Down Memory Lane

This video cracked me up, as it reminded me of the Princess Mom -- saying all the right things, but inwardly...

Whoa, Nelly!

If the Princess Mom had done for my Baby Brother what this creative mom did...

Currently the top post on the front page of Reddit is this heart-warming lamp Redditor, justgrant2009, received from his mom on his wedding day. The lamp was filled with things his mom had found in his pockets whilst doing his laundry growing up.

1. It would have to be a glass lamp base the size of a small dumpster; 
2. It would be rated NC-17; and, 
3. He’d be rich, given all the money he was famous for leaving in his pockets.

In the Rear-View Mirror

On Father's Day, some things that remind me of my own Darling Daddy:

• The scent of classic original Chapstick, which he always carried in his right front pocket;
• Cross Pen's Classic Century pen and pencil set tucked in a smart sport coat breast pocket;
• Capper & Capper suits;
• A bowl of nuts in the shell and a nutcracker set on a hearth, next to a recliner;
• The drive from Chicago to Boston and back in a Ford Country Squire station wagon;
• Slide rules;
• Elaborate menus for home dinner parties;
• A snore that rattles the walls;
• Fried bologna or fried salami on white bread with yellow mustard;
• Church ushers;
• Grace Kelly, Veronica Lake or Julie Andrews considered a hottie;
• Cotton handkerchiefs, freshly washed and ironed and smelling of spray sizing, in his left front pocket;
• Blenders full of frozen daiquiris at patio parties in the summer;
• Precise printing and cursive handwriting;
• PGA and LPGA golf on television;
• Church league softball games;
• The scent of Right Guard anti-perspirant;
• A deep, steady heartbeat;
• His favorite song, from his favorite movie:

• The phrase, "I'm just resting my eyes."

I miss him on Father's Day and every day.

Can't See the Forest...

It just occurred to me that I don't have a family tree -- I have a small family forest.  Huh.

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:

Knock, Knock!

Is this thing on?

Yeah... I've been a bit distracted by other things lately. I'll try to be more regular, if only to let you know I'm off doing other stuff.
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On a political note, I haven't found a candidate that I'm 100% behind yet. Between Cain's accusers (and I do believe in assuming he's innocent until proven guilty) and Perry's debate blundering, my concern that Romney is too far left for my taste and my skepticism that Gingrich is capable of sustaining it for the long haul... I'm just not ready to back a candidate at this point.
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I saw my first snowflake of the season this morning. I'm not ready for Chicago winter weather.
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I am aghast that Mike McQueary will be coaching the Nittany Lions this weekend. Of all the horrible questions I have about what happened at Penn State, why McQueary didn't: a) step in and stop Sandusky when he was caught in the act of raping a 10 year old; or, b) call 911 immediately -- local, not campus police is beyond me.

Why, when he called his father, didn't his father tell him to call the police immediately? And if his dad did tell him to call the police, why didn't he???

Why has he kept his mouth shut all this time?

I agree with John Kass and David Haugh -- I don't understand why McQueary wasn't shit-canned along with Paterno and Co.

I am sickened by the actions of the students who rioted in support of Paterno this morning.

Sadly, the whole story looks to be even worse than we thought.

When are we going to stop putting sports icons ahead of our moral and ethical duties?
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Speaking of moral and ethical duties, handing out bonuses to the leadership of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- and that leadership accepting those bonuses -- is beyond the pale. If I bungled my own job so badly, I wouldn't expect a reward, and neither should they.

Let them have bonuses when they've actually fixed something, first.
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On a much happier note, it looks like a vaccine for breast cancer might just be one step closer to reality.

Faster, please.
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Did you know it's National Adoption Month? Clearly this is a subject near and dear to my heart.

I've been reading Carrie Goldman's Portrait of an Adoption every day. I found one story that was very close to my own, and responded via the comments. Guess what? That young woman was finally able to bring her story out in the open and received the same kind of support that I experienced.

While I wish every adoption story could have an ending this happy, Ask Amy today has a letter from a sister who finds her younger sister's judgment wanting in deciding to place her child for adoption.

This is exactly why some of us kept and continue to keep our secrets to ourselves.

National Adoption Month -- it's not for sissies.
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I'm kind of caught between wanting to get my hair colored right now because the roots are about 3/4 of an inch long and letting it grow out enough to chop the colored part off and just see what nature has to offer.

