Totally Random Tuesday: Don't Panic!

I'm sorry Star Wars Day, but today trumps you for sheer nerdiness and genre-specific geeking out.

It's Towel Day!

I grew up knowing about The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy... my aunt's license plates growing up read "ZAPHOD1" and of course I had to ask!

So why a towel?

"A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-bogglingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with."

- Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I remember seeing bits of the old adaptation of the radio plays, and having fun getting lost in the books. They are so deliciously weird, but kind of like Tom Robbins' books, if you just go with it you'll have a hell of a time even if you feel like part of your brain was stirred when you're done. It's kind of a good feeling, actually.

I was skeptical when they started filming the newer version, and while they did make a few changes they were fairly small (and necessary since they probably weren't going to do all the books anyway), and all in all I loved it...

Sam Rockwell was born to be Zaphod.

Improbable knitting!!

So enjoy Towel Day! Take a look at the "official" website - there may be something fun to do in your neck of the woods! If not, though, it's okay...

Just be sure you know where your towel is, and don't panic!

Totally Random Tuesday: May The 4th Be With You

OMG YOU GUYS.

It's Star Wars Day!

There I was, minding my own business and trolling through the CRAFT: blog, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a mini plush tauntaun and a cute little pooch in an Ewok costume.

I don't like Ewoks overmuch, but that is CUTE

I love Star Wars, or at least the *real* first 3 movies (it's a nostalgia thing). It was so exciting to take The Kid to see the re-release of the original some years back, although I always have a strange sense of sadness whenever they say "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

How long exactly? Are we talking thousands, even millions of years? What happened to their civilization, do you think? Will this happen to us?

I had the same reaction to an episode of Buck Rogers, so it's an on-going thing.

I have problems, but this is not news.

Anyway, my friend Google netted me further awesomeness for today!

For when you absolutely, positively must have the correct spelling of "Dookoo".

What is Michael Jackson doing in this picture? I'm just curious.

Not sure what to do besides watch all the movies and swing around empty wrapping paper tubes making the "nyyyyarrrr" sound? A member of Star Wars Blogs has some ideas for you, including letting the wookie win.

Ever wonder what happens to the credits? Somebody figured it out.

For the record, I love Star Trek and Star Wars equally

And finally, I found this.

There are no words.

Have a lovely Star Wars Day... try not to hurt yourself.

Happy Tuesday!

Totally Random Tuesday: Flagstaff Film Festival

Okay first, let me just say that Tome Tuesday isn't dead, it's just sleeping. I'm working on a couple of good'ns right now and will post reviews soon!

I SWEAR.

So my mom knows lots of cool people.

She's met them here and there in her life, and while some were fleeting hi-how-are-ya kind of moments, some folks stuck. (For example... Bob Schneider's massage therapist. No kidding!)

One of the other cool people she's met and befriended is Meg.

Meg is running the first ever Flagstaff Film Festival, which promises to be an exciting mix of independent films all lovingly submitted and ready to run come this August!

I know what you're thinking... August? In ARIZONA?!

According to the FFF2010 website...

"Located smack-dab in the middle of the Coconino National Forest at nearly 7,000 feet in elevation, Flagstaff is one of the highest cities in the U.S. And that means that Flagstaff's summer temperatures are wonderfully moderate with daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s."

So there ya go!

She's got a neat website set up for the festival itself, but also a blog, the fantastically named Festacular Blogmatic (and a Twitter site if you're up on how to work those things, which I'm not), which details various steps along the path towards the realization of what I can only imagine is a years-long dream of hers.

It's exciting to see someone take so much initiative... I'm super lazy, so I tend to be fairly astounded by those who can get so much done.

Good luck, Meg!

Totally Random Tuesday: Roll Your Own Blog

I have some new followers! Look at me being all internety.

Some of them seem to be much more advanced than I, what with all their widgeting and such, but I do have quite a few listed over on the right there...

You should check them out!

New to the list, other than my fabulous child's burgeoning blog, are Workforced, which amuses me greatly and is written by someone with excellent musical taste, and The Midnight Writer, who commented yesterday and has an extremely involved blog and political views I admire greatly.

