One last blog and then I'm outta here, dammit!! At least until later :)

I am not much of a New Year's resolution person. This is, in part, because I don't place much significance on the marking of time in this way except as a relative thing. I was frustrated last year with the hysteria surrounding the beginning of the millennium (which actually starts tomorrow) because, to me, it's all very arbitrary. Why are there 12 months in a year? Why are there 60 seconds in a minute? Like distance, it's merely a way to measure something bigger than any of us so that we can break it down into comprehensible units.

But like I said, very arbitrary.

So I don't generally make resolutions around this time because "this time" doesn't mean anything to me except an extra day off, all the stores are closed, there's a big party where I won't have anyone to kiss this year and I'll have to get used to writing a new date on my checks.

Not to say that I don't make resolutions, though. I do. About every 6 months I get a restless feeling that tells me that I need to make a change. Usually this feeling comes in March and October/November. It could be a seasonal thing. Spring is a good beginning, and when Oct/Nov hits, then I have to be inside all the time and things need to change then, too.

And it happened right on time this year. Late Oct I felt a need to make a change and I sat down and made a list of things that I need to do to become the person I want to be. These include
-volunteer
-make a budget and stick to it
-learn things so that I can move forward in my career
-go vegetarian (mostly)
-lose weight, or at least fit into most of my clothing comfortably
-learn to work better and play better, to make my time more valuable to me

Unfortunately, I didn't get very far in any of these at the time...

... I'll start the volunteering next month when the Reading Program starts its tutor training again.

... Budget? Yeah, right.

... I made some headway with the vegetarian thing, but this last week was a disaster. Lasagna with meat sauce, ham for Christmas dinner, all you can eat pizza, but you can only choose the sorts of pizza they bring out, steakhouse fare, etc.

... I intend to sign up for classes this quarter at Foothill that will help me with the career thing and the weight loss goal.

... Working and playing better? I'd like to think I'm always working on that one, even though I haven't gotten very far.

So, the upshot is that these are turning into New Year's resolutions, if only because I caught myself saying "After the holidays are over and everything settles down, I'll get right on those."

Here's to making my play time more valuable: Bye!

I have spent my first two conscious hours of the last day of the year catching up on all the blogs I missed while I was gone and I've only gotten as far as the E's!!

I am not dressed yet, I haven't eaten, and my stuff is still lying (or laying?? I can never get that one straight) all over the floor, waiting for me to find a place for it.

And in typical California fashion, I can tell from the quality of light coming through the closed curtains that it is an absolutely beautiful day. I should be out rollerblading, or going to the beach, or ... or something more athletic than finding new positions that will allow me to extend one (cold) hand to scroll or click on the computer while keeping as much surface area covered by blankets as possible.

Mollie has left us for a bit. Here's hoping she comes back real darn soon.

Home at last! Here I can access *all* my email (whew!!), call my friends locally, and worry about getting only my own kitchen messy or tripping over my own sh*t on the floor.

And I get to see what people sent me late for Christmas. I love when the holiday doesn't really end for a week or so after the 25th.

Tonight I'm off with J and B to see our friend M in The 1940's Radio Hour. Fun, fun, fun!

Well, no wolves to speak of yesterday, but I did score some of that apple pie. I've made many pies lately, but they've all been as gifts or party offerings and I didn't get to taste any. I forgot how good they can be. Mmmm, mmmm, good.

Mom and I went to see Miss Congeniality last night. Funny movie. Not a lot of depth to it, but that's not really what we were in the mood for anyway. There's a part when she's in a bar with a pint of B&J's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and she tells her partner that she's going to get chip-faced. I almost fell off my chair laughing. I enjoy these ugly ducking movies. It gives me hope that one day I too can become a swan.

I think I'm getting a little too accustomed to 9-10 hours of sleep every night. One might say that I need it, but I'm not sure that's strictly true any more. Next week is going to be a tough adjustment, getting out of bed at 6:30 a.m. every morning. Grrr.. I can do it. (zzzz)

I just made an apple pie for my grandma. Now I'll don my red cape and head off through the woods to her house.

