I wanted to post something at least reasonably meaningful on the last day of NaBloPoMo. I'm proud of the work I've done this month, I don't feel like I posted too much that was completely lame. Maybe only a couple of times this time. And I did manage the ENTIRE month, so that's something to be proud of as well.

I'm also proud of my fellow NaBloPoMo bloggers for completing the month and I just wanted to say thank you to all of them for their entertaining, interesting and enlightening content. I have particularly enjoyed Eden, Dixie, Sari, Dawn and Erik (serving as the blogroll equivalent of a luscious dessert). It's been a great month for all of us, I appreciate all your work, too.

As my send off for the month I wanted to post a top five. It's just one top five, but particularly meaningful... the top five things that make me happy throughout the day. The day I'm describing is any typical weekday.

1. Picking Michael up in the afternoon and asking about his day.
2. Getting email from friends.
3. Lots of new content when I blogroll (esp. thanks to NaBloPoMo for that!).
4. Comments in my blog (it's nice to know someone reads!).
5. Reading Michael a bedtime story and kissing him goodnight.

At the end of NaBloPoMo, I always resolve to post more frequently. I appreciate not having to post only because there are some days I'm simply too busy and wouldn't be able to post anything really worthwhile, but the point is to post more often and/or very frequently, but to post well-crafted, meaningful and/or interesting content. And so here I stand again, pledging to myself (and to those who are kind enough to patronize my blog) to post more frequently and to make my posts meaningful and/or interesting.

I'm looking forward to Christmas this year. Because look at how cute my kid is at Christmas!



He's three years old in this picture. That was back when I could pick him up and I used to pick him up all the time and kiss his cheeks. I still kiss his cheeks... but he weighs 60 lbs. now, I don't pick him up.

He is the best, most precious gift.

Tonight we had sushi and tempura... and it was gorgeous. I have pictures! They're beautiful!

I made, perhaps, too much... however, it was all beautiful and I did try to think of things to put inside the rolls that would taste good, but that would also be colorful and pretty when rolled up.

I made two rolls containing shrimp, avocado, cucumber and carrot. I made two rolls containing shredded teriyaki chicken, broccoli sprouts, carrots, avocado and water chestnuts. Then I made one roll with marinated green beans, pickled beet, carrot and water chestnuts and then one with just marinated green beans, carrot and water chestnuts.



A closer shot.



We also did tempura vegetables. I sliced up half a red pepper, a portabella mushroom, some cauliflower and we did some asparagus spears. My dad did the frying and it was absolutely perfect... perfectly crisp on the outside because he rolled the tempura battered veg in some panko crumbs, too, and perfectly cooked on the inside... tender, lots of flavor. YUM. We served the same dipping sauce we use for potstickers... spicy and salty!



We watched Hancock, which was better than any of us expected it to be... surprising. I didn't realize it was kind of a love story.

We go all out... I even made the salad dressing for the salad. Everything we make is from scratch. I can hardly wait!

I just wanted to say that I am thankful today... thankful for all my many blessings. Family, health, work, life... and friends. Including my fellow NaBloPoMo blogging friends!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I send you all my best and warmest wishes!

Hantavirus

What I think it means: A virus you get when you get your unwashed hands too close to your nose or mouth.

What it really means: Any of a genus of viruses including some transmitted by rodents that cause pneumonia or hemorrhagic fevers.

Ew… hemorrhagic fevers. You can’t hear that word and not think of hemorrhoids, even if it’s really not the same thing.

Corrigendum

What I think it means: A word-of-mouth means to distribute information among employees usually conducted in corridors that functions as an informal memorandum.

What it really means: An error in a printed work discovered after printing and shown with its correction on a separate sheet.

Hey! I was close!

Peripatetic

What I think it means: A temperamental condition found in domestic animals that results in their allowing you to pet them only occasionally. Cats, for example.

What it really means: Performed or performing while moving about.

Close again!!!

Samarium

What I think it means: A clinical facility meant to house Good Samaritans driven insane by a demonstrated lack of gratitude for their well-meaning actions.

What it really means: A silvery, white lustrous rare metallic chemical element.

Can I get that at Zales?

Breviary

What I think it means: A large, cage-enclosed habitat where the unwanted words sacrificed during speech editing flutter about and live out their days in peace.

What it really means: A book of prayers, hymns, psalms and readings used by Roman Catholic priests.

I like mine better.

Jeremiad

What I think it means: An amateur athletic competition where only those named Jeremy may participate.

