Gummi, lovely gummi

I still haven't found the gummi Nativity that I saw in Germany. But I swear, it did exist. Gummi Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

In the mean time, I did find gummi fried eggs and brains via the Sweet Factory. I wonder if they're Haribo. Definitely the best of the gummi makers.

Clogged toilet, friend or foe?

If you live in New York City, you're more likely to have a clogged toilet, according to Scott Tissue and Clog Clinic. This sounds like a joke, but sadly, it is not. (See "Toilet Issue: New York City Named Nation's Cloggiest.")

The SCOTT Clog Clinic, an authority on common-sense solutions for avoiding stopped-up toilets, sponsored the survey to help Americans understand just how much of a nuisance a toilet clog can be and to offer common-sense ways to avoid such toilet-paper dissolve-ability problems. The release of the survey also comes as National Plumber's Day is on April 25...

Clog Clinic researchers say toilet clogs frequently occur during heavy flushing periods -- like halftime of the Big Game and Black Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving feast...

On behalf of the SCOTT(R) Brand, the Ketchum Global Research Network commissioned a survey to determine the cloggiest markets in America.

Specifically, the survey sought to quantify: [Snarky comments, mine.]

• Cloggiest & least cloggy among DMA cities and C&D counties
• Americans' experience with clogged toilets Mostly good
• Feelings about clogged toilets Happiness
• Type of items flushed down a toilet Combs, pets
• Perceptions of clogged toilets It couldn't possibly happen to us
• Knowledge about clogged toilets Toilets don't clog, do they?

Jerky gun

Beef Jerky Factory Plus
"Make jerky at home. Great for making jerky the way you like it and at a fraction of the cost. This kit includes: jerky gun, three attachments for various shapes and jerky spice/cure packets."

Quick! Order it now!

Oblong Oreos

This is rather interesting. For a limited time this summer Oreo is going to sell oblong Oreos.

AdAge says the "limited-edition" Oreos are "a bid to capitalize on the dunk portion of the longtime 'Twist, Lick, Dunk' theme" used by the Nabisco sandwich cookie. The oblong cookies will be marked with lines like "soaked," "soggy," and "dry." (More)

I'd prefer "dip," "full immersion" and "mush."

Hot dog and paranoia

I love Patina. And, although it is very early in the year, I am adding the Pooch Pot Holder to my birthday wish list. I'm such a sucker for anything dog related.

And I don't need The Paranoid's Survival Kit-- I no longer work with crazy people -- but I would like it. Something nice to leave on the desk, especially if you expect visitors.

"For the employee who's overly suspicious of co-workers and convinced that every bit of office politics is actually a conspiracy, this tongue-in-cheek kit outlines the top 10 signs of paranoia, along with ways to outwit the bad guys. It comes with rubber gloves, invisible ink, light to detect cryptic messages, and a rearview computer-terminal mirror."

Straight to the point

This is so mean; I love it.

Alnwick treehouse

A huge tree house, part of the Alnwick Garden in Alnwick, England. If this had been there back when I was, I might never have left. Oh, to be in England in the spring...

Films and moods

Courtesy of The Guardian, the film mood matcher. Moods to choose from include:

• When you're having a bad hair day
• When you're trying to give up smoking
• When the planet's being invaded
• When you're having an existential crisis

Meat as a condiment

930 calories and 63 grams of fat. Do you want CPR with that?

ST. LOUIS, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Using meat, such as bacon, as a burger topping is not a new idea, but Hardee's has taken the concept to its extreme today with the launch of the new Philly Cheesesteak Thickburger(TM). It's meat-on-meat as Hardee's new burger features a 1/3-lb. Angus beef Thickburger patty piled high with thinly sliced steak, two kinds of cheese and green peppers and onions. The result is a truly delicious and authentic tribute to the classic Philly Cheesesteak -- as only Hardee's can make it.

"Other restaurants have just topped burgers with cheese, peppers and onions, and called them 'Cheesesteak burgers,' but they didn't taste like a Cheesesteak," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Hardee's. "So, when we set out to make a great Philly Cheesesteak burger, we literally put a Cheesesteak on a burger, steak and all."

Full story here.

