STARTING 4/8/17: Six Word Saturday is now being hosted by the lovely Debbie at Travel With Intent.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Six Word Saturday

Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does each week with their entries.

long weekend - just what I need!

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit. That way, everyone has equal chance. In addition, please visit the person ahead of you on the list (or visit everyone if you like!). That way everyone receives at least one visit!

All that's necessary to participate is to post your own six words. You can post an explanation if you wish but it's certainly not required. If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).



Friday, May 28, 2010

Farewell to a Week

What an odd week it has been.

Sunday ran far too late with the finale of Lost. And since Lost is usually on Tuesday, this threw my week off before it even began.

The Monday night finale of 24 left me thinking that the next day was Wednesday because some part of my brain still thinks 24 is on Tuesday nights.

Wednesday, I finally started to grasp what day it was, though I was still quite exhausted and unsure how I was going to make it to Friday.

Then Thursday morning, I had to take Joe to urgent care for a shoulder injury and missed the entire day of work, which kind of made it feel like Saturday.

And now I'm back at work, it's Friday, and it feels like Monday.

I'm sure the long weekend is really going to help me get my bearings on next week, huh?

Thursday, May 27, 2010

No Post

Well, I guess technically this IS a post. Whatever.

Joe hurt his shoulder and neither of us slept at all last night. I took him to see a doctor this morning and it's nothing serious. Pain meds should make him good as new. Or at least as good as he was.

I'm pretty sure he did this just to get out of doing the housework he had promised to help out with before my brother arrives tomorrow afternoon.

I'll be back with a "real" post tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Entertainment Awards

Award time. This time, I'm focusing on a couple of recent time-fillers. As always, feel free to hand out your own awards in the comments (be gentle in regards to possible spoilers for people who may not be as caught-up as you are, please).

Dear Tabitha King,

Just because your husband can write doesn't mean you can as well.

That book sucked,


P.S.Tell your husband Stephen that I don't really think he's a great writer either. Just a good storyteller. It's nothing to be ashamed of, just, there's a difference.

Dear 24,

You don't need a movie - the series finale ended very strongly! You had just enough warning of your cancellation that you were able to tie things up on a very complete note. There weren't a lot of loose ends and it was emotionally satisfying for your fans.

After eight seasons, it's clear that Jack Bauer is always going to be a badass and he's always going to be on the run from somebody. Because of this, his family is always going to be in danger. Until Jack dies or his family dies, this isn't going to change regardless of how many seasons and movies you create.

Dammit, Chloe,


P.S. I'm serious - look what happened to this season of Scrubs!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Bad Gift Ideas: Wedding Edition

After posting about "The Box" from my high school graduation, I realized that I could probably write a whole series on lousy gift choices. And so that's what I'm going to do.

This time of year, it seems wedding bells are ringing everywhere. Because for some reason we seem to think that "hey, summer, the hottest time of the year, that's a brilliant time to decide to wear a dress that weighs eighty pounds and has 582 layers of fabric!". I know this because I was married in early August (remember that, it's relevant later).

As an honored guest, you are now supposed to bring a gift for the couple. What to do? Let's examine a few options.

Option A: You could buy from the registry. It may feel like you're putting no thought into the gift, but it guarantees you have purchased something the couple wants/needs. (Probably wants - because who NEEDS a heart-shaped waffle iron?)

Option B: Find a gift on your own. This shows a bit of independence but you also risk not fitting into a decorating theme, duplicating something they already have, or buying something that may be laughed at for years to come.

Option C: Cold, hard cash (or check or gift card). It often feels like the lazy way out, but everyone loves to spend money. Sure, five years from now, you won't be able to visit their house and wonder "where's that rooster tea cozy I gave them?" but you'll know they spent it on something of their choosing.

Option D: Put together a fabulous gift basket - this shows a bit of skill and creativity because you can tailor the items to the specific couples' interests. If the couple enjoys cooking, individually choose items for their kitchen and place them in a nice bowl. If the couple enjoys gardening, a beautiful piece of pottery full of seeds and tools and a nice message about their love growing like a garden.

