Buttons and pins!

I like Facebook quite a lot more than MySpace.  One of the reasons (maybe second behind Scrabble) are these pins.  I've always been drawn to them, and now I can have all I want for free!  I have vague memories (because most of my memories are vague) of standing at the little pin carousels in the specialty stores or at the beach; standing for as long as they would let me reading ALL of the little pints.  Now I can make my own!

Go get a cork board and pin it up!  (Virtually, that is.)

I'm a follower

But I do have fun. Annapants published the link to this "face your manga" page. It's great fun to make your avatar. So I did.

Here's me


Here's my sweet baboo

Slightly morbid?

But who cares if it is?  I've always been very interested in the culture of death.  That being cemeteries, funerals, headstones, last words, etc.

So I was intrigued when Anna sent me a link to this article about "green" and biodegradable coffins.  The Uono Coffin supposedly degrades within 10-15 years, which seems to make good sense.  I mean, I'm not really "using" it anymore by that point.  They're also suitable for cremation.  Plus, they look wicked Star Trek cool.

This wild shaped coffin is shaped like a chrysalis and looks like it's made out of paper mache.  The idea of a cocoon for your last journey is intriguing.  I wonder what the symbolism behind that is... in my next life I will be a butterfly.

Last, but not least, this Spirit Tree Urn is the one that most caught my attention.  I've preferred cremation to burial, for myself, for quite a long while now.  This is a biodegradable urn in which your ashes are interred.  A tree, or any plant you choose, is housed with your ashes and other goodies that will help it grow.  You plant the whole shebang and then poof - there's a tree where you used to be.

I think that is really beautiful and poetic.

How do you want to be "taken care of?"

Passing of a good man

I am moved to share something about a man I very barely knew. Duke Sir Morguhn Sheridan died yesterday from injuries sustained in a fall. He was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. He was well known and well respected in the Society and now I know why.

This is part of a written memorial of him:
"He taught me more about doing what needs to be done, because it needs to be done, than anyone else I know. You do not just sit back and think “oh someone else will get up and go wash dishes. Someone will set up the list field. Someone will think to do that.” Because, you know what… you are someone. He taught me the hardest lesson of all… if you can’t be noticed and acknowledged for your actions in your own right, what makes you think a bit of regalia will make their notice valid? It will be a false honor. Strength comes from perseverance and continuing to do what you do and what you know needs to be done. Fighting your own fights does not make you weak. But at the same time, there is no shame in calling on resources when you have them.

I learned from him that you do what needs to be done, and if you believe that what you did is right, do not be ashamed of it, but be prepared for any consequences that come and give fair warning so those that may have to handle the fall out are adequately prepared." - Baroness Ekaterina Volkova, OP

I am humbled and inspired by these words. Of course he had honors and awards that I could never aspire to, but these words... They remind me that we should all be doing something. Why wait for someone else to do it for us?

I don't get it

I'm about 25 minutes into the first episode of "Gormenghast" (thanks Lisa!). While visually neat, I have to say, I don't get it. If anyone has any insight, please share so I can feel better about myself.

It seems like the type of show that I would like. I want to like it.

Help.

You're my hero

Heroes is back, bitches!  

This is me, excited.  Heroes is one show I really enjoyed the first season and was really disappointed in for the shortened second season.  Season 3 premiering tonight is a good reason, to me, to throw a party!

So I'm heading to Lisa and Ted's tonight for a Heroes Party featuring heroes with all the fixings.  Color me happy because they know how to throw a fun bash.  I'm looking forward to goofing around, eating some fattening food and then sprawling on their leather sofas for some good old fashioned T.V. 

Look out friends, here I come!  Or is that...here I come to save the day!  (You know I can't think of those words without singing them in my head.  Ha.)

Burn Before Watching

Seriously. "Burn After Reading" was such a weirdly rancid movie, I can't even describe. You may think that watching John Malkovich pop Brad Pitt in the nose would be worth it. I certainly thought that. I was laughing out loud at the trailer and commercials. The movie? Yeah, not so much.

The theatre was about empty (it was an early show). And the few times Anna and I laughed, it seemed we were the only ones.

So in case you were wondering, a stellar cast acting in a film by award winning writers and directors - not good enough!

I can't describe what it was that was lacking, other than a point to the whole damn thing.

Food for thought

I didn't write this. I wish I had. But it's some food for thought. And if you are, like me, on the left leaning side of politics, it will be a nourishing meal indeed.

************************
Black teen pregnancies? A 'crisis' in black America.
White teen pregnancies? A 'blessed event.'

If you grow up in Hawaii you're 'exotic.'
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential 'American story.'

Similarly, if you name your kid Barack you're 'unpatriotic.'
Name your kids Trig and Track, you're 'colorful.'

If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're 'reckless.'
A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a 'maverick.'

If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review,create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new African Amerian voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor,then spend nearly 8 more years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced.
If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia.

If you are a Democratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an 'arrogant celebrity'.
If you are a popular Republican female candidate you are 'energizing the base'.

If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are 'presumptuous'.
If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a 'shoot from the hip' maverick.

If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are 'an elitist 'out of touch' with the real America.
If you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis, with multiple disciplinary infractions you are a hero.