National Pooper Scooper Week, April 24-30

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPaws) was founded in February 2002 by a group of pooper-scoopers who believe that every dog should have its day. In recognition of a growing problem in our communities, aPaws has established a special week of educating pet owners on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs.

The attraction of flies, gnats, and bad smells can be a neighborhood nuisance if yards are not maintained. Some property management companies and condo associations are seeing the benefit of using a pooper-scooper service to maintain their common areas.

For some dog owners, finding a workable solution has been either to clean it up or to ignore it. These days, health-conscious dog owners are paying more attention to their dogs' living environment and taking more of a proactive approach in dealing with the dog poop left on the ground...

The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPaws) provides that solution. The non-profit organization's website, http://www.apaws.org, provides a directory of pooper-scooper companies in different states who can help any dog owner who may be looking for a workable solution to keeping their yards cleared of dog poop.

The above is only an excerpt. If you can't stand the suspense, read the whole thing here. And if you have a pet, and your eyes and/or nose work, why would you need a reminder to clean up after your dog?

As someone who works in public relations, I thank God that I don't have to write about any type of poop as part of my job. The day I would have to write something like this is also the day I would "accidentally" drive my car off a bridge.

What's with the Hubschrauber?

Today on FFH the traffic reports are from someone who sounds like she's in a helicopter (Hubschrauber -- yet another German word that's totally fun to say). I've never heard that before on this station. It's so annoying. Kind of like a laugh track during a TV comedy or typewriter background noises during the radio news.

Looking for a pet?

Want a cat but without the litterbox hassle? There's a guy who will be your pet cat.

I want to be your cat
I'm hiring myself out as a pet cat to anyone who wants to own me. I truly believe I would make a great pet cat, much better than your typical cat. If you're interested we'll sign a one year contract, renegotiable at the end of the term. Basically, I'll provide all the services of a pet cat, while you pay for all my food and housing, plus incidentals.

Regenbogen

What a strange day. This afternoon I went to the funeral of a co-worker. He was only a few years older than me. I had a hard time keeping it together. I didn't know him well at all, but my heart broke for his family and friends. On the way home I saw a rainbow. It was so close -- right in my neighborhood.

Hobbies

There's a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." -- Dave Barry

Robert's Rules, again!

What I know we must all be thinking when the Robert's Rules start flying. "No, you have to forward the motion and then someone has to second it..." AAAaaaah!

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Silly mutts

More Mutts.

Bully-boy follies

Mike Luckovich, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has a great editorial cartoon that mocks the U.S. for their bully-boy attitude and actions regarding Iran. Here.

See his 2005 Pulitzer-winning cartoons. Click on "See gallery of winning cartoons" and click on "close the ad." (An annoying comes up before you get to see the cartoons.)

Pig Olympics

I wonder what thought process led to the pig olympics?

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hundreds of Russians gathered for the first day of the annual "pig Olympics" on Saturday, cheering a field of 12 piglets who competed in three events: pig-racing, pig-swimming and "pigball"...

Alexei Sharshkov, vice-president of the Sport-Pig Federation, which claims 100 members, said the competitors had a happy future ahead of them, win or lose.

"They go on to produce a new generation of sport pigs. They don't get eaten," he promised. "How could you eat a competitor who is known around the world?"

Hand-painted coffins

On a recent Weekend Edition (NPR), a quite interesting story about a woman who makes hand-painted coffins. (Coffin is "der Sarg" in German. It looks like the English word "sarge," as in short for "sargeant." My linguistical mind whirls.)

At first I thought this was quite a stupid idea. But I started to warm to the idea, very slightly. The artist said many of her clients use the coffins as furniture before they die. And, one particular customer will use it for furniture and will only be displayed in it briefly before being cremated. The coffin will go back to her family to be used as a bookcase. (Photos and story.) Most aren't too creepy, unlike the one at left.

I find the whole coffin topic extra creepy right now. In The Great Influenza, the author talks about how there were coffin shortages during the Spanish influenza epidemic. From Wikipedia:

A letter from a physician at one U.S. Army camp in the 1918 pandemic said:

It is only a matter of a few hours then until death comes [...]. It is horrible. One can stand it to see one, two or twenty men die, but to see these poor devils dropping like flies [...]. We have been averaging about 100 deaths per day [...]. Pneumonia means in about all cases death [...]. We have lost an outrageous number of Nurses and Drs. It takes special trains to carry away the dead. For several days there were no coffins and the bodies piled up something fierce [...].

