A Christmas favorite: the snowglobe.
http://ww12.e-tractions.com/snowglobe/globe.htm
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Finally, a test that confirms what I've always known
I'm a "Cool High Nerd."
The site lets you attach an image to the test result, so here I am in my fashionable winter ensemble:
The site lets you attach an image to the test result, so here I am in my fashionable winter ensemble:
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Profile Photo
I've finally posted a profile photo, and obviously it's not a picture of myself. However, it does combine aspects of two of my loves, Lost and Mackinac Island, MI. This photo was taken last week when I walked the portion of the state highway around the island. It reminds me of Lost's cable on the beach which has played a part in several episodes.
Now, if only I could have managed to find a They Might Be Giants reference in the picture, I'd be set! Speaking about TMBG, they're going to be playing a concert locally in November. I'll only have 20 miles to go to see them, rather than 120!
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Power Outages
Last night my power went out for the second time in as many days, and for the third time in a few weeks. The service I received from the power company has actually been pretty good, if you don't count annoying message you can't skip past in their automated phone service menu.
The first time the power went out two trucks came fairly quickly and fixed the problem. One of the trucks stopped at my house to see if the power was restored. I found out then that the silly transformer burned out. Hrmph. Overnight Saturday/Sunday the power went out again when I was asleep, but the gasping chirp of the carbon-monoxide detector woke me up and I discovered the outage. I called the power company, went back to bed, and woke up to restored power. Yay. So last night, just after I got home and had started up my oven to bake a dessert, the power went out yet again. Boo hiss. I called the utility and they came out in 1.5 hours. Again, a nice worker came to the house after the restoration to see if the lights were on. I asked about the problem, and he said it was caused by a bird, to which I immediately asked if it was a mourning dove. Thankfully the worker didn't think I was nuts and said it looked like a sparrow. I had only asked because flocks of mourning doves have recently been perching on the power lines. I suspect they know I now have a cat and have been trying to intimidate us. Well, I hope that sparrow carcass serves as a warning, you menacing cooing pigeon pretenders!
Actually, I don't mind mourning doves. I even voted against a silly ballot initiative that sought to legalize mourning dove hunting in the state of Michigan. But, that's a topic for another post!
The first time the power went out two trucks came fairly quickly and fixed the problem. One of the trucks stopped at my house to see if the power was restored. I found out then that the silly transformer burned out. Hrmph. Overnight Saturday/Sunday the power went out again when I was asleep, but the gasping chirp of the carbon-monoxide detector woke me up and I discovered the outage. I called the power company, went back to bed, and woke up to restored power. Yay. So last night, just after I got home and had started up my oven to bake a dessert, the power went out yet again. Boo hiss. I called the utility and they came out in 1.5 hours. Again, a nice worker came to the house after the restoration to see if the lights were on. I asked about the problem, and he said it was caused by a bird, to which I immediately asked if it was a mourning dove. Thankfully the worker didn't think I was nuts and said it looked like a sparrow. I had only asked because flocks of mourning doves have recently been perching on the power lines. I suspect they know I now have a cat and have been trying to intimidate us. Well, I hope that sparrow carcass serves as a warning, you menacing cooing pigeon pretenders!
Actually, I don't mind mourning doves. I even voted against a silly ballot initiative that sought to legalize mourning dove hunting in the state of Michigan. But, that's a topic for another post!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Kitty Has a Name
Yep, as of August 11, my kitty has been formally named Desmond. Formally, because that's when I took him into the vet for a check-up and he went from " " to Desmond in their records. He doesn't quite look like a Desmond now, but when he's older I'm sure he will. I just hope I don't think "cat" every time I see Desmond on Lost!
