hoppy hollereen!

hollereen... play dress up & stay out after dark & get a ton of candy. it is like the kids designed the whole concept. when i was a kid, this holiday was a big deal in our neighborhood. we lived in a huge, new development jampacked with families & kids. so many kids that our elementary school was terribly overcrowded with portables all over the place. it was the perfect kind of neighborhood for hollereen - houses upon houses, and even some condos at the end of the road. condos! what seemed like a bazillion candy outlets right there in one spot. we would go out, get full bags, come home, dump the bags, and head out again. super!

halloween is, of course, and ancient holy day. the celts celebrate this time - smack in between the autumnal equinox & the winter solstice - as the new year. the celtic for november is samhain, so the celebration of the new year is generally refered to as samhain. in the month of may, between the spring equinox & summer soltice, falls the celebration of beltane. celts believe that both samhain & beltane offer a sort of down time between our world & the next... a time when we can more easily contact or be contacted by those who have passed on to the next phase of existence. if you think of it as a door or even as a curtain... they are right there on the other side, if we understood how to make contact, we could. the celts believed that beltane & samhain were prime time for the curtain to be drawn back - that even if we weren't sure how to draw it back ourselves, it might happen for us. this can be a good thing, but also a scary thing. so, they lit big bonfires to keep away evil spirits. they hollowed out turnips & carved faces on them - to capture the evil spirits. they dressed up as ghosts or as crazy people, to ward off the evils. they left tiny cakes & snacks to appease the evils -- treats so that the evils would not trick them. children would dress up, too, and since spirits -- good or evil -- aren't known for being all that snackie, the kids would sneak the snacks.

so, that's samhain in a nutshell. go ahead and call out a howdy to those who've passed over -- what harm can come from feeling a closeness with our ancestors? and, while you're at it, pass the candy corn, because everyone knows that no harm comes from candy corn, either.

if you take only one thing from this class....

last night at self-defense class, week two, we learned all kinds of hitting, striking, blocking, & parrying techniques, but there was one tidbit of wisdom that stood out above all else... something handy to remember in those scary situations... the one piece of rational thought that will stand between you & certain destruction at the hands of your attacker:

it only takes a second to grab a testicle.

this morning, it was foggy.

watching the titans weekly coach's show, and the special guest this week is my man cortland finnegan. he does not appear to know how to sit up straight, but he does appear to know how to conduct himself in an interview. he's competent, confident, and pleasantly humble. in case you didn't know, the titans won sunday. lendale white had another solid game, and i must say his stuff is starting to come together. one thing i did not realize about the game was that the raiders didn't even get into the red zone - not at all, all day. impressive, eh?

today i ran 6 miles, in case you were wondering. big event: nov 18. they say that you cannot do any more training, gain any more advantage, at this point in the game. i can believe that in my head, but it's hard to believe it in my gut, you know?

found a cool number on the msg bd

monday

i got nothing original for you today, so here are some random quotes boldly plagiarized.

-- what is particularly strange about psychopaths is that while they are devoid of empathy they understand human emotions at a deep enough level to use them to manipulate everyone around them.

-- what are the odds of a dusty jar of warm pig skin going bad?

-- even paranoids have enemies.

-- brett favre invented monday night football.

compare & contrast

disaster of hurricane katrina, the ensuing property destruction, and reaction of residents of new orleans.

disaster of current southern california wildfires, the ensuing property destruction, and reaction of residents of southern cal.

tomorrow, someone i know is running a marathon.

the similarities between kathy reichs' déjà dead and caleb carr's the alienist are starting to weird me out. carr's book hasn't really picked up that much steam yet. since it is a historical novel, there is that problem you will get in some historical novels where the narrator/author is just pushing out historical tidbits and references, and you really get the feeling you are supposed to be oo'ing & ah'ing over each one like he is some sort of brilliant referencist, but in reality, you are like shut the hula up about that shizzle & get on with the story!

