Saturday, December 31, 2005
Sweeping Up the Crumbs of 2005
1. How drunk do you have to be to think an animatronic monkey is a good gift idea? I do like the copy, however:
· "Alive" Chimpanzee can see, hear and feel in ways that allow him to interact intelligently with you, your family, your guests...and with baffled strangers. My friends, family, guests and myself prefer to interact intelligently with each other. We're baffling enough as it is.
· Four distinctive emotional moods include "Curious," "Happy," "Fearful" and "Feisty." Feisty?! Does that mean he flings animatronic poo?
2. Colored bubbles! I can't wait to try these out!
3. This link has been published elsewhere, but it's just sooooo adowable!
4. For those of you who need a little coffee and creativity to get through your day... the results of the Netherlands' annual Latte Art competition.
Happy New Year -- Be safe...don't drink the cheap champagne!
· "Alive" Chimpanzee can see, hear and feel in ways that allow him to interact intelligently with you, your family, your guests...and with baffled strangers. My friends, family, guests and myself prefer to interact intelligently with each other. We're baffling enough as it is.
· Four distinctive emotional moods include "Curious," "Happy," "Fearful" and "Feisty." Feisty?! Does that mean he flings animatronic poo?
2. Colored bubbles! I can't wait to try these out!
3. This link has been published elsewhere, but it's just sooooo adowable!
4. For those of you who need a little coffee and creativity to get through your day... the results of the Netherlands' annual Latte Art competition.
Happy New Year -- Be safe...don't drink the cheap champagne!
Monday, December 26, 2005
I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas
Christmas Eve. OK, my body's figured out that I'm on vacation. I slept nearly the whole day, dreaming excruciatingly boring dreams that must indicate some sort of work detox. Dreaming about clearing out my e-mail inbox? Wow, how... unimaginative. Still woozy, I had a light supper of Syrah and GF scourtins , then curled up under the Christmas lights to watch the MST3K version of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and my DVD of the Pee-Wee Herman Christmas Special. Christmas Day. Brunch at Mom's, dinner at Aunt Marcy's. Food, laughter, paper and ribbons flying, oohs, ahhs, "thank yous"... and photos. Lots of photos. Remember that Far Side cartoon where the pack of hyenas is digging into its prey? One of them stands up with a camera and takes a picture of the others. A second looks up at her and says "Doris, every time we get together you've got to drag out that thing!" That cartoon? Well, that's my family at every birthday and holiday. I expected it this year, since my oldest nephew is in town from California. And of course we had to get the photo of all four of my nephews with Mom. Very funny -- they're all over 6 ft. tall; she's 5' 2" and shrinking by the minute (for a general idea of the proportion, see the mom & baby giraffe at left.) Collapsed onto the bed at 9:00 and didn't stir until 7 the next morning.
Boxing Day. Spectacular weather. 68 degrees, sunny, blue skies that make you happy to be alive. So of course, I went to the zoo. Sure, it's exciting to be 12 inches and a pane of glass away from a jaguar or staring down lions and tigers and bears. But the coolest thing about the zoo? MOLD-A-RAMA! Little souvenirs molded in hot plastic as you watch. The warmth as they come out of the machine, the waxy aroma, ahhhh...cheap thrills at their most wholesome. Actually the wax animals look a little more animated than the live ones. It was a beautiful day to bask in the sun, and the animals took full advantage of it. I could swear I even saw a few of them smiling... and I think the lioness was about to call for a cabana boy. Overall, I don't who enjoyed the day more... the animals or me.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Super Shiny Happy Fun Christmas Edition!
What I'm listening to:
My own holiday party mix CD. Favorite cuts: That Punchbowl Full of Joy, by Sonny Columbus & the Del Fuegos, Regifting for the Holidays, a sassy '60s girl group tune by The Alice Project, The Butties' Beatles-esque take on Joy to the World, and my all-time favorite secular holiday song, Kung Fu Christmas, by the National Lampoon Radio Hour cast -- a note-perfect parody of '70s soul, with music by Paul Shaffer & Christopher Guest and lyrics by Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray, & Gilda Radner.
What I'm reading:
Not so much reading, as inhaling the magnificent pictures: All-American Ads, 1900-1919, from the wonderful folks at Taschen. It was my Christmas gift to myself and it completes my collection of the series. The quality of the illustration is just not seen today, and it should be missed, celebrated and resurrected.
Annoying tune that's stuck in my head:
A medley of Christmas with Fat Aunt Bette by Andrea Perry and Xmas Ain't Coming This Year by Betty.
More tinsel for the holidays:
1. I shouldn't laugh at this, but I can't help it: Toddlers' reactions to Santa. Can't really blame the kid in picture #5; Santa looks like a cousin to the Carver in Nip/Tuck.
2. What's Christmas without really kitschy krap? (After you laugh at the angels, check out the nativity sets.)
3. God is good. Heck, God is delicious!
4. And I guess He likes spuds.
5. The year's most dangerous toys. What a bunch of wusses we're raising today. We had jarts & Creepy Crawlers -- and we LIKED it!
6. My pick for most disturbing toy. Play the promotional video. Doesn't it remind you of The Simpsons' Japanese commercial for Mr. Sparkle?