This kitty is crazy, but I'm told that's what one can expect with having a kitten. So far, little Des has tried to run up both of my legs, he has scaled the barricades I've erected to keep him from going to other parts of my home, and has generally been a rambunctious dude. However, the best thing about him is that he plays fetch! I was certain he was the only cat in the world who plays fetch, and a quick search of the internet confirms that he is indeed unique....as unique as thousands of other cats in the world. Oh well. It's still quite fun playing with him, as all I do is throw him a toy mouse and he runs back with the mouse in his mouth. The great thing is that I didn't teach it to him. And people think dogs are smart...
This kitty is crazy, but I'm told that's what one can expect with having a kitten. So far, little Des has tried to run up both of my legs, he has scaled the barricades I've erected to keep him from going to other parts of my home, and has generally been a rambunctious dude. However, the best thing about him is that he plays fetch! I was certain he was the only cat in the world who plays fetch, and a quick search of the internet confirms that he is indeed unique....as unique as thousands of other cats in the world. Oh well. It's still quite fun playing with him, as all I do is throw him a toy mouse and he runs back with the mouse in his mouth. The great thing is that I didn't teach it to him. And people think dogs are smart...
Friday, August 17, 2007
Scraping Paint and Mowing
I updated my Blogger profile a couple days ago, adding, as one of my interests, scraping paint. It's really not an interest but rather something I'm currently engaged in, as I've devoted much free time to scraping paint off my garage door. I have a couple other outside paint-scraping projects that also need my attention, and when it's too cold to paint outside I'll move indoors to scrape even more paint.
But all this is besides the point. There is actually someone else in the Blogger world who lists "scraping paint" as one of their interests. Here I thought I was being clever and amusing listing it as an interest, but I'm sadly just a follower...kinda like my blog title.
Yesterday was quite noteworthy because I mowed my entire lawn for the first time in at least six weeks. It may have been seven weeks, but I lost track at five. My neck of the woods has gone through a severe drought this summer, so there hasn't been much to mow. I did mow some shady and water-retaining areas a couple weeks ago, but the full-sun front lawn hasn't been touched in ages. Well, that's exactly not quite true. I did whack the weeds in it a couple of times.
The whole situation is quite sad because my shiny new lawnmower had been gathering dust and spiders. But really, I shouldn't complain. The poor farmers in my county will be suffering this season because crop yields are projected to be down by 50% due to the lack of rain. The only positive is that my biceps have turned from blobs to being a bit defined as the result of hauling buckets of water to my garden. And all that watering has paid off, as I ate a yummy ear of corn without having to cook it.
A local newscast now says the area is in a moderate drought. That's interesting, because in the past 2.5 weeks it's only rained 1.3 inches where I live. It seems like a piddly amount to make a difference in the drought scale, but the grass has gotten greener.
But all this is besides the point. There is actually someone else in the Blogger world who lists "scraping paint" as one of their interests. Here I thought I was being clever and amusing listing it as an interest, but I'm sadly just a follower...kinda like my blog title.
Yesterday was quite noteworthy because I mowed my entire lawn for the first time in at least six weeks. It may have been seven weeks, but I lost track at five. My neck of the woods has gone through a severe drought this summer, so there hasn't been much to mow. I did mow some shady and water-retaining areas a couple weeks ago, but the full-sun front lawn hasn't been touched in ages. Well, that's exactly not quite true. I did whack the weeds in it a couple of times.
The whole situation is quite sad because my shiny new lawnmower had been gathering dust and spiders. But really, I shouldn't complain. The poor farmers in my county will be suffering this season because crop yields are projected to be down by 50% due to the lack of rain. The only positive is that my biceps have turned from blobs to being a bit defined as the result of hauling buckets of water to my garden. And all that watering has paid off, as I ate a yummy ear of corn without having to cook it.
A local newscast now says the area is in a moderate drought. That's interesting, because in the past 2.5 weeks it's only rained 1.3 inches where I live. It seems like a piddly amount to make a difference in the drought scale, but the grass has gotten greener.
Friday, July 27, 2007
What "Lost" Name Should I Give to My Cat?
