'tis Spring

Randomness

- On my drive home tonight, I saw two cars in traffic with the license plates IBM GUY and INTL LADY. You wouldn't guess that I live in Silicon Valley, would you?

- There's nothing quite as odd as your mother telling you, apropos of nothing, "They got rid of Chikezie last night."

- You can make a damn fine frittata out of a bunch of leftovers. Correction: I can make a damn fine frittata out of a bunch of leftovers!

- I started as new book today, the second in a relatively new series from an author I enjoy, Victoria Laurie. I've read all of the books in her Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye, series. I like her style and they're entertaining. If you're not into psychic "mumbo jumbo," you probably wouldn't go for her work. If you're a fan of the show Medium, though, you probably would.

- Speaking of books, I'm anxiously waiting for my Kindle to arrive. I've pretty much stopped buying paper books in anticipation of downloading them wirelessly.

- Yahoo! has really improved its search functionality with the addition of Search Assist. I find myself using it more and Google somewhat less recently.

Case. In. Point.

Is this wreckage left behind by giant carpenter ants? The unfortunate result of a diaper-less toddler run amok? A Tibetan sand mandala...in my living room?

None of the above. This is the work of my beloved cat and should be titled "Finn vs. the Flaxseed."

Yesterday, he discovered a bag of flaxseed I'd left in the hallway and he dragged it more than 20 feet to the middle of the living area. He then apparently took it to task, ripping a nice hole in it before shaking it vigorously to make sure he'd conquered it. But I guess it didn't make a tasty treat because it didn't look like he consumed any and never disturbed his "work" for the rest of the day.

It's almost like Finn wanted to prove that he's as much of a troublemaker as I alluded to in my last post. I'm such a lucky girl...with, thankfully, a good vacuum!

The Return of Phineus Fog

It occurred to me recently that I haven't posted a single picture of Finn since I came back from hiatus. Time to rectify that.



There's my boy! He's not quite as, um, wraithlike as he was as a kitten when he earned his full name but he's definitely still Huck Finn-esque in personality. Not a day goes by where he doesn't get in trouble somehow.

"Does that make me a whore?"

"...well then it's your own damned fault!"

Interesting how snippets of two different conversations at two different tables, overheard at lunch today in just that way, make you sit up and take notice. It never fails to amaze me how people have these loud, personal conversations when they're sitting out on the patio of a restaurant.

It really reminds me of one of the first blogs I ever got hooked on, inpassing.org. (I'd link to it but it looks like it's not working, and hasn't been for a while.) It was a great site run by Eve, who posted these bits of conversation she overheard while living in NYC.

I sometimes wonder if people are so saturated by reality TV that a little part of them believes that they're fascinating enough to be the star of their own show, so they might as well make it easy for the mics to pick up every word.

That, or they're just completely oblivious. You decide. But I'm voting for the latter.

They won't make a slinkity sound, exactly

"Some people are like Slinkies...largely useless, but they can still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs."

Today's quote is from a commenter on Dooce where, in her most recent post, Heather shares some of the unbelievable hate mail she gets, as well as her response to it.

Everything I could think to say about the people who take the time to send ugly mail like that to someone, anyone, has been said five times over in the comments so I won't waste our time rehashing it.

I'll just say that I'm glad to toil on in obscurity if that is what you have to look forward to when you become an award-winning, financially successful and influential blogger.

And that I may be getting a Slinky soon, since the law tends to frown on pushing people down stairs.

Confession

I have something that I feel the need to confess here. Doing this has been on my mind for a while and I think it's time to put it out there.

But I'm worried.

I'm worried that you're going to think poorly of me, that you'll lose some respect for me after I come clean. Because once it's said, let's face it, you can't go back and be the person someone thought you were moments before.

It's time, though; I've held back too long and I feel like a fraud. I'll just have to deal with any fallout and hold my head up high, as I know my real friends will stand behind me, regardless.

