Fallgust, Falltember & Falltober

Yikes, I have been neglecting my blog! Damn you, Facebook, you've got me abbreviating everything and writing in little blurbs. Here's some photos and notes from the last few months. I usually don't talk about weather this much but this year has been an odd ball.

Lessee... in August I flew out to visit two new additions to my college dormmate family, Luba's new twin boys, Caleb and Gideon. This trip was an obvious lesson in how accustomed I am to Colorado's dryness because we were walking around D.C. in 98 degree weather and 98 percent humidity which I couldn't shut up about. I found myself taking a freezing cold shower for a good five minutes at night before I could even begin to cool down. I also learned that if I move to Virginia, my preferred vanity license plate is already taken.

Monterey had the most unbelievably perfect weather while I reunited with bff Stephenie in September. Those of you who know Monterey know a fogless week is practically impossible, but we had one, even all the way down in Pebble Beach. Coincidentally my British cousin Katie who I hadn't seen in 10 years was also in town and readily available to go kayaking where we spotted quite a few otters and just sat there watching them in "aww". Add on the Greek Festival and lots of spare time to walk on the beach and laugh w/ Step, on top of the outrageously warm days, and the trip was one of the highlights of my year.If you click on the otter picture, he's definitely either picking his nose or giving me the finger. He's probably sick of being cute for tourists.
Jacque the shrimp from Finding Nemo is apparently alive and well at MB Aquarium.You might think at first this is seaweed but the two yellow and dark green things in the center of the picture are in fact sea dragons -- similar to sea horses but incognito.sunset after dinner from my parents' balcony
family all together & orangey for the christmas card...My mom and her adorable friend and student, Yu Jin, who she's been tutoring for a couple years.Denver's first dusting of snow around October 1, on some cubist bears at Northfield Stapleton mall. They look alive to me.So many cold days, so many tea choices. I love blueberry tea, ROT's Comfort & Joy (aptly named), and a homemade rose tea which I'm concocting these days from Savory Spice Shop rose petals. I've also been meaning to try Denver's new brand, Teatulia.Mom and her friend Kathy came for a 24 hour visit en route to Aspen for the annual J.D. Festival in October.Chris and I caught up with the critters, including baby mountain goats (kids?), at the Denver Zoo on his birthday, 10/17.On October 29th we were hit with a steady 48 hours of snow coming down which amounted to at least 24 inches in Littleton. The air was just cold enough to freeze, but surfaces were warm enough that snow slipped off in odd drooping shapes which resembled frosted gingerbread houses (at least the sloppy kind that I make).
Our staircase looked like someone draped streamers on it. The air conditioners looked like Mario Brothers characters.The roofs had four, five, six, seven feet of snow at times hanging over the ledge but not falling off. I've never quite seen anything like it.Our trees were pretty and the neighbor's snowman perfect. The two days were lots of fun with the dog, though Chris was out in San Diego for business and missed it all!In mid-October, Kate came to Denver for a visit and we spread the love at a couple art museums, lots of small-end city shopping, and the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins.
outside Denver Public Library, Kate color coordinated well with the civic centery artinside Denver Art Museum, we caught local artists in the process of finishing the latest "Embrace" exhibit.
Our favorite thing was Rex Ray's Discolaria at Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art, a few pictures here.
It's plain to tell Rex Ray's colorful collage technique has huge potential for success in commercial art (and of course, he has already been extremely successful), he was the guest editor of Coppola's Zoetrope magazine this month, he has stationery through Chronicle Books, and if I may suggest, the raindrop pattern below would sell great on just about anything (dresses, placemats, shower curtains, pillow cases) if he were to partner with Target next. Just a thought, Rex.The last day we visited Folly headquarters, New Belgium Brewery, which I swear, every time I visit there nearly convinces me I've got to move up to Ft. Collins. What a cool and unusual place.
Every employee has their own limited edition NB bike.
99 bottles of beer on the ceiling, 99 bottles of beer...Kate doesn't quite have the foot photography down yet, but I give her super snaps for giving it a shot... : ) mine...The tour ends in a helter skelter slide if you're lucky and get one of the cool tour guides.Below, a super sour Belgian beer known as "La Follie" which is brewed in gigantic 2-story wine barrels, that true Beeristas admire but made us pucker... and caused us to laugh uncontrollably, maybe the seven samples were sinking in.The beers on tap vary wildly each time I've been to New Belgium in the past year, including always-different limited time "Lips of Faith" flavors designed by employees at an annual contest. This one was a Dandelion un-hopped beer which after enough sips, Kate took home in a growler!
Last but not least, a few photos of Derby's park in our neighborhood whose colors seemed unusually spectacular this year but maybe it's just my perspective from having a lot of days off this year. As I type this now, Colorado just came off a week of 70 degree days and yet at the moment, it's snowing in white fuzzy clumps like a Christmas card and we're expecting at least six inches by morning. The dog is sitting at my feet eager to go out for some play but mostly he'll do nothing but gulp it down.