Dipping toe into snob pool

This post is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. It's a real story.

Robert schmobert

I know that procedures are important. It's also important to cover all the eventualities. That being said, Robert's Rules of Order make me crazy. Can we just get something done for the love of Pete? See EclectChick's entry re: California legislation on "vampire appliances." The text of the legislation demonstrates why government seems to lag behind a snail's pace.

Spouse-a-cide

From today's daily Onion. Oh so sick. Oh so funny!

How Can I Put a Price on My Wife's Head?
I've been married to Lani for nine interminable years, and the degree to which I despise, from the bottom of my heart, her every annoying syllable, carping over each tiny detail of our unbearable life together, is simply beyond measure...

...My wife—God curse her soul—has outlived her gracious welcome on this planet. The time has come to put all of her deeds, bad and worse, in the grand balance, punch in a per-unit cost, and arrive at a just, fair price for someone to push her off the roof of our condomimium and make it look like suicide.

Peeps ueber alles!

This year's Peeps Diorama Contest winners announced! The Pioneer Press printed the winners in Sunday's edition. Go to " Power to the Peep-le," then click on Take a Peep at the Peeps (about half way down the page). You will find weird and wonderful things.

Maybe I'll enter next year. I need to give it a big think.

Worse than Harding!

Great article online in Mother Jones about the president.

History Ambushes the Bush Administration
By Tom Engelhardt
COMMENTARY: On the domestic and foreign fronts -- from triumph to near collapse in less than five years. [Emphasis mine.]

You can count on one thing. All over Washington, Republicans are at least as capable as I am of watching and interpreting the polling version of the smash-up of the Bush administration. With each new poll, the numbers creep lower yet. Presidential approval in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll dropped another 3% in the last month and now sits at 38%, while disapproval of the President continues to strengthen -- 47% of Americans now "strongly disapprove" of the President's handling of the presidency, only 20% "strongly approve." (62%, by the way, disapprove of the President's handling of the war in Iraq.)

I bet he has no idea, seeing as he's so open to things outside his opinion. Historical rankings on Wikipedia.

Tax day

Today is tax day. Better get that return postmarked by 11:59 p.m. In honor of today, here's a quote from one of Garrison Keillor's monologues (not reflective of my tax return, I might add):

"Your tax return and mine are sloppy, all the math is wrong. They're a tissue of lies."

Ya, like it says

Today's note from the universe:

An end result, imagined clearly and acted upon with expectation will always force the circumstances necessary to bring about its own manifestation, no matter how unpredictable, unlikely or even impossible those circumstances may have previously seemed.

Like clockwork,
The Universe

Hairdos

When I was at a stoplight today I saw a woman in hair rollers. She was the passenger in a mini van behind me. A middle-aged woman, head completely engulfed in rollers.

I haven't seen that in ages. When I was growing up there was a woman across the street who always was in hair rollers. It didn't matter what she was doing -- hanging out the laundry, mowing the lawn, gardening, driving the kids somewhere. I never saw her hair, ever.

Maladjusted

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Beer bath

Story from AFP.

CHODOVA PLANA, Czech Republic (AFP) - With West Bohemia's six traditional spa resorts competing vigorously for custom with special health programmes and weekend health breaks, the brewery decided it required a different recipe.

"We had the beer, we had a mineral spring nearby and we came up with the idea of beer baths," explained Mojmir Prokes, the young manager of the hotel and adjoining beer spa, who enthused over their "reinvigorating effects," especially for the skin. (Story continues here.)

Chodovar brewery site.

Eco housing, in England (swoon)

I received an unsolicited copy of Smart Homeowner in the mail. Normally I throw such things in the recycling bin. But this one had a quite interesting story, "It Takes an Eco-Village" -- about how you can improve energy efficiency and lessen your environmental footprint via an eco-village. (It sounds like a commune but it's not.) It features BedZED, a "...The Beddington Zero Energy Development, to give it its full handle - is an energy-efficient, sustainable project," in Surrey, England.

I'd like to move to BedZED. (Another story about it here.) I wouldn't mind living closer to London, either.