Looking at their blogs and being a snoop means I read all their comments, which usually means I find even *more* things to read in the blogs of other comment authors, and before I know it it's been 3 hours, but I have found some truly fabulous folks this way, including Mrs. Dandy The Expectant and Finny The Crafty, not to mention The Pioneer Woman, who taught me how to cook some of my favorite meals with all her lovely photos.

(And that, children, is a run-on sentence. I can live with it, though.)

I remember hearing some fears voiced about the idea that the rise of the internet would foster less socializing, less interaction between people in the real world. I think we were headed there anyway (ever worked in a cube farm?), and granted there are definitely some folks who need to get out and gain some sunlight now and again, but generally speaking I think all these opportunities to communicate with strangers has done the exact *opposite* of what "they" feared.

Sure, some of that communication can be mildly disturbing and nothing you'd want to repeat (I'm looking at you, Omegle - if you choose to click don't say I didn't warn you), but most of the time you find you've met some amazing people, and know more about them than you do about some of the people you actually see every day! Even if you rarely meet these folks in real life, it doesn't mean you don't know them well.

I have grown to really love sharing my life with all you fine folks, even if it's a scrubbed up and pretty version, although that version has its merits! It's a lot easier to put the rotten stuff to the side and concentrate on the good stuff when you're doing it for an audience...

Even if it's an audience of 5.

Eh, I'm babbling today.

It happens.

It's a very If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, stream of consciousness sort of day.

Tonight, it's off to Target to finish shopping for Washington/DC trip stuff for The Kid, the geography bee into which she was roped (they were a person short of a team and she was needed), and a visit from TR who has some fabulous books to share with her since she'll be visiting the Smithsonian museums, in particular the Air & Space Museum and Portrait Gallery... he (rightly) figured she'd maybe get more out of them if she had a good idea of what was there!

Thanks TR... I appreciate the schlepping you do.

Totally Random Tuesday: The Universe Is Telling Me Something

I have had a horrific morning, which in light of Moscow bomb attacks and the general malaise plaguing our political system is NOT all that horrible, but which caused me to collapse into a puddle of woe at 7:30 AM.

So I'm folding laundry, being all productive, and because I have too much laundry stacked on the dryer, I manage to knock two shirts over the back.

Fair enough, I'll get them out with some sort of chimpanzee ant-grabbing stick-like device (read: metal coat hanger).

In attempting this, while crouched attractively on top of the dryer trying not to a) bang my head on the bottom of the cabinets or b) dent the top of said laundry machine, I managed to pop the dryer vent off the back of the dryer.

Have you seen my laundry room? There is no room to move. At all.

It's over there on the left, and it's like a clown car back there.

This meant carefully manhandling the dryer away from the wall far enough that I could somehow get back there and reattach the dryer vent (which Sears should have screwed in - they're getting a phone call). Re-attached successfully, I managed to move the dryer back in place (and in the process tore the vinyl flooring - I managed to bend the flap back down and move the dryer over it - don't ask how).

I looked behind the dryer and guess what?

It popped off again.

Then the tears started.

I managed to pull myself together and figured out that what I needed to do was move the *washer* (rather than further ruin the flooring), which had longer cords.

At least this time I smartened up. I unplugged the washer, trapped the cord between the lid and the body of the machine (otherwise you *know* it would have fallen somewhere unattainable), turned off the water supply, and sloooooowly pulled it out enough so that I could, using a chair for leverage, heave myself up and over the top of the washer, carefully weave my way around various hoses, and reattach the dryer vent.

Then it was back up over the washer to plug it back in, turn on the water, move everything back, swear some more, curse Sears mightily, check the dryer again (thankfully still attached) and do what I had intended in the first place.

Put the wash in the dryer.

Having verified that everything was running smoothly, I loaded up a new batch of washing and grabbed the laundry soap.

Twisting the top caused the entire pour spout to spontaneously detach and drop irrevocably into the liquid soap.

I stared at that for about 5 minutes before deciding that the universe was trying to tell me something.

