and i'm still up, not wanting to go to bed and kicking myself for eating so much chocolate today. seriously, when am i going to get out of this christmas/holiday/month of december/cookie fest. i keep telling myself it's time but then bad self says "you still have one more holiday to go, why start now?" i think i will have to go cold turkey next.
not much going on here. e left town today and i think i'm in shock. he has been around so much lately that it's just plain weird. this is probably the reason i'm still up.
yeah, i don't have much to say.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
back in the swing of things...sort of.
today i headed back to work. i would say about half the staff is gone so you know what that means...there is a whole lot of slackin' goin' on.
the holiday was good. family, family and more family. this year i made an effort to try and just relax about things. i think it made for a better time but honestly me totally relaxing is never, ever going to happen.
today i had a minor emotional breakdown at the blood bank. i think it is just emotionally draining me. physically i'm ok but i think i get bogged down by a few things - not knowing how long i will need to do this, wiggling of the needle, waiting for an hour and a half and flaky phlebotomists. there was a little crying and a very nice attentive employee that made sure i was ok. all i could say was, "i'm ok, nothing really hurts. i'm just really emotional and there was wiggling." good night, i'm a dork.
the holiday was good. family, family and more family. this year i made an effort to try and just relax about things. i think it made for a better time but honestly me totally relaxing is never, ever going to happen.
today i had a minor emotional breakdown at the blood bank. i think it is just emotionally draining me. physically i'm ok but i think i get bogged down by a few things - not knowing how long i will need to do this, wiggling of the needle, waiting for an hour and a half and flaky phlebotomists. there was a little crying and a very nice attentive employee that made sure i was ok. all i could say was, "i'm ok, nothing really hurts. i'm just really emotional and there was wiggling." good night, i'm a dork.
Friday, December 22, 2006
the end is near...
so my friend/co-worker amy had a tacky christmas cube contest this month. this week we had the final judging. and after a fierce battle (involving glowing snowmen, tinsel, and a blow-up santa) i was named the tackiest. i think the blow-up santa put me over the top (thanks to radial angel) but brenda lee and a little jig on my part helped. below are a few pics of the cube. these really don't even get the full effect and i'm too lazy to take more photos. you can't see the large banner that says "feliz navidad" or the 4 ft. long stocking. oh well.
anyway, next week i am moving to the window desk and i'm giddy with the thought of sunshine.
my christmas celebration (or drudgery depending on your perspective) begins tomorrow. we are heading to my grandparent's house tomorrow morning and will stay until sunday afternoon. then we will return to okc and go to my parent's. then home for a little personal christmas time. and we will spend christmas day at eddie's parent's house. sigh. i wasn't going to take tuesday off but i decided that it was going to be a very long weekend and i might need some recovery time. so tuesday i will sleep late and decompress after family overload.
and since i'm a planner i've already started composing a list of resolutions for the new year. they include the typical - get eating under control, make a budget, establish an exercise plan, blah, career goals, blah, blah, learn something new. and i've been thinking about how i really don't buy into that whole resolution thing because honeslty i make goals and plans all the time. and generally i post them here and promptly not follow through. you know, lose a few pounds, run a race, learn a new task. and so i was wondering - why is it that i want to do a long list for new years. and i think i figured it out. starting in late november things go crazy (for everyone, every year) - there are large meals to eat, people start bringing chocolate around more, you spend too much money on gifts and other random things, your schedule gets out of whack because of shopping, holiday parties, dinners, etc. so i think mine really aren't resolutions as much as my desire to find some normalcy in my life. to have a normal schedule, to avoid shopping establishments, to not spend money, to not see a cookie every 5 minutes, to not think it's ok to eat biscuits and gravy for dinner (yep. that was my dinner last night) - all i want for christmas is my boring, non-holiday life back.
so there.
anyway, next week i am moving to the window desk and i'm giddy with the thought of sunshine.
my christmas celebration (or drudgery depending on your perspective) begins tomorrow. we are heading to my grandparent's house tomorrow morning and will stay until sunday afternoon. then we will return to okc and go to my parent's. then home for a little personal christmas time. and we will spend christmas day at eddie's parent's house. sigh. i wasn't going to take tuesday off but i decided that it was going to be a very long weekend and i might need some recovery time. so tuesday i will sleep late and decompress after family overload.
and since i'm a planner i've already started composing a list of resolutions for the new year. they include the typical - get eating under control, make a budget, establish an exercise plan, blah, career goals, blah, blah, learn something new. and i've been thinking about how i really don't buy into that whole resolution thing because honeslty i make goals and plans all the time. and generally i post them here and promptly not follow through. you know, lose a few pounds, run a race, learn a new task. and so i was wondering - why is it that i want to do a long list for new years. and i think i figured it out. starting in late november things go crazy (for everyone, every year) - there are large meals to eat, people start bringing chocolate around more, you spend too much money on gifts and other random things, your schedule gets out of whack because of shopping, holiday parties, dinners, etc. so i think mine really aren't resolutions as much as my desire to find some normalcy in my life. to have a normal schedule, to avoid shopping establishments, to not spend money, to not see a cookie every 5 minutes, to not think it's ok to eat biscuits and gravy for dinner (yep. that was my dinner last night) - all i want for christmas is my boring, non-holiday life back.
so there.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
a whole lot of shakin' goin' on.
i've just be imagining what i would have done/thought if this happened at my house. it just makes me laugh.
Temblor shakes Midwest City area
By Augie FrostStaff Writer
MIDWEST CITY — A small earthquake was recorded in the Midwest City area about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Oklahoma Geological Survey confirmed.
Residents in Midwest City, Del City and parts of eastern Oklahoma City heard a large boom, followed by a brief ground tremor, said Jim Lawson, of the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The quake measured a 2.6 magnitude on the Richter scale initially.
No injuries or damage were reported, but calls poured in to Midwest City police dispatchers, Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said.
"The quake scared a lot of people,” Clabes said. "We had multiple calls about shaking homes. They thought it was some kind of explosion.”
The epicenter of the earthquake could not be precisely pinpointed because there is no major fault line in Oklahoma County, Lawson said. Tremors could have been felt up to 10 to 15 miles away, but the quake was "small.”
The boom that many residents in the area reported hearing was directly correlated to the quake, Lawson said.
Lawson asks that anyone who experienced the quake go to www.okgeosurvey1.gov and fill out a short survey.
Temblor shakes Midwest City area
By Augie FrostStaff Writer
MIDWEST CITY — A small earthquake was recorded in the Midwest City area about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Oklahoma Geological Survey confirmed.
Residents in Midwest City, Del City and parts of eastern Oklahoma City heard a large boom, followed by a brief ground tremor, said Jim Lawson, of the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The quake measured a 2.6 magnitude on the Richter scale initially.
No injuries or damage were reported, but calls poured in to Midwest City police dispatchers, Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said.
"The quake scared a lot of people,” Clabes said. "We had multiple calls about shaking homes. They thought it was some kind of explosion.”
The epicenter of the earthquake could not be precisely pinpointed because there is no major fault line in Oklahoma County, Lawson said. Tremors could have been felt up to 10 to 15 miles away, but the quake was "small.”
The boom that many residents in the area reported hearing was directly correlated to the quake, Lawson said.
Lawson asks that anyone who experienced the quake go to www.okgeosurvey1.gov and fill out a short survey.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
long day...
today was one of those days. i felt bad. too much drama at work. cold rain. but it ended nicely. i had dinner with anne at pf changs. a nice relaxing way to celebrate christmas with no gifts exchanged. a good time. thanks anne.
this holiday season i've been thinking about posting random bad pictures of christmas lights and here is my first. this is a really bad picture (sorry) but i would like you to note that the lights are wrapped around the posts on the porch and then the extra 5 feet of lights are just tossed on the bushes. i'm wondering - did they just run out time, loose interest or do they think it looks nice? anyway, i come from a line of bad christmas light users (ie. my grandma) and i have a unique appreciation for bad decor.
i had some extra time tonight so here are a few nyc pics.
brooklyn bay bridge. we walked about halfway across the pedestrian walkway. it was a great view and such an interesting structure.
this building was near chinatown. we thought it was funny because it's an old building that says "the first national city bank of new york" and now houses a payless shoes. i did a little haggling for a coach wristlet (for my sister) and a couple of watches in this area. very intense and a definite feeling a shadiness.
i really, really enjoyed chinatown. so unique and just all around cool. probably my favorite part of the trip. nyc is like a billion little cities.
i read about the chinatown ice cream factory online and figured it would be a cool place to check out. i decided to go for a unique flavor since i was in chinatown afterall. i had a scoop of black sesame seed - it was sort of like peanut butter.
little italy. chinatown runs into little italy and i really loved this area too. we had dinner in a restaurant and it was a very odd experience. ten italian waiters with four customers and really bad service, a country christmas cd playing and a yelling old lady in the corner.
this holiday season i've been thinking about posting random bad pictures of christmas lights and here is my first. this is a really bad picture (sorry) but i would like you to note that the lights are wrapped around the posts on the porch and then the extra 5 feet of lights are just tossed on the bushes. i'm wondering - did they just run out time, loose interest or do they think it looks nice? anyway, i come from a line of bad christmas light users (ie. my grandma) and i have a unique appreciation for bad decor.
i had some extra time tonight so here are a few nyc pics.
brooklyn bay bridge. we walked about halfway across the pedestrian walkway. it was a great view and such an interesting structure.
this building was near chinatown. we thought it was funny because it's an old building that says "the first national city bank of new york" and now houses a payless shoes. i did a little haggling for a coach wristlet (for my sister) and a couple of watches in this area. very intense and a definite feeling a shadiness.
i really, really enjoyed chinatown. so unique and just all around cool. probably my favorite part of the trip. nyc is like a billion little cities.
i read about the chinatown ice cream factory online and figured it would be a cool place to check out. i decided to go for a unique flavor since i was in chinatown afterall. i had a scoop of black sesame seed - it was sort of like peanut butter.
little italy. chinatown runs into little italy and i really loved this area too. we had dinner in a restaurant and it was a very odd experience. ten italian waiters with four customers and really bad service, a country christmas cd playing and a yelling old lady in the corner.
i hate wednesdays.
wednesday is my official blood giving day. and blood giving sucks. please suck a pint of blood from me every week. it's great. big needles, hard to find veins and a feeling of weakness.
yes, i know it could be so much worse. i know. i really do. but right now on my scale of uncomfortableness and annoyances - this one is right at the top. because in addition to the big fat needle, there is now additional weekly testing, insurance issues and lack of control and knowledge on my part.
errr. but on a positive note - i get to eat oreos afterward.
yes, i know it could be so much worse. i know. i really do. but right now on my scale of uncomfortableness and annoyances - this one is right at the top. because in addition to the big fat needle, there is now additional weekly testing, insurance issues and lack of control and knowledge on my part.
errr. but on a positive note - i get to eat oreos afterward.
