an ex-boyfriend who I dated 15 years ago. I associate life experiences with scent, so I am having a bunch of flashbacks of our time together. I didn't enjoy dating him, but I did enjoy his scent. Does anybody else bind situations to scents? Is that normal?

Administrivia

Gecko is a self-proclaimed lame duck this week as he transitions from one job that is laying him off to a new venture starting Monday. He has nothing to do. Please visit his comments or mine and leave him suggestions for fun web stuff to do. Thanks, everyone!

Congratulations to B and DH who finally moved to their - new - home! B, we need to chat!!! :)

I have a full work schedule today, perhaps stealing some time late this afternoon. If anything exciting happens in the world please leave me an email or comment and I'll get back to you when I'm back in the virtual office. *beep!* (BTW/FYI/SYN: Britney does not count as exciting news. So, please don't bother. However? Christina Aguilera possibly being pregnant is. Congrats to X and Brat!)

AI's top guy of the night

Blake Lewis's rendition of Keane's Somewhere Only We Know made my all giddy. I absolutely melt every time I hear that song, and this was no exception. I really don't want to like him, but he was smart by not doing the beatbox stuff tonight. Don't get me wrong, the beatbox stuff is entertaining, but as he pointed out this is a singing competition. So, singing is a good thing. Please don't listen to Randy and do the beatbox every week.

And for my swooning pleasure, the Keane version:



Update: Rickey always comes through with Idol video. To see and hear Blake perform Somewhere Only We Know go here.

a fraction of

How come there isn't HTML code that takes two numbers and fractions them? I can make a 1/2 fraction (½), a 1/4 fraction (¼), and a 3/4 fraction (¾) but that's it.

If I try to make a 2/3 fraction? ⅔ <-- See? Doesn't work! Should work logically, but doesn't.

What's up with that? (Does anybody say “What's up with that?” anymore, or is it just me?)

Update: Spencer is a genius. sup and sub do the trick! See? ²/₃ Very cool! He definitely gets the Thinking Outside the Box award. :)

I might as well flaunt it

Yesterday my blog received an extra 100 hits because I have mentioned Karen Corr in the past.



In my original posts I didn't mention anything about her being naked, a lesbian, or having breasts of any sort, yet those combinations have been the most searched keyword sets on my blog since August 13, 2005.

I wondered “aloud” about this to Avi. He pointed out to me that my blog is #2 on Google for keyword search karen corr naked:



You don't want to know what #3 is. Well, maybe you do but I'm not promoting it here so you go do your own googling. ;)

To those of you who find my blog via that search: I appreciate your traffic, but what you're looking for is not here.

Update: Everyone seems scared of Karen Corr, so I'll explain. She is a professional billiards player from Ireland. She is not, I repeat not, a porn star or playmate or anything racy. I'm very amused by all your comments, though. :)

Just call me ‘Rambling Rose’

Have you ever had a conversation with me? Do you notice how many tangents I go on? I swear I have conversation ADD. I guess I haven't done enough puzzles to stave off the Alzheimer's.

New footage of the JFK motorcade submitted

A Dallas museum has acquired 40-year-old footage of the motorcade on the fateful date in 1963 when JFK was killed by a first (or second) shooter.

Mo-nop-o-ly

XM and Sirius are trying to merge. It's been talked about for a long time, years even, but now it's being made official-er. Unless we, the people, have something to say about it. Even then it'll probably go through.

This sh!t is bananas

I've converted to relying on Bloglines to tell me when there are updates to my 30 favoritest blogs. Today none of the feeds are working for me, so it's as if no one is posting. I spot checked a few of the blogs I know update daily and they all have updates. Gah!!!!!!! Now I am forced to actually show up to blogs without knowing if they're updated or not! Annoying! It's like arriving to someone's house unannounced! ... Okay, not really, but I think you get my point.

Update: I read on Avi's blog that Blogger beta is the villain, so I am resubscribing to allllllll the blogs. Ugh.

Headline of the future: George W. Bush kills Prince Harry of Wales

I know it's not inevitable, but I have a very bad feeling about Harry going to Iraq.

Reminder:

I've posted the winners of the Poppy awards. Please peruse. Thank you!

Blogging phoenix

Is it just me, or have blogs gotten really good lately? I've found some pretty amazing blogs lately, with some extremely witty bloggers behind them. I am liking this scene!

A few examples*:

• Molly, who I've already superlatived for overall awesome blog
  
• Tense Teacher, who does the job I always wanted to do (grade papers) but hates it in a very amusing way
  
• The Other Girl, who is in mid-name-change and sports a melon on her head
  
• Spencer Patton, who is a world-cultured student (hola!) wishing to own a car for the fine New England weather to rust out in about 6 months

Two of those are newlybloggers, while one has been blogging a bit over a year and one is in [Version 2.0], a truly phoenixed blogger himself. The rest of us are becoming relics! Ack! Well, not ack. I'll happily move aside so some other whippersnappers can add some fresh content to the Internetses. I don't mind one bit.

*In case you were wondering why the list is mostly alphabetical: Those blogs are listed in the order that I found them, not in alphabetical order.

General Tso's Tofu

Thanks to Slashfood for the recipe which I modified in the following ways: tofu replaces chicken; no egg used for the tofu coating; added only 1 tsp red pepper; mixed 4 Tbsp water with 1 tsp corn starch and 2 Tbsp brown sugar to add sweetness and extra thickness to the sauce.




The white rice is jasmati. The fried rice is jasmati, Kikkoman spice packet, bacon, sweet onion, and egg (directions from the Kikkoman package).