So I'm staying home today. It was bad enough that I'm still allergic to myself and have a cold at the same time (I'm guessing - who knows), but this is a clear message from the universe that I need to stay home today.

I'm going to sit in the corner and not touch anything.

In fact I really shouldn't be touching the computer...

I'm just asking for it!

Totally Random Tuesday: Keep On Travelin'

So I woke up this morning at about 5AM.

I had beaten my alarm clock by a good hour or so, and was pretty awake so I figured I'd get a little more work done on the Possibly Not Going To Be Given Because It's Ugly Birthday Bag (either way it's getting done).

TR's Rick Steves Extravaganza of Travel DVDs is still living my house (mainly because I keep forgetting to give it back and no that's not in air quotes, smartass), so I figured I'd watch an episode or two.

The discs I'm on references "Benelux", so I keep hoping for an episode on Luxembourg (from whence many ancestors harken), but no luck so far.

One of the episodes that *does* appear, however, is all about the joys of Germany, in particular the Black Forest and Baden-Baden, which has lots of spas, one of which was featured on the show.

Three facts I learned this morning:

1. Rick went to the spa.

2. Rick got nekkid (there was no crack or anything, but it was IMPLIED) at the spa, took a shower, then got a thorough scrubbing and a good swat on the ass from a stern German masseuse, and filmed it all for us to enjoy.

3. My eye bleach is missing.

Now, I love me some Rick Steves, and really I'm not a prude. He's delightfully dorky and really inspiring in the way he'll just get right in there and do whatever.

But I don't want to see him naked.

Ever.

Well, ever again.

But I did... just so I could tell you which part to which you should fast forward for all your Hot Rick Steves Action. (If I could make that blink on and off in neon, I so would.)

(Pssst... it's 1:14.)



It might have skeeved me out, but you know what?

Good for him.

That spank will still haunt my nightmares, though. Just saying.

Totally Random Tuesday: Know Your Meme

I love Internet Memes.

It's amusing proof that most people are, when properly prompted, totally weird.

It gives me hope.

TR reminded me today of an awesome site called Know Your Meme, and although it contains a lot of stupid stuff nobody really needs to ever see again (I'm looking at YOU, Kanye West Imma Let You Finish people), it also has the Playing Dead group.

And the Rollercoaster Chess crowd.

And Pancake Bunny!

Take a look...

But I warn you...

Serious time suck, dead ahead!

Totally Random Tuesday: Cliff Divers and Processed Cheese

So yeah, it's Tuesday... and you might notice the lack of "Tome Tuesday" up there in the title.

Am I giving up? No, but...

But...

I'm 5 weeks behind. I'm a fast reader but come ON.

So I'm going to start up again (next week - Under The Dome by Stephen King), and call it good.

Today, however, I have to tell you the following:

1) I brought my camera today. Know what I didn't bring?

The USB cord.

I'll give you a minute to stop laughing.

2) Last night, I went and had an awesome dinner with The Kid, TR & several of TR's friends.

Where, you ask?

Casa Bonita, The Disneyland of Mexican restaurants.



Isn't it pretty?

The inside is way better.

Now I'd been there once before, but it was with a whole bunch of Girl Scouts, so I didn't really get to experience it fully. (I was busy trying to dry the tears of terrified 8 year olds who had just braved Black Bart's Cave.)

There's an excellent guide to surviving Casa Bonita here, and it's pretty spot on. The key seems to be to think of the food as an admission fee, but I'll admit...

I sort of liked the food. I know it's wrong.

Apparently South Park did an episode that featured this icon of childhood joy, but YouTube keeps shutting stuff down.

But thanks to the internet, I found it! With Polish subtitles!

I took the link off, because as I found out quite by accident there is a LOT of porn on that site, but if you really want to see it, ya know...

Google it! :)

To make it up though, I found this, just for you.

Enjoy!

Totally Random Tuesday: C'mon & Shake It Up Baby Now!

Wow, yesterday's post was...

Wordy.

Today, not so much, so it all balances out.

I did forget to mention one thing yesterday...

