Fresh air

A couple of months ago, some bonehead scraped the side of my car pulling out of a parking space. Of course, I noticed the car in the space next to me was askew, but I parked anyways (mistake). The idiot did not even write me a note, so now I am stuck with it (unless they were so clueless that they did not realize they scraped it up!). It is not a huge scratch, but it is down to the metal. I did have touch up paint that Ford sent me at home. When I read the bottle, I did not want to use it due to the following warning: "This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm." Mike and I figured that saving a few bucks was not worth exposure to whatever is in the bottle.
I stopped by a body shop today, and the guy suggested to use the touch up paint. I told him about the warning on the bottle, and his response was that the warnings were similar to warnings on McDonald's coffee. I do not consider myself an alarmist, but I think people are too casual about their exposure to chemicals around the house. I recently heard that even your plug in air fresheners can cause lung damage. You forget that fresh smell is a chemical released in small droplets. The same person using that would not tolerate a plant in their area discharging droplets of chlorine in the air! I could not imagine spraying Raid at a roach, even though I think they are really gross. I guess I should stop my hippie rant now, but maybe I will go check out what type of masks may help from the hardware store.

Exercise science

I studied physiology for my undergrad degree, and even took exercise physiology before graduate school for fun. There are so many misconceptions out there about exercise(check out all of the late night abdominal machines). You hear the same things over and over, and soon they are the truth without any science behind it. Here is a link to a Times article about marathons, cramping, hydration, and race conditions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/sports/othersports/03marathon.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

Americans Celebrate 10 Millionth 'Bring Yourself To Work Day'

Family Guy - bill on capital hill

School house rocks!

Birthday Girl

Happy birthday. This proves that age is just a number!

Message to Ann

My dearest Ann,
I did not order the filet as you instructed. I ended up getting the sesame encrusted tuna. It was delightful, and I did have some of W's porterhouse. I also did consume some steak as an appetizer. So you can have time to think up a punishment, I just had to come clean. I sat next to a vegetarian the whole dinner, and he really enjoyed looking at the cuts of meat to choose! :)

Attention Caraher funkadelic family

Hey,
I have had the same conversation with almost everyone. Does anyone have a clue who is to buy for whom (Ms Breen, is my grammar correct?). I know Pat and Lhes had us last year (singing snowman made it easy to remember). I have no clue who we had last year. I guess we need to figure it out soon or just decide.

Word Power

Here is a link to an article in the Times by a linguistic professor and the use of a particular phrase that is deeply ingrained in the Bush administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/opinion/27lakoff.html?bl&ex=1162270800&en=ce373aa6462524ce&ei=5087%0A

Still Rollin'

Would you believe the '94 Escort wagon of Mike's is still going? 120,000 miles strong. It is loud with the piecemeal exhaust repairs, but we like to think that it is fast and furious. I can hear Mike roaring in the driveway when he gets home from work. It is nice and dirty, so it is no problem to eat in there. The escort wagon even got tapped by some spastic commuter on I95, and is no worse for the wear. About a month ago, a little girl in Manhattan told Mike that she liked his car. It may be since the paint job now looks like matte (versus shiny) and we have no hubcaps. I can be aggressive with cabs, etc and squeeze into parallel spaces without any worry. We used to leave his Escort in the parking deck at Mike's work while we drove my Escort into the ground. His old boss told Mike's friend that "they should check on that car, it looks suspicious", not knowing it was Mike's. Yeah, that car is a badass. Mike once took it to a fancy restaurant in Greenwich, and they valet parked it! Long live the Escort!

Chapelle Show - Prince

This is one of my favorite Chapelle show skits. I was really into Prince in high school. I got quite an energy lift out of watching this, so this may help your afternoon slump.

Fiona Appple

This is why we saw her twice last year. I just love my crazy Fiona.

Man versus Beast

Cute little story on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6344645"

Tigers win

I guess I can do a Tigers Win warmup. Here is a fan in NY.

Fall Classic

Here are some pics from Rockefeller Preserve. We walked to Stone Barns and had lunch and walked back. We like the look of Stone Barns. If only we could find one of our own in a decent price range! It is also interesting that the pigs have their pens on a hillside in the woods. Maybe they are considered free range.

Tiger Win Warmup

When I was in town recently, my friend uncovered a buried memory of mine. When we were swimming in high school, one of our coaches would have us start with a "Tiger Win Warmup". This was back in the 80s when the Tigers were good. So perhaps when I get into the pool in the next few days, I will do the warm up and hope it rubs off on the Tigers. Alissa even remembered that the warmup was 50'S on the 50 (although I forgot how many even though she just told me--either 12 or 20).