I'm still debating as to whether I'm looking forward to the wolf or not.

Wow, vacations can be more work than working. I think everyone here at Booboolina's House is looking forward to getting back to the grind. At least the overeating will stop then, and I can work on trying to fit back into the clothes I bought last summer.

Despite all that, though, today was nice, since no one had to be anywhere at any given time. I made a few apple pies this morning as belated Christmas gifts and then went to lunch with a good friend. I'm still full from that and now we're waiting for everyone to show up so that we can go to dinner at the restaurant my brother works at. It's a steakhouse (perfect for the somewhat vegetarian!), and dinners are served "family style", which means waaayyyy too much food. Then we'll cross the street to the little ice cream parlor that's been there as long as we've lived here and fill up some more.

Gosh, you'd think all we do is eat around here. And you'd be right.

Merry Christmas, to all those who celebrate Christmas. Happy Holidays to those who celebrate other holidays. A simple 'wishing you well' to those who celebrate every day as a gift.

We've got the whole famn damily here at the homestead. Parents, two brothers, a sister and her husband, grandma and some family friends. And dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. Poor Daisy is feeling a little put out by the other four-footed guests, each of which outweighs her by quite a bit. But as long as we make everyone (humans included) feel loved, then everything is ok.

For the first time in my 28 years, we're celebrating on Christmas Eve. It feels strange. I'm kinda wondering what in the world we're going to do tomorrow morning with all the gifts already opened. I'm sure we'll get through it ok, but, like I said, it's strange to change any tradition that's lasted this long (52 years for my mom). I just hope that my brother's trip, the reason behind this upheaval, is safe and he makes it back ok for dinner tomorrow night.

Here's wishing everyone a very merry Christmas, from my family to yours.

Here's an interesting site:

Metro Nashville Police Department - Rate Your Risk

Very good for those of us who are risky people.

Thanks to Jish for that one.

Gosh, being home sick (not to be confused with homesickness, mind you) reminds me of how many telemarketing calls I miss while at work. I have gotten three calls already today. I don't know what they're for, since I hang up on them before they have a chance to talk, but it's the anticipation that someone wants to talk to me and the disappointment when it's someone trying to sell something to someone (not necessarily me) that is depressing. And I'm sick, darnit, I don't need to be depressed too! Poor me.

And that, folks, is my rant for the day.

So what are you supposed to do when your sinuses are so swollen that your jaws hurt???

After spending the day sleeping (I stayed home from work today), I wasn't sure I wanted to watch what promised to be a rather slow movie, and one that required I put my glasses on (sinus pressure!!!), but Rang-e khoda , or The Color of Paradise, was an absolutely beautiful movie.

The title is significant because it's about a little blind boy who's father is ashamed of his disability. The little boy is constantly looking for God through his fingertips: he reads the stones at the bottom of a creek, he reads the nubs on a wheat sheaf, and he tries to catch the wind while riding on the bus.

I have to admit to total ignorance of places like Iran and Tehran. After 28 years of movies and books, I was under the impression that the entire Middle East was one big desert, with a few oasises (sp?) thrown in. When I studied Bible history, the professor assured us that that area used to look like "the promised land", flowing with milk and honey, but that constant war had turned it into a desert. According to this movie, though, which I'm sure was shot in Iran, it looked more like the Pacific Northwest: trees and flowers everywhere, lots of green, rain, rivers. Except for the fact that I wouldn't understand the language, nor would I want to wear a shawl over my head all the time, I would luv to live there.

I need to travel more.

I think the Naked Dancing Llama Homepage is a perfect example of ... of the ... creativity available on the web.

Yeah, I think I'll just leave it at creativity.

