Tuesday, August 29, 2006

For me to poop on...

A special "Thank You" to Not Peaches for providing me with the following information about my favorite Late Night TV host...

Emmy Awards host Conan O'Brien is having sleepless nights ahead of the big ceremony on Sunday, worrying his hair won't look great onstage. The talk show host is even scrutinizing weather forecasts to check freak conditions won't ruin his trademark hairdo. The well-coiffed star tells the New York Daily News, "Barometric pressure has a lot to do with how my hair behaves. So I'll be checking with the weather services shortly before the program to see just what kind of lift we can achieve. If the humidity gets a little high and we're in a low-pressure system, the hair tends to fall onto the forehead. But if we get just the right conditions, it can be 14 feet high."

Incase you missed the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, Conan's pompadour behaved oh-so marvelously. Just wish I hadn't missed the bit with Bob Newhart...

UPDATE:

Thanks to the brilliance of AM, I have found a clip! Woo-hoo - Yippee!!

So, without further ado, I present the following for your viewing pleasure:



(Of course, my one complaint is that YouTube still hasn't uploaded the aforementioned clip with Mr. Newhart. Sigh...)

Monday, August 28, 2006

Talk about thinking ahead...

The body of Benjamin Franklin, Printer (like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding), lies here, food for worms; but the work shall not be lost, for it will (as he believed) appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the Author.”


- Benjamin Franklin’s epitaph
(written in 1728 by BJ, himself, at the tender age of 22)

Monday, August 21, 2006

Poor, poor Gnome...

Visit my site...NOW!!
My little sister finally got around to posting something that she wants everyone to see. In fact, THE RUNT is SO excited about this particular post that she spent countless hours yesterday visiting each and every person's BLOG linked to mine in an effort to solicit your commentary (a very special "THANK YOU" to AM for complying).

Just to let you know how hard she worked on this post, I had to teach her how to not only upload photographs (she'd never posted any before) but also how to use Photoshop, clipart AND to insert photo commentary. She's blonde people! Believe me when I tell you this process took hours!!

So, go HERE to see it, if you haven't already. Please. You'll be doing us BOTH a favor!

Thank you,
THE MANAGEMENT

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Coffee breaks...

So, since RR left the museum, my morning coffee routine has been interrupted. Now, I don’t consume coffee every morning or anything like that, but several times a week a caffeine jolt is more than necessary to keep me from drooling/falling asleep at my desk. However, now that RR is gone, it is difficult to find anyone that:

A) Wants coffee…
B) Hasn’t already stopped by Starbucks on their way into the office…
C) I necessarily want to have coffee with…

There have been two occasions where my boss, my boss’s secretary, the Marketing Director and I have been standing in the Board Room with the light either off or on “very dim” (as so to not hurt our sleepy eyes) waiting – in awkward silence – for the coffee to brew. It was like we were all statues – kinda like the ones on Easter Island, but inside and facing one another in the dark (as opposed to outdoors, in the harsh South Pacific sun, looking out at the ocean). Since no one had anything that they could think of to say (my boss, to compensate for the silence, kept nervously clearing his throat), we all just…stood there.

That was about the time the Vonage song (from the commercial) popped into my head, and all I could think of was, “woo hoo, woo hoo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo hoo...” Talk about an annoying earworm (or is it “bagworm”?). It was all I could do to keep from humming/whistling it aloud.

Maybe I should start drinking tea again…

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

An "oldie" but a "goodie"...

Okay, so awhile back, while Trevor and I are downloading music for our iPods, "the boy toy" turns to me and says:

"You know what song I really, really love?"

I'm thinking that it has to be something by Bon Jovi (or possibly Journey), but I humor him by responding with:

"No. What?"

"Well, I just LOVE that song 'It's Raining Mad'. You know it? It goes something like, 'It's raining mad! Hallelujah! It's raining mad!..."

"You mean, 'It's raining MEN'?!"

"Oh...those are the words?"

"Uh, yeah. 'It's raining MEN', not MAD."

[Cue LONG, AWKWARD silence...]

"Yeah, so maybe I don't really love that song as much as I thought I did."

"Uh, huh...riiiiiight!"



So, in honor of Trevor's most favorite song ever, I present to you the lyrics from the THE WEATHER GIRLS hit song, IT'S RAINING MEN:


Hi - Hi! We're your Weather Girls - Ah-huh -
And have we got news for you - You better listen!
Get ready, all you lonely girls
and leave those umbrellas at home. - Alright! -

Humidity is rising - Barometer's getting low
According to all sources, the street's the place to go
Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half-past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men.

It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!
I'm gonna go out to run and let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah!
It's Raining Men! Every Specimen!
Tall, blonde, dark and lean
Rough and tough and strong and mean


God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah!
It's Raining Men! Ame---------nnnn!

I feel stormy weather / Moving in about to begin
Hear the thunder / Don't you lose your head
Rip off the roof and stay in bed

God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy
It's Raining Men! Yeah!

Humidity is rising - Barometer's getting low
According to all sources, the street's the place to go
Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half-past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men.

It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men!


(I love you, baby!)

Monday, August 14, 2006

Interesting quote of the moment...

"We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."


- Benjamin Franklin, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence

Friday, August 11, 2006

In other news...

...I made it to Friday without my head exploding.

This, of course, is generally a good thing.

HAPPY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Rant (but not)...

