Christmas Music Update!

Currently I have 425 Songs Left!!!

Less than 24 hours of music

I am truly enjoying the Chicago "25" Christmas Album!

Also..if you are my Facebook Friend -- The pics of the Christmas Parade are up!

Olden Golden Eagle

So Check this out ---> While I was perusing the internet looking for a Clarion University graphic I came upon this gem of my dear alma mater's mascot -- the Golden Eagle

It gets better - the blogger apparently was or is at Alabama!

Cue the Small World Music...



To go see the rest of the site or the mascots shown -- go here to journalism is for rock stars Oh Yeah It Is!

2007 Music Marathon Update

Currently I am at 1414 Songs left to go...

Which means that if I listen to approximately 88 songs a day -- I will make it!!

I believe I have heard 10 different versions of Ave Maria.

I like the song and I don't think I was aware that it was considered a "Christmas" song. I think I considered it a religious song.

FYI - It's Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays or Merry Winter or whatever else some wacky person comes up with. It's a Christmas Tree and a Christmas Party.

Ecuador = Yum

So the work folk partied this evening.

One of the IT gents and his wife and mother-in-law brought an Ecuadorian Alcoholic beverage that was cacoa flavored and was Fab-u-lous! I think it may rival Malibu as my favorite *adult* beverage!

So anyway the work soiree was ended at 9pm :( wt?

2007 Christmas Music Marathon

I have so much Christmas Music that I could listen to it for four days straight and still not hear it all. So I am attempting to listen to it all before Christmas. If I remember correctly - I didn't make it by Christmas last year - but I did by New Year's!

So this my attempt to blog my way through all my Christmas Music.

The total number of songs on my iPod is somewhere over 2,000. I will repost this with the correct figures later.

Currently as of 12/04/07 - I have 2,065 songs left to listen to.

Live Blogging from the Christmas Parade

We're here waiting in line to go - being tortured by the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority and their float. The same four or five songs - repeated over and over again at ear bleeding volume! For the love of pete - please someone pull the plug!

Christmas Parade

If you are anywhere near downtown T-Town tomorrow night.

Come see the Christmas Parade.

I'll be waving from the Bookmobile!

Mary Poppins in a new light

Have you ever seen a cat eat curry?

Best Trick or Treat Gag Ever!

Ooga Halloween Trick Or Treat - For more of the funniest videos, click here

Yoga + Zombies = The Following Video Clip

~ Roll Tide Roll ~

Well Boys & Girls -- It's Gameday here in Tuscaloosa and the LSU Tigers have come to town for what the media is calling Saban Bowl I.

There is supposedly upwards of 50,000 LSU fans coming just to tailgate -- that means without tickets folks!

Bryant-Denny Stadium holds roughly 99k
LSU Fans 50k
Bama Fans 50k

That's approximately 200,000 PEOPLE! omg!

I can attest to the noise level. There was music thumping when I went to bed last night and there was music thumping when I woke up this morning! Don't these fans need to sleep?

Arghh! I am debating whether or not to go and join the revelry after work. It might get ugly after the game is over and I do not want to be in the middle of that.

Tractor Square Dancing

Yes I am proud to be from PA!

Odd Things on the Internet

Kitty Wake-Up Call

5 Players Suspended for the Tide

What the heck does this mean?

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Saturday, October 20, 2007

ALABAMA FOOTBALL

5 FOOTBALL STUDENT-ATHLETES SUSPENDED FOR TODAY'S GAME

TUSCALOOSA - The University of Alabama has suspended five football student-athletes - Antoine Caldwell, Glen Coffee, Marlon Davis, Marquis Johnson, and Chris Rogers - for today's game with the University of Tennessee for a violation of institutional policy involving impermissible receipt of textbooks.

The infraction was discovered on Thursday, and the school immediately initiated an inquiry that is ongoing. The student-athletes were informed of the suspensions on Friday upon the initial results of the inquiry. The University is still in a fact-finding phase and will release further details when it is completed.

"This is a situation that developed late this week and we are actively investigating," said Director of Athletics Mal Moore. "These suspensions are a measure aimed at dealing with the facts as we know them at this time. While I cannot discuss the situation in great detail, I can assure you we will address it fully when we have completed this inquiry."

-UA-

J.K. outed Dumbledore

Here's the story @ Yahoo.

I believe in this case the fan-fic was already ahead of the curve.

Attn: All Alabama Drivers - Take Note!

more funny pictures

I *heart* I Can Has Cheeseburger!!

more funny pictures

5 Websites that Can Change Your Life...

...according to the Today Show

http://www.expertvillage.com/

http://www.lemonade.com/

http://info.asksunday.com/

http://fatsecret.com/

http://www.kayak.com/

844 lb Shark caught in Florida Panhandle

Record winning shark catch

AP Article

9 Words Women Use

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are Right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more Minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, And you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing Usually end in fine.

4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you’re welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a women's way of saying F@!K YOU!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

Scabies @ Harvard

Eww!

Here are the links.

IvyGate Blog with the letter that went to the students

The Gawker Link

One more reason to keep it in your pants kids!

Edelweiss German Cafe & Bakery

This very well may be my favorite place in Tuscaloosa.
The pretzels are awesome!

From the Tuscaloosa News

Published Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Flavor of Germany
Restaurant owners like recipes from Germany

By Lucinda Coulter
Special to The Tuscaloosa News

TUSCALOOSA | When Chris Weidmann unlocks the Edelweiss coffee shop at 5:30 every morning, two clocks help her stay in synch braiding bread and punching cinnamon roll pastry.

Video at bottom of story

One large round clock set for German time reminds her of her mother, who lives in the small town of Neuhausen where Weidmann grew up, near the Black Forest. She uses the other, set for time in Tuscaloosa, to know when to expect breakfast customers and, in the afternoons, to drizzle icing over tiny pumpkin spice cakes.

Weidmann, 41, and colleague Ester Scheeff opened the shop in July as part of a longtime dream they have had of owning a restaurant. Born and reared only 10 miles apart, the two German women from Swabia in southern Germany love the simple culinary traditions of their homeland.

They first cooked and baked for their families and friends, many of whom are employed as their husbands are at Mercedes Benz U.S. International in Vance. They met one another two years ago as bakers at The Café, a European bakery that closed in February.