Last Saturday I was awoken by a call from my sister-in-law saying she had a present for me. When I asked what it was, she said her family found a little stray cat the previous day. Although I was given a choice whether or not to take the cat, I knew I really had no choice. They would not have found another home for it and would have taken it to the pound. I couldn't let that happen to a poor cat.
Tomorrow I'll be taking the cat to a veterinarian for an exam. If everything checks out, meaning he'll be a permanent resident, I'll have to name him. But, I'm having a difficult time coming up with a name. Here are my choices, all related to Lost, and the pros and cons for each choice:
Desmond
Pro: Much like Desmond, this little kitty seems to be at the mercy of others and goes where life takes him. The name doesn't suit him now, but I can see that it will when he gets older.
Con: I don't think this cat could hold his liquor. Of course, cats normally don't drink, but if he could I don't think he could consume vats of alcohol and survive like Desmond. Another con is that Desmond is my favorite character, and I don't want to be reminded of a cat every time I see Lost.
Mr. Eko
Pro: Since the cat is likely only two months old, this would be a fantastic novelty name. Like Eko, he is a lovely dark chocolate color. Plus, his sweaky meows sound like "ehhhhhhhhhhhk;" just add an "o" to the end and he's saying "Eko."
Con: I don't want this cat to become a moral relativist when he grows up. Again, cats aren't normally concerned about morality, but I don't want this cat to attack or kill someone and not be in the least bit sorry about it because he felt his actions were justified.
Smokey
Pro: His dark color and semi-long hair make the cat resemble the Smoke Monster. And like the Smoke Monster, he likes to follow people in attempt to get their attention or to kill them. Okay, so this kitty isn't attempting to kill me (I hope), but he always walks in my path in his quest to get me to pet him. Some day, I'm going to trip over the cat and bash my head on a table or other blunt object. A week later you'll read about how a well-fed cat and my semi-consumed body were discovered by my horrified family after they hadn't heard from me in several days.
Con: Smokey is the sort of name a four year old would give to a cat--enough said.
My niece wants to name the cat "George," because he is curious. Two years ago when my former cat died I told her she could help me name my next cat. My niece forgot about this, but I want to keep my word. Before I even thought about the names of Eko or Smokey, I told my niece we could name the cat "George Desmond Locke" and call him "Desmond." Now, I don't know what to do! I'm just very thankful that this simple little problem is currently the only dilemma in my life.
Tomorrow I'll be taking the cat to a veterinarian for an exam. If everything checks out, meaning he'll be a permanent resident, I'll have to name him. But, I'm having a difficult time coming up with a name. Here are my choices, all related to Lost, and the pros and cons for each choice:
Desmond
Pro: Much like Desmond, this little kitty seems to be at the mercy of others and goes where life takes him. The name doesn't suit him now, but I can see that it will when he gets older.
Con: I don't think this cat could hold his liquor. Of course, cats normally don't drink, but if he could I don't think he could consume vats of alcohol and survive like Desmond. Another con is that Desmond is my favorite character, and I don't want to be reminded of a cat every time I see Lost.
Mr. Eko
Pro: Since the cat is likely only two months old, this would be a fantastic novelty name. Like Eko, he is a lovely dark chocolate color. Plus, his sweaky meows sound like "ehhhhhhhhhhhk;" just add an "o" to the end and he's saying "Eko."
Con: I don't want this cat to become a moral relativist when he grows up. Again, cats aren't normally concerned about morality, but I don't want this cat to attack or kill someone and not be in the least bit sorry about it because he felt his actions were justified.
Smokey
Pro: His dark color and semi-long hair make the cat resemble the Smoke Monster. And like the Smoke Monster, he likes to follow people in attempt to get their attention or to kill them. Okay, so this kitty isn't attempting to kill me (I hope), but he always walks in my path in his quest to get me to pet him. Some day, I'm going to trip over the cat and bash my head on a table or other blunt object. A week later you'll read about how a well-fed cat and my semi-consumed body were discovered by my horrified family after they hadn't heard from me in several days.
Con: Smokey is the sort of name a four year old would give to a cat--enough said.
