New Year, New Drink

New Years Eve was effing awesome - thanks to everyone who came to the party, it was such a fun combination of people!

Rose Ellen and I hosted the party together and we threw together a pretty crazy combination of our favorite things: fun people, horchata, Apples to Apples, good music, and snacks.  We even created a new drink - horchata with Sailor Jerry's* spiced rum.  Soooo good.

We also decided to name that new drink a horchita.  This is the greatest name ever because our dear friend Karla had a few, and then tried to say horchata.  There is no better naming process than alcohol + interest + creativity and there is no better person to lead this process than Karla.

My adorable friend Karla Kaye.
Certainly doesn't speak in cliche.
When Karla and alcohol are joined
You can expect a new phrase will be coined.

* Think Captain Morgan's but without the ability to stand on one leg once you have had a glass.

Weird Science

Oh happy happy, decade.  There were lots of things that I thought you might bring, though you didn't.  Then again there were a lot of surprises too so as the Rolling Stones say I guess you can't always get what you want.  But if you try sometimes you just might find you get lots of things you don't particularly need.

Things I thought I would see by now, but don't yet exist:
- A commercially viable hovercraft.
- A SUV hybrid that actually saves gas.
- An end to flu strains that are named after animals.
- Implementation of a cheap and plentiful way to produce energy or food.
- Something that will effectively pick up dog hair.

Here are some things I didn't really particularly need, but hey, here they are:
- The reclassification of Pluto
- A temple for the religion of science, you know, since we are light on religious turmoil these days.
- Discovery of carnivorous sponges and snails in the ocean (increasing the likeliness my sister will have to start wearing arm floaties in the bathtub again.)
- A gene therapy cure for color blindness.  I mean that's great, don't get me wrong, but scientists should also google these: cancer, AIDS, heart disease.

But still, kudos for expanded genome mapping and finding ice on Mars/water on the moon because we are crapping up this planet pretty good.  So maybe I would like to add alternative planet to the wish list for the next decade just to be safe.

The world's greatest scientific minds
Failed to make a few important finds.
Since some key areas of study have been neglected
Perhaps their efforts should be redirected.

The Year of the Political Dog

My dog can bark like a Congressman, fetch like an aide, beg like a press secretary, and play dead like a receptionist when the phone rings.

-Gerold Solomon, US Congressman

This year was (primarily) the year of the Ox in the Chinese calendar but in American politics it was the year of the dog.  The Obamas adopted a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo.  I personally was a bit disappointed about this because they decided to get a pedigree dog rather than rescue one from a shelter.  Also it seemed sort of strange that our first mixed race president got all snooty about pedigree when it came to dogs after having to fend of the same kind of snootiness about his background.

For some reason, dogs were really opinionated about Obama.  The standout dog in this category is clearly Opie, whose owner taught him a very important lesson: it is more important to mooch off of your parents than your government.



This sort of trick is primarily taught by the same kind of unusual person who gives their dog carrots as treats.  Don't blame Opie though, also check out Annie below who is as opinionated as the average Sean Hannity fan.



Owners of politically active dogs
Finding a method of expression alternative to blogs.
With the time you wasted teaching your pet to be annoyed
I can only guess that you are not gainfully employed.

As It Turns Out, You Are Not "The Bomb"

So some guy tried to blow up a flight on Christmas using liquid bomb materials hidden in his underwear.  Seriously?  I am so confused about what these terrorists are trying to protest at this point, they need some serious rebranding.  (Oh, that's rich - use of our disgusting capitalist system to further their goals of taking down our disgusting capitalist system.)

Anyway, I understand that there is a vast cultural divide between most Americans and anti-American terrorists (think Americans are from Mars, terrorists are from some unnamed planet that orbits around a crumb in the Oreo shake that is an astrological map.)  In an effort to close this gap, I want to reach out to the [insert kind of clothing] bombers and give you this advice: if you want to be taken seriously maybe don't stuff TNT into your underoos.  Do you have any idea how funny we think the word explosive is when combined with parts that fit into underwear?  Clearly you don't.

Also, here in America we have a saying passed on from parents to children: always wear clean underwear.  This saying is generally used to warn children of the possibility that things may happen during the day that are outside the scope of their expectations.  But how did this guy did not expect that under any circumstances people would see his underwear?  Because I can't believe that you have all this knowledge to play with your little chemistry set but you can't mix up a little laundry bleach.

You can tell from the charring on the image that he tried to detonate, but something didn't go quite right.  Still, there is a pretty sizable hole you-know-where.  I would consider myself a fairly classy gal but I am almost physically unable to stop from typing jokes about that hole.  So I'll leave it at this message from me to the underwear bomber: it appears that you went from being a huge a-hole to having a huge a-hole.

I think that pretty much sums (bums?) it up.

The Nigerian would-be terrorist
Will certainly be quite pissed
When he sees all the American talk show jokes written with aplomb
Using the phrase explosive underwear bomb.

The Roots of All Evil

Ok, so this is apparently old news but The Roots are the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon?  Uh...what?  Man that used to be a good band.  They were the kind of band that attracted people who liked bands.  Music lovers' musicians. 

And how they are a culturally updated Paul Shaffer...yikes.  So now they play the intro to Paris Hilton interviews?  There is nothing sacred in this world.

The previously awesome band The Roots
Is now licking Jimmy Fallon's boots.
They used to rock a beat and had fans quite devout.
But that was all before they decided to sell out.

Ho Ho Holiday Cheer

I am usually anti-union, but perhaps we do need to form a Santas union.  There is a serious discrepancy between some Santa's standards and others.  If you don't know what I mean, then I am guessing you live in Turkey.  Under a rock.

The red-suited Santa Claus
His beard is sometimes made of gauze.
He serves as some people's holiday muse
Except when he is dirty and downing booze.

I'm Plogging Matt Damon

I saw Invictus today and it was pretty good.  Two things helped make it pretty cool, first the eponymous poem Invictus is actually quite bad ass.  It is about staying inspired by stoic in the face of adversity.  It is the kind of thing you would read to yourself in a moment of silence before a big conflict.  Nelson Mandela read this to during his three decades in prison and gives a copy to the captain of an underdog rugby team before the World Cup.  The poet, William Earnest Henley, wrote it from a hospital bed after having his leg amputated.

Then again Timothy McVeigh also used it as his final statement before his execution for the Oklahoma City bombings.  And I just heard a bastardized version on a commercial for TCU's bowl game, so apparently you can crap on any kind of literature you want these days.