What it really means: A prolonged lamentation or complaint.

It could also be an amateur frog-jumping competition because all bullfrogs are named Jeremiah.

Piebald

What I think it means: A pie with no covering crust on top.

What it really means: Of different colors.

I already knew this, but I can’t help thinking of pies when I see this word. Just like, when I see “Pied Piper” I always think of a man playing a flute who has just been hit in the face with a pie.

Otiose

What I think it means: A way to describe an ear that is really, really fat.

What it really means: Futile, idle, useless.

Oh, yeah… I’m keeping that one in my everyday arsenal of obscure descriptive words. No one will suspect me when I cheerily remark that, “This meeting is otiose!” They’ll just think I’m smart!

Knurl

What I think it means: The little knot of bunched up fabric that occurs when a flag or sheet is rolled up. "Oops! I got a knurl in my furl!"

What it really means: A knob or one of a series of small ridges on a metal surface to aid in gripping.

Knurls are useful! We all need more knurls in our lives.

Fatuity

What I think it means: A tip for service greater than 20%, esp. when clearly unwarranted or earned.

What it really means: Foolishness, stupidity

Ah! See! Same thing!

I love Jerry Maguire. I could watch this movie over and over and over... I have actually... and not just because of the love story element. Cameron Crowe writes the most clever dialog and all of it, from start to finish, is hilariously funny to me.

The best part of the whole movie is the little part where Jerry and Rod are on their way back from the draft and Jerry is completely dejected because he just lost Kush ("I lost the number one draft pick the night before the DRAFT!). My favorite line from that whole part is when he says:

"You see this jacket? You like it? Because I don't need it! Because I am cloaked in failure!"

I should feel sorry for him... that line is so beautifully delivered, Tom Cruise is a marvel in this movie... you can really feel his despair! It's so beautifully done that I just laugh every time. Poor Jerry.

My second most favorite part is just a few minutes later when they're on the plane and Rod gives Jerry the little speech about how he's going to ride his ass like Zoro and then says, "We're together on this!" and then grabs his hand and starts to get his funk on while Jerry looks at him in horror and says, "Oh. My. God..." Ahhh! Cracks me up every time! It's a never fail thing.

P.S. Also: "You don't know what it's like to be out here for you. It is an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing SIEGE, that I will NEVER fully tell you about!" YeeHeeHee!!!

Fortunately, in my family we have culled all the undesirable dishes from our "traditional" menu, but my mom and I were discussing recently the things my Grandmother always made as part of their tradition and it included some things we both agreed we don't care for very much. Apparently she always made Waldorf salad. Not a big favorite of mine. I can eat it... but there are a hundred other things I'd rather have. She also made Ambrosia... the salad with the coconut and little marshmallows. That I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. I just... I don't want anything with my dinner that has candy in it. Including sweet potatoes. We don't have those, either. Now... I do like sweet potatoes... but if I'm going to have them, I'd rather have them for dessert.

Dessert is not high on our list of priorities for our holiday meals. It's always an afterthought that we include out of habit but no one ends up wanting because we've all eaten so much dinner. I'd rather have an extra helping of dressing and cranberries and then have an after dinner hit of brandy or a liqueur than a piece of pie or cake. I'm just never very inclined to give up precious digestive real estate to sweets.

A couple of things I've run across lately have reminded me (annoyingly!) of some of my worst peeves. And I know you're all dying to know exactly what gets on my nerves worst, so I thought I would share. Actually... I suspect that some of you who visit here may share some of my peeves... we can commiserate together.

First on my list of peeves is a constantly barking dog. Barking. Constantly. For. Hours. I love dogs, but a dog that barks non-stop for hours makes me murderous. All those in agreement, please raise your hand. What's that? It's unanimous?! There must not be any of my neighbors here then, because apparently they don't even notice it.

Now, I'm sorry that I have to admit that my next worst peeve also involves dogs. You'd think I didn't like them at all, and I do! I really do! However, the sound of a dog licking itself, particularly when it's very quiet, is just maddening. It makes me frantic with the need to make it stop immediately. The only reason why this peeve did not rate number one on my list is because I don't actually have a dog of my own and the dog who comes to visit here occasionally and elects to lick himself while I'm trying to sleep gets chased out of the room and admonished not to return until he can lie down and sleep quietly. I already know Sari agrees with me on this one.