Option D+: And, really, this is a category of its own due to the creativity involved. Baskets come in many shapes and forms so why not go with a GARBAGE basket!?!? Maybe a nice white one from Rubbermaid. Then, fill it with Christmas ornaments purchased at garage sales. Be sure to leave the hand-written price stickers on the items "accidentally" so the recipients will know you took the time to pick these items out individually and very deliberately. And no gift of this caliber is complete without an equally creative card with a custom message. Perhaps a post-it note that says something like:
Congratulations Joe and Cate! We had hoped to have money to give you for a honeymoon but after everything we spent on your wedding, including a dress for me, a suit for your dad, food and flowers, there wasn't any left. Love, Mom and Dad.
Guess which one my parents went with? And when I say my parents, I pretty much mean my mother because my father is not allowed to have independent thoughts. Also, I won't get into it all here, but let's just say that 90% of the wedding was paid for by me and Joe and my grandmother.

So in summary, when you're looking for the perfect gift for the perfect couple on their perfect day, nothing says love quite like saying "when I think of you as a couple, I think of a garbage can full of used Christmas ornaments". Especially in August on the hottest day of the year.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Mini-Monday

Yesterday, I did not blog or tweet. And the world did not end.

Though Lost did end. Forever.

Coincidence? I think not.

I'm exhausted this morning from a) staying up late for the Lost finale and b) not sleeping because of all the "huh?" caused by the Lost finale. Also, it's Monday, which is always a bit sleepy anyways.

Look for a more interesting post tomorrow. It may involve weddings and garbage cans. Or maybe Southern hospitality (Cate-style). Or unicorns. I guess we'll all be surprised.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Six Word Saturday

Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does each week with their entries.

so many ideas, so little time

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit. That way, everyone has equal chance. In addition, please visit the person ahead of you on the list (or visit everyone if you like!). That way everyone receives at least one visit!

All that's necessary to participate is to post your own six words. You can post an explanation if you wish but it's certainly not required. If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).



Friday, May 21, 2010

Happy Birthday!

Today, we celebrate the birthday of one of my childhood heroes.

Mr. T.

Seriously, I adored The A-Team as a kid. It was a show I watched with my dad (along with other goodies like Mission: Impossible, MacGyver, Dukes of Hazzard and MASH). The A-Team may have been my favorite though.

He's actually a really interesting man, if you take time to read his background.

So, because my mind is completely otherwise blank, let's wish Mr. T a happy birthday today. In his honor, I share this haiku (which I did not write):

Festooned in gold chains,
Mr. T rains down whoop-ass.
I pity the foo.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Perfect Gift for Grads

I saw a photo on FAILBlog that reminded me of my own high school graduation gift.



No, my parents didn't buy me a headstone. Instead, they taunted me several days after graduation with The Box. It was a good-sized box - 18 inches by 18 inches and maybe 6 inches deep. Plus, the fact that they said it "wasn't ready" on graduation day implied greatness, right? Something worth waiting for?

With great anticipation, I opened The Box. Inside, an assortment of items. Aspirin, for study headaches. Clips for bags of chips. Little rings to keep socks together in the wash. Quarters (for washing machines). A bar of soap. And stamps. It was really more of a gag gift of items I'd need for college.

What a disappointment. (Kinda like The Box, as in the movie, because that's a whole lot of suck as well.)

At the time, Joe and I had been dating for about a year and I remember calling him, sobbing about "the box".

To this day, I can't hear the words "the box" without thinking back to THAT box. For those of you purchasing graduation gifts, please, no boxes. And no headstones either. I'd say both of those gifts are in bad taste.

