I Have No Idea

September..!


When I was a young girl, back in the days when we'd ride our dinosaurs to school, in a time before Crocs and Vans and other comfortable slip-on shoes were invented, in those days, we went back to school in September... Read More...

Life's Teachers


Just yesterday we talked about [self-edited because Husband thought the subject matter was too gory and morbid]. We also talked about head transplants and their practicality, the whole "ethical" question, and the downright Frankenstein-ishness of it... Read More...

210,000 Gallons a Day?


...and so far, we're basically screwed.... Read More...

St. Patrick

shamrock1

So, why is corned beef and cabbage traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare, you ask..?

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Cats in Curlers

Avanti_02323

It's a good look, but I don't know how you would get the curlers to stay on...

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Mad Men (and the women they loved)

joan

Ah, the ’60s were great, weren’t they? Doris Day, clean-cut all-American astronauts, Mitch MIller, Look magazine... How we all long for that joy-filled, unpretentious time. Let’s take a look back at that wonderful era as seen through the lens of our advertising media. What were we selling ourselves? What did we want? Oh, and see if you spot the fake ad...

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Girl of Summer


As a girl, I looked forward to being an adult when I'd have the means to drive to the beach (or maybe even live there) whenever I wanted. Then, the long summers at the bikini girl/surfer beach where we went to see and be seen: smuggling in wine coolers which we'd sneak drink when the beach patrol wasn't looking. It would have been inconceivable to me to find that the adult me might only make it to the beach once a summer... Read More...

The Last Day and the Fake Moustaches

mush3

Husband and I have our own coping method which involves going to the very farthest booth away from the action and trying to stay above the fray...

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This Is Just To Say...


This Is Just To Say...

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast.

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold.

-- William Carlos Williams
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Random Thoughts On a Workday

bumpersticker

The couple at the next table bring out their Wet Wipes to clean their hands before they eat, then ask for paper napkins instead of cloth. I have a fascination with pandemics, possibly because I am a direct descendant of a Spanish flu victim or maybe because I watched the movies Andromeda Strain and Omega Man too many times as a child...

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"Unnecessary" Quotations

freshspoons2

Instead of simply stating the plural "Smiths" on the mat, it reads "Smith's." This begs the question, does one person live here? Why an apostrophe at all? This drives me crazy...

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I Heart Jack Johnson

I heard Upside Down today on the radio and it motivated me to share the gospel of Jack Johnson with the uninitiated out there... Read More...

18 Kids and Counting and the Tater Tot Casserole Recipe: Updated

Lying in bed last night, eyes wide as saucers, I gave up on sleep and went to the kitchen for a cup of tea. Flipping through the cable channels (yes, my life is dominated by media) I came across "The Duggars: 17 Kids and Counting" on TLC. I am strangely fascinated by this family...

Update: "The ultimate Christmas gift from God," said Jim Bob. Well, it's "18 Kids and Counting" now...
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Bye, Bye, Bettie

bpage

Yes, she was the “notorious” pin-up girl in sometimes ridiculous-looking outfits, but she retained a lovely lightness about everything she did...

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15 Strange Things I Saw in the Harriet Carter Catalog

hc1

First of all, we're way too cool for this catalog (or so I thought), yet it comes anyway...

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Domo Arigato, Target

Domo, Domo-Kun, Target Domo.

Gift cards have now crossed over from the realm of the merely functional to become toys and collector pieces? This particular card features a cutout "Domo" with magnetic Halloween costumes (included inside the gift card packaging) so you can dress your Domo in different Halloween costumes...

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New! JC's Blog's Monthly Poll

You can be the first to vote in our monthly poll. This month, in honor of the upcoming election, we pose the question: Whom would you vote for..? Read More...

The Federation for Relevance Presents Free Slogans - Limited Time Only...

I glanced over after Husband snorted while watching TV. He was watching one of those Proposition ads that have been so ubiquitous the past few months. The ad had been sponsored by the "Union of Concerned Scientists." He was laughing...

slogenfront Read More...

Life is Random and You Can Too

I recognize the name of an actress (who was popular back when I was paying attention to such things), and names I don't recognize but find out (by Googling them) that one is Tiger Woods' wife, some town’s soon-to-be ex-mayor, and a sports guy or two... Read More...

Ubuntu

We are what we are because of everyone else... Read More...

Fossil Hunters

100_1728

In upper 90s weather, with full sun, no shade in sight, we grab pieces of rock and break them open with our little hammers looking for anything interesting. I sat there and hummed "Breaking rocks in the hot sun, I fought the law and the law won..." Read More...

Getting Happy

The little tyke sitting in front of us performed gravity-defying mid-air somersaults. He did not have a trampoline, but was propelled by sheer youthful exuberance. It was, um, "fun" to see how close he could get without actually crashing into us... Read More...

We Love "WALL-E" (And Why You Should Too)

From Clipboard
The family has been down with a very nasty, overly-agressive, all-consuming cold for the last two weeks. (This has been particularly annoying for Charlie. Not only has he lost a week of precious summer being sick, he starts school two weeks early this year. Yikes!) So July 4th, feeling reasonably well, coughing kept to a minimum, we ventured out of our cave to the theater to see this movie, and a nicer July 4th treat we couldn't have had... Read More...

My 80s Mix Tape

Since there are no rules to blogging (at least none that I've heard of), I've decided to throw out something completely random for your collective consideration. So here's my list of picks for my Ultimate 80s Mix Tape, in no particular order... Read More...

Embracing My Dork Side

dork2
It's been so many years since I've read it, I'd forgotten so much. I've seen the movies (which were amazing), and didn't remember how different they were from the books. For instance, Tom Bombadil. I'd forgotten completely about him. Just what is he, we wondered? A quick Internet search of "Tom Bombadil" gave me over half a million entries...
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Happy Father's Day

When I think back to my own dad, the overriding feeling I get is his love for us (and we weren't always the most loveable group, let me tell you). My dad was colorful, a real character. I have vivid memories of him mowing the front lawn in this get-up: Cowboy boots with black socks, green and blue bermuda shorts, sleeveless T, and cowboy hat... Read More...

Anniversary and Cosmos

cosmo
We're not so different, Carrie and I. Well, except for the expensive apartment, closet the size of my living room, $500 shoes, and $300 throw pillows. Oh, and my dog is bigger than all of the dogs in the movie put together. But other than that... Read More...

"Lost" & Found..? New! Now 30% More Lost...

Warning: Those of you who are wise and haven't been drawn into this show will not get this, and for the rest of us, do we..?

Finale Update: "Is he talking about what I think he's talking about?" "If you're talking about time traveling bunnies, yes."
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The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: A Review (and the Discovery of the Weebeasts)

Over the weekend, Charlie and I braved the heat and traffic to make the scene at the 13th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, which turned out to be a very large, very hot, very corporate experience; but there were some moments... Read More...

Kathy, The Bunny Queen

page38_1

Every night when the moon is out, Kathy the Bunny Queen takes her basket and goes outside...

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