Next peeve! It frustrates me to no end when I'm in a giant hurry... say... when we're trying to get out of the house on time in the morning, when I need my kid to move out of the way so I can scurry about the place and get all our stuff together and I ask him to move and he immediately goes to the very place I need to be, thus causing me to knock into him or trip over him. It's as though he has somehow sensed where I need to be next... if it weren't so maddening I'd have him tested for his extraordinary powers of ESP.

Peeve number four! People who don't bother to proofread. I admit that I probably have some form of proofreading OCD... I proofread everything (no matter how trivial) numerous times... at least three. And yes, it takes up a lot of time to proofread. But, people... do you have any idea what a jackass you make of yourself when you don't proofread your stuff? No one expects perfection, but if you are hoping to leave the impression that you are even minimally intelligent, do not fail to proofread! It really drives me up the wall when my fellow grad students post in our online classrooms and their posts are just a wad of crap because they can't be bothered to capitalize, punctuate, spell, use proper grammar... I wonder, "How the hell did this person get accepted to grad school!?" Shameful. And no matter how insightful and intelligent the content of their posts may be, my opinion of them just plummets when it's obvious the person just sat there and spewed words onto the screen, clicked "post" and walked away as though they had done something worthwhile.

I am specifically not aiming this peeve at any of my fellow bloggers... I find that people who write as a means of recreation do it well enough and put enough care into it that their content has clearly been proofread. That doesn't mean it's always perfect, none of us are... but it's damn close and for that, I express admiration and gratitude to all my fellow bloggers.

Peeve number five! Slamming doors. I think the reason I hate slamming doors so badly is because I used to have a roommate who slammed her bedroom door every time she went in her room because she said the door was hard to close. So even if I was sleeping or reading or doing something quiet, she'd walk into her room and BLAM! Which would wake me or disturb me and would always startle me no matter what I was doing. Ugh! HATE that.

Now... for just some general things that get up my nose... I hate the way people act entitled and pushy in the grocery store and its parking lot... as though their busy day is more important than yours. I hate the way people act in airports... as though they've suddenly been bestowed with god-like power and have the right to stomp all over any and all airport personnel. I see this every single time I travel, what is the matter with people? I hate it when people say they'll do something and then just don't and don't even bother to be embarrassed or offer any kind of explanation or apology. Just, "Oh yeah, that. Sorry. Didn't do it."

It bugs me when people use the wrong word. I've seen people write things like "I had to give five viles of blood today." Er... that would be "vial." I see that kind of thing a lot and have to forcibly restrain myself from correcting them. It also bugs the crap of me that one of the morning anchors on The Weather Channel keeps saying "eck-scape" instead of "ess-scape."

And finally... I hate complainers!

Bwahahahaha!!!!

In light of my extreme overindulgence last Saturday, this information is coming a day late and a dollar short. Although... not really because I already knew this stuff. Most of it anyway. However, I did not know about RU-21 nor did I know about the orange juice and raw egg remedy. Yuck... that is so the last thing I could ever consent to when my stomach is in an already queasy state.

Anyway... here's the article from Men's Health regarding hangover cures (BTW, I find it a little discriminatory that such an article is published Men's Health magazine and not in... say... Good Housekeeping or Woman's Day magazine. Women drink too much and get hangovers, too, ya know!):

Hangover Helpers
Drinking is a buy-now, pay-later proposition. Here's how to avoid paying debt to the porcelain god
Researched by: Leigh Cole

Moderation may be your mantra, but we all cross the line now and then. That's why we tested 11 common hangover remedies. Use trial and error to figure out which work best for you.

APPROACH ONE: STAY HYDRATED

WATER
The Claim: Alcohol inhibits secretion of the hormone vasopressin, bringing on dehydration, which exacerbates the symptoms of a hangover.

Our Test: Two approaches: Drink loads at the end of a night, or drink throughout the evening. "For me, a glass every 2 hours worked great," said our tester.

The Verdict: "It puts you ahead of the game," says Robert Swift, M.D., of Brown University, adding that, unlike Coors, it's not a silver bullet. Try something else, too.

GATORADE

The Claim: Gatorade's 6 percent carbohydrate solution promotes rehydration better than mere water.

Our Test: "I downed two huge bottles at the end of the night," said our tester. "And I felt like a million bucks the next day."

The Verdict: It's a great substitute for plain old water. "The extra salt helps your body absorb the fluid more quickly," explains Dr. Swift.

APPROACH TWO: ABSORB SLOWER, METABOLIZE FASTER

THE MEGA-DINNER

The Claim: Food delays gastric emptying in the stomach--meaning alcohol stays there longer and is processed more slowly.