Now the entrepreneurs are expanding culinary choices in the coffee shop on Fourth Street in Tuscaloosa to include authentic dishes of the Black Forest. They added a lunch menu with bratwurst, salamis and German sandwiches on demand in the shop they named for the small, white flower that grows only in the Alps.

“It’s a dream come true for me to stay in America and open our own little place,” Weidmann said. “It is like cooking at home.”

For the two shop owners, long hours cooking, first at the restaurant and then fixing meals at home for their families, is a way of life.

“We did a lot of cooking,” Weidmann said of helping her mother prepare meals for the 12 children in her family. “She had to feed them all.”

Swabian dishes are home-style, made with fresh ingredients, and the vegetables, meats and fillings for pastries are easy to find. Potatoes and meat dishes with noodles or spaetzle are popular and bread is baked every day. The steps for pretzels or layered pastries cannot be rushed.

“It’s food that’s good, rich and plenty,” Weidmann said. “We only use normal ingredients that you’d have at home. We don’t use a lot of fru-fru.”

Breads, pretzels and Black Forest cakes

At the Edelweiss, Scheeff is known for the pretzels and breads she bakes, and Weidmann prepares the pastries, many of them in abundant layers of cake and cream or topped with honey and almond dressings.

The Black Forest cake that Weidmann has made since childhood is her most popular recipe and requires a lot of whipped cream – and time.

“It became my favorite because everybody wanted it,” Weidmann said. “You have to take two or three days, step by step.”

Other pastries she prepares include cinnamon rolls and variations with the basic pastry dough that include almond fillings and vanilla pudding. Weidmann refers to a popular braided breakfast bread as “an old German thing, like you braid your hair.”

Timing is key to all of the food preparation.

“We use no preservatives,” Weidmann said as she rolled out pastry dough and drizzled white sugar and cinnamon on top. “We make it fresh to be eaten that day or the next.”

Scheeff’s specialties are pretzels, bread and a mustard-based potato salad – all of which she learned to prepare from her mother and mother-in-law. With three grown children, she wanted to perfect her techniques for baking breads such as multi-grains and pumpkin seed recipes that friends requested.

“I baked bread every day when we moved to Tuscaloosa, and everybody liked my pretzels,” Scheeff said.

Weidmann said that one of the shop’s regular customers often orders a meal-sized bowl of the potato salad for lunch.

Scheeff uses no mayonnaise and instead combines oil, vinegar, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. The mustard is an important ingredient for the glossy dish, served hot or cold.

Weidmann and Scheef said that they have learned, gradually, to translate their metric measurements for ingredients to the English system. They also substitute ingredients that are difficult to order in America. Almonds are substituted for hazelnuts, for example. And the main ingredient for cheesecake in Germany is different from American sour cream.

Their spirit of trial-by-error has encouraged Gudrun Piepke, who serves and cooks at the Edelweiss.

The 45-year-old Piepke grew up near Heidelberg, Germany. She was an accountant and has been a Tuscaloosa resident for seven years. She cooks for her family but until she began working at the Edelweiss, had never baked pastries.

“You don’t have to be afraid of doing something,” she said. “I never thought you could get so much fun out of it.”

Swabian family meals

The two colleagues favor meat and dumpling dishes, referred to as schnitzel with spaetzle, for meals they prepare at home. Their homeland is a wine growing region, and to enhance meals, they serve a German wine, made with trollinger with lemberger grapes.

“Oh, that’s a wonderful wine,” Weidmann said. “It has nothing to do with drinking. It is just about enjoying a good meal and a good wine.”

She especially enjoys making maultaschen, a traditional Swabian dumpling filled with sausage, spinach or ground beef. She prepares the dish when her 80-year-old mother visits from Germany.

Both Weidmann’s and Scheeff’s children said they appreciate the German dishes such as schnitzels and cakes with whipped cream that their mothers prepare.

Maggie Weidmann, 14, said she looks forward to having her favorite, the Black Forest cake every year for her birthday and is proud of her mother for starting the restaurant.

Marcel Scheeff, 24, agreed.

He said that the strawberry and whipped cream cake Ester Scheef makes is delicious.

“It wasn’t unusual for us to have three cakes for one family birthday,” he said. “She’s always baked a lot. The Edelweiss is the perfect match for her.”

Like down home

Michael Holdefer and his daughter, Erin Holdefer Kightlinger, said that they eat breakfast at the Edelweiss almost every day because the food is fresh and delicious. The shop reminds them of the German food they enjoyed when the family’s twins, Erin and Lauren, trained in Hamburg before they participated in gymnastics at the University of Alabama.

“It’s like a down-home restaurant in a family atmosphere,” said 25-year-old Kightlinger, who works at her father’s business downtown.

“My favorite is the cheesy pretzel roll, and the sweets are not overwhelmingly sweet.”

German native Ilse Gerhardt walks into the small shop often to buy the crusty bread topped with sunflower seeds or pastry glazed with almonds and honey. A Tuscaloosa resident since 2005, she said that she enjoys choosing from a wide variety of breads, some made with potatoes and often with whole grains.

“It’s a piece of my home country when I walk into the Edelweiss,” Gerhardt said.

Reach Lucinda Coulter at coulterlucinda@aol.com or 205-394-0296.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

Cake base:

• 8 eggs
• 200 grams (7 ounces) sugar
• 200 grams (7 ounces) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Vanilla flavoring to taste
• 1 8-ounce found spring form pan

Filling:

• 650 grams (23 ounces) cherries in water, drained
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• Rum flavoring
• Heavy whipping cream
• Chocolate flakes

Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla flavoring. Whisk sifted flour and baking powder together. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. Let pan cool. Divide cake base into 3 layers. Cook 2 cups juice form cherries with sugar and rum flavoring. When water is cooking, stir cornstarch in, lert thicken. Put cake ring around first cake layer and put cherries on the first layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Put second cake layer. Bat heavy whipping cream. Put 1/3 on cake base and then add last cake layer. Remove cake ring. Put whipped cream all around. Put chocolate flakes on the edges of the cake. Decorate top with cream and Maraschino cherries.