Monday, December 18, 2006
nyc...to be continued.
so i have more pictures to post but i just can't seem to get to them. things have gotten very chaotic. christmas = chaos. and i am in full stress mode. why i'm not sure but i'm freaking out a bit and trying to calm it down.
sigh. i hate living in my head.
i have a big meeting today for my big stupid project and i had to wear nice work clothes. even though it's a casual week...eerrrr. but after today no more ironing.
later gater.
sigh. i hate living in my head.
i have a big meeting today for my big stupid project and i had to wear nice work clothes. even though it's a casual week...eerrrr. but after today no more ironing.
later gater.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
what can you say about this?
World's Tallest Man Saves China Dolphins
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) -- The long arms of the world's tallest man reached in and saved two dolphins by pulling out plastic from their stomachs, state media and an aquarium official said Thursday.
The dolphins got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Liaoning province. Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because the dolphins' stomachs contracted in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.
Veterinarians then decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 7-foot-9 herdsman from Inner Mongolia with 41.7-inch arms, state media said.
Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest living man.
Chen Lujun, the manager of the Royal Jidi Ocean World aquarium, told The Associated Press that the shape of the dolphins' stomachs made it difficult to push an instrument very far in without hurting the animals. People with shorter arms could not reach the plastic, he said.
"When we failed to get the objects out we sought the help of Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia and he did it successfully yesterday," Chen said. "The two dolphins are in very good condition now."
Photographs showed the jaws of one of the dolphins being held back by towels so Bao could reach inside the animal without being bitten.
"Some very small plastic pieces are still left in the dolphins' stomachs," Zhu Xiaoling, a local doctor, told Xinhua. "However the dolphins will be able to digest these and are expected to recover soon."
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our .
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) -- The long arms of the world's tallest man reached in and saved two dolphins by pulling out plastic from their stomachs, state media and an aquarium official said Thursday.
The dolphins got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Liaoning province. Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because the dolphins' stomachs contracted in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.
Veterinarians then decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 7-foot-9 herdsman from Inner Mongolia with 41.7-inch arms, state media said.
Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest living man.
Chen Lujun, the manager of the Royal Jidi Ocean World aquarium, told The Associated Press that the shape of the dolphins' stomachs made it difficult to push an instrument very far in without hurting the animals. People with shorter arms could not reach the plastic, he said.
"When we failed to get the objects out we sought the help of Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia and he did it successfully yesterday," Chen said. "The two dolphins are in very good condition now."
Photographs showed the jaws of one of the dolphins being held back by towels so Bao could reach inside the animal without being bitten.
"Some very small plastic pieces are still left in the dolphins' stomachs," Zhu Xiaoling, a local doctor, told Xinhua. "However the dolphins will be able to digest these and are expected to recover soon."
© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our .
i'm looking too...
e and i had to do a little shopping last night - christmas is upon us. i like many of you are are desperately trying to find the good things in this crazy holiday. i'm trying to pace myself, not stress out and avoid becoming angered by the pressure of it all. i hate all the pressure to just buy, buy, buy. and buy something for everyone. even though you have no idea what your aunt, that you barely know, that you rarely see but are expected to give a gift to. so you buy a generic candle or picture frame that will likely end up in a box to goodwill. why? i love the idea of seeing something that says to me "yes, your grandma would love that" so you buy it and it perfectly fits that person. but that's not the way this holiday works.
i recognize the pressure is allowed by me. i fall into the ritual. i could stop it. i think to myself that i don't know how but i do. you just stop. you say "i love you" and "merry christmas" and you don't worry about what your family says. because honestly, i know they are saying bad things about me anyway. my husband is measly paid musician and i'm 31 and have no children - there is already plenty of talk.
so why do i let it happen? why do i waste the money on pointless gifts? why don't i buy homeless people socks or canned corn? poor kids won't have a christmas but my aunt and i will both gifts that we really don't like.
and then there is that jesus part which sadly i am very, very far detached from right now. so far detached that it seems almost foreign. i suppose that going to church might be a good start.
sigh. that was heavier than i meant for it to be.
i'm feeling a bit better today. i'm just really tired and i am ready for this week to be over. between travel, sickness and being back at work - i am spent.
by the way, there are more pictures to come.
i read this today and thought it was interesting and possibly the greatest invention ever.
Hewlett Packard is producing cameras that can slim the subject, negating the old "camera adds 10 pounds" rule. The slimming effect can be subtle or dramatic, depending on what the camera operator chooses.
AOL.com 11.17.06
i recognize the pressure is allowed by me. i fall into the ritual. i could stop it. i think to myself that i don't know how but i do. you just stop. you say "i love you" and "merry christmas" and you don't worry about what your family says. because honestly, i know they are saying bad things about me anyway. my husband is measly paid musician and i'm 31 and have no children - there is already plenty of talk.
so why do i let it happen? why do i waste the money on pointless gifts? why don't i buy homeless people socks or canned corn? poor kids won't have a christmas but my aunt and i will both gifts that we really don't like.
and then there is that jesus part which sadly i am very, very far detached from right now. so far detached that it seems almost foreign. i suppose that going to church might be a good start.
sigh. that was heavier than i meant for it to be.
i'm feeling a bit better today. i'm just really tired and i am ready for this week to be over. between travel, sickness and being back at work - i am spent.
by the way, there are more pictures to come.
i read this today and thought it was interesting and possibly the greatest invention ever.
Hewlett Packard is producing cameras that can slim the subject, negating the old "camera adds 10 pounds" rule. The slimming effect can be subtle or dramatic, depending on what the camera operator chooses.
AOL.com 11.17.06
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
hope you're not bored yet...
i promise only a couple more days of pics.
i really enjoyed our trip to the statue of liberty but it was soooo cold and we were on a small island. i'm convinced the wind chill was around 10 degrees. e took all the photos and i think the top two are quite nice.
random subway shot.
from our trip to MOMA. i enjoyed it but really wasn't in a museum-y mood. i'm afraid i didn't make the most of it.
on wednesday we saw martin short's broadway show. i was unsure but e really wanted to go and i'm glad we did. it was fuuuuny. and rob lowe and jon stewart were in the audience. jon stewart actually particpated in the show. it was a good time.
i really enjoyed our trip to the statue of liberty but it was soooo cold and we were on a small island. i'm convinced the wind chill was around 10 degrees. e took all the photos and i think the top two are quite nice.
random subway shot.
from our trip to MOMA. i enjoyed it but really wasn't in a museum-y mood. i'm afraid i didn't make the most of it.
on wednesday we saw martin short's broadway show. i was unsure but e really wanted to go and i'm glad we did. it was fuuuuny. and rob lowe and jon stewart were in the audience. jon stewart actually particpated in the show. it was a good time.
cough, hack, cough, cough.
i think i might be slightly high from my cough syrup. is this possible? could two measly teaspoons make me feel a little loopy? hmmm. anyway, i'm struggling today. i also had to go to the blood suckers and i was told i would likely get 10 times sicker in the next 24 hours. great. she said something about baby blood cells.
while poking around online over at catie jo's site i stumbled onto www.reprodepot.com. what a fun little store. and i just had to share this t-shirt. after all of my liver drama it just made me laugh (sorry - not the best picture).
You Are My Liver Tee
i also saw this cool little product today.
while poking around online over at catie jo's site i stumbled onto www.reprodepot.com. what a fun little store. and i just had to share this t-shirt. after all of my liver drama it just made me laugh (sorry - not the best picture).
You Are My Liver Tee
i also saw this cool little product today.
Monday, December 11, 2006
day two.
the chrysler building...ohhh how i dig this building.
a couple of views from the empire state building.
the rockettes were really cool. i expected a few kicks here and there but it was a great show. good production. e was in charge of the camera and didn't get a shot of the kicks. geez.
at fao schwarz.
the new 24 hour apple store with traveling cashiers.
i'm still feeling pretty sick but i survived the workday and turned in my final drawing. i think i will easily make a B in the class and i'm feeling pretty good about it.
and for those of you transplanted okies...i leave you with this.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
party, party, potty
so our first night in the big apple we tackled the subway, stopped at grand central station, saw the infamous tree and went to times square. here are some photos from that outing.
grand central with kaleidoscope light show - i love this building
yes, those dark figures are us. some nice woman offered to take our photo and this is what we got. there were about a bizzilion people there.
and of course we made it by the charmin pottys. it was a very odd experience. there was a song and dancing cleaning people. very odd indeed. i took a few photos inside the potty but it was very small.
sadly e spent the last few days of the trip sick. and i've started feeling bad just in time to head back to work tomorrow. i'm not looking forward to work especially after the last month i had. oh how i dread a full week.
my christmas tree is up and i've actually wrapped some presents. tomorrow is my last drawing class and i have to turn in a final drawing - which i've yet to start...sigh. i'm off to do that now.
grand central with kaleidoscope light show - i love this building
yes, those dark figures are us. some nice woman offered to take our photo and this is what we got. there were about a bizzilion people there.
and of course we made it by the charmin pottys. it was a very odd experience. there was a song and dancing cleaning people. very odd indeed. i took a few photos inside the potty but it was very small.
sadly e spent the last few days of the trip sick. and i've started feeling bad just in time to head back to work tomorrow. i'm not looking forward to work especially after the last month i had. oh how i dread a full week.
my christmas tree is up and i've actually wrapped some presents. tomorrow is my last drawing class and i have to turn in a final drawing - which i've yet to start...sigh. i'm off to do that now.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
i'm back...
will have more pics and stories to post later. in the meantime a couple of tidbits...