And, since I didn't use chicken in the recipe, here's a bit of chicken for your viewing pleasure:



Ahhh, I love that show...

Jam or Jaren? Time to choose!

Choose sides at Zulkey. I'm going for Pam. :)

Thanks to OfficeTally for introducing me to this product.

Shut UP! *SHOVE*

LisaNova of YouTube fame has been cast on MADtv (as Lisa Donovan)! Nice job, Lisa!



Her first appearance on the show was last night.

unbinding

Yesterday was the first day I had no cheese whatsoever since I started keeping track on January 21. When I say I eat some form of cheese almost every day I mean it.

Way TMI

Found this over at The Mistress Lounge and thought I'd play along.

* I am shorter than 5’5”: Yes, I am 5'4".

* I have many scars: I have a scar on my stomach from exploratory surgery for what turned out to be a polyp, a scar just below my navel and two dot scars a bit below that from another surgery for what turned out to be pain caused by scar tissue from the first surgery, a scar on my knee from falling off my bike as a kid, and a burn scar on my right arm from accidentally lighting myself on fire while making tea at age 10.

* I tan easily: I lobster easily.

* I wish my hair was a different color: I think it's a bit mousy now that I know what it looks like when I have highlights in it.

* I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color: Considering I have friends who have never seen me at all, I'll answer yes to this.

* I’ve had braces: Yes, just recently!

* I wear glasses or contacts: Yes, I wear glasses. I wore contacts in college but they damaged my eyes and now I quite enjoy having the shield of glasses over my eyes.

* I’ve been told I’m attractive by a complete stranger: Probably. I've certainly been approached by complete strangers.

* I have freckles: Yep.

* I’ve fallen asleep at work or school: No.

* I failed more than 1 class: I failed organic chemistry even though I tried real hard, then got really depressed and failed physics the same semester. That's when I knew it was time to switch from pre-vet to français...

* I’ve been fired: Not yet, although I try real hard some days.

* Disney movies still make me cry: It depends how close to my period I am.

* I’ve laughed so hard I’ve cried: Often. And lately.

* I’ve glued my hand to something: I've glued my fingers together with Krazy Glue on purpose. For the life experience.

* I’ve laughed till some kind of beverage came out of my nose: Milk!

* I’ve had my pants rip/drop in public: No, but I've had something far more embarrassing happen with my pants.

* I’ve had my tonsils removed: Nope.

* I’ve sat in a doctor's office with a friend: With Hay, but only while we have been a couple.

* I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed: Yes. I ate ice cream and threw up all over the floor from the anaesthesia. Nothing bad happened to me otherwise and I stopped taking the pain meds that same night.

* I had a serious surgery: Yes, see the scars section above.

* I’ve had chicken pox: No one is aware of me ever having them but in 2000 my primary doctor did a blood test and told me I've had them already.

* I’ve gotten lost in my city: I've lived in this area my entire life. I may not know exactly where I am sometimes, but if I drive for any length of time I recognize a landmark eventually.

* I’ve seen a shooting star: Many. Our sky is gorgeous at night.

* I’ve wished on a shooting star: Often. The wishes never come true, but I keep doing it anyway.

* I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas: To the hospital for surgery.

* I’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator: Only when there have been a few buttons, never when there are more than 10.

* I’ve been to a casino: Yes, and didn't enjoy it aside from the company. (Hay was with me.)

* I’ve been skydiving: No.

* I drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour: I wouldn't be here to tell you about it.

* I’ve been in a car crash: Many, and none of them have ever been my fault. Haven't been in one lately, thankfully.

* I’ve caught a snowflake on my tongue: Tons of them!

* I’ve sat on a roof top at night: Not at night.

* I’ve played chicken: No.

* I’ve played a prank on someone: When I worked for the same employer as Hay everyone used to prank each other constantly. Now I just mess with my officemates' desk toys.

* I’ve seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show: With my mom! And then with my effing hot college roommate with whom I shared benefits.

* I’ve eaten Sushi: Yes. I prefer vegetarian sushi. I'm not a fish person.

* I’ve been snowboarding: No. I used to date a guy whose sister was a pro snowboarder.

* I’ve had a crush on a teacher: Holy crap, I even had a dream of the guy having sex with me while he recited poetry. Oh, and then there was the matter of my security conference instructor. That was a really pleasant week. :)

* I’ve hugged a stranger: I've attended AA and Alanon meetings. Of course I've hugged strangers.

* I own over 5 rap CDs: Yes.

* I own multiple designer pants and shirts, costing over $100 piece: No, clothing is seriously not important to me.

* I own something from Hot Topic: No.

* I own something from Pac Sun: No.

* I own something from The Gap: Yes, but nothing new.

* I own something from Abercrombie: No.

* I can sing well: Yes.

* I’ve stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant: No.

* I open up to others easily: Next question!

* I watch the news: I read my news on the Internetses while I watch trash TV. Does that count?

* I don’t kill bugs: That is a true statement as often as possible. I feel super bad when I do kill a bug, so I try to save as many as possible or make the furry kids kill the bugs.

* I sing in the shower: I do.

* I am a morning person: If by morning you mean 11:00am, then -- yes, yes I am.

* I am a sports fanatic: It depends on the sport and if I am surrounded by other sports fans.

* I twirl my hair: Occasionally.

* I’ve copied more than 30 CDs in a day: For business purposes, during the Blaster worm incident. Gosh, that was fun.

* I bake well: I bake some things very well, but other things not so well. I'm better at cooking than baking.

* My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red or blue: Pink and blue are favorites to wear, but green is my favoritest color.

* I sometimes wear pajamas to school: I don’t.