P.S. The box is second only to the trashcan that served as the container for our wedding gift. I kid you not. But that's another tale for another day.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Man's Best Friend

SomeMonkey: Ellen just showed a video
a dog ran a mile and a half from his home
which was on fire
and led a police car to it
me: wow
SomeMonkey: and then ran back to the mile and a half away intersection
and led the fire truck
that's the dog i need
me: and then ran back and got hit by the ambulance?
SomeMonkey: lmao
evil
straight to hell
me: sorry

Except I wasn't really sorry. I thought it was pretty funny. Don't all of these stories end with the dog dying before the end credits?

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Smart

Last night, I picked up my spiffy new glasses. I think I'm in love. So after dinner, I asked Joe what he thought of them.
Joe: I like them.
me: Do you think they make me look smarter?
Joe: Totally!
me: HUSBAND FAIL!!!
Yeah, so what if it was a trap with no safe answer? We've been married for a million almost a dozen years, he should know better.

P.S. But I guess he doesn't really fail because he got out of bed early yesterday morning and put gas in my car for me so I wouldn't be late to work. So I have to give credit where credit is due.

P.P.S. Credit is totally NOT due regarding my "smart" glasses.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Pre-Coffee

The list of tasks I should not perform before coffee is growing ridiculously long.
  • tweet
  • edit webpages
  • send email
  • answer the phone
  • write blog posts
  • comment on blog posts
  • interact with humans
  • place my lunch in the work fridge
Wait, what? What's up with that last one?

Friday morning, I grabbed my lunch out of my bag (a frozen dinner and a shredded mozzarella stick) and started to head for the work refrigerator in our break area. At the time, my boss and three (male) coworkers were there, grabbing their morning coffee.

I was halfway down the hall before I realized that that was NOT a shredded mozzarella stick I was carrying on top of my frozen lunch. It was a tampon.

I'm all for feminine hygiene products being discreet but I really shouldn't be able to confuse them with a cheese stick! What moron (was it a dude?) decided light yellow was an appropriate color for the cover of such a thing?

Lucky for me, I caught my error in time to go back to my desk and correct the situation. But can you just imagine, ladies, sitting at your desk when your coworker opens the work fridge to grab his lunch and there's a tampon in there? I'm the only chick in the office so it's not like I can dodge the blame.

Now, someone get me some coffee.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Two Birds, One Stone

For the record, no birds were harmed in the making of this post. It's just a phrase. Go away, PETA!

Friday morning, I was looking at my to-do list and among other things, it included "Advertising Class Message Board Assignment" and "Write Sunday's SMF Post". I was a bit stumped on both so I decided to combine them.

I went to my old pal, Twitter, and asked:
Okay, help me out bc my mind is blank. I need a non-automotive ex of brand w high quality (reliability, best in class, superior performance)

Your reward? All the cat hair you can eat. Or a quick promo on my blog on Sunday.

Yes, you're doing my homework, btw. So I need to be able to effectively explain your brand choice to the prof in order to use it.
The first response was from @mstacer who suggested Cuisinart. I did a little digging and while my heart belongs to my Kitchenaid stand mixer, I found that Cuisinart was in fact using quality to differentiate themselves from Kitchenaid (by a direct side-by-side comparison). Since it doesn't get anymore applicable to my assignment than that, she wins!

And I win, because my assignment was completed and now I have a blog post for today!

You can read about Melinda's adventures with adorable son Ian, ants, and the ROAR-Mobile (seriously, go read that one) on her blog, The Days Like This.

Honorable mention for participation goes to:

Keep an eye out on Twitter, folks. I'm sure I'll need more homework help before classes are finished!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Six Word Saturday

Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does each week with their entries.

Who knew learning was so hard?

Or that I would love it so?

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit. That way, everyone has equal chance. In addition, please visit the person ahead of you on the list (or visit everyone if you like!). That way everyone receives at least one visit!

All that's necessary to participate is to post your own six words. You can post an explanation if you wish but it's certainly not required. If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).



Friday, May 14, 2010

Pardon the Interruption

Lisa Leonard is having a giveaway in honor of her wedding anniversary. Now, you know I don't blog often about giveaways unless I think they're really extraordinary.

This one is.