Thus, today's ear worm:

In Dreams

Okay, I'm seriously freaked out because this is the second night in a row my ex-husband has shown up in my dreams. I go years at a time not thinking about the guy (we've been divorced since 19809 (wishful thinking there for a moment...)), and all of a sudden he's in my head all night!

The night before last, I dreamed that we was back in New Hampshire and I was going back to work for the jerky lawyer I worked for many years ago. I knew it wouldn't work out, but was willing to take the job just so he could fire me. My line of thinking was that with the unemployment checks I could find a different place for the ex and I to live and to work out our problems.*

Argh!

Last night, I dreamed we were somewhere in Texas with a very large tour group. Our hotel was near a inland lake fed by a river. Because the ex had (in the dream, anyway -- I don't know if he really does or not) COPD, he lagged behind everyone else, and we were constantly late for tours, meals, meetings. The final straw for me was missing another group meal and almost missing the tour bus for another tour, which I decided I didn't really want to go on anyway.

Hungry and peeved, I opted to skip the tour and go for a walk to find somewhere local to find something to eat. As I wandered, I climbed winding streets lined with elaborate Victorian brick homes in the hills above the town.

After a long stroll I came upon my grandson sitting naked on a lawn, and bent to pick him up. I knew I needed to get him back to the hotel, but I was totally turned around and couldn't find my way back. I figured out that I needed to keep the water from the river to my right at all times in order to eventually end up where we needed to be. I had to stop from time to time to amuse the grandson to keep him from crying. We came to a main highway where I could see the lake in the distance.

I suddenly realized that I had my cell phone in my purse and looked for a street sign so I could identify our location and call the ex for a ride back. I looked up, and there was a sign for a town called Querco.**

Then I woke up.

Two things -- I wander around a lot in my dreams... and I wish the ex would get out of my dreams.

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*It should be noted that I've never collected unemployment compensation, and I've never, ever wanted to be fired. I have no idea where that came from.

**For what it's worth, there is a district called Querco. It's in Peru.
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Update: Yikes! Last night he showed up in not one, but three different dreams, in the last of which I was trying to get away from him, hiding and he found me -- which led to me shrieking and yelling, "No, no, NO!" in my dream, which promptly woke me. I was terrified for a minute there that I might have actually talked (yelled) in my sleep.

I haven't had dreams quite this unsettling since the last time I was on the patch. I sure hope whatever it is that's rattling around the shadows of my psyche works itself out -- and soon.

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

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Funniest newspaper "Corrections and Clarifications" ever:

In a Page 2 column on Wednesday, John Kass incorrectly asserted that by raising the federal debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion, President Barack Obama had grabbed "reality by the hair" and kicked it repeatedly "in the behind." But Thursday's stock-market plunge of more than 500 points proves that reality remains immune to the president's charms. The Tribune regrets the error.

Gotta love John Kass!
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I'm stunned:

Durbin said “Democrats have to be prepared to talk about entitlement reform and Republicans have to be prepared to talk about revenue if we’re both serious about meaningful deficit reduction. It’s tough politically on both sides. I mean, it’s as volatile as can be.”

Yeah. I actually agree with Dick Durbin, who is making sense for once.
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Seems Obama will never run out of groups or people or events to blame for the lousy state of the economy. Here's the latest:

"We've weathered the Arab Springs effect on oil and gas prices. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami's effect on supply chains. The extraordinary economic uncertainty in Europe and recently markets around the globe have taken a bumpy ride," Obama said this morning.

That's four finger-points in two sentences. (He did, however, leave out Bush, Republicans and the Tea Party... for once.)

Is anyone else ready for a little of Harry Truman's "The buck stops here!" mentality from the Oval Office for a change?
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And while we're at blame casting, "At Google, don't blame the technology when something goes wrong, blame the person behind the technology."

I hope they're right, though. The Princess Mom sure would have been a prime candidate for a robot car:


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Rules of the Road:

Do you live and drive in an urban area with lots of bicycle traffic? Then you should try this in order to prevent "dooring" accidents:

When you get out of your car on the driver’s side, open the door with your right hand. This will force you to twist your body and look back, allowing you to see if any cyclists or walkers are coming by.

Easy peasey lemon squeezy.
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After hearing about that awful story out of Australia where the young woman was collared with what was alleged to be a bomb this week, it brought back memories of a similar device that actually did what it was alleged it would do:

Suddenly, the device started to emit an accelerating beeping noise. Wells fidgeted. It looked like he was trying to scoot backward, to somehow escape the bomb strapped to his neck. Beep… Beep… Beep. Boom! The device detonated, blasting him violently onto his back and ripping a 5-inch gash in his chest. The pizza deliveryman took a few last gasps and died on the pavement. It was 3:18 pm. The bomb squad arrived three minutes later.