NUT CORNERS

Cake base:

• 150 grams (5 ounces) flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 65 grams (2.2 ounces) sugar
• 1 package vanilla sugar
• 1 egg
• 65 grams (2.2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam

Knead all ingredients together. Roll dough out to a rectangle, 13 inches by 9 inches, and put on a greased baking sheet. Spread jam on crust. Set aside.

Topping:

• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) butter
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) sugar
• 1 package vanilla sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) water
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) coconut

Cook all ingredients slowly together. Let cool. Spread topping onto crust. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. Let cool. Cut into triangles. Dip one corner into almond bark.


PEACH CREAM PIE

Cake crust:

• 250 grams (8 ounces) flour
• 175 grams (6 ounces) sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 125 grams (4.4 ounces) unsalted butter
• Spring form pan

Filling:

• 2 cans peaches or pears (reserve juice)
• 1 package vanilla pudding (not instant)
• 3 eggs
• 100 grams (3.5 ounces) sugar
• 250 grams (8 ounces) sour cream

Mix all ingredients for crust on working space by hand. Knead it together. Refrigerate cake crust for 1 hour. Mix ¼ cup juice with vanilla pudding powder and 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside. Cook 2 cups juice until it boils and stir mixture in. Let boil for 2 minutes, constantly stirring. Put crust in round cake pan. Layer peaches on and then add cooked vanilla pudding. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Topping:
Separate eggs and beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside. Then beat egg yolks with sugar until foamy. Whisk sour cream and egg whites into the mixture. Spoon onto baked cake and bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool.

Daughtry

I think I may be officially 'OLD'. I am still slightly deaf after the concert last night.

So I was in attendance at the UA Homecoming Daughtry Concert. Apparently he was involved in a some little tv show called 'American Idol' but didn't win -- I don't know maybe you've heard of it?

So first of all the opening band was The SunStreak hailing from Rochester, NY. The were alright - I was actually kinda liking them by the last song or did I like it because it was the LAST song? Then they had to go all spastic on the crowd. Writhing around like they are having a seizure and I swear I thought the one guitar player was going to smash his guitar. At one point he was playing to no one showing off his baggy panted backside. Heck the lead singer even yelled ROLL TIDE!

Here is what I have learned.

• All lead singers must where the tightest jeans they can find. Add to that an innocuous white or black t-shirt and voila you have one sexy lead singer!
• It is best to sing with one foot up on the speaker - you can show off your manly curves this way.
• Throwing things at the crowd will make them like you (guitar picks, half drunk bottles of water , etc...).
• Nothing riles up a crowd like fake fireworks complete with sound effects?
• While the techies are setting up for the headlining act - this is the opportune time to call all your friends that are at the show and wave at them like idiots (picture thousands of drunk undergrads doing this simultaneously).
• Not only was my ticket for the concert it was also for the GUN SHOW! Daughtry was quite the muscular fellow. The poor gals behind me kept chanting for him to take his shirt off - but much to their chagrin he never did.

For some truly rabid fans go to his official site and read the poetry. Scary...I am very glad to say I was never that much of a fan-geek!

That's C.U.C.U.M.B.E.R , Cool As A

So I was the calming influence at work today - go figure! Guess it was just my day to stop the drama. Just call me Mary J. (No More Drama).

It is Homecoming here in BAMA-land!

And my weekend is almost here - one more day o' work and then I can be a somewhat slacker. There are a few things to do on my dance-card to keep me busy but I foresee several naps in my future and possibly a movie and of course homework...it just doesn't do itself you know!

Kudos to UA

From the Tuscaloosa News

TUSCALOOSA | Students who threw cups at University of Georgia players celebrating their overtime victory over the University of Alabama will be punished for their antics.

The incident at Bryant-Denny Stadium sparked national attention and comments from Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban and has resulted in new rules.

Delta Kappa Epsilon and Theta Chi social fraternities will lose their seats close to the field in Bryant-Denny Stadium for the next two home games because members threw objects onto the field during the Alabama-Georgia game.

University spokeswoman Cathy Andreen said the groups would be moved farther back into the stands.

Members of Theta Chi declined to comment, and phone calls to the DKE fraternity house Wednesday went unanswered.

Also, Sigma Chi and Sigma Nu fraternities’ seats will be moved back for Saturday’s game for block-seating violations. Those were not tied to the cup-throwing incident, Andreen said.

Student groups apply for block seating, which is awarded based on a host of factors such as campus involvement, grades and size. The vast majority are awarded to Greek organizations.

To stop future incidents, the Office of Judicial Affairs will begin enforcing new sanctions against students who throw anything at any sporting event.

For an initial infraction, the student will be forbidden from attending the next three games of that team with a student ticket, a punishment that would extend into the next season if necessary. The student must also attend “Capstone Character Class," Andreen said.

Caught twice, the student cannot buy student tickets for that sport again. The third violation bars the student from all sporting events for the rest of his or her academic career.

“It’s always been a violation of the student code of conduct to throw objects on the field, but the university felt it was time to be very clear and specific to discourage unsportsmanlike conduct," Andreen said.

UA police will report violators to Student Affairs. If a number of thrown objects come from one particular group, the student organization will be asked to identify the violators. If the group does not, the entire organization will be subject to penalties, Andreen said.

Mud-Flap Girl

So here is the original image from the Wyoming Library Marketing Campaign.

Here is the link to the rest of the campaign.
Kudos to the geniuses that thought them up!

Wyoming Mud-Flap Girl

This is Alabama Football

Picture Pages

Blogger has made it a little bit easier to be a voyeur.

Here is a site that will show you what pictures are being uploaded right now on blogger.

I think it's pretty nifty and it would awesome as a screen saver!

A Different Take On Gnarls Barkley's Crazy

Football~Football~Football

So I have now had three completely different football experiences.

Game #1 I was about four rows from the top of the stadium with a bunch of people that were about as much fun as wet blankets. Got a $45 ticket for $10. There were literally people on every corner trying to sell tickets.

Game #2 I walked down to the stadium with the notion that if I got a ticket - Cool! If not I'd come home and watch it with friends. I scored a ticket about 3 blocks from my apt after kick-off for $30 - it was worth $55. Well I ended up in the second row behind the opposing the team's players with a cool bunch of people. It was completely different they were so nice and friendly and INTO the game! I even ended up on ESPN cheering! The game was awesome -- although it was a nail-biter it literally came down to the last 30 seconds.