We had a nature moment today. We saw 18 hawks circling overhead today. They must be migrating somewhere. I also found a grasshopper in my bedroom. I thought it was a spider at first, but when my shoe was poised overhead, it jumped away! Mike caught it later and brought him outside. No bugs were harmed in the telling of this story.

Flustered Bush Misses Air Force One Flight

Bugs Bunny: Monsters Lead Interesting Lives

Yes, we do lead such interesting lives!!

Rock N Roll McDonalds

RIP Wesley Willis. Rock over London, Rock on Chicago, Taco Bell, Run to the Border

Nothin's up

Sorry I have been so lame about posting lately. I feel like I do not have much to say. I guess work is catching up to me recently. At any rate, I started guitar class with Mike this week. As we were driving, Mike suggested a frightening scenario. "Do you think she will ask us all to play something in front of everyone?" was proposed. Since I have not been practicing, and do not consider myself an intermediate, I was a tad nervous. Thankfully the teacher's expectations were low and we had a fun class. She had us try out some flamenco strumming, and I plan on playing Radiohead or Better Than Ezra in that style.

Nothing is new on our life direction. When the job hunt is revved up, I will let you know. We were not excited to hear there was an opening at Dow Chemical in Midland!!!! His dream job in Seattle/Denver/Vancouver/Nelson or Canmore BC that is exciting and well paying have not come up yet!

Innovative Medicine (circa 1950)

I heard this a while back on NPR and found the perseverance of this doctor amazing. I hope you enjoy it. It is about Dr. George Moore who was one of the first western doctors in Nepal in the 50's.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6087761

From the Onion News desk

George Steinbrenner Fires Tigers

A reason to go to Banff

Here is a clip from when we were in Banff last year. We stayed in a hut that was on the base of a big glacier that people traverse and link huts.

Fowler Hilliard Hut

OK, I tried again. The link should work now. Any takers?

Good Times

I am back to work today after a long weekend in Detroit. Everything worked out very well, except for the play of my Spartans :( We got in the game before kickoff for face value, we met up with a bunch of people I have not been able to see for a while, and we went to Bangkok 96. Perfect fall weekend!

Cheap Bastard

Is is me, or is it just crazy that so many people are willing to pay $100 dollars or more to sit all crammed in the "Big House." I guess I am a cheap bastard, but it is really out of control. I swear it will cost almost as much as our flights were to get in the game. I am going to try the people out scalping after their greediness does not pay off, or will be in some Ann Arbor watering hole catching the game.

The Daily Show:

Excellent

Cat Head Theatre

Dedicated to the creators of the Mewling Bible.

Smoots

They have been announcing the Nobel Prize winners this week. Mike noticed yesterday that a winner had the last name of Smoot. He was wondering if it was the same Smoot of MIT fame. Alumni of MIT and Boston residents know about the guy named Smoot who attended MIT years ago. Apparantly Smoot was drunk, and his friends proceeded to measure a bridge across the Charles River using him as a unit of measurement. Over the years his fraternity would continue to paint the Smoot measurements on the bridge. I am sure that I have messed up the story, so I apologize for any gross inaccuracies. I visited the MIT website today, and this it what I found.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/smoot.html

A piece of Pi

Here is a quick news item.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061004/ap_on_fe_st/memorizing_pi

Not that Desperate

I have been trying to get some tickets to UM-MSU on Sat. If you have any you want to unload for less than 200 dollars a pair, let me know. I may take you up on it. I would be willing to pay face value :)

Nature, Part ?

We went running tonight at Rockefeller preserve, and we saw a flock of turkeys (wild) hanging out with some cows, and the best sighting of recent memory followed. I looked in a pasture, and in broad daylight about 20 yards away was a big, beautiful coyote. He stood there and looked at us for about a minute, then picked up a groundhog and trotted slowly away to eat his kill. It was the closest I have ever seen one without the coyote running away immediately. It pays to always pay attention around you, 'cause you can spot a lot of wildlife that way, even 35 miles north of NYC.

MI bound

After much debate, we are heading out to Michigan for a quick weekend. I am currently bidding on some UM-MSU tix on Ebay (wish me luck, I did not want to go broke to see the game). The fare was really cheap last minute, so it was tough to pass up. I can not wait!!

Jams

I had mentioned before that I had somewhat of a Fred Flintstone birthday present for Mike. I have to say the CDs were excellent, and if you are seeking some new jams, here are a few suggestions.
Keane Under the Iron Sea
The Fray How to Save a Life
Morcheeba Big Calm
Snow Patrol Eyes Open
The Morcheba album is old, but it is quite addictive. The Keane album is by far the one that gets stuck in my mind. You should not put on an ipod or similar device and sing along to Keane in public. In the car or at home is just fine.