Here is the poem in case you are interested, but if you are a soulless monster without any appreciation for poetry then feel free to scroll down.

INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Pretty bad ass, no?  Ok enough of that because good poetry is making my writing feel like a velvet Elvis next to framed Van Goghs.  Well the second reason is that Matt Damon took the role seriously and made himself look like a real rugby player.  So much that he should probably be described as "jacked."

Kind of makes me want to play Mad Libs.  Ok you pick a rugby verb and a rugby noun.  What?  No, you pick them 'cause I don't know any.  Ok insert here: I would let Matt Damon [rugby verb] by [rugby noun] any day!  Now who says collaborative writing doesn't work?

The delicious actor Matt Damon
Attractive to all breathing women or gay men.
Who knew what a Hollywood sensation he would become
When he was just a janitor making Ivy Leaguers look dumb.

David

I had a lot of fun last night with my sister, her fiance, and his brother.  We went to this party which is usually quite lame, but between the four of us we made it a good time.  I didn't even make fun of (professor) Charney's attire...much.

My future brother in law David Charney
Is about as tall as that dinosaur Barney.
In a sweater vest he'll help you do your taxes
While you're on the dance floor shaking your asses.

Cue the Balloons!!

Not long ago, I had my thousandth view of this page!!

I guess saying I had the thousandth view is a little like saying Jesus was born two thousand and nine years ago.  I think it's now widely recognized that he was born months and maybe years off of when we originally thought, and in much the same way I am probably not exactly at one thousand views.  See, I started the counter on this blog after I had already been posting for a little while.  Plus a bunch of those views are me checking post formats or seeing how many views I have.  But still, I choose to do as the Christmas celebrators do and just go with the flow.  You have to celebrate at some point right?

So...I have a thousand views!

In celebration I am giving a state of the union (plog) address with my new years resolutions for this blog.  Arrogant trumpet music please!

Forty score views and five months ago,  I had a dream.  Ever since then Eich bin ein Blogger.  And though the readers are few, we happy few, we band of brothers, they ask not what this blog can do for you, but ask what I am going to do for this blog.

By the way, if, in the comments section, you can name the five great speeches that I just butchered then you can win this genuine JFK air guitar (pictured below) as seen on Ebay, no seriously someone bought this.

Also, JFK = hint for two of the five speeches.  Yea, I know, I couldn't spoof five different public speakers but I went to public school so just be glad I didn't use the speech from Animal House.

So anyway, here are my "resolutions."

1) Redecorate blog.  Check!  I am using all that space on the sides now.  And I have been "feeling" the color gray lately.  Also I accidentally erased the blog title and explanation so that is new too.  If you love it please let me know!  If you don't like it please send me your feedback by using the subject line BLAH BLAH BLAH in an email to eff-off @ Get The Point Yet? OK Good.org.

2) Increase followers.  So if you know someone who likes blog reading, or just general office time wasting, feel free to send them my blog address.  Think of it as a birthday present since by birthday is exactly 2 months from today.  But if not you still have time to custom order me a Dallas Cowboys/snake print Snuggie with my name embroidered on it.

3) Encourage comments.  I like hearing people's response to my posts!  It doesn't matter how inane you think your comments might be, remember that I have blogged about canine bulemia, Spam, and fake eyelashes.  So just click on comment!  You can do it anonymously.  [See also: the contest above.  Hot Dog!  I am always scheming.]

And of course to continue ploging!

My one thousandth page viewer!
Some blogs have many readers, I have fewer.
Though there are many viewers whom I have sought
It's probably just my Mom viewing this blog a lot.

Netflix

Ok well I've been sick which is so annoying, but mostly because I get bored really easy.  One thing (perhaps the only thing) I have been enjoying is Netflix, God love 'em.  They have an option to watch instantly on line and it is the only thing that has kept me from going totally batty.

I have the two videos at a time so I can have one while one is on its way there or back and, trust me, it's the bees' knees.*  And I've just today gotten a disk for my PlayStation 3 so I can order freakin' movies directly to my TV - sa-weet!

To the glorious founder of Netflix
Whose two-at-a-time policy is helping dudes to get chicks.
Gather with friends to watch Troy's great sword battle
Then have the lady over for some Sleepless in Seattle.

* I'm not going to lie, I spent less time writing this post than I did pondering where the apostrophe goes on bee's/bees/bees' knees.  How many bees have these knees?  Talk amongst yourselves.

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

I have been sick for days now.  Can't germs give a sista a break during her winter break?  When I was thinking snowy relaxation over my break I didn't image that snow would be from flakes of overused Kleenex stuck to my face and I didn't think that relaxation would be from NyQuil.

Also, I have some very violent sneezes.  Hiccups too sometimes, but the sneezes I am having during my bout with the sniffles have been extreme.  It's like they start at my soul and radiate outward like earthquake shockwaves.  Except that they don't always make it out to the surface so it just causes a tsunami.  A facial tsunami of itching. 

One of the world's biggest sneezes.
Comes or goes as it pleases
Tries to bust through my face like the Kool Aid Man*
Spreading germs around to whomever it can.

* In case you come from some sick and twisted place where kittens punch people and there is no Kool Aid, click here to see an example of the Kool Aid Man.  Oh Yea!

Jerry Seinfeld

I read on CNN.com* that Conan O'Brien is not living up to CBS's expectations and they are looking to replace him.  One of the people who they are considering is Jerry Seinfeld.  So I am taking a deep breath and preparing to take a hit I thought I could avoid: I do NOT like Jerry Seinfeld.  I don't think he is funny, I don't think his show was that funny, I don't find him charming, and I have no idea why anyone would be an adulterer with him.

All the characters on the show including Seinfeld were jerks and while some episodes were kind of funny (when Kramer and Jerry switch places) most were not (pretty much any other episode.)  And who leaves his wife for a younger woman when you look like him (or anyone) and doesn't even pretend to be contrite?  He has a big IOU out to karma.  I thought I could live the rest of my life not pointing out my distaste for Seinfeld professionally, personally, and comically but now that he might come back I couldn't hold back.

I heard Ellen was also a possibility so if Conan has to go I am voting for her.  She would never cheat on Portia.

The whiny comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
I can't believe how long his show held.
With a nose that was roundish but a voice that was flat.
His only comedy was asking "What's the deal with that?"

* Actually I read that on my (second) favorite blog wwtdd.com, I don't like to read CNN.com on accounta how much reading it takes.  Shoot man, this ain't a skool, show me in pikters!

You Have to be Folking Kidding Me

If you are a Cowboys fan, this is self explanatory.

Cowboys kicker Nick Folk
Whose 22-yarder is a joke.
Wade Phillips will be neither proper or prim
When he fires Folk for his unreliable limb.

Baby Origami

Have you ever seen a baby swaddled? Man, that is a real art.  If you do it right the baby is all cozy and wrapped up but not too constrained.  Of course if you don't then you will have one very unhappy baby. 

All of that careful folding reminded me of something else...

The glorious art of baby origami,
An important skill for every mommy.
Start with baby and blanket, then make all the right folds.
Though baby wriggles, the chrysalis holds.

Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream

I really could not go to sleep last night and it is so frustrating!  You know, that sleep when the clock keeps going and going and you are still awake and then you just get annoyed which puts you that much further from sleep?  That is what I was doing.

One of my childhood babysitters (among other jobs she did) would tell me at bedtime that I didn't have to go to sleep, I just had to close my eyes for 10 minutes.  She was obviously a genius.  I even tried that trick, when I don't open my eyes under any circumstances.  I lasted for an hour once, awake with my eyes open.  I feel sorry for blind people because that life must be terribly boring but I could not even bore myself to sleep.

What can a girl do?
 
In pursuit of the elusive Sandman.
He frustrates, as many a man can.
Imagining sheep, giving each a number
Hoping to slip into actual slumber.

Taggers

Here is a transcript of a discussion I had with my therapist recently* that demonstrates my inner conflict between the rule follower and the free spirit.

Therapist: And how do you feel about following rules?
Me: I think it's important to test the rules sometimes.
Therapist: Ok, give me an example of when you like to test the rules.
Me:  Um...one time I kept a Blockbuster video for a week.  It was a one day rental.
Therapist: Ok, and did you send it back?
Me: Yes, eventually.
Therapist: Did you pay the late charge?
Me: Well...yes.
Therapist: So do you consider that breaking the rules?
Me: Well, maybe not.  But one time I did spraypaint something on the side of a building.
Therapist: Did you?
[pause, with me staring at my nail beds.]
Me: Um....no, no I didn't.

[48 minutes of awkward silence follows.]

Seriously though, I want to be cool with graffiti and the "taggers" that draw it.  I understand that it is an urban expression of creativity and frustration with convention.  I was in Poland this summer and we went to the Road to Freedom Museum about the movement for European solidarity and learned that the underground rebels would use graffiti as means of expression because the government controlled all of the media.  That is kind of historic and cool!

But still, today you're just drawing on someone else's property.  And now there are a million ways to express your boring opinions (see: this entire blog).  And graffiti is destruction of property.  (Oh, I said that already?)  Well I apparently my need to follow the rules beats the dreadlocks off of my free spirit.  Nerd Alert!

Really, I would never draw on a building but here is my peace offering to all the "graffiti artists" out there.

The "tagger" who spray paint graffiti
Could be marking his territory or impressing his sweetie.
When he draws a smiley face that can't be erased
Can you honestly say the property has been defaced?

*Ok, I don't actually have a therapist right this moment but I obviously need one because of the fake conversations I have with myself.  In this conversation the therapist was played by imaginary me in a updo with glasses on.

Just Say No

Why is it so much easier to do something that you don't want to do than it is to NOT do something that you want to do.  This is particularly true for me because I am very willing to do something annoying/not fun/boring, particularly for another person, but I absolutely hate not doing something that I want to do.

On some level I think that an unquenchable drive to have what you want can become ambition and help fuel some great things.  But then again sometimes it just makes you eat too many yogurt covered pretzels.

[Full stomach groan.]

The unstable choice to abstain,
At any moment can become made in vain.
Because no matter how long you have not
Once you do the whole thing goes to pot.

Seth Meyers

Now that I have discussed several guys in a row that I think are cute, I think it is only fair for a total change of pace.  Today I will talk about someone who I do not think is cute.  At all.  Not in the way meaning attractive and particularly not in the way that means funny.  His only job is to write for the Weekend Update and I am totally unimpressed with the majority of his jokes.  Also he has this annoying deadpan look that says "you can tell by the humor that I have just made a joke, you don't need to see it on my face."   Yea, Seth, we do.

SNL writer Seth Meyers.
Not my favorite of Lorne Michaels' hires.
Giving us his deadpan stare.
But it doesn't work when the humor's not there.

The Best of Booth Worlds

If you'll remember a week or so ago I told you, two readers, who one of my two new celebrity crushes was.  I am going to reveal the second now [dramatic drum roll] Actor David Boreanaz.  He used to be on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin off Angel, but now he plays Agent Booth on the show Bones.  I have recently started following Bones thanks to my friend Jess's mom Karen who has excellent taste in TV shows.

Side Note: if I wanted to tell you what my sisters and I got my dad for Hanukkah, this would be the safest place ever because I know for a fact he stopped reading at "Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin off."  FYI, it's a book about gunfighters.

Anyway, back to my celebrity crush, he is adorable.  He was actually discovered when he was walking his dog.  That is how cute he is.  And he is supposedly pretty funny in real life too.  When his wife supposedly cut her mouth on food in a restaurant during a practical joke for the show Punk'd he was pretty dashing the way he stuck up for her.  He is actually a pretty decent actor too.  Really here's what you most need to know about him:  Dibs!  Enough said.

Bones' FBI agent played by David Boreanaz
Looks like his hair was styled by piranhas
I find his wit and chivalry attracting.
I don't even mind when he takes his shirt off instead of really acting.

Ed. Note: The primary reason it took this long to write this posting was it is very difficult to figure out how to properly pronounce Boreanaz and then to rhyme it.

Dr. Drew

I have been watching Celebrity Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew.  This sounds like one of those fluff shows with staged emotions and conflicts but it really isn't.  First of all I love a reality show that is realistic.  So much of it is staged these days (The Hills, The Bachelor, fake scales on The Biggest Loser, I could go on...) but Dr. Drew's Rehab shows are very real.  Plus they actually serve a purpose: they show other people struggling with addictions how difficult the process can be, but that it works.

Also that Dr. Drew is a tall drink of water.  If I had problems I would be taking them directly there, do not pass go do not collect $200.  Admit me Dr. Drew!




The ever helpful Dr. Drew Pinksy.
Coming at your issues like a medical Ted Kaczynski.*
He always knows the right thing to say.
All that patient stress is probably why his hair is prematurely grey.