Game #3 Started out tail-gating and watched half the game then walked around the stadium and am now luxuriating in the air-conditioned apt watching the end and hopefully cheering the Tide to victory.

~Some Other Thoughts~

• I still marvel at the sheer volume of the RV's and the fact that they arrive on Wednesday (What do these people do for a living and how do I get to do it?)
• The exact number of people that descend on T-town? The stadium alone holds 92k there has to be at least 8 or 9k people on the quad and the surrounding areas.
• Roll Tide Roll is kind of like Aloha in that it can mean Hello, Goodbye, How Are You?, Let's Kick Some A$$, etc...
• Roll Tide Roll is also RTR and MUST be said at TOP VOLUME!!

Etiquette Anyone?

What is the Deal?

There is a bus lane. It is specifically for buses only - no one else can use it. The buses should be in them at all times, not blocking both lanes making my trek to work longer in the AM. Then when the bus finally does decide to move - it goes 5mph.

People aka undergrads with cellphones on the elliptical machines. Yeah - You that was on the machine next to that yakked on your cell practically the whole time I was on the machine. I heard your whole conversation through my headphones. You inhibited my rocking out to Ricky Martin and when one is as fabulous as Ricky Martin -- NO ONE should inhibit him.

I am amazed sometimes at the cornucopia of stupidity that surrounds me sometime. I know I was once an undergrad -- but really was I ever that inconsiderate? I don't think so. I did many fun things in my time -- including the Time Warp in the middle of Main Street ala RHPS. But I was never inconsiderate -- I always tipped my waitresses and helped little old ladies cross the street. What gives with this generation?

Ok -- that said I had a fabulous day today!

Some musings on working out!

They have free towels for you to use for a reason -- you sweat -- take one and use it!

Please do not talk on your cellphone at volume level 10 when you are surrounded by people - It is RUDE!

ALA's 2006 Most Challenged Books List

"And Tango Makes Three" tops ALA's 2006 list
of most challenged books

CHICAGO – Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning "And Tango Makes Three," about two male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed-sex penguin couple, tops the list of most challenged books in 2006 by parents and administrators, due to the issues of homosexuality.

The list also features two books by author Toni Morrison. "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved" are on the list due to sexual content and offensive language.

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) received a total of 546 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Public libraries, schools and school libraries report the majority of challenges to OIF.

"The number of challenges reflects only incidents reported," said Judith F. Krug, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. "For each reported challenge, four or five likely remain unreported."

The "10 Most Challenged Books of 2006" reflect a range of themes, and consist of the following titles:

• "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;
  
  
• "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;
  
  
• "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;
  
  
• "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.
  
  
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group
  
  
• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.
  

Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.

For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s Banned Books Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks

The Office for Intellectual Freedom is charged with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. The goal of the office is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.

Link to ALA Press Release

It's a Bird, it's a plane, it's SuperKelly!

Your results: You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.
You are Superman
Superman 90%
Spiderman 85%
Wonder Woman 65%
Supergirl 65%
Green Lantern 65%
Robin 60%
Batman 60%
Hulk 60%
Catwoman 50%
The Flash 45%
Iron Man 40%
Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

File Under: DO NOT READ

This book was so horrible I couldn't even finish it. It was so not enjoyable in any way, shape or form that I was moved to write a review at Barnes & Noble.

If they approve it should be posted HERE in approx 3 days.


Let me also say that it is very rare for me to dislike a book.

I believe only got to about page 70 before this one gave me such a headache that I couldn't continue!

Star Trek Inspirational Posters

These are awesome as illustrated below...

Go HERE for the full collection of amusement!

Roll~Tide~Roll

Nick Saban is on the cover of Sports Illustrated!

Did You Know?

* Did you know that soda will explode if you leave it in the car in extreme heat?

* I did not -- I was aware that it will explode if the temperature goes below freezing - but not of the heat element.

* Part of the bathroom and floor of my apt is now a little bit cleaner due the great soda clean-up of '07

* So I then go back to the store to exchange the soda and some bagels that turned nasty before the expiration date. No line at the customer service desk - Yay! I go and get my replacement items and return to find a whole gaggle of frat boys (you know they travel in packs) in line at the customer service desk. Are they not aware of the large row of checkout lines behind them? Ugh then while I'm waiting -- I have to listen to JimBob and every one of his buddies try to call their friend Buddy back at the lair to see if they need steak sauce. Apparently Buddy's phone wasn't working or something.

Fun with Photos via Boing Boing!

This first one is a photograph taken during night time in Antigua, Guatemala by photographer Ivan Castro.

To see more of his work follow the link to his Flickr site.
Here is a link to his blog as well.

Here is ALIEN made out of salad.
Go here for up close pics.
Here's the original link from boingboing!

Finally here is a link to photographs by Spencer Tunick in which a bunch of people posed naked on a glacier near Switzerland.

All I can say is FROSTBITE ~ yowza!

Ode to Get Rid of August from the Slate Podcast

August
Let's get rid of it.
By David Plotz

August is the Mississippi of the calendar. It's beastly hot and muggy. It has a dismal history. Nothing good ever happens in it. And the United States would be better off without it.

August is when the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when Anne Frank was arrested, when the first income tax was collected, when Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe died. Wings and Jefferson Airplane were formed in August. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour debuted in August. (No August, no Sonny and Cher!)

August is the time when thugs and dictators think they can get away with it. World War I started in August 1914. The Nazis and Soviets signed their nonaggression pact in August 1939. Iraq invaded Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990. August is a popular month for coups and violent crime. Why August? Perhaps the villains assume we'll be too distracted by vacations or humidity to notice.

August is the vast sandy wasteland of American culture. Publishers stop releasing books. Movie theaters are clogged with the egregious action movies that studios wouldn't dare release in June. Television is all reruns (or worse—new episodes of Sex and the City). The sports pages wither into nothingness. Pre-pennant-race baseball—if that can even be called a sport—is all that remains. We have to feign interest in NFL training camps. Newspapers are thin in August, but not thin enough. They still print ghastly vacation columns: David Broder musing on world peace from his summer home on Lake Michigan? Even Martha Stewart (born Aug. 3) can't think of anything to do in August. Her Martha Stewart Living calendar, usually so sprightly, overflows with ennui. Aug. 14: "If it rains, organize basement." Aug. 16: "Reseed bare patches in lawn." Aug. 27: "Change batteries in smoke and heat detectors."