Spring and werewolves

This morning on the way to work saw the first fuzzy trees. You know, those first signs of buds that make the trees look, well, fuzzy. I just love spring. The warm days when you can, gasp, go without socks! And the cools nights when you can leave the windows open and use all the covers.

Last night about 2 a.m. Sophie had to go outside. It was pretty light out from the full moon. There were several dogs howling in the distance. I don't live in the country so this was pretty odd. Maybe the full moon is why I haven't been sleeping well this week. My body is trying to avoid turning into a werewolf and that takes all the energy usually reserved for keeping me asleep.

That or the weirdo dreams -- like the one a couple of days ago. I was picking a friend, who I hadn't seen in years, at the airport. We got to the parking ramp and some guys tried to carjack us. I said if they got of the car I'd give them all the money in my purse. They complied, I threw the money out the window and squealed off down the ramp. Then last night I dreamed that I was on spring break in Florida with all the college students. I rented a really nice, big house on the beach. People were walking through the house to the beach, rather than walking around, and frat boys were wrecking the living room. Honestly, none of these things have been on my mind lately. One night, please, just sleeeep. Is that so much to ask?

Perfect for Mother's Day

"My Baby Got Stole... By a Bear Holding a Shark!!" I think it would make a nice Mother's Day gift. I can just see my Mom with all the quilting ladies. They'd try not to say anything. They'd just keep looking at the shirt thinking, "What am I missing?" Purchaseable from the Homestar Runner site.

Peephenge and more

I'm trying to keep myself amused until the Pioneer Press publishes its annual Peeps diorama contest winners (Sunday, April 16). In the mean time, there's Peephenge (right) and Fear Response in Peeps (below). The Peep blog on the Cooking with Peeps site is disturbingly funny (see March 29, "I found the secret to explosive Peeps").

Ode to a brilliant teacher

The world lost a great teacher and scholar this week. Dr. James H. Burtness was a seminary professor for many years. His area of specialization was ethics and he was particularly known for his work on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor killed by the Nazis in 1945.

Dr. Burtness'’ class on Bonhoeffer was one of the first I took at seminary. I was a new, part-time student with no declared program. I was pretty nervous about being in this class with such a great scholar, as well as a room full of senior Master of Divinity students (students studying to be pastors)!

I was immediately taken with culture of the class. Dr. Burtness didn'’t try to prove how smart he was. He just wanted you to jump in and be as excited as he was about Bonhoeffer'’s work. I don't know that it would have been possible to leave that class without being completely taken in by Bonhoeffer's scholarship. I certainly was!

He encouraged us all to join the International Bonhoeffer Society so that we could stay in touch with the latest scholarship. Three years later I made a life-changing trip to Cape Town, South Africa for the IBS Congress. Dr. Burtness' class touched off a lifelong study of Bonhoeffer's work -- one of the biggest impacts on my faith and life.

Dr. Burtness' laugh was deep and joyful and sounded like it came from his toes. For such a big thinker, he had a great personal touch. One class night happened to fall on Bonhoeffer'’s birthday. I had wondered if he would mention it. After the break we were all delighted when Dr. Burtness brought in a birthday cake and we all sang Happy Birthday. After our last class, he had us all over to his house for a beer. His approach to learning and enthusiasm for the gospel embodied the topic of the class.

The Areas of My Expertise

John Hodman's book, The Areas of My Expertise, is one of the weirdest, silliest, smartest books I've seen in a long time. Read the introduction online and you'll be hooked.

There's a great little story about him in Time which includes:

"I don't consider what I do comedy qua comedy," he says. "It's something much weirder."

He has a blog and also the 700 Hoboes Project, including the Hobo-of-the-moment. Defies description. You must see it for yourself.

Gummi murder

From Flickr via Blog on a Toothpick (a quite funny site).

Nice bruise; looks good on you

This lovely is from a door at the IMAX theater at the Minnesota Zoo. (The under-the-sea 3D movie was fabulous!) Then yesterday I was shaking up some salad dressing, got a little too vigorous and smacked this lovely into the corner of the refrigerator. Today it is a lovely shade of turquoise. Actually, I wouldn't mind all my nails that color. I've always looked nice in that color.

Peep surgery

I was surfing around for something fun to make for the kids for Easter, preferably with Peeps (the marshmallow bunnies, chickes, etc.). I found the Peep surgery page. Seriously messed up.

