Conspiracy Uncovered

What - or who - is killing the world's oldest people?

THE SECOND COMING IS REAL!

Another virgin birth has occured.

This time, Jesus looks less like a long-haired hippy freak, more like TURT-LOR.

added to blogroll

Under the "Here I am now, Entertain Me" header, I've added The Comics Curmudgeon, because when I wrote that I was spewing water out my nose a couple of posts ago, I meant it literally. And tip to Deborah Lipp for pointing me towards the site in the first place.

Beautiful Graph

That's just gorgeous. I'd like a print of that, so I can hang it over my fireplace. It looks like a graph that is charting the freefalling popularity of George W. Bush, but it's really an abstract piece that represents the return to sanity of the American people.

Blogging for Choice

I have written and re-written various posts tonight, but my short answer for why I'm pro-choice:



Choice isn't just about abortion. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that choice allows women to control their own destinies. I live with these two young women, and I want them, and all the other women of the world, to make their own choices. To always be able to make their own choices.

How I spent my evening

Spewing water through my nose.

43 seconds of magic

Oh, to be 9 years old again



They had a beach party at Monkey's school on Friday night, which is where I took this video.

What I'm Watching

I felt so lousy after my interview/massacre today that I was in danger of doing something bad to myself, like eat 20 Snickers bars or a pint or two of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Instead, I decided to change into my most comfortable clothes, which are also my most slovenly clothes, and gorge myself on TV.

The first thing I watched was Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, which was on my Netflix queue and came in the mail today. Someone I know told me it was a stupid guy movie, but I thought it was pretty hilarious, particularly Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris (tripping balls).

Then I watched Season 1 of The Office. I watched every episode, then I watched every deleted scene, then I watched every commentary. I bought myself season 2 of The Office for Christmas, and it was only a few days ago that I finished watching all the extras on that. Now I just have to wait for new episodes every Thursday. I love Jim, but I *really* love Toby.

Something else came in the mail today, btw, and that was Sio's first letter of acceptance, to Green Mountain College in VT! Soon, she'll probably have a slew of colleges congratulating her because they've chosen to ask her to spend her (our) money there! (I may be feeling a little cynical about the purpose of higher education today.) But the acceptance came with a nice scholarship, which is pretty cool. Of course, no decisions will be made until all the offers are in.

My interview

Well, I'm sure it wasn't the worst interview in the history of the world, but it was far and away the worst interview I've ever had in my life, and that includes the interview with the boss who sexually harassed me until I quit.

It wasn't just a bad interview, it was personally upsetting. I tried to stay strong, but by the time the interviewer said "I realize this must be very diminishing for you,"* I couldn't do it anymore, and I burst into tears. I cried for the larger portion of the interview.

Maybe it was due to my expectations. I expected that the interview was going to a chance for someone in the admissions department to get to know me. My interviewer, about whom I will be lodging a complaint, spent the entire interview talking about my transcript - which she [i]had not even seen![/i]- and how weak it was - sight unseen, I must remind you, based entirely on the fact that I mentioned I took only music classes last semester. Everytime I tried to steer the conversation towards me and my accomplishments, she came back to how inadequate my transcript (which she hasn't seen!) is.

I'm a fairly insecure person to begin with, although I try to keep those insecurities to myself. I just feel gutted and worthless after that experience.

*it didn't feel diminishing until she mentioned it, actually.

I have to praise me like I should

Echidne has a post up about women praising themselves. I was going to post my 5 praiseworthy things in the comments, but Echidne also said the rules are no hedging or belittling, and I found it difficult to come up with something on the fly. So I decided to make my own post about it, and give a little more thought to my answers. And I encourage all my tens of readers to do the same, and give themselves some praise.

1. I have a great sense of humor and frequently make other people laugh (with me, not at me).
2. I like to overcome my fears, even though it sometimes takes a lot of time and a lot of attempts.
3. I have good taste in books, music, art, theater, TV, movies, etc.
4. I am determined, and when I make my mind up to do something, by Grabthar's Hammer, I will find a way to make it happen.
5. I am a good listener.

How about you? What's great about you?

That's Mrs. Cranky-Ass Bitch

And that's me, today. Mrs. Cranky-Ass Bitch. It all started off okay. My office was closed for Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but I had to stop in anyway, because I have a meeting tomorrow, and I forgot to put drinks in the fridge for the meeting, and I don't get to work early enough to put them in tomorrow morning.

Then I went shopping. I have to replace several pots and pans that are non-stick - or, more accurately, seem to be losing their non-stick surface, and I prefer the old fashioned stick to the bottom kinds anyway. Yesterday I replaced one skillet with a beautiful deep rimmed cast iron job. Today, I didn't find anything suitable pot/pan wise, but I did find the PERFECT bowl for serving potatoes. It's green and has shamrocks around the edge. I also bought 4 green ramekins with Celtic designs on the inside.

Then I got gas ($2.29/gal), and went to the grocery store, where I did surprisingly well - got lots of stuff for good prices. I bought a brisket, which I will be cooking tomorrow in the crockpot. I will let you know how that goes.