Love Your Locals

I love these new posters from Indie Bound, a collaborative of independent bookstores. I've always liked supporting local businesses over the years -- especially my personal weakness, stationery shops and bookstores -- but this year I've noticed a growing number of grass roots efforts are asking people to commit to (or resolve to) buy more things locally, and I'm 100% on board with that.
Acme Coffee in Monterey kind of kicked it off for me. They have free old school "Resist Corporate Coffee" stickers and as soon as I added one to my car, the pressure alone from having that stuck on my butt has prevented me from going to Starbucks for coffee over the last three months. I much prefer Denver's Daz Bog, Ink!, Novo, and Coda coffee brands anyway, but now I seek out their locations or brew my own at home. Additionally when folks ask me to meet for lunch somewhere, I try to always pick local businesses instead of chains (unless the chain has a strong reputation for supporting local communities, as is the case with Target).

To commit to buying more stuff locally (and to learn why), visit http://www.the350project.net or search for "350 project" on Facebook.

Reallly rad

Don't know how I only just now learned about Kickstarter but watch this video and tell me if you are not awe-inspired by the power of entrepreneurialism on the web.

Ever notice that what the hell is always the right decision?

This was my favorite magnet but I lost it! Definitely feeling this way lately:

"We ought not to question whence; there is no whence, no coming or going in place; now it is seen and now not seen. We must not run after it, but fit ourselves for the vision and then wait tranquilly for its appearance, as the eye waits on the rising of the sun, which in its own time appears above the horizon...and gives itself to our sight."
Plotinus

Talkin' Bout a Revolution

My friends will tell you one of my annoying, though helpful characteristics is I'm always praising my favorite brands and ranting about my least favorite. Once you get me started, I can't shut up about, say, In n' Out Burger (and I'm not alone on that one).

This quality makes me a perfect fit for the new consumerism which is word-of-mouth marketing through online forums like Facebook, Twitter, and StumbleUpon. Online word-of-mouth recommendations generally can't be bought. They are genuine and spontaneous and sometimes we don't even realize we're essentially advertising when just observing something is cool enough to tell our friends. A book I read recently on this topic (Groundswell) writes, "Face it. Marketers no longer dictate the path people take, nor do they lead the dialogue. Social technologies have revved up [the] word-of-mouth dynamic, increasing the influence of regular people while diluting the value of traditional marketing." Indeed the term "word-of-mouth" is even outdated, since most of what we share these days comes from a keyboard or mobile keypad.

A recent viral video on YouTube about the Social Media Revolution flashes one jaw-dropping statistic after another, including the statistics that 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations (and the video's footnotes state it's grown to 90% in 2009) and only 14% of consumers trust advertisements.