"One of the great mysteries of the Peep species is that these creatures are always born as conjoined quintuplets. Some scientists have theorized that this arrangement, much like pack behavior in other species, serves as a natural protection against predators. As evidence, note that Peeps are most often consumed by predators only after they have been separated from their siblings. Conversely, Peeps which remain attached to their siblings are rarely preyed upon."

Fresh air helps the MS Excel go down

Window is open fresh air
Spring is finally here!
I smell grass and dirt

Like the diversion
MS Excel deflates brain
Stare blankly at screen

Thanatopsis

Today's word of the day, thanks to EclectChick!

thanatopsis (than-uh-TOP-sis) noun

A reflection upon death.

[From Greek thanatos (death) + -opsis (appearance, view).]

Thanatos is the Greek personification of death; thanatophobia is an abnormal fear of death. Thanatopsis is the title of an acclaimed poem by poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878): http://bartleby.com/102/16.html

Simpsons classics

Some classic lines from the world’s silliest family:

• “Church fundraiser – this does not count as church” – sign outside church fundraiser
• “Manfred Manslaughter”– chief Wiggum to doctor who assists with suicides
• “We’re going to take his sass and turn it into siss” – bad-boy camp counselor to Bart’s parents
• Lil Agitator (brand name on the side of Lisa's bullhorn)
• “This isn't for you sweat stain” – Mo to Homer
• “Something about that boy shakes up your soda” – Marge to Bart re: Millhouse
• “Uppity box” – Cleetus (the hillbilly), referring to an elevator

Your turn to vote

Such ingenious entries! Now it's your turn to vote. Which of these most accurately reflects what is going on in the picture below?

Caption contest

And, as the spaceship hovered over my hosta garden ... After tough questioning - Rumsfield attempts to hypnotize reporters. "We will soon unveil humanoid soldiers, which are able to shoot bullets from each of their fingers!" "Let’s do the Time Warp again!!!!!!!" “Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear. And he keeps them pearly white . . ..” PROOF!! Donald Rumsfield IS the Evil Emporer Palpatine! Fed up with the line of questioning, Rumsfield evilly began controlling the media like puppets. " . . . and I can kill you with my brain. Oh wait, I'm missing the equipment." Just like that. Free polls from Pollhost.com

This entry, though brilliant, was too long to post in the Pollhost form.

He is levitating a sleeping Dick Cheney three feet above the floor (the photo has been cropped). Shortly after the picture was taken a reporter belched, breaking Rumsfeld's concentration and causing Cheney to hit the floor with a hard thud!

Blackadder!

Rowan Atkinson is a comic genius. As Blackadder, his looks of disdain are priceless. I wonder if that's who Vince Vaughn studied prior to taking on the big screen.

Test your Black Adder knowledge on the BBC site. And, joy of joys, there's a quote generator!

Blackadder: Baldrick, does it have to be this way? Our valued friendship ending with me cutting you up into strips and telling the prince that you walked over a very sharp cattle grid in an extremely heavy hat?

Baldrick: Well, Mr Blackadder always says, when the going gets tough, the tough hide under the table.

Just because I have nothing to say...

This artist's blog, The Dullest Blog in the World is hysterical. I hope he starts updating it more often.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

The Joker's cat cousin

I'm a softy for lions and dogs. This cug is at the zoo in Nuremberg. He/she could get a role in the next Batman movie as the Joker.

Speaking of cute animals, check out this blog (and here) for photos of blackbird family, including babies! Don't worry, the photographer didn't touch them. Isn't spring grand!

Gummi bacon

Archie McPhee has the best collection of oddities I've ever seen (e.g., brain gelatin mold, ceramic smoking baby, world's largest underpants, seven deadly sins wristbands, avenging unicorn playset).

Today I found gummi bacon on the Archie site. I'm a big fan of most things gummi but I'm not sure about this. I do like the bacon bandages and wrapping paper. I think I'll pass on the air freshener. It looks funny but I think the smell would drive me batty.

I haven't been able to find the gummi rats in months (except to buy them in bulk online). Cale and Tori have been asking for them. Maybe I can placate them with gummi meat.

This would be perfect for EclectChick and Christopher (act surprised on your birthdays!).