- i would be skinnier in nyc. such fast walking.
- there are 51 starbucks listed in the manhattan phone book.
- hot dogs and candied nuts from street vendors...yummy.
- the subway is quite easy afterall. we didn't take one wrong train.
- so many people. so many languages spoken.
- cold. but no rain...yea. (thanks catie for the scarf via melissa - it served me well.)
- my nose looks big in this picture
Saturday, December 02, 2006
the final countdown
still have some errands to run, clothes to pack and information to compile. what did i do the last two days? oh yeah, there was veggie chili to make, a trip to target and the new chickfila in blizzard like conditions, having the biggest stupid needle i've ever seen stuck in my arm, three cups of hot chocolate with real whipped cream and a little bit of laziness.
oh well. all will get done and we will be on the plane at 8:30 in the a.m.
i'll be back in a week.
oh well. all will get done and we will be on the plane at 8:30 in the a.m.
i'll be back in a week.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
another snow day!
this is the best pre-vacation vacation i've ever had. it's official i didn't work one whole week the month of novemeber. very nice.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
oh the weather outside is frightful.
you would think that oklahoma has never had freezing rain and frigid temperatures. the whole state has gone into disaster, stock your pantry mode.and in typical oklahoma fashion this morning it was 60 degrees and now it is a crisp 30 degrees. last night e wanted to turn on the ac.
anyway, meetings are being cancelled and people are running to the store for the just in case items. one local station has dubed it "the big chill" in there promos.
just a few months ago i was whine posting about the heat. gee. i'm never happy.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
the vampires are coming.
so i got word today that starting this week i will be giving blood weekly. after a lengthy phone call i've learned that the blood bank is unable to use my blood because i am on such a heavy donation schedule. once i start giving quarterly it will usable. hmmm. so blood will be drawn and a test performed. for the time being the weekly testing will cost $15 and i'm not sure if my insurance will cover it. that will require another lengthy phone call to determine and i'm going to wait a day or two to tackle that.
for now i am happy knowing that i'm finally able to get this treatment ball rolling.
for now i am happy knowing that i'm finally able to get this treatment ball rolling.
windows, windows everywhere
last night i was watching tv and there was a story about the infamous department store christmas windows in nyc. and since i'm a christmas nerd and will be able to see the windows soon - i watched the story. having so much to do with christmas - barney's has an andy warhol window. odd to me really. and along with the window the store has a plethora of warhol reproduction items. anyway, i came across this story about the window and warhol and i found his quotes quite humorous. i'm pretty ignorant about art history and the role of warhol but i find him to be a very interesting character. he seems very much like a character to me.
Was a Male Warhol Bride! Pop Go Barneys’ Windows
By: Simon DoonanDate: 11/27/2006 Page: 10
New York Observer
I feel that Andy Warhol spoke for all of us when he said: “You can’t take a princess to dinner and order a cookie for starters no matter how much you crave one. People expect you to eat protein and you do, so they won’t talk. If you decided to be stubborn and ordered the cookie, you’d wind up having to talk about why you want it and your philosophy of eating a cookie for dinner. And that would be too much trouble, so you order lamb and forget about what you really want.”
Quel truth! Quel profundity!
You must excuse my exclamation marks and my demented enthusiasm. I have been living with the ghost of Andy Warhol for a while now, and it’s starting to get to me.
Here’s the story: Along with my esteemed colleagues, I have spent the last year concocting the ultimate art/commerce/Warhol marketing assault. The goal? Enticing holiday shoppers to drop their shekels into Barneys’ coffers. This season, thanks to my ghost, every aspect of the Barneys holiday promotion—windows, shopping bags, gift cards, etc.—bears the Warhol imprimatur. We’re even selling Andy’s Art. Our limited edition Warhol Campbell’s Soup Cans ($12 a pop) have been flying off the shelves. Barneys has turned into a veritable D’Agostino (price check on aisle three!)—proving, if nothing else, that people really do love art, especially if it’s bargain-priced and has a wholesome edible component.
Re wholesomeness: As tempting as it was to pack the Yuletide window displays with raunchy images of drug-addled transvestites, Brigid Berlin’s boob paintings, seedy hustlers, Taylor Meade’s nude buttocks, car-crash victims, syringes and electric chairs, I somehow managed to restrain myself. I bowed to the spirit of the season and privileged more savory fare. The bulk of the appropriated Warholabilia consists of non-contentious illustrations from the early part of the artist’s oeuvre. And then there are the Warhol quotations.
As I researched the world of Warhol, I was struck anew by the charm and pithiness of Andy’s homespun philosophizing. Part Erma Bombeck and part Dan Quayle, the goofy Warhol aphorisms are hilarious and totally lacking in pomposity. And I found so many gems that I had never heard before.
Andy on Christmas in New York: “Christmas is when you have to go to the bank and get crisp money to put in envelopes from the stationery store for tips. After you tip the doorman, he goes on sick leave or quits and the new one isn’t impressed.”
Andy on dour, pretentious Debbie-downer artsy-fartsy people: “In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like ‘charming’ and ‘clever’ and ‘pretty’ are all put-downs; all the lighter things in life, which are the most important things, are a putdown.”
Andy on the subjective nature of beauty: “If everyone’s not a beauty, then nobody is.”
Andy on (bad) movie acting: “When I played an airport person in a movie with Elizabeth Taylor the lines they gave me were something like, ‘Let’s go. I have an important date,’ but it kept coming out of my mouth, ‘Come on girls.’”
Andy on hiding from the cleaning woman: “When I go to a hotel, I find myself trying to stay there all day so the maid can’t come in …. I just don’t know where to put my eyes, where to look, what to do while they’re cleaning. It’s actually a lot of work, avoiding the maid, when I think about it.”
Andy on the perils of borrowing: “After you PAY SOMEBODY BACK you never run into them any more. But before that, they’re EVERYWHERE.” (Andy’s caps.)
Andy on Central Park: “I’m a city boy. In the city they’ve set it up so you can go to a park and be in a miniature countryside, but in the countryside they don’t have any patches of big city, so I get very homesick.”
Andy on the delights of hokey-ness: “I can only understand really amateur performers or really bad performers, because whatever they do never really comes off, so therefore it can’t be phony.”
Andy on saving energy: “If you can convince yourself that you look fabulous, you can save yourself the trouble of primping.”
What, I wondered as I put the finishing touches to the Barneys displays last Friday, at the same time marveling at the hordes of Louboutin-shod groovy chicks streaming down Madison Avenue, would Andy have made of the primp-fest that is New York today? What would he have made of the narcissistic shenanigans of Art Basel? What would he have made of the fact that businessmen now dress like members of the Velvet Underground? What would he have made of the fact that everybody is “groovy” and nobody is “square” anymore?
Lots of really heavy people—the irate, elitist counterculturalists with the heavy brains referred to above—are down on 21st-century Manhattan. They hate the lack of esoteric nightclubs and the democratization of that downtown grooviness that was once the prerogative of the select few.
These heavy people are convinced that New York, having reached a hipster apotheosis during the swinging Factory years, is now in decline.
Would Andy have become one of these things-ain’t-what-they-used-to-be kvetchers? I think not.
I am convinced that, were he alive today, Andy’s populist sensibility would have prevailed, and he would be in a permanent state of amused delirium. His relentless, indiscriminate socializing would have continued and, with a “Gee!” or a “Wow!”, he would have embraced any and all changes, no matter how cheesy or craven. He would be hanging out with everyone from Donald Trump to Paper magazine’s Mr. Mickey. Rich as Croesus, he would be living in a glass Richard Meier penthouse down by the river, alongside a reality-TV film crew and a couple of good-looking male minions whose sole job it was to YouTube Andy’s every activity.
Every grotesque hilarity of our culture—especially the obsession with celebrity and glamour that he jump-started—would be embraced and enjoyed by Andy. There’s no question in my mind that he would own an apartment in Dubai, wedged between Sir Elton and the Beckhams.
In the course of prepping the window displays, I solicited quotes from former members of the Warhol crowd. The most hauntingly apposite came from the pen of former Interview columnist Glenn O’Brien: “In the future everyone will be Andy Warhol for fifteen minutes.”
Glenn is right: Despite what the heavy people say, everyone can now be as cool and groovy as Andy. Hipness, that mysterious downtown sensibility which once eluded the bulk of the population, can now be bought just like a Coke or a can of Campbell’s Soup.
The spirit of Andy lives!
Death to elitism! Long live populism!
Since we are in a celebratory mood, let’s end with a festive money-saving tip from Andy: “Employees make the best dates. You don’t have to pick them up and they are always tax-deductible.”
PS: I think it is also safe to assume that, when dining with an employee, one could order a cookie for one’s main course without fear of censure.
Monday, November 27, 2006
now i'm not so sure.
50,000 is a lot of people. but then again dancing, toilet cleaners is a must see. nothing like a strange toilet experience.
New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
It's potty time for 50,000 on B'way
BY BRENDAN BROSHDAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, November 26th, 2006
One of the biggest new tourist attractions in Times Square isn't a Broadway show or a theme restaurant.
It's a toilet.
More than 50,000 people have visited a 20-stall potty palace that toilet paper giant Charmin opened at 1540 Broadway last Monday - and it's not just for the novelty.
