Well, It's Friday, are you having a religious experience?

Today, as it is the last day many of you will be blogging this week I wanted to share some of my favorites blogs and tell you why you might want to stop by. I enjoy many blogs, and everyone over in the list is worth a quick pop through at least, but I am going to concentrate on just 5 (even if you don't get mentioned, you are still loved).
First and foremost, we have Belle of the Brawl. This is a very important time to check out this fun, entertaining, thought-provoking, brawl-encouraging, community-building blog. When you go over there (right now!) you can vote for the best caption in a weekly contest that is featured on the right hand side (vote now!!). Yours truly is currently in the lead in the voting with my tasteful and demure caption for the photo of the week.
Vote now, polling software is standing by!

Offering some limited competition in the caption contest is The Village Idiot. Don't vote for him, my caption is better, but you should stop by his blog this week. He has been quite prolific and offering fabulous pictures of Seattle lately. This is no guarantee of long term quality or quantity, so get it while it's hot folks!

Can't forget to mention SWHAB, where a bunch of us Trivia-Madness-nuts-turned-bloggers all get together and enjoy being utter ridiculous. We enjoy it, hopefully you will too.

I also want you all to share my love for Ambrose Bierce of the Devil's Dictionary.
This love is best shared with Doug and the gang over at the blog called Waking Ambrose. Daily definitions provide opportunities to snicker, snark, or sincerely define, and a story on the weekends as a bonus.


Next we have The Fifth Circle of Cubic Hell.
This is the first blog I visited regularly because it was started by my Trivia Madness pals BS and Thomcat. 5th Circle now features Damasta as well, an amusing addition to the team.
OK, that about wraps this list up, hope you will pop over to a couple of those and don't forget to vote!

Hope your have a good Friday, whether you are thankful or not, and that this weekend you get to spend at least little bit of time doing something you don't hate, with people who don't repulse or anger you.

HNT~ We are sooooo strict.

Yes, it is true, I don't allow the dog to ride the motorcycles. I am just cruel that way. Maybe when we get that sidecar. It is that time of year again though, the weather is warming and and when we get a nice dry day, it is perfect for taking a ride. In this pic we are on Mr. Logo's Harley, for a pic of my cute lil red Reb click here.

It's Thursday again, if you aren't half-nekkid

(click rotating button in links)

then at least be naked under your clothes.

It hardly ever hurts at all, promise.

Whadda ya say?

Here are some more pics of Thing One, look closely, there will be homework on this assignment.

Here is Thing One in Rome.

Here he is pointing the way home.

Here he is returning to earth, after being engrossed in a book.
Here he is doing some construction work.
And last, but far from least, here is Thing One trying to get Thing Two in trouble.
As if he needs the help!

OK, so here is the fun part.

At Thing One's first birthday everyone was asked to make a prediction about what he would do or be as an adult. We got doctor, lawyer, professional wrestler, and other outrageous possibilities.

So that is my question for you today,

do you have a prediction for Thing One?

Try to keep it G rated, I want to let him enjoy the answers.
Thanks for all the great birthday wishes!

First, Congrats to Village Idiot and Monika for high score with 80!
Weirsdo is our winner, at 70, and a lovely Odeo in which she played her violin for me.
She also regularly donates questions, she is teacher's pet.
So, next order of business, this week's edition of THE QUIZ.
No googling, keep your stick on the ice.

Next, we are celebrating a 10th BIRTHDAY!!

You've come a long way, baby!

Go check out the twin birthday princesses too, and wish them a good day as well!

And last, and least,

we have a meme

A tag from our favorite Quesadilla lover

Accent - No, I don't have one, but the rest of you sound funny
Booze of choice - I love me some wine
Chore I hate - cooking and dishes, thankfully Mr. Logo does those
Dog or cat - Yeah, I have a dog, for more details read the last six months of this blog. Cats make me sneeze
Essential electronics - PC, electric kettle (does that count?)
Favorite perfume(s)/cologne(s) – Clean, fresh scents mostly
Gold or Silver? – either, both, even at the same time
Hometown - Oak Harbor, WA
Insomnia? – Sometimes
Job Title – Queen of All She Surveys, AKA. mom, AKA. Hey, you there
Kids? - None for me thanks, I have two of my own
Living Arrangement - With the aforementioned two children and Mr. Logo
Most admired trait - my superlative driving skillz
Number of Sexual Partners - I suddenly have this desire to say something unkind about an elderly game show host for some reason, hmmmmm, how odd.
Overnight Hospital Stays - several
Phobia - clowns and carnies, they have small hands and smell of cabbage
Quote - In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination. Mark Twain
Religion - Real religion is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption.
Siblings - one of each
Time I wake up - 7:30ish, give or take 30 minutes
Unusual talent/skill - I can bend just the tips of my fingers, at the first knuckle
Vegetable I refuse to eat - anything slimy or squooshy, ack
Worst habit - wow, there are so many to choose from, hard to say, probably tuning the world out when I am engrossed in something
X-rays - yup, lots of 'em
Yummy foods I make - I order the best pizza evah!
Zodiac sign - Aquarius