Marxist coffee

As bad as my German is, I really shouldn't make fun of others' language mistakes. But here it is anyway, from www.engrish.com.

Spring!

Sophie and I met EclectChick and Hobbs after work today for a lovely walk around Central Park. Finally it's light enough to walk after work. It was a bit chilly but the sun was out. I'm beginning to believe that spring will come again this year.

Chubby funster

Ricky Gervais was on the Daily Show the other day. See it here. (Scroll down about half way and click on Ricky's photo.) He goes on and on about his weight like a girl. Jon tries to calm him down by pointing out the girth of the American public, "You're in America. You're nothing... We have people taken out of houses on cranes." Ricky gets Jon giggling. It's true snortage.

Liberty cabbage

Another thing I didn't learn in history class. During the lead-up to World War I in the U.S., nationalism, and anti-German fever, ran very high. President Wilson played fast and loose with the constitution (deja vous?) and, this is true, sauerkraut was renamed liberty cabbage. We really haven't gotten very far, have we?

I learned this in a great book, The Great Influenza, which talks about much more than the influenza epidemic 1918-19. More about that later.

Holiday funnies

A perennial Easter favorite.

That scares me

At last, now you can talk about your phobias in a more concise fashion. The phobia page lists hundreds of them. (Thanks to Wordswoman for the link to the Linguistic Fun page where the phobia list can be found.) Some fun ones:

• Acousticophobia: Fear of noise
• Politicophobia: Fear of politicians
• Pteronophobia: Fear of being tickled by feathers. Fear of feathers
• Vestiophobia: Fear of clothing

Missing from the list are:

• Adornophobia: Fear of fringe, pompoms, sequins and or jiggle eyes on clothing or furniture
• Brassicaoleraceaophobia: Fear of brussels sprouts
• Cousinlovinophobia: Fear of country music

Caption contest

This photo of Ronald Dumsfeld makes me laugh. Any ideas for captions? Post them on comments. Please and thank you. (Prize: bragging rights.)

Sweet 'n sour challenge

Another one that I love! Well, about 95 percent of the time. Five percent of the time I whine about it. Today's note from the Universe:

You do realize full and well I trust, that if it wasn't sometimes scary, challenging, or even difficult, you'd have been the first one to say, "No way, Jose! I KNOW there are bigger trees to climb... taller cliffs, faster rapids, and greener M&M's..."

Yeah, you've hardly changed.

Then Universe

Bird flu update

Well the bird flu, Vogelgrippe, is now in Germany and Scotland. Here's a horrifying, yet informative, fact sheet from the World Health Organization.

Stuffed animal clinic

This is from Deutsche Welle -- one of the Bilder des Tages (pictures of the day). My apologies to German speakers for any insults to the lanuage in my translation.

Am Tag der offenen Tür in einer Straßburger Klinik stand diese auch für Kinder und ihre verletzten Kuscheltiere offen. Hier wird gerade einem Plüsch-Kaninchen geholfen. Studenten der Straßburger medizinischen Fakultät hatten die "Bären-Klinik" für einen Tag e Create röffnet, um Kinder an medizinische Berufe heranzuführen - und natürlich Plüsch-Tiere von ihren Leiden zu befreien.

On open house day, a clinic in Strassburg was also open for children and their injured stuffed animals. Above, a stuffed bunny gets help. Medical school faculty hosted the "Bear Clinic" to introduce children to medical careers - and of course, to heal wounded stuffed animals.

Oddities

Today I saw a woman walking her dog. Her attire: floor-length, black mink coat, multi-patterned biking pants, tennis shoes and t-shirt. She was walking a pitbull.

Cohabitation

Just heard an interesting story on FFH. Apparently, the average German couple lives together for two years before getting married. As part of the story the announcer talked about a couple that just recently married -- after 70 years. Asked why, the husband, now in his 90s, said that he really wanted to know his wife first.

How clean are your ears?

From the "well, that's interesting" files (said in a slightly judgmental tone).

Following Brazilian waxes and Indian eyebrow threading, Japanese ear cleaning could well be the next hit in salon treatments. In Tokyo, shops are popping up that specialize in cleaning people's ears.

Using an ear-pick equipped with a tiny camera, professional ear cleaners can show clients exactly how much wax is being removed.