I’m playing “devil’s advocate” here, but I find recent assertions made by other Bloggers (like Lia, for example) about the problems in the Middle East very interesting from the standpoint that there is always a war going on…somewhere (not that it is right, mind you – it just is) That’s part of the reason why the concept of “world peace” is so unobtainable. I’ve always found it strange what the press in the states covers versus the media in other countries (the BBC, for example). I mean, just because a war is happening somewhere else and it doesn’t make CNN doesn’t make it any less gruesome, destructive, etc. Similarly, just because the U.S. isn’t involved diplomatically, militarily, etc. doesn’t mean that what is going on “elsewhere in the world” isn’t worth researching – and yet the vast majority of Americans haven’t got a clue.

I’m not saying, of course, that what is going on today in the Middle East isn’t important. On the contrary, actually (it wouldn’t surprise me if the stage is being set for WWIII and nuclear holocaust, which is – to say the least – terrifying). My point is about other world events that rarely, if ever, make headlines. Consequently, people – especially in this country – don’t know about them. Like, the genocide occurring in the Sudan, for example. Talk about slaughter on a grand scale, and all in the name of “ethnic cleansing”! We are talking hundreds of thousands of people here – put in concentration camps, tortured, displaced, raped, starved and murdered. Furthermore, since 1984, 1.5 million of those killed have been Christians. Additionally, there have been attempts within the country to exterminate the Nuba people. Not to mention the Darfur crisis or the Chad-Sudan conflict – each representing major violations of human rights in the present day (The Djawara massacre took place on April 13, 2006 in the eastern Chadian village of Djawara. An estimated 75 civilians were shot or hacked to death by Sudanese Janjaweed militia and local Chadian rebels. And this is but one example of this kind of attack in that area in a 48 hour period), and the situation over there is only getting worse. Those who originally sought refuge from Darfur in Chad are now returning to Darfur! And rumors abound that the Sudanese have started painting their helicopters white (like U.N. helicopters) so people come towards them (instead of running away), which makes the killing easier.

Then, there are other world examples of terrorism and murder, like, the Tamil Tigers (or LTTE) versus the government of Sri Lanka (almost 70 people died there on August 1st alone – leaving an additional 60,000 people without a clean water supply since the problem began (over control of a water reservoir) on July 20th). Problems there have been going on since the 1970s with – obviously – no end in sight.

It doesn’t stop there, either. A good deal of the countries in Africa have descended into modern-day warlordism. Guerilla warfare still exists in South America, and it isn’t like U.S. policies toward many Latin American countries during the past 110 years have endeared them to us. Take Hugo Chavez, for example. Not exactly a fan of the U.S. or capitalism, and he’s definitely a threat in both the ideological and the economic sense (supports socialism while being in charge of a country (Venezuela) that is one of the top five suppliers of oil in the world). After all, the Cold War maybe over, but no one told China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos or Cuba. Plus, the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s resulted in “the misplacement” (a.k.a. the loss) of thousands of nuclear warheads. Where are they now? Who knows, but it is more than likely that many of them have fallen into the hands of people who are not the biggest fans of the United States or democracy.

Anyway, I guess my point is that war, genocide, murder, etc. are all happening constantly around the world. Just because they don’t show up on TV or in the newspaper doesn’t mean that they aren’t happening. Since 1990 alone, there have been approximately 10 different incidences of either “ethnic cleansing” or genocide around the globe. In my opinion, it’s abhorrent how people kill, torture, displace and/or discriminate against other human beings simply because of how they look, act or which God they chose to worship. However, much to my dismay and horror, that is a reality. A reality that history repeats over and over and over again. Take Jerusalem, for example. One city. Three major religions tied to it. People have been killing each other over control of Jerusalem – and in the name of God or Allah – for thousands of years now. Look at the Middle East, and you can see the same battle still being fought today (different players, different time, but same religious undertones).

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong or otherwise. I’m just saying that it happens all the time, and – although I applaud people, like Lia, for doing more to educate themselves about these current world events – there is more happening out there than is being covered by any U.S. newspaper or TV program. Therefore, since it is always happening, the best way – in my opinion – to deal with it all is by educating yourself about it. Wallowing in its perpetual horror is overwhelming and defeatist in nature – mainly because it is impossible to ever – successfully – get your mind around how terrible war, death and genocide can be. If you did, you’d never be able to allow yourself to be happy or to have fun or to experience life. There’d always be the guilt of being happy while others are dying or experiencing the horrors of war. Instead, learn about current events and try to put it all in a context or perspective that works for you – one that allows you to continue to pursue a sense of happiness without all the nagging guilt. Education is a powerful tool, and allows you to be both active and proactive in dealing with world events.

After all, you might not be able to change what is going on around the world, but you are on the right track - knowledge is power. Who knows, knowledge might be able to keep similar things from happening in the future. As Maya Angelou once said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again”. Who knows what pain or horror can be avoided in the future…

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

"Snip Day"...

This morning I took Haskell to the vet to be...(clear throat)...neutered.

I'm sure he's thrilled about the situation.

You don't mean what I think you mean, do you?!

UPDATE:
The vet just called to let me know that Haskell's surgery is over, and the little guy is, "awake and doing excellent". Yey!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

And they aren't wasting any time...

Got balls?
As of this morning, the State Fair of Texas took over Fair Park.

Already, there are several crews erecting scaffolding all over the place. I’ve even had to move my car OUT OF THE SHADE to further the State Fair’s (annoying) agenda 'o' construction.

Ug.

59 days until Big Tex, no parking and fried everything…

Up, up, up and away…