Our Test: "There's nothing like pounding a burger before a night of boozing. But the effect wore off as I kept drinking," said our tester.

The Verdict: A no-brainer. Don't drink on an empty stomach. "The longer alcohol stays in the stomach," says Dr. Swift, "the better your body breaks it down."

THE JUICE CHASER (two glasses of OJ or tomato juice before bed)

The Claim: The fructose in the juice speeds up metabolism, ridding your system of alcohol more quickly.

Our Test: "I felt as sick the next day as I would have otherwise," reported our still-queasy guinea pig. "It just didn't work."

The Verdict: Looks good on paper, but here's the fine print: "You'd have to drink at least 10 glasses," says Carlton K. Erickson, Ph.D., of the University of Texas.

RU-21 (a supplement)

The Claim: It slows down the creation of a nasty by-product--the one that causes headaches and nausea--while speeding up the destruction of others.

Our Test: "Success. I woke up to a group of clearheaded people. There was no groaning, no puking, and no handing out aspirin," said our tester.

The Verdict: Works, but only to a point. "Your metabolism is already running as fast as it can," says Dr. Swift. But if it's effective for you, go for it.

APPROACH THREE: REPLACE ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

SALTINES
(10, to be exact, washed down with 24 oz water)

The Claim: Salt helps you retain the fluid you lose over a night of drinking. With 32 milligrams of salt per cracker, this is a surefire way to keep from drying up.

Our Test: "Too labor-intensive. I would much rather pop a pill than shove crackers down my abused throat."

The Verdict: Drinking water is a better way to stay hydrated. But, "at the very least, it'll help dilute the alcohol in your stomach," says Dr. Swift.

THE BULL'S-EYE
(12-oz glass of OJ mixed with a raw egg)

The Claim: Fructose in the OJ helps promote breakdown of alcohol, and egg protein replaces lost nutrients.

Our Test: "More vomit-inducing than the alcohol itself."

The Verdict: "There is no evident benefit to this concoction that would justify the risk of getting salmonella," says Dr. Swift.

APPROACH FOUR: CLEAR YOUR HEAD

HAIR OF THE DOG

The Claim: Hangovers only hit once you sober up, so stay drunk.

Our Test: "I woke up feeling horrible. I was nauseous and grumpy. My head was pounding. Then I had three beers and felt like a new man," said our tester.

The Verdict: Fine, but you're just putting off the inevitable. Plus: "This could lead to alcohol abuse," says Erickson. Duh.

DRINKING ONLY LIGHT-COLORED ALCOHOL (white wine, vodka, and gin)

The Claim: Lighter drinks have fewer headache-inducing congeners than darker drinks, like red wine, beer, and dark liquors.

Our Test: "I felt just as disgusting as on any other night of hard drinking. On the way home, I had to have my friend pull over so I could puke."

The Verdict: It actually does work--if you're drinking in moderation. "If you drink a quart of white wine, you're still going to get a hangover," says Erickson.

ASPIRIN

The Claim: Popping two the night before fights off headaches before they start.

Our Test: "My head wasn't too bad, but I was still tired and nauseated."

The Verdict: Thumbs-up--but be careful. "Aspirin can irritate the stomach," says Dr. Swift. And mixing alcohol and Tylenol can damage the liver.

EXERCISE

The Claim: Sweating helps leach alcohol out of your system more quickly.

Our Test: "I feel like I'm actually sweating out alcohol. It might just be in my head, but I feel better by doing it."

The Verdict: The perfect placebo: "You're just doing something to get your mind off the hangover," says Erickson. But you're getting a good workout, too.

2008 RODALE INC. ALL rights reserved

Father appalled by virtual audience to son's death
Nov 22, 6:53 PM (ET)

By SARAH LARIMER

MIAMI (AP) - The father of a college student whose suicide was broadcast live over a webcam said Saturday he was appalled by the virtual audience that egged on his son and called for tougher regulation of Internet sites.

Abraham Biggs Sr. said those who watched and the Web site operators share some blame in his 19-year-old son's death.

"I think they are all equally wrong," he said. "It's a person's life that we're talking about. And as a human being, you don't watch someone in trouble and sit back and just watch."

Police found Abraham Biggs Jr. dead in his father's bed Wednesday, 12 hours after he first declared on the Web site for bodybuilders that he planned to take his own life. He took a fatal drug overdose in front of an Internet audience. Although some viewers contacted the Web site to notify police, authorities did not reach his house in time.