Tonight, I planned a traditional roast chicken meal. Had a nice 7 lb. bird, stuck some butter and garlic under the skin, coated the bird with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt & pepper - pretty simple. Monkey and I peeled and chopped 5 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes, and I added half & half, cheddar cheese, a little sour cream, salt & pepper to them before I mashed them up. Veggies, gravy - everything was delicious.

What I am excluding from the above paragraph is the absolute, monstrous, raving bitchy attitude I had while I was getting the food ready for the table (or, in our case, the counter, because our dining room is lost to the forces of chaos). I had to apologize to everyone afterwards. I realized later that I have pre-menstrual tension, which is probably a sign that next month, I should keep it simple during PMT week.

I also made a lovely bread pudding, using day old danish from the grocery store bakery. I didn't use a recipe, I just read a few recipes and got a general idea of the ingredients required. I tore up a couple of raspberry and cheese danish, mixed together 3 eggs, some milk, a little sugar and vanilla, poured it over the danish and let it soak for a little bit, and then threw it in a 400 degree oven. When I pulled it out of the oven, I sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on top. It tasted just lovely.

I feel much better now.

4616

What Jake didn't realize is that she was no angel.

Also: Bonus pre-coffee sort of dyslexic flickr blogging: 4146
Pastor School


Can't you just see the love of God on their faces?

Best resolution ever

I made a New Year's resolution to cook more and more nutritiously for my family, and I think it's the best resolution I've ever made. It's only been 10 days, but every night, I've come home with a plan of some sort for a balanced dinner (even if the plan is leftovers from two nights ago).

A couple of days have been rough because I've been on some kind of time frame to do something in the evening, but mostly, this has made us sit down together (not at the dining room table, which I have to reclaim from the chaos, but at the peninsula counter in the kitchen), eat more slowly, watch less TV, spend more time together....and also made me so full tonight that I am not going to make my planned dessert of French bread with melted brie toasted under the broiler.

Home decor to scare young children

I had to go to the grocery store tonight, and I ended up at a market that is in a plaza with a Homegoods. Since I have a pot and a pan I need to replace, I thought I'd go in to see what they had on the clearance rack.

They didn't have anything useful in the cookware section, but I strolled around the store to see if they had anything else on clearance that was good.

Everything was going well until I got to the lamp section of the store. At first, I caught the item below out of the corner of my eye, and was half convinced that I was just seeing things. But I rounded the aisle, and there it was - the deranged bunny rabbit lamp:

Arts Meme

UPDATE: I forgot to tag people! Misty, konagod, Tart - you're it. I've been tagged by Tom Hilton over at If I Ran The Zoo

Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away
copies: I've had several of these books in my lifetime. It used to be The Little Prince, then The World According to Garp, then Still Life With Woodpecker, then The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In more recent years, I've purchased several copies of Me Talk Pretty One Day, reallivepreacher.com, and Good Omens. Oh, and I always recommend The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay to people who like fiction.

Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music: I think it was the Talking Heads Psycho Killer. Before then, I only listened to pretty music or catchy pop tunes - songs I could sing along with. I remember having this song burrow into my brain - first, I didn't like it because I didn't like David Byrne's voice, because it was weird, because it was creepy. But it just kept growing on me, and I started to like the weird, the different. That sort of opened up my ears to hearing things in a different way, to enjoying more non-conventional songs, to paying more attention to lyrics. I could probably give about a dozen other examples of songs that change the way I listen to music, but that's the earliest one I can remember.

Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue: Raising Arizona. It never fails to make me laugh my ass off. I love a high quality drama, and a lot of classics, but the movies I can watch over and over again tend to be the silly ones, (e.g., Galaxy Quest, Bring It On, Drop Dead Gorgeous), and even some movies that are objectively terrible movies (e.g., Center Stage).

Name a performer for whom you suspend all disbelief: He's more of a behind the scenes performer, but Joss Whedon.

Name a work of art you'd like to live with: Miro, The Village at Prades. I like colorful things.

Name a work of fiction which has penetrated your real life: I have no answer for this one. I suppose the bible, I'm always singing stuff that came from it.

Name a punch line that always makes you laugh: "I'll be in my bunk."

Early Saturday morning Cat and Monkey blogging

Madouc
Casimir
great hat

What I've learned today

1. Wine and cheese is excellent. Wine and Cheese-Its? Not so much.
2. Occasionally, a gal has to indulge in a little self-pity.
3. Listening to too much Ben Kweller is making me irritated at the lack of romance in my life.
4. Not learned, but realized: this year will mark my 20th year since I graduated from high school. And I'm still a college freshman.
5. The hardest part about cooking a balanced meal for your family every day is keeping up with the dishes.

I love musicals...

...but surely I can't be the only person who has a growing sense of horror that Grease: You're The One That I Want will end up being a huge ratings hit?

Bumper Sticker seen on morning commute

Don't Impeach Bush!
Send him bird hunting with Cheney

If I seem quiet...

it's because I feel like crap.

If you'll pardon me, I have to blow my nose and then cough all night long. Unless the Nyquil works.