*Too soon?  Yea, I thought so.  But honestly, almost nothing rhymes with Pinsky.  Yea, I'm still a bad person, I know. [Hangs head in shame.]

Spiders and the Tangled Webs They Weave

Have you ever walked through a spider web? Maybe you were just strolling along, minding your own business when all of a sudden you feel that sticky tug somewhere on your body? It's pretty gross, I know, but just stick with me. (No pun intended.) Then after you have collided with the web, you can suddenly see all the little strands connecting you to thousands of different places. Usually there are so many that you wonder how you missed the web in the first place?

My mind works like a spider web. There is a web of thousands of strong, undetectable connections between thoughts and I frequently, unwittingly collide into it. The smell of stargazer lilies* reminds me of the carpet in my first apartment and a flower shop in New Orleans with dirty windows and a tile floor at some funeral home and things that are soft like petals and a really good backstretch. There is no logical reason why that smell would trigger the recall of half of those things but those spiders have diligently formed bonds between these ideas. They are shortcuts from somewhere mundane to nowhere special.

But every once in a while that nearly-invisible string will lead to somewhere with meaning. Somewhere very private because it is so tender with feeling that even when you want to share it, there is no way to make someone else feel exactly like you feel. Others can only take a mental picture of how you feel and label it "sad" or "angry" or "forgiveness" or "caution" and then maybe have their own private feeling about it which can later be connected with sticky silk to Tuesdays or your sweater or laugh lines or something stuck in between teeth.

Well here is a very private thought of mine: I am surprised by all the things that remind me of that little puppy that I lost.

I expected the quality of the thoughts (sad, helpless, frustrated) and their magnitude (not mild - I am an emotional person - but tempered by logic and memories of stronger sadnesses) but I am shocked by their quantity. At least twenty things a day remind me of him.

Those little spiders had been hard at work connecting him to lots of different thoughts. But as with a real spider web after you walk through it enough times it breaks, and then those busy little spinnerets get to work building new crossroads in the gaping hole. So I hope no one labels that thought I had as "sad" or "pathetic" or "over-sentimental" because I know it is somewhat temporary just like most sadness.

The spiders that live in my mind
Are diligent and unkind.
Taking me places that, make my heart ache.
But they do it too often and soon those bonds break.

*Which you may have learned I love if you read about my boyfriend orientation.

Wanda Sykes

You know who cracks me up, Wanda Sykes.  She is funny in the kind of way that makes you want to be her friend, or any kind of professional who delivers bad news.  Because she is so funny and matter-of-fact that I would mind a little less if I heard from her that my test results came back and it's not good.  Or I am being audited back through 2000.  Or that kid whose lunch money I stole is, in fact, the same William Gates.

And she has very nice skin, if you are making a list of her good qualities.

The lovely Wanda Sykes
Her name rhymes with several white supremecist's dislikes.
Sitcoms, talk shows, HBO specials - whatever the venue,
She would be funny reading a Chinese take out menu.

Ray Romano is a Man of a Certain Age

Ok this is not the second installment of my new celebrity crushes, but I do enjoy the acting and humor of Ray Romano (in fact I have a friend from college with the same name.) Anyway, he has a new show on TNT called Men of a Certain Age also starring Scott Bakula, and Andre Braugher.

Speaking of, I am also a fan of Scott Bakula.  Quantum Leap was one of the first science fictiony shows I watched and I have been a fan ever since.  It didn't hurt that he made it on a Star Trek series either.  Then on New Adventures of Old Christine and Chuck.  Even though he was cast as Chuck's dad which he is clearly too young to play, I was still excited to see him there.  Mr. Bakula, if you are reading this (which you very certainly are not unless my mom sent you this blog link) we all know how Hollywood casting works - you keep on keepin on.

So back to the show, though I have quite a different perspective from these characters (they are middle aged dudes, two with families) the first episode is so well written that I was able to sort of step into their lives.  Usually I have a policy:  you give a new show three to five episodes to see how good it will be.  After one episode, I put Men of a Certain Age on a DVR season pass. You should most definitely check it out, even if you are a late twenties*, hot*, successful* vixen* like I am.

Universally adored Ray Romano.
Joking about his familia Italiano.
Adding another to his list of shows.
Delivering his lines from behind that big nose.

* -ish. Give or take.  Approximately.

[Ed. note: My apologies to Ray Romano the actor, but these Clerihew poems are supposed to make fun of people so I'm just trying to be a good writer. I hope you nose what I mean.]

Bye Bye Buck

 

Buck and the Monster together

Well, sad entry here.  Poor little Buck died today.  I am so sorry for him and it sounds crazy but I really miss him even though he had only been here for a few weeks.  Even the Monster looks for him outside when I come in, and checked out his crate a few times to see if he was in there.  He was a little mini-me to her and a little buddy to me.

I feel like I let him down because he was just a little puppy and he needed someone to take care of him.  It feels like somehow I failed.

He had a lot of potential, he was smart and sweet and curious and playful.  We're not sure what caused his body to give out but I'm going to take this moment to get up on the soapbox again and say to make sure you vaccinate your pets!  It doesn't just effect your pet when they are not vaccinated, they can be carrier for diseases and possible create epidemics for other pets so vaccinate or else!  It is the responsible thing to do.

Poor little puppy Buck
Had terrible medical luck.
When his sickness really got rough
It turned out that loving him wasn't enough.

I will miss you Buck!!

Tiger Tiger Tiger Woods Ya'll

Still working on that paper, but just wanted to say seriously what is up with Tiger?  If my wife* was the kind of lady to take a golf club to my car for stepping out, I would at least limit my mistresses to one or two.  (Actually, I am not a cheater.  Couldn't do it if I tried, but I think you get the idea.)

That incredible golfer Tiger Woods
Couldn't keep his hands off the young and perky goods.
Though he was officially Elin's hub
He's not too particular about where he 'swings his club.'

* Since I'm a chick, I can only have a wife in a few states thanks to the right wingers who need to legislate their religious beliefs but again, I think you get the idea.

Living in the Procrasti-Nation

There is a beast that haunts me and that beast is called procrastination.  For that reason (final paper due tomorrow) I cannot focus on creating a great poem today so just deal with it.  This poem isn't really following the rules of the Clerihew, either, but if you feel that annoyed about it you can get your money back.