I'm so glad that Miss Pulver survived to tell her tale. And I hope they catch the sicko who dreamed that little stunt up. Let's hope karma catches up with the SOB.
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As my old pal Jihad Gene used to say, "It's Friday! Let's Dance!"


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Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

Officials believe the man was using the portable toilet (also known as a port-a-potty) at Rockhampton Airport, in the state of Queensland, when he lit a cigarette.

Go here to find out what happened next.
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Can you answer the Miracle Question?
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What a cool way to customize your carpeting! (If I didn't have hardwood floors, this would be tempting. And I might just pick up an inexpensive area rug and give it a try anyway.)
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For anyone who thinks ol' Rusty Rockets is a flake, go read his tribute to Amy Winehouse. Beautiful, sensitive stuff.
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Just because it's so darned cool:



Blame Cordovan for turning me on to this seriously addictive blog.
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Just a little shout-out to the folks at Sean's Original Designs -- I LOVE my Welsh Dragon pendant! It's beautiful.
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Hardee's is making me miss my Darling Daddy, who was chief cook and bottle washer whenever the Princess Mom headed off to parts unknown with my favorite auntie/fairy godmother for a week or so each year:

To partake of Hardee's latest round of breakfast promotions, you'll have to road trip to Wisconsin, say, or the Southeast and promise to exercise a couple hours extra post-consumption of the items: A Double Loaded Omelet Biscuit and Fried Bologna Biscuit.

OMG! Fried balogna!

This was one of the goodies that Daddy, who'd been a short order cook way back in history when dinosaurs roamed the earth, liked to whip up for dinner. The Princess Mom would have had heart failure, had she but known. And you can bet that we kids were zippered-lipped about this particular secret, because if we told, we'd never have fried balogna sandwiches for dinner ever again.

I like mine on soft white bread with a generous schmear of yellow mustard and nothing else. Mayo and foo-foo stuff on a fried balogna sandwich is for sissies. And biscuits? No. Just... *shudder*... no.
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Quote of the Day:

You may know two men that you think would be perfect as a couple except one likes leather daddies and the other is into twinks----and they’re both tops. If you don’t know what that means, then you shouldn’t play cupid.

Yup.
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Lingering would be a colossal waste of love and money.

Go read the whole thing.

Since the passing of the Princess Mom and Darling Daddy, I think about stuff like this pretty often, and I agree entirely with the author's perspective. There's nothing wrong with me now, but I've already started having conversations about this with my daughter so that when the time comes, she'll know exactly where I'm coming from and there'll be no surprises.
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My friend Lisa's got a new album out. She wants you to Come Dancing:



Yes, she is that disgustingly gorgeous in person. And a real sweetheart, too.
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Update: Searches that turned up on my site meter today: "ass burgers," "color of puss" and "boobs licker."

Lovely.

Road Trip Eats

This article on favorite road trip snacks... and the recent spate of hot summer weather... got me more than a little nostalgic for the days when the Princess Mom and Darling Daddy loaded up the Ford station wagon and hauled us all to Nana's house in South Harwich, MA for our summer vacation.

So what were the top 10 snacking highlights of our road trips as we lounged in the "way back" of the wagon? (Nope -- no seat belts.)

In the cooler:

1. The Princess Mom's oven-fried chicken, served cold for a picnic lunch.
2. Home made potato salad, ditto.
   

Miscellaneous:

1. Regal Crown Sours sour cherry candies, purchased from a machine at an Indiana or Ohio tollway oasis -- the best sour candy ever. (And they don't make 'em any more. Wah!)
2. Kraft Easy Cheese. 'Nuff said.
3. Ritz Crackers.
4. An economy-sized box of Cheez-Its.
5. A big ol' gallon thermos jug of cherry Kool-Aid.
6. Keebler Pecan Sandies. (A Darling Daddy fave.)
7. Mother's Iced Oatmeal Cookies. (The Princess Mom loved 'em.)
8. Ice cream cones from the restaurant at the HoJo hotel we always stayed at in or near Schenectady, NY. (Pistachio for me!)

So what top 10 edibles figured in your childhood road trips?

Mile Markers

My Fourth of July was lovely....





And yours?

Drive-Bys

What's the sweetest item not on the menu at Sweets & Savories?