Damn! I am sick. As usual, it's happened at a really bad time (when is it a good time to be sick??). But in this case, I would really rather not have gotten sick just now. See, for the first time in many years, our whole family will be together for Christmas and my mom has taken advantage of the situation to schedule a family picture. The last time we were all gathered for a phamily foto op, my now-20-year-old brother was still wearing diapers.

My face has finally cleared up, my hair looks good ... and I get sick. I suppose with a lot of makeup I can still make this work, but I'll look like Rudolf the rest of the time.

Waaaa. Poor me. I get this way when my head feels like it's stuff with cotton. I'll stop now (sniffle, sniffle).

My new favorite CD: "Poem" by Delerium.

Lyrics that caught my eye:

Underwater

Something fearless in your eyes
something careless about your smile
something fragile when you hold your breath
and when you move
you move right through me

fingertips so gently on my skin
I'm underwater
I feel the flood begin
fingertips so gently on my skin
you're taking over and over again

shed your armour
spin your web
hypnotise me with the longest stare
make your promise
or maybe it's a threat
'cos when you look
you look right through me

we're flesh and bone
together and alone
and we're looking for a home

silver moonlight fills the sky
calling gently to the evening tide
you're unfolding right before my eyes
and when you move
you move right through me.

It seems that Blogspot is down. This is unfortunate, since I keep seeing these cool-looking blogspot blogs on the Blogger Recently Updated List, and I can't get to any of them.

Most importantly, Tony at secretseven.blogspot.com has actually offered a trade of "About Me" questions, and I can't even see what his are.

Here's hoping those people who work really hard to bring us these wonderful products can get this one up and running soon. So that I can waste more time at work.

James has taken some adorable pictures of his adorable daughter, Gnat. Go on, take a look. It's a nice way to spend a Monday.

If you need more cuteness in your day, take a look at his dog, Jasper.

At last!! Someone who has taken the time to figure out Traffic Waves (described as 'physics for bored commuters').

Thanks to Zannah for that link.

I think this is the most extensive anti-Bush site I've seen, and the funniest.

The Adam Clymer Fan Club

Have you ever noticed that people's voices change when they choose evil??? I mean, have you ever heard a bad guy with a wimpy, nasal voice??

ps
I mean the lead evil guy, not his evil cronies (who vary between more macho, or extremely craven, depending on how secure the evil guy is in his masculinity).

Same goes for the evil chicks. You will never hear a Evil Mistress with a voice like Macy Gray.

So I just watched two movies in a row that followed remarkably the same plot line: Girl does something family doesn't like, there's an intervention, she is sent somewhere to be 'reconditioned', there's a big emotional breakthrough, and she ends up doing just she wants anyway and everyone learns to live with it.

Two such movies, you say?? Yup. Although the basic plot was the only thing they had in common. First movie: Holy Smoke, featuring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel and But I'm A Cheerleader, featuring RuPaul as a converted homosexual who trains young gay people to recognize their affliction and helps them to learn to live as heterosexuals.

I recommend them, although they're ...

... wow, they just cut the sex scene from Dirty Dancing. I mean, why do they think anyone is watching??...

... both a little off the wall as far as subject matter (the first involves cult exiting, the other homosexual reconditioning).

And now I'm stuck with Dirty Dancing, and a drastically edited one at that.

If I stick with TNT, I can watch Hairspray next, and maybe then Girls! Girls! Girls!

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, Christmas,Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.

I have managed thus far to avoid going into a store with the intention of buying Christmas gifts. And my holiday season has been relatively stress free.

The internet is a godsend.

But now it's too late to guarantee shipment in time for Christmas (that is, unless you're willing to literally pay an arm or a leg) and I have to venture out into the mad, mad world, looking for the perfect gift for the rest of those special people in my life.

I'm having a tough time getting myself to actually leave my apartment.

At least I know what I'm going out for, so there won't be hours of browsing the discount racks or the marked up racks (there never seems to be any racks in between, at least not for me). I've always disliked shopping. I like the having, but the getting is tedious.