* I like Martha Stewart: I'm not opposed.

* I know how to shoot a gun: I've never done it, but intellectually I understand the concept.

* I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS: No.

* I laugh at my own jokes: All the freaking time.

* I am really ticklish: Depends where you try to tickle me.

* I love chocolate: Yes, yes I do.

* I bite my nails: Not since I was a tween and my dad mentioned the dirty toilet germs that were under my fingernails. Thanks, Dad!

* I play video games: No. They make me scream obscenities and I lose interest after 2 minutes. Wasted on me. I do appreciate the classics, though.

* I’m good at remembering faces: Freakishly good.

* I’m good at remembering names: Freakishly good.

* I’m good at remembering dates: No. But, numbers: Yes.

* I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life: That's not entirely accurate, I'm just not doing what I want to be doing.

* My answers are totally honest: Yes.

Chickens running across my melons?!

Another recall to do with Salmonella!

Dole has issued a recall on cartons of cantaloupes in the Eastern US and Quebec, Canada, after discovering the fruit tested positive for salmonella. Approximately 6000 cartons of the Costa Rican-grown fruit were distributed to wholesalers between the dates of February 5th though 8th, though no reports of illness have yet come in.

Though I don't know how this will help those that bought individual cantaloupes, the cartons they were packaged in were dark brown with red lettering and have a 13-digit number on them with the tenth digit of 2. If you think you may have purchased some, you can contact the store where you got them, or Dole directly at 1-800-232-8888.

Though a salmonella infection can be fatal, the most common symptoms are diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting. (Slashfood)

It's getting tougher for me to dare to eat raw food lately...

And the goes to...

The first, and likely only annual Poppy awards. Let's get to the winners, shall we? Sometimes there was a tie in a category. Ties happen! Even untying happens! ;)

Best Anonymous Blog - AnonymousCoworker
Best Blog Design - Attu Sees All
Best Blog Written by Someone with the Same Name as Me - Stefanie Says ; Poppy Talk
Best Entertainment Blog Whose Keeper Knows Me by Name - Popbytes (hi, MK!) ; CityRag (hello, city!)
Best Food and Drink Blog - Slashfood
Best Movie Reviews - potatoes in the mist
Best Music Reviews - Maliavale
Best Overall Concept Blog - PostSecret ; Nerd's Eye View
Best Photos - Nabbalicious ; Look At Me. I'm So Important That I Have a Blog.
Best Post About Cats - keeping the whites whiter by The Adventures of Don Vito & Sophia
Best Recipes - potatoes in the mist ; i like to cook
Best Team Blog - The Churning ; CheezyCatz
Best Television Blog - Give Me My Remote
Best “The Office” Concept Blog - “That's What She Said”
Best “The Office” Overall Blog - OfficeTally
Best True Story - The Story of J by Kim's Notebook ; The Time I Killed Valentine's Day by Diamond Lil
Best Use of Cheese - Cheesaholics Anonymous
Best Use of Profanity in a Blog Post - AnonymousCoworker for Two commercials I hate
Best Zombie Posts - AnonymousCoworker
Blog with the Best Incorporation of Fruit in Its Title - Lemon Parade
Blogger I'm Most Likely Related To - Avi, Avitable-isms
Craziest Mofo - Avi
Cutest Kid Picture - furry: Jumping the Bandwagon ; human: to thine own self be true
Grammar and Spelling Award - Stefanie Says
Greatest Blogger from Columbus, Ohio - Gecko Rock
Guiltiest Blog Pleasure - Lucky Pink
Laziest Blogger - Diamond Lil (by request)
Most Feral Cat Posts in a Single Blog - LizLand
Overall Awesome Blog - Somewhat Malcontent
Post with the Most Toast - Could I get some support here? by sourpuss ; won't you be my neighbor? by *golden state*
Untitled Category Because Poppy Wanted to Award a Poppy Award - Ocean of Reality


Congratulations to all the winners! If you would like a Poppy Award icon for your blog please email me (see my profile)* and I'll send you a customized award. Don't feel obligated to do anything with it.


*Apparently “new blogger” doesn't show email in the profile. Or IM. Or or or. Sooooo, here's the goods:

EDIT: I have started receiving a lot of spam since posting my address so I've removed it. If you need to contact me please leave me a comment on how to reach you and I'll do that instead.

Note to self:

You are gullible, easily persuaded, and don't say “no!” enough. That is why you were over an hour late arriving home tonight, why your back and leg are flared up, and why you are completely exhausted. Let's try to grow a backbone over the weekend, shall we?

Now, go eat some damn ice cream and watch some trash TV to rejuvenate. Don't make me tell you twice.

1000 dogs and cats killed because of shelter error

If my officemate were not here right now I'd be sobbing.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- An outbreak of contagious diseases at a shelter where officials admit they kept animals for too long without destroying them has forced the killing of about 1,000 dogs and cats, officials said.

Visiting inspectors from The Humane Society of the United States discovered the outbreak of the diseases -- distemper and Parvovirus in dogs and panleukopenia in cats -- Lied Animal Shelter spokesman Mark Fierro said.

"We caused the animals pain, and that is something we are committed will never happen in our shelter again," said Janie Greenspun Gale, board chairwoman for the Animal Foundation, which operates the Lied Animal Shelter, according to KTNV News in Las Vegas.

During a Thursday news conference, a tearful Greenspun Gale acknowledged that the shelter hadn't followed Humane Society policies, and though the animals were immunized, "we were using the wrong immunizations," KTNV reported.