Not everyone is as particular or verbal a consumer as me, but with the recession bankrupting and laying off Americans of all ages, most people are being more careful with impulse purchasing, using the high school math they thought they'd never use to compare price savings in the grocery store. You'll see folks (including me) staring at price tags for 10 minutes in a daze and counting quietly out loud to themselves "that's 19, carry the 1"... so we tell our friends whenever we see a deal, even a little one.

A few weeks ago when 6 of my friends simultaneously forwarded me a Baja Fresh free burrito coupon that was posted on Facebook on a Tuesday afternoon, and then I witnessed as my neighborhood descended upon the Baja Fresh parking lot, families brought six copies of the coupon for each member of the family to get one, the single line cook could not even keep up with the orders that evening, but no one seemed to mind waiting an hour for a free burrito...I knew Baja Fresh was on to something.

For me, though, a recommendation takes more than just being free or tasting good or delivering on an expectation. I live for my iPod but don't have any kind of devotion to Apple as I do some other companies who have interacted with me, treated me well, and asked for my feedback. There's a good reason consumer surveys always end with..."How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? Very likely? Somewhat likely? Neither likely or unlikely? Somewhat not likely? Not at all likely?" To be a word-of-mouth-worthy brand, it takes some random acts of incredibleness as well as personal interest in your consumers' voices, and I'm very pleased to see many companies are getting this and seizing the opportunity.

Here's a simple example. Last week I went into Whole Foods to pick up a bite to eat for lunch. I noticed one of my favorite brands, Izze had a new flavor called "Birch" which happened to be "two for 6 dollars" and also had a coupon attached to the package. I snooped around the label to see if there was any description of what Birch tastes like, didn't see any description, and decided to ask an employee. Couldn't find an employee. Spent about 30 seconds walking to the checkout, debating whether to risk the $3 on this product or not. At the checkout, I asked the clerk if he knew what Birch was, and while shrugging casually, he answered "No but if you're not sure if you'll like it, you can try it on us," and proceeded to put it into my reusable bags without ringing it up. What impressed me about this act was not even that it was free, but that the employee did it with such ease. He didn't have to ask a manager, didn't need a special coupon, didn't need my email address, didn't have to think twice before offering it. And I'll tell you, that's the kind of customer treatment that makes me remember, talk about it, and go back.

Some of the brands I not only mention in daily conversations, but would give my left arm to support because they are so consistently great include Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Newman's Own and Newman's Own Organics, Pixar, Google, Netflix, Target, Izze (Sparkling Juice), Papa Murphy's, Sunflower Market, Chipotle, Oprah and The Angel Network, Toyota, Costco, In n' Out Burger, Mad Greens (salad lunch spot in Denver)... I'll add to this post as I think of more.

Some of the brands I have had ruinous experiences with, not surprisingly to most of you reading this, include United Airlines (that's another whole post), Ticketmaster, the Post Office, the Unemployment Office, JP Morgan Chase (I called to say I was thinking of leaving their bank, they responded "OK, your account is now closed, is there anything else I can do for you?"), Qwest (it takes a lot for me to hold a grudge but they were so bad in 1999, I swore off ever using them again), Best Buy (numerous employees there have told me they don't bother to carry much selection of cd's anymore -- their logic was, why bother when you can buy them online or download -- which is fine with me, I'll go support Twist & Shout Records instead)!

I'm always listening, what are your favorites and least favorites?

G n' R is back (well, in my life)

I have been totally abandoning my blog for twitter lately, and I feel bad... By the way, a stretch goal / resolution next year is to ban "totally" from my vocab. It's a bad habit, I use it about 40 times a minute. It's filler and probably worse than "um", but I've grown so accustomed to it. I'm thinking most of you wouldn't recognize my voice without it, but it's time for it to take a hike. Totally. (Sigh).