She's giving away 6 prizes, including 2 beautiful necklaces, 2 adorable wall hangings, and 2 $100 gift certificates.

And I want one.

I highly recommend checking out her giveaway and checking out her designs in general. She makes such amazing handcrafted, custom pieces.

If you're looking for my normal Friday post, it's here.

Chicken Scratch

It has recently come to my attention that my handwriting resembles that of a high school student. In fact, if you compare my current class notes with those I took for American History, I'm fairly certain they're almost identical.

Except I've recently stopped dotting my Is with little hearts.

When I was talking this over with SomeMonkey (because, really, I don't even decide which socks to wear in the morning without discussing it with her first), I was complaining that I hate the inconsistent mishmash that is my current penmanship "style". Sometimes I even write the same letter completely differently in the same word. She said she does this too and believes it's a sign of intelligence and creativity - or possibly inconsistency and self-esteem issues. I was going to say it was indicative of multiple personality disorder but her reasoning works as well.

Anyways, that made me wonder if it's possible to change your handwriting? I'm not just talking neater - I mean a completely different style. A quick Google search seems to indicate that it's possible. I found this link on eHow and a bunch of books on Amazon. Unfortunately, most of those books seem to think that instead of writing like a teenager, I should revert to second grade, all proper-like. But overall, it seems like it can be done if you're just mindful of what you're doing and practice a lot.

So do I keep writing like my oily-faced, big-haired, NKOTB-loving teenage self and embrace my inner-psychopath? Or do I sneak in a little handwriting revision therapy?

Yeah, these really are the kinds of issues I think about when I'm supposed to be doing other things but my brain won't let me focus. Someone has to tackle important issues like this - might as well be me!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Someday...

...I will learn not to engage.
...I will realize that you cannot logically reason with some people.
...I will give up that last shred of hope for her approval.
...I will tell the world what she did.
...I will really let it go enough that her words don't make me cry.
...I will find a way to overcome my initial reaction of disgust when I hear the word "mother".
...I will believe that just because my own mother doesn't love me doesn't make me unlovable.

...she will realize that her constant preaching has driven me away from church.
...she will learn that she can only rewrite history in her own mind.
...she will grasp her hypocrisy.
...she will face the fact that her narcissism has driven away those who should be closest.
...she will know that it's too late to fix it.
...she will understand that giving birth doesn't make someone a mother.
...she will regret it.

Someday.

Probably not today.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

What Do YOU Order Online?

Amazon Prime is a dangerous thing. Free two-day shipping at the click of a button? Credit card stored for easy access? I think I'm in love!

However, it's always interesting to go back through my recent purchases and try to figure out what they say about me. In the past six months, I have bought:
  • textbooks
  • a toddler toy
  • tampons
  • feline flea/tick meds
  • snow shovel
  • gym shorts
  • 2.5 gallon jar in the shape of a barrel
  • lighted dental pick and mirror
  • mints

This on top of an assortment of other books, cds, and dvds. And I wonder - are these normal things to buy or not?

For a long time, I ordered packets of tuna online and that seemed a bizarre choice to friends. However, it made perfect sense to me - it was cheaper than I could find it in stores and I didn't have to worry about them not having my favorite flavor.

The snow shovel? You try living in an area that rarely sees snow and only stocks 5 snow shovels per store. While everyone else was flipping out, fighting over shovels, we ordered ours from Amazon.

Some of my purchases are out of laziness, I admit. Tampons? Yeah, I didn't see where a stop at the store was going to fit into my schedule the next few days so I ordered a pack of like 9361 tampons online. Delivered free of charge to my door. Nice.

And some of the items were gifts. Obviously, (it is obvious, right?) I didn't order the toddler toy for me. That was for the nephew, shipped for free straight to his home in NY. Total BOOYAH. The barrel jar was also a gift, for Joe. That one will be coming up in a future post, actually, so I don't want to spoil the fun.