this morning, i ran 19.5 miles. it was supposed to be 20, but i think we shorted it. i would like to call it 20, but i do not think it was 20. maybe it was 20. i walked another mile around kmart after i got home b/c i was looking for listerine & could not remember what i was there for b/c i was so tired from running. managed to get home with listerine in tow, so points to me for that.

feels good to be tired again -- from running.

today there was jambalaya instead of hummus -- ergo: we sing the jambalaya song

dey's bones in da jambalaya -
noboddy tol' da bébé...
dey's bones in da jambalaya -
he gwine hurt hisse'f!

dey's bones in da jambalaya -
noboddy tol' da bébé...
dey's bones in da jambalaya -
he gwine choke to de'f!

oh! bones!
oh! jambalaya!
oh! bones!
he gwine hurt hisse'f!

oh! bones!
oh! jambalaya!
oh! bones!
he gwine choke to de'f!

[repeat all 2x, then end]

oh, bones....
oh, bones....
oh, bones....
oh, bones....

cleaned the bathrooms because sometimes it is rewarding to be productive. get with the program.

**** this is ace, coming to you live from ace-o-sphere studios. this evening, we are discussing programs, and we will get an update on the no thank you very much program. over to you, ace, for the update.

---- thank you, ace. this is ace, here with the update on the no thank you very much program. in case you have forgotten, that's the program where we make a conscious effort not to thank the sales clerk population for taking our money - b/c they should be thanking us for giving our money. right - okay - so, the update is that we are hitting the mark about 30% of the time.

**** did i hear you correctly, ace? only 30% hit rate?

---- that is correct, ace - 30%.

**** well, ace, it sounds like you have a lot of room for improvement.

---- that is correct, ace. what we have here is a freakin-majeekin lotta room. we got so much room that all we got is room. we gotta get some more room for all this room, that is how much room we have. and, that's all for now, so this is ace, signing off from the field. back to you, ace, in the studio.

***** okay, thanks ace. this is ace, in the ace-o-sphere studio - until next time, adios y'all & get with the program!

trust & full disclosure are not the same thing.

each day at work, i receive myriad spam messages. some of these are rather tricky, and i can see how they slip thru the firewall, but some of them are in cyrillic. seriously, what good is a firewall if it doesn't block freakin' cyrillic?

last night while brushing my teeth, i glanced at the clock -- 11:11:11. yes, for real, seconds & all. today, in the locker room -- 11:11 on a clock w/ no seconds. prigzactly 12 hours. suh-weet.

today's run - 6.5 miles through some rather hilly terrain. yay me. what was the pace, you ask? the pace was not walking. that is all you need to know.

oh, yeah - meant to tell ya this the other day... the baby odometer's at 600. heh heh heh.

i was hoping they'd hand out pistols, but all we got was a looseleaf binder.

so, i went to the self defense class because my old man thinks it's a good idea. here is what i learned tonight:

- if your husband really loves you, he will get you two mobile phones.
- it is important to do the homework reading for this class, even if you have to do your reading on the pot.
- contrary to popular belief, women have no desire to be raped.
- do not let strangers into your home.
- it is not recommended that you pick up hitchhikers.
- it is a good idea to know the make, model, & color of the car you personally drive.
- to find out what a rainbow party is, ask the instructor in private.
- be wary of vehicles bumping into you to simulate an accident.
- when on an elevator, be aware of other people.
- some men go to the gym to pick up the ladies.
- the internet in general is a dangerous place with many sexual predators.

next week, we start practicing the hitting. one of the great things about these types of classes is that you practice hitting on a realistic attacker... you know, if you live in giant red plastic man world.

just in case you thought i wasn't watching the aces anymore

i wanted to let you know that i am. watching, that is.

my stragidy

did you hear about the titans' win yesterday? they won by 2 points on a last minute field goal by rob bironis, who kicked a record 8 field goals in the game. there is an unofficial rob bironis song to the tune of my sharona, the old '80's hit. i am fairly certain what got rob through the game yesterday was that i got my old man to sing the rob bironis song. heh heh heh.