There are some things that are just too long to twitter though, and here's one of them (unless you have a 140 character suggestion):

A few weeks ago I visited Monterey and since rental cars don't usually have iPod adapters, I brought along some cd's, which is always an interesting change of pace. Who listens to full albums all at once anymore? It reminds you of all the tracks you forgot about that your iPod doesn't lean toward frequently.

Since I was visiting high school friends, I brought some cd's that remind me of those olden days (92 - 96) including Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I & II, which if I had to pick just one album that brings back memories, it would be... well, I still can't pick one. It would be UYI 1 & 2. Alanis Morrissette was the album of my senior year whether anyone liked it or not, but before that, I was hooked on G n' R like any rightful angst-ridden teenager in the 90's, and I can't remember ever being tired of listening to them. I didn't give up appreciating G n' R as road trip music over the years, but for some reason in the transition to iPod-dom, I only uploaded about 3 songs from each UYI cd (possibly the reason was storage space, my 30 Gig iPod nears capacity every time I add something) so listening to the cd's in full in the rental car while doing 90 on the highway (wondering why everyone else was driving so slow) was great, and I was really taken aback by a few things:

1) I still know most of the lyrics by heart, having not heard these songs in at least 10 years, especially the F-laden ones ("Double Talkin' Jive Get the Money Muthafucka 'Cause I Got No More Patience" just comes right back to me like it was "Row, Row, Row your boat").

2) The songs seem just as good and in fact, as relevant as they were then (I truly expected they would seem lame, dated, and overindulgent now)

3) Axl sure had a hell of a lot of anger built up. Not just one album's worth, but two full albums and 30 total tracks of hatred, bitching, cursing at, and dissing people behind their back? It's a testament to his (now forgone) artistry that he was able to translate that into 30 tracks of decent music, in fact, at least 20 tracks of amazing music instead of buckling down and killing someone.

It's no wonder G n' R will never top these. I personally was not looking forward to Axl's "comeback", Dr. Pepper induced or not, since he was always 4 hours late for concerts. Although Velvet Revolver (Guns n' Roses without Axl) kicked ass, I somehow doubt Axl without Guns n' Roses would be worth waiting 4 hours for.

Anyway that's my non-twitterable musing about music that's probably not seen the light of day, let alone a flash of airwaves, for the past 10 years. In fact it's nearly 20 years since the albums were first released!! Now that, I must say, is the most $#%&*! shocking of all.

College Essay (BU)

I just found my college entrance essay! Totally amusing, especially how cynical I was for a 17 year-old, but I must say I agree with myself and in fact, the state of the TV programming and "news" is much worse 13 years later. This is it, unedited:

As the decade of the nineties has progressed, the American public has consistantly grown obsessed with malice, dishonor and deceit. A little boy growing up in this generation will not eagerly watch the television and dream of flying for NASA or becoming an all-star athlete. Today's little boy is more familiar with VanDamme and Stallone movies than Disney cartoons and if he plans to follow the footsteps of any of his heroes, he will have to wonder how many divorces he will have by the age of 40. Monsters who haunt a little girl's dreams at night aren't fictional anymore, but actual figures and images of whom today's children are constantly warned about--strangers, kidnappers, abductors, rapists, molestors. Most adult awareness has also warped into constant suspicion these days, as many people would have more faith in the Psychic Friends Network than in any politician.

The justification for this lack of trust lies not in the reality of today's world, but in portrayals of reality. Even in strictly news magazines, headlines tend to reek of scandal and covers tend to bear bloody photographs. Television networks are littered with talk shows and many programs considered "journalism" report inaccrate rumors, pollute the public much like tabloids, and accuse and exagerate so excessively that they make the McCarthy trials seem mild. Although the media tends to portray everyday life as a soap opera, they can't be blamed when they are merely appeasing the public's insatiable appetite for violence and scandal.