The rest rooms, which will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. through the end of December, are a much-needed amenity in a city famously lacking in public rest rooms, said people waiting to use the loos.
"If this wasn't here, I would have gone in the street," said Jason Dunne, 32, of Ireland.
About 50 people stood between Dunne and the bathrooms yesterday - but many more people were behind him in line.
"I just gotta go," said Michael Brown, 19, of Baltimore.
The Charmin toilets are disappearing by 2007, but New Yorkers shouldn't have to wait too much longer for public rest rooms.
Self-cleaning, 25-cent kiosks are scheduled to be on the streets in the spring, thanks to a deal the city signed in September 2005 after years of delays, screwups and redesigns.
"It took Charmin three weeks to build this space, and it's taken the city 15 years to create public rest rooms," said Tim Collins, a manager at the site.
The city's public johns likely won't offer as surreal an experience as Charmin does.
Visitors must take an escalator to the second floor of the building, where the entire space is decorated in blue and white. Toilets No. 1 and No. 2 are designated "Gotta Go Stalls - For Little Squirt Emergencies."
Dancing bathroom attendants clean each gleaming stall after every use.
"It was the strangest toilet experience of my life," said Alex Lofthouse, who was visiting from England. "It makes you smile."
New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
It's potty time for 50,000 on B'way
BY BRENDAN BROSHDAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, November 26th, 2006
One of the biggest new tourist attractions in Times Square isn't a Broadway show or a theme restaurant.
It's a toilet.
More than 50,000 people have visited a 20-stall potty palace that toilet paper giant Charmin opened at 1540 Broadway last Monday - and it's not just for the novelty.
The rest rooms, which will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. through the end of December, are a much-needed amenity in a city famously lacking in public rest rooms, said people waiting to use the loos.
"If this wasn't here, I would have gone in the street," said Jason Dunne, 32, of Ireland.
About 50 people stood between Dunne and the bathrooms yesterday - but many more people were behind him in line.
"I just gotta go," said Michael Brown, 19, of Baltimore.
The Charmin toilets are disappearing by 2007, but New Yorkers shouldn't have to wait too much longer for public rest rooms.
Self-cleaning, 25-cent kiosks are scheduled to be on the streets in the spring, thanks to a deal the city signed in September 2005 after years of delays, screwups and redesigns.
"It took Charmin three weeks to build this space, and it's taken the city 15 years to create public rest rooms," said Tim Collins, a manager at the site.
The city's public johns likely won't offer as surreal an experience as Charmin does.
Visitors must take an escalator to the second floor of the building, where the entire space is decorated in blue and white. Toilets No. 1 and No. 2 are designated "Gotta Go Stalls - For Little Squirt Emergencies."
Dancing bathroom attendants clean each gleaming stall after every use.
"It was the strangest toilet experience of my life," said Alex Lofthouse, who was visiting from England. "It makes you smile."
early christmas cheer.
a little something to pass the time. if you click on the "office max" in the lower right hand corner there are lots of other fun things.
i really shake the globe.
i really shake the globe.
too much downtime...
makes me a slightly larger girl. i've had 7 days off over the last three weeks and it has led to me eat a lot, i mean a lot of crap. and sadly, normalcy will not return for a good month.
we are leaving for our trip in less than a week and my mind is trapped somewhere between stress and giddy. just 4.5 days of blah work. by the way, today is my 1 year anniversary at work. i survived a year which was my main goal from the 2nd day here when i realized it was a black hole of bureaucracy, inefficiency and blah. and luckily i've become numb to the black hole - at least for now. at least there's good pay and lots of leave. plus, i got the following email today.
On November 15, 2006 Governor Brad Henry issued an executive order directing that a one-time state holiday to be known as Statehood Day be observed on November 16, 2007, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Centennial.
i must go back to the blah. happy monday/blahday to you.
we are leaving for our trip in less than a week and my mind is trapped somewhere between stress and giddy. just 4.5 days of blah work. by the way, today is my 1 year anniversary at work. i survived a year which was my main goal from the 2nd day here when i realized it was a black hole of bureaucracy, inefficiency and blah. and luckily i've become numb to the black hole - at least for now. at least there's good pay and lots of leave. plus, i got the following email today.
On November 15, 2006 Governor Brad Henry issued an executive order directing that a one-time state holiday to be known as Statehood Day be observed on November 16, 2007, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Centennial.
i must go back to the blah. happy monday/blahday to you.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
the countdown has begun...
here's to some quality family time. happy thanksgiving.
and thank you for being a part of my friend family.
and thank you for being a part of my friend family.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
you know i'll need to go...
Times Square debuts holiday toilets
By Ibby Caputo
Special to amNewYork
November 21, 2006
New Yorkers on the go finally have a place to, well, go – at least in the vicinity of Times Square.The city famous for its lack of public restrooms got an early – albeit temporary – holiday present Monday, in the form of 20 toilets that are being billed as "the plushest flush" in town.
Located at 1540 Broadway, next to the Virgin Megastore, they feature baby changing stations and stroller parking, as well as less-conventional restroom amenities such as disco balls and a chance to take a photo with an oversized teddy bear.Attendants have been hired to clean the stalls after every use.
Actress Doris Roberts, who played the mom on the television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," opened the facility by cutting a toilet-paper ribbon in front of stall No. 17. As cameras rolled, she described taking her son to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when he was 8.After hours of watching the balloons, he did "a little tinkle dance," she said, but the only "public restroom" she could find for him was a tree in Central Park – something that, she admitted, is now illegal. "It's a necessity that we don't think about regularly," Roberts said, before adding a plea to city officials for year-round public restrooms.
The Times Square restrooms are sponsored by the toilet tissue Charmin. Dewayne Guy, spokesman for the manufacturer, Procter & Gamble, declined to say how much it's costing the company to operate them. But, he admitted, "after advertising spending, it's the largest expenditure of the year.
"The facility will be open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week except for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, when it will close at 6 p.m. It will be closed entirely on Christmas, and permanently as of the new year.
By Ibby Caputo
Special to amNewYork
November 21, 2006
New Yorkers on the go finally have a place to, well, go – at least in the vicinity of Times Square.The city famous for its lack of public restrooms got an early – albeit temporary – holiday present Monday, in the form of 20 toilets that are being billed as "the plushest flush" in town.
Located at 1540 Broadway, next to the Virgin Megastore, they feature baby changing stations and stroller parking, as well as less-conventional restroom amenities such as disco balls and a chance to take a photo with an oversized teddy bear.Attendants have been hired to clean the stalls after every use.
Actress Doris Roberts, who played the mom on the television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," opened the facility by cutting a toilet-paper ribbon in front of stall No. 17. As cameras rolled, she described taking her son to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when he was 8.After hours of watching the balloons, he did "a little tinkle dance," she said, but the only "public restroom" she could find for him was a tree in Central Park – something that, she admitted, is now illegal. "It's a necessity that we don't think about regularly," Roberts said, before adding a plea to city officials for year-round public restrooms.
The Times Square restrooms are sponsored by the toilet tissue Charmin. Dewayne Guy, spokesman for the manufacturer, Procter & Gamble, declined to say how much it's costing the company to operate them. But, he admitted, "after advertising spending, it's the largest expenditure of the year.
"The facility will be open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week except for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, when it will close at 6 p.m. It will be closed entirely on Christmas, and permanently as of the new year.
Monday, November 20, 2006
america at its finest
next it will be the coca cola statue of liberty, the sprint empire state building or maybe even the microsoft grand canyon.
Golden Gate Bridge Seeks Corporate Sponsors
But Won't Sell Naming Rights
By Alice Z. Cuneo
Published: November 20, 2006 SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- It won't be renamed the Golden Arches Bridge, but the directors of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge are looking for corporate sponsors to help subsidize the landmark's $87 million deficit.
The Golden Gate Bridge, one of America's most famous and photographed landmarks, is seeking corporate sponsors for brand integration deals.
'Appropriate' sponsors
The district has hired Kevin Bartram, president, Sponsorship Strategies in Novato, Calif., for a six-month study of how to place corporate sponsorships for the world-renowned tourist attraction. The directors have made it clear they won't change the name of the bridge. Mr. Bartram said he is looking for "appropriate" sponsorships that allow association with the bridge "without having a huge presence on the bridge." Some of the corporate-sponsorship projects he will review include the Statue of Liberty and Washington Monument restorations. He noted the bridge district has buses, ferries and a gift shop that could accommodate sponsorships.
Local opposition
Still, some of San Francisco's leading ad folks had mixed feelings about the bridge-sponsorship project. Venables, Bell & Partners founder Paul Venables said having the name of an out-of-town company on the bridge "would be horrible" and "make a mockery of our city." One example: Rice-A-Roni, which is known as the San Francisco treat and still uses a cable car as its marketing icon, but is now owned by a Chicago company. But a San Francisco company might do. Local favorites include Gap, Levi Strauss and George Lucas, whose headquarters in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area's Presidio is close to the bridge. Silicon Valley tech companies such as Google and Hewlett-Packard also might be candidates. But Mr. Bartram said he also will consider companies that compete with the locals, such as Microsoft.
Suicide issue
Some wonder whether the bridge, which has been the site of more than 1,200 suicides, might deter would-be sponsors. Hal Riney, founder of the agency now known as Publicis & Hal Riney, called the sponsorship concept "appalling" but added sardonically: "It's possible some clever minds might find some way to merchandise [potential suicides] as well. Maybe they could charge 10 thousand bucks each and we could welcome these people." Rich Silverstein, co-chairman and co-creative director, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, bicycles over the bridge on his way to work at least three times a week. He called the proposal "offensive" and said he would boycott any marketer that participated in the venture. "The Golden Gate Bridge should never be used for marketing," he said.