The shelter staff didn't want to euthanize the animals simply because they'd been there too long or because the shelter needed more space, Greenspun Gale said, but the misguided effort backfired. Humane Society officials said as much when they visited the shelter.

"Instead of congratulating us for trying to save lives, instead of telling us how wonderful we were that we didn't want to put animals down for time and space, they told us we were causing animals to suffer," Greenspun Gale said, according to KTNV.

The mass culling, which began February 9, is believed to be the largest in the city's history and has prompted shelter officials to change their methods of caring for animals.

Animal rights activists said they were outraged by the killings.

"It's unforgivable in light of the fact that it was absolutely preventable," said Holly Stoberski, legal counsel for Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary, a group that has worked with Lied to find homes for impounded animals.

"They were not properly vaccinating the dogs and cats in a timely manner."

Shelter officials vowed to adopt new policies when it reopens Friday, including euthanizing animals after 72 hours at the shelter -- as the Humane Society recommends -- and improving conditions for the animals, including vaccinating them when they arrive.

Not all of the 1,000 animals were infected. Some were put down because they had gone unadopted for more than 120 days and were contributing to overcrowding that Humane Society officials said helped spread the diseases.

Lied Animal Shelter officials have said they did not realize animals were infected until the Humane Society team noticed animals with intestinal and respiratory problems.

The foundation contracts with Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas to handle abandoned, neglected and stray animals at Lied. The shelter annually adopts more than 7,000 dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs and other animals. (CNN)

It it just the worst thing to me that this situation was preventable. I can't even go through the process of thinking this all the way through because it hurts me too much. I am heartbroken...

YaaaaaaaaaY!!!

Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:19:03 -0500
From: CNN Breaking News
Reply-To: newseditor@MAIL.CNN.COM
To: TEXTBREAKINGNEWS@CNNIMAIL12.CNN.COM
Subject: CNN Breaking News

-- The House of Representatives passes a non-binding resolution rejecting President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

The vote: 246-182. More info here.

Cheyenne cheating on Van with JT

I know I'm the only one who watches the show Reba so this isn't exciting to anyone else, but I was very surprised to read that Justin Timberlake hooked up with JoAnna Garcia who plays Reba's daughter Cheyenne on the recently cancelled sitcom. Très intéressant...

Part 1 of the two-part series finale of Reba airs this Sunday at 7:00pm Eastern/Pacific on The CW. Part 2 is at 7:30pm.

Image: Tri Delta (who knows where they got it from...)

Reminder: Nominations by 11:59pm Eastern Friday

Last call, boozers!

If you want to try to sway me on a Poppy awards category then don't forget to leave a comment with your suggestions. Stef has been campaigning hard for a particular category that I had considered dropping due to previous lack of interest. You could do the same for another category. :) The categories still up for grabs through the last minute of February 16 are listed here.

Good luck, everyone!

Chickens running through the peanut farm

I saw this on the news this morning as I was watching the number of schools closed for no good reason (the schools are closed for a very good reason; I was watching for no good reason) but I just saw it on Slashfood and thought it might be nice of me to share:

FDA issues salmonella warning for peanut butter

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just issued a salmonella warning for some batches of Peter Pan peanut butter after linking more than 280 cases of food poisoning in 39 different states to the product. Con Agra, the manufacturer of the peanut butter, has already called for a recall, but unlike with the fresh veggies that were affected by an E. coli contamination last fall, the long shelf-life of peanut butter means that people who fail to check their jars at home could face problems at a later time. Fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps are common effects, but for those with autoimmune disorders or other serious medical conditions, salmonella infections can be life threatening.

All of the peanut butters in question are under the brand names "Peter Pan" and "Great Value" and bear the number 2111 at the beginning of the product code on the lid. They were all made at a single factory in Georgia. The first consumer that was affected by the peanut butter-borne salmonella became ill in August of 2006, so if you bought your peanut butter (assuming it's Peter Pan brand) around that time, or even a bit before, it is wise to throw it out and start with something fresh.

I wonder if we're just doing a better job of reporting illness and locating its source. I can't believe we didn't get sick from all of these foods before. It's only natural!

The last snow post

My employer closed its doors yesterday afternoon and won't open until tomorrow morning. If you ask anyone locally they'll tell you they don't ever remember my employer being closed. If you dig through the records you'll find that they did close about 20 years ago (although I thought it was 33 years ago, winter of the year I was born) for a blizzard. The roads are still impassible, there is risk of avalanches, high winds, and we are still on emergency weather status. Everyone is still digging out their own homes, and we don't much care about the rest of the world right now.

Front yard: Hay is 6' tall. That front lilac on the left is almost as tall as I am (5' to 5' 4").

Back yard: The bird feeder post is 5' tall, the peach tree directly behind is 4' tall, the crabapples in the background and our deck to the left are 8' tall.

Idol saves another career; TRL cancelled?

I saw Robyn Troup on Ellen last week performing with the other two hopefuls in a competition to take the stage with Justin Timberlake at the Grammys (“My Grammy Moment”). Robyn won that competition so her name has been kinda everywhere. Here's her performance with JT directly after Jennifer Hudson announced her as the winner of the competition:



Last night during group performances on AI I watched Robyn be cut by Paula, Randy, and Simon. Granted, there were something like 3 women to every one man so the judges had a lot of lady cuttin' to do, but I'm always a bit of a conspiracy theorist on things like this and wonder if Idol cut her because this other opportunity came up for Robyn after she already got her golden ticket, or if Robyn's performance just wasn't up to par with the other ladies who made it through group night.

Seems like the biggest stars of Idol are the ones who get cut. (I am not a fan of Kelly Clarkson. I can't do it. She freaks me out visually and I just don't think that her vocals are that interesting.)