It would seem the most that can be done for this problem is to encourage awareness in both children and adults. To attack this modern mentality of distrusting and discrediting everything, society would have to begin an almost revolutionary change in what children are exposed to. It is not sheltering that we need to install, but just the opposite. Children need to understand and believe in reality instead of developing confusion and ignorance from false images they are blatently shown all their life. The excessive amount of television viewed by Americans validates the conclusion that what is viewed can filter one's perception of the world to the point of sheer ignorance. Although programs that focus on gossip (such as those titled "My Mother Slept with My Ex-Brother-in-Law's Gay Lover") contribute to common misconceptions, it would not be practical to suggest that the programs be prohibited or ignored.

A feasible approach would be making education of current issues a requirement for children in school and incorporate factual news programs or periodicals as part of homework. Also, news programs should try creative styles of broadcasting or advertising to create an image different from the boring or undesirable reputation a typical couch potato may associate with the news. As a potential journalist, I feel the media is obligated to portray reality accurately, for journalists are the most responsible for creating or at least contributing to public knowledge (and opinion).

Imitation Thai CPK

I don't know if this looks as good as it tasted but I recently had a craving for California Pizza Kitchen's Thai Chicken Pizza, and knowing it's a repeat offender on the "what not to eat" lists, I decided to recreate it at home with shrimp instead of chicken and a lot of veggies.

Here's the recipe if you ever want to attempt it. Perfectionists, take note: I don't list recipes in the standard way with ingredients, then directions. I just like having the directions and I'll highlight the ingredients to buy. I'm also very loosey goosey about interpreting recipes to one's own tastes and preferences. I improvise every time I make something.

1) Defrost a storebought frozen pizza dough. I like Sunflower Market's. If your grocery store doesn't have frozen pizza dough, just ask for a glob of sourdough or french dough at the bakery counter.

2) Defrost 15-20 frozen shrimp, and peel the shells or pinch off the tails. Rinse well and soak in the fridge a half hour in lemon juice.

3) Roll the crust out to some kind of a shape - square, triangle, circle, heart. Use a basting brush to spread a very thin layer of peanut oil (if you don't have it - substitute olive oil) across the dough especially on the edges which will become the crust.

4) For the sauce, use a bottle of Whole Foods' 365 Organic Peanut Sauce and mix about 3/4 cup of the bottled sauce with 1/4 cup sugar. Give or take a little less or more sauce and sugar depending on your personal tastes for a saucy or sugary pizza. I like the sauce thin.

5) Apply the sauce to the pizza crust using a spoon or spatula.

6) Drain the lemon juice from the shrimp. Chop and pile on the toppings: shards of carrots, fresh or frozen chives, green and red pepper, white onion, corn if you like it, and shrimp. Depending on your comfort level with hot spice, sprinkle any hot red peppers, piri piri, or thai hot peppers over the toppings. Top with a layer of mixed shredded cheese. (I like to use a mexican blend). This pizza does not need as much cheese as the average pizza since it's so flavorful already.

7) Cook at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until brown and toasty on the edges.

8) Let cool for a few minutes. Sprinkle the cooling pizza with chopped cashews (or peanuts), sesame seeds, and cilantro (optional).

9 and 10) Dig in and say "Yum".

Cupid don't throw back your bow...

This is the first summer in a while that I have nearly no concerts on my calendar. My only plans to go to Red Rocks are for a Women's Bean Project / Bonnie Raitt show I'm volunteering for in August.

But a few days ago I noticed the Wallflowers were sold out at the unusually quaint Botanic Gardens, so I tracked down a single ticket on Craig's List and headed over there tonight.

The Wallflowers are a contradiction in many ways. They can't seem to shake off the catchy radio tunes and 40-something groupies in the crowd. They seem to want to be successful musicians without wanting the fame and junk that goes with it. When I first heard them in college, I remember my roommate and I immediately put them in the same category as Matchbox 20, as in, "Just kill me and put me out of my misery now if I have to hear that song again". Their singles were insanely overplayed and overrated. It seemed like magazines were obsessed with the band just based on Jakob's anomalous blue eyes.