Well, hello!

It has been suggested, by my friend Susie, among others, that I quit hiding behind my dog, which is a bit of a trick anyway, given her petite frame, and try writing a few posts all by myself like a big girl.
We'll see how it goes.
Since we have devoted Mondays to discussing those darn 101 things about me lists I thought I would throw mine out there and see what you had to say.
Be gentle.
----
1 I am 35
2 I was born on Whidbey Island, WA
3 My dad was in the military
4 My mom was a registered nurse
5 I have an older sister
6 I have a younger brother
7 I have middle child sydrome
8 I married an only child
9 I have a nine year old son (just barely)
10 I have a six year old son
11 I have lived in seven different places in my life
12 Three of those places are in Washington state
13 Two of those places were in Europe
14 I have only owned one American made vehicle
15 I have owned two Renaults, one BMW, one VW, two Subarus, one Toyota, and one Honda
16 I currently drive a Toyota mini-van and a Honda motorcycle
17 I think the motorcycle is more fun
18 I want a Yamaha V Star Classic 1100
19 I always wear protective gear, even for short rides in my neighborhood
20 I have a deep fear of road rash
21 I have had road rash
22 It hurt, but not as much as the accompanying injuries
23 I walked in front of a car going about 35 mph
24 I spent two weeks in the hospital
25 I didn't walk for a year
26 I am now I safety nazi
27 I still plan to go sky diving
28 I hardly ever wear a watch, or any jewelry for that matter
29 I drink a lot of tea
30 I also drink coffee
31 I am an information junkie
32 I love learning new things
33 I do alot of reading
34 I am currently rereading So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
45 I am quite fond of Shakespeare and Dr. Suess
46 I am a fan of Dave Sedaris
47 I am also enjoy McSweeney books
48 I recently finished Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans
49 I also recently finished Warrior in the Shadows
50 I already have the next book I am going to read
51 I want to read What If?
52 I got it for my dad on his birthday last year
53 He just loaned it to me
54 I spend alot of time on line, probably too much, but we are not opening a poll on that question
55 I don't watch very much TV
56 I fix our computer issues, do the appliance programming and occasionally get called on to assist others but refuse to regard myself as a techie, or geek or whatever.
57 This is mostly because I know some actual techheads and I am nowhere near their level of expertise...or geekiness
58 I have voted in every election since I turned 18
59 My choice for president only made it to office once
60 I am left handed
61 I am 5'5 tall
62 I started chatting online in 1996
63 My first online friend was from New Zealand
64 I did a minor renovation of my kids' bathroom summer before last
65 I did wiring and replaced moulding and the vanity myself
66 I faux finished the floor to look like pebbles, I am rather pleased with how well it turned out
67 I set all my clocks to exactly the correct time, according to the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado
68 I have never watched an entire episode of Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch
69 I am not a morning person.
70 I own 10 pairs of jeans and two dress.
71 I didn't realize how good red wine could be until I lived in Italy
72 I was born on a Thursday, so was my husband and both my kids
73 When I was about one my sister broke the fingers on my right hand by shutting them in a door hinge
74 About a week after the cast came off my mom shut them in the car trunk
75 I have had my left cornea scratched twice (ages 9 and 11)
76 I looked dashing in an eye patch
77 I detached a muscle in my shoulder when I was 10, I was in a sling for several weeks (Pledge on floor, add socks and high velocity)
78 I broke my left thumb when I was 14, playing Capture the Flag
79 I am ever so slightly clumsy (you might have already concluded that)
80 I fidget...alot
81 I have great patience with kids and animals, less with adults, and next to none for inanimate objects
82 I don't have a poker face
83 I love playing trivia games
84 I have been married 15 years
85 I love being married, and I love him
86 I learned Greek when I lived in Greece
87 I learned Italian when I lived in Italy
88 I can't really speak either of them anymore
89 I used to do some ASL interpretation
90 I haven't really used it in years, I probably couldn't even sign a complete convo these days
91 I get a lil crazy if I don't get to spend enough time by myself
92 I tend to forget birthdays, anniversaries and appointments
93 I can't remember phone numbers
94 I find zoos depressing
95 I can't knit, crochet, or sew. I don't cook and I hate shopping
96 I do enjoy decorating though
97 I know how to change tires, oil, oil filters, air filters, and how to clean and gap spark plugs or replace them
98 I would rather have someone else do it
99 I don't have a visble birthmark
100 I rarely know what the date is
101 I have a magic eight ball, I love it and consult it often. I then do whatever I bloody well please.