Totally unrelated: I just read over at I'm Not Obsessed that Jossip scooped the cancellation of MTV's TRL. I didn't think that show could ever be cancelled. What will MTV do now?! Oh. Right. More episodes of My Supah Dupah Nexted RW/RR Cribs Challenge.

Snow mobiles, snow plows, snow blowers, shovels, roof rakes, and screaming*

Those are the sounds I've heard all day. ALL day. We have broken every record there is to break to do with snow and precipitation in general. I'm exhausted from raking the roofs, wiping off bird feeders, and putting out food for wildlife. These tasks really don't take so much effort, but the trudging through more than 2 feet of snow does. It's up to my knees in the low part. Our porch stairs have been swallowed. Our Adirondack chairs are irrecognizable. Our fenced in garden is missing and the 7-ft tall arbor that serves as its entrance looks stubby because so much of it is underneath the snow. The weather service claimed the snow would continue through 7am tomorrow, but now have revised their statement to end at 8pm tonight. I sure hope they got it right this time. Even living in a place where we expect this much snow we're not doing so hot at dealing with it.




*The screaming people are trying to talk over all of the snow equipment, although I could have sworn I heard someone crying for help a few minutes ago. When I listened longer I realized it was just someone trying to talk to another person outside.

I fought the snow and the snow won(s).

Our state is closed due to too much snow and a big old blizzard. I'm glad we stocked up on chocolate, milk, and pizza last night!




Happy Valentime's Day!

Holy crap!

Fat-free* potato chips that you make yourself in your own microwave!

Before:

After:

Poppy wants this.

*Potatoes are a fat-free food.

Because I know you like it when I tell you what's going on with me...

I either have arthritis in my big toe or I broke it. I'm guessing arthritis. Ow. :(

There's a crapload of snow coming my way. I'm quite sick of the snow already so I'm going to be in a bit of a mood tomorrow. You've been warned. I apologize in advance.

I got a promotion at work. My supervisor made an announcement to our team at our staff meeting. Didn't go well. I have been there less time than several other folks and now I am two grades ahead of all but three of them. Sorry guys, you snooze you lose. In my defense, I am more edumacated than some of them and have been in technology for a lot longer than they have. Oh, and I'm awesome. Can't forget that part. I plan to throw a work party for myself. With cake! :) *rubbing nose in it*

Hay and I very irregularly exchange gifts for holidays, Hallmark or otherwise. We had planned to buy flowers after work tomorrow, but the expected snowstorm will likely result in a distinct lack of flowers. I'm okay with that. When it's warmer I have flowers all the time. We also eat chocolate whenever we want and go to dinner whenever we feel like. What do we need a holiday for? (My birthday, on the other hand? It doesn't go well when the same philosophy is applied. The day of my birth is the only day I even slightly describe as sacred. It is, in fact, my cultural holiday.)

Oh, and there is no footage of me being drunk the other night. I know at least one of you would have paid good money for that. You'll have to save your money for another time.

Misuse

SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent on a mission to patrol a military base in Washington state, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

In a notice published in this week's Federal Register, the Navy said it needs to bolster security at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, located on the Puget Sound close to Seattle. The base is home to submarines, ships and laboratories and is potentially vulnerable to attack by terrorist swimmers and scuba divers, the notice states.

Several options are under consideration, but the preferred plan would be to send as many as 30 California sea lions and Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego.

"These animals have the capabilities for what needs to be done for this particular mission," said Tom Lapuzza, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Program. The Navy is seeking public comment for an Environmental Impact Statement it is preparing on the proposal.

Lapuzza said because of their astonishing sonar abilities, dolphins are excellent at patrolling for swimmers and divers. When it detects a person in the water, a Navy dolphin drops a beacon.

This tells a human interception team where to find the suspicious swimmer.

Dolphins also are trained to detect underwater mines; they were sent to do this in the Iraqi harbor of Umm Qasr in 2003. The last time the animals were used operationally in San Diego was in 1996 when they patrolled the bay during a Republican convention.

Sea lions can carry in their mouths special cuffs attached to long ropes. If the animal finds a rogue swimmer, it can clamp the cuff around the person's leg. The individual can then be reeled in for questioning.

Activists' say no to mammal defense

The Navy wanted to deploy marine animals to the Northwest in 1989, Lapuzza said, but a federal judge sided with animal-rights activists concerned about the effects of cooler water, as well as how the creatures would affect the environment.

Water in the Puget Sound is about 10 degrees cooler than in San Diego Harbor, which has an average temperature of about 58 degrees, Lapuzza said.

Since then, the Navy has taken the dolphins and sea lions to cold-water places like Alaska and Scandinavia to see how they coped.

"They did very well," Lapuzza said. If the animals are sent to Washington, the dolphins would be housed in heated enclosures and would only patrol the bay for periods of about two hours.

Stephanie Boyles, a marine biologist and spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said sea mammals do not provide a reliable defense system, and they should not be kept in small enclosures.

"We believe the United States' citizens deserve the very best defense possible and this just isn't it," Boyles said, adding that dolphins are easily distracted once in open water. "They don't understand the consequences of what will happen if they don't carry out the mission."

Among the other options the Navy is considering for the Kitsap-Bangor base are the use of human interception teams and remote-controlled machines. (continued at CNN)

Other options are available. Dolphins and sea lions should not be used to locate the enemy. What's next? Kittens and bunnies?

I'm pretty sure I have no hair left because I pulled it all out.