Intermediate

I am going to take another guitar class with Mike this fall. I was reluctant since it was coined intermediate, and I feel like more of a seasoned beginner. My last teacher was great, but she is only teaching beginner this year. It is hard to tell if I will be appropriate in the class or not. I like class 'cause it forces me to practice so I do not look like a fool. I hope I will not be in over my head. Now I have to get my nails ready to go. I know everyone gives me crap about not playing for them, but I am not confident in performing. I just wanted to learn how to play. We have been looking up easy tabs, and I can play stuff like "Please do not go" by the Violent Femmes and "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead. The bonus is that I can sing in the same whiny voice of either of those singers :) We have to keep up on one of our non-physical past times.

We also have been playing tennis in the last 2 months. Mike decided he wanted to play a social sport again. We played his parents, and they kicked our butts. His mom plays 3-4 days a week and is a barracuda on the court. Mike's parents left town on a trip for 3 weeks, and in that time we had our raquets restrung. We also had a lot more practice serving, playing net, and perfecting groundstrokes. We need a rematch before they get back into shape. I am getting back to the point I was at about 6 years ago when I took a beginner lesson in Ann Arbor. Anyone for tennis? I think doubles are better since it is less wear and tear on the shaky knees.

The Simpsons - Dr Zaius

Jazz hands anyone?

pflaugghh!

Mike and I did a 10 Mile trail run (race) in the Mohonk Preserve this AM. I have not been running more than about 3-5 miles at a time, so it was going to be a challenge. It was called the Pfalz Point Trail Challenge. We go up to the Mohonk area a couple of times of year to mountain bike, and it is amazing. It is in the 'Gunks which is also a great area to rock climb. Anywhoooo, the trail racers were quite a hardcore bunch as runners can be. Mike was a good sport and ran slow with me. We were wondering if there would be a Clydesdale division, because we outweighed our fields by 30-40 pounds easily. There were some scary anorexic and manorexics there. I wonder what the course profile was, because I swear we climbed for 7 miles and ran downhill or flat for maybe 3. There was also some tricky single track, and I did not want to repeat my Bear Mountain spazz knee dislocation, so I took those really slow. I usually wipe out at some point on trail runs, but I stayed upright. There were also some really steep climbs. Anyways, I was happy I was not last and survived.

http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/index.php?pfalzpoint

Deforestation

Yesterday I was stopped by construction on a highway nearby. I looked ahead and saw a big tree falling to the ground. It has become a familiar sight around here this year. We have had 4 major storms that brought a significant amount of trees down since January (including a tornado!). There is a trail we like to ride on, and they cut a whole section of trees down for road construction. In the other direction on the same trail is where the tornado blew through. The college where we like to run and bike nearby keeps cutting down more and more of the forested land on their campus. A big reason the county is so pretty is the trees! Our neighborhood is older with big trees and a ravine. The asthetic out here seems to be pave over your lawn and cut down at least 3-5 trees when you move in. The house next door cut down at least 8 trees. If you do not like trees, why move here? I guess I am a tree hugger.

Kool aid

Oh yeah!!

Breakin' the Law

I attended my first traffic court today in WP. I have not had a traffic ticket in 10 years, and I got nabbed turning right by a camping cop. There was a sign that said no right turns before 8:30 AM, and I did not see it. I suspect they pull a ton of people over there to make money. That annoyed me since I was not doing anything unsafe, and why would I do an illegal turn knowingly in front of a cop! So I decided to take it to court. Dadada, dadadada da da, dadada "typewriter noises"

The people in line were sharing their sob stories. I found out the most tickets in the county are written in White Plains. I learned about the other areas to avoid and other reasons people are getting tickets (which could happen to all of us since they are so nit picky). That line was very educational for me, and will be for all of my local friends. At any rate, they reduced my fine and waived the points. I could have fought it further, but I needed to get back to work, so I am happy with the outcome.

Grownups

I think it may be about time that I will become a grownup. One the kiddos I see told me recently that he did not have to listen to me since I was not a grownup. At any rate, Mike and I have to make some life decisions in the next few months. I wish I had some really strong opinions about where we end up. We have our wish list of areas, including just staying right here. I can work anywhere as well. I guess we have to decide if we are going to be career driven or fulfill our souls. I am always in favor of slacking off as much as possible! There is always something that you give up and something gained no matter where you go. So we will let you know when we have some idea where we will end up!

Breakneck Ridge

We hiked Breakneck ridge today with Keren, her new husband Josh, and her sister Lonnie. We manage to do this hike every year, and it is always fun with great views. You have to scramble up rocks to make it to the top, so that is always fun. Here are some pics. The ridge rises steeply over the Hudson River, north of the Bear Mountain bridge. The big mountain across the river has some great hiking, but it has been closed down due to unexploded ordinances from West Point.

