Everyone's a PUNdit

"I think that over the years my puns about eyes have got cornea and cornea." -- Graham Rawle

Profundity of a Five-Year-Old

What is it about kids? They can just be rambling, chattering about all sorts of trivial stuff (trivial to most adults, anyway), when suddenly some pearl of wisdom just pops right out. A friend's daughter and I were talking about assorted things last Friday when she piped up and said, very solemnly,

"I remember my dreams, my feelings, and my friends."

Woah. The deeper meanings of that simple sentence washed over me and I rushed to type her words into a document so I would not forget them! Do I remember my dreams? Not just the ones I had last night, but the dreams I had as a child? Do I still have aspirations? Do I remember my feelings? Not just the hurt ones, but the marvelous ones which came as surprises along the way? Do I remember others' feelings to the exclusion of my own sometimes? Do I listen to my gut feelings, those God-given ones that tug us in the right direction? And do I remember my friends, both near and far away? What do I do about it when I do remember them, when they stick in my mind?

No wonder Jesus said we are to come to God as little children.

Back in my cockpit

This entry is bound to be long, so sit back and get comfortable or bookmark it so you can finish it later. ;) Finally, after a nearly 24-hour odyssey, I am back blogging in my cockpit (aka my desk). The desk and office are clean, thanks to my last-minute cleaning frenzy before vacation. Aaaaah. It is SO good to be home.

Lisa and family dropped us off at the airport around 6:30pm Monday, right on time for early arrival. Howie and I had our pre-printed boarding passes all ready and headed for the curbside check-in when we saw how long the Northwest Airlines line was inside. The guy there tried to access our information on the computer, but couldn't get it to come up right for him. He had us follow him inside to the regular check-in and instructed us to wait at the side while he had someone there print our luggage tags. It was not to be...Our 7:00pm flight out to Memphis was delayed, so our boarding passes were useless and we had to wait in line. It was a long line. Howie sat things out on the sidelines, guarding our carry-on luggage, and I pulled the two large, wheeled suitcases behind me, two great teal canvas dogs on short leashes.

Flash forward about 20 minutes and several chapters of my Dean Koontz novel. The NWA clerk, Paul, tells us the chances of our catching our connecting flight in Memphis are slim to none, that we can either spend the night here in New Orleans, or spend it there in Memphis. I asked if the airline would provide lodging, and Paul told us they would not - it was weather-related and not mechanical. We would get distressed traveler's rates, however. Not cool, but it could be worse, we thought. We were trying very hard to make lemonade with the lemons, you know?

Waiting for the plane, we spoke with a few other passengers and actually had an enjoyable time. One couple, Jody and Emily, is expecting a baby in March AND getting ready to move to Africa next summer; Jody is in seminary, and they are going to be missionaries there. We traded e-mail addresses and look forward to hearing how they do.

Our flight finally taxied out the runway and into the air about 8:15pm. By the time we got to Memphis, our connecting flight to Columbus had left. Making our way up to the ticket counters at Memphis, we waited in line to make arrangements for our overnight stay and flight home Tuesday. The lady in front of me had many, many piercings and a really interesting hair-do with little braids scattered around her head. She was in bohemian sort of clothes and had funky glasses. When she learned I was from Ohio, she told me she'd just bought a car from someone on eBay, and had flown to Dayton to pick it up. She was on her way to Amsterdam this night, but like us, had missed her connecting plane due to the delay.

She said she'd been told the airline would not cover the rooms, too, but she said some people were told they would. So, armed with that information, I walked up to the next available clerk, smiled, and said "some of us were told in New Orleans that Northwest would pay for our hotel room here." The little clerk, Norma, couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. She arranged for us to stay for free at the Marriott, and gave us $26 in dinner vouchers and $10 in breakfast vouchers. When she saw the 8:20am flight only had one seat avaialble, and that the next available flight wasn't until 9:20pm, she scurried off to her supervisor and got permission to book us on the two emergency row seats (normally not assigned until just before the flight) so we would definitely have seats in the morning.

