Leslie's Omnibus

Whoa, Nelly!

One of my friends accepted my invitation to Fab.com, and I got a little spending money from Fab as a result. I tripped across an offering from a trio of handmade sea salt caramels (original, dark chocolate and cabernet) from Sea + Cane Sweets and I couldn't resist -- especially since it cost me little more than the shipping to indulge.

Oh. Mah. Freakin'. Gawd.

Ooey, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth perfection, every dad-blamed one of them!

I like 'em all, but these Dark Chocolate beauties...


... really should be declared illegal because they're so addictive.

How good?  So darned good that I looked up Sea + Cane Sweets on the intertubes, only to find out that they're right in my own back yard.

I'm of the belief that Valentine's Day is over-hyped and overrated.  If you really want your sweetie to know you love him or her, do something special on any of the 364 other days of the year.  And these sinful confections from Sea + Cane Sweets would be an awful special gift indeed.

(And if you want an invite to Fab, email me at omnibus - dot - driver - at - gmail - dot - com.  They've got cool, very contemporary stuff, and they ship within a short amount of time, unlike some of the other online discount luxury goods sites.)
Leslie

Hold the Bus!

Fancy underpants are a debatable topic?  Really?
There's a subtle line between liking to wear fancy panties ... and needing to see others drool over your bottom before you can feel worthwhile. One is powerful; the other's an eating disorder in waiting. One is finding power in enjoying yourself and your body in a mature and confident way ... and the other is a degraded manipulation of self by instincts out of whack and in thrall to others. Sometimes, of course, both are at work at once.
The planets must be aligned in such a way that it's underpants karma week.

(BTW -- If you haven't taken my wildly scientific survey yet, why not? Click here to take the survey.)
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day, Part the First:

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Want a novel way to speed date?
On a snowy Wednesday evening, in a back meeting room at the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 15 women sat at 15 different tables. Fourteen men sat down with each, briefly, for a micro-date.

As any single woman in a city will tell you, the dating scene is lopsided. Speed-dating sessions at the public library are no different. There were supposed to be 15 guys, but the library had a hard time filling those seats. They had to turn away 25 women.

Because it is a library, they brought books as ice breakers.
I actually think this is a great idea.  I'd probably bring 911 and Home by Mark D. Paulson.  Having a first edition, signed by the author, with a mention in the credits?  A guaranteed conversation starter.

What book would you bring to the table?
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If you've left me a voicemail message in the past few weeks and didn't hear back from me... I got a new smart phone that's WAY smarter than me.  Glad to see that I'm not the only one that feels that way.

Have patience.

I'm getting there.  (It only took me a month to figure out how to retrieve emails.  Sheesh.)
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If this is true...
The speed someone walks may predict the likelihood of developing dementia later in life, according to researchers in the US.
... then I'm going to be sharp as a tack well into my old age.

And if this is true...
They also told a conference that grip strength in middle-age was linked to the chance of a stroke.
... I'm going to have the ticker of a teenager for the rest of my born days.

Go read the whole thing here.
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Given my history with Chicago cabs, this is very good news indeed:
[C]ity officials are focusing on a new ordinance — it's set to go into effect this summer — they say will be easier to enforce and finally hold cab companies accountable for repeat offenders they let behind the wheel.

"One of the reasons why we took on the challenge of rewriting the ordinance is because we needed it to be clear, crisp and easy to enforce," said Rosemary Krimbel, commissioner of the Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department.
This can't happen fast enough to suit me.
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Giggle of the Day, Part the Second:

Leslie

Drive-Bys

When you laugh in the face of the Fates...
Diner suffers cardiac arrest while eating a Triple Bypass Burger in restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill
... the one named Karma can be the biggest bitch of all.
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So that's why I re-read my faves over and over again:
The first time people read - or watch - through, they are focused on events and stories.

The second time through, the repeated experience reignites the emotions caused by the book or film, and allows people to savour those emotions at leisure.
George R.R. Martin, Nancy Atherton, Jacqueline Carey, Karen Miller, Gary Jennings, Janet Evanovich (books 1-10, anyway), and many, many more are all old and dear friends of mine.
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Today's Chicago Tribune advocates discussing problems with your neighbors before calling in the police: 
Calling the cops almost has become a default solution, one that's not especially productive.