What are some of the oddest things you've ordered online? I'm sure I've probably bought things more bizarre than the ones I've listed here but I think that's a decent list of oddities for just six months. Inspire me!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

One of Those Days

There's a reason I like to blog the night before - it's mornings like this. Wowie, have I ever been off and running!

On the way to work, I receive an email from a friend that one of the sites I run is down. Due to the number of non-geeks in the room, I'll simplify the situation - my (other) blog go bye bye. I'm still waiting to see if Joe has been properly backing things up.

And then there's the return of the boss after he's been out sick Friday and Monday. He continues to prove his worthiness of his nickname - the Drama Llama. Plus, a coworker that royally screwed up on Thursday is conveniently absent today. So much telling-Cate-of-the-omg-crisis.

Today is also the day that everyone and their mother has decided to give out MY phone number at work and tell them I'm responsible for 100 things that I have absolutely nothing to do with. I'm about to take the phone off the hook.

So all of that is why I should remember to write a post the night before - I can't always count on a quiet morning to come up with something brilliant. Instead, I turn to my friend SomeMonkey for a bit of inspiration and she comes up with an experiment.

One day, when I was feeling really down about finally signing my divorce papers, I decided to go for a walk in the woods. As I turned a corner, a tiger pounced on me and tried to eat my face. Instead, I whacked him in the head with a golf club. The end.

It's a bit of a search engine experiment, you see. A few popular keywords used out of context. Yeah, I'm easily amused. I hope you are too because this post sucks. I'll make it a point to write something worthwhile for tomorrow.

Monday, May 10, 2010

What Was I Thinking?

How many times do you find yourself wondering - What was I thinking? Because I spent the bulk of my weekend in a horrible crisis of faith.

Not religious faith, but faith in myself. I spent nine hours yesterday finishing the first unit for one of my classes. Nine hours? Am I in over my head? How did I ever think I should sign up for more than one class at a time? What happens when the second class starts? And my online seminar? Was I completely out of my mind to think I might be able to finish this first course in time to pass my final and submit for work reimbursement before June 30? What was I thinking?

It has taken me a ridiculously long time to finally make myself a priority. And now that I have, it feels good, but it's also terrifying. This isn't the first complete panic I've had over my classes (for those of you on Twitter, I had a pretty good meltdown last Monday afternoon). And I'm sure it won't be the last.

But I'm going to keep plugging along because after completing the first unit of my course yesterday, I'm even more confident that this is the right plan of action for me. I love the material and I feel like it's going to help me move ahead, hopefully finding a job eventually that doesn't make me want to punch people in the face. So next time I ask myself, what was I thinking, I just need to have faith in myself that I'm on the right track. And what I was thinking was that I can do this, and I should.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Mother's Day

This is not my favorite hallmarkday so I'm going to keep it brief.

To those wonderful mothers out there, I hope you have a lovely day and feel very appreciated.

To those of you who have great mothers, don't take that for granted. Not everyone does.

For those who want to be mothers, I hope your dreams come true, one way or another.

For those of you with difficult mother-situations, know that you are not alone. So knock back some tequila and celebrate yourself. Because once you drink enough tequila and you're upside-down on the floor, you'll realize that "mom" upside down is "wow". And that's awesome.

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Six Word Saturday

Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does each week with their entries.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Are you singing with me now?  Bwahaha...

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit. That way, everyone has equal chance. In addition, please visit at least one person ahead of you on the list. That way everyone receives at least one visit!

All that's necessary to participate is to post your own six words. You can post an explanation if you wish but it's certainly not required. If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).



Friday, May 07, 2010

Umbrage Not Umbros

Now that I'm comfortable with the fact that my gym relocated, I'm trying to make more of an effort to workout and lose some of my extra weight. Because, honestly, my body has become ridiculous. I think if I wrote my autobiography, I'd call it:
How Handling My Anxiety Made Me Fat And Caused Depression
Like I said, ridiculous.