Twist & Shout, my new favorite store.

After high-tailing it out of the convention on Saturday, much earlier than anticipated due to the weirdness factor, TR was mid-errands and suggested a good place to hang while he finished up.

Oh my god.

Okay let me back up... I love records. *Real* records, the kind that take up lots of space and have to be handled delicately and so on.

Do I have a record player?

Well... sort of. It's a little plug-in kids player that The Kid borrowed from her aunt once and has yet to return to her. But that's not the point.

It's kind of like collecting, I don't know... airplanes. Sure, they might stay in their boxes, but you *have* them and they are glorious (especially when you get rare ones on the cheap) and you can carefully remove them from their boxes now and again to play with the detachable cockpits until you delicately replace them in their boxes again.

Records are like that for me... I can look at the liner notes, I can admire the album covers, I can look for the little messages etched into the inner wax ring... they're definitely a collectible thing.

And I can download the songs from iTunes if I want to hear them. The modern age is wondrous.

I also have attachment anxiety about them. I used to have some of the coolest records in existence (the *entire* Duran Duran catalog and some serious Smiths EPs - dont' judge me), and my ex-husband sold most of them out from under me about 15 years ago because they were "replaceable - have you heard of CDs?".

Jerk.

Anyway, Twist & Shout is, among other things, a record shop. I hadn't been in a record shop in probably 10 years, yet there I was, simultaneously flipping through albums, eyeballing the many fantastic toys lying around and wool-gathering about Record Shops I Have Known And Loved (oh Vintage Vinyl, I miss you), all while they played some sort of 40's Sinatra-type music over the sound system.

Bliss. I could spend hours in there.

It's probably good I didn't remember to add that yesterday, I probably would have hit some sort of character limit for single posts.

So! Your Randomness for the day... a Halloween Lolcat, because it's my blog and I can if I want to.

I'm mildly Halloweeny now. Only mildly, but still... it's probably the dark sky and bare trees and blowing leaves outside.

I need a pumpkin, STAT!



Clowns are terrifying. Clown dolls are even worse. *shudder*

Just look at that thing. You know it looks for the knives when you sleep, right?

If only it could move its thumbs, you'd have been toast long ago.

Totally Random Tuesday: Late Breaking Godtopus Edition

Yeah, so it's Wednesday morning... does that mean I can't do a Tuesday blog? No it does not.

So, nerd alert, but when I was in 2nd grade (I think - Mom, want to verify?) I won the MS Read-A-Thon, in tandem with a girl I remember distinctly only because of her massively awesome black pigtails. I was a total reading nerd even then (my 6th grade favorite was Jane Eyre) and am sorry to say I've slacked off mightily since then.

Enter Pajiba. Not only are they funny over there (if occasionally overly in-joke snarky) they are also doing something completely awesome.

I am officially throwing my hat in the ring for the second annual Cannonball Read... you should too, if at all possible, because a) you'll make your brain bigger and b) it's an easy way to donate bucks to a good cause without having to, you know, actually donate money.

Pajiba will do that part.

Here's the text of the Facebook group (go join it!):

A group of Pajibans (www.pajiba.com) competing to read 52 books in 1 year. Anyone can participate. All you need is a blog, a library card, and gumption. (Gumption can be replaced with gunpowder.)

If anyone is interested in joining the Cannonball Read, you can! It's so easy, it's easier than Sunday Morning. Or bad song lyric puns.

Basic Rules:
1. Your book needs to be "of substance": 150 pages or so. No Pokey Little Puppy. But the Phantom Tollbooth? That's fine. Unless you're in elementary school. And if you are a kid doing the Cannonball Read, you've already won. At life. Collect your trophy.
2. Post your thoughts on a blog or on a website, or somewhere where others can read it to prove you've read. The reviews need to be at least three solid paragraphs, as they may be possibly be published on Pajiba.

Again, those are parameters. But if you are interested in participating, go for it! You can set your own rules, like, every other book has to be non-fiction, or I want to read nothing but books written by old dead white men, or I must read every recommendation people give to me. It's all up to you!