Biggs, who has said he was at work during the episode, said he had not known about his son's online presence.

"I think after this incident and probably other incidents that have occurred in the past, they all point to some kind of regulation is necessary," Biggs said. "I think it is wrong to have this happen for hours without any action being taken from the people in charge. Where were they all the time?"

The younger Biggs posted a link from the Web site to Justin.tv, which allows users to broadcast live with their webcams.

A computer user who claimed to have watched said that after swallowing some pills, Biggs went to sleep and appeared to be breathing for a few hours while others cracked jokes. Some users told investigators they did not take him seriously because he had threatened suicide on the site before.

Biggs Sr. said he believes the webcast was a cry for help.

"But rather than get help, he was ignored," Biggs said. "I would not want to see anything like that on the Internet and not try and get help for that young man. I think that's what the average person would do. Any normal person would do. I'm really appalled."

Pembroke Pines Police Department Sgt. Bryan Davis said no new information on the case was available Saturday.

Biggs Sr. said funeral arrangements have not yet been set for his son, who he said loved helping others.

"He was a good kid. Good kid," Biggs Sr. said. "It's a shame I wasn't there to help him. It's a big loss to me. I wish I was there to help him - since nobody else would."

Miami lawyer William Hill said there is probably nothing that could be done legally to those who watched and did not act. As for whether the Web site could be held liable, Hill said there doesn't seem to be much of a case for negligence.

"There could conceivably be some liability if they knew this was happening and they had some ability to intervene and didn't take action," said Hill, who does business litigation and has represented a number of Internet-based clients. But "I think it would be a stretch."

An autopsy concluded Biggs died from a combination of opiates and benzodiazepine, which his family said was prescribed for his bipolar disorder.

"Abe, i still wish this was all a joke," a friend wrote on the teenager's MySpace
page.

In a statement, Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel said: "We regret that this has occurred and want to respect the privacy of the broadcaster and his family during this time."

It is unclear how many people watched it happen. The Web site would not say how many people were watching the broadcast. The site as a whole had 672,000 unique visitors in October, according to Nielsen.

Biggs was not the first person to commit suicide with a webcam rolling. But the drawn-out drama - and the reaction of those watching - was seen as an extreme example of young people's penchant for sharing intimate details about themselves over the Internet.
***************

Poor, broken-hearted baby. I wish I could have applied a magical healing balm to his bereft heart adrift in a sea of indifference. This is just another example of how callous people can be... how uninvolved and self-centered. I'm sure most of those watching didn't really think something as momentous as a real suicide was actually occurring... what would it have taken to call this poor child back from the edge of despair? I wish someone had been successful in trying.

I've been thinking about this story several times today and all I can think is how crushed this poor child's family must be. I would offer as much sympathy as I could... I'm sure he was a beautiful boy. I'm sure he was full of promise and light that he couldn't seem to sense in himself. I'm more sorry than I can express... and I hope that the sensationalism of this highlights the need to reach out to people only to make his imprint on those he left behind even more meaningful and impactful.

Even if it's "only" via electronic means, connection is important. Let us not fail our fellow man again. Let his sacrifice prompt us to care for each other a little more. Please.

Jack Johnson In Between Dreams
Black Sabbath We Sold Our Souls for Rock n Roll
Metallica ...And Justice for All
Megadeth Peace Sells
Led Zepplin Physical Graffiti
Pink Floyd The Wall
Pantera Cowboys from Hell
Steely Dan A Decade of Steely Dan
Eagles Hotel California
Van Morrison Moondance

I didn't know what to blog about today... I've hit the wall of randomness. *SCHPLATT*

There is nothing wildly exciting going on for me today. You should be glad I have decided NOT to torture you by re-posting the post I worked on all day for my Media class. No. Really. Don't be smug, it may happen yet.

I sought out my fellow NaBloPoMo bloggers for inspiration today... I headed straight for the lovely Dixie Peach because she never fails to inspire.

As I anticipated, she did not disappoint! She posted a link to Life's photo archive online where one can enjoy the many breath-taking photos published by Life Magazine's photographers over the years.

On that page is a link to images of Pablo Picasso. I couldn't resist. We've all heard of him, we've all seen his work, but we rarely see the man himself and because I've heard things about him (I'll get to that in a second), suddenly I was overcome with curiosity about a man who is only 5' 3" yet the girls could not resist his stare.