Look, here is proof that with plenty of detailed coaching and assistance the AF can do crafts!

Yay, all those years working with small kids pays off.

And, a lil something something from our main man Mitch...

In Kilkenny Ireland, they don't have anything American over there, it's very cool. But they did have a Subway sandwich shop. That was the one thing they had American, and that became the American Embassy to me. I would go out to a bar and piss off an Irish dude and have him chase me to the Subway. I said, "Dude, I'm sorry, but you're out of your jurisdiction. But you can have a cold cut combo, though."
I was in downtown Boise, Idaho, and I saw a duck, and I knew the duck was lost, 'cause ducks ain't s'posed to be downtown. There's nothin' for 'em there. So I went to a Subway sandwich shop, I said, "Let me have a bun." But she wouldn't sell me just the bun, she said that I had to have something on it. She told me it's against regulations for Subway to sell just the bun. I guess the two halves ain't supposed to touch. So I said, "Alright, well, put some lettuce on it," which she did. She said, "That'll be $1.75." I said, "It's for a duck." And they said, "All right, well, then it's free." See, I did not know that. Ducks eat for free at Subway! Had I known that, I would have ordered a much larger sandwich. "Let me have the Steak Fajita Sub - but don't bother ringing it up, it's for a duck! There are six ducks out there, and they all want Sun Chips!"

I think a rotisserie is like a really morbid ferris wheel for chickens. It's a strange piece of machinery... "We will take the chicken, kill it, impale it, and then rotate it. And I'll be damned if I'm not hungry! Because spinning chicken carcasses make my mouth water! I like dizzy chicken. With a side of potatoes of some sort."

Saturday Somnolence

Starting off with Mitch
I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down.

You know they call corn-on-the-cob "corn-on-the-cob," but that's how it comes out of the ground, man. They should call that "corn," and call every other version "corn-off-the-cob." It's not like if you cut off my arm you would call it "Mitch," then reattach it and call me "Mitch-all-together."

When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy they start a waiting list. They start calling out names, they say "Dufrene, party of two. Dufrene, party of two." And if no one answers they'll say their name again. "Dufrene, party of two, Dufrene, party of two." But then if no one answers they'll just go right on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." Yeah, but what happened to the Dufrenes? No one seems to give a shit. Who can eat at a time like this - people are missing. You fuckers are selfish... the Dufrenes are in someone's trunk right now, with duct tape over their mouths. And they're hungry! That's a double whammy. We need help. Bush, search party of three! You can eat when you find the Dufrenes
---------------------------------------------------------------
Logo™ will be up and at it at 6:00 AM on a Saturday. Is the sky falling? Hell freezing over?
No, but it will still be regretted by those immediately surrounding, a grumpy Logo™ is akin to a natural disaster.

Meanwhile bck at the blog,

Let's talk a little about Italy again, to pass the time, shall we?

One of the best things about living in Napoli was its proximity to wonderful Italian locales that were NOT Naples.

(photo deleted cuz it was so big it was messing up my sidebar)

This is a photo of Capri, the approach to the Grande Marina. Capri is gorgeous and has, of course, lots of history. Ischia was even better, as far as the family was concerned, but you have to give Capri its due, it is an amazing experience.

This is the Bay of Pozzuoli. Pozzuoli is to Napoli as Ballard is to Seattle, part of it, but separate too.

This picture was taken at Baia Castle. The foundations of the castle date to the Roman period, but the main body of the current structure were courtesy of the Aragons, Philip and Isabella, as in Columbus. Looking on in this picture is the female Aged P (their gramma).

Naples can claim a place in the heart of the AF as both a wonderful experience and a really difficult experience.