And I'll admit that I'm self-conscious at the gym. That's why I was looking for the dark workout room. I don't want people looking at me sweat and jiggle and be generally unpleasant to the eyes. Since most of my gym clothes don't fit so well at the moment, I went along with Joe to the running store recently.

What a mistake.

Apparently women are only allowed to run or workout if they can fit into a small or medium. So basically, if your body looks decent enough that you don't need to workout, then you're allowed to workout. If you're bigger than that, I can only assume that they expect you to workout naked or just go ahead and die already of your bigness. This also applies to bras, by the way. And any hopes I had of finding some pants or long shorts? I could wear a pair of Joe's boxers and enjoy more coverage.

Eventually, I did find a bra that would work (though it was my least favorite style of the four they had to choose from) and bought a mens shirt. It's not pretty or purple but it's comfy and roomy and will help me get the job done.

And when the job is done? When I've lost enough weight to fit into those smalls and mediums and barely-there shorts? You can bet I'm going to wear them.

P.S. I realize everyone - all shapes, sizes, ages - benefits from regular exercise. I also realize that just because someone fits into a small or medium, it does not mean that they are healthy or fit or feel good about themselves.

P.P.S. Someone told me that maybe the reason the larger sizes were sold out is because EVERYONE buying merchandise in that store is in the same situation I'm in. Maybe there are plenty small and medium sizes because those people don't exist. Like the Tooth Fairy. Or Ron Paul.

P.P.P.S. I expected selection to be limited at this small specialty shop. I just figured I'd try to support the "little" guy before heading to the big box stores.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

First Fursday: Eat Your Face

Tonya here. I'm tired of my long-haired human being the only one up in this place with buttons so I decided to make my own and hand out a couple "Eat Your Face" awards today. Rusty saw what I was doing and wanted his own button as well. Something like "Purr Your Face". So I smacked him upside the head and told him to quit being so lame. Moron.

Anyways, here we go.

Dear Short-Haired Human,

No, I don't need "help" jumping up on the bed. I also don't need you petting me. Do you want to be touched when you're trying to sleep? Oh, wait, you do. Blech. Long-haired human should have your parts removed like she did to me and Rusty.

Also, it's bad enough if you decide to "work from home" all day, intruding on my space. But then you have the nerve to eat tuna for lunch and you don't share with me. It's like you have no manners at all. I'm totally starving down here, don't you hear me crying? I haven't eaten in ten whole minutes!

I totally rub up against your black work pants on purpose,


Dear Long-Haired Human,

That blue slanket is mine. I wish you'd quit hogging it at night when I'm trying to sleep on my bed. I find your actions not only inconsiderate but bordering on hostile.

We also need to address this idea of brushing. I take great pride in the amount of time I spend grooming myself. When you use that comb-weapon, it pulls my hair and makes me angry. Also, it messes with the 'do I have spent so much care and effort in creating.

I only let you pet me because I know you're allergic,



Dear Rusty,

You need to stop with the lameness, immediately. Crawling up in the humans' laps and purring sends the wrong message. You need to remember that they are our captors, not our friends.

Also not our friend? The vet. Don't just sit there and purr when he gives you a shot. Fight back!

When you let humans brush you or give you medicine, you ruin the progress that our forefurries have worked so hard to achieve. You set expectations that are unrealistic and mock the freedoms gained for us by those who have gone before. Show some respect for our brave lazy ancestors.

And because it can never be said too often - quit being so lame,

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

To Whom It May Concern

And believe me, it should concern everyone...

Dear World,

Please be nice to me today, unlike Monday afternoon and yesterday. Or else.

I'd punch you in the face if I had even half the give-a-damn required,

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

ArtSwap2010

One of my pals, @dpringle, is conducting a really cool art swap, almost completely coordinated over Twitter. He started simply by just tweeting to see if there would be any interest and it's grown into an international exchange!

Since we all lead busy lives, David and I conducted a little interview via email:

What inspired you to start ArtSwap2010?

As an artist, I am constantly watching what other artists are working on. Twitter allows us to see art as it is created in real-time by artists from all around the world. From time-to-time I see a piece that moves me and I would love to look at daily. I have seen other artists arrange simple swaps amongst each other because they feel the same way. One day I decided that it would fun to approach it from a perspective of a 'blind' swap; where each artist is assigned another artist to whom they would send their piece.

Why is sharing art so important to you?

Art speaks to so many people on so many levels. It has the power to change perspectives and stir emotions. It seems like some of the cultural embrace of art is lessening. I felt that sharing by swapping would inspire and unite.

Have you taken part in anything like this before or are you aware of anything similar?

I haven't participated in anything like this before, nor have I heard of anything similar. As I said earlier, I know other artists swap selectively amongst themselves, but I have never heard of anything similar to ArtSwap2010.

What has been the biggest surprise so far regarding response to ArtSwap2010?

I was completely surprised by the outpouring of support from other artists. I was worried that the 'blind' aspect of this swap would keep artists from participating. It seems like it has actually been a drawing point--the mystique.

Any plans to do another swap in the future?

Since the response has been so positive, we have 43 participants so far, I believe I will do another swap in the future. I would consider organizing another in six months to a year. I have learned from this event. I would probably give more time for getting the word out the next time around.

David also added that:
Many artists are creating original pieces specifically for this project and are posting updates to twitter. After the event is completed, I'm going to be asking artists to post photos of themselves with their newly-acquired art. I plan on posting some on the site and linking to some of the photos out on twitter.

ArtSwap2010 has its own official site (http://artswap.pringle-art.com), an official Twitter hashtag (#ArtSwap2010), and even an official list of tweeting participants.

There's still plenty of time if any of my crafty readers want to get involved. You must enter at the official site by May 19 and mail your art by May 26. Open to all artists, all mediums, worldwide! Just yesterday, someone signed up from Tasmania. Tasmania, people!!! How cool would it be to swap your art with a creative soul in Tasmania?!?!

Oh, and do yourself a favor. When you go to the site to sign-up for ArtSwap2010, check out David's portfolios. His paintings and photos are definitely worth a look.

Because people are freaks - I was not compensated for this post. Unless you count the fact that by copying and pasting the text of his email and then just fluffing it out with details as "compensation" because I didn't have to write my own original post for the day.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Regret

For those of you who do not follow me obsessively on Twitter, a quick follow-up on this week's Six Word Saturday.

Main Entry: re·gret
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈgret\
Function: noun

1 a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction
2: a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment

I am going back to school. As in I officially enrolled last night. Not physically back to school because that would involve dealing with other people committing to a campus location, which is a risky idea when Joe may decide to up and leave his job for another position at any given time. So rather than continuing to put my life on hold while I wait for him to figure out his own things, I decided online classes were ideal.

See, back in college, I started out majoring in the PR/Advertising field but the program seriously sucked. Rather than change schools, I changed majors to Computer Science because that's what all the cool smart kids were doing. And by "smart kids" I don't so much mean nerds as I mean those who could see where the money was going to be made. Along the way, I had to take Marketing as a required course (no idea why) and I loved it. I should've gone with my gut.

What does any of this have to do with regret? I find it hard to regret certain decisions in my past because they've worked out well over time. Who's to say that attending a different school would've made a positive difference in my life? I can't call that a regret. But not following my heart? Not listening to that little voice inside that's telling me I need to do something right now? I regret all of the times I've ignored that voice or silenced my heart.

And I won't do it anymore. No more regrets!

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Justin Timberlake

But with brains.



I couldn't look away.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Six Word Saturday

Describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does each week with their entries.

This old dog tries new tricks

I'm going back to school - it's an online certificate program. I'm both excited and nervous but mostly, I hope I can handle it! It's been awhile...

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit. That way, everyone has equal chance. In addition, please visit at least one person ahead of you on the list. That way everyone receives at least one visit!

All that's necessary to participate is to post your own six words. You can post an explanation if you wish but it's certainly not required. If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).