my new office stragidy is to chew my gum louder than the gum popper and play my music loud enough to drown out the surrounding barrage of varied tunes wafting on the office air. so far, the gum chewing has produced two bites to the inside of my mouth and a jaw ache. the music taktik of this two pronged stragidy... well, let me share some wisdom with you: bare naked ladies & motion city soundtrack are neither ones good choices for this ploy. the rob bironis song - that would be a good choice. perhaps tomorrow, i shall sing.

dunna-na-nunna-na-nuhn-na-nunna-na
dunna-na-nunna-na
rob bironis!

just now spent way too much time figgering out how to post the rob bironis song. blimey.

books 2007

night work - laurie r. king
glass castle - jeannette walls
cross - james patterson
the kite runner - khaled hosseini
with child - laurie r. king
the bookseller of kabul - åsne seierstad
bridget jones's diary - helen fielding
bridget jones: the edge of reason - helen fielding
how to be good - nick hornby
about a boy - nick hornby
olivia joules & the overactive imagination - helen fielding
a series of unfortunate events vol. 1-12 - lemony snicket
high fidelity - nick hornby
a long way down - nick hornby
the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime - mark haddon
the nightspinners - lucretia walsh grindle
the last days of dogtown - anita diamant
the end - lemony snicket
special topics in calamity physics - marisha pessl
hp6 - jk rowling
hp7 - jk rowling
the senator & the priest - andrew greeley
the art of detection - laurie r. king
life as we knew it - susan beth pfeffer
remainder - tom mccarthy
artemis fowl - eoin colfer
irish linen - andrew greeley
after the baby boomers - robert wuthnow
déjà dead - kathy reichs
currently: the alienist - caleb carr

i seem to have somehow selected 2 books in a row that are about the serial murder & occupation of medical examiner. reichs' book is set in modern times and is thrilling. carr's book is set in like early 1900's and is a slow read - pretentious & tedious - while being just interesting enough not to put down completely. very annoying.

something light & fun

leading causes of death in the usa, from 2005 - the data most recently compiled by the national center for health statistics:
1. heart disease
2. cancer
3. stroke
4. chronic lower respiratory diseases
5. accidents
6. diabetes
7. alzheimer's
8. flu & pneumonia
9. kidney disease
10. septicemia
11. suicide
12. chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
13. hypertension
14. parkinson's
15. homicide

things i find surprising:
- parkinson's at #14. had no idea it would even be on the list at all.
- homicide at #15. thought this would have been higher.
- accidents at #5. not exactly surprising, but somewhat disappointing, since one would perhaps believe that accidents are preventable, i.e.: don't run with scissors.
- #11... wonder how many #5's are really #11's? how many people are able to pull off suicide in a way that makes it resemble an accident.

and, not surprising:
- aids is not on the list. i have heard that its effect is blown out of proportion. research to combat aids absorbs more than its fair share of money, and that is disappointing, but not surprising. we as a culture tend to get things bassackwards frequently.

wonder how many people died of things like parkinson's or alzheimer's before these were pinpointed as diseases. or, even, cancer or stroke or any of that. people died of old age, but what does that really mean? so, death from a particular cause, for instance: parkinson's or stroke, is not actually on the rise -- it is correct identification of cause of death that is on the rise.

hakoona muchacha

according to degree anti-perspirant: 1 in 4 women worry about excessive sweating. the rest of us... well, we just aren't sweating it. heh heh heh. some things folks worry about (fwa) and what they should worry about (swa)....




fwa: breathing exhaust fumes while riding bicycle in traffic
swa: getting hit by a bus while riding bicycle in traffic

fwa: chemicals in cosmetics
swa: the annoying mispronounciation - "cosmonetics"

fwa: calling burma "myanmar" or vice versa
swa: miss south carolina's ability to locate buryanmar on a globe

fwa: an astroid striking earth
swa: litter striking earth

fwa: identity theft
swa: having an identity worth thieving

fwa: getting alzheimers
swa: uh... i forget....