This is a poem written right about the time of departure. It makes reference to some aspects of living in Naples that might not make sense but trust me, it is insightful, mkay? Alright, so maybe it isn't insightful, but it does rhyme.

BELLA NAPOLI

Belching clouds of noxious fumes
The dragon sits on piles of tombs.
It prizes little else but bones
Heedless to its victims' groans.
But worse, the quarry still alive
Seem paralyzed, too spent to strive.
Unable to confront the beast
Instead they merely sit and feast
On cheese and fish diseased and foul
Polluted by the demon's bowel.
When lassitude is briefly shaken
Steps to freedom are rarely taken.
They fight not with the spawn of hell
But with the others trapped as well
Their screaming rage echoes and falls
On twisted metal and crumbling walls.
Surrounded by hills like a dragon's claw
Mesmerized by the dragon's maw.
They and their young will die right here
Their bones be cleaned and always kept near.

Friday!

Here is a picture of Pass lake and Mt. Erie. Mt Erie is where the AM usually takes the family members climbing. There are enough wussy routes to suit the climbing level of a 6 yr old, a 9 yr old and a lame ass.

Friday at Chez Logophile is bedroom clean up day.

Here you see the "before" photo of Thing Two's room from last week.

Here is the finished product, impressive, eh?

Here is the cave of Thing One in disarray.

After the cleaning (and cajoling and begging and threatening and crying and whining and complaining) Fridays are soooo much fun!

Here is a helpful tip for you.

HNT~Its spring!

It has begun. The Skagit Valley is blooming, and while this may not mean much to most of you, to us it means the travel time to Whidbey Island is about to double. Stupid flower gawkers clogging the road, ggggggrrrrrr.

Here I am in my half nekkid splendor.

Lastly, as promised, here is the pic taken of the new AF hair doooo, not much different, but shorter by several inches and considerably less wild looking in general. There ya go, Snav, you finally get to see it!

Happy HNT.

Click the button in the sidebar if you don't know what that means.

Happy Hump Day!

Blogger is not allowing me to load photos, so just imagine there is something here that is interesting, thank you.







At the top of my links in an Odeo button, you can leave me a recording of yourself!
Isn't that exciting??


Yesterday the AF went and helped the esteemed elder sister pack up a couple of boxes in preparation for her move across town.
Today she is going to be busy too, I fear an exploding head due to internet withdrawal, it if is really impressive we will capture the moment on film, well, a memory chip anyway.

And another dose of Mitch
-----------------------------------
I opened up a container of yogurt, and under the lid it said "Please Try Again," because apparently they were having a contest I was unaware of.
But I thought I might have opened the yogurt wrong.
Or maybe Yoplait was trying to inspire me — "C'mon, Mitchell, don't give up. Please try again. A message of inspiration from your friends at Yoplait — Fruit on the bottom, hope on top."

I saw a wino; he was eating grapes. I was like, "Dude — you have to wait!"

I asked this guy for directions to the store. He said "Oh, that's just a hop, skip and a jump away."
Well... that ain't how I'm getting there. You got any directions for those who are walking?

I was in a casino, minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, "You're gonna have to move. You're blocking a fire exit." As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit. Unless you're a table.

Congratulations to last week's winner, Pollo!
Second place was a tie, Lime and The Village Idiot,
good job!
Thank you to everyone to contributed questions (both of you),
and to the people who helped me out this week.

Here is the quiz!
No googling!!
Have fun, and if you want to donate a question for next week
send the question and four possible answers, with the right one marked to
logophile_mania@yahoo.com




And from Mitch the man...
I played golf. I'm not good at golf, I never got a hole-in-one ... but I *did* hit a guy. And that's way more satisfying. You're supposed to yell "fore," but I was too busy mumbling, "There ain't no way that's gonna hit him." I hit a guy in one. What's par for hitting a guy? One. If you hit a guy in two, you are an @$$****.

Monday, again, already?

Blogger is still not letting me load images, so Susie, you are going to have to just deal with it.
Here is an interesting and painless way to kill a couple seconds.
or a minute or two...whatever.

OK, and if any of you do not share the love of the late great Mitch Hedberg, get on board, dang it!

Mitch on the importance of paperwork:

I bought a doughnut from a store and they gave me a receipt for the doughnut. I don't need a receipt for the doughnut. Man, I'll just give you money, then you give me the doughnut. End of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this. I just can't imagine a scenario where I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. Some skeptical friend: "Don't even act like I didn't get that doughnut, I've got the documentation right here. Oh wait, it's at home, in the file... under D... for doughnut."