So here goes: I don't like the works of Dr. Seuss. I don't like the books, I don't like the artwork from them, I don't like the movies made based on them. I don't wax nostalgic about his impact on my childhood, reading The Cat in the Hat for the first time, or the deeper meaning of the Lorax. I don't get giddy when Christmas approaches and the Grinch is referenced every five minutes or so. Never have, never will.

The hullaballoo and media blitz surrounding the release of the Horton Hears a Who! was a little overwhelming and I held out long as I could. Now it's said and I feel better. Oh, and while I'm at it, I don't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apple cider, reading newspapers, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, iPods, or Everybody Loves Raymond. Come to terms with it.

Did you know...

...that this is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week? Neither did I. But apparently it is.

Is says so right on the 15 lottery tickets I bought for this evening's drawing.

Mo Site: Candy Blog

One of my goals in coming back from my hiatus was to get back to what I'd originally intended this blog to be: a place to share the various sites, stories and other items I come across online, in lieu of emailing them to my friends and family...sometimes to their disinterest or annoyance or inattention due to just general busyness. Granted, the blog may garner those same reactions, but at least it amuses me more than sending emails off into the vast, silent cavern of the Internet.

I haven't done as much of it as I'd planned, though the list of Mo Sites off there to the right has grown a bit to include those I've talked about since I started up again. My hope is to have it serve as an index for the sites I find and feature here; the ones that I find myself visiting often and telling people about...or trying to tell people about when I can get them to pay attention long enough!

So let's get down to it, shall we?

With Easter just down the bunny trail, this is pretty timely. Candy Blog is the place to go to get a review of new and interesting chocolate and other candies from all over the world. Cybele (who I think of as The Candymeister) covers a huge variety of candy, from what can be found in the dollar store to what's found in the high-end, designer shops. She takes the most compelling pictures of the goodies and has a very concise and consistent way of reviewing them, from where they can be found to how much they cost, with a rating system and links to other related reviews.

I have discovered quite a few new, delicious favorites (chief among them, Sweetriot nibs) since I've been reading her blog and I can't get enough of it. I stop by frequently and find myself looking for new items on store shelves in anticipation of her take on them. Our tastes aren't entirely on par (she adores licorice and I can't abide it) but they're similar enough in other ways (neither of us likes cherry-flavored items much) to make me look forward to the next review.

This was Egg Week, where she reviewed all sorts of chocolate eggs that are out now for the Easter season. Last week was Hollow Chocolate Rabbit Week, replete with bitten-off ears! So if you're looking for something tasty for that special someone's basket this year, go check it out.

Goals are a good thing

As a sports fan, I have a wish list of things I'd like to do, places I'd like to go and events I'd like to attend. It's not quite a "Bucket List" but is more a less a running tally of "Some day I'm going to go there" kind of things.

Some are pretty standard and some are in pipe-dream territory. I've been fortunate enough to do quite a few of the top-of-list ones over the years: the US Open (golf), the US Open (tennis), opening day for the SF Giants, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Australia Open, the last Giants game at Candlestick Park, a US Figure Skating Championship, a SF 49ers Monday Night game, and seeing a game from a luxury suite at AT&T Park.

Last night I got to tick another one off the list: see a Sharks game from a luxury suite. As April will tell you, I like hockey well enough but I'm not a huge fan. We've gone to a number of games and so far I've managed to: a) not fall asleep; b) not embarrass either one of us; and c) learn enough of the rules to keep up. But what I'd spend the most time thinking about during the less-fascinating games and long intermissions was "I really want to get up in one of those suites."

It was a very good game, the Sharks won and watching from the suite was pretty much exactly what I'd hoped it would be. The food could have been better, but it was plentiful and gratis, so I can't complain. The only thing that could have made it a 100% great experience was if I could have brought someone with me. It was a work-related opportunity, however, and sometimes you don't have a lot of latitude with that kind of thing.

So, the next goal for Maura the Spectator? A Formula 1 race!