fwa: internet fraud
swa: magnetic deficiency fraud

fwa: overeating
swa: underexercising

fwa: violence in schools
swa: lack of prayer in schools

fwa: weak canadian border guards
swa: weak canadian stand-up comedy

fwa: a bus crashing through the yoga studio
swa: exhaust-fume dazed cyclists crashing through the yoga studio

fwa: honey bee disappearance
swa: honey bee disappearance leading to candy corn shortage

fwa: not having enough money
swa: having too much stuff

fwa: whether it is friday yet
swa: life passing them by

fwa: being called on to speak in public
swa: being called on to strip in public

according to a nielsen asia-pacific survey, 17% of indians [dots, not feathers] claim to have no worries at all. this is worrisome, as these folks are not doing their share of worrying, leaving more worries for the rest of us. blimey!

always & forever - one & only - you.

you were already a tiny adult when you were 5 years old.

thanks for allowing the rest of us 16 years to catch up with you.










i just want the best for you girl,
but i don't think i really know what that means.
i know you bring the best out of me,
and i know you're sick of abstract things.
but time has been kind in a weird kind of way,
and i know now you're waiting to leave.
so you go, but we know what was there all along -
silver heart-threads bind you & me.

don't you believe, girl,
you changed the world.
at least you changed the world for me.

(adapted from the original by finger11)

last night we went to sleep with the windows open,

and it almost sounded like brigadoon.

only you can prevent florist fires

thanks for all your heartfelt input on the book question from yesterday. based on extensive research, i have decided to stick with it. for now. current status: have completed chapter 3. the pages are turning so fast, it is a fire hazard!

verdicts on the latest cd's from the dogpound:
-- the frogmoores & jud newcomb - fires of love still flickering...
-- peter walker - fires of love down to embers...
-- the connells - burn the cd. yes, it is that bad.

sports news: vince young is hurt & questionable for sunday's game in houston. it's big game - titans should beat houston easily, but nothing is a given, and houston is in the titans' division. this is an important game and could be a real barn burner. [hey, it is my blog, so it is my business if i want to fan the weak flames of a theme that is running low on fuel. is it a theme? a fire theme? or, is fire a symbol? or, a metaphor? okay, whatever the hula it is -- let us not spaz over the terminology or the placement of said terminological objects. no time for debates - must strike while the iron is hot. hot like a fire.]

where was i? titans, right. mr kerry collins: this could be your big chance. little known fact: titans' third string qb is ingle martin. mr martin is currently on the practice squad. friday is the titans' last day to bring mr martin up from the practice squad in time for him to be eligible for sunday's game. so, we will know friday what they think is the real status of mr young, b/c they have not been hauling 3 qb's around. if they bring up mr martin, see, it's a tell-tale sign. a big ol' bonfire of a sign.

tomorrow night is the last indoor game of this season. this has not been a season for the ol' crappy green team highlight reel. we have not been burning up the turf, as it were. [if you don't like it, why don't you write something of your own?] but, there's always next time, isn't there, pollyanna? yipee.

my old man is taking a computer class at the liberry & has to create a yahoo email account for the class next week. why yahoo? what does the liberry have going on with yahoo? are they in cahoots? yahoots, as it were? and, by the by, i know it is not spelt liberry. that is a joke. what kind of flaming yahoo do you think i am?

what's with the picture? it's simply a burning rose. flaming flora. it doesn't mean anything. why does everything have to mean something. blimey.

if you assume it is the wind, and you are wrong, you die.