Mitch on clubs and laundry:
I was at a club and they had blacklights everywhere. A blacklight is a light that makes everyone look cool... except me, 'cause I was under the impression that the mustard stain came out.

Mitch on plant care and payment plans:
There is a commercial on late-night TV for this thing you attach to a garden hose. It says, "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with this product." Who the fuck would make their plants hard to reach!? That seems so very mean.
"I know you need water, but I'm gonna make you hard to reach. I will throw water at you. Hopefully, they will invent a product before you shrivel and die. Think like a cactus!"
This product was available for four easy payments of $19.95. I would like a product that was available for three easy payments and one fucking complicated payment. We can't tell you which payment it is, but one of these payments is going to be a bitch. The mailman will get shot to death, the envelope will not seal, and the stamp will be in the wrong denomination. Good luck, fucker. The last payment must be made in wampum!

Mitch on disease and political correctness:
Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having.
"Dammit, Otto, you are an alcoholic."
"Dammit, Otto, you have Lupus."
One of those two doesn't sound right.

grrrrr

This stinks.

Buona Domenica!

So it is Sunday, nationally recognized day for sleeping in, brunch, and kickass crossword puzzles.
Here in the logophile household, it is also the day the Alpha Male bogarts the computer to catch up on all his homework for the week.
He is getting his black belt in Six Sigma (some business management thingamajiggy).
He already has his green belt, and completed LEAN, so this will make him qualified to tell everyone how to do things.
He has clearly mastered the ability to wait until the last possible moment to get things done, did you know that was an important skill?
One of the wonderful side benefits of this new knowledge is that he keeps trying to improve processes here in the family.
This is very endearing, as I am sure you all have realized.
Anyway, hope you all are kicking your new week off right.

It's been six months!!

To recap,

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,
ggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,
Damn you, Bob Barker, DAMN YOU!!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

You have no one to blame but yourselves, you were kind about the last post about Ireland, so the AF decided it was time for part two.

This is the Ha'penny Bridge, so called after the toll for crossing the bridge. As you look at this photo the place I stayed was on the left, one the right side of the river is most of the good stuff, Temple Bar, etc. So I walked this bridge quite a few times.
This is a statue of St Patrick located on Tara, the ancient seat of Ireland's kings. On a clear day you can see all the counties of Ireland from the hill of Tara. There are ancient monuments, and lots of sheep dung, very atmospheric site. Patrick did some baptizing here according to legend.
This is Joyce Tower. The writer stayed here briefly and used it in one of his books (bonus points if you know which).
One of the best things about coming here, to me, was this chilly, rocky beach. After living on the Med for three years this Puget Sound native was soaking up the cold, salty breeze and the uniquely beautiful sound of breakers against stone instead of sand. It smelled, tasted, and sounded like home, with the added benefit of being Ireland, bonus!
Now, the thought has crossed my mind to sing you Dannyboy in an Audioblog, I will open the polls in the comment section and add one later if my commenters approve.
Also, question for next quiz, e-mail 'em folks!
AND tomorrow marks six months of blogging for me, can ya believe it?
Alright, have a good one!

HNT~ Gearing up for the green!

(This post courtesy of the Alpha Female)

In November of 2003 I went to Ireland for a week and a half. While there I got to tour New Grange, one of the oldest neolithic sites we have preserved in the world today. They have a limit on the number of visitors allowed through each year, so I felt quite honored. It was a highlight of my trip.

Repeated outside and inside the structure is an interlocking swirl pattern that really caught my eye. The significance of it is not known, although there are many learned opinion on the matter.

I bought a bracelet with the pattern on it. Though I am not much of a jewelry wearer, this is one of my favorite pieces.

This St. Patrick's Day I will be wearing my bracelet and drinking a Guiness,

but I'll leave the corned beef and cabbage for those made of sterner stuff.
Happy HNT!

Wokka Wokka! It's...hump day!

THIS, ladies and gentleman, is a dreamboat.

He sings, he plays an instrument, he is funny,

he has a stylin' machine to drive....sigh

So who is your dream Muppet, or cartoon character.

Come on, I know one of you has a crush on Dilbert, or Miss Piggy.

Please share with us.