Golden Gate Bridge Seeks Corporate Sponsors
But Won't Sell Naming Rights
By Alice Z. Cuneo
Published: November 20, 2006 SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- It won't be renamed the Golden Arches Bridge, but the directors of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge are looking for corporate sponsors to help subsidize the landmark's $87 million deficit.
The Golden Gate Bridge, one of America's most famous and photographed landmarks, is seeking corporate sponsors for brand integration deals.
'Appropriate' sponsors
The district has hired Kevin Bartram, president, Sponsorship Strategies in Novato, Calif., for a six-month study of how to place corporate sponsorships for the world-renowned tourist attraction. The directors have made it clear they won't change the name of the bridge. Mr. Bartram said he is looking for "appropriate" sponsorships that allow association with the bridge "without having a huge presence on the bridge." Some of the corporate-sponsorship projects he will review include the Statue of Liberty and Washington Monument restorations. He noted the bridge district has buses, ferries and a gift shop that could accommodate sponsorships.
Local opposition
Still, some of San Francisco's leading ad folks had mixed feelings about the bridge-sponsorship project. Venables, Bell & Partners founder Paul Venables said having the name of an out-of-town company on the bridge "would be horrible" and "make a mockery of our city." One example: Rice-A-Roni, which is known as the San Francisco treat and still uses a cable car as its marketing icon, but is now owned by a Chicago company. But a San Francisco company might do. Local favorites include Gap, Levi Strauss and George Lucas, whose headquarters in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area's Presidio is close to the bridge. Silicon Valley tech companies such as Google and Hewlett-Packard also might be candidates. But Mr. Bartram said he also will consider companies that compete with the locals, such as Microsoft.
Suicide issue
Some wonder whether the bridge, which has been the site of more than 1,200 suicides, might deter would-be sponsors. Hal Riney, founder of the agency now known as Publicis & Hal Riney, called the sponsorship concept "appalling" but added sardonically: "It's possible some clever minds might find some way to merchandise [potential suicides] as well. Maybe they could charge 10 thousand bucks each and we could welcome these people." Rich Silverstein, co-chairman and co-creative director, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, bicycles over the bridge on his way to work at least three times a week. He called the proposal "offensive" and said he would boycott any marketer that participated in the venture. "The Golden Gate Bridge should never be used for marketing," he said.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
blah.
it's back to work tomorrow. and oddly enough i'm still sore. laughing is hell. i think my body is mad at me for a few reasons. lack of movement. over abundance of bad food. taking a sliver from my liver. tonight i think i need to do some yoga - i'm feeling very tight and stiff.
anyway, i'm good and e has survived his first stint of being the caretaker. he did a good job. thanks everyone for your well wishes!
happy short week. three casual days for me. woo.
anyway, i'm good and e has survived his first stint of being the caretaker. he did a good job. thanks everyone for your well wishes!
happy short week. three casual days for me. woo.
Friday, November 17, 2006
my happy but painful liver
this morning i went to the doctor to have him check me out and make sure the pain i was having was ok/normal pain. and it is. but as an added bonus he already had my biopsy results. word is that i have a happy liver. there are high levels of iron but no damage has been done. the levels indicate early stages of hereditary hemochromatosis and from here i will start giving blood.
this happy news makes my inability to laugh, sneeze, cough, sit-up straight or breathe deeply seem not so bad.
i took this picture last night - not that this captures the sunset but it was beautiful. imagine me on loratab, waddling out in my mismatched pjs with really bad hair snapping this picture. now that would have been a good pic.
this happy news makes my inability to laugh, sneeze, cough, sit-up straight or breathe deeply seem not so bad.
i took this picture last night - not that this captures the sunset but it was beautiful. imagine me on loratab, waddling out in my mismatched pjs with really bad hair snapping this picture. now that would have been a good pic.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
i'm alive.
well i survived the poking of my liver. the procedure was a piece of cake but the recovery is kicking my rear. my right shoulder and something inside hurt like crazy when i move the wrong way. but thanks to modern meds i think i'm going to survive.
i'm sure you will hear more from me tomorrow but now my loratab is kicking in so i'm going back to the couch.
i'm sure you will hear more from me tomorrow but now my loratab is kicking in so i'm going back to the couch.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
hungry like a desperate 80's band...
dear duran duran:
have you no pride?
love,
your fan since the 4th grade
Timberlake works on Duran-Duran album
Sun Nov 12, 2:45 PM ET
Justin Timberlake is working on Duran Duran's new album, along with superproducer Timbaland, who created recent smash hits for both Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, the British band said.
"We've got some good stuff happening," said lead singer Simon LeBon. "We've done three tracks with Timbaland; we've collaborated in a writing and production manner on one of those tracks with Justin Timberlake. We've got a lot really hot producers who are hotly interested in working with us at the moment. We are in a very good space."
Duran Duran, who had its biggest hits in the '80s with such songs as "Rio" and "The Reflex," was in New York last Tuesday to perform at Cipriani's at a benefit for the AIDS research organization AmFar. The night also featured an auction, led by Sharon Stone, of luxury items.
The performance was without one of its founding members: Guitarist Andy Taylor left the group late last month.
Bassist Josh Taylor likened the split to a divorce. He said, "There were many strong differences of feeling within the band for some time now."
However, he said, Taylor's departure has been "empowering, quite freeing" for Duran Duran.
"We've been playing over the last few weeks around Europe and in the States, and we're just putting it into the music," he said
have you no pride?
love,
your fan since the 4th grade
Timberlake works on Duran-Duran album
Sun Nov 12, 2:45 PM ET
Justin Timberlake is working on Duran Duran's new album, along with superproducer Timbaland, who created recent smash hits for both Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, the British band said.
"We've got some good stuff happening," said lead singer Simon LeBon. "We've done three tracks with Timbaland; we've collaborated in a writing and production manner on one of those tracks with Justin Timberlake. We've got a lot really hot producers who are hotly interested in working with us at the moment. We are in a very good space."
Duran Duran, who had its biggest hits in the '80s with such songs as "Rio" and "The Reflex," was in New York last Tuesday to perform at Cipriani's at a benefit for the AIDS research organization AmFar. The night also featured an auction, led by Sharon Stone, of luxury items.
The performance was without one of its founding members: Guitarist Andy Taylor left the group late last month.
Bassist Josh Taylor likened the split to a divorce. He said, "There were many strong differences of feeling within the band for some time now."
However, he said, Taylor's departure has been "empowering, quite freeing" for Duran Duran.
"We've been playing over the last few weeks around Europe and in the States, and we're just putting it into the music," he said
Monday, November 13, 2006
seriously george.
maybe there's something i'm not getting here but when referring to the president of the u.s. and the administration aren't we talking about the united states - you know land of democracy, freedom, justice, blah, blah, blah, i'm proud to be an american.
seriously, detainees have no rights. i know this terrorism thing is a bit hairy and there are probably no right or wrong answers but if it's foreign terrorists now - who is it going to be next. or are we just alright with that as long as we feel safe. sorry...just some rambling to wrap up the work day.
Administration: Detainees have no rights
By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago
The Bush administration said Monday that Guantanamo Bay prisoners have no right to challenge their detentions in civilian courts and that lawsuits by hundreds of detainees should be dismissed.
In court documents filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Justice Department defended the military's authority to arrest people overseas and detain them indefinitely without access to courts.
It's the first time that argument has been spelled out since President Bush signed a law last month setting up military commissions for the thousands of foreigners being held in U.S. prisons abroad.
Bush hailed the law as a crucial tool in the war on terrorism and said it would allow prosecution of several high-level terror suspects.
Human rights groups and attorneys for the detainees say the law is unconstitutional. Prisoners normally have the right to challenge their imprisonment.
The Justice Department said Monday that the detainees have no constitutional rights. Giving military detainees access to civilian courts "would severely impair the military's ability to defend this country," government attorneys wrote.
"Congress could have simply withdrawn jurisdiction over these matters and left the decision of whether to detain enemy aliens held abroad to the military," the Justice Department wrote.
Instead, the new military commission structure established "unprecedented" levels of review for detainees, the attorneys wrote.
On the Net:
Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov
seriously, detainees have no rights. i know this terrorism thing is a bit hairy and there are probably no right or wrong answers but if it's foreign terrorists now - who is it going to be next. or are we just alright with that as long as we feel safe. sorry...just some rambling to wrap up the work day.
Administration: Detainees have no rights
By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago
The Bush administration said Monday that Guantanamo Bay prisoners have no right to challenge their detentions in civilian courts and that lawsuits by hundreds of detainees should be dismissed.
In court documents filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Justice Department defended the military's authority to arrest people overseas and detain them indefinitely without access to courts.
It's the first time that argument has been spelled out since President Bush signed a law last month setting up military commissions for the thousands of foreigners being held in U.S. prisons abroad.
Bush hailed the law as a crucial tool in the war on terrorism and said it would allow prosecution of several high-level terror suspects.
Human rights groups and attorneys for the detainees say the law is unconstitutional. Prisoners normally have the right to challenge their imprisonment.
The Justice Department said Monday that the detainees have no constitutional rights. Giving military detainees access to civilian courts "would severely impair the military's ability to defend this country," government attorneys wrote.
"Congress could have simply withdrawn jurisdiction over these matters and left the decision of whether to detain enemy aliens held abroad to the military," the Justice Department wrote.
Instead, the new military commission structure established "unprecedented" levels of review for detainees, the attorneys wrote.
On the Net:
Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov
i'm just waiting...
for them to insert a chip in my head that will work as a music device. no worries about disturbing your neighbors, wearing headphones - just a nice chip that communicates directly with the computer and only plays music in your head.
just think - the mark of the beast might just be a portable music device.
Got a song stuck in your head? Maybe it's your toothbrushUpdated
10/12/2006 10:17 AM ET
By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Hasbro is rolling out a toothbrush that plays pop music through kids' pearly whites while it polishes them.