9:14, 9:42, 9:40, 9:48, 8:46, 7:54. another demonstration of the negative splittage. unfortunate mile 4, there, eh? and, a wee bit eager on mile 1. otherwise - solid.

started a load of laundry earlier, and you know this just highlights a drawback of the glorious tivo system - no commershals during which to switch the load around.

started a new book. the alienist by caleb carr. have been on vacation 2 days and not read a page of it. so far, i have progressed to chap 2, and it is not compelling. wondering if i should stick with it. thoughts?

if a yawn could yawn

10:03, 10:05, 10:05, 10:07, 9:23, 8:49 -- this, my peeps o' the blog, is what is known in the vernacular as negative splits. these particular splits were achieved by me today. okay, fine, i realize this is not lightspeed, but criminy - it's negative splits.

they are playing some kind of cool truth-or-dare or true secrets board game on chuck. looks cool. cool. need to find it. ...looking... ...googling... ...searching... ...amazoning... cannot find. gaaa! gaaa! gaaa... uh... could be loaded questions. possibly the newlywed game. neither one looks quite right, though. ideas?

would a secret agent wear sequins on her black pants? b/c she is on chuck here. pretty sure the sequins would be a bad idea on those stealth nighttime missions.

no thank you. no thank you very much.

at the conclusion of a retail transaction, the clerk hands over a receipt, and upon being handed something -- anything -- my inevitable response is to say thank you. what am i thanking the clerk for? for handing me the receipt? for taking my money? having conquered the snooze you lose* program and the say hey* program, i am ready to take on a new initiative. this new initiative will involve making a conscious effort not to reply to the receipt hand off with a robotic thank you. i will no longer thank the clerk for allowing me to spend my money. from now on, when handed a receipt, i will say one of the following:
-- your days are numbered
-- peace out
-- viva las vegas
-- chitty-chitty-bang-bang
-- see ya

[*note* -- if you don't recognize the names of those other programs, you will have to look for them here in my blog. i am not linking to them for you. if i do the work for you, you will become weak. i serve you better by encouraging you to serve yourself. you're welcome.]

cake time

finished kathy reichs' déjà dead. good book. highly recommended.

last night's entertainment was a trip to the moving picture show to see across the universe. also highly recommended, it is pretty much a two-hour music video. there were a bunch of little references tucked in here & there that i got which means there were a ton i missed. but, lack of a complex, original plot and lack of character development or depth of personality were made up for in setting & imagery. and, of course, soundtrack. the lead actors were both expressive singers, which is a duh-honkus for a movie like this, but refreshing to see the casting director knew the score.

michael waltrip made the field in today's race at lowe's motor raceway in charlotte. nascar goes to charlotte 2x each year - may & october. i was befuddledly sitting here trying to remember what month is it... sitting here like 30 seconds trying to figure out that tough question. that happens to everyone, right?

ran 10 miles today in 1:36:23. that is significantly faster. faster than what, you ask? faster than 1:36:24. duh-honkus.

tonight on snl: jon bon jovi with musical guest the foo fighters. apparently, i was mistaken in my belief that jon bon jovi is a musician.

a title is a terrible thing to waste

tomorrow morning, i shall run 10 miles.

that is all.

if it wasn't nonsense then, it's nonsense now.

gtalk is broken which is an extreme aggravation, and their tech support won't reply. also broken, my pineapple earring. also an aggravation, but less so as it is something that i can fix.

in response to the previous query, research has been done, and turns out i do like barenaked ladies music, not just that one song.

today at the mini-mart: vault zero for 99¢ minus 40¢ coupon for total 59¢. score! too bad they only had 2 left.

news you can use: that narrow space under the tiny freezer in the miniature refrigerator... if you put bottled water there it will get frozen. solid.

new music from the cat's dog pound: the frogmoores, jud newcomb, peter walker, the connells. no verdict as of yet.

poh, a tree

if it wasn't for you, it'd be over.
if it wasn't for you, it'd be done.
if it wasn't for you,
when the rent come due -
we'd'a landed on square one.

if it wasn't for you, it'd be over.
if it wasn't for you, it'd be done.
if it wasn't for you,
& that thing you do -
it'd as likely not begun.