"No one likes having the police called on them," said Will Reimers, a neighborhood contact officer with the Boise (Idaho) Police Department. "Oftentimes that makes things worse, when suddenly police show up and start talking to you. People resent that. So it's not the best first step."


What is the best first step? Try talking to each other.
"It seems today that talking to your neighbors is something that has fallen out of fashion," Reimers said. "It's just not done as much anymore. But it's an old technique that should be resurrected."
Which all sounds good until you realize that today's Daily Mail illustrates the flip side of that solution:
Franklin Santana, 47, allegedly went to his neighbour's home in the Tacony region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to complain about his dogs.

The neighbour, Tyrirk Harris, 27, was licensed to carry a gun and had it in a holster as the two talked on the front porch on Tuesday, police said.

‘I (saw) them arguing, then from there a little scuffle,’ neighbour Miguel Rivera told the Philadelphia Daily News. ‘Then I heard the shots.’

Mr Santana was found dead outside the Torresdale Avenue home after confronting Harris about the mess constantly left by his dogs, police said.
I'd say you really need to pick your battles -- and you might want to let the police handle the ones that involve an armed and angry neighbor after all.
Leslie

Drive-Bys

Cloud Gate (a/k/a "The Bean") + animated light show = Omnibabe needs to recharge the batteries for her camera and get her butt down to see Luminous Field before it closes!
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If you haven't already seen this viral video of a pissed off papa's response to his darling daughter's humdinger of a Facebook post dissing her parents, give it a gander:



Apparently some helpful folks figured that the local authorities ought to be called in.
The former Marine wrote on his Facebook page that Child Protective Services officials came to his home in Stanly Co. on Saturday and interviewed him and his daughter — separately — after viewers of the video called with concerns about his actions.
He said the police also stopped by.
And what happened next?  (Not what you think!)
“The police by the way said ‘Kudos, sir,’ ” Jordan wrote. "I actually had a "thank you" from an entire detectives squad. And another police officer is using it in a positive manner in his presentation for the school system.
Is he at all repentant?
In the Saturday Facebook post, Jordan said he does not regret making the video and stands by his decision to post it.
Here's my favorite bit:
Jordan's post also said if he had to do it again he would, "Not be smoking a cigarette ... not have used the word "ass" in my comment directed at my daughter ... would have worn my Silverbelly Stetson, not my Tilley hat if I'd known that image was going to follow me the rest of my life and I'd probably have cleaned my boots."
That's my kind of guy!
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Seeing this article about a woman who collected so many salt & pepper shaker sets that she had to open a museum to house them reminded me of The Princess Mom.

TPM loved to meander through junk resale shops, yard sales, rummage sales and flea markets in search of the perfect salt & pepper set for my sister and I for Christmas gifts -- on top of the dolls and other collectibles (anything with a cat (for me) or Cairn Terrier (for my sister) in it, on it or for it, whether it was to our taste or not) she was already buying for us.

After I got out of college I had no room to display this unwanted collection, but every year another set popped up in my stocking. 

Shortly after I got married I casually mentioned to TPM that I really didn't have any place to display the S&P collection, and that I would rather not receive them as gifts any more.

I completely forgot that the fastest way to get TPM to dig in her heels and do her best imitation of a mule was to tell her you didn't want something she wanted you to have.

Yes, I got another set for Christmas.  And the Christmas after that.

And the Christmas after that

I started re-gifting those S&P shakers right back to her.

It only took three more Christmases for her to finally give up the battle... and I still have most of the original collection.

Yes, I could sell them on ebay... but then I wouldn't have this goofy connection to her, now would I?
Leslie

World Tour

Jeepers!  I start blogging again, and the world sits up and takes notice:

21 countries and the great unknown, and all by noon.

What, you may ask, drove all those people here?