You can't get a day off from August, because it is the only month without a real holiday. Instead, the other months have shunted onto this weak sister all the lame celebrations they didn't want. Air Conditioning Appreciation Week, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Week, National Religious Software Week, Carpenter Ant Awareness Week: All these grand American celebrations belong to August. Is it any accident that National Lazy Day, Relaxation Day, Deadwood Day, and Failures Day are commemorated in August?

August is the month of vagueness. October is the 10th month, March is the third month. What's August—bet you can't remember. Does it have 30 days or 31? You have to recite the rhyme to figure that one out. The great writers of history forget August: It rates three mentions in Bartlett's Quotations, compared with a dozen for December and two dozen for March.

The people with August birthdays are a sorry bunch. Sure, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton were born in August, but the other presidential Augustans are Herbert Hoover and Benjamin Harrison. Film is represented by Robert Redford and Robert De Niro—but also by John Holmes and Harry Reems. Third-raters populate August: George Hamilton, Danny Bonaduce, Rick Springfield, and Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford were born then. August gave us Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat. In art, August offers Leni Riefenstahl, Michael Jackson, and Danielle Steele. (To be sure, not everything that happens in August is so terrible. Raoul Wallenberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Herman Melville, and Mae West were born in August. Richard Nixon resigned in August. MTV launched in August. And Jerry Garcia died in August.)

August can't even master the things it is supposed to do well. Despite its slothful reputation, it is not the top vacation month, July is. Nor is August the hottest month (on the East Coast, at least). That crown, too, is July's. August is when the garden starts to wither, and when the long summer days cruelly vanish.

We should rage, rage against the dying of the light. The United States desperately needs August Reform. Purists will insist that we shouldn't tinker with the months, that August should be left alone because it has done workmanlike service for 2,000 years. That's nonsense. Calendars are always fluxing. August itself was a whimsical invention. In 46 B.C., as part of a broad calendar change, Julius Caesar added two days to Sextilis, an old 29-day month. In the reign of his successor, Augustus Caesar, the Senate voted to change Sextilis' name to "Augustus" (as the Senate under Julius Caesar had renamed the month before, "Quintilis," "Julius").

August was created by politics, and it can be undone by politics. For too long, bureaucrats in Washington have been telling you how you must divide up your calendar. But these are your months, and you should be able to do with them what you like. Genuine August Reform will be hard. It will require tough compromises to protect the special interests of September and July. (And who better to sponsor this revolution, incidentally, than Sen. John McCain—birthday Aug. 29?)

Here is a framework for compromise. Cede the first 10 days of August back to July, thus extending holiday revelry for more than a week. September would claim the last 10 days of August, mollifying the folks who can't wait to get back to serious work. Labor Day would come 10 days earlier, the school year would run longer, and the rush of fall activity could get jump-started. August itself will keep 10 days. That is just enough: Every summer we'll be able to toot happily, "Gosh, August went by so quickly this year!"

And as for the 31st day, it will be designated a holiday independent from any month. It will fall after the 10th and last day of August, and it will celebrate the end of that most useless month.

Go Meat! MugShots & Football

Have you seen the Hilshire Farms new commercials? They are hilarious -- Go Here to see what I am talking about. My favorite spots are 3 and 5.

In other meaty news - I happened to be at MugShots with HJ the other day and we witnessed someone attempting to eat THE MUGSHOT. It consists of 3 patties piled with 6 strips of bacon, cheddar and swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato and red onion. You also get beer battered fries, an onion ring and a beer battered pickle. If you finish in 12 minutes or less IT'S FREE if not $20.

The poor guy he was so close, but in the end it was ugly. His gf/wife told him to go and spit it out in the bathroom - he refused -- he mumbled with his cheeks stuffed like a squirrel that he HAD to finish -- it was a matter of pride.

If you've got some time on your hands go check out the MugShots Gallery o' Pics. Basically the gist is people take a t-shirt or a can cover and take their picture with it wherever they travel and then send them to the restaurant. They adorn every inch of the walls in the restaurant. You'll even see our new head coach!

Speaking of new head coach...There's only 14 days until the first game here in the Tusker Nation....and me with no tickets...hopefully I can snag one to see at least one of the games!

LS 521 Blog # 8

I have several things to discuss.

First -- I can now say without a doubt after reading Susan Patron's The Higher Power Lucky I do not understand what all the fuss is about. I found it to be a delightfully enjoyable book with a lovely ending that made me reach for a tissue. I plan on adding it to my collection and recommending it to the Retired Seniors that ask for light, enjoyable stories. I found the word that was so hotly contested (SCROTUM) to be a non-issue. It was used in the correct context and fully explained by the end of the book. I am beginning to think that some people just like to complain about everything.

Second -- I have also read the final installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was very bittersweet as I was on the last chapter, realizing that there would be no more books. I hope that the masses of children that have been captivated with Harry's adventures now look for other books to peak their interests. One of the funniest things that I have read relating to the last book was I believe from the New Yorker - which was an article containing the obituaries of everyone that dies in the last book and I do mean everyone that perishes.

Thirdly -- Ever since I blogged about Reading Rainbow I have been thinking about the quality of kids television shows. I know when I was younger I had Reading Rainbow, Picture Pages with Bill Cosby, Romper Room, Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood, Zoobilee Zoo with Ben Vereen. Then as I got older I discovered 3-2-1 Contact, The Electric Company, Mr. Wizard's World, Bill Nye the Science Guy and the Mickey Mouse Club. Where has this type programming gone? All of my younger cousins these days seem to only watch cartoons. The only non-fiction type programming that I can think of that existed when I was young and still exists to today is Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow. So am I to deduce that the only television channel that cares about the quality of children's programming is PBS??

LS 521 Blog # 7

Project Jumpstart Read for the Record

Libraries across the nation will be reading Ferdinand by Munro Leaf on September 20, 2007.



Recently I along with coworkers read the book aloud. I actually read the book in Spanish! I may not know what all the words mean -- but I can sound them out ok.

I think this is a phenomenal program to have students, parents, libraries and teachers all reading the same book on the same day.

It reminds of a program that I was involved with in Pennsylvania called First Book where the goal was for every child to have a book of their own.