I was instantly drawn to this portrait because... well, just look. He may be... you know... nude. Okay, probably not. And it's not a big deal for men to be shirtless. But, my God, this is somehow unbearably intimate. It's... it's... TMI on Pablo Picasso. Did I want to see him without a shirt? I don't know. I seriously... don't know. Maybe this is why girls could not resist his stare.

Maybe *this* is why Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole.

If you get that reference... leave a comment.

P.S. I definitely don't see him cruising around in an El Dorado. That would really just be... very satisfying.

My kid* caught a great, big, huge red fish today. It was THIS BIG! They ate the fish for dinner! How awesome is that?!?!



*Correction: My dad caught the fish. My kid helped!

I'm dealing with this today...



I'm too distracted with it to come up with anything clever... we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow.

Wis. woman pleads no contest in toilet corpse case Wow! What a great headline!
1 hr 1 min ago

MAUSTON, Wis. – A woman accused of helping her religious leader hide a decaying corpse on her toilet so they could continue collecting her Social Security was convicted of a misdemeanor in a deal for her to testify against the leader, a prosecutor said Monday.

Tammy Lewis, 36, of Necedah, pleaded no contest to obstructing a police officer and fined $350 in a plea bargain that defers prosecution of more serious charges. Juneau County Circuit John Roemer ordered her to pay the fine within 60 days or serve a seven-day jail sentence.

Lewis and Alan Bushey, 58, were accused of hiding 90-year-old Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth's body on a toilet in Lewis' home after she died in March. Investigators said Middlesworth and Lewis were members of a religious sect Bushey led called the Order of the Divine Will.

Bushey told Lewis that God would revive Middlesworth, who friends and family said was from Washington state, investigators said.

Lewis in May initially told a sheriff's deputy that Middlesworth was on vacation.

The deputy later discovered the elderly woman's rotting body in Lewis' stench-filled home.

Whoa! Wait... hold up. Stench-filled home!? Stench-filled home. Stench. Filled. Home. Rotting body... no, no, no. So much wrong with that, I don't know where to start.

She also told authorities she was Middlesworth's power of attorney, and the older woman used all of her money to support their six-member religious group. Investigators believe Middlesworth's Social Security and annuity checks totaling nearly $3,000 were deposited after her death into a bank account she shared with Lewis.

Three grand, really? It's amazing how cheap some people can be had, isn't it?

As part of Lewis' plea deal, five other charges, including three felony counts of hiding a corpse and causing mental harm to a child, will be dismissed in two years if she cooperates with prosecutors and follows other court orders involving her children, District Attorney Scott Southworth said.

"We view her as a victim as well of Alan Bushey," Southworth said. "We also understand the power, the mental power, that Alan Bushey was exercising over her, the coercion he was exerting over her."

A deferred prosecution agreement calls for Lewis to continue to receive mental health treatment and testify against Bushey in a trial set to begin in April, the prosecutor said.

She and her two children, now ages 12 and 15, will be witnesses in the trial, he said.

Lewis' son told detectives Bushey told him demons were destroying Middlesworth's appearance as she decayed in the bathroom to make it look like she wouldn't rise from the dead, the criminal complaint said.

The mother certainly engaged in odd activities, Southworth said Monday.

"I realize some people may say she just got off with a slap on the hand or whatever," he said. "There is a volume of information on the case, a lot of which I cannot divulge to the public. Based on everything we learned, I do believe this was a fair and just way of handling her matter."

Okay, I get it. Apparently... this Lewis woman is a bit... ah... Gump-y.

Lewis' attorney, Dan Berkos, said his client turned to Bushey and the sect for support about three years ago after she separated from her husband. "She had no work skills. She didn't have a way to provide for her children."

So... yeah. Let's stick a dead body in the bathroom. That'll fix it.

Bushey provided security for her, the attorney said. "It appeared he was using money from other people to support everybody."

Wow. What a strange way to fulfill a Robin Hood complex.

The attorney said he didn't know whether Lewis believed that praying would bring Middlesworth back to life. But Bushey had convinced her to follow whatever he said to do, Berkos said.

Lewis is "very relieved" her case has been resolved, he said. "She has made some really great progress emotionally and even physically. She is looking forward. She is no longer looking backward at how things should have been different. Everybody is geared toward reunifying her with the kids and getting the family back together."

That could happen within the next year, "assuming things go well," he said.

Southworth said no plea negotiations are taking place with Bushey.