Our company network was down from lunch time through the end of the day. Do you know how hard it is for an IT person to get anything done when there is no internal or external network access? So awful. I got a headache by the end of the day because I was so frustrated.

Jam-min'

I love Molly.

This is why.

She didn't make the news, she just relayed it. I stalk OfficeTally via Bloglines, but Molly's report arrived to me first (meaning I don't read my OfficeTally very closely, now do I?) and wine dictates that I must love the person who told me first.

What OfficeTally did tell me first: John Krasinski and Rashida Jones used to date in real life but now they're just really good friends. That explains why I don't hate them as a couple on the show.

*bzzzt*

I had a glass of Merlot with dinner tonight. It's my first alcoholic beverage since the one glass of beer I had last March.* Wheeeeeeeeee! Geesh, if you don't drink very often it's easy to get a little buzz on, eh?


*I was not supposed to have that beer. I was on medication that said “DON'T DRINK, YOU BIG DUMMY” on the side of the bottle and boy did I regret that. I haven't taken those meds since mid-Decemberish but we're not big drinkers in the Cede household...

Curried lentils?

Avi, look away. Now.

Does anyone (else) have a tried and true recipe for curried lentils? I had some the other day from a cafe and they knocked my double-thick socks across the room. I am not a big meat eater* on a regular basis, so I'd like to add more meat alternative dishes to my culinary repertoire. I normally eat chickpea curry, but lentils are equally severely good for you!

Also, I'd love a great samosa recipe. Aside from vegetable fried rice, samosas are the only dish containing peas that I'll eat without picking the little buggers out. Squishy eyeballs of the pod! Blech.


*I love steak and hamburger. I was raised on beef, rice, and Coca-Cola. But I'm not really crazy for other meats on a regular basis, and I can only have cow so many days in a row.

I like popping. I wonder why.

A swab could clear this all up

So far I have heard that the following people are the daddy to Anna Nicole's baby girl:

1. Howard K. Stern
2. Larry Birkhead
3. J. Howard Marshall (the old man Anna was married to who may have left some frozen sperm behind)
4. Prince Frederic von Anhalt (the man Zsa Zsa Gabor is married to who supposedly had a decade-long affair with Anna)
5. Anna's dead son Daniel (for reals, yo... gross)

I think this is ridiculous. Let's just get the test done and over with then make an informed decision about custody. Dannielynn will already be severely messed up so anything that can lessen the damage is a good thing.

Nominations, please!

I have narrowed down the list of Poppy award categories. I have already chosen winners for 17 awards and decided to not use 9 suggested awards (sorry!), but that leaves a bunch of awards for which I need your help. Please review the categories then nominate blogs/bloggers from my blogroll* to the left:

♦Best Blog Design
♦Best Family Story
♦Best Overall Concept Blog
♦Best Recipes
♦Best Team Blog
♦Best True Story
♦Best Use of Cheese
♦Best Use of Profanity in a Blog Post
♦Craziest Mofo
♦Cutest Kid Picture
♦Grammar and Spelling Award
♦Post with the Most Toast

Please feel free to nominate yourself. :) Vote in the comments or email me directly (visit my profile if you don't know my email by now) if you prefer. Voting ends Friday, February 16 at 11:59pm Eastern.


*Any blog from the blogroll is fair game, just not the unbloggy sites please.

Oh, the irony!

Elie Wiesel roughed up at peace seminar. Sad.

If you don't recognize his name at all then this means nothing to you. If it sounds a tiny bit familiar then you perhaps read Night back in high school.

El Laberinto del Fauno

Hay and I went to see Pan's Labyrinth after a half day at work today. I shall be so bold as to say it is my favorite movie that I've seen in 2007. Here's some stream of consciousness-type-nessity about the film:

Two separate and fantastic story worlds brilliantly woven into one.
Bring your reading glasses or your ear for Spanish, the dialogue is very important.
Barbaric violence, but in a fascinating way.
A perfect match of fantasy and reality.
Spectacularly realistic special effects.

I'm more than strongly urging you to not let your kids see this film. Despite its main character being a girl who spends part of her time in a fantasy land, both the reality and fantasy contain very graphic scenes.

%@%^@($#!$&$@!@!I&#$!(&^&

Last night we watched You, Me(,) and Dupree instead of live Must See TV. When we were finished with the movie at 9:32pm we looked in our recorded shows section of the DVR -- NO Office and NO Earl. Que la FREKANDO f?! Hay checked the timers and saw that both were active as weeklies, but when we checked the items to record daily list neither show was listed as even being skipped or showing as no event. This has happened for other less important shows lately, and has happened to a DVR box we had a few years ago which we no longer have for this very same reason. (Can you hear my loud sigh? I think you can.) We'll catch Earl in reruns, but we can't miss Phyllis's wedding so I'll be purchasing it from iTunes later today. Boys and girls, today's letter is: F.

In case anyone is wondering, we liked Y, M, and D but not enough to specifically recommend it. Nothing original, although we quite enjoyed how Matt Damon DILLON* (42) is aging so well that he plays a similar age to his movie wife Kate Hudson (27).

*Thanks, Bearette. My mind said Dillon, my fingers typed Damon. Disconnect. I love Matt Dillon, too. Geesh.

The best effing cookie on the new kids block

Pepperidge Farm Dark Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies. So new that there aren't any images out in the world for me to borrow, so here ya go.