Within a half hour we were on our way to the Marriott in their shuttle van, with Clarence at the helm. He was really outgoing and friendly with everyone, a great ambassador for his employer. When we got to to the hotel, it was nearly 11pm and the restaurant was closed. We'd not eaten since about 2:00pm, and we were hungry! Knowing we had meal vouchers, Clarence took it upon himself to call a restaurant within walking distance and ask if they accepted the airline vouchers. When he learned they didn't, he went up to the hotel's bartender and found out we could still order dinner from the bar for another five minutes.

When you are hungry and tired, nothing tastes quite as good as meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies at 11:15pm. Especially when it's free. We ordered a couple of draft beers, thinking they'd be maybe $3 or $4 each, and were flabbergasted when we saw they were $7.50 each. We could almost get our two complete dinners for that much in Ohio! But they went down sweet and helped us untangle the knotted muscles in our shoulders and backs. The room was beautiful, complete with an attractive wooden TV armoir/dresser combo, desk, reading chair with ottoman, and desk with an executive chair. The hotel definitely caters to business travelers, and it was nicely appointed for them. When we'd checked in, the clerk asked if we wanted phone service, and we declined, thinking it meant voicemail and all of that. Turns out you have to pay a $30 ammenity fee to even be able to dial toll-free numbers from the rooms, and there is a per-call charge on local calls and a $1.00 per-call charge on modem calls. I can't imagine what the average room tab ends up being there!

We stretched out to sleep around midnight, each of us sprawled in a full-size bed and more comfortable than a human being has a right to be. Howie slept well, but I was coughing all night and five o'clock came around far too soon. This was supposed to be the morning we slept in late, dogless, in our own bed at home, remember? That's what ran through my mind when the phone rang for our wake-up call.

We made coffee in the little complimentary coffee pot and watched some local news, showered and dressed in the previous days' clothes again (yuck!), then headed downstairs for the 6:30am shuttle back to the airport. Another friendly shuttle driver loaded up our little band of displaced passengers and drove us through the beautiful sunrise to the awaiting planes.

We made our way back to the gate and waited for our 8:20am flight to begin boarding. Then came the announcement that the flight had been oversold. Considering us displaced folks who missed our flight last night, this didn't come as a big surprise, I guess. We were bumped from the flight, but it wasn't such a terrible thing...They gave us each a voucher good for free round-trip airfare anywhere in the continental US! We also received $20 in meal vouchers since we'd be at airports all day.

They were able to book us on an 11:50am flight to Cleveland with a 5:05pm connecting flight to Columbus. It was a pretty round-about way to get home, but considering we'd still be home by 6pm and now held vouchers for travel anywhere we want, we dealt with it. We caught our last two planes, on time, and with no problems. When we got to Columbus, our suitcases were waiting for us by the baggage claim office (remember, the suitcases went to Columbus back at 8:20am!).

Mom and dad took us to Pizza Hut for dinner, and we brought the dogs home from my BIL's house an hour or so after we got back in town. Dogs and bedding bathed, new TV in its cabinet, Howie headed to bed about 2:30am. I'd been snoozing since midnight, too zonked to stay up with him, especially once I took some NiQuil.

So, that's the saga...24 hours in airports and two round-trip tickets ahead of the game, we're home and happy!

Dream Byte

By the way...I dreamed last night that I was getting pummeled by potatoes; someone was throwing them at me (probably Lisa). I could feel these things hitting my chest, really hitting hard! I woke up pretty quickly, let me tell you. It was just Stinky Leroy, one of Lisa's cats. I'd rolled over on my back in my sleep, and the dear kitty had walked up on my chest. His icepick-pointy feet made their way into my dream. When the mental fog cleared and I saw it was him, I broke out giggling and Howie about it (sorry if I woke you, hon). Sometimes the reality is funnier than the dream itself.

