oh so close

I'm getting closer to recovering from my Blah-ger problems. Now if I could only get my header to show up full size. The actual .jpg is around 800x100 pixles so should look bigger than it does. I've played with the margins, the padding, everything. So, if anyone has any bright ideas (GR, Heather, anybody?), let me know.

Granny Justice

http://www.chumfm.com/MorningShow/bits/march24.swf

Sound needed to listen.

Why didn't I think of that?

We've all seen products that make us say to ourselves "Why didn't I think of that?" I saw one today in an outdoor catalog that caught my attention. With the right marketing, this could be a big seller with women looking for just the right gift for their man. Just in time for Valentine's Day....

Underwear...with ScentEliminator! And for all you guys who ignore your mom's admonition to don a clean pair everyday, don't worry - the description says "washing will not affect its performance."

The wireless age

I've held my tongue long enough. What is it with our mobile society that makes it ok to do things previously unthought of? I'm talking about mobile phone etiquette.

I am not a regular mobile phone user. I used to be when work required it of me, but even then, I kept it under control. We now have a prepaid phone that stays in the glove compartment for emergencies like calling a tow truck when our car breaks down on a country road, calling 911 if we come upon an accident and for calling home from the grocery store to see if my wallet might be there because I just spent 30 minutes grocery shopping only to get to the register without means to pay for my stuff.

Question #1: Does anyone seriously believe it's alright to have a phone conversation in a public restroom? Yes, I've heard of, and am very good at, multi-tasking, but good grief! On almost a daily basis I find myself sharing restroom time with another man who thought that was the perfect time to "close the deal." Do you know what I do? I purposely start flushing so that it becomes apparent to the person on the other end that the seemingly very important call is being conducted FROM THE TOILET. There's a reason phone jacks are installed near desks and not in public restrooms.

Question #2 (and one I'll probably catch flack over): What's the deal with those Bluetooth wireless receiver things? Let me preface this by saying that I know several people who use them for legitimate reasons, and for the reason I understand the devices were created - hands-free communication while driving (and apparently, for some, while using the restroom - refer to Question #1). What I don't get, and may need some help on, is this: did I miss the issue of GQ and Cosmo where it was announced to the world that they are now a fashion accessory in addition to a hands-free device? ...because that's what it looks like to me. I just don't get the people that have them on their ear but don't look like they even have a cell phone.

Two cases in point: I was refilling a drink at the soda fountain at McDonald's recently when the man next to me said "Dude, where is that guitar store at again?" I didn't think anything of it because I thought he was surely talking to someone via his jumbo earring (Bluetooth). Again he asked, but this time grabbing my shoulder "Dude, where is that guitar store at?" Apparently he was talking to me, a stranger, the whole time. How silly of me to assume he was carrying on a phone conversation. Another time I saw a young couple at the store looking at furniture, both wearing one. I half expected them to call each other to discuss which fabric would best match their curtains at home.

Sorry to cut this short, but a carrier pigeon just landed on my car with a message to call my wife.

Word of the Day: poot

Liam makes great faces. This first one, my favorite, reminded me of the face he makes when announcing the word he made up just this week: poot. ...as in "I poot".

poot v. 1. the act of making wind (origin: [toot]). 2. to mess one's diaper (origin: [poop]). 3. to warn one's parents, in an almost jeering manner, that one just tooted and will soon have a suprise in one's diaper that will need to be attended to.

This one reminds me of what someone who shops at Whole Foods looks like at age two. Notice the funky, intellectual glasses (courtesy of his father's sock drawer) - read Where'd all the Toyota Prius' go? below.

by the way...this is post #100!

Where'd all the Toyota Prius' go?

So it's been almost a month since the temps have gotten much above 20 degrees. Ironically, scientists announced this week that "global warming" is most definitively caused by humans. Um, can I have a side order of "climate change" to go with my coldest winter in recent history, please? Can you tell I've gotten hooked on conservative talk radio?

I had an observation today when we stopped at Whole Foods (a place we like to go, but can't afford to shop at on a regular basis). The place was packed, but I'm guessing that they weren't there to stock up on hummus and organic eggplant for a superbowl party. Nope, that was the scene at Sam's Club today, but not Whole Foods. Most of the shoppers there [enter stereotypes] seemed wealthy (you must have to be to do all your weekly grocery shopping there) and smart (I base this on the fact that everyone had funky eye glasses and a tartan-patterned cashmire scarf, so that must mean they're intellectual). I took the stereotyping to a next level and commenced with the political profiling as we walked through the aisles. I judged everyone I saw as a raging liberal who owns their own copy of An Inconvenient Truth and even gave copies to friends as Christmas presents. With that in my mind, I made a point to check out their cars as we exited the store because surely they're doing their part to prevent any further human-induced climate damage. According to my prejudice, they should all be driving environmentally-friendly vehicles, if driving at all. Here are the results of the parking lot survey:

Total count:
- monster-truck SUV's and Minivans (including us) = lots
- beat up granny bicycle with wire basket for toting re-useable grocery bags woven from hemp cloth = one
- Toyota Prius = one

I wonder if Al Gore shops at Whole Foods? I'm guessing the bicycle was his.