This year, Pajiba (www.pajiba.com) was kind enough to promise that for everyone who completes the one book, one week, one review requirement, they will make a contribution in your name to the Lil A' College Fund. Please read The Legend of Cannonball Read to get more details.

Cool, right?!

I should read more anyway, so I'm totally getting on this.

Starting with next Tuesday, I will be posting a review of a book I've read that week, and if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them! A book a week may involve raiding The Child's collection of Magic Tree House books in a pinch, and if you could spare me I'd so appreciate it.


It may come to this

Totally Random Tuesday: Fired Up!

Here's some stuff to inform and amuse.

First, a soapbox moment. I implore you to please not believe the insurance industry-driven hype, because trust me - that's all the scary stuff you've heard is. They stand to lose billions and billions of dollars, and they love them some money.



TR posted that today and I blatantly copied... and also this, which his brother found:


Click to see it

That was in response, I'm guessing, to this completely ridiculous flow-chart, which makes no sense. Go ahead, try and read it... if you can make heads or tails of it, I'll give you a dollar.

Seriously people. I know I've said this before but here it is again...

Please call your local congress-person and senator and ask them to support Health Care Reform. Encourage your friends and neighbors to do it too. They really do listen.

Finally, to put the Random in Totally Random Tuesday, I give to you the happiest cat in the world.



I think my Dea could pull this off, but only for a second before she rolled over and made tomato paste. Which she would eat, because she's entirely weird like that.

Totally Random Tuesday: Stuff I Found

Happy Fall!

I can't believe the summer is gone already... but time flies when you're having fun! (And I did this year.)

Today is truly totally random, but only because I'm still a bit over-mellowed from my soaking this weekend, and have teh dumbs.

Enjoy this (it has swears, but it's funny anyway!) which I loved in particular because anything featuring Jamie from Mythbusters is a win, and the following photo which was almost more awesome than I could handle this morning.


I love this so much

Last but not least, go check out Dandy's blog... she's got some awesome videos for the first day of Fall that will have you bundling up and checking for ripe pumpkins before you know it.

Here's my favorite of the three she posted:

Tumbledown Fall Montage from Desi Van Til on Vimeo.

Have a wonderful fall day! Eat an apple, have some cocoa, but for goodness sake don't start with the holiday decor yet. It's too early.

Totally Random Tuesday: Here, Kitteh Kitteh

Ok you may have had your fill of Lolcats for the century, but you know what?

I have not.

I may not ever.

They always make me smile and laugh (dare I say... out loud?) and yes, I'll admit... I pepper my speech with the occasional "nom" or "i can has"...

So sue me.

(I can has lawyer?)

I challenge you cynics, however, not to at least smile at the following video...

Go ahead, try to keep a straight face.

I dare you.

Weekend Catchup: Totally Random Photos!

Okay first up... PLUG ALERT! I've got 3 new baskets up (one regular and two teeny tiny), and 8 or 9 in the works.


Don't you want this? I know you do. Or your friend does.

Due to the holiday, and my crappy home connection, I am combining JUST THIS ONCE (well, just this week anyway) my Weekend Catchup and Totally Random Tuesday.

Good thing, because there are tons of photos to be had.

We had a great weekend! I was immersed in watching the live feed of Burning Man, in particular the Burn itself - what an amazing thing that was. The explosions, the fireworks, the art cars all lit up and parading like bizarre peacocks... plus there was a chat room filled with extremely funny people. Funny-amusing and funny-in-the-head, both of which were equally amusing.

Thanks go to Nova & Kelly for letting me hog their laptop Saturday night!

Also, thanks go to Whoever is in charge of keeping Burners safe, as TR called me when he got in range, and is alive and well and only slightly singed around the edges. Not that I was worried, he knows what he's doing, but you know... it's good to get that all-clear.

On the way home Friday I stopped to take a photo of a new piece of art just installed in the middle of the highway. It's solar-powered, and spins. So cool.


I took my life in my hands for this shot... FOR YOU

Sunday night I had my very own playdate with my friend Nova, who brought pork mole-ay (spelled as such as no accent was available, and "pork mole" sounds disgusting if pronounced as displayed) and home-made tortillas courtesy of her hubby. We played Scrabble (tough board!) and talked about past and present, and generally enjoyed a lovely child-free evening.

The important thing here though is that you realize how much money I saved at King Soopers buying some extra groceries for the evening (it was important we have raspberries and ice cream). I saved more than I spent.


My cheap little heart just about burst with glee

On Monday, The Child & I had fun Geocaching after I picked her up from her friend Maddie's 13th birthday party. We took a VERY long walk around Golden Ponds here in Longmont, and it was a gorgeous day so you know I took pictures.


Golden Pond, with Longs Peak and Twin Sisters behind it... such a pretty shot


A bridge down a path - we wandered over to the top of a man-made waterfall for this; trust me the bridge was prettier


This dragonfly was very patient with me

Also, look at this fantastic card The Kid made for the birthday gift!


Why yes I *do* photograph everything on my kitchen table, why do you ask?

The cupcakes come *out*, and each had a message. So cute. As previously discussed, my child is awesome.

I made something for her friend as well, as I usually do for her birthdays (she's gotten a blanket, a couple of bags - I may be broke but I usually have craft supplies lying around). This year she got an upcycled-bluejeans waistband tricked out with snaps and embroidery. She made a point to show me she was wearing it this morning when I dropped Kid off at school, so I think that means it's a hit!


There was squealing

Last but not least, there is new art on the wall. (For more, see the Flickr stream.)

Totally Random Tuesday: Well Rounded

Today it's all about The Child.

She does lots of stuff, and I want to celebrate it!

I'm always interested in the things she does, of course, but I was going to post a photo of the board she BROKE IN HALF WITH HER FOOT and decided she needed a post.

She does quilling and makes her own greeting cards. Check out my birthday card from this year!



And of course she paints.



And bakes.



And sews.



Yes, she is a girl's girl.

She even likes makeup now. She has fine taste, which is only fed by her Aunt Melissa's constant spoiling.


Only the best will do

But.

She kicked a board in half. With her foot. First try, and she's never EVER taken karate before.


Holy crap

Why isn't she in karate? Oh yeah. Expensive. Damn.

No matter, she can still kick your ass for you.

Just because she's a master of the domestic arts and likes expensive eyeshadow doesn't mean she can't kill you with her pinky.

Her pinky toe anyway.

She really is a well-rounded girl.

She has purple Converse with neon green laces. She also has high heels with rhinstones.

She listens to bands like Rammstein and Legendary Pink Dots. She also loves Taylor Swift.

She loves Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman.


Like gods unto her

She likes Twilight, too, but not for the Edward/Jacob/Bella thing... no, my girl loves her some Emmett. (The giant, funny, slightly doofy guy who likes to hunt grizzlies.)

She's awesome, in other words.

And cute. I can't wait to see what else she does.

Total Random Tuesday: The Stars Our Destination

Galileo's telescope was invented 400 years ago today!

You know, give or take an week.

Lazy post, I know, but car trouble keeps me on the run.

Happy Tuesday!

Totally Random Tuesday: Whiny Parent Syndrome

So you know what?

I love my kid. Desperately.

Know what I don't love?

When my kid, who I love desperately, has to get an earful.

For example, just now, she called me, happy as a clam and at the library, probably ready to offer to bring me back a book she found that I might like, or a movie we could watch together, but I had to be MEAN MOM and tell her to get her happy ass home and call me from there, because she's totally in trouble with me.

I can handle a lot.

Being a lazy teenager and not making her bed... *sigh* fine.
Slacking on her homework... well, it's her grade (not this year though - she's got a trip riding on it).
Doing a half-ass job at a chore... I'll just make her do it again, and explain *again* why it can't be done that way.

But lying? Lying just doesn't fly. At all.

I can't even tell you how many times I've told that girl, if you do something wrong and tell me, I might yell. But if you do something wrong, *don't* tell me and I find out later?

Oh girl.

(Insert shaking head here.)