But over the years I've really gotten into the Wallflowers, especially for their albums that were less played on the radio. And don't say I'm getting old...

It occurred to me tonight how ironic it is that Jakob originally came on to the music scene trying with all his might to not be compared to (or even associated with) his father. First of all, it's a pretty good relative to have. Second of all, it's not like they sound anything alike. Third of all, it's not like anyone is ever going to compare anyone's work to the reach and scope of Bob Dylan. I never even thought they looked alike, but tonight the resemblance was uncanny.

Seeing him in person made me realize, this boy is a bonafide miracle. He has inherited his father's musical talent and originality without inheriting the chip on his shoulder or the lack of a melodic (& piercingly nasal) voice. He is modest and genuine, a great singer and a great songwriter. What could be better than that.

the tide is high but i'm holding on!

No progress with the job hunt so far this month, but frankly, I can't help but to pull up a chair by the pool and enjoy the summer.

don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.

-Christopher Robin

Shimmy Shimmy Go-Go Bop

I love that Tom Hanks can still recite the song from "Big"

so like

Sorry I've been MIA the last month or so.
I feel like I need to say the same thing to my gym. Eeek!

At the end of May, Chris & I were going to go to California for a week, and then we weren't because we couldn't find a place to board Derby, but then our vet called at the last minute and could take him, so we had a very thrown-together trip out to Northern CA which was great, even though, like always, any sunny weather eluded us. Everyone always swears it had just been so warm the week before we came.

We drove around Half Moon Bay, Point Reyes, Santa Rosa, and then buried ourselves in Monterey during the holiday weekend, pretty much taking our time, vegging out, stopping for beer and artichokes here and there.

Since I've been back, the job searching has kicked into high gear, but not intentionally. I have to try to schedule other activities into my day because it's so easy to spend 8 hours a day sending resumes and researching positions -- there are enough jobs that it's very time consuming, and it's easy to get SuckedIn to LinkedIn (who knows who, who you used to know, who changed their last name, who works where now). I've had about one interview a week on average since I was first unemployed, so it's not bad at all... I just need to find the one where they like me, and I like them.

Meanwhile I am taking advantage of sleeping in, watching all the movies I never had time to watch, wearing flip flops perpetually, and digging up new companies I never knew were in Denver. Whether it's by reading the Business Journal at Tattered Cover, or finding a random little company on Craig's List, there's so many cool companies here and it's fun to figure out who you might know there. That part is fun all on its own.

Thanks to everyone for being so cool & well-wishing in my time of woe, but it's not too too woeful...

at last

alright already, i'm on twitter now. you can look for me under lara_sue.

taller children

It's not often that I would buy an album just for the cover but I think this one, I would: Elizabeth & The Catapult

but I dig the music also

gembows and other 'candy'

Something tells me the average age of the young entrepeneur is shifting slightly downward.  Check out these 12 year old duct-tape artists who are donating their net proceeds to Save the Earth. brilliant.  (thank you daily candy for the links)

Also you can help feed shelter dogs by just answering one little trivia question on freekibble.com (hint: the answer is probably Weimaraner)

lastly, imagine being able to carry an espresso maker in your purse?  I want one of these so badly but need to wait for the price to go down, maybe once they get an infomercial deal or start selling them on QVC.  why, oh why, can't I just work for Daily Candy and get these things as freebies?  (sigh)

Jordan on Oprah

This little girl, Jordan advising moms on how to talk to their daughters about sex totally made my day. What I know for sure: she's born to be a broadcast journalist. (sorry for the obnoxious ad at the front) She looks like a miniature Ginnifer Goodwin! So cute.

new peeps dioramas

The peeps have landed!
Here's this year's winners, and for review, here's 2007 and 2008. I feel like this year's needs a disclaimer that no peeps were harmed in the making of these scenes but (sniff!) it may not be true.