A peek-a-boo playing Mr. Monkey Toes, of course! (Our brunch there was fantastic, by the way -- great food, lovely ambiance, very good value.)

Mr. Monkey Toes and Mommy play with Ziggy the skunk and Dot the ladybug. Yes, I've started him out early on theatre, and he loved every second of it. Chicago Children's Theatre is terrific fun for kids of all ages.
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Why don't I try online dating?

Within minutes of filling out my profile, e-mails with comments such as "Hey cutie!" or "What-up?" flooded my inbox. One man even said "Send me some body pics babe! Wanna see if you're hot from the waist down too!"

As Hairboy would say, "Yeef!"

You'd think these does and don'ts would go without saying...

Don't have screen names like "Mommywarnedyou" or "HotstuffMike." "Write a profile name that will make someone smile, not that will scare someone off," says Gandhi.

Don't take pictures of yourself with no shirt on in your bedroom. Shirtless photos are already sketchy, but if you want to show off your physique, be doing something, like swimming or fishing or rock climbing. You sitting in your desk chair with no shirt on just brings out all sorts of bad images that you don't want anyone to have in a first impression.

Don't use acronyms in your profile description that might offend, such as WTF or BS.

Do use spell-check when writing your profile. "You are wooing someone with your words so the first impression matters," says Gandhi. "And use punctuation. In this cyber-world, people think they can type the way they would text, and that can come off as lazy."

Don't reach out to people half your age. I got asked out by an 87-year-old man. I'm not against older men — but I will not be dating someone who could be my great-grandfather.

Don't "wink" at people. This is quite possibly more annoying than a million "pokes" on Facebook. If you like someone, send them a note.

Do write them an e-mail. "Take the time to write a good e-mail based on something the target has written," says Gandhi. "It doesn't have to be long — just enough to make them smile. And use the subject line in your e-mail to stand out. Ninety-five percent of people will say 'Hi'. Say something that responds to a comment in their profile. It shows you've actually read what they put out there rather than just looked at the pictures."

Don't be sarcastic. When I was struggling to write my profile, I decided to ask my 5-year-old son to describe me. I thought it was hilarious. But Gandhi warned, "Sarcasm doesn't translate in writing as well. They need to get to know you first, and that may be off-putting."

Unfortunately some men really do need to be whapped upside the head with the stupid stick. (For what it's worth, there are a lot of ridiculously dense women who should learn a lesson or two as well.)

Life as a satisfied singleton life suits me better every day.
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WTF? of the Day:

A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day.

I don't know what they're smoking in that ivy-covered corner of Cambridge, but it's apparently got some very strange side effects.
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Roughly 530 colleges across the country will soon have to submit special reports to Uncle Sam, explaining why their tuition and student fees have recently surged.

All I have to say is WHAT TOOK SO LONG???
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Obama really should be taking tips from Chicago's new mayor:

Eager to avoid job cuts but more determined to solve a budget crisis, Mayor Rahm Emanuel posed a painful choice for organized labor: face 625 layoffs or sign off on $20 million in work-rule changes by midnight Thursday.

Emanuel said he has identified the 625 employees “as a precautionary measure,” but he refused to identify them, nor would he reveal what city services might be reduced, eliminated or privatized.

The mayor stressed that he does not want to pull the trigger on the layoffs. He insisted that job cuts will not be necessary if organized labor will “be my partner” on $20 million in work rule changes outlined for labor leaders this week that, Emanuel claimed, are already in place in union shops in the private sector.

But the new mayor said he is prepared to balance the city budget, without furlough days that have undermined employee morale and with or without union help.

He's doing a great job of keeping his promises so far.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



I've never been a fan of Rod Stewart... but... I've gotta admit I love the way he does the old standards!

Drive-Bys

I've always assumed that if sunspots and solar flares are strong enough to cause magnetic poles to flip and potentially wipe out satellite and electrical grids they also dramatically affect climate. Turns out I was right.
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It's no secret I'm a birth mother, and that my daughter's adoption was arranged at a time when adoptions were closed and original birth certificates were sealed.

Illinois law will change all that come November:

Illinois Department of Public Health officials are bracing for a flood of requests in November when a new law will allow thousands of adult adoptees to obtain their birth certificates.

The law passed in Illinois last year could give some adoptees the names of their birth parents for the first time.

I can make an argument for finally opening those doors... and I can make an argument for keeping them closed.