And so now I have to be MEAN MOM, and she just got back from vacation, and is just starting school Thursday.

I hate that, but it's a necessary evil.

I hate more that she's riding home even now, wondering what it is I'm going to yell at her *for*, and having a bad day that started out nicely... on the one hand I feel absolutely justified in making her feel badly (because she really was a turd), but on the other...

She's my baby, and I want her to be happy. All the time.

That's probably where I messed up along the way... but too late now. Now, she just gets the Wrath of Mom.

Sorry, kids, I know my self-pity posts are rare (quit laughing so hard, you!), but I just can't do that John Hughes Retrospective I was going to do today. I will, however, leave you with a clip from my very favorite JH movie, because a) it shows another bratty teen doing awful things his parents will never know about, and b) because it'll make me feel better.

Whiny mom out!

Totally Random Tuesday: Sunday Sunday Sunday!!!

I work at a University, and my office faces the football stadium, which they are currently rehabbing the crap out of, despite our current state budget woes, but don't get me started on that.

(Grammar Junkies: Would that more properly be stated as "out of which they are rehabbing the crap"? It doesn't sound right. Hm.)

One of the new features is a magnetic fence system, wherein there are metal discs in the pavement, and large poles every few feet, onto and between which they'll be snapping cattle-pen type fencing on game days.

This sounds like a recipe for disaster, but whatever.

Another new feature is the enormous new lighting system they're current rigging. The light bar for this thing had to be dropped in BY A GIANT CRANE.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love huge construction equipment?

No?

Why are you looking at me like that?

Anyway, a giant crane delivering enormo-lights, and the subsequent installation of everything, naturally means Ms. Mimi Rickets looking out of her office window a lot more than she ought to.

Now, you would assume that the internet would be chock-full of things to delight the large-equipment enthusiast, right?

Well, yes, but...

But...

Oh, just watch.



Possibly the coolest thing on the internet

Totally Random Tuesday: Go Bulldogs!

So my friend Nova calls me this morning and says "You know you have more people reading your blog now?"

"Right," I said, "I just make friends EVERYWHERE I go, what with my winning personality and charming wit."

(Editors note: Totally made that part up - I don't remember what I said but it was probably akin to "Guh?")

"No seriously, there are women in my mother's office who apparently love your blog."

Well you all know I am a total attention junkie, so that completely made my morning.

And of COURSE, because I'm a nerd for my blog, in honor of the fine, fine women of Streator High School, today's Totally Random Tuesday is dedicated to their fabulous town!

First off, I have to say the website for Streator HS is great - I checked it since I had to make sure I was getting the team name right - the picture makes it *seem* obvious, but it might have been the Streator Rabid German-Inspired Pitbulls or something, you never know. It's best not to assume.


What if it's just a really aggressive hamster?

In looking around their site, I was amazed at the amount of clearly-labeled, easily accessed information they really have. The Child's school district can barely get you an email address without having to pester the principal, much less provide a searchable staff list.

You know why I love Google? Things like this:


Possibly haunted

I've written about Streator briefly before, as Nova's mom and dad live there and so of course we've visited and gotten to avail ourselves of a couple of their local goodies and traditions, like their theatre and 4th of July parade and a couple of their local restaurants like Chix (yum) and Planet Pizza.

I have to ask... who speaks Hawaiian at Planet Pizza? I'd really like to know. Is it the same person who came up with the beef rolls? Because I'd like to extend a huge MAHALO to them and beg for the recipe. I won't share it I SWEAR. If they could just, I don't know, ship me some frozen I'd be happy too.

Mmmm, beef rolls.

Sorry, got distracted.

In looking up Streator I found a whole Wiki devoted to it, and it's really thorough so I won't list everything out here, but I must note a few of the more interesting points...

• Streator was named for Dr. Worthy S. Streator, an Ohio industrialist who financed the region's first coal mining operation.

Why are there not more people named Worthy? Also, this made me get an earworm, which is now yours to enjoy as well.


You're welcome

• The city is the hometown of Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930.

• Burt Baskin, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlors was born in Streator.