Lily

Last night I had the very cool opportunity to see Lily Allen at a little club in Denver, they made some limited edition posters for the show which were a nice bonus for 10 bucks!
Review note: Lily's opening band 'Natalie Portman's Shaved Head' was sooooooooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaaad. They were wannabe Dandy Warhols/Franz Ferdinands and really should just leave 80's music to the bands who invented it in the 80's. Same goes for the skinny tapered acid-washed jeans (on not skinny men!)

poetic tendencies

I love that April is Poetry Month and poets.org will send you a poem every day this month. This is my third year getting them and I'm always pleasantly surprised on April 1, I wish they would do it every day of the year. I have poetic tendencies and enjoy reading them, maybe I could even edit a book of them, but never was a natural at writing poems myself.

Here's today's.

Untitled
by Gregory Orr

An excerpt from How Beautiful the Beloved

This is what was bequeathed us:
This earth the beloved left
And, leaving,
Left to us.

No other world
But this one:
Willows and the river
And the factory
With its black smokestacks.

No other shore, only this bank
On which the living gather.

No meaning but what we find here.
No purpose but what we make.

That, and the beloved's clear instructions:
Turn me into song; sing me awake.

so like, mandatory vacation?

for those of you i haven't had a moment to call just yet, i got 'laid off' at work today but it's all good -- i sort of expected this turn was coming around the bend -- and I had been at least mentally preparing for it, certainly financially planning for it.

I'm not sure how this will affect plans to take a real vacation this year, but I do hope I will ultimately find some value in the mandatory vacation that is time off between jobs. and i don't mean goofing around on facebook.

thanks as always for your best wishes and forward those jobs along!
email: larasueg@gmail.com and my online resume:
www.linkedin.com/in/laratherrien

favorite forward of the year

this was in my inbox this morning. my favorite is the "swirl".

Ben & Jerry created "Yes Pecan!" ice cream flavor in honor of Barack Obama. They then asked visitors to their web site to fill in the blank for the following: For George W. "_________" flavor.

Here are some of their favorite responses:

Grape Depression
Cluster Fudge
Nut'n Accomplished
Iraqi Road
Chock 'n Awe
WireTapioca
Impeach Cobbler
Guantanmallow
ImPeachMint
Good Riddance You Lousy Motherf*cker... Swirl
The Reese's-cession
Cookie D'oh!
The Housing Crunch
Nougalar Proliferation
Death by Chocolate... and Torture
Credit Crunch
Country Pumpkin
Chunky Monkey in Chief
Chocolate Chimp
Bloody Sundae
Caramel Preemptive Stripe
I broke the law and am responsible for the deaths of thousands...with nuts

to hell with yellow pages

i remember recently my mom was visiting and asked for my yellow pages and i said - what? yellow pages! what's that? my yellow pages is google. and she was like, well what if the power's out? and i was like, i'd use chris' blackberry...

she has a good point but one yellow pages every 10 years is enough for me to find the emergency number to dial (which i'm pretty sure is 911).

i hate the endless free yellow and white pages that get dumped on our doorstep every other month from various competitors. i just have to haul them to the nearest recycling center in my polluting car. so i was delighted to find an overall opt-out list today! it's a green movement towards less junk mail, just like Catalog Choice. do it!

blue fish red fish grinch fish seuss fish

I love Google today!!!!!! Happy Birthday Seuss!

andy has answered our prayers

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

in TV news today:

Andy Richter is joining Conan O'Brien as NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien begins June 1. Richter will be show's announcer and also be involved in live and pre-taped comedy sketches.

coolest cards

this time of year always reminds me to not stop sending old-fashioned cards to those you love!

in case you ever see them in bookstores, i am trying to amass a grand collection of cards from KOCO these days as well as i've collected for years those surreal and unpredictable postcards by Gallerie Inkognito (dark dark humor) and if you happen to ever be in france, Gaelle Boissonard cards too but she's a tad elusive.