Tuesday Trivia

Congrats to last week's winner, with a perfect score! Well done, Blue Bolt!
Second place went to the Village Idiot at 90.

Here is the quiz for today, coming at ya!
And just in case you'd like something else, here is a painting and a poem.



La Belle Dame Sans Merci
John Keats

I.O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms,

Alone and palely loitering?

The sedge has wither’d from the lake,

And no birds sing.


II.O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms!

So haggard and so woe-begone?

The squirrel’s granary is full,

And the harvest’s done.


III.I see a lily on thy brow

With anguish moist and fever dew,

And on thy cheeks a fading rose

Fast withereth too.


IV.I met a lady in the meads,

Full beautiful—a faery’s child,

Her hair was long, her foot was light,

And her eyes were wild.


V.I made a garland for her head,

And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;

She look’d at me as she did love,

And made sweet moan.


VI.I set her on my pacing steed,

And nothing else saw all day long,

For sidelong would she bend, and sing

A faery’s song.


VII.She found me roots of relish sweet,

And honey wild, and manna dew,

And sure in language strange she said—

“I love thee true.”


VIII.She took me to her elfin grot,

And there she wept, and sigh’d fill sore,

And there I shut her wild wild eyes

With kisses four.


IX.And there she lulled me asleep,

And there I dream’d—Ah! woe betide!

The latest dream I ever dream’d

On the cold hill’s side.


X.I saw pale kings and princes too,

Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;

They cried—“La Belle Dame sans Merci

Hath thee in thrall!”


XI.I saw their starved lips in the gloam,

With horrid warning gaped wide,

And I awoke and found me here,

On the cold hill’s side.


XII.And this is why I sojourn here,

Alone and palely loitering,

Though the sedge is wither’d from the lake,

And no birds sing.

Meme Monday

This Meme Monday spot is officially sponsored by Robin.

Robin may not post due to familial crisis, send a happy thought her way.

From my list of 101 Things About ME

--------------------------

28. I like to lie on clean laundry.

The level of disapproval generated by this kind of activity is excessive, if you ask me.

It makes a cozy spot to rest, ok? No need for the complaining and shooing, especially the shooing.

Shooing is very disrespectful, I'm just saying.

Wanna come on a walk in the woods with me?

Weekend Blitz

This post will have to last you till Sunday night, be brave, I am sure you all can make it.
But in order to make it as painless as possible we are going to give you a couple different things to look at.

----------------------------
First order of business,
The Things have decided to do something special this coming Christmas.
Instead of the traditional approach, they registered at Heifer International.

We will revisit this topic as Christmas approaches but this gift registry will be added to the links (soon). It is our sincere hope that if charitable giving hasn't been at least a small part of your Christmas celebration in the past that this year it will be.

--------------------------

Despite the fact it probably speaks to an unwellness of mind the Alpha Female gets the giggles every time she visits this site. Please check it out and help us determine if she is in need of treatment, and if so, what do you recommend, ice cream? drugs? spa therapy? electroshock? Do tell.

-----------------------------------------------

The Alpha Female is a word lover, obviously.

Here are a couple of favorites:

cynography
writing or treatise on dogs

delphinine
of, like or pertaining to dolphins

exlex
outside the law

islomania
craze or obsession for islands

planomania
abnormal desire to wander and disobey social norms

psilosophy
shallow philosophy; limited knowledge

quadragenarian or quinquagenarian
a person between 40 and 49 years of age

verbomania
craze for words

Do you have a couple choice words to share? Oh, come on, you know you do, tell us!

If you want more of them, check here.

---------------------------------------

We've shared it before, but it bears repeating.

No insults quite like Shakespeare.

"Come, you are a tedious fool. To the purpose." Taken from: Measure for Measure

Now, go get your own!

-----------------------------------------

Alright, if there is nothing in there for you,

go read here till your paradigm shifts, ya malcontent.

Have a good weekend!

HNT~ Poetry in motion, or at least a limmerick...

Here is Thing One, I don't have any idea what he thought he was doing but this has some serious blackmail potential in the years to come, SCORE!

Here is Thing Two, look at that concentration, he is is chasing down his brother to pummel him, he is smaller but fiercely determined, oh, and vicious, no contest. Our only hope is that societal norms set in before he outweighs the Alphas.

Just looking at those pictures is exhausting, isn't it?

Hope you have an awesome Thurday AND, today is a big day on the hijacked blog.

Head over HERE to check it out.

Potpourri post

Because a nice smelling blog is so much more enjoyable!