I think I'll just go rent a video and hope the stores I need are open on Sundays.

It's 5:00!!!! Here's to living by the clock. I'm outta here ... later 'gators!

I am so looking forward to The New Yorker Website in its finished form... although the "under construction" version is pretty fun to read, too.

Thanks to Peterme for this oh-so-delightful link.

Sixteenpages.net sounds pretty cool, according to prolific's description. I will test, test, test the site later, later, later.

giggle, giggle, giggle

This is how Lehman's Non-electric Catalog chooses to demonstrate the sturdiness of their mail boxes, electronically. Interesting.

Good Morning!

Well, I finally uploaded an image that Robert sent to me from Faire. It was fun, and I think the photo captures just how young, beautiful and exciting we all are (smile).

Our company dinner was great last night, even though it took everyone at least an hour to get there. I am convinced that traffic has gotten exponentially worse over the last year than it ever was before. I mean, I think we can all take it for granted that traffic will always get worse around here (or anywhere, for that matter), but it's not happing a bit at a time. It's happening in great big leaps and bounds. We went from Santa Clara to Menlo Park last night. According to yahoo, it was a 15 mile drive and should have taken half an hour. I don't know how many miles we drove, but it took almost 2 HOURS!! Not driving was only slightly less stressful than driving. It took me a long time to relax once we got to the restaurant. Like I said, though, it was really nice once we got there, quiet, restful and I realized (again) just how cool my coworkers are.

And this morning I'm trying not to utter the familiar holiday refrain, "I can't get sick now, I have too much to do!!" That's right, I woke up with a sore throat this morning and it's not gone yet. I hope it's just a passing thing, 'cause dammit, I really have too much to do before I go Home next week.

Ohmygod, it's next week! Dammit. So much for the Christmas spirit :)

Here's to a happy and healthy holiday season (cough sniffle cough)

Open Letters: The Delivery of a Lifetime

"An exchange of email between Daniel Arp and Amazon.com, on love between man and corporation."

Tee-hee

Thanks to Heather for that link.

Never fear, David, people are reading you. 'Cause people like Mollie Elizabeth are referring to you, among other reasons (like you're pleasant to read)

I went to see The Vagina Monologues last night with Jish.

The show was great, the company was great. The night was a success all around.

If you have the opportunity to see the show, I fully recommend it. If you can find someone fun to go with, then take 'em with you. Don't worry, no male bashing, no feminist schtick, just a commentary on how women feel about "down there" and how it reflects their personality, their sexuality and their feminity. How they feel abused or loved, and how our attitudes can evolve over time.

And through all this, we laughed most of the time.

Well, I managed to get one thing on the list done last night. Now everything has to wait till the weekend.

Upside: this means that I have a life for the next three days.

Downside: I'm not going to have much of a life this weekend.

it would seem Loobylu's site is as cool as they say. Adding another to the list -> ->

"What are the ethics of the gift basket?"

P.S. Wall is really cool.

"Life should be like poker. You ought to be able to toss a couple of those bad years back and draw a couple of new ones."

"We all have skeletons in our closets. Some of us have the entire science lab. But as we go around the room with our confessionals, one can't help but notice that the people with the most interesting mistakes are the most interesting people."

"Rosie always thought she was just a little bit better than the rest of us because she never made any mistakes. But the truth is, she never made any mistakes because she never took any chances."

And the best one of all ....

"People are like trees. The scarred, twisted ones that have been hit by lightning fascinate us. The straight, flawless ones end up as floor decking."

John has some well-written things to say about Darwinism, funny names, the current national political fiasco, and where we're going as individuals and a society.

I like reading his stuff.

Ok, this is the second time this week I've heard someone talk about the Secretariat documentary on Sunday. I wish I had known about it. I still own *every* *single* *horse* *book* *written* *by* *Walter* *Farley* (author of The Black Stallion). There are about 20 of them.

I don't mind not watching tv, but I wish people wouldn't tell me what I missed.