I love mint. I love dark chocolate. I love cookies. I love the two glasses of fat free milk over ice that I had with these cookies. I'm one happy lady.

notable mention

Anna Nicole Smith just died (click for more info).

knowing self

I was in the bathroom at work earlier and washed my hands in front of a mirror. I then grabbed some paper towel and dried my hands away from the mirror and suddenly started to wonder what it would be like to grow up without mirrors, reflective surfaces, photographs, cameras, or other visual aids that would let me know what my face looks like. I can see everyone else without a mirror, but I can't see myself. I wonder what that would do to my sense of self. Would I feel disconnected from a photo of me if I saw one for the first time at my current age, or would I somehow instantly know that I was looking at myself? Who would I be without knowing what I look like? Less self conscious or more? More confident or less? More or less focused on the needs of society rather than my own needs?

Something for me to ponder and never know the answer to, I guess.

Gorillaz + Krasinski = Me Likey

Best viewed while consuming salsa-flavored Doritos.

I don't appreciate being called a hussy, but I'm lucky Hay and John Krasinski are the same person in my mind. :)

Thanks to Mel for posting this.

Avert your gaze

Nothing new to see here until tonight. Busy day, unexpectedly. Go visit my favs to the left, to the left.

When good space ladies go bad

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) -- A NASA astronaut charged with pepper-spraying and trying to kidnap a romantic rival was granted bail Tuesday, but her release was delayed after police announced they were filing an attempted murder charge against her, a corrections department spokesman said.

Navy Capt. Lisa Marie Nowak had already paid her bail on three other charges when she learned that she would not be released because Orlando police were planning to add attempted murder to the list, said Allen Moore, a spokesman for the Orange County Corrections Department.

Nowak will remain in protective custody until her first appearance on the new charge, which will likely come Wednesday morning, Moore said. The additional charge is likely to be filed Tuesday afternoon, Moore added.

In granting her bail on the original charges, the judge warned that Nowak is to have no contact with NASA engineer Colleen Shipman and must wear a GPS, or global positioning satellite device, to ensure she does not travel east of Orange County, where Shipman lives.

The charges against Nowak stem from an alleged love triangle in which Nowak and Shipman were competing for the affections of astronaut Bill Oefelein, police said.

[...]

Nowak wore a diaper during the 14-hour drive so that she wouldn't have to stop for bathroom breaks, the report said. Astronauts wear what NASA calls maximum-absorbency garments to collect their waste during space travel.

Shipman told police she arrived at the Orlando International Airport about 1 a.m. and had to wait two hours for her luggage.

As Shipman walked to her car she noticed a woman in a trench coat who appeared to be following her, the police report said. She quickly jumped into her car and heard "running footsteps" behind her, Shipman told police.

Nowak slapped the window of the car as Shipman locked it, the report said. Nowak then tried to open the car door, saying that her ride had not arrived.

Shipman told Nowak she would send for help, but when Nowak said she couldn't hear her and started to cry, Shipman cracked her window, the report said. The 2-inch space in the window was all Nowak needed to send pepper spray into the car, police said.

Her eyes burning, Shipman drove to a tollbooth and reported the incident.

When an officer found Nowak at a bus stop, she was wearing a different coat, and the officer observed her putting items in a trash can, the police report said. The officer retrieved a wig and a BB gun from the trash can, the report said.

Police found in Nowak's bag a tan trench coat, a new steel mallet, a folding knife with a 4-inch blade, 3 to 4 feet of rubber tubing, large plastic garbage bags and about $600 in cash, the report said. (continued at CNN)

Crafty...

Mooninite resolve

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and Interference Inc. have agreed to pay $2 million to resolve any claims resulting from a Cartoon Network marketing campaign that caused a widespread bomb scare, the attorney general said Monday.

The agreement with several state and local agencies resolves any potential civil or criminal claims, Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

More than three dozen blinking electronic signs with a boxy cartoon character giving an obscene hand gesture were found Wednesday in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville. The signs, part of a publicity campaign for Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," also appeared in nine other big U.S. cities in recent weeks, with little interest.

But in Boston, bomb squads responded to reports of the devices in a subway station, on bridges and elsewhere.

As part of the settlement, $1 million will be used to reimburse the agencies and $1 million will be used to pay for homeland security and other programs. Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc., and Interference Inc. also will issue a public statement accepting full responsibility and apologizing for the incident.

"Last week's events caused a major disruption in the greater Boston area on many levels -- crippling public transportation, causing serious traffic problems, negatively affecting local businesses and perhaps most significantly, costing Boston and surrounding communities thousands of dollars," Coakley said.

Authorities say two men were paid to hang the signs around the city. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, have pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

Coakley said prosecutors were in discussions with the men's attorneys to resolve the charges before a trial.

Turner Broadcasting is the parent company of CNN. (Source: CNN)

Anybody reading my blog live in Boston? What's your take on this? Was this blown out of proportion?

From my perspective, I really wish the charges would be dropped against Berdovsky and Stevens, and that TBS would be charged instead. I am pretty sure these guys were just picking up some extra cash doing something they didn't see as a threat to national security. I realize that when they spoke during their press conference they made light of the situation by saying they would only answer questions related to hair, but I think they thought the situation was silly so were responding with what they viewed as equal silliness. Am I wrong?

I'm sure they were trying to be helpful.

If you upgraded to new blogger then the email address that is associated with your profile is now the gmail account you sign into blogger with, unless you've gone into your settings and changed it since upgrading.

I have changed mine back to the email account I actually read. Much better.

i seriously need to move more southernly

Today's “feels like” temperature: -25° F

pedantic

You know how sometimes you can read a dictionary entry all you want and you still don't absorb the essence of the word? That's my pedantic. Please: give me a definition of pedantic; give me examples of its usage; tell me who in your life fits that word. (Gecko? A little help?)