Homeward Bound

We went out in the bayou and to a lake with Jesse in the boat today, then we enjoyed some great live Cajun music at a local place. What a way to end things! Yep, our southern getaway has reached its end, and we fly back to Ohio tonight at 7pm. We're going to miss these folks so much! But we have a standing invitation to come back, so the parting is a sweet one. :) I don't even know where to begin when it comes to encapsulating a ten-day respite into a blog entry or two. I sure am not going to tackle that until we're back in Ohio and I've slept a good eight or ten hours. These are just some random thoughts before I crash for the night.

Howie's a good doggie daddy; three new Hartz chewy bones are going in the suitecase so our pups have goodies when we bring them back home Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday morning we will happily sleep late while the dogs are walked at my BIL's home. Hey, our flight doesn't get into Columbus until just before midnight Monday night...We're sure not showing up to get the dogs at 2am, ya know?

Lisa's packed us a bit of turducken and we bought some andouille sausage to bring home; both are frozen and ready to pop in the suitcase at the last moment before we leave. Oh, we're leaving....waaaaaah! :(

Still, it will be good to get home and unpack, unfurl, and stretch out in our own bed. It has nice clean sheets on it and we can sleep until we just wake up rested. Aaaaaah. As great as vacations are, it's always nice to be home. Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz has it right.

We have a goodie to come home to: A whoppin' big 27" TV. This makes The H-Man verrrry happy. OSU beat Michigan, so he's very psyched about watching the big January 3rd Ohio State game on a big ol' screen. Argh-argh-argh. So, thanks to a great Day-After-Thanksgiving sale at Wal-Mart and a way-cool dad who braved Wal-Mart at 5:30am, this is reality.

Hey, get this: He even struck up a conversation with someone in line ("how long have you been in line?"), then just waltzed right on in the store with this stranger when the door opened. No, as my mother said, it was certainly unBOBlike! We didn't have anything to do with the line-jumping strategy, though we roared when we heard his methodology and appreciate his getting there to get us the goods in our absence.

Aiyeeee, I'd better go hit the pillows myself; it's late and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. He bought some of that Breathe Right snore spray at Wally World tonight, so in a few moments I will see if it's working. He's been in bed a while now, and has had a chance to work up to his full schronking, roaring glory. And he had the nerve to say I need to spray some in my throat, too. The nerve! ;)

Testing

I can't get my webpage to come up. If you can read this, will you take a moment and e-mail me with the link at left? Aaaaaargh!

Crab Bawlin'

We had our first boiled crab Sunday night, and it was pretty good! A bag of seasoning, including whole allspice, is put in a kettle of boiling water along with corn, onion, peppers, potatoes, and spices. Then the crabs are dropped in and boiled for abour 20 minutes. They then sit in the hot water for a bit and are then put in an insulated container to keep warm. The potatoes and corn come out quite spicy, but the crab doesn't pick up much of that flavor. It was just sweet and good. It sure is a lot of work for a little bit of meat, though; it's good the meat is very tasty! We also had speckled trout, fresh oysters, shrimp and soft-shelled crab, all deep fried in various breadings. Those were wonderful! I knew Lisa could cook great, but she also makes it look so easy. We kidded her, saying they're just fattening us up to feed to the gators.

Ironically, we've not seen one gator since we got here. We've seen anoles, egrets and one lone pelican, but no gators. Friday or Saturday, we're going out on the bayou with our friends in their boat, so maybe THEN we'll see them. Lisa says it's cool here, and the gators are sluggish. To us, these temps in the upper 60's to lower 70's are lovely and spring-like, but to folks (and reptiles) used to weather up over 100 degrees, I guess it is chilly. It's snowing in Ohio, though. Hee hee hee.

We've already picked up the turducken (complete with seafood stuffing), and that will be baked Thanksgiving day; we're also deep-frying a turkey. I am so on food sensory overload. I can't believe how good it is here. Even the buffets are good here. At home they taste drab and homogenized, just assembly-line food. But here, there are spices in the food. Amazing. And have I mentioned Lisa can really cook?