where would it go without you,
if you were to go away?
would it go where it needs to go,
and stay where it needs to stay?

if it wasn't for you, i'd be over.
if it wasn't for you, i'd be done.
if it wasn't for you,
& the way you come through -
... come through...
... come through - with the last freakin' line to the freakin' poem. criminy. but, no. no-o-o. don't want to make the easy rhyme. anyone can make the easy rhyme. right. how about any rhyme? yeah, that's it. any freakin' rhyme. whatcha got for me, eh? nothing. criminy.

parcells' 11 commandments for the qb

1. ignore other opinions regarding football. shut out the media, the fans, your family.

2. clowns can’t run a huddle - have fun, but don’t be the class clown.

3. fat qbs can’t avoid the rush - learn to squat and run.

4. know your job cold - this game is not without errors, study, minimize those errors.

5. know your team - who’s fast, who can catch, who needs encouragement, be precise. know your opponent.

6. be the same guy every day - be in condition, prepare to lead, prepare yourself. impulse decisions usually equal mistakes.

7. throwing the ball away is a good play. throwing an interception is not a good play.

8. learn to manage the game: clock, clock, clock.

9. get your team in the end zone - you’ll be judged by how many tds your team scores and by wins, not by stats.

10. don’t panic - when all around you is in chaos, you must steer the ship.

11. don’t be a celebrity qb - what the team needs is a battlefield commander.

ms morissette... paging: ms alanis morissette

the local sheriff campaigned on a strict platform of no tolerance for drug use by those in his employ. in february, he was arrested for obtaining drugs by fraud - obtaining prescription drugs without a prescription. yesterday, he was arrested for official misconduct b/c when he obtained the drugs, he was in uniform & driving a car on which the license plate read: "sheriff".

he refuses to resign his position.

calling an audible at the line of life

during the pregame show this evening, bill parcells read his 11 commandments for an nfl qb, which he wrote for tony romo last year when he was coaching the cowboys. i've been looking for these, with no luck, and have emailed espn to get them. they were actually pretty good. i'd post 'em on the wall of my office.

there are several shows on mondays that we want to watch, and even w/ 2 receivers, you can only watch 2 live shows plus 2 taped shows. so, if what you want is to watch more than 2 live shows, you're outta luck.

so, we're watching chuck, and his boss is asking him if he's got a 5 yr plan. he does not. do you have a 5 yr plan? i do not. i find 5 yr plans to be confining. if you're focusing on a plan, how can you be ready for stuff that happens outside the plan? like, let's relate this to football. okay. you know how the coaches have a game plan, and they feed the game plan to the qb in play-sized chunks? okay, that's the 5 yr plan broken up into... i don't know... monthly segments. what happens when you're locked into the game plan? no audibles at the line. no last-minute adjustments to compensate for the defensive set. no play action pass. okay, okay... a play action pass can be an actual, called play. beside the point. i think you get what i am saying, which is - plans are for the weak of mind & faint of heart. be strong enough to be open to the vibe of the universe. be ready for the audible at the line.

wow. this post started off all normal & got all philosophishizzelistic. cool stuff happens when you don't have a plan.

heh heh heh.

a distinctly unfunny analysis of humor sensology

don't you hate when you are posting on a msg bd, and you post something funny, but then you realize from later posts that the other msg bd posters don't have a sense of humor? it's pretty much the same thing that happens in spoken conversations when you make a joke, and it falls flat. don't you hate that? maybe it doesn't happen to you, but it happens to me all the time.

my theory is that most people either have a poor sense of humor, or they have no sense of humor at all. if someone doesn't have good sight or hearing, we've got mechanisms to correct that. [yes, i know we can't correct smell, taste, or touch issues, but that's beside the point, so hush up.] what we need is something like eyeglasses or hearing aids... something that will enhance a poor sense of humor.