What this article never says is... did they have more than one bathroom or did they keep having to move old lady Middlesworth out of the way when they needed to use the potty? Lovely visual, eh? Standing there brushing your teeth or shaving or whatever, look over and there's MOTHER (from Psycho) sitting on the can. Ugh. WHAT is the matter with people?!

I just wanted to make it known that I'm offended by your ad campaign that features a woman who is constantly trying to trick her friends and family into believing she's done something really special for them (like bake a pie or clean the house) when all she's actually done is purchase a Glade candle or spray some air-freshener.

I know the point of this ad campaign is to make Glade's air-freshener products seem as valuable and special as some fancy (read: expensive) air-fresheners or candles yet highlight that they're inexpensive and easily accessible. However, I suggest that the intent has backfired because all I can think of when I see these ads is that this woman is way more concerned about herself (playing tennis, etc.) and appearances than she is about actually doing something nice for her friends and family (like bake a pie or clean the house). She comes off as a goofy idiot who's trying to pull a fast one but isn't clever enough really pull it off so she's chagrined when she gets caught every time.

Everyone always laughs like it's funny, including her, when actually, it's sad and she should be extremely embarrassed. I mean, if my friends came in and assumed I'd baked a homemade pie for them I would be mortified if I had to confess: "Nope... just lit a candle! Sorry about you! Ha ha ha!"

And I can hardly bear the one where she acts like she has a big day of chores planned as she ushers her family out the door in the morning then spends maybe an hour dousing all the furniture with fabric freshener and proceeds to spend the rest of the day playing tennis and lunching with her friends... THEN has the nerve to accept her husband's insinuation that she's spent all day cleaning (which she obviously wanted him to think as she rushed him out the door that morning). Please. If her husband goes off to work and her kids go off to school and she can spend the day at the country club, why on Earth wouldn't she have just asked the maid she obviously has to spray the fabric freshener and dispense with ridiculous and offensive pretenses.

I'm sorry... she's not clever and economical because she buys Glade stuff, the way she's portrayed in the commercial, she's simply over-privileged, self-centered and fake.

Sincerely,
Someone Who'd Rather Bake a Real Pie than Just Light a Candle

P.S. My evaluation of this ad campaign should in no way be taken as a comment on Glade's actual products. I just don't like the way they're trying to sell them and maybe no one else has mentioned it. Obviously, this ad campaign got through some approval process... how did that many people not have a problem with it?

I bought this bottle...



...yesterday.

Ow.

I remember noticing at one point last night that I'd had nearly the entire bottle and wondered how was that possible?

Michael and I rented Kung Fu Panda this weekend. We've watched about three times so far. It's funny. Well... I love Jack Black. I haven't seen him in anything yet where he didn't make me laugh right out loud. He IS a panda. Fantastic voice-casting. I thought Dustin Hoffman was really good as Sifu, although, if you didn't know it was Dustin Hoffman, you might not have ever figured it out because he kinda... doesn't sound like Dustin Hoffman.

The two of them remind me of the scene in The Holiday where Jack Black was singing real loud in Blockbuster with Kate Winslet and he started singing "Mrs. Robinson," from The Graduate and it just so happened that Dustin Hoffman was there one aisle over looking to rent a movie (yeah, like Dustin Hoffman doesn't use Netflix... please!) and gave him an arched eyebrow. Man, the circularity of the referencing there is making me dizzy!

Anyway... BEHOLD! Mighty Po! Don't you just want to squeeze 'im!?!

I subscribe to XM radio. I love it. I've written in this very blog numerous times before about how much I love it. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or penny loafers. Or... whatever. It's the greatest thing.

The stations I listen to most are Top Tracks (which is mostly classic rock), The Bone Yard (80's metal) and XMKids. Now, since Sirius and XM have merged, those are all different. Well, okay... not different as in, different programming on those channels, but they're called something different now and with XM that matters because there's a little screen on the radio that tells you where you are.

And now instead of Top Tracks it's Classic Vinyl. Yeah, okay. I guess I don't mind that, although, the word "vinyl" doesn't necessarily inspire nostalgia in me... vinyl was on it's way out already when I started listening to and collecting music. But that doesn't bother me, especially because Top Tracks didn't have any particular station identity attached to the name Top Tracks.