Never mind the national political fiasco, this is the real threat:

Killer otters worry scientists

Thanks? to Jerwin for that pointer.

I am not a kind person.

Just in case you were wondering.

Teensy, tiny little movies, with the same theme as those Mr. Bob shorts. At least there aren't enough here to depress, just fascinate.

Ouch.

How NOT to Talk!

Thanks to usr/bin/girl for that one.

I'm sure there's something funny about Dennis Leary, but I can't imagine what that is. Bleh.

I wonder if this article reveals more about the researchers than those researched.

I love this bit:

"The research then goes on to "reveal" the fact that British men are pigs. It found that 90 per cent of them admitted they had lied about where they were when text messaging (the other ten per cent probably lied about not lying). But British women aren't daft - 15 per cent of them have dumped a partner via SMS."

Who would have guessed men could be pigs? This changes my whole perception of the gender!

And the bit where you have to wonder about the researchers:

"Meanwhile, a worrying six per cent of randy Europeans said they had conducted text message conversations with people whilst "engaged in sexual acts" with someone else.

The survey didn't reveal if this was because it is difficult to have a proper conversation on the phone with one's mouth full."

Does "engaged in sexual acts" necessarily translate into having one's mouth full?? Did I miss something?

Muchas grassy ass to usr/bin/girl for this link as well.

-laundry

-get stamps; mail Christmas cards

-mail Christmas presents

-return the design-flawed, POS Bug Catcher Vacuum

-finish Christmas shopping

-cook dinner

Wow, I have a lot to do tonight.

I'm a Koala

Not one for the spotlight, you're often content to listen and observe at parties. You're an introspective, friendly Koala who enjoys taking in the social scene with her honey now and then. You're a great listener, so other party-goers love talking to you and appreciate your encouraging smiles. But, all things considered, you'd just as soon be cuddling up at home. Not that you don't enjoy being around big groups of people — it's simply not something you need to do every night. You're happiest in your comfortable tree, surrounded by your familiar eucalyptus leaves and the ones you love.

Yep, that's me.

These are so cool!!

thanks to Lilley for that one.

And this goes for you too!!

thanks to Jish for that link :)

I don't do 'alone' very well, but I think I did a pretty darn good job today. Contact with the outside world: spoke to a friend for a few minutes this morning; my sister called this evening; went out to get some groceries. Total time: about 45 minutes. Other than that, I finished cleaning my apartment, wrapped the gifts I've bought so far, hung some Christmas lights ... basically got my life in order.

Now I'm waiting for the post-football wrap-up to friggin wrap up so that I can watch X-Files. Damn football...

... and they start out with a close-up of a spider. This is usually where it's good to have someone else here to tell me when that shot is over. Damn spiders.

ps
Wes Craven needs to stop making movies. And they need to stop with the spider close-ups in this episode.

I like this site

Since I decided to go veggie I have have the most disturbing cravings for KFC, a fast food I never used to think about much.

Very strange.

And hard to resist.

Ever experienced rejection from someone you never suspected would reject you? not because they made promises of love and fidelity, but simply because you didn't think you'd let them in enough that anything they did would hurt you? I can tell myself that I shouldn't feel this way. It's not like we ever had much of a relationship to begin with. We spent time together, never asking much more than that the other person listen. Understanding was optional. But even that's slacked off lately. My life is busy enough that I could pretend to myself that the distance didn't bother me. If they* were satisfied with the status quo, then I could live with that. If they wanted to renew the level of communication we once had, I'd be there, ready to listen.

But with one insignificant little decision, I have been effectively excluded and it really bothers me. This decision probably doesn't even have any significance for the person who made it. They were just doing what was most convenient for them at the time. It's only that I thought we had an understanding, and now I find that that's not the case.