The company's Tiger Electronics division is getting into the $3 billion oral hygiene business with a $10 "Tooth Tunes" toothbrush that goes on sale Thursday in New York City retailers and at toothtunes.com. It will roll out nationally in the first quarter.
The brush, in development for two years, will come in 18 varieties, each with a different two-minute song clip — the amount of time dentists recommend for a good brushing — from a popular artist.
When the user pushes a button on the manual toothbrush, it "plays" a song. As the bristles are brushed across the teeth, they send sound waves through them so that the user hears the song in his or her head.
It may not be a toy, but Hasbro (HAS) says the "fun factor" makes it a good business opportunity. "This is really incremental business for us," says Duncan Billing, Hasbro's chief marketing officer. "It's a big opportunity."
Children represent one of the fastest-growing segments in oral hygiene, according to the Children's Personal Care 2006 market study by Mintel. Sales of $161 million are expected by 2009, up from $135 million today.
Dentist Matthew Messina, a consumer spokesman for the American Dental Association, says that kids need new toothbrushes every four to six months. While Tooth Tunes cost more than the $3 average, he says they can succeed if they get kids to brush better.
"It's a gimmick, but anything that increases the amount of time that someone might spend with a toothbrush in their mouth might be a plus," says Messina of Fairview Park, Ohio. "But if you look in there and there's still broccoli between the teeth, it's probably not where we need to be."
Hasbro says the toothbrush also encourages kids to brush properly. Sound quality tapers off when the bristles move across teeth rather than up and down. "The better you brush, the better the sounds," Billing says.
Tiger chose upbeat songs that could be easily replicated with decent quality. New hits and old favorites include Let's Get It Started by the Black Eyed Peas; Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson; Shake a Tail Feather by The Cheetah Girls; the Rocky Theme Song; and We Will Rock You by Queen.
"We wanted the right songs, technically and lyrically," says Dave Capper, who co-invented the brush for Tiger.
The Hasbro division also produces the popular HitClips line of small devices that clip to backpacks and play song sound bites. Tiger had ties with record labels thanks to earlier deals for HitClips. For Tooth Tunes, it has deals with Interscope Records, Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, EMI-Capital Records, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group.
"It's really, really cool," says Adrienne Bailon, 17, of The Cheetah Girls. "We're also having dolls made, but toothbrushes are awesome. It's a whole new technology and other level of technology for our generation."
The toothbrushes will get a push from a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign that begins Oct. 23. The TV ad was inspired by an award-winning 1984 TV ad for Apple, that showed a revolutionary change with its then-new Macintosh personal computers.
just think - the mark of the beast might just be a portable music device.
Got a song stuck in your head? Maybe it's your toothbrushUpdated
10/12/2006 10:17 AM ET
By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Hasbro is rolling out a toothbrush that plays pop music through kids' pearly whites while it polishes them.
The company's Tiger Electronics division is getting into the $3 billion oral hygiene business with a $10 "Tooth Tunes" toothbrush that goes on sale Thursday in New York City retailers and at toothtunes.com. It will roll out nationally in the first quarter.
The brush, in development for two years, will come in 18 varieties, each with a different two-minute song clip — the amount of time dentists recommend for a good brushing — from a popular artist.
When the user pushes a button on the manual toothbrush, it "plays" a song. As the bristles are brushed across the teeth, they send sound waves through them so that the user hears the song in his or her head.
It may not be a toy, but Hasbro (HAS) says the "fun factor" makes it a good business opportunity. "This is really incremental business for us," says Duncan Billing, Hasbro's chief marketing officer. "It's a big opportunity."
Children represent one of the fastest-growing segments in oral hygiene, according to the Children's Personal Care 2006 market study by Mintel. Sales of $161 million are expected by 2009, up from $135 million today.
Dentist Matthew Messina, a consumer spokesman for the American Dental Association, says that kids need new toothbrushes every four to six months. While Tooth Tunes cost more than the $3 average, he says they can succeed if they get kids to brush better.
"It's a gimmick, but anything that increases the amount of time that someone might spend with a toothbrush in their mouth might be a plus," says Messina of Fairview Park, Ohio. "But if you look in there and there's still broccoli between the teeth, it's probably not where we need to be."
Hasbro says the toothbrush also encourages kids to brush properly. Sound quality tapers off when the bristles move across teeth rather than up and down. "The better you brush, the better the sounds," Billing says.
Tiger chose upbeat songs that could be easily replicated with decent quality. New hits and old favorites include Let's Get It Started by the Black Eyed Peas; Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson; Shake a Tail Feather by The Cheetah Girls; the Rocky Theme Song; and We Will Rock You by Queen.
"We wanted the right songs, technically and lyrically," says Dave Capper, who co-invented the brush for Tiger.
The Hasbro division also produces the popular HitClips line of small devices that clip to backpacks and play song sound bites. Tiger had ties with record labels thanks to earlier deals for HitClips. For Tooth Tunes, it has deals with Interscope Records, Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, EMI-Capital Records, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group.
"It's really, really cool," says Adrienne Bailon, 17, of The Cheetah Girls. "We're also having dolls made, but toothbrushes are awesome. It's a whole new technology and other level of technology for our generation."
The toothbrushes will get a push from a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign that begins Oct. 23. The TV ad was inspired by an award-winning 1984 TV ad for Apple, that showed a revolutionary change with its then-new Macintosh personal computers.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
not another sunday night...
but i guess i shouldn't complain after a lovely 4 day weekend. but still. non-working days rock.
e and i had a great anniversary celebratory weekend. good times. and he will be home for quite awhile. honestly, i don't even know when he's supposed to go out next - i should probably find this out.
anyway, today we had a pre-thanksgiving, thanksgiving dinner with the turkey, dressing, etc. (it's a long weird family story) and i was sent home with peanut brittle and fudge. seriously, the holidays aren't even officially here and i'm already having to deal with sugary goodness. it's going to be a long holiday season. long. but i am getting excited about the holidays and was happy to see that my friend the coit's christmas tree lot santa has been erected. for some reason i love this guy.
e and i had a great anniversary celebratory weekend. good times. and he will be home for quite awhile. honestly, i don't even know when he's supposed to go out next - i should probably find this out.
anyway, today we had a pre-thanksgiving, thanksgiving dinner with the turkey, dressing, etc. (it's a long weird family story) and i was sent home with peanut brittle and fudge. seriously, the holidays aren't even officially here and i'm already having to deal with sugary goodness. it's going to be a long holiday season. long. but i am getting excited about the holidays and was happy to see that my friend the coit's christmas tree lot santa has been erected. for some reason i love this guy.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
an update
Prayer letters go to pastor's daughter
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press WriterTue Nov 7, 3:09 AM ET
A fisherman who found a bag of 300 letters to God — many addressed to a New Jersey minister — floating in the ocean off Atlantic City will give most of them to the late clergyman's daughter.
Bill Lacovara, an insurance adjuster, found the letters in a shopping bag in the surf under a pier last month. They included everything from a man asking God to let him win the lottery to a teen asking for forgiveness for an abortion.
About 150 of the letters were too damaged by the water to be legible. He placed the remaining ones up for auction on eBay but canceled the auction after more than 25 people pushed the price past $550.
Lacovara said Monday he plans to give the letters to Vanessa Cooper, daughter of the Rev. Grady Cooper, a former associate pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Jersey City who died nearly two years ago.
Many of the letters were addressed to the Rev. Cooper, but others simply said "Altar." According to the text in several letters, they were intended to be placed on a church's altar and prayed over by the minister, the congregation or both.
"I apologize to anyone who was insulted," Lacovara said. "It was never my intention to offend anyone. I was looking at these more like antiques."
He said he and his family have received many hostile letters and phone calls from people upset that the letters were put up for auction, and said it never was his intention to profit from them.
Lacovara said he heard from individuals and churches across the country who were interested in obtaining the letters so their own congregations could pray over them.
It's still not clear how the letters, some dating to 1973 and most unopened, ended up in the ocean. Lacovara speculated that someone cleaning out Cooper's former home found the letters and, instead of tossing them in the garbage, set them out to sea as a sort of final tribute to the authors.
Vanessa Cooper could not be located for comment Monday. Lacovara said he will probably ask her to meet him next week on the beach by the Steel Pier — the same spot where he found the letters.
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press WriterTue Nov 7, 3:09 AM ET
A fisherman who found a bag of 300 letters to God — many addressed to a New Jersey minister — floating in the ocean off Atlantic City will give most of them to the late clergyman's daughter.
Bill Lacovara, an insurance adjuster, found the letters in a shopping bag in the surf under a pier last month. They included everything from a man asking God to let him win the lottery to a teen asking for forgiveness for an abortion.
About 150 of the letters were too damaged by the water to be legible. He placed the remaining ones up for auction on eBay but canceled the auction after more than 25 people pushed the price past $550.
Lacovara said Monday he plans to give the letters to Vanessa Cooper, daughter of the Rev. Grady Cooper, a former associate pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Jersey City who died nearly two years ago.
Many of the letters were addressed to the Rev. Cooper, but others simply said "Altar." According to the text in several letters, they were intended to be placed on a church's altar and prayed over by the minister, the congregation or both.
"I apologize to anyone who was insulted," Lacovara said. "It was never my intention to offend anyone. I was looking at these more like antiques."
He said he and his family have received many hostile letters and phone calls from people upset that the letters were put up for auction, and said it never was his intention to profit from them.
Lacovara said he heard from individuals and churches across the country who were interested in obtaining the letters so their own congregations could pray over them.
It's still not clear how the letters, some dating to 1973 and most unopened, ended up in the ocean. Lacovara speculated that someone cleaning out Cooper's former home found the letters and, instead of tossing them in the garbage, set them out to sea as a sort of final tribute to the authors.