Nasty procrastination
Ruining my vacation.
It's hard to enjoy a breakfast spread,
With a paper due date hanging over your head.

Rose Hill

Even though exams are looming, I have escaped to take a vacation with my family which has recently grown in size to include one bro-in-law and one almost bro-in-law.  We are taking the day today to walk around lovely downtown Fredericksburg, Texas today, then heading back for a fancy dinner at our B&B which can be described as the place where adorable goes to retire.

I am sharing a little cottage with my sister and bro-in-law (romance killer, that's my street name) because there is nothing nicer than eating a huge dinner, then strolling across the driveway to your cottage next to an exotic animal pen and crawling in bed.  Now THAT is relaxation.

Glorious Rose Hill.
A perfect place to chill.
Escape from all of life's dramas
By sleeping in a villa next to llamas.

Buck

So on the subject of that little dog that I was fostering...I have made it a rent to own sort of situation and he is now here permanently.  It turns out that the little terror of a puppy just needed some structure and thanks to the monster and I, he now has that. He is showing some great promise, he has already learned how to sit and to wait by the backdoor to go outside and not to sleep on Zoe's bed.  Oh, and also he is ridiculously adorable.

So I am writing about him today, even though it is not exactly in the spirit of a clerihew since he is a dog.  Poetic License in the house!

I've named my little dog Buck.
If you can't see why, then get your eyelids unstuck.
Since his origins are entirely unclear,
It is possible his grandpa was a deer. 
 

The Root Canal of the Problem

I had to get my teeth cleaned today which is always so great.  Particularly for me since every time I set foot in a dentist's office I discover that I need another root canal.  I am thinking about just investing in metal teeth instead of paying for all of these pesky drilling sessions and pricey crowns.  I could tell everyone that I'm the lovechild of Jaws, one of James Bond's nemeses.  I may even get in exclusive restaurants with my name dropping and I certainly wouldn't be bothered by losing my kitchen scissors all the time.

One very nice thing about having the worlds worst teeth is that I have a lot of opinions on the staff in dental offices.  I think I have well versed opinions on the value of dental office amenities.  And dental some people are just really great, including my dental hygienist today.  She was kind and quite lovely, though to be the object of my clerihew poem today, I'm afraid I must poke some fun at her.  Don't worry though, she talks way too much to have time to read blogs.

My dental hygienist Jill
Cleans teeth with unusual skill.
Though as she talks and talks you might feel ignored
You certainly won't find yourself bored.

Seth MacFarlane

I have a new celebrity crush.  I have two in fact, but I am starting with Seth MacFarlane who is behind several popular animated series including Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad.  I watch the first two and they are like the pretty good, like The Simpsons with a social update.

Really, I love a guy with a good sense of humor but that is just the beginning here.  I am apparently a sucker for an all-American looking guy with spiked up hair.  I am a fan of the way he looks and the general air about him.  He is confident but he still has an emotional need for you to pay attention to him, laughing or gasping, either way.  Just my type...

Comedy Writer Seth MacFarlane
His characters never fail to entertain.
Though he has no social grace
He makes up for crassness with such a handsome face.

Cleri-cember! Ok I Will Stop Trying to Combine Months and Poetry Types.

I have decided that December will be the month of the Clerihew poem!

Haven't heard of it?  Well it's not exactly Homer but some guy named Edmund Clerihew Bentley, pictured to the right, created this type of poem (presumably to make fun of people) when he was around 16.  A clerihew has these rules that I will be adapting for the month of December's plogging:*

1. The poem is biographical with four lines.
2. The first line will give someone's name.
3. The second line will rhyme with the first line.
4. The third and fourth lines rhyme, but can be any length.

An interesting tidbit about Sir Edmund Bentley, he was educated at Merton College in Oxford which is the birth town of this blog.  Since it is not a natural citizen, I guess this means my blog could never run for president.  It's a shame, just after Obama opened the doors to one-parent candidates...

Let the clerihew begin!!

Sir Edmund Clerihew Bentley
Liked to poke fun at his friends, but gently.
So he did it with a light kind of poem
That was literary but wouldn't quite Henry Thoreau 'em.

*Poetry + blogging = plogging.  Just in case you don't follow this blog religiously, as you should.  Busted!

Goodbye to the Cinner!*

And it is time to say goodbye to Cinquain November! I have to say this poem type has been a lot of fun to write, it kind of defies writer's block because you can at least start a poem which makes it easier to proceed.  So thanks again to AVR who suggest this poem type.

Stay tuned to see what poetry type I will be using in December!!

Cinquains.
Simple.  Descriptive.
Building, counting, publishing.
Quatrain plus some more.
Poetic Pentagon.

*That is my nickname for the cinquain.  We had such a nice run together.

Monica Is Getting Old

Today is my friend Monica's birthday. If you don't know her personally, then you should know this, she is one of the world's nicest people. She and my mother tie for kindest people I know, though I believe that may be about to change.  They may have to share that title in a three way tie because there is a baby on the way very soon.

In fact, I imagine this new baby as her apprentice. Even though she is having a boy, I picture him being strongly influenced by having a mom who knows how to TCB!* Monica manages to juggle a bad ass job, friends, taking care of her husband (also a great influence for baby H,) an already large family, being a landlord, and always looking really freakin cute.

So happy birthday Mon! This is your last birthday with just you and B and I can't wait for the new Baby H era to start!!

Monica
Kind. Comforting.
Organizing, accomplishing, enjoying.
Caretaker and role model.
Future mom!
 
* Take Care of Business. What, you don't like Elvis?

(Tweedle)Dumb Cinematic Vision

Ok, I'm as excited as the next Lewis Carroll-themed blogger about the new Alice in Wonderland movie coming out next year. In fact I have been keeping fairly up to date with everything they have released about the movie.  I am a Tim Burton fan and I can't wait to see what he does with this piece of work!

Random fact: Tweedledee and Tweedledum are the ones that recite the Walrus and the Carpenter poem which I am so fond of that it headlines this blog.

But I do have one objection to a recent release: WTF was he thinking with Tweedledee and Tweedledum?  If the twins from the shining grew up, married the twins from Nothing But Trouble, and drank while they were pregnant, and fed the babies only raw dough, the result would be Tim Burton's idea of Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Creepy!!!

Tweedle Dee.
Rotund.  Mischievous.
Dancing, singing, confusing. 
Spewing balderdash and gibberish. 
Tweedle Dum.