Search Keywords
funny pictures
 - 22









funny pics
 - 7









redneck nom nom -
5 [???]









funny crap pictures
 - 4









funny cute cat pics with caption -
4









the dark crystal trailer
 - 4









bloody monday cheezburger cat -
3 [3 X ??? = WTF?]









funny fighting animals
 - 3









funny photos
 - 3









i am bitch before and after coffee [Yes, I am, actually]
Who knew?
Leslie

Meme-Meme-Meme-Meme-Meme!

Have you ever done so much laundry in one day that your whole house smells like fabric softener?

Have you ever been gobsmacked by the sheer numbers of socks you have?

Do you have enough pairs of knickers to last you for over a month?



Your Lucky Underwear is Orange





You have an intense personality and crave extreme emotional experiences. And your lucky orange underwear will help you take it to a whole new level.


Adventure and danger don't phase you - in fact you enjoy dicey situations. You're the first to take a risk, and the first to get the payoff.


And while your risks sometimes result in great rewards, they also sometimes result in devastating failures.


If you want to have intense moments without always risking all you have, put on your orange underpants. They'll help you experience life with rich emotions, no matter what you're doing.



(By the way -- have you taken my survey yet? No? Click here to take survey.)
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I do simple memes.  Om Keesie, on the other hand, occasionally serves up a doozy:
Now be honest
Answer if you dare!
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The Westminster Kennel Club show finals start tomorrow.  Yahoo!

Listen to Steve Dale interview David Frei, who is the cohost and analyst for USA Network's airing of the show, about which dogs are the current favorites and what new breeds to look for tomorrow night here.

How much do I love the Westminster?

funny dog pictures - Ai haz teh debilmaykare nawtakareintehwurld fulluvzim ebbrefingisritewiftehwurld happies!
see more dog and puppy pictures
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One more silly meme?





You Are Innovative




You're the type of person who is always putting a new spin on things. You are very creative.
You sometimes feel like you are a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, but that's okay! You'll build your own square hole.


You are cutting edge to the point of being avant-garde. You are extremely inventive.
You can't help but be original. You love to experiment and try new things.




Leslie

Saturday Ramblings

Now I've heard everything:
Winner's attorneys argued that punishment was too harsh, according to court papers.

Winner's attorneys also asked that his emotional problems and difficult childhood, including physical and psychological abuse at his father's hands, be taken into consideration, court papers show.
And what exactly is he guilty of?
An Illinois man was sentenced Friday by a federal judge in Rhode Island to more than three years in prison for shipping unwanted penis enlargers to diabetes patients as part of a larger fraud scheme that prosecutors say bilked $2.2 million from Medicare over four years.
He's a real winner all right.
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Looking for another place to get designer-looking prescription specs at a fantastic price?  Try Warby Parker. Not only will you be getting a great value, you'll be doing a good deed, as well.

(I like the look of these, and at only $95 for frames and lenses, I just might have to get them!)
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6 tips for avoiding speeding tickets -- besides not speeding in the first place, that is.
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An unexpected consequence of the current economy?  The ruin of the current generation.
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Giggle of the Day:

Leslie

Intersections

For those who recently dropped me notes of sympathy, really the teeth in, teeth out routine isn't that bad.  What does suck about the whole thing?




So there.
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Oh, sure... Fabulous at 50! You have fewer colds, less sensitive teeth and are better at sex

I have less sensitive teeth... because I don't have real ones any more.  The rest, well... that's for me to know and you to find out.
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Valentine's Day is coming.  How to you define love?
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A survey has revealed than an astonishing 43 per cent of women carry around a pair of sexy pants in their handbags... just in case.

I find that astonishing.  In fact, I've put together a little survey of my own to see just how true that is.  Click here to take survey
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"Is my kid entitled?"  If you have to ask, the answer is more than likely YES.  This is one of the most sensible reads for parents that I've seen in a long time.
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I did know this -- "Cut flowers prefer a cool, humid environment and should be kept out of bright light and away from heating vents."
 
 
Good to know!
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I recently spent an evening in the company of a delightful soccer coach from Glasgow, Scotland.  Given that I couldn't understand over a third of what he said (though the accent was delightfully piquant), Siri has my sympathy and this article had me in hysterics.  


See?
Leslie