Vanessa Cooper could not be located for comment Monday. Lacovara said he will probably ask her to meet him next week on the beach by the Steel Pier — the same spot where he found the letters.
hot diggity doo
i voted. and i would like to apologize for my brief but passion filled political post yesterday. i tend to not be seriously political but yesterday i was really annoyed for some reason. i'm blaming it on the iron.
i'm full of randomness today so please deal with me.
e will be home tomorrow and i am really excited - he's been gone almost 2 weeks. it's funny because in the past i never really felt comfortable showing excitment (to the outside world) when he came home, also i never felt like i could show sadness or anger when he was gone. and thanks to my brief stint with the counselor i realized that somehow i thought that showing those emotions meant that i wasn't supporting him. but i'm feeling much more comfortable with the role of being honest. hmmm...isn't it funny how we get things so jacked up in our head.
last friday i got a phone call from a nurse at st. anthony's about the biopsy. apparently, when i re-scheduled the appointment the appointment setter (the same as before) managed to schedule for the 16th when i know i scheduled for the 15th. i have it on my calendar, she gave me a list of potential dates and time, i distinctively thought a wednesday is better than a tuesday. errrr. i was so annoyed. i just keep thinking you people can't schedule a good appointment for me but yet i'm going to let you stab me with a huge needle. i'm not comforted by this news. anyway, after a couple of phone calls the biopsy will take place on the 15th and my mom and e's mom want to be there. i don't care but you might worry about e. my mom alone could do him in.
i'm off work on thursday for our anniversary and friday is one of those "it rocks being a state employee" holidays. so i'm looking forward to a four day weekend.
happy tuesday. and you okies please go vote so in the future i can buy liquor on election day.
Monday, November 06, 2006
oh no...it just keeps getting worse.
Fired Evangelist Slams Gays in New Movie
Monday November 6 1:55 PM ET
The Rev. Ted Haggard has been fired amid allegations of gay sex and drug use, but the evangelical leader can still be seen at the height of his powers preaching to thousands and condemning homosexuality in the documentary "Jesus Camp." more
Monday November 6 1:55 PM ET
The Rev. Ted Haggard has been fired amid allegations of gay sex and drug use, but the evangelical leader can still be seen at the height of his powers preaching to thousands and condemning homosexuality in the documentary "Jesus Camp." more
my new favorite political ad
one more day and the lame commercials and random recorded phone messages will be over. woo.
there is a commericial airing for todd hiett, candidate for lieutenant governor that uses ET (you know that movie character from our childhood) to blame his opponent (jari askins ) for helping illegal aliens establish residency, acquire drivers licenses and get an education. seriously it is the funniest commercial because it is completely absurd. making a comparison between humans who are living in our country illegally to an extra terrestrial movie character. for some reason it just bugs the crap out of me. you can see segments of the commercial here.
go vote. go jari.
this message brought to you by the "todd hiett is too stupid for oklahoma" campaign.
there is a commericial airing for todd hiett, candidate for lieutenant governor that uses ET (you know that movie character from our childhood) to blame his opponent (jari askins ) for helping illegal aliens establish residency, acquire drivers licenses and get an education. seriously it is the funniest commercial because it is completely absurd. making a comparison between humans who are living in our country illegally to an extra terrestrial movie character. for some reason it just bugs the crap out of me. you can see segments of the commercial here.
go vote. go jari.
this message brought to you by the "todd hiett is too stupid for oklahoma" campaign.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
e and his stupid republican ways...
this morning laura bush called me. actually i was woke up by a recorded message of laura bush telling me to vote republican in next weeks election. errrr... and she wasn't calling to talk to me.
what really made me laugh was that my caller id said "Sth Prk Htl" and the number was 213.627.2800. i was tempted to call back - all i know is it's an LA number. wouldn't it be funny if they could have the caller id say "the white house."
ramble, ramble, sorry.
it's sunny and not so cold outside today - i'm about to go for a walk but i'm not very excited about it.
what really made me laugh was that my caller id said "Sth Prk Htl" and the number was 213.627.2800. i was tempted to call back - all i know is it's an LA number. wouldn't it be funny if they could have the caller id say "the white house."
ramble, ramble, sorry.
it's sunny and not so cold outside today - i'm about to go for a walk but i'm not very excited about it.
Friday, November 03, 2006
friday friday friday...oh how i love friday
so i dragged myself out of bed at 6am and headed to the gym this morning. i'm still shocked by my actually following through. i feel pretty good. i feel like i've gained a bit of control in my life. hopefully, the funk will start to lift.
i have plans tonight and tomorrow night. so hopefully i won't have too much downtime this weekend. e will be home in 5 days and our trip is less than 30 days away. woo.
i read this story this morning and i've hightlighted my favorite part.
Letters to God end up in ocean, unread
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press WriterThu Nov 2, 10:53 PM ET
Some of the letters are comical (a man asking God to let him win the lottery, twice), others are heartbreaking (a distraught teen asking forgiveness for an abortion, an unwed mother pleading with God to make the baby's father marry her). The letters — about 300 in all, sent to a New Jersey minister — ended up dumped in the ocean, most of them unopened.
The minister died two years ago at 79. How the letters, some dating to 1973, wound up bobbing in the surf is a mystery.
"There are hundreds of lives here, a lot of struggle, washed up on the beach," said Bill Lacovara, a Ventnor insurance adjuster who was fishing last month with his son when he spotted a flowered plastic shopping bag and waded out to retrieve it. "This is just a hint of what really happens. How many letters like this all over the world aren't being opened or answered?"
Many of the letters were addressed to the Rev. Grady Cooper, though many more simply said "Altar." According to the text of several of them, they were intended to be placed on a church's altar and prayed over by the minister, the congregation or both.
Some were neatly written in script on white-lined paper, others in a feverish scrawl on tattered scraps of parchment or note cards. Many were crinkled from being in the water and then dried out after Lacovara fished them out of the sea.
A dog-eared business card inside one of the letters identified Cooper as associate pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Jersey City. A woman who answered the phone at the church office confirmed Cooper once was a minister there, and had died nearly two years ago. The current pastor did not return several calls from The Associated Press over the past few days.
Other documents in the bag, including bank statements and canceled checks, also listed Cooper's name and an address for him in Jersey City. A death certificate issued in 2004 for a Grady Cooper lists the same address as those on the bank documents and some of the letters.
His wife, Frances, whose name also showed up on some of the letters at the same address, died in 2000, according to Hudson County records.
No one answered the door last week at the address where Cooper once lived, and a neighbor said he did not recall anyone by that name. Attempts to locate Cooper's relatives were unsuccessful.
Lacovara speculated that someone cleaning out Cooper's home found the letters and threw them on the beach in Atlantic City, about 100 miles from Jersey City.
"I guess rather than just throw them in the garbage, maybe they thought they'd set them out to sea to bless these people," he said. "So they made a trip to Atlantic City, maybe went to a casino, and put the letters in the water."
The letters, wrapped in several smaller brown paper bags inside the larger plastic bag, did not appear to have been in the water too long, Lacovara said, though about half were too badly damaged to be legible.
He opened a few with his son, Rocky, on the beach. The first few were humorous.
"I'm still praying to hit the lottery twice: first the $50,000," one man wrote. "Than after some changes have taken place let me hit the millionaire."
Another asked God to make a certain someone "leave me alone and stay off my back," while still another asks God to calm a woman who "call the Internal Revenue on me."
One woman complained that her husband always talks about sex, and another writer anonymously dropped a dime to God on someone cheating on his wife, complete with dates, times and locations.
But those, Lacovara soon found, were the exception.
Many more were written by anguished spouses, children or widows, pouring out their hearts to God, asking for help with relatives who were using drugs, gambling or cheating on them. One man wrote from prison, saying he was innocent and wanted to be back home with his family. A woman wrote that her boyfriend was now closing the door to her daughter's bedroom each night when it used to stay open, and wondered why.
A teenager poured out her heart on yellow-lined paper in the curlicue pencil handwriting of a schoolgirl, begging God to forgive her and asking for a second chance.
"Lord, I know that I have had an abortion and I killed one of your angels," she wrote. "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the mistake I made."
One unwed mother wrote that her baby was due in four weeks, and asked God to make the father fall in love with her and marry her so the child would have a father.
Lacovara said he is sad that most of the writers never had their letters read. But he hopes to change that soon: He is putting the collection up for sale on eBay.
i have plans tonight and tomorrow night. so hopefully i won't have too much downtime this weekend. e will be home in 5 days and our trip is less than 30 days away. woo.
i read this story this morning and i've hightlighted my favorite part.
Letters to God end up in ocean, unread
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press WriterThu Nov 2, 10:53 PM ET
Some of the letters are comical (a man asking God to let him win the lottery, twice), others are heartbreaking (a distraught teen asking forgiveness for an abortion, an unwed mother pleading with God to make the baby's father marry her). The letters — about 300 in all, sent to a New Jersey minister — ended up dumped in the ocean, most of them unopened.
The minister died two years ago at 79. How the letters, some dating to 1973, wound up bobbing in the surf is a mystery.
"There are hundreds of lives here, a lot of struggle, washed up on the beach," said Bill Lacovara, a Ventnor insurance adjuster who was fishing last month with his son when he spotted a flowered plastic shopping bag and waded out to retrieve it. "This is just a hint of what really happens. How many letters like this all over the world aren't being opened or answered?"
Many of the letters were addressed to the Rev. Grady Cooper, though many more simply said "Altar." According to the text of several of them, they were intended to be placed on a church's altar and prayed over by the minister, the congregation or both.
Some were neatly written in script on white-lined paper, others in a feverish scrawl on tattered scraps of parchment or note cards. Many were crinkled from being in the water and then dried out after Lacovara fished them out of the sea.
A dog-eared business card inside one of the letters identified Cooper as associate pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Jersey City. A woman who answered the phone at the church office confirmed Cooper once was a minister there, and had died nearly two years ago. The current pastor did not return several calls from The Associated Press over the past few days.