Half-Black Friday

I do not know why this day came to be known as Black Friday and between you, me, and the deep blue sea I don't really care enough to research it.  Tryptophan-induced honesty!  But I am on a serious budget reduction so I shall do no shopping on this day, even though a brand new discount store opened recently and is apparently giving away fabulous clothing.

[Sigh and wistful look towards the NorthPark area.]

So in the partial spirit of the day, this blog is having a Half-Black Friday.  So this is a shout out to Obama, who I think is doing a very good job.  I am not sure what magic wand his critics thought he was going to wave to fix our issues, but that is not how it works.  Here is reality-ville, I think he is doing an excellent job at staying on top of what needs to be done, not pandering to the media, and considering an incredible number of variables to come to a solution.  We need elbow grease folks, not pixie dust!

Obama
Organized.  Determined.
Planning, executing, persisting.
Miracles...in baby steps.
Rescuer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[Soapbox speech alert!]

This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for not being homeless.  That is true both in that I have a place to live but I also have a home.

Even if I fell on hard times and had to leave my home, I have a family and friends and an infrastructure to fall back on.  Even so, some people who are now homeless also had some or all of these "safeties" at one point in their lives.

I know some of my friends, good people, who are reticent to support efforts to end homelessness.  I think this is because sometimes it is hard to admit that our hard work, mutual love for others, and good choices is not absolute protection from being in very bad life situations.  Everyone wants to believe that they would not take the road that leads to that kind of life and that homeless people did something wrong and therefore are reaping what they have sown. 

When I recognize this rationalization in others, it is easy for me to forgive them for what may seem like a lack of compassion.  It is easier for us to think of homeless people as drunks, drug addicts, or mentally unhealthy.  To think of "the homeless" instead of homeless people, people who have nowhere to brush their teeth or get their mail or store their things or just sit down for a little while.

But they are people.  Please check out this blog entry from my old boss's blog about a guy named Gary Reid.  People are homeless for a variety of reasons, not all of which people like me (educated, with a big family, relatively well off) are immune to experiencing.  And that is scary.

On this Thanksgiving you may not be spending time thinking about homeless people, but I hope you at least take a look around and give thanks for what you do have whether big or small.  Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Homeless
Unwanted.  Unprotected.
Begging, walking, freezing.
Owning only what's carried.
Helpless

Confidential Letter

Dear Retailers,

Look, I didn't want to get anyone in trouble about this so let's just keep it between you and me.  I understand that the economy sucks and people are in a generally blah mood which makes them feel less shop-y.  I feel for you, I really do.  But did you need to start Christmas so early?  At the beginning of November?

I really think you may have jumped the gun on this one.  I mean you skipped Thanksgiving all together.  I am telling you this now though it is too late to change anything because frankly we are friends and I thought you should know people were talking.  Ever since college when my roommate Annie showed me the joys of shopping I have really felt that you and I had something special going on.  I could not just forget what we have and go on without saying anything.

Now you know that your desperation is showing a bit, I hope we can move past this and you can pull it together for Black Friday.

Sincerely,

You know who

Holidays
Celebration.  Remembrance.
Sharing, eating, decorating
Attached to specific months.
Festival

CSI: Miami

Ok stop snickering.  Yea, I watch CSI Miami.  I would be more embarrassed but odds are that one of the three people who read this blog watch it too.  It is fabulously ridiculous and I embrace it.  Here are my top 5 favorite things about this show.

5. Colorful cameras. Whatever video equipment they use to film episodes makes it look like everyone is getting a good tan just by standing there. The colors are exaggerated, overly pastel, and barely this side of outrageous. Just like real Miami.

4.Ugly people. There aren't any at all, except for your occasional hired mercenary killer but even he has unusually nice skin.

3.Swift Justice. Most of the cases are solved in about 24 hours. The only other place were justice is doled out so swiftly is in Judge Judy's court. It is incredible that DNA results, interviews, trace tests, background checks, etc etc can be finished in one day. My favorite part is when they bring in someone, interview them, do some tests, and bring that same person back. Did they not JUST leave seventeen minutes ago on your schedule? Cause according to the camera work it is still just after lunch on a sunny day.

2.Fake Science. Oh, you can tell by someone's sweat his name, address, what kind of car he drives, and preferred pastel color shirt.  That is incredible.  How annoying does this crap make real crime scene investigators who have an eleven month backup to determine if that is human or animal blood at the triple homicide scene?  I don't know for a fact but I've got my money on pretty peeved.

1. Lieutenant.  Horatio. Caine.  I used to be so annoyed that the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders coreographed hair flips into their routine (that's not dancing!) but after a while of watching it you kind of had to respect how they used the flip and swoop.  Horatio Caine is the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader of glasses-acting.  I have never seen an actor so successfully substitute a simple prop for acted emotions. Exhibit A.

Ok, I've run an optical test on you based on the newest technology that says rapid eye movement in the fifteenth quadrant indicates boredom so I will wrap this up now.  [How great would it be create fake science to support everything you say!?!]

CSI: Miami
Technical.  Exact.
Measuring, whispering, story-telling.
Beautiful people, beautiful clothes
Science-fiction

No News is Not Always Good News

So it's not only me who thinks today is a slow news day, a "top story" in the New York Times was that the NFL is changing they way the respond to concussions. 

[Mental picture of 1930s newspaper reporter in fedora and vest at at typewriter slowly shaking head and wiping away a tear.]

News.
Extra! Extra!
Probing, breaking, informing.
Hot off the presses.
Tidbits.

Regime Change

Here is something interesting, recent increased use of the word regime.

I am not sure exactly when it started, sometime in the last five years or so.  I suspect it started with what I would consider the Bush administration's best strength: naming things.  And the administration chose the phrase "regime change" to describe it's goal in Iraq.  Then that was ironic when people called for "regime change" here to get rid of Bush.  I am totally on board up to this point, but then it starts getting hokey.

People use the term regime to mean "time during which something happened."  That is not a Webster sanctioned meaning.  For example "Kathryn never went out to clubs back then, but that was during the boyfriend regime."  That is not really what regime means.  It has to do with government.  At furtrest stretch it means a system of something not exactly governmental.  It does not refer to the period of time during which someone cut your hair or your stint in a fraternity.

Glad we got a chance to clear that up.

Furthermore, I think this new (mis)use of the word is particularly ironic, because before regime referred to something stable and dependable, now it is used to refer to some kind of change.  Oh English language, I am so sorry for what we do to you.