I am very excited about sharing Ferdinand with the children and adults that we serve via the public library. Leaf's message of peace and stopping to smell the flowers is appropriate for all generations in every part of the world.

LS 521 Blog #6

A while ago I happened to be home for lunch and I watched an episode of Reading Rainbow that featured a group of school children whose school was near the World Trade Center in NYC. They wrote and recorded a thank you song to all of those that helped after 9/11 and to all of the people that sent them letters, cards, gifts etc...

The awesome thing truly is that this was entirely the kids idea.

I attempted to search and find the name of the song or the school with no luck at the Reading Rainbow website.

Just recently I read two children's books dealing with the WTC and 9/11. The first was Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman and the second was The Man that Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein.

































I also recently read two children's books about Hurricane Katrina with one of them being very graphic. So my thought was this -- how do books like these impact children. My second thought was how soon is too soon for children's books about disasters? I know it is very important to help children deal with their emotions after tragic events - but who determines when the masses are ready for books, movies or television shows about events that when they occurred were truly life altering?

La Cucaracha: Redux

Well I heard it through the grapevine that my apt building will now be getting sprayed for all the nasty critters that have been invading my habitat.

I guess the squeaky wheel really does get the grease.

However I came home from work the other day -- I don't remember if it was Fri or Sat and I had a cockroach door knocker greeting me.

Not a nice welcome home...needless to say that critter is no longer breathing..

Wonder of wonders..miracle of miracles..I get a visit from the pest control man today!!

Wahoo!
They are supposed to come every month and alternate indoor and outdoor spraying!!

Also the rental mgmt people called me -- and I advised them that stuff that I told them about when I moved in (over 6 mos ago) has still not been taken care of nor did I ever get a response to the email that I sent in May !@#$% (fill in appropriate curse word here).

In other news..I am enjoying my days off and have 1 major project and my reviews to do to complete my classwork!! woowee!

Also..it is H-O-T! It was over 100 degrees the other day!

Shake, Rattle & Roll

So I was rather cranky today -- due to going to sleep early but being kept awake by my window rattling something fierce. Several times I got up and banged the window or the sill to try to stop it. But it kept on doing its thing -- At one point I swear it woke me up.

Normally I would play my iPod but currently we have a sad iPod face so Starbuck/Aurora is taking a little vacation to visit Apple and get repaired or sent to the iPod graveyard. Hopefully she will return to me soon and I can have blissful sleep once again.

Ugh...it has been a day...amazingly I have actually accomplished a bit of school work -- so Yea Me!

Buenas Noches or Nachoes if you prefer! :)

Isosceles Cheese

Here's a LINK to the original post on the Consumerist

I am a "Modern Cool Nerd"

Your Score: Modern, Cool Nerd

56 % Nerd, 69% Geek, 34% Dork

For The Record:



A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.



You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.



Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!



Congratulations!

The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test

Happy Birthday Sgt. Pepper

So it was the 40th Anniversary of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album the beginning of this month. Recently I heard several stories on NPR about the album and Beatle morphs and tributes in general.

~I present to you the Beatle Barkers~

There are no words for this one. You simply have to hear it for yourself!

Want to hear some?

Love Me Do

I Saw her Standing There

Still want more... Here is the WFMU website with full versions as well as other song oddities

These Boots Were Made For Walking...

• Just got back from a walk by the river. It was very nice and on the return trip - there was even a breeze. There were only a few screaming children and only one lady that was semi-sorta rude. All in all good walking fun.
• The deacon this morning tied the homily together with a baseball analogy. Last time I heard him speak it was a football analogy.
• My apartment smells like cleaning products. I cleaned the kitchen and El Gato Guapo's room and litterbox. Of course there is still more cleaning to do -- there is always more cleaning to do -- but it's a start!
• Oh yeah! I don't think I said it but my mom's back in the good ol' U. S. of A.
• She called me today so that I could hear Donny Osmond -- he was performing at the conference she was at. He was singing something from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!!
• It was the last day for the Bath & Body Works S-A-L-E. So I finally ventured out to the mall and found the local store. I am now several dollars poorer -- but I will smell very very good!
• Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers, Grandfathers and Godfathers out there! Did you call yours???
• That's it for now -- same bat time -- same bat channel -- see ya'll next time.

Weekend Wanderings

* Another work week has come and gone - it has been hot all week.

* So recently I went to a tomato pie establishment to pick up a round purchase and the lad running the register had a large hole in the front of his pants. The hole was so large that you could see the bottom of the shirt tail as well as his boxer pattern. This is not acceptable ~ I know he's most likely a college student - but DUDE! Buy a new pair of pants.

* In other news my new coworker wears boxers as well. I'm sure JA will be ecstatic that I am blogging about him. Shh! Don't tell ;)

* Are there boxers for women? I believe the statistic is that 2 or maybe it's 3 out of 5 men prefer boxers to briefs. Personally, if you have to go with briefs at least try the boxer brief they are much sexier.

* The cockroaches are still tormenting me. Someone told me that they are extra bad this year due to the drought like conditions that are persisting. Hopefully my complex will soon get sprayed!!

* Which reminds me a big farewell kiss to Bob Barker who had his last show. Please do your part to control the pet population, spay and neuter your pets! He came out and endorsed Rosie O'Donnell for his Price is Right gig. Not sure how I feel about that.

* A big farewell to PA as well -- he starts his putting his newly earned master's to work in just about a week with his "real" job. Buena Suerte!

* I am beginning to wonder about the netflix recommendations. Here is one that I recently got.
Dante's Cove (Season 2)

was recommended to me because I liked the following movies:

Fried Green Tomatoes
Steel Magnolias
Under the Tuscan Sun

Here's the series synopsis:

Several new characters join the cast for the second season of the supernatural gay melodrama, including bad boy Kai ( German Santiago); sex club operator Colin (Dylan Vox); Marco ( Gabriel Romero), who owns the hot new bar H2Eau; and Diana (Thea Gill ), who has a secret connection to Grace (Tracy Scoggins) and Ambrosius ( William Gregory Lee). Meanwhile, Van (Nadine Heimann) apprentices herself to Grace in order to learn her mystical secrets.

If you really want to know more here is the imdb link.