Contrary to having been around the block several times, reading the dictionary as a child, and aspiring to be an intellectual, my English language vocabulary is quite average. I instead focused on growing the same base vocabulary in 6 other languages (French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Italian, and ASL; I also dabbled briefly in Arabic but had to stop when I could speak it but not read it) rather than expanding my one native language. I'm quirky that way.

Who's gonna win Super Bowl XLI?

I'm rooting for the Pats. Woohoo!*

Speaking of the Pats, my 4th grade classmate Alan was an extreme Patriots fan. He wore a lot of Patriots clothing and talked about the team constantly. Although I too root for the Patriots it's more a regional requirement than a conscious choice of devotion, so I had absolutely nothing in common with Alan until our class learned about incubators. Our class was loaned two incubators inside of which we each had our very own (decorated to differentiate) egg. We had been promised that we could keep the chicks that emerged from the egg. My mom was absolutely thrilled to hear this because we lived in an apartment and the landlord was definitely (not) going to let us keep a chicken!

Each member of the class watched their incubated egg's progress until it hatched. Surprisingly, almost all of the eggs actually hatched a chick, even though the odds should have been a bit against us. When my chick hatched it was the proudest day of my 9-year-old life. I give a lot of thought to naming pets so I still didn't have a name for the little guy when he was born, but rest assured I was thinking pretty hard about it and I think I had narrowed it down to Henry and Charlie.

Alan and I were the only two kids in the class to have “special” chicks emerge from their shells. My chicken had a foot permanently stuck straight up in the air (no Hitler jokes, please) and he just wasn't thriving. Alan's chick seemed normal enough at first. Then the weekend came and our chicks hit the fan. On Monday morning our teacher arrived to find that my chick had died of natural causes, having fallen to his back with his little clawfoot curled over onto itself, while Alan's chick had become suicidal and drowned himself in a Gerber baby food bottle of water. When we arrived to class our teacher broke the news to both of us together, away from our other classmates. Alan and I were both so sad that we just bawled. Our entire class then had a field trip to the wooded area on the other side of the teacher's parking lot where we buried both our birds in silence. Whenever I think of the Patriots I think of Alan and our dead baby chicks and I root for our team to win.


*I'm pretty sure I'm going to get some fly-by “you're an idiot, the Patriots aren't playing!” comments, but that just goes to show they don't understand my sense of humor. :)

Update: It is of absolute zero (Kelvin) surprise that a lot of people who read my blog are not interested in football. I mean, I just don't convey that “YAR!!!!!!” attitude that football fans need to possess for their game's religion. However, I do happen to know a bit about today's game. The Indy Colts (blue and white) are playing the Windy City Bears (blue and orange).

I'll pick the Bears over the Colts because I think the drink might taste better.

Warm weather remembrances

Good news, Project Runway fans!

Page Six reports:

February 1, 2007 -- THIS explains why style maven Tim Gunn has not yet signed on for the new season of "Project Runway" - he's been lining up a new job. Expect an announcement today from Liz Claiborne Inc. that Gunn, 53, is joining the firm as chief creative officer, The Post's Adam Buckman has learned. That means Gunn is leaving Parsons The New School for Design, where he's been chairman of the fashion design department since 2000 (and with Parsons for 23 years). Sources said his new job, set to start in March, will not prevent him from participating in "Runway" season No. 4.

As I know we all agree, we wouldn't have watched the show without Tim so that is a wise decision by Tim and Project Runway.


On a total tangent, in case it bugs the crap out of you that I use italics instead of “quotes” around television shows I sincerely apologize. I think italics are prettier, so that's what I use.

Photo credit: Seattle Times

“And the Poppy goes to...”

In the not-too-distant future* I'm going to hold an awards show on my blog. I need you to tell me what categories you want to see in the show, and who you nominate for the award. I will likely steal your idea for category but then come up with my own winner for the category. Please don't just go copy the Bloggies and send me lame choices, and please don't copy Darren. (Okay, a little copying from Darren is fine. He's effing hilarious.) Please submit your nominations no later than 10 minutes after you read this post. If you need to come back and read it again to qualify then please do so. I really do want to have some fun awards.

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to retract the awards show offer if I get zero or minimal interest. Also, this is not a democracy. You will not vote. I will choose all winners. (It's my blog and my show, dammit! ;)


*Please accept a range of one week to one month. Thank you.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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Phil didn't see his shadow!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!!!!!

It's the End of the World As We Know It (and I feel a bit sticky)

Because calling it EVOO makes it taste better. It's a free country, so you're welcome to purchase it at Rachael Ray's online store.

(I used to like Rachael Ray, but a series of events occurred which resulted in our falling out.)

Well, that didn't work...

Hay and I ate homemade mac and cheese (have I ever mentioned that I make really awesome mac and cheese? I do! it's the secret ingredient that makes it taste awesome...) and watched John Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Arrested Development, then The Office. And then I went to bed. This morning I don't feel any better. I don't drink caffeinated soda or coffee (almost) ever anymore, but today might be a day where I am forced into habitude.

Hay is making crockpot meatloaf for dinner tonight. Somehow if it comes from a crockpot it just tastes better. Hopefully that works just fine.

PSA

Don't stay up late three nights in a row if you have to function the next day.

That is all.

In case you were wondering, I am aware that comments aren't working right now. I've sent a message to Blogger support.

Update: Seems to be fixed, after a brief Blogger outage. (I repeat: Seems to be.)

JK Rowling can now retire and live happily ever after with a bare-chested Daniel Radcliffe

The final Harry Potter book is due out in July. I'm not sure I'll be able to read it without thinking of the EQUUS images, but I'll sure try.

Pre-order now from Amazon.