Women who long ago made the choice to give their child a stable home with a loving parent or loving parents did so for all sorts of reasons. Some of us kept our secret and rarely, if ever, talked about it. Some of us have been open about it from day one. I refuse to judge any of them.

Here's the thing -- if you are one of the sisterhood who made this choice, you have another choice to make:

Birth parents can remain anonymous and have their names redacted from any released birth certificate by filling out a form by Nov. 1.

I've been very, very lucky, but I can understand how this could be a difficult choice. Whatever your choice, I stand behind you.
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If the Divine Miss Marilyn were still alive, I'd have to get her the world's most expensive cat toy:


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I love it when karma works:



Next time I'm in Austin, I'm heading straight for the Alamo Drafthouse!
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Clearly Lendle listens to its users! If you're a Kindle owner, I highly recommend this free service.
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Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

A punk rock nine course tasting menu would be a case of Old Style missing three cans that were thrown at the band.

Priceless!
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Looking to adopt a really special pet? Why not consider a retired Military Working Dog?
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Hero of the Day: Elizabeth Smart

"I know exactly what you did. I know you know what you did was wrong. You you did it with full knowledge," Smart said, looking directly at Mitchell, 57, and speaking forcefully during brief remarks in federal court in Salt Lake City.

"I also want you to know that I have a wonderful life now, that no matter what you do you will never affect me again," Smart told Mitchell. "You took away nine months of my life that can never be replaced. "In this life or the next, you will be held responsible for your actions and I hope you're ready for that when the time comes." (Emphasis mine.)

Young lady, I take my hat off to you and your incredible inner strength.
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Ear Worm of the Day:



I'm going to have to get their album. Fabulous stuff.
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Oh, puh-leeze:

But consider this: It's not that Obama can't speak clearly. It's that he employs the intellectual stammer. Not to be confused with a stutter, which the president decidedly does not have, the intellectual stammer signals a brain that is moving so fast that the mouth can't keep up. The stammer is commonly found among university professors, characters in Woody Allen movies and public thinkers of the sort that might appear on C-SPAN but not CNN.

And it may just be that if he hasn't thought it out beforehand, he's not quick enough on his feet to formulate an answer readily.
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Reading and doing crossword puzzles can block your ability to hear? Hah! The Princess Mom, were she still alive, would be assuring my readers that in my case, reading blocks not only the ability to hear, but also to smell.

Back in my youth I once read my way through a chicken burning so badly that it welded itself to the pan, which had to be tossed. I was so wrapped up in my book that I didn't see or smell the smoke that had filled the entire first level of the house. (So it's no wonder that i can read in the middle of a very busy and noisy sports bar and not be distracted.)

I can now validly claim limited brain capacity...
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Head-Scratcher of the Day:

Tootin' the Horn

Things that make me happy today:

Sandals! At last!







*Sigh*

In The Rear-View Mirror

I'd give anything to have the Princess Mom and Darling Daddy back long enough to share this cartoon with them.



I can hear the heavenly laughter anyway...
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Speaking of heavenly laughter, I just spotted a current photo of one of my oldest and longest crushes and his wife. Yeesh. Somewhere up there my Auntie Frances is laughing her ass off.

Drive-Bys

Put-Down of the Day:

That's a thing of beauty, isn't it?
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Now here's a novel idea -- let nature take it's course.
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Greatest letter ever sent on NFL letterhead here.
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Tower of the Hand is having a contest regarding George R.R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons. You can enter if you want to, but I'm convinced ADWD will not be completed until A Game of Thrones runs its course on HBO -- long past 2011 -- so I will not be entering. Until and unless he gets tired of running from set to set and con to con and writing with partners on other series he authors, Martin simply won't have time to complete ADWD. Hmpffff.
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Wonder of wonders, for once I agree with PETA:

Vick is not allowed to own a dog while he is on probation, and PETA wants the restriction extended when he is up for review in 2012. In the same way convicted pedophiles are not allowed to be alone with children, PETA's board says, it believes convicted animal abusers should be denied unsupervised access to pets.

"Children and animals are completely defenseless to an abuser," Lange said.

He may have paid his debt to society, but he'll never pay his debt to all those dogs he already killed and/or abused.
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A different kind of love story:

Frank still urges Anthony to move inside without him. Anthony tells him to be quiet.

"Some people say I'm crazy. Some people say I'm loyal. I just say he's my brother," Anthony says.

"I love him," Frank says.

Go read the whole thing.

Update: One of the Nowotnik brothers is in the hospital and the other has gone missing. The good news?