This last week saw the celebration of the 1st birthday of the esteemed elder sister's girl child.

It was of course delightful and Thing One and Thing Two brought home piles of candy and several toys,

they were thrilled.

The Alpha Female gave lil miss a book which would help her identify some of the most important things in life.

The weather the last few days has been rainy off and on, good weather for curling up on the couch.

Some of us require nothing in order for that to be a good way to pass time,

others require books and tea.
While the AF is mostly a fan of loose leaf tea there are some good blends pre-bagged.

Just stay away from Lipton!!

Recently uncovered in a basket somewhere were these post cards purchased in London to describe the family's English vacation.

Interestingly enough, those last two describe most vacations taken near home as well.

Perhaps that explains why England felt so homey.

In honor of Italy and Greece, the two countries abroad where members of the family have lived, we present the following:

A Greek and an Italian were drinking coffee one day discussing who had the superior culture.

Over triple lattes the Greek guy says, "Well, we have the Parthenon".

Arching his eyebrows the Italian replies, "We have the Coliseum."

The Greek retorts, "We Greeks gave birth to advanced mathematics."

The Italian, nodding in agreement, says, "But we built the Roman Empire."

And so on and so on until the Greek comes up with what he thinks will end the discussion.

With a flourish of finality he says, "We invented sex!"

The Italian replies, "That is true, but it was the Italians who introduced it to women."

Want some trivia?

Oh good, we happen to have some!
Congrats to lawyerboy for a perfect score last week,
and honorable mention to Bantu, who came in second.
Thanks to my contributors!!
and Here ya go.

This is a totem pole.

Thing Two finds them fascinating.

oooooooo, come on, you know they're cool.

It is Monday, did you notice?

This leads me to believe that today is all about ME!

I think that about most days, but this time I have confirmation.

From my list of 101 things about ME.

-----------

75.) My breed is prone to the same eye problem President Kennedy had.
Addison's disease is also known as hypoadrenocorticism.

The eyes are just one symptom actually.

My parents don't have it though, so I should be OK.

76.) Some members of my breed also get their groove thang on like President Kennedy.

Nuff said.

Oh, and

DAMN YOU BOB BARKER!

Aren't games fun?

MIND GAMES TO PLAY WITH HUMANS
(This post is for Casper, Bucky, Icy, Baxter, Baily and my Golden Boy, the rest of you just look at the pic)
Oooooh, pretty puppy!

1.) After your humans give you a bath, DON'T LET THEM TOWEL DRY YOU!

Instead, run to their bed, jump up and dry yourself off on the sheets. This is especially good if it's right before your humans bedtime.

2.) Act like a convicted criminal. When the humans come home, put your ears back, tail between your legs, chin down and act as if you have done something really bad. Then, watch as the humans frantically search the house for the damage they think you have caused.
(Note: This is only effective when you have done absolutely nothing wrong.)

3.) Let the humans teach you a brand new trick.

Learn it perfectly.

When the humans try to demonstrate it to someone else, stare blankly back. Pretend you have no idea what they're talking about.
4.) Make your humans be patient. When you go outside to go pee, sniff around the entire yard as your humans wait. Act as if the spot you choose to go pee will ultimately decide the fate of the earth.

5.) Draw attention to the human. When out for a walk always pick the busiest, most visible spot to go poop. Take your time and make sure everyone watches. This works particularly well if your humans have forgotten to bring a plastic bag.

6.) When out for a walk, alternate between choking and coughing every time a strange human walks by.

7.) Make your own rules. Don't always bring back the stick when playing fetch with the humans. Make them go and chase it once in a while.

8.) Hide from your humans. When your humans come home, don't greet them at the door. Instead, hide from them, and make them think something terrible has happened to you. (Don't reappear until one of your humans is panic-stricken and close to tears).

9.) When your human calls you to come back in, always take your time. Walk as slowly as possible back to the door.

10.) Wake up thirty minutes before the alarm clock is set to go off and make the humans take you out for your morning pee. As soon as you get back inside, fall asleep.

(Humans can rarely fall back asleep after going outside, this will drive them nuts!)

Have fun!

The final game of the season!

YAY! After several months of practices and games we have reached the end of the basketball season. Given that most of the games were scheduled before nine o'clock in the morning this is a cause for great rejoicing.

In other news, Thing Two is reading like a pro, even doing so when he should be engaging in other activities.

Long live the logophiles!