My niece wants to name the cat "George," because he is curious. Two years ago when my former cat died I told her she could help me name my next cat. My niece forgot about this, but I want to keep my word. Before I even thought about the names of Eko or Smokey, I told my niece we could name the cat "George Desmond Locke" and call him "Desmond." Now, I don't know what to do! I'm just very thankful that this simple little problem is currently the only dilemma in my life.
Friday, July 20, 2007
See what They Might Be Giants album I am!
Which They Might Be Giants album are you?
It's not my favorite TMBG album, but it does have one of my favorite songs, "Don't Let's Start."
Friday, July 13, 2007
Just a little shopping trip
Did you ever have one of those days where things just fell into place? Or when pennies from heaven seemingly dropped onto your lap? Tuesday was a mini version of one of those great days.
I had gone to Best Buy to pick up They Might Be Giants's new album, The Else. Since TMBG is the only band I listen to, and this is their first album of new music since 2005, when Here Come the ABCs was released, I was quite excited to get my little hands on this. I picked up a copy and decided to look at the Wii games to see if there was anything interesting. I had played enough of the Twilight Princess, Marvel Alliance, and Elebits and was ready for something equally as addicting and time-wasting. After five minutes and a Best Buy rep who asked me if I was finding everything okay, in that special sort of way they do when they see a non-teen female in the gaming area, I saw it. I knew it was going to be released, but I obviously wasn't keeping track of it to know when. But there it was, Resident Evil 4, the Wii Edition. With a big smile on my face I picked it up and quickly proceeded to the checkout.
Now, if only Season 3 of Lost could have been released on that day as well...
I had gone to Best Buy to pick up They Might Be Giants's new album, The Else. Since TMBG is the only band I listen to, and this is their first album of new music since 2005, when Here Come the ABCs was released, I was quite excited to get my little hands on this. I picked up a copy and decided to look at the Wii games to see if there was anything interesting. I had played enough of the Twilight Princess, Marvel Alliance, and Elebits and was ready for something equally as addicting and time-wasting. After five minutes and a Best Buy rep who asked me if I was finding everything okay, in that special sort of way they do when they see a non-teen female in the gaming area, I saw it. I knew it was going to be released, but I obviously wasn't keeping track of it to know when. But there it was, Resident Evil 4, the Wii Edition. With a big smile on my face I picked it up and quickly proceeded to the checkout.
Now, if only Season 3 of Lost could have been released on that day as well...
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Another Boring Blog
Here's my obligatory first blog entry, where tell the world about how I decided to start a blog, why I know no one is going to read it, and how this blog will be different because it is not an act of vanity, although in reality that's what most blogs turn out to be.
I had contemplated making my own blog for quite some time, but never got around to doing it because I never felt I had anything great to say. I still don't think I have anything great to say, but since no one will read this it doesn't really matter. :)
I signed up for this blog due to the DarkUFO's great Lost site (http://darkufo.blogspot.com). I wanted to make a comment on a particular post, but in order to do so users must have a Blogger account. So, here I am!
What do I intend to do with this blog? Like many people, I'll just jot down what's on my mind. And, like most people, I'll let this blog go stagnant on weeks on end, write an entry apologizing for how lazy I am, and then ignore the blog for another few weeks.
So, until next time, Namaste, and good luck!
I had contemplated making my own blog for quite some time, but never got around to doing it because I never felt I had anything great to say. I still don't think I have anything great to say, but since no one will read this it doesn't really matter. :)
I signed up for this blog due to the DarkUFO's great Lost site (http://darkufo.blogspot.com). I wanted to make a comment on a particular post, but in order to do so users must have a Blogger account. So, here I am!
What do I intend to do with this blog? Like many people, I'll just jot down what's on my mind. And, like most people, I'll let this blog go stagnant on weeks on end, write an entry apologizing for how lazy I am, and then ignore the blog for another few weeks.
So, until next time, Namaste, and good luck!
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