If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an 'empty suit'.
If you are a part time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an 'experienced executive'.

If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are 'extremist'.
If you believe in creationism and don't believe global warming is man made, you are 'strongly principled'.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years with whom you are raising two beautiful daughters you're 'risky'.

If you're a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after her water breaks to seek medical attention, you're an irresponsible parent, endangering the life of your unborn child.
But if you're a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you're spunky.

If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you 'First dog.'
If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you 'beautiful' and 'courageous.'

If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents.
If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

FFS

You've been here less than an hour!  How can you possibly need a smoke break!

Too busy to post

I had all this great stuff I wanted to post about, but no luck.  Maybe tomorrow.

Instead, enjoy these exciting pictures (I'm equal opportunity, don't you know.):

Hee Hee Hurricane

Tropical Storm Hanna blew into the area this morning. And for us here, it was really no big deal (at least so far). It's been quite windy today and there were some good spits of rain, but other than that?

I've got Anna and Tiste over this weekend avoiding the no AC and insane humidity at their house. They're good house guests, except this morning when I really had to pee and Tiste was in the shower. I was tempted to step in, but I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. Heh.

We're heading over to another friends house for dinner and a movie, which is a great cap to a relaxing day.

Little white truths

Horrified, but had to share.

Sweet Surprises brought to you by the Corn Refiners of Association.  Apparently High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is your friend, according to the Corn Refiners Association.  

The commercials, put out by the Corn Refiners Association, repeat ad nauseam that HFCS is fine in moderation.  Sadly, I don't think that consumers of modern processed foods have the real option to ingest HFCS in moderation.

From their website, "High fructose corn syrup offers numerous benefits.  It keeps food fresh, enhances fruit and spice flavors, retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments."

What does this say to me?  

1. We REALLY care about moisture

2. HFCS is in just about EVERYTHING (processed)

Not cool!

I say throw down your breakfast bars, eschew processed condiments, drink only 100% juice (or better yet, eat the fruit whole), make your foods from scratch whenever possible.  It's not as hard as you might think.

We eat this stuff because advertising tells us we need to.  And guess what, we don't.  So take that, Corn Refiners Association.

Okay then, Germany

Things to see in Germany, a short list:

How beautiful is that?  It's Dresden, Germany.  I would love to be immersed in a country with so much history.  

The castle of Burg Eltz.  Sigh.  Can you imagine 33 generations of the same family in the same castle?  Wow.

Berlin, Germany.  This is the Gendarmenmarkt.  I must be craving a good museum, hence all of the old buildings...plus, I can see high rises here.  Pheh.

Marburg, Germany.  So quaint.  So pretty.  I don't want to visit, I think I want to live there.

Alright, I can't keep typing "sigh" all over the place.  But this place is so stunning.  Maybe a boat tour of Germany.  I'm going to have to explore this possibility.  This is the Swabian Hall.

Oh, hello lovelies, there you are.  I was wondering where you'd gotten to.  Of course we're going for the beer!!

Note: these pictures are all from a random Flickr.com search for "Germany."  I tried to link the sources but failed miserably.

Big Apple, Baby!

I have just committed to a blast of a whirlwind New York City trip with the Beautiful Miss Buck and the Not Much of a Slouch Either Kelly.

Excitement!

We're going to Ninja NY Sushi.

Woo ninjas!

Also taking the Bolt Bus and spending the night at a budget hotel.  Did YOU KNOW that they still have hotels with shared bathrooms?

Man, I am a sheltered girl.

Traveler

Let's plan a European vacation.  We won't tell my husband, although he is invited to join me.  

Hi sugar!  *waves*

There are things that I want to see in my lifetime.  And as much as I dislike flying, some of those things are on the other side of the Atlantic.  And now that my passport is on its way, I'm ready!

(I'd like to point out that I've offered to take a cruise to Europe from the USA, but that was shot down.)

I think we should start in London.  

I hear that a lot of intern

ational flights head there, so we could snag one and be on our way.  

They've got history, pubs, royalty, castles...and us.

Then we could take a short trip over to Ireland.    I've always wanted to visit and I think the time is now.  War is over and all that.

They've got history, pubs, castles, fairies...and us.

Then a flight over to gay Paris.  Ah...Paris.

I know, it's cliched for fat Americans to head to France, but I totally want to do it.  I want to see these things for myself.  The Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, the Champs Elysees. 

They've got history, cafes, castles, cathedrals, Frenchman...and us.

So I'm seeing a common theme in the places I want to see.  They have us there.  That should make planning a trip pretty easy then.  As long as we get to go together, I'm happy.

And then there was pizza

The first pizza I've had in probably 4 months, was just okay. How disappointing is that?? I spent an outrageous number of Weight Watchers points on pizza for dinner and it was not the transcendent experience that I signed up for.

What a fucking waste.

So I'm in the market for a digital camera. Not sure exactly what I'm looking for yet. But definitely something easy to set with a tripod. Thoughts:

- Something like this. Kind of plain and to the point.
- Or this. Pricier, prettier. Interesting to me.
- Or this. It's really similar to what we already have. (But would be mine, of course.)
- Or this. More zoom. It's black.

I obviously have no idea what I want. Other than a Sony, obviously.