The Original 1969 Sesame Street version of Mah-Nah-Mah-Nah

I am sure that nobody forgot the words to this one.

Getting the Fun over with

I think that Mike and I are getting bored of our usual sports. Whenever we go running, biking, or swimming, we have discussions about distance, time, place, and when. If we put something off until later, it is hard to maintain motivation. Then one of us usually says, "Let's get the fun over with". This may be why we have taken up tennis this summer.

Tonight, we went running at the Rockefeller Preserve which is my favorite place to run, walk, and nordic ski. It is a fantastic park with about 25 miles of preserved carriage roads that meander through farms and meadows, climbs up and down wooded hills, and circles lakes (filled with turtles, muskrats, and ducks). We once saw a coyote there! I do not like running, but I run much longer when I am there. We usually get a little lost since the official trails cross with farm trails, but then we get to see more. There are pigs who are penned on the side of a rocky hill there, and that was suprising to see. I have never seen pigs that were not next to a building before in the middle of a farm. We also run up this hill with rock lined walls, and it looked like Ireland. When we got to the top, we were treated to a view of the Hudson and the Palisades. What a treat. It is really beautiful here in the Hudson Valley.
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkId=60

Over-rated

I finally get to see my Spartan football games since we ordered the season pass. It is pretty cool. They do not usually show my games out here. I have the tendency to root for big 10 teams in heated national games. I really do not like Notre Dame. That is the time when you hear me enthusiastically cheering for Michigan. Anyways, congrats to the UM fans out there. Your team proved ND is truly over-rated as usual.

Ringer

Local Pool-Club Record-Holder Upset To Hear Michael Phelps Just Joined
September 14, 2006 | Onion Sports


ANN ARBOR, MI—Ann Arbor Pool Club member Edwin Peters, 32, a club record-holder in the 200-meter freestyle, the 200-meter individual medley, and the 200-meter butterfly, was disappointed to learn yesterday that Olympic champion Michael Phelps just joined the swimming club. "I understand records are made to be broken, but come on," said Peters, who is well aware that Phelps owns world records in the events previously mentioned. "I think this is going to make for a pretty lopsided club championship." Phelps was unavailable for comment, but many have said that his competitive nature will not allow him to take it easy on Peters or any other member of the Ann Arbor Pool Club.


More From the Sports Wire

ROCK LOBSTER

One of my favs from the 80s.

Colbert Analyzes Wikipedia

Here's the word.

Freakonomics

I finally got around to reading Freakonomics, and I am really enjoying it. Here is their current blog.
http://www.freakonomics.com/blog/

enjoy!

Family Guy FCC song

This is classic. I can not help it, I enjoy low brow humor.

Family Guy: Stewie and Rupert in Hawaii

On another note.....

9/11/06

Here is a link to a podcast from the local NPR station I listen to when I am driving around all day. Rev. Forbes is a leader of the church we go to at Christmas and Easter in the city, and his insight is always impressive. The church he leads does a lot of service to the community surrounding it (Harlem), and he is very active in eliminating poverty. He speaks in the first segment.
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2006/09/11

Today was a beautiful and clear day, just like it was 5 years ago. We were able to see the twin towers of light tonight at our house, even though we live about 25 miles north.

bikin' nyc babeeee

Mike and I survived the century ride today. That is a feat, because some of the roads can be dicey. We always do this ride on our mountain bikes due to poor road conditions and frequent stopping. In fact, my hands probably hurt the most from braking. The funny thing is that we keep up or pass road bikes on this tour, which is totally opposite of what should happen. Whenever we ride our mountain bikes after using our road bikes for awhile, I always think I have a flat at first. I then realize that the mountain bike is just pretty damn heavy!

Usually we get to ride right down 5th ave with no traffic, but they changed the route this year. The beginning sucked 'cause it was a mob scene in Mahattan with traffic and slooowww riders. It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to do the first 15 miles!! We could not have safely been able to ride faster than that. Ouch. We did get to enjoy the Brooklyn Bridge since we were going so slow. The rest of the ride was a blast. We rode along NY harbor by the Verranzono bridge to Coney Island. We got a Nathan's hotdog (which made Mike very, very happy!) and I have to say it was the best hot dog I have ever had (this coming from a person who never eats them!!). Every neighborhood had different people. From Hasidic people to Carribean, everyone was represented. The ride takes you through areas you would never see otherwise, and they are little gems. It was more like mountain biking today. We carried our bikes to bridge tops all over, and enjoyed the city from nearly every angle.

Of course, the New Yorkers allow me to be very vