A Big Wheel Knocked on the Door

Holidays are so much better when there's a child getting presents. As you get older you forget how much fun ripping paper is, or hell how much fun playing in an empty box is. But kids remind you of all these things the moment they giggle and dive right into playing with the gift they got. The hug you get when they say thank you is even better.

I think I went a little over bored, but I dare anyone to blame me. You try resisting the impulse to get one more truck for the cutest boy on Earth before pointing fingers. Thankfully he's almost 3 so the toys aren't all that expensive. He's thrilled with a $1 finger puppet.

Anyway, my family likes to save big gifts and give them in goofy ways. So this year as presents were over a mysterious doorbell rang.

Riley: "Omeone's at da door!"
Me: "I think it's for you..." Who cares that it's the back door we're pointing at?
Riley: "No, Daddy gets doors cuz mailmen bring bills." Makes perfect sense, who wants those?
Me: "I'll come with you." We then go to the door and a red and yellow Big Wheel waiting with a big bow on it.
Riley: "Woah!"
Me: "I think it's for you, let's bring it in." We brought it inside and he just stared at it."
Riley: "That's not a bill Daddy!" If it were, I'd want bills like that.
His dad: "No, it's a Big Wheel and all yours." He then showed him how to get on it and they rode around the living room a bit. For the rest of the night at random points he'd just say, "Big wheel rang da door bell."

"Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving." -- Albert Einstein

Leavin On a Jet Plane

Thankfully I do know when I'll be home again (3 weeks). However, Dina's already pouting about how long I'll be gone. It just makes sense to make the vacations long to get the most bang for my buck. I don't have to worry about missing work since it goes with me. However I can't help but feel for her. I always get lonely when I'm left home alone. Well lonely after the first night where I drink a bottle of wine and watch a horrible B movie while taking up the whole bed.

I've been homesick and looking froward to seeing mom, the nephew, my puppy, and the rest of the clan. However, I'm going to miss sleeping next to the wiggling lump that insists on scooting back so her back is against me. We could be in a bed the size of Nantucket and she'd still wiggle back to squish me.

It's too bad she couldn't come, but with a new job starting, that's not really possible. I'm sure by the first night she will build a fake me out of pillows. Let's face it... I wouldn't have it any other way.

"If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters." -- Author unknown, attributed to Jim Davis

Dancin In The Chair

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If I couldn't sit here listening to music blasting while working, it's quite possible I'd have to quit after giving myself a concussion from whacking my head against the keyboard repeatedly. As it is, it's common to see me hurl a kooshball or paper ball at the monitor.

However, occasional frustration aside, I love my job. Any job where you can be barefoot is a keeper. Plus I'm constantly finding myself laughing hysterically at something someone said.

Below is an example of our typical pointless conversation:

Coworker A: "Crap, not snow again!"
Coworker B: "What is this white stuff that you speak of?"
Coworker A: "It's cold bits of ice falling from the sky!"
Coworker C: "You have slushies falling from the sky! Yum! What flavor?"
Coworker A: "They come in plain, plain, and road salt"
Coworker C: "I guess cherry is too much to ask for then."

My mother often worries that working at home will turn me into some type of hermit. I'm already half hermit anyway, so there's really no further I could sink into this. Yet I feel connected to people because I'm constantly chatting online. But I can see her point really. I've recently been thinking about friends who've left my life and the reasons for it. In doing so, I realize again why I'm a bit of a hermit. It may just be better that way.

"When humor goes, there goes civilization." -- Erma Bombeck

Crafty Eats

I think I'm getting old. I actually allowed myself to be convinced to learn to crochet. Worse yet, we have a weekly meet-up (aka cook 'n hook) at our apartment with Dina, Lisa, and myself. On the one hand, at least this is more social than the computer. On the other hand, I'm not eighty. So every Wednesday we sit there playing with yarn and watching Top Chef. Sometimes we even bake, which Dina is always up for.

I actually enjoy it more than I thought I would. I get off later than either so they both arrive from work while I'm still puttering away at the keyboard. I'm not sure if I love the easy conversation and the mocking of the people on the television, or the routine. It's so nice to have a standing appointment for some silly downtime that doesn't include a computer.

"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." -- Yiddish Proverb

California, Seriously?

I generally avoid politics in blog postings because I can't imagine I'll ever feel the need to be reminded about the horror show that is politics. However, I cannot believe California of all states is so monumentally ridiculous. Rather than write some diatribe that will either fall on deaf ears or be preaching to the choir, I figured I'd just link to someone whose already summed up my opinion quite nicely.

From Memo to California By Dana Claire Simpson. It was written by the same person who did a wonderful web comic called Ozy and Millie.

"There's also the sheer idiocy of a ballot initiative process that allows constitutional amendments to be introduced by absolutely anyone and pass by a simple majority vote. The entire point of constitutional government is to prevent passing whims of the electorate to be enshrined in stone if they cross certain lines, and to protect vulnerable minorities from the tyranny of the majority. You know, like protecting, oh, say, gay people from the panicky whims of idiots who listen to Mormons."

"All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field." -- Albert Einstein

Waste of Time

I've always had a fascination with silly Flash games. This particular little game has just tickled me to no end. It's in Whirled and called Corpse Craft. When you enter whirled, just click on games at the top.

I'm not really sure why I like these little ways to kill time. Perhaps it's a bit telling about me that I'd rather click quietly on a computer than go out to a club. I'm just not sure if I want to know exactly what it's saying about me.

"Our whole life is solving puzzles." -- Erno Rubik

Fun Fact

Bees will create a nest anywhere. So in the future, if your car mirror stops working, don't just go grabbing for it to correct it. That might be your first instinct, I know it was mine, but think of the bees. They lurk in the shadows waiting for their moment to pounce. Who cares if it's an idiotic place for them to live, perhaps they enjoy a little speed. They're the daredevils of insects!

You really never will be more scared then when you reach out and a flood of them come storming out pissed that you disturbed them. Take it from me, just live with a broken mirror. You don't need to see what's behind you anyway, for all you know there are more bees.

"I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a Great White or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot." -- Kevin James

Web Comics

I really love a web comic called Real Life. It seriously makes me giggle and half the time it hits the nail on the head for me. The following is an exact conversation I had with Dina no more than two days ago. (Click on the image to make it larger.)



This comic is nerdy, adorable, and full of awesome. If you have a chance, I really recommend reading it. You'll want to start at the beginning, but it's well worth it. If you look closely, you'll even catch a few mentions of Puzzle Pirates.

"Procrastination isn't the problem, it's the solution. So procrastinate now, don't put it off." -- Ellen DeGeneres

Hopeless

It's too late, it's over. I've now officially fallen victim to the evils of the interwebs and technology. I expect the sky to fall or my mother to call and shame me at any moment. I don't mean that I work online from home, that's acceptable. I'm not worried that many of my friends only communicate with me via typing; that's common. I don't even mean that I met my girl friend in an online video game. That's nerdy, but not a crime. No, it's worse and yet I'm unapologetic. I, in my incredible wisdom and laziness, ordered my grocery online. And you know what? It was fantastic!

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

What Time Is It?

Ever since my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, we've ended phone conversations by saying, "I love you." We'd never really done that before. While I always knew my parents cared, we were never the touchy feely type. I don't like the reasons for it, but I think I like this change.

She's doing well and going to work every day. I don't know why really, I'd love to see her take some time off to recover. Hell I wish she took time off when doing her treatments. Perhaps her way of dealing with it is to keep moving. At this point, whatever it takes is fine by me.

I'm a bit homesick at the moment. Time's funny that way. It wasn't too long ago that I really just wanted to leave, and now I'm sitting here wishing I was back. I think I just wish I could check for myself that everything is still ok. Biweekly phone calls really don't cut it. I'd also get the added bonus of nephew time.

I don't know when the next visit will be, but I sure plan on enjoying my time there. Time is important, I want to make sure that from now on I take it when I can.

"Time! the corrector when our judgments err." -- Lord Byron

The Nose Knows

So we see a bumper sticker, "You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends nose." Little did I know this was going to give Dina ideas.

The next morning I'm woken up with her inches from my face getting ready to stick her finger up my nose.

Me: "Um sweetie? What the hell are you doing?"
Her: "I'm going to try something out?"
Me: "You are NOT going to pick my nose!"
She sticks it right up there.
Me: "Ack! That's disgusting!"
Her: "No that's love. I'm still here aren't I?"

And she is. However I now sleep with one eye open.

"Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endureth his torments willingly." -- Proverb

It's Love

They way to a geek's heart is through their gadgetry, forget the stomach. It took very little convincing to get me to agree to suck it up and buy a new computer. Working online from a tiny travel laptop was probably going to make me go blind. So while I cannot afford the computer I want, I can easily afford something that's far better than what I have, and yet still not to much that I cannot replace it in a year or two. Thus off we went to tax-free New Hampshire.

As with every outing, Dina's motivated by where we eat. She already knew exactly where we would eat before we hit the road. Do we look up computers and do some comparison shopping? Nope. But don't worry, we have the restaurant question nailed down. What kind of weird priorities do we have?

After we ate (see our priorities?), we proceeded to go back and forth to the same stores over and over again to try to save some minuscule amount. In the end, at this point in time, there's not a ton of difference when you really think about it. Sure you have to ignore total crap brands, but for what I do with a computer, I certainly don't need something that can run a nuclear attack sub. It took a while but I walked out of there with a brand new middle-of-the-road-entirely-forgettable-mediocre computer!

So while the computer doesn't need to last, I figured a monitor could. I also am sick of not having anything nice, and I've spend quite a lot of time saving for a good one. I'm in love. This thing is 22 inches of pure Samsung love. I wanted to cuddle it in the car on the way home, but the mocking look and rolling eyes from the driver dashed those hopes.

If you don't hear from me for a while, I ran off with Sammy, the monitor of wonder...

"Lo! Men have become the tools of their tools." -- Henry David Thoreau

Cardboard Boxes

I think the worst part about moving is unpacking. I'm sitting here looking at the boxes knowing I don't want to do it. The wine alone will take up a whole wall. As a side note, we really have to drink some of that. While I love our wine trips to Napa and New York, we actually should crack open a bottle once in a blue moon.

Part of the problem is to unpack we first have to deal with our new furniture. We were smart and moved some of our new furniture unassembled and still in their Ikea boxes. So that's 3 dressers, 2 bookshelves, 2 cubby bookshelves, a kitchen buffet, and two table desks. How the hell am I going to put these together. I don't care if we have an electric screwdriver, this shit is impossible to deal with.

So I thought I'd get started on the bookshelves. My first issue was all the pieces and screws are in a blister pack. Blister packs are evil contraptions invented by psychotics in an effort to bring frustration to consumers. So while I violently poked at it, it flung open scattering all the screws and tiny nails everywhere.

A good part of the afternoon was spent on my hands and knees. After that, I found myself preforming minor feats of gymnastics to hold things while I screwed them together. Dina was back in Amherst cleaning the condo so it could be ready for its open house, so it was just me. Just so you know, when they say 2 people are required to build something, they mean it. Of course it would have gone smoother had all the pages of the instructions been there.

Anyway after 3 hours later we had one finished, though oddly leaning, bookshelf. I've never been so proud of creating something so wobbly.

"The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong." -- Andy Rooney

29 2/2

Her: "Happy Birthday... you're thir...!"
Me: Holds up a hand. "Don't even say it. I'm 29 and 2 halves."
Her: Looks perplexed as her logical mind tries to find an argument to refute my claim. "Ok, but then I have no wrinkles *and* you admit to a gray hair."
Me: Sighs. "Do I get chocolate cake?"
Her: "Of course."
Me: "It's a deal, Beelzebub."

"Beware of the young doctor and the old barber." -- Benjamin Franklin

Movin' On Up

I hate packing. Why do we have all this crap? I'm incredibly grateful that I was able to sucker Dina into getting movers so I don't have to lug this junk. I've tried to thin it out since we're moving from a condo in Amherst to an apartment in Brookline, but I failed miserably. I just look at whatever it is and think, "Well I could use this again.... You never know when you need a 9th cutting board".

I've never lived in a city, so this is going to be quite the change. I already know I'm going to miss the beauty and joy that is parking. I've been assured that grocery stores do have lots so I don't have to find a way to bring home food on the T. But still, I have to wonder if I'm going to go half nuts. If there's a news story about some naked crazy lady holding the T hostage while rocking herself and whimpering about there being too many people... you'll know it's me. However, if you do read this article, please bring the bail money and a towel.

"Nothing endures but change." -- Heraclitus

Say What?

How people behave online amazes me. While working I'm constantly wondering how these people function in the real world. I don't understand why someone would present themselves like an idiot, or enjoy being a jerk. Anonymity brings out some strange things in people. I've started to think that it amplifies traits you already have. So a jerk will be an even bigger jerk in that type of environment.

I've come across people who will literally waste hours of their life repeatedly being a jerk to only find themselves right where they started again. You're wasting both of our time, but at least I'm paid for it. Then there's the overly sensitive person who will be crushed because someone called them "mean". How did you make it through kindergarten? I was called far worse on the monkey bars.

Just because people don't know it's you, doesn't mean you're not aware. If you don't mind that you act like a jerk just because they're not looking at your face, they don't need to see your face to see the real you.

"The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom." -- Jon Stewart

Wait And See

With surgery, radiation, and chemo winding down, I can't help but be somewhat reassured. She did very well with her treatments, even if I wish she had taken more time off work than the day after her treatment. Apparently that's the day it hit her the most and she considered the "bad day". In her words, "She just keeps on truckin' on". Perhaps that's the most important thing any of us can do, just keep going.

Thankfully as my mom is truckin' my dad has been a nice backseat driver. He's taken over everything and gone to every single appointment. With the beard he grew when he retired he now looks like a big gray grizzly trailing after her. He's what I'd want to be if I had to help someone through this, and exactly what I'd need if I were in mom's shoes. I'm proud of them both.

Now we wait. The waiting doesn't really end. We'll always be waiting for the next checkup or milestone. There's the first clean test, the first year...etc. However I have no doubt she'll continue truckin', and my dad will be in the passenger seat with the road map.

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." -- John Wayne

Addiction

It's obvious I have an addictive personality. This is why I was a smoker, though thankfully that hasn't been the case for a few years. However, while I can break the nicotine habit, I cannot seem to break the caffeine or silly time waster video game habit.

This is why I was in "Dunkie" or Dunkin' Donuts at some obscene time of night. They have brewed iced tea, not that fake powder crap. It calls me to in all its bitter glory. So you can get a cup of it that's the size of a small Norwegian village for less than $2.50. Just don't ruin it with sugar or a lemon, that will only create seeds for you to accidentally suck up through the straw.

This brings me to my fear of bubble tea. Everyone seems to love this stuff, but it boggles my mind. These little gummy balls come shooting up the straw ready to coke you to death. Yes, even iced tea addiction can kill. No thanks, just give me my giant Dunkie.

So while I was waiting in line I looked over at a little Christmas tree they had on display. The ornaments were little packets of sugar substances glued to paperclips. Of course I went to get a closer look at this work of "art". If you know me at all you know what happened.

It really wasn't my fault! Who puts a tree on a wobbly table and then props it up with a few books? Worse yet, who decorates with little packets that are prone to ripping?

As I sat there sprawled across the floor covered in sugar packets and fake pine needles I looked up to see a lovely young police officer trying not to laugh. "Oh sorry officer, I cannot tell a lie, I did chop down the Splenda tree."

I made it home safe and sound to conquer the digital seas of Puzzle Pirates armed with my tea.

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -- C.S. Lewis

Snooping

There's something incredibly personal and invasive about condo shopping. We know we want to move to Boston, but we're not sure if buying a condo is a better idea than renting. However, we're learning more and more towards renting. So we've been going around with a Realtor looking at places. I actually enjoy doing this, but Dina would rather be yodeling in the reflecting pool at the mall naked.

What I don't understand about the whole process are the owners of these buildings. Sure most of them look rather nice and the owners clearly made an effort to show the best side of their place. However the exceptions can be almost scary. Below is a list of things that you as a seller should avoid. I've now seen each at and can honestly say it's probably not the impression you want to leave potential buyers.

- Remove the broken air conditioning unit from the living room. While you're at it, get rid of the bucket catching water in the bed room.

- Put the man eating dog/monster in his own room. At the very least give him something to gnaw on other than the unsuspecting home buyers.

- If you had fish for dinner last night, take out the trash. At the very least don't leave the half-eaten carcass on the floor.

- If you have 20+ cats, please leave a window open. At the very least, remove the litter trays in the middle of each room that haven't been cleaned since the Hoover administration.

- Sex toys are fun, and perfectly normal. However, hanging them from a moving ceiling fan is just creepy. Why are they there? Can the ceiling fan even hold your weight?

- Put away the shackles attached to your bed. Handcuffs are one thing, shackles are another. Or perhaps you should limit it to one pair, not 3. Maybe I can introduce you to the person above?

The key to selling your home should really be: Remove things that would make the average buyer cringe.

"I'm not going to vacuum until Sears makes one you can ride on." -- Roseanne Barr

Sleepless in MA

I have an amazing ability to ignore or compartmentalize things. It's as if I can turn the lights off in one area and almost forget that it's there. It's not until late at night that I think about those dark places that I've ignored or otherwise refused to deal with. Most do this to some extent, but I think I've taken it to exceptional heights. For me this means that I often don't deal with something until it's too late.

We like to think we're a good person, but I think my above tendency can make me somewhat less than good. I mean if you're constantly closing doors and turning out lights, you'll eventually be rather lonely and living in one room. I've thought about venturing out to take a peak in places I've tried to avoid, but at this point it's been so long I have to wonder if any good can come of it.

Maybe my mom's struggle has made me want to have more people around and chase away this lonely feeling. Perhaps I'm homesick and wishing I could go back to Tucson to be with mom. Maybe I'm just getting older. Either way, it's not going to change tonight.

"Each of us is something of a schizophrenic personality, tragically divided against ourselves." -- Martin Luther King, Jr

Unfinished

I've been randomly poking various online sites to look up people I knew way back when. I think this makes me a stalker... all be it a rather pathetic and harmless one. How can you not feel like a total dork when you say, "Um hi you may not remember me but..." No matter what you say after that, you're looking like a goofball. At least for me this just gives them a very good idea about who they're dealing with. :-p

So this brings me to my total dislike for all that is MySpace. First of all you can't tell who the hell anyone is. I don't want to go about randomly friending people, I want to know who they heck they are. When looking up people from ten years ago and all you can see is "Bob" and a microscopic picture. How do you know who that is? So you have to send them an even dumber letter because you're not even sure who they are. This is why I love Facebook. Sure it's ultra spammy, but it gives me all I need from MySpace, and allows me to be totally lazy and see the WHOLE name of the person I'm looking at. Please all, embrace the lazier site... embrace the site that doesn't make you listen to the random song someone has left up for 7 months.

Time For Change

That's right, a new job! Ah, but this isn't any job, this is a "man, it sure would be fun to do that" kind of job. I'm thrilled really because I can do this job from anywhere. This means I can fly home for nephew time at any point. It also has the added bonus of being rather fun.

I had been lusting after this job in a rather unattractive way. I was almost a bit obsessed and had done quite a lot of extra work to prove myself. Poor Dina had to sit there and listen to me second guess every single thing. I felt like I was walking on eggshells worried that one wrong move would remove me from eligibility.

At least now Dina gets a vacation from my insanity... well perhaps not. But she at least doesn't have to hear me say, "Can you read this over and tell me what you think" for at least a month.

"Doing nothing is very hard to do...you never know when you're finished." -- Leslie Nielsen

Life's a Joke

I clearly learned that joking helps you ease some of life's curve balls from my mother. I know she's worried, but she's prepared to move on through each little treatment and session of chemo rather than worry about the big picture.

So what do we talk about? Our fears? Nope. We talk about what hats she should wear when she doesn't have hair. She's convinced that her head has a funny shape so she'll need something equally amusing. I think bigger is the way to go, but she's convinced it should be more original than just giant. It must be floppy and perhaps have some LED lights in it. So now I'll need to troll the interwebs looking for a hat that's giant, floppy, and blinking.

"I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol." -- Author Unknown

Bata Baby

The brave new Whirled is now accessible by the public as it's gone into its beta testing phase. While still in development, it sure gives a good idea for the potential of this Whirled. Love live the curd and tofu goodness!

Below is the corner of the Whirled belonging to Three Rings. It's actually their offices so you can clearly see what kinda kooks work there. Who else would have a giant octopus couch, pool table, full bar, and secret room hidden behind a bookshelf?

My Whirled is actually only accessible by friends, so you'd need to join (link in the Notable Pokeables) and friend me. You'll note that even in a fake world, my plants are always dieing.



"It's a Brave New Whirled!" -- Daniel James

Wonder Boy

I have the most adorable nephew. I know that people say that and we all roll our eyes because everyone says this. But believe me it's true. He's almost 2 and is quite possibly the cutest child I've ever seen. He's actually just always so sunny, happy, and more surprisingly clean!

I've decided he's going to be an engineer. I know I'm supposed to allow him to decide such things, but I'm selfish. This kid can figure out anything. I've had to ask him how to turn on some of his toys and he gives me this, "oh your so silly look". Well at least I hope that's the look rather than, "My aunt is a total moron".

I was able to tie my visit to my mom with his birthday. I feel it's my duty to spoil him rotten, which to mean means books books and more books. Unfortunately, there are some horrible children's books out there. What are these people thinking? Stringing together incoherent thoughts does not a book make. No thank you, I'll be buying him the classics. So look out world, make way for my duckling!

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." -- Walt Streightiff

Hair Today

There's a lot of things you're really not prepared to hear. I wasn't prepared to hear that my mom had breast cancer. The big C is something we all fear in some way. Perhaps that's why we really know so little about it. We know it's bad, we know it will change everything, but we still know nothing.

Apparently there are several different kinds of cancer and what kind will determine the course of treatment. I can't believe I ever found myself hoping my mom had any type of cancer, but ever since I found out, we've been hoping it was one kind over another. Suffice it to say, we didn't get what we hoped for really. It could have been worse, sure, but we were hoping to avoid chemo. This means after her surgery there will be chemo and radiation. This whole process will take months and then far longer to recover enough to feel "normal".

So I can only hope that her treatment goes well and that she doesn't experience some of the side effects. I could care less if she has no hair, but it's everything else that worries me. I'm glad I'm going home soon just to reconnect so I can feel a little more secure in everything. It will also be nice to show mom that I'm only a flight away.

"Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow." -- Dan Rather

DE Phone Home

There's a very specific tone of voice a person gets when the conversation isn't going to be one you like. It's almost like they're grabbing the armrest and preparing for an emergency water landing. My mom had that tone of voice, and I immediately assumed I had screw something up. In the past that would've been a pretty good assumption.

Frankly I wish I had screwed something up. That I can be ready for, that doesn't suck the air from your lungs and leave you searching for something to say that either expresses your feelings or reassures. She was scared, something I really haven't heard before that I can recall. I found myself asking the appropriate questions, but really I don't know how I managed.

At some points, my relationship with my parents has been rather rocky. But I'm quite glad to say that isn't really the case anymore, and I actually quite enjoy visits and phone calls. I find myself quite proud of all of us. After that phone call, I found myself even more proud of my parents. I won't need to have a pink ribbon to show my mom my support, I'll be calling and visiting as much as possible to make that very clear.

"Sooner or later we all quote our mothers." -- Bern Williams

Head Shoulders Knees

It's been 2 years since I hurt my knee and I can't believe how much it can still hurt. Even thinking about running outside to wave to Dina only to step off the stoop onto a tiny patch of ice gives me the creeps. I just keep remember reaching down to grab my knee and feeling it bent the wrong way. I wanted my mother more then than I ever have.

I'm forever grateful that Dina saw me and stopped. Had she not, I have no idea how long I would have been there. But the nice thing is that I know she will always stop. If I decide to have surgery to replace the severed ACL and clean up the joint, I have no doubt she will be there handing me my crutches. She'll bring me some fluffy fiction, chocolate cake, and a ice tea. She'll do this all while holding my hand and making me laugh about something stupid. While I often joke and call her cranky pants, it's so nice to know she's there.

It's been a long time since I felt like the other shoe wasn't going to drop. She's already seen my shoes and gone with me to the store to buy more.

"Anyone who believes the competitive spirit in America is dead has never been in a supermarket when the cashier opens another checkout line." -- Ann Landers

Soul Mate

The phrase soul mate gets tossed around constantly. It's in every trashy book I read with vigor, and every B romantic comedy. I have found my soul mate, and I don't even feel cheesy in saying so.

My soul mate is wonderful bringing me both a sense of comfort and a salty tang. It's tomato goodness coats everything bringing me unimaginable joy. My dear ketchup, the most important of all condiments, I shall never forsake you.

Sure, we have fights like all soul mates, but we forgive and move on. I've all ready forgiven my love for covering me head to toe in the middle of a restaurant. I shouldn't have shaken you so vigorously, I was wrong. It's just a shame that innocent bystanders also had to rinse you out of their hair. It's ok because we forgive. I didn't need that shirt or my new jacket, it's not your fault some careless fool took you for granted and didn't screw your top on the way you like. My clothes, our table, and all the people near by have already forgiven you... for we will be reaching for you again as soon as the next basket of fries arrives.

"Those who forget the pasta are condemned to reheat it." -- Author Unknown

Creative Waste of Time

I'm not an artiest, I've accepted that about myself. Yet here I am with my shiny new graphic pen trying to create silly things for Whirled. Whirled is a game that's still in beta testing for Three Rings. Well it really isn't a game but rather an environment where games can be played to earn money to use to buy other things to spruce up your little section. Anyone can upload content to the catalog for sale and eventually cash out for real money.

I think the whole thing just gives me an excuse to try to teach myself Flash and create some goodies. I know I won't actually make anything off it, but it's a nice way to waste a few hours. Once you find a decent group of people, it can be rather fun in there.

How silly is it you ask? Well I spent a good amount of time making a cucumber wearing a snorkel that will dance. How many people can say that... or would want to? Dance cucumber dance!

"Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance." -- Ezra Pound