I think I need a mushy movie and some time to cry and then everything will be better. It's been a long time since I cried.**

*incorrect usage, but the only way I can get the point across in a gender-neutral manner without using 'it'
** anybody who knows my phone number, please don't call me to offer sympathy. It's not that bad, it's not something I want to talk about, and I'll get over it soon. I'm probably just hormonal.

web economy bullshit generator

I think the name says it all.

thanks to Kevin

Gosh, if I didn't think it was all right for my brothers to be living at home because of their situations, I'd get them this game.

Surprise.com, what a great site!

Another election funny

Krispy Kreme Maniacs Recommendations

I love the Categories Related to "Krispy Kreme Maniacs". Some of them are:
Stressed Out
11 to 13-Year-Old
Works Too Much
etc.

(wow, you could make those into a very wrong sentence)

Does this say something the kind of people who obsess over the Evil that is Krispy Kreme??

Gosh I'm hungry right now.

From peterme

Macworld: Good to the Last Drop

"...the perfect way to say, 'I have lost all hand-eye coordination.'"

From EOD

James just seems so darn relevant these days. Today, with no time to read all the blogs I usually read, I made time for him, 'cause I knew it would make me feel better.

The "real" reason I don't get TiVO (besides not wanting to pay for it):

" ... my eyes hurt. They have that fuzzy achy weariness that usually presages a cold, or means I need more sleep. But I can’t sleep. I’ve nine hours of Simpsons to watch. (The TiVo keeps recording Simpsons episodes I haven’t seen in years, and I feel obligated to watch them.) Last time I checked the machine had also taped another movie for me. Great. Wonderful. My TV now resembles my email inbox."

And how I feel sometimes when I've paid too much attention to the news:

"You read these stories, and your shoulders just slump . . . and when you look at your own happy baby, gurgling in the noontime light pouring in the kitchen window, you just want to build a wall around the house, dig a moat, hire some archers to keep the lunatic world outside.

But do you know how hard it is to get good archers nowadays? We’ve been going through an agency, and after ten interviews we can’t find one who’ll man the parapets and do light housework. But we’ll end up bending on the latter point just to get someone to do the former.

Damn tight labor market, I tell you.

Damn tight."

Happy Hump-Day.

Wow, record low for me today.

It's been a bad testing day. The system seemed to sense when all the techy guys were absent and decided to crash/fail/throw random errors.

All we could do was diagnose the illness ("Yep, that's what's wrong") and sympathize with the poor support people dealing with all the customers ("Dude, that sucks!"), but we couldn't do a darn thing to fix the problem ("Check back tomorrow, we might have it fixed by then").

What is support for when they can't fix the problem?? I suppose moral support is needed during computer issues (I know I've needed it often enough), but they (and we) would be seen as much more effective if they (and we) could say "Fixed!"

On a happier note, it's my dad's birthday today. I didn't get him a gift, or even get a card in the mail on time, but he appreciated the phone call and the e-card I sent. If people didn't love me for who I am, regardless of my procrastination issues, I don't think I'd have many friends.

Remember, if I'm late, then I like you. If I'm on time, then you can get suspicious!

My last invitation was so successful, I thought I'd try again.

Would anyone like to go to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) with me on Friday???? Never fear, it's a comedy and promises to be very funny.

Please let me know if you're interested.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Another funny from James

"The tree, or timber, fell on top of me. It did so quietly. Without fanfare, calamity or malice. In fact it was almost delicate, in a prickly sort of way; it felt like I imagine it would feel to be mounted by a porcupine."

Very, very cool

Thanks to Elise for that one.

Funny

It's a joke! No, it's not a joke. Yes! It is a joke!

These were the thoughts going through my head as I navigated through Jesus.com: Jesus seeks loving woman.

I'm still not sure. And, having been raised Catholic, I'm not very comfortable with some of it. Hmmm.... I am not sure if the problem is on my side or his.

Thanks to Jerwin for that one.

My Word Of The Day: mendacious.

I have heard this word three times in the past two days, but hardly ever before. Is someone trying to tell me something??