Regime
Government.  Monarchy.
Dictating, Leading, Overpowering.
The next new thing.
Anti-establishment.

Nugget

Soooo there may be an addition to the household. The little nugget pictured above is currently staying with me and may be here for good.

He doesn't like sleeping, puts everything in his mouth, annoys the monster* but somehow he is still adorable.

Puppy
Deer-like. Needy.
Whining, licking, staring.
Climbing into my lap.
Heart- melter.
*My original monster, that is.

Twilight

Remember when twilight was just a time of the day? I wish I had a dollar for every Facebook comment today about a full grown adult who stayed up until 3am last night to go see the new twilight movie.

These kind of people even have a word for themselves: "twihards" (Twilight + Die Hard [fans] = twihards). My sister is a twihard so I have to be careful what I say here, but let me just say this toned down comment: how ridiculous!

I did read the Twilight books, but I have to say I am not so engrossed in the story line that I am spending a day at work after four hours sleep. That stuff is for tweenagers.

But seriously, as I have said on this blog before that I am not a fan of twitter and growing tired of the Twilight saga. Next I am giving up eating Twizlers or hanging out with anyone I know who is a twin. Or a twit.

Dusk
Glow. Calm.
Ebbing, darkening, cooling.
Winding down the day
Twilight

Tim Gunn

So the person of the week on this blog is Tim Gunn. In case you don't know, Tim Gunn is a major part of the show Project Runway: he counsels the would-be designers on their creations and he is always right. My favorite (and everyone's favorite) Tim Gunn saying is "Make it work" which he says when the contestants on Project Runway are either having a breakdown or working with a terrible mess of a garment.

Also this week in Tim Gunn news, he was the guest star on The Biggest Loser because it was makeover week. He just has that special way about him that makes him seem avuncular but cool. He can give criticism but still build you up and feel like he he is in your corner.

That having been said, on tonight's Project Runway season finale, I think he loses his cool and I can't wait to see it!

Tim Gunn.
Elegant. Tasteful.
Critiquing, suggesting, helping.
Always making it work
Mentor

Ian McKellen

There was a three night special programming on AMC called The Prisoner starring Ian McKellen earlier this week.  It was very confusing and if you didn't stick with it past the first installment then you probably wouldn't be able to make sense of it.  I stuck with it because I love that kind of confusing stuff and because I love Ian McKellen.

I had the privilege of seeing him on the live stage in London.  He played Gogo with Patrick Steward as Vlad and it was the singular best acting I have ever seen in my life.  If you read this blog you know that I am an avid TV watcher, I love movies, and you may know I like theater too.  Anyway, I have seen a lot of acting.  More of it than I would like to admit was terrible, most of it was so so, but every now and then there was a really incredible performance.  McKellen was better than all of those.

Aside from his incredible acting talent, I think he is just a cool guy.  If you want to know more, check out his performance in Extras which was effing hilarious (and I may have blogged about this before but it's good enough to blog about twice) or do some research on the work he does for gay rights. Basically I will support anything this guy does. Aaaannnd...scene.

McKellen 
Thespian.  Artist.
Acting, creating, inspiring.
Becoming invisible inside characters.
Chameleon

Indian summer

Ok so our indian summer in Dallas is officially over.  It was so lovely for a while there...breezy, sunny, lovely weather.  I love the idea of an indian summer, you get one last week to say goodbye to warm weather. Just as you are walking forward into fall, you metaphorically pause as you are adjusting your scarf, then look back towards summer and have a brief memory of the season past.  Love it!

Here is something that has not ended: my dog's indian summer.  I am using that phrase because she is getting up there in years, but  lately she has had a surge of energy.  She is jumping around like a puppy and wanting to play all the time.  She drags toys out of her toy bin and tries to get me interested in throwing a ball or pulling a rope.  I see it as a brief look back on to being a puppy before the winter of her lifetime begins, but I hope her indian summer never ends.

Indian summer
Warm. Peppy.
Dazzling, flaring...fading.
Past youth's short burst
Reminder

LOL

Ok, I am worried that people have forgotten what LOL means. It was spawned to indicate over email/text/instant messenger that someone is "laughing out loud" and yet, I think we have moved so far away from that original meaning. So I have decided to put some basic requirements on the use of "LOL," for all of our sake.

First, laughing means actual laughing. Not eye rolling, snickering, or groaning. If you are not actually laughing, do not use "LOL."

Second, are you trying to lessen the blow of something harsh you just said? Don't use LOL. For example "Yea, you were really flirting with her boyfriend last night. LOL." NO! If you are afraid that something is going to sound rude then don't say it.  Adding LOL won't suddenly make it playful and light. For demonstrative purposes only, see below. Though there are many things wrong with this cartoon (which for the record I did not create) but Jesus here does not lessen the blow with his LOL.

Third, if you are making a joking comment and the nature is not clear from what you have written, don't finish it with LOL to make it clear you are joking. Be aware: your joke may not be that funny. See an example below, picture is cute, but the joke - not that funny.

I'm so glad we cleared this up.  Good talk.

Laugh
Guffaw. Giggle.
Bubbling, rolling, tearing.
Tickle your funny bone.
Chuckle

Flu

I am so tired of being sick! It is coming to an end* but not quick enough!

Illness
Warm. Nauseas.
Coughing, aching, resting.
Non-Patsy Cline fever.
Sick

* Not in the dramatic way for God's sake! I meant I am starting to feel better. Sheesh.

Away I Went

Because I am still recovering from being sick with something that was not non-sensationalized by the media, my big outing today was to go over to my sister and future bro-in-law's place to see a movie. A big thanks to them for being undeterred by my possible petri dish status and letting me in their house.

We watched Away We Go which is a really cute movie if you haven't seen it yet. There was one story in particular that made us all discuss how we hope that we can love someone in a way that drives us to think outside the box and constantly be creative about making that person happy. Peaked your interest? Watch the movie!

Maya Rudolph was really excellent. John Krasinski was also good, but he played a more nuanced version of his character from The Office, who I also love. I dedicate this cinquain to him!

Krasinski
Lanky, bushy.
Joking, adoring, scrambling.
Muttering comments to himself.
Goofball

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

I try not to complain about this, but I a freakin sick again. I am so tired of feeling a little under the weather, but this time I really did it. I was can't-get-out-of-bed, exhausted-but-can't-sleep, generally feeling terrible sick. And it's my own fault for not just taking better care of myself when I was feeling a little sick.