Meanwhile, Anthony, who is expected to remain in the hospital for several days, has been fielding calls in his room from long-lost relatives who read the story and got in touch after an estrangement of nearly 20 years.

"It's kind of hard to talk to people when they're crying and you're crying," Anthony said Wednesday, lying in a hospital bed, a breathing tube in his nose and an IV in his arm. He said he's looking forward to getting reacquainted with his seven half-siblings and 17 nieces and nephews.

"It took that article to get me back to my family," he said. "A couple of days after Christmas, but I still enjoyed the present."

Update 2:

A 34-year-old businessman moved by a Tribune story about homeless twin brothers is paying for a week's hotel stay for one brother while the other remains hospitalized.

The west suburban businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he was looking for an opportunity to help and do something more than put a check in the mail.

"A lot of people talk the talk, including myself," he said. "But walking the walk is another story."

That's a lot of love all the way around.
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Ear Worm of the Day:

Joy to the World!

The Most Beautiful Child in the Word ("TMBCITW"):

The Most Precious Angel Ever ("TMPAE"):

Little Miss Mischief ("LMM"):

Mr. Monkey Toes:




One most happy Nana and pal:

My Christmas was full of magic. And yours?

Saturday Ramblings

Normally he's the most serious of babies, so this shot of Mr. Monkey Toes grinning at the camera made my day!

He may look like his daddy, but he's got his mama's sweet smile!

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As cool as this is (and it is)...

... the fact that the animation was done by a high school freshman is just amazing!

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Mary Schmich lists her nine best books for 2010.

While I still haven't posted my list of December books read, here's my own Top 10 Books Read in 2010 (I'm choosing by what I read this year, not necessarily what was published this year)

1. Beatrice & Virgil: A Novel, Yann Martel -- In turns beautiful, comical and horrifying. This one has stuck with me like no other. I highly, highly recommend it.
2. Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority, Tom Burrell -- Written by a black man to a black audience, but for anyone who wants to understand race relations in this country it's a must-read.
3. Born Under a Million Shadows, Andrea Busfield -- My favorite character since Piscine Molitor Patel. I'll read this one again and again.
4. Confessions of a Compact Camera Shooter, Rick Sammon -- If you want to do a whole lot more with your little point-and-shoot camera, this book is packed full of good information and written in terms that won't intimidate the techno-challenged (like me).
5. The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón -- Set in post-war Spain, it's a quest novel of heartbreaking beauty.
6. Packing for Mars – The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach -- It made me laugh out loud and it was stuffed with interesting data.
7. The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love, Kristin Kimball -- Not a life I'd choose for myself, but one that certainly is rich and wonderful. I could practically taste, smell and feel every element of life on an organic farm.
8. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand: A Novel, Helen Simonson -- A reminder that there's no age limit on finding love.
9. The Believers, Zoe Heller -- Whether you're liberal, conservative or independent, this is a fascinating fictional peek into the mind of the liberal left. Favorite quote: “’You want to know what I’d do if the truth revealed itself to me and it wasn’t the truth I wanted to find?’ ‘Yes’ Audrey smiled. ‘I’d reject it.” Bang on.
10. Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel, Armisted Maupin -- I loved the original series and was delighted that Maupin treated my old friends, all of them dearly missed, with such affection.

What are your Top 10 reads for the year?

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Speaking of love stories, here's a dandy:

For the back story, go here. Sappy. Hilarious. Charming.

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So my underwire bra is a threat to national security and requires a groping that left marks for days, but an Iranian-American can get on a plane with a Glock in his bag? Sooooooooo glad to see that the TSA has it's priorities straight and is so effective in its mission.

By the way -- this story about a TSA agent stealing travelers' laptops is exactly why I object to having to step away from your stuff for a body scan or grope fest.

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It's no secret that I'm fully in favor of repealing that obnoxious "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. I'm happy to report it's on it's way out the door! Well done.

(John McCain can go pound sand, as far as I'm concerned.)

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More Game of Thrones geekery:

The Artisans: Simon Brindle

Beautiful, no?

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I just had to swipe this from Becky:

Holiday Express

Sainted Sister-in-Law, TMBCITW and TMPAE were decking the halls on Saturday. (Shooting them in a retro mode just felt right.) I can't believe how fast these girls are growing up!

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Doing your holiday shopping and want to save more money? Go to Coupon Cabin for both online and printable coupons. I used it and saved an additional 20% on a 50% off deal at Kohl's. I'll certainly check it for all my online purchases going forward!