it's not so bad if people are like, hey - your joke's not funny. what's the worst is when you just get blank stares b/c the blank stares demonstrate that they do not even realize you are kidding around. they did not sense the humor.

it's like they were all raised by librarians.

saturday

you will no doubt be impressed to learn that i did not wrangle out of the baby shower, but i went like the big girl that i am & smiled & made small talk & gave advice & participated in everyday life sort of like a regular normal human bean.

i periodically have to check my aim email b/c even though i don't actually use it anymore, they will not actually deactivate the acct, so folks do not realize that their emails are not getting to me. which i guess the emails are getting to me, since i am checking it, but i think you know what i mean and also realize that's not the point. the point is that when i logged in, i saw this thing where aol is trying to give cute little hints about emoticons, and the icon of the day is a cassette tape. a cassette tape? really? who in the hookah even knows what a cassette tape is anymore. also - their trivia question of the day is can you name gargamel's cat. if you can even remember who is gargamel, then you likely also remember cassette tapes, so that goes to show you who is in aol's target market. old people. that's right - i am calling you old. yes, i am. yes.

vandy lost today to auburn. not totally unexpected but a bigger loss than it should have been. ut's playing georgia right now -- ut's up 7-0 at the moment. titans are off this weekend, and so is the crappy green team. it will be good to have a day to rest after the 20-mile run we've got schedule for the morning. jah-eeepers.

this morning it was time again to pay the monthly bills, so i took all the necessary shizzle outside and worked in the shade. this was (1) quite pleasant & (2) total confirmation that a treehouse is desirable. sitting in a treehouse would alleviate much of the anxiety of paying bills... indeed, much of the anxiety of everyday life would be alleviated by treehouse seating. i'll find a good treehouse pic to include here, so that you can agree with me.

[insert searching here. lalala... searching... lalala...]

okay, i found a treehouse pic. this one is perhaps a wee bit elaborate, but some of the things people claim are treehouses... well, it ain't right. there are pics out there labeled treehouse, but they are simply houses on stilts. or, they are like pre-fab shacks you'd use to park your lawnmower, just plunked up into a tree. or, they are totally far-out, actual houses. what i am talking about is a simple, functional platform in a tree, plus a couple of walls and a piece of tin on top. anyhoo - here's the pretty pic:

lines from a tv show

lines from the show, pushing daisies:

• if it was safe, i'da done it myself.
• i was not a drug mule. i was a monkeymule.
• smuggling monkeys put an end to her life.
• a rush of warmth washed over the pie-maker.
• i was being unselfish for selfish reasons.
• as he stared at her, he reached around his back &
  held his own hand.

it was funny tonight, but might not make the cut in the long run. a little too cardboard cut-out fairy tale.

books 2007

night work - laurie r. king
glass castle - jeannette walls
cross - james patterson
the kite runner - khaled hosseini
with child - laurie r. king
the bookseller of kabul - åsne seierstad
bridget jones's diary - helen fielding
bridget jones: the edge of reason - helen fielding
how to be good - nick hornby
about a boy - nick hornby
olivia joules & the overactive imagination - helen fielding
a series of unfortunate events vol. 1-12 - lemony snicket
high fidelity - nick hornby
a long way down - nick hornby
the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime - mark haddon
the nightspinners - lucretia walsh grindle
the last days of dogtown - anita diamant
the end - lemony snicket
special topics in calamity physics - marisha pessl
hp6 - jk rowling
hp7 - jk rowling
the senator & the priest - andrew greeley
the art of detection - laurie r. king
life as we knew it - susan beth pfeffer
remainder - tom mccarthy
artemis fowl - eoin colfer
irish linen - andrew greeley
after the baby boomers - robert wuthnow
currently - déjà dead - kathy reichs

really, what is there to say? not much. this & that.

since i don't have too much to say, i will include this pretty picture for your enjoyment. it's a chess pie, but you prolly already knowed that.