Not only that, but their house just feels loving and welcoming; it's been the nicest vacation ever, just spending time with friends. The surroundings and history, the wildlife...it's all interesting, all beautiful...But feeling so at home is the best thing of all. And to think our paths probably would never have crossed were it not for Dave's Garden. It's just mind-boggling, this whole Internet thing. Almost as mind-boggling to me as the sightings here of plastic snowmen and Santa Clauses standing next to planted banana trees and tropicals in folks' front yards down here. But in a good way. ;)

The Mile High Club (Blogger Style)

Well, we're heeeeere! We've been hanging out and relaxing with Lisa's family, so I just haven't gotten online much. Like smarty-pants says, "Kimberley's got a life!", LOL. But I was thinking about my blog on the first flight, and I typed this on the laptop while heading to Memphis, Tennessee.

We’re cruising at xx feet, on our way to Memphis, and I’m so excited! The airport experience was great. I printed boarding passes right from Northwest Airlines’ site yesterday, and we just cruised right on through.

As we took off, I couldn’t hide my excitement. Yes, I know I look like a tourist, folks. Gee, maybe that’s because I’ve only flown four times or so in my life and I LOVE it. Going from cold, rainy dismal Columbus to a place high above the clouds is incredible. I had my face pressed to the window for a long time, just looking at the clouds below us. They look like snow, so beautiful. And it’s sunny up here. Aaaaaaah.

Really, our flights could not have gone more smoothly. I had our receipts and boarding passes printed and ready, so when my folks dropped us off at their airport, we just checked our bags at curbside, and proceeded unobstructed from there. We are fortunate we didn't fly out just before Thanksgiving - I can't imagine what a crazy place it will be then; we don't fly home until Monday, December 2, so that should be slower, too.

The first plane was a fairly small one, and our view from the window was predominantly of a big engine. The row of windows were beneath the wings. But that didn't dampen my enthusiasm, for I really love flying. I love the sensation of acceleration and lift-off, the sensation and sight of the earth slipping away behind us. There's nothing like it! And it's so neat to go from a cloudy, cold day and suddenly break through the clouds to unubstructed sunlight.

The connecting flight from Memphis was on a slightly larger plane. And, thanks to a rather odd man, that flight was quite memorable. Across the aisle from us was a pretty strange guy. I could tell he was really nervous about flying, for he kept putting his face in his hands while the plane taxied down the runway. When the flight was underway, he counted -- and recounted -- a wad of cash. Not the brightest bulb in the lamp, I'd say. It was more than showing off, though; he seemed more obsessive compulsive, complete with repeated hand movements.

A little later, he reached down and grabbed a large plastic bag, the type you'd get at a gift store. He opened it and peered inside.I was afraid he was going to throw up.

But he didn't hurl his lunch, thank goodness. He did, however, floss his teeth with the edge of the bag. Ugh. It was quite a production, too. He got both his upper and lower front teeth with the edge of that plastic bag. I had a hard time not staring at him. After a while, he took a piece of paper and rolled it into a little tube. This tube was perfect for a number of things, but what he chose to do with it was pick at his ears. I don't know how his seatmate could stand it. She had her eyes closed a lot of the time, probably feigning sleep and wishing to God the flight would be over soon.

Refreshments were served, wee packages of salted pretzels and our choice of beverages. Mr. Strange bought a wee bottle of something with a percentage on the label. By the time we landed, he was loosened up (probably relieved he survived the flight, too) and very talkative. By then, his seatmate got to be regaled with his stories and expansive hand gestures. Oh, my.

Really Crunch Time

I am taking a breather here. With the exception of stuff that's out because it belongs in other rooms of the house, the office is really clean. O Heaven! O sweet rapture! The vacuum is defnitely on its last life, though. O phoey! There was a loud buzzing noise coming from the rotary brush, and I noticed there were pretty normal-size pieces of cat fuzz still on the carpet after I'd made several passes. Closer inspection showed me that (1) the plastic housing of the vacuum is very loose and (2) there was a stray bracket banging around above the brush, and this loose bracket was keeping the brush from spinning. Presumably, this bracket normally sits above the brush and guides it...But no more. It's sitting on the footstool now, and the vacuum seems to be running okay without it. At least for now. ::sigh:: I hate unexpected expenses.

One the other hand, I love getting a new gadget, even if it is a vacuum cleaner. Maybe I'll be more motivated to clean, right, Naomi? ;) I am going to get a bagless one, maybe the new Eureka they advertise with the little dust wand that has its own nifty de-dusting tube on the vacuum. I'll have to scout around Epinions and see which vacuums have the best ratings. By the way, I saw on Eureka's site that they have a new Pet Stain and Odor Remover...It says it's non-enzyme based, so I wonder just how effective it could be on odors, really.

Well, break's up. I'm sure this is thrilling reading for you all. I just didn't want to start surfing the forums at Dave's Garden or checking my e-mail or I'd never get back to work!

Crunch Time

We leave for Louisiana in less than two days. Man, oh, man...I've been cleaning, finally. Even with our departure looming, it's been so hard to get motivated to clean and get ready. I hate cleaning, anyway (at least until I get started, then it's okay), but this has been bad. Some of this has to do with sinus headaches verging on migraines early this week, some has to do with the shorter days having me a little blue, and some is just plain old procrastination.

Tonight I tackled the worst of the cleaning first, knowing the rest would be easy once this was done. The bathroom? No. The kitchen? No. The office. I started with the ceiling fan, using that wonder of wonders, the ceiling fan blade attachment for the ShopVac. I was set. I doubt if Angie or any of our friends know the Lucite wasn't supposed to look frosted. Boy, are they in for a surprise next time they visit:

Next to be conquered was my desk. Once I recovered from the initial shock of seeing the surface again, I was motivated. I've been working my way around the office's perimeter, alternating between the ShopVac's handy attachements and a nifty dust-clinging dust rag. I'm maybe half way done, and I have the rest of the house to go tomorrow. At least I have the laundry done so packing won't be a crazy-making thing. But the last-minute cleaning and details...Aaaaaaaargh!

But at least the fan looks pretty! I'm tired, though, so the rest is waiting until tomorrow. I have 12 hours to kick some house cleaning butt! If I'm smart, I will power down the PC as soon as I post this tidbit, and I won't reboot until I'm done with what I need to do!

Heini's Old West Cheese Saloon...
Err, Bathroom

Chari's bashful bladder reminded me of something. Nestled in the heart of Ohio's tourist-trodden Amish country, Heini's Cheese Chalet is a beacon of all things cheese and good. What does a cheese empire have to do with water closets, you ask? Heini's is not only home to some of the finest cheese you'll find around these parts, but also to what has to be the strangest bathroom I've ever seen in a public place. In any place, really.

Walking in the door, you're first struck by the tile work. It's not the tile which sets this bathroom apart, for the majority of it is just your basic glossy white. It's the grout. It's not that it's dirty (though it might be...Hard to tell). It's painted blue. Bright blue. The stall doors are painted this identical shade of blue. But it's not the door color which sets this bathroom apart, no.

It's the doors. They're double swinging doors, like you'd see in an Old West saloon, only they're solid with scrolled Pennsylvania Dutch sort of edges on them. There's a good one inch gap between the doors, too. Oh, and these free-swinging doors have no latches. So, when in the midst of toilet acrobatics (you know what I'm talking about, ladies), your worry isn't that that someone will see you through the crack, but that someone won't. You brace yourself for a body barreling right through those swinging doors to give you a concussion. Dribbling is the very least of your worries at Heini's.

To their credit, though, the tile-covered stalls do go from floor to ceiling, cutting down on the wafting factor. All except for that door gap, that is.

Stooge Spam

People of sendoutmail, listen to me: I DON'T WANT A THREE STOOGES TALKING WALL CLOCK! Quit sending me the stupid spam already.

::pant pant:: Thank you.