But instead of The Bone Yard now it's Hair Nation, which is TERRIBLE because The Bone Yard called itself THE BONE and had an endless pile of clever and hilarious little station IDs related to THE BONE (heavy with sexual innuendo). The little guy would shout, "BONE ME!" and sometimes there'd be this sexy sounding woman talking breathlessly about THE BONE and you could mistake what she was saying in reference to the radio station for something of a sexual nature ala Three's Company where that kind of thing went on in nearly every conversation anyone had on that show.

Plus... Hair Nation has DJs in the morning. Women DJs. This is not a change for the better, if you ask me. Besides, that, not all 80s metal bands had hair. The first song I heard this morning when I switched it to THE BONE was a Judas Preist song. Well, c'mon. Rob Halford never had hair. And yeah, all the rest of them probably had enough to make up for him not having any, but the point is, because Rob never had hair, I never thought of Judas Preist as a "hair band." Also because, their thing was leather. They were a "leather band." Of course, they can't make a whole channel out of leather bands, there haven't been that many that were popular. I mean, it would just be Judas Priest and KISS pretty much. And KISS does qualify as a hair band, too, because they at least did all have hair and lots of it. Especially Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who not only had very long hair but also flaunted copious amounts of body hair as well. God, gross... only in the 70s could they have gotten away with exposing their peltage like that and been drooled over by millions of women. *retch* But then again, so did Burt Reynolds. Men were hairier then, I guess.

Most frightening of all, though, was that XMKids is now something Kids Live and this morning I was momentarily in a state of panic thinking they'd gotten rid of Kenny Curtis and the Animal Farm in the morning which is one of the most entertaining morning shows I've ever listened to for kids or anyone else... but, WHEW! Kenny was still there and so is the Animal Farm. In fact, we were treated to Vinnie Dapu this morning... and I actually like Vinnie Dapu the least. We like Lorenzo Llama (don't touch the llama) and Dirk, The Fourth and Forgotten Chipmunk (who is also apparently British). Dirk's the best, actually.

A lot of characters in kids' books have it pretty good?! Not if you're in a Roald Dahl story! Or a Lemony Snicket story. Or if you're Alexander. Or if you're in a Hans Christian Anderson story. Or in one of Scheherazade's stories. Or in one of Charles Dickens' stories... well, I guess he didn't really write children's literature, but I was thinking of Oliver. He definitely didn't have it good. Yikes.

Even Toad from Wind in the Willows... he had a great time for a while, but he was clearly having some mental health issues and he ended up in jail anyway and then had to dress as a lady toad to sneak out and nearly got caught. Then the weasels took over his house and he ended up having to apologize to Water Rat and Mole and Badger after it was all over... he was a very chastened and contrite Toad.

What about Mary from The Secret Garden? I guess everything turned out okay for her in the end, but I sure wouldn't say she had it pretty good considering her parents were killed in an earthquake and she was sent to live with a scary uncle in a huge house with a mean housemistress who boxed her ears and locked her in her room. Sheesh! It's actually quite horrifying.

The Velveteen Rabbit didn't have it so good, either. Poor Velveteen Rabbit.

I'm having a difficult time coming up with any children's stories where the main characters had it good. I mean, even when the stories END well, it's almost never that way from start to finish.

Wait. Corduroy. He did okay. Lived in a department store, then got rescued by a little girl and given his very own bed and friendship forever. I guess he had it pretty good. Curious George has it pretty good. Clifford. Ummm, I guess the Winnie the Pooh crew has it good, they do get to play all the time, but then Christopher Robin had to go away to school and they were all sad about that.

Madeline... she didn't have it good, she had a bad fever, she had to have her appendix removed... although she did at least get chocolates and flowers while she was in the hospital.

And how bad did you feel for Jessie in Toy Story 2 when her little girl stuck her in a box and walked away from her at the Goodwill donation site? That was perfectly heartbreaking. Now, she did end up in Andy's room and Andy played with her and she was happy but she was pretty sad all that time she was shut up in a box in Newman's apartment. That might not have been "literature," but it was still sad. Especially with the song that went with it. :::sniff:::

Okay, I thought of one. Pipi Longstocking. She had it pretty good... or at least she thought so and that's all that counts. If I could be a children's book character, I'd be Pipi Longstocking. Except... she smoked a pipe, which... ew. Little girls smoking pipes = not good. Hmmm, if I remember correctly she also drank coffee. But she had fun and she was real strong and kept livestock in her house, so I guess she had it pretty good. She may not have been human, though, there is some evidence to support that she wasn't. Super strength and a taste for coffee and tobacco at age 9, those really aren't the characteristics of a human girl.