as of today, my relationship with my old man is of legal age to vote & give blood. any relationship of this age has already given myriad votes and taken a plethora of blood. as if that even makes sense.

tonight - chalk up a win for the crappy green team. we are no doubt still crappy, but the purple team is crappier.

you watching this kentucky vs south carolina football game? criminy - the gamecocks are better than i suspected. the sc defense scored 2 td's already. would'a thought ky would'a won this game, but it's not looking good. ky keeps fumbling and shizzle like that, which is no way to win a football game. as you may recall, the qb of sc is named "smelly". that would be mr smelly to you. right.

this weekend, speedy & i are going to try for a 20-miler. wish us luck. we could be out there a while, the rate things are going these days.

goodly things of the remembering

smile, and the world smiles with you. cry, and you might as well curl up in a fetal position on the floor of your closet & suck your thumb because nobody gives a jackcracker what's going on with you.

if you're happy, and you know it -- then you are in denial.

what you don't know will hurt you, and not only hurt you, it is liable to stalk you like a maniacal evil clown and kill you in your sleep.

ignorance is not bliss. ignorance is ignorance.

dare to be happy - it might be the biggest risk you ever take.

greetings from the beanery, where the coffee is free & the wireless is hot

at the next table are a mom & her friend & her two kids. the mom & son are having a power struggle over whether he will eat his sandwich or drink his freezie. he is opting for freezie, and she's demanding sandwich. it goes on & on, an endless loop. she is calling him "hunter". the name on the back of his baseball jersey is "conner". this means his name is "hunter conner". geyserwheat! i'd rebel, too. ooo - wait... there's more... mommy is telling her friend how she is having such a tough time getting everything done in one day -- she can't seem to find time to make it to the spa. right.

someone i know is turning 16, and i was told there was going to be a party, so i didn't send a card, but there's not a party, so it looks like i didn't care and/or forgot the birthday. i am fairly certain there was going to be a party, but then they got wind of the fact that i was going to bring my card to said party, so they cancelled the party to make me look bad. that's what i think.

i had a good run today. this would not usually be fodder for discussion, but seeing as how most runs lately have been lessons in stamina & endurance, today's run simply being enjoyable... was a relief. in honor of today's good run, i shall include for you here the boy running story. this says "today", and it didn't happen "today", but i am including it "today". get it?

tonight on the way home, i passed through what some developer had optimistically labeled "apartment homes". these blocky, three story buildings were surrounded by small bits of grass, and large sections of asphalt. across one of the patches of grass, someone was moving - moving swiftly, on foot. "now, there's a nice stride," i thought, "but an odd place to go for a run." his stride was powerful, yet graceful - relaxed. as i drove by, closer, i realized he was younger than i had originally thought - only about 9 years old. and, he had something in his hand - one of those cardboard tubes that comes from the middle of a roll of giftwrap. just then, he turned towards me, a big grin on his face, and yelled over his shoulder at a group standing on the pavement. ah... i understood: this was not an athlete out for a run - this was just a kid, running. no heart monitor, no gps watch, no fluid belt, no special equipment at all - well, that is, unless you count that cardboard tube. his only concern with pace was staying ahead of whoever was "it". his only concern with time was that it would be dark soon, and he'd have to go inside.

happy new month!

did you ever think you were having a heart attack & then find out it's just a sinus infection? can make for a hectic couple of weeks.

update on crappy green team -- losing, losing, & more losing. turns out, we might just be crappy. who knew?

the new tv show chuck looks promising.

monday night football -- pats v bengals. go bengals! not only is my'allen a bengals fan, so i cheer for them on that account, i am not a belichick fan. not at all, at all.

currently reading déjã dead by kathryn reich. so far so good. the author's an actual forensic anthropologist, so her autopsy descriptions are spot on & graphic. not a book to read while eating.

my old man finally got a helmet, and he took me out yesterday for a 3 hour tour... a 3 hour tour. yeah, buddy, and we did not end up on a desert island. heh heh heh.