How long until those ear-camera photos show up on the Web? More at Springwise. The story doesn't mention whether an ear-hair trim is included or extra. Wondering what eyebrow threading is? More info here.

Tommy boy (not the funny one)

Text lifted, shamelessly, from The Onion.

Tom DeLay Resigns
"What does this man have to look forward to? Some multimillion-dollar consulting position at a mega-corporation? I hope he's on suicide watch." -- Amanda Marcotte, Systems Analyst

Tom DeLay To Pursue Corruption In Private Sector
STAFFORD, TX—Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who is facing several ethics violations and felony charges, announced Tuesday that he will resign from Congress in order to concentrate on corruption in the private sector. "I can say with a clear lack of conscience that, after 21 years of public disservice, I have done everything I could to the American people," DeLay said in a televised statement to constituents.

Krua Thai

A lively group of work colleagues went to Krua Thai today. Oh man, yum! It's at 432 University Avenue, St. Paul, the avenue of Asian food dreams! The ginger chicken was heavenly. The meal's comedy award goes to Miss Kate who, upon reviewing the menu said, "I'm not kissing anyone this afternoon. I'm going to have the garlic chicken."

MLK

Thanks to Man of La Mancha for the reminder re: MLK. He was martyred 38 years ago today. He is just as relevant today. Here are some favorite quotes.

A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.

A lie cannot live.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

Things look so bleak for the world right now. Some days it's nearly impossible to believe that we actually could make the world better. King's "I Have a Dream" speech gives me hope. Things looked so bleak for African Americans, the U.S. and the world that day. Yet he persevered and compelled people not to sit down, but to keep fighting. (MP3 and transcript for the speech here.)

If George W. Bush and Norm Coleman were King's contemporaries, they would likely say, as Norm has about nonviolence in the past, "We cannot just sit around and sing Kum By Ya." But we have the evidence. Martin changed the U.S. for the better. Nonviolent resistance works. More about MLK here and in a previous post.

You can listen to an excellent speech by Taylor Branch, At Canaan's Edge: America During the King Years, on Minnesota Public Radio. The book is about the last four year's of King's life.

Shout wipes stink, figuratively

I spilled coffee on my off-white shirt this a.m. -- dead center. I tried a Shout wipe and now, in addition to a nice light tan coffee mark, there's a larger circle around it that looks like a watermark on silk (except that the shirt is cotton). AAAarrrrrrrrrrgh!

Today's note from the Universe

I thought this was very interesting and poignant!

Since you're in a position to help so many, please remind them, when necessary, that setbacks are only ever devastating when one thinks they'll last forever.

They never do.

Thanks,

The Universe

www.tut.com

Funny little crashes

I read about Crash Bonsai on the Pop Culture Junk Email Blog. It's the funniest thing. Little cars in accidents with Bonsai trees. You can order the sculptures online. What a perfect Mother's Day or graduation gift. You can be assured that yours will be the most interesting gift received -- and there will likely be no doubles. I wonder if the sculptures come with sound -- tiny squealing tires and crunching noises.

A Very Long Engagement

I just finished A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Japrisot. The book was a big hit in France and I can see why. It's part history, part love story and part mystery. The main character, Mathilde, loses her fiancée, Manech, in World War I. After receiving a letter from someone who new him, she is determined to find out what really happened. She is such a great character -- plucky, inventive and tenacious. The book was made into a movie but I almost hate to see it. I don't think that it can live up to the book.

The writer does an excellent job of revealing the story slowly. Along the way you get pieces of the past, the true story of what happened to Manech, and an assortment of vividly drawn characters. The writer describes the war's senselessness just enough. Instead of being repulsed by a graphic description of violence, you're instead chilled to the bone by the senselessness of the war. It was fascinating to read a contemporary book that shows how World War I remains in the French psyche.

Blasphemy?

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two men suspected of helping smuggle cocaine to New York from Mexico inside statues of the Virgin Mary were arrested Thursday, U.S. authorities said…

Five 3-foot-tall statues of the Virgin Mary, filled with 242 pounds of cocaine, were seized in a Brooklyn warehouse as part of the police operation.

The drug ring used the statues to smuggle cocaine worth millions of dollars, FBI agent John Gilbride said in a statement."