7. Santas, Santas, everywhere!
8. Are you fit to be Santa's Apprentice?
9. It's amazing what you can create when you raid the pantry and clean out the junk drawer.
10. You just know someone's going to find this in her stocking. I think this would be more useful, though, and still have that just-right amount of holiday sparkle.
My own holiday party mix CD. Favorite cuts: That Punchbowl Full of Joy, by Sonny Columbus & the Del Fuegos, Regifting for the Holidays, a sassy '60s girl group tune by The Alice Project, The Butties' Beatles-esque take on Joy to the World, and my all-time favorite secular holiday song, Kung Fu Christmas, by the National Lampoon Radio Hour cast -- a note-perfect parody of '70s soul, with music by Paul Shaffer & Christopher Guest and lyrics by Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray, & Gilda Radner.
What I'm reading:
Not so much reading, as inhaling the magnificent pictures: All-American Ads, 1900-1919, from the wonderful folks at Taschen. It was my Christmas gift to myself and it completes my collection of the series. The quality of the illustration is just not seen today, and it should be missed, celebrated and resurrected.
Annoying tune that's stuck in my head:
A medley of Christmas with Fat Aunt Bette by Andrea Perry and Xmas Ain't Coming This Year by Betty.
More tinsel for the holidays:
1. I shouldn't laugh at this, but I can't help it: Toddlers' reactions to Santa. Can't really blame the kid in picture #5; Santa looks like a cousin to the Carver in Nip/Tuck.
2. What's Christmas without really kitschy krap? (After you laugh at the angels, check out the nativity sets.)
3. God is good. Heck, God is delicious!
4. And I guess He likes spuds.
5. The year's most dangerous toys. What a bunch of wusses we're raising today. We had jarts & Creepy Crawlers -- and we LIKED it!
6. My pick for most disturbing toy. Play the promotional video. Doesn't it remind you of The Simpsons' Japanese commercial for Mr. Sparkle?
7. Santas, Santas, everywhere!
8. Are you fit to be Santa's Apprentice?
9. It's amazing what you can create when you raid the pantry and clean out the junk drawer.
10. You just know someone's going to find this in her stocking. I think this would be more useful, though, and still have that just-right amount of holiday sparkle.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Blitzen
Apologies for any misspellings and more-incoherent-than-usual ramblings. I've just destroyed some of my favorite brain cells.
It started the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That's when Chow Magazine said one should mix all the ingredients for The Best Eggnog Ever. Milk, cream, a dozen (?!) egg yolks, plus rum, bourbon AND cognac (?!?!). Let it "cure" for a few weeks; by Christmas week it would be ready.
OK, so I jumped the gun a little.
The color was gorgeous -- just a shade lighter than Bailey's. (I want walls that color, but I'm afraid I'd lick them every day.) I poured it into my glass and it flowed like silk. I've never seen anything so completely luscious. I raised the glass to my lips...
::: whoa:::
Slammed. A single knockout blow of rich, scrumptious liquid Novocaine. I'm good at holding my liquor. I can make a margarita that will... oh, never mind. But a sip of eggnog did me in.
Damn, tomorrow's gonna hurt.
It started the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That's when Chow Magazine said one should mix all the ingredients for The Best Eggnog Ever. Milk, cream, a dozen (?!) egg yolks, plus rum, bourbon AND cognac (?!?!). Let it "cure" for a few weeks; by Christmas week it would be ready.
OK, so I jumped the gun a little.
The color was gorgeous -- just a shade lighter than Bailey's. (I want walls that color, but I'm afraid I'd lick them every day.) I poured it into my glass and it flowed like silk. I've never seen anything so completely luscious. I raised the glass to my lips...
::: whoa:::
Slammed. A single knockout blow of rich, scrumptious liquid Novocaine. I'm good at holding my liquor. I can make a margarita that will... oh, never mind. But a sip of eggnog did me in.
Damn, tomorrow's gonna hurt.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Dustbunnies of the Mind
Clearing out a few sites that have been breeding under the bed:
- Stupid, but fun -- manscape cheesemaster David Hasselhoff.
- If you want to talk to a real, live human being, press 1. How to get through the IVR systems at major corporations.
- For those who don't know much about art, but know what tastes good.
- This has been making the rounds online. 74 band names are hidden in this picture. So far, I've found 22 on my own. But MSNBC's Test Pattern blog published a link to this message board that supposedly lists them all.
- The Cat Came Back. Remember the story of a few weeks ago... the cat in Wisconsin who jumped aboard a freighter and sailed to France? She's out of quarantine and back home now.
- And speaking of pets... Why? Just... why?
- The Ig Nobel prizes have been awarded. You know you live in a truly wonderful world when there are people who win prizes for monitoring the brain activity of locusts who were exposed to Star Wars movies.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Another Landmark Lost
This one hurts. Bechtel's Dairy in Lewisburg, Pa., is closing at the end of the year. Back in the early '40s, this is where my parents would go on dates. And for years, this is where they took their kids when we went to visit Nana & Pa Pa. I loved so many things about this place: the "Holiday Inn" curve of the sign, the typography of the name, the mmmmm....yummy teaberry ice cream, and especially the cow on the roof. C'mon -- how could you not love a place that had a cow on the roof?