And then on top of that, I get little to no sympathy because I don't have the swine flu. I swear, if there is one more way that swine flu can annoy the crap out of me, swine flu will find a way...

Flu
Weak, tired.
Coughing, aching, sleeping.
Plain old flu symptoms.
Unremarkable

Tattoo

Yesterday was my old roommate's birthday. She was an awesome roommate, helped me when I needed help, was very laid back about my boyfriend at the time being around a lot. She was from Florida and so cute and beach-y. There are about a hundred other things I could tell you about her - she was really great.

But you know what some members of my family call her? Tattoo. Because even after she had established herself as one of my good friends, someone spotted a little tattoo on her hip and that is now the one way that at least some people remember her.

I just think this is so interesting because it makes me wonder what my "tattoo" is to some people. Every person I know is complex and complicated with a multi-faceted personality. But all the time people see just one thing about you and that is what they remember.

Sometimes I am a really upstanding citizen and my "tattoo" might be volunteering or smiling at someone as I pass. But then again it might be snapping at my sister in public or cutting off a slow driver. They didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but now it seems like kind of a big deal...

Tattoo
Planned. Inked.
Expressing, regretting, camouflaging.
Judged for past decisions.
Quintessence

If you want to see tattoo choices that are unarguably bad, check out this story.

Falling in (G)love With Temperature

Wow, the weather in the Big D is just fabulous lately. Just a tad bit cool at night and a tad bit warm during the days. Really beautiful.

But like most jerks I have a small gripe with this incredible weather: I have no idea what to do with my thermostat. If I turn on the heat, I am only comfortable while sleeping. If I only leave on the A/C, I freeze at night. If I leave it off all together, I am cold at night and it feels stuffy in the afternoon and evenings.

You see, I don't have a fancy air system like you rich folks. Mine is just a simple piece of machinery looking up at me with mechanical puppy eyes asking what time of year it is.

I won't have to deal with this issue for long, soon it will just be cold. But until then I am constantly switching back and forth on some crazy schedule I have worked out. Happy fall to me!

Temperature
Calefactive. Refrigerative.
Sweating, shivering, resetting.
Red...blue...can't decide.
Climate-ematics

What Came First, the Jerky Chicken or the Egg?

I was discussing with my father how sometimes going to law school can make you into kind of an a-hole. Actually he disagrees but I think sometimes after being trained to pick things apart and question everything can make you the world's most aggravating friend/spouse/sibling/friend to someone who hasn't suffered through 1L classes.

But the real question in my mind is not whether or not law school graduates are argumentative, it is are argumentative people more likely to go to law school. It's a legal chicken-and-the-egg situation.

Either way, maybe don't invite people like me to board game night.

Lawyers
Debating. Challenging.
Exacting, questioning, arguing.
Square pegs, round holes.
Barristers.

Shout Out

I think it is important to give credit where credit is due, so I implement the "shout out" whenever necessary. According to the Urban Dictionary, to give a shout out is to "acknowledge someone with respect." Enough said.

I currently owe two very big shout outs for this blog. First, to AVR who submitted the cinquain poetry idea. It is fun and fairly easy and has therefore started me back blogging more regularly (also my home internet connection is working again so that helps but really, it's about AVR right now.) Anyway, her blog is so freakin awesome and I'm glad she is willing to loan me some awesome for poetic jabberwocky. Shout out to you Deanster!

The second shout out is for my sister Jen who sent out the address to this blog (mostly to promote an entry about her but again - it's about the shout out) and by doing this I believe she helped to reset the record of most people viewing the blog in one day to a whopping 31. In the spirit of of using street vernacular today and of giving thanks to Jen I would like to say...Holla!

If you have someone who you think deserves a shout out, please feel free to post in the comments regardless of how random* it may be. Think of it as a warm up for Thanksgiving.

Shout out
Respect. Recognition.
Acknowledging, approving, appreciating.
Holla at your girls.
Props

* Seriously, randomness is the cornerstone of this blog. It is the Ernie to this blog's Bert. The split stick to its campfire. The milk to its cereal. The eight kids to its Kate Gosselin. I think you get the point so post already.

Oh, Hollywood...

[Warning: A serious nerd alert for what follows.]

Ok so the second Twilight movie is coming out soon which brings to the forefront of my mind a very delicate issue: vampires versus werewolves. It is so obvious that Hollywood is trying to tell us they are equal but I am not susceptible to their left-wing sensationalist media lies. Vampires are clearly better. I just had to get that off my living, breathing chest no matter how controversial it is.

I give a serious tip of the hat to image-makers/fakers though. I know in the new Twilight movie they will make bloodsucker Edward seem like a jerk and canine-secret Jacob seem like the good guy. But seriously, I'm going with bats over wolves in the "real" world any day. Though obviously the best of any choice is the Scott Speedman werewolf/vampire from Underworld (see below.) Ahooooooo!*

Vampires
Nocturnal. Omnipotent.
Sucking, healing, sleeping.
Vanishing into thin air.
Bats

* That was a howl. Just to be clear. It's not as easy to spell as you might think.

Mission Accomplished

I did so little during the day today that I am thinking about putting up a big banner outside my bedroom that says "Mission Accomplished." I think that is a sufficiently ironic way of proving that you have done nothing.

And some of you think Bush didn't do anything for us. That guy's stand up routine was hilarious!

Nothing
Devoid. Empty.
Stalling, procrastinating, staring.
Wasting away the weekend.
Zilch.

The Hangover

It's more than just a hilarious movie with Zach Galifianakis (who incidentally has very funny "between two ferns" skits as a terrible interviewer.*) It is a very real risk I apparently take every time I drink more than one kind of alcohol a night. Not pretty, not pretty at all...

Ugh. Would you mind typing a little softer please?

Hangover
Painful. Nauseous.
Throbbing, aching, groaning.
Reminder of my age.
Consequences

* My favorite between the ferns interview is the one at the link with Jon Hamm. And it's not just because I love Jon Hamm. Favorite question: "Does it make you sick when you look in the mirror to see how handsome you are and to know that people are disfigured? And don't you think you should think that?"

Trial

I had my first trial today, I picked the jury and sat second chair. It was a whole lot harder than I thought it would be and I'm not sure how well I did (the judge had to help me at one point with my questioning) but thanks to the lead prosecutor we won a really difficult case. I'm so impressed to see good people in action - it's the best way to learn.

Litigation
Claims. Denials.
Questioning, listening, judging.
Jury of your peers.
Justice