Reiner's Time-Travelling Studio Audience

When I was little, I watched "All in the Family". I still do watch it, and it's stood the test of time. Anyway, as a child, I didn't understand "before" could also mean "in front of". So, when Rob Reiner would say "All in the Family was filmed before a live studio audience", it confused the heck out of me! I only knew "before" in the chronological sense, so it blew me away to think they could film the show before the audience even got there -- and you still heard them laughing. My thinking has always been strange; it's just easier to disguise it as odd wit now. ;)

Strike another tickmark down for Joanie, for she clued me in to I Used To Believe, a site that's chock full of such youthful malapropisms and misunderstandings. And, of course, when I first saw the title, clueless about its content, I thought it to be a site explaining why its author no longer believes in God. I like this a lot better.

This-or-That for November 19

The Passionate Ailurophile's posted Tuesday's questions...

1. Long or short hair?
Mine comes mid-way down my back and is all one length, so I'd say long. Long and untangled would be better, but hey.

2. Microwave or conventional oven?
For reheating most stuff, a microwave's great. For truly crusty and fluffy baked potatoes, though, you've gotta use a conventional oven. There's no comparison.

3. Plain or Peanut M and M's? (Can't use the and sign with Blogger. Stupid, ain't it?)
Plain. More chocolate per pound. ;)

4. "101 Dalmations"...animated or live-action version?
Animated, all the way!


5. Drink out of bottle/can or pour into a glass?
It depends on what it is. I'm fine drinking almost anything out of a bottle or can, but I think beer tastes better when in a glass.

6. Sunlight or moonlight?
Especially now that our days are shorter, give me sunlight!

7. Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy?
Kermie Baby.

8. Glasses or contact lenses (or neither)?
Glasses.

9. Action movies or chick flicks?
Both! Why choose? If I have to choose, probably chick flicks because the character development is usually better. Good thing my DH likes both genres, huh?

10. Toilet seat...up or down?
DOWN! And I am fortunate to be married to a guy who never leaves it up. Oh that visitors would take the hint!

Pin-Up Gal

Okay, Joanie, I'm the Playful Retro Gal. Does this come as any great surprise, DH? ;)


What Type Of Retro Gal Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday Mission 2.46

Since Promoguy has questions up, I don't have to write another song parody like I did on Friday...Lucky you! Here's this week's questions:

1.Promoguy says, "When I was a teenager, I used to ride all the "spin-y" rides at the fair and fun parks. I'd never get dizzy or sick, and I could ride them all day. My favorite was the Tilt-A-Whirl. Now I should call it the "Tilt-A-Hurl" because it seems I can't even get on a Merry-Go-Round without feeling queasy." Is there anything you used to be able to do physically that you no longer can? What changed?
I used to be able to read in a moving vehicle for hours. Now, it makes me queasy, especially if there are hills involved, or other vehicles passing us. It's a bummer, because I love to read and I'm usually the passenger when Howie and I go anywhere. What changed? Probably too many years of sinus infections; there's some truly frightening stuff up in my head to this day, LOL.

2. If you could go to lunch with someone famous, anyone living or dead, who would you choose? What questions would you ask them?
I think Jay Leno would be a lot of fun. I'm not sure what I'd ask him, other than to tell more of his stories. I'm not feeling very inspired today, sorry!

3. On that same thought, there are probably several Bloggers you enjoy reading but have never met in real life. Which one Blogger would you most like to meet for dinner? Why did you pick that person? What would you talk about? What do you have in common? What would you do after dinner?
Oh, I think Busgirlie is the person I first want to meet. I picked her because her blog is the one I've read the longest and I know a little more about her (still have some catching up to do, though!). I think we'd laugh ourselves silly and stay up late telling stories many would find repugnant - but we'd also be able to connect about depression and have a good cry.

4. Money (or the lack thereof) is the number one cause of arguments amongst couples. Do you find this to be true? If there really was a "Money Tree" you could go an pick, would this really solve a couple's problems?
Oh, I know it's a huge source of conflict amongst couples! My DH and I subscribe to the "one pot" theory, and we've always just kept a joint checking account together. For a long time, I made more than him. Now he makes more than me (I'm a homemaker, so that doesn't take much, LOL). Either way, having the money be both of ours has been a good thing. There's no "his stuff" and "my stuff" going on. I don't think having a money tree would solve anything about money arguments, because the selfishness and insecurity that drives such conflicts would remain.