I really need to go to bed now, but I thought I find that I need to get my thoughts out about something. It's random and unorganized and not well written, but I'm not in school anymore and I don't care what grade I get. It's the thought that counts, right?

News flash: Sensitivity and Respect go both ways

I'm sure this isn't news to anyone. We've seen what happens when victims of racism, sexism and other -isms cry foul and then turn around and commit the same injustices that were committed against them. Often, popular opinion is with this first group - after all, the second group started it, and they have whatever pain is coming to them - or they do it unknowingly. But just as it was unfair to discriminate against the first group, it's doubly unfair to discriminate against the second group precisely because they know what harm they are inflicting.

In the same way, it seems as though people look at one group that is traditionally seen as less desirable (i.e. fat, short). Then they look at a group that displays characteristics opposite of that first group (i.e. tall, thin). We know it's wrong to make comments about the first group, but we figure the second group must be really, really lucky and they don't mind comments. This isn't so.

Recently I had to watch a documentary on fat, its evolutionary history, the social problems associated with it, and what scientists are finding out about weight and how varied it is for each individual (hint: there is no such thing as an 'ideal weight'). The people they were interviewing discussed how the food and the fashion industry have succeeded in creating a self-defeating society: one in which we are constantly encouraged to eat the worst foods available and then told to be as skinny as possible.

Anyway, the purpose of this is that at one point, a woman who seemed to be carrying a lot of resentment against the fashion industry (and models in particular) went on about what men want and 'do they really want to go to bed with a skeleton?' And that's what got me. In her enthusiasm to protect the overweight people, she put down a whole group of people who may have weight problems of another kind.

I have known quite a few extremely thin people. In fact, I seem to attract them. We can complain about our weight together. I can't lose it, they can't keep it on. But more than one has expressed to me how hurtful it is when people are constantly commenting on how skinny they are, how they wished they could be as thin as my friends. My ex didn't like to be hugged because someone would invariably comment on how thin he was. I have another extremely thin friend who contracted a GI parasite from Florida water. When she lost even more weight from the sickness, people still commented on how much they wanted to be thin like her, despite how emaciated and unhealthy she looked.

I don't have any answers to this dilemma. I have committed various blunders myself over the years, realizing how much I hurt the other person with my insensitive remarks only when it was way too late to apologize.

I suppose the key is to stop making assumptions about people based on their looks, or take advantage of them because of any physical characteristics. Here's to reminding ourselves that not all tall people want to get those items off the top shelf for you, and not all skinny people want to be your role model.

More funny stuff from James:

"Bought the tree ... and was heartened to see they had names on every tree. For years I’ve named our trees, a tradition stretching back to 1988, and one that was starting to seem teeth-grindingly precious, to be frank. I don’t think I named it last year. This year’s tree was named Whitey. (I looked around for trees named Cracker and Ofay, but no luck.)"

"Genius flames and dies, but amiable competence can live forever."

"I always wonder why they don’t have these things the rest of the year. What, are people hungrier in December than June? Do we expect they’ll just graze in the summer months?"

You, too, can write songs for Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC.

Guess what TheSpark recommended that I get for my Grandma this Christmas:

1.Blazing Saddles

2.Dead Alive

3.Baseketball

4.Naked Pictures Of My Ex-Girlfriends

5.Richard Pryor - Live in Concert

6. Airplane!

7. What's Up, Tiger Lily?

How many 77-year-old women do you know who would like any of these items?? If the answer is anything other than 0, then maybe it can be your Christmas list. I think I'll stick with the nice vase/picture frame/candle set.

Well, not blogging yesterday didn't do a whole heck of a lot for my productivity, since I still spent a lot of time looking through everyone else's sites and looking at what they did for WWA.

And this is something I found: Geek Fantasia

I'd tell you what part I loved best, but it's at the end and would take some of the fun out of reading it. And none of the fun should be taken out of it.

This one blog today is in support of

WORLD AIDS DAY: A DAY WITH(OUT) WEBLOGS