* I finally purchased my membership for the local gym/swimming spot/sweat spa/exercise extravaganza. It was less than what I was anticipating so that was a plus.

* I am procrastinating my school work -- bad -- bad -- bad.

* I heard a really dirty - but funny joke -- now who can I tell it to that would not be offended?

* Sigh.....and now back to your regularly scheduled weekend...

Hot...Hot...Hot

It was 99 degrees here today and it's not even summer yet!

Currently at a quarter to eight in the evening it is still 94 degrees.

Speaking of degrees in the 90s --- Have you heard about the new Man Band show that's going to be on VH1 is has members of the "boy" bands trying to form a new mature band. Hah! One of the guys from 98 degrees (No, not one of the Lachey boys), one from NSYNC, and one from Color Me Bad...and possibly someone else who I can't remember at the moment.

Also YAY - my brother graduated yesterday from High School and his party is currently going on. Yay PJ!

Alabama in the News

Alabama made the NY Times...Apparently the Frugal Traveler was here..he even wrote an article about his adventures.

Alabama was also in the news for some fisticuffs that went down between a couple of senators or representatives..whatever the were punches were thrown..it even made the USA Today! Way to set an example!

Woo Hoo for the Weekend!

Two Glorious Days Off!

Woo - now if only I didn't have so much stuff to do....

Oh well ~ Hope you enjoyed yours!

FAT Rant

Cup O' Noodles

Ok I have to admit something.

I get sucked into bad tv shows.

I was watching something on E! and one of the plastic surgery shows came on and I didn't change the channel.

Well the one doctor they feature is having dinner or lunch I'm not sure which. Thankfully it doesn't require much brain power to watch these shows -- by the end of the work week sometimes I don't have a whole lot more to expend. It's mindless tv -- that's what I'll call it.

Anyway back to the point. The doctor's wife whilst sitting in the kitchen of their million dollar home is chowing down on cup o' noodles. I wonder if they eat ramen noodles as well?

Power to the ramen!

Seriously what else can you get 10 for a dollar?

You could get a lot of ramen for a million bucks!

I'd eat kraft mac & cheese too -- but I'd just eat more and I have fancy dijion ketchup!

I'd buy you a real green dress too -- but not a real green dress -- cause that's cruel!

I ♥ Barenaked Ladies!

Houston We Have A Problem

~Adventures in Cooking~

So I get the bright idea to buy a frozen pizza while I'm at the grocery store for dinner.

I get home - I preheat the oven - I get out my cookie sheet - I get out the pizza.

So far so good right...well here's where the trouble begins.

The pizza does not fit on the cookie sheet!

Well after my many rounds of meet the neighbor yesterday I decide someone must have one. So I venture out to borrow a pizza pan. I speak with Italian neighbors and they have a pan I can borrow -- but alas no luck their pan is approximately the same size as the one I have.

I then venture into a nearby church hall and shazam they have a cookie sheet that I think will work. Alas the cookie sheet will not fit into my oven -- nor does the pizza fit on it.

So what's a girl to do?

I decide to cut the pizza in half and cook it in two pieces. Thankfully the pizza had somewhat thawed at this point (after all my running around to find the right pan) so I wasn't trying to saw my way through a frozen pizza.

So with a little ingenuity and patience I was finally able to enjoy my pizza.

Timber --- Lights Out!

Picture It ~~~

I'm home after work relaxing, reading a book and all of a sudden there is a horrendous popping, snarling noise and then the lights go out. Quickly they go on again and I hear an even louder noise and they go off once again.

One by one, myself and all my neighbors emerge like gophers popping out of their holes to see what happened. We all congregate at the corner of our building and watch all the emergency personnel arrive vehicle by vehicle. First the police, then the fire department, then the university and finally the power company. Apparently a huge, massive branch fell off one of the nearby trees and onto the power line which then caused a surge and blew the transformer further down the line. There was also another large branch half cracked off primed and ready to fall on one of the buildings close to it. So we played meet the people in your neighborhood and I actually met someone that I hadn't met before - yay! Then one by one we wandered away in search of somewhere with working air conditioning and in my case an adult beverage and dinner. The adult beverage is because of the 100 plus children that I had the pleasure of working with on the first day of the Summer Reading Program. We first left planning on going a Mexican restaurant in hope of a fruity, slushy beverage with added adult flavorings. We ended up at a deli/coffee house that actually had the aforementioned adult beverages. I settled on a specialty sandwich and the house special drink concoction that consisted of peach smoothie mix, strawberry smoothie mix and my favorite adult coconut flavoring.

After a lovely time out we came home and still no lights or power. Apparently the force was not with us this Friday evening. So what are we to do....you could almost hear the gears turning as we try to think of somewhere or something to go or do. When in doubt go to the movies. So off we go and apparently everyone else in town had the same idea -- the place was packed.

But first a moment of silence for the cheapie movie theatre that closed their doors this week. I never made it there for a flick, but I was still sorry to see it go. I just hope the one remaining theatre doesn't raise their prices too much and gouge the poor college students.

We decided on Shrek the Third more because there was a showing every 30 minutes than anything else. It was ok -- but I would advise all to wait till it comes out on dvd. It wasn't worth the $$ to see it on the large screen.

Finally we come home and are greeted not by the glow of streetlights signaling that we have power -- but by the flashing blue strobe lights of the police cruiser blocking the street which means we still have no power! Did we think to get a flashlight out before the sun went down when we came back after dinner --- No that would of been a good idea! So by the glow of our cellphones (what did we ever do without them?) we venture into the blackhole that is now my apartment to locate my flashlight. Thankfully I knew that it was located next to my microwave! Success we have located the flashlight and it works! So I walk my neighbor back to their apartment and we locate their flashlight and I leave to return to my humble yet dark abode and there is someone standing outside my apartment. Me being the brave valiant woman that I am shout a hello (it helps that I can wield my mag lite and bop the individual on the head if I had to) and I get a hello back. So we play another round of meet your neighbor and I find a fellow Northerner is in one of the complexes near me. The guy turns out to be a history buff/grad student from Michigan and our round of meet your neighbor turns into what do you miss the most about the North? He misses the Canadian beer from home and I give my stock answer of the three things that are only found in Central Pennsylvania (TastyKake Krimpets, Middlesworth BBQ Potato Chips and Birch Beer). We also discussed how there is no Squirt Soda here. We did both agree we DO NOT miss the snow in any way, shape or form!