5. Speaking of arguments, have you ever been drawn into any nasty, hateful arguments? The kind where hurtful things were said that had nothing to do with the fight at hand? What was that all about? How did it turn out?
Of course I have. They're the pits, nomatter how you look at them. The pleasure of zinging a person is temporary, and then you're left doing clean-up and regretting the words that so easily flew from your mouth in anger.

6. When was the last time you had to admit you were wrong about something? How did that go?
You mean the last time today, or what? I'm frequently admitting I'm wrong. I often get worked into a huff with my mom. The gap between my ideal of how I want to be and the reality of how I sometimes am to those I love is a wide one. I'm wrong a lot of the time -- who isn't? I don't have a problem in admitting it - I'm human, just like everyone else.

7. Now for a slight change of theme....what song should never have been written?
Hmmmmm, probably the theme to "Three's Company". Because if it never was written, that might mean the show never would have aired. I see the reruns while flipping through the channels and I can't believe I loved that show when I was a kid.

BONUS: Are you ready for a new sensation?
Yep, and I'm about ready to experience one. We're heading down south on Friday and I get to experience cajun-induced indigestion. Up to this point, I've only experienced midwestern-indigestion!

eBay's Lunatic Fringe

We're getting down to crunch time with our vacation; our flight leaves in six days! We're once again on the lookout for a nice 5' tall walking staff for Howie, and while crusing eBay we saw this stick while perusing the listings. Is it just me, or is that really strange and gross? I wonder if it howls with every step. Speaking of weird auctions, Disturbing Auctions is worth looking at if you fancy seeing what some of the lunatic fringe has offered up for sale on eBay. I would hope that nothing we list would ever come close to qualifying for inclusion at that site!

The Day The FridayFive Died...

We were singin'
Bye, bye good ol' Friday Five
The questions get so stressful
It's no wonder you hide
That crazy Busgirlie must be bursting inside
She's found a way for us to get by...
She's gone and let her own questions fly...

If you're brave, download the song. ;)

1. Love. describe it.
Well, it's more than a feeling, for feelings are fickle. It can be all warm and fuzzy and wonderful, but it can also take you right out of your comfort zone and put you at risk. But it's worth it.

2. What is the one thing you would fight for... or even give up your life for?
In the real crunchtime? My family. In honesty, I have a ways to go before I can say I would give up my life for my faith; I couldn't do that in the flesh, that's for sure, but I think with God's strength I could do what needed to be done.

3. Describe heaven.
Indescribably beautiful. I think all the metaphors we hear of Heaven being paved with gold and stuff are just ways God gave us to visualize. I think our human minds are not capable of imagining what it will be like, so God has given us pictures. The Bible says there's no sickness or death there. That's awesome to consider.

4. Be honest... does anyone really really know you?
No one on earth knows me better than my husband. And I know God knows me even better than that. And I know they both love me, though my husband's love is easier to fathom most of the time because he's tangible and I can clearly hear him when he speaks to me.

5. If someone did, or does- what do you think they might love the best about you?
My husband would probably say he loves that life is never boring with me around. ;)

Silliness O' the Day

I have no Friday Five today, *sniffle*. But I do have a funny link for you to see. Lisa, this one's especially for you. Be sure you have your sound on, just not too loud. If you don't have the MacroMedia Flash player, get it for free.

Whatever Happened To Baby Mike?

I was blown away when I saw the latest pictures of Michael Jackson this evening. What on EARTH would make someone do this to himself? His personality just got more and more weird as his outer appearance did, too. How could it not? There's a chronicle of his facelifts and cosmetic alterations at Anomalies Unlimited. Just be forewarned: The writing is wickedly funny, so don't accidently blow pop out your natural, wonderful, unmodified nose. Let's be careful out there.