Other documents in the bag, including bank statements and canceled checks, also listed Cooper's name and an address for him in Jersey City. A death certificate issued in 2004 for a Grady Cooper lists the same address as those on the bank documents and some of the letters.
His wife, Frances, whose name also showed up on some of the letters at the same address, died in 2000, according to Hudson County records.
No one answered the door last week at the address where Cooper once lived, and a neighbor said he did not recall anyone by that name. Attempts to locate Cooper's relatives were unsuccessful.
Lacovara speculated that someone cleaning out Cooper's home found the letters and threw them on the beach in Atlantic City, about 100 miles from Jersey City.
"I guess rather than just throw them in the garbage, maybe they thought they'd set them out to sea to bless these people," he said. "So they made a trip to Atlantic City, maybe went to a casino, and put the letters in the water."
The letters, wrapped in several smaller brown paper bags inside the larger plastic bag, did not appear to have been in the water too long, Lacovara said, though about half were too badly damaged to be legible.
He opened a few with his son, Rocky, on the beach. The first few were humorous.
"I'm still praying to hit the lottery twice: first the $50,000," one man wrote. "Than after some changes have taken place let me hit the millionaire."
Another asked God to make a certain someone "leave me alone and stay off my back," while still another asks God to calm a woman who "call the Internal Revenue on me."
One woman complained that her husband always talks about sex, and another writer anonymously dropped a dime to God on someone cheating on his wife, complete with dates, times and locations.
But those, Lacovara soon found, were the exception.
Many more were written by anguished spouses, children or widows, pouring out their hearts to God, asking for help with relatives who were using drugs, gambling or cheating on them. One man wrote from prison, saying he was innocent and wanted to be back home with his family. A woman wrote that her boyfriend was now closing the door to her daughter's bedroom each night when it used to stay open, and wondered why.
A teenager poured out her heart on yellow-lined paper in the curlicue pencil handwriting of a schoolgirl, begging God to forgive her and asking for a second chance.
"Lord, I know that I have had an abortion and I killed one of your angels," she wrote. "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the mistake I made."
One unwed mother wrote that her baby was due in four weeks, and asked God to make the father fall in love with her and marry her so the child would have a father.
Lacovara said he is sad that most of the writers never had their letters read. But he hopes to change that soon: He is putting the collection up for sale on eBay.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
the predictable funk
so i think i'm in a double funk. the first funk is a result of missing e, dreading and worrying about this stupid iron thing, lack of sunshine and boredom with the job. all of which leads me to wanting to come home, change into loose cotton clothing and curling up to hide from all of the above. and i realized today that i have a secondary funk which comes from me feeling lazy and stressed from the first funk. tonight i had plans to go to the gym and i didn't because i wanted to come home and do nothing which in turn made me mad at myself and want to eat taco bueno. geez...this stuff gets out of control in my wee little brain.
tomorrow due to lunch and evening conflicts i'm going to attempt to go to the gym pre-work. i'm not going to even express my doubts of accomplishing this task.
on another depressing topic - tonight i listened to a podcast of npr's studio 360. there was story about hell houses and how a church in colorado sells hell house outreach kits. how to do a hell house effectively. after looking over the web site and the press, i see that this isn't a new thing but i was still shocked by it. and honestly i'm not sure why it surprised me.
happy friday.
tomorrow due to lunch and evening conflicts i'm going to attempt to go to the gym pre-work. i'm not going to even express my doubts of accomplishing this task.
on another depressing topic - tonight i listened to a podcast of npr's studio 360. there was story about hell houses and how a church in colorado sells hell house outreach kits. how to do a hell house effectively. after looking over the web site and the press, i see that this isn't a new thing but i was still shocked by it. and honestly i'm not sure why it surprised me.
happy friday.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
iBaby
With iCrib speakers, the cradle will rock
WHAT'S HAPPENING
For parents who want to expand their baby's musical selection beyond the plinky-dink electronic renditions played by most lullaby toys, there's the iCrib speaker system from Munchkin.
With iCrib mounted to the side of Baby's bed, parents can pop in their iPod (or any MP3 player) and play digital DJ every night-night.
More than a song machine, iCrib also puts on a soothing display of rhythmic color with its built-in night light. Parents can pick from three modes: light, music or light-and-music.
An automatic volume limiter keeps decibel levels safe for tiny ears. Smart? iCrib won the 2006 Innovation Award from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
Parents say "bye-bye!" to toys that beep-beep Bach. Baby deserves to hear music as it was intended – with actual notes, tones and texture.
Using personal music lists, Mom and Dad can expose little ones to a variety of music beyond classic kiddie tunes (which get old, fast). Plus, they can start shaping Baby's taste in music before Barney does.
RESOURCES iCrib sells for about $33 at Babies R Us, Target, Wal-Mart and other retailers. Munchkin is offering free downloads of Mozart compositions that have been arranged specifically for infants and toddlers.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
For parents who want to expand their baby's musical selection beyond the plinky-dink electronic renditions played by most lullaby toys, there's the iCrib speaker system from Munchkin.
With iCrib mounted to the side of Baby's bed, parents can pop in their iPod (or any MP3 player) and play digital DJ every night-night.
More than a song machine, iCrib also puts on a soothing display of rhythmic color with its built-in night light. Parents can pick from three modes: light, music or light-and-music.
An automatic volume limiter keeps decibel levels safe for tiny ears. Smart? iCrib won the 2006 Innovation Award from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
Parents say "bye-bye!" to toys that beep-beep Bach. Baby deserves to hear music as it was intended – with actual notes, tones and texture.
Using personal music lists, Mom and Dad can expose little ones to a variety of music beyond classic kiddie tunes (which get old, fast). Plus, they can start shaping Baby's taste in music before Barney does.
RESOURCES iCrib sells for about $33 at Babies R Us, Target, Wal-Mart and other retailers. Munchkin is offering free downloads of Mozart compositions that have been arranged specifically for infants and toddlers.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
cookies are the new evil.
over the weekend (in a highly emotional state), i purchased a package of break apart cookies with the intention of baking three and baking the rest for work. intentions are the path to tight jeans. three mini baking sessions later - they will leave my house tomorrow.
seriously, what was i thinking and where did the bug go? come back little bug.
along with the little bug i have acquired a pain in my wrist. seriously, i am not that old.
tomorrow there will be halloween festivities at work. i will try to post some photos.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
goodbye sunshine
goodbye long days. goodbye evening walks. goodbye sunsets at a reasonable hour.
i hate turning the clocks back.
anyway, i'm having a decent weekend except that i had two outings planned for the evening and both were cancelled. so instead i hit a couple of thrift stores which i would like to add were extra crowded - thanks to halloween.
speaking of halloween - i can't remember the last time i actually celebrated halloween officially but this year i am. it's a long story but it involves an idea that i should have kept to myself.
yesterday was a pretty rough day. i found out that the doctor who is performing my biopsy will be off the whole week that my biopsy is scheduled. apparently somebody forgot to tell the appointment setters. great, huh? i have to wait another week to have the procedure. i have plane tickets for e to come home for the original date. i've planned for being off work. it's just complicated by e being on tour in the middle of oregon, having a big anniversary and just being annoyed by it all.
honestly, i just want to get it over with. i'm not incredibly worried about it but it is bothering me some and i just want to move forward. sigh.
i'm off to watch friends with money and make some buttons. and to find some chocolate.
i hate turning the clocks back.
anyway, i'm having a decent weekend except that i had two outings planned for the evening and both were cancelled. so instead i hit a couple of thrift stores which i would like to add were extra crowded - thanks to halloween.
speaking of halloween - i can't remember the last time i actually celebrated halloween officially but this year i am. it's a long story but it involves an idea that i should have kept to myself.
yesterday was a pretty rough day. i found out that the doctor who is performing my biopsy will be off the whole week that my biopsy is scheduled. apparently somebody forgot to tell the appointment setters. great, huh? i have to wait another week to have the procedure. i have plane tickets for e to come home for the original date. i've planned for being off work. it's just complicated by e being on tour in the middle of oregon, having a big anniversary and just being annoyed by it all.
honestly, i just want to get it over with. i'm not incredibly worried about it but it is bothering me some and i just want to move forward. sigh.
i'm off to watch friends with money and make some buttons. and to find some chocolate.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
november 7th...
can't get here fast enough for various reasons but mostly because i'm sooooooo sick of political ads.
tonight i saw an ad for "john stupid doe" (i can't even remember who it was for and what they are running for) that was targeting stupid's opponent in the upcoming election. the ad said that stupid's opponent, who in the past was a public defender, had represented prostitutes and rapists and that no one wanted him representing them as their representative. and i thought to myself...isn't that the job of a public defender to represent those accused of a crimes and should we really hold that against them? i am still annoyed.
tonight i saw an ad for "john stupid doe" (i can't even remember who it was for and what they are running for) that was targeting stupid's opponent in the upcoming election. the ad said that stupid's opponent, who in the past was a public defender, had represented prostitutes and rapists and that no one wanted him representing them as their representative. and i thought to myself...isn't that the job of a public defender to represent those accused of a crimes and should we really hold that against them? i am still annoyed.
a little halloween.
e and i carved a pumpkin last night. good times. we also ate at ted's...yum.
e is leaving town today for about a week and a half. he will be home just in time for my biopsy and to celebrate our big anniversary. i'm in a little funk but am trying to avoid all out funkiness.
yesterday i didn't feel very well and i had these random pains (one in my left jaw and one in my right shoulder). you might think i'm a quack but i think they are pains associated with tension aka stress. but the funny thing is - i haven't felt like i was really stressed. but i wonder have i become immune to my stress so that i don't realize it or is it subconcious. because once i started thinking about it - i am worried about this medical stuff, money stuff, trip stuff, life stuff, work stuff and i've been busy and not resting enough.
so in a nutshell i'm a worrier and i need to stop because it's bad for me.
this is a small drawing that i bought at the girlie show.
friday is a comin'.
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