Finally the light bulbs one by one come on and we are illuminated by the glow of the streetlights and the unmistakable hum of all the air conditioning units fill the air. We bid each other adieu and I for one was off to bed as I had work the next day!

Ta Da ~ We Have a Kitchen/Dining Table

Yay!

I finally got the table legs tightened. I apparently needed something called an alan wrench.

Well a friend let me borrow one but it was the wrong size. The next step in this long arduous process was some kind of little bit things and a regular wrench/pliers/whatever else I could use to tighten the legs. So after much determination on my part and laying on the floor on top of the upside down table trying to tighten the wobbly legs -- it is done!

I now have a table and what was the first thing I did on said table (well after I cleaned it of course).

I folded my laundry! So make that my dining/kitchen/laundry table. It is truly a jack of all trades.

El Gato Guapo is very happy - he now has more places to hide and loves to sit on the chairs and hide under the table :)

La Cucaracha

This was in an email I sent a couple of days ago. I can honestly say I haven't been without shoes since this incident. I haven't seen any more of their friends and I have starting taking up El Gato Guapo's food and water at night. Note he is not amused and is protesting loudly. But sorry charlie - he doesn't kill them, he leaves that to me -- so he'll just have to deal.

I just had a run in with the fastest cockroach I have ever seen. I mean this thing was moving at warp speed. Not the biggest mind you - but the fastest. I met another one last night on the way back from bathroom.

ICK!

We did not have such a quantity of these things in PA. Is that the trade off cockroaches for snow?

I now need to go to bed - but I do not want to turn the lights off as that will encourage more of their friends to come out.

I say again ICK!

17 Hours in a Movie Theatre?!?!

Published Wednesday, May 23, 2007
`Star Wars' Fans Get Marathon Screening

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Seventeen hours in a darkened theater not so far away? Welcome to the "Star Wars" marathon.

A free showing of all six "Star Wars" movies began Wednesday morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center and was expected to end at 2 a.m. Thursday.

The event kicked off a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of the original film.

Several thousand people showed up for the screening, which included brief intermissions.

"Because the saga spans 30 years, it spans multiple generations of fans as well," event spokesman Jonathan Zaleski said. "There are people in costume, families. It's an interesting mix."

"You get the usual assortment of Storm Troopers running around," he added. "I imagine it's pretty uncomfortable to sit for 17 hours encased in plastic."

Lucasfilm Ltd. supplied the digital prints for the movies and is involved in "Star Wars Celebration IV" at the Convention Center. That event, open to fan club members Thursday and to the paying public Friday through Monday, was to include costume contests, exhibitions of movie props, autograph opportunities from "Star Wars" celebrities and even a Storm Trooper "Olympics."

E.T. Phone Home

So I FINALLY heard from my mom over the phone in South Korea. She called me as I was leaving work so it was like 7am Sunday morning where she was. But it was so nice to hear her voice. She says they are doing well -- it is a lot of walking and today there were headed out for a long bike ride. They haven't had a lot of internet access. Yesterday was the first day they got to check their mail since Monday - so that's why the blog isn't getting updated as often as she'd like. She said they only had an hour as well -- so still no pictures :(

But she sounded good -- and said to tell everyone hello and wanted to know if everyone was reading her blog. I said yes and that I heard from a couple of people that they were enjoying it. If you want to send her a quick something -- send it to her yahoo email. She doesn't have time to read the posts to the blog.

That's it for now -- have a great weekend!

Desiderata

This is one of my favorite poems ever.

I first heard it read in April 1995 at an Intercom Retreat in Erie, Pennsylvania.

I hope it puts a smile on your face :)

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

Long Distance Request & Dedication

Gah!

My mom is guilt tripping me from Korea because I didn't write an email.

I guess posting to her travel blog wasn't good enough.

Oh well!

I made sure to write an extra long email and included all my blog posts as well (since most of them had her in them).

My mom gets the best e-mail!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

First let me preface by saying while she is away I have the task of deleting all the junk mail. But I just had to share this gem.

KILLER BISCUITS WANTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER
(the actual AP headline)

Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws and while there went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries.

Several people noticed her sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and with her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. One customer who had been at the store for a while became concerned and walked over to the car. He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open, and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied
that she'd been shot in the back of the head, and had been holding her brains in for over an hour.

The man called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda ref used to remove her hands from her head.

When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head.

A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head.

When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains.

She initially passed out, but quickly recovered and tried to hold her brains in for over an hour until someone noticed and came to her aid.

Linda is a blonde and a Republican, but I'm certain that's irrelevant


Let me just say I can totally relate to the whole fear of canned biscuits. They freak me out when I have to open them. I'm all about loving the biscuits but that sound when they pop and the fact that you have to use a spoon...ick!

fREADom

How awesome is this poster - it was originally created for National Banned Book Week - I got it from this blog called Necessary Chocolate and I simply love the title as all chocolate is necessary. It just proves Lady Lib is the bomb!

Saturday Spending Spree...

So I spent way too much time and $$money$$ on a trip to Target after work. I initially went to return something and then only went to look for one or two things --- well almost two hours and lots of dollars later I emerge from the bullseye and pile my treasures into the vehicle and make my way home. Here are the highlights:

• The New Michael Buble cd
• Some Kelly Clarkson cd's (I don't even watch American Idol but I dig her...and I also ahem have a couple of Clay Aiken cd's in my collection - but really the one is his Christmas cd and he does a fabulous rendition of the song Mary, Did You Know?)
• Lemmings Computer Game - I used to play this on my Uncle's computer all the time and it was *only* $10 - sigh, a walk down memory lane.
• Finally the think I am most excited and geeky about not just because of what it is but because I got a faboo deal is the entire season of Firefly! Seriously it is awesome! If you haven't already checked it out you definitely should and then watch the movie entitled Serenity. Nathan Fillion and Jewel Staite are both on MySpace as well.

That's it from me for now -- Ya'll have a great weekend :)

Groundhog Day Anyone?

So I have experienced deja~vu this week.

Twice in a row I woke up to the same Kelly Clarkson song.

Weird...It's her new one though

Never Again

I guess it could have been worse in the movie Bill Murray's character hears Cher repeatedly.