• Author Clarence E. Mulford wrote the Hopalong Cassidy series of books. The Hopalong Cassidy River Trail winds along the banks of the Vermilion River which passes Mulford's boyhood home.

• Music composer and director Ed Plumb ... was the musical director for Disney's Fantasia and score composer for Bambi.

That's a lot of famous all in one place, but I think this is the coolest thing on the whole page:

• Many of Streator's immigrant coal miners were trained in glass blowing...Through the 20th century Streator was known as the "Glass Container Capital of the World."
  

Why is this not on t-shirts? Seriously.

I think the most interesting thing about Streator, though, is that as with many of these small, slightly isolated old towns in the Midwest and West, it's mere existence is a miracle. So many of these towns cropped up and died away when factories and mines and farmland weren't fruitful anymore, and it couldn't have been an easy life to maintain, so the ones that are still around are a testament to the resourcefulness and determination of the folks that have lived there in the past and continue to thrive there today.



Thanks for sharing your town with the world, and I am totally serious about the beef rolls.

I'll even pay.

Go Bulldogs!

Totally Random Tuesday: Weekend Backlash & Nostalgia

The many 5's of you who read my blog may have noted my absence yesterday... this was not due to anything exciting, merely my complete exhaustion.

My weekend, I'll just note for consistency's sake, contained but was not limited to:

• A Porterhouse steak all for me which I did not share with anyone
• Laughing until my sides hurt with almost total strangers at dinner
• Great conversations in person and on the phone, though some made me wish for stuff I can't have right now - patience, patience, patience
  
• Planning something to look forward to with someone who I "esteem greatly", in the speech of the Regency, where I wish I could have lived like Elizabeth Bennet but would certainly have been more of a scullery maid
  
• Figuring out a gift for someone that will possibly not suck at all
• Rain and lightening and deep blue skies that were a lie - it was just window tinting (still cool though)
• Driving around most of the eastern half of Colorado for various important reasons
  
• Cooking for many hours to make enchiladas and chicken casseroles for the week
• Watching a new Dr. Who episode and finding a new show to love

See? Chock-full, but exhausting. Must have been all that steak.

And now, Totally Random Tuesday!

I miss Chicago sometimes, or more to the point the Chicago of my youth. You just don't get commercials like this anywhere else:

That Cicero hair! Those low rates!



And there are the strangely gleeful dancing farm animals!



I will still randomly shout "Mooooooo and Oink!" - listen at the end for what it sounds like - while shopping for milk and pork products, for which I receive stares and a lot more personal space at the grocery store.

Even better, thanks to our salted winter roads, our cars are in terrible shape ALL THE TIME!



I got to call Victory once to pick up my first car. I got 25.00 and a sense of extreme satisfaction, although what I really wanted was that bell-bottomed bad actor's bracelet.

Someday, though, I will truly get to complete my life by calling the top dog of Chicago commercials, the one for which anyone who's from Chicago can tell you the number off the top of their heads, on command and in tune. And they're national now so I can call them ANY TIME I WANT!


I trust this man.

Of course you *could* call Luna, but then you'd be a commie. I'm just saying.

Empire Carpets was (and still is) so iconic in Chicago it even had its own spoof by my very favorite TV host of all time (besides Jerry Bryant, host of JBTV and the uncrowned king of alternative music television)...



Son of Svengoolie, the man responsible for my fear of zombies. Even if you dilute it with jabs at Berwyn and rubber chickens, no 8-year-old should watch Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things.

That, my friends, was a huge chunk of my childhood right there... all that's missing is a special on the Rock-N-Roll McDonalds downtown, where I used to waste time while my mom was doing her side-job balancing the books at the gas station (a client of her then boss's) across the street. Incidentally, this is also where I used to watch JBTV - you couldn't tune it in anywhere but downtown.


OMG YES!

Thank god for these old videos, because now it looks like this. In my opinion, this makeover has officially killed the beauty of the place, because half the coolness factor was that on the outside, it was just a regular old crappy McDonald's, but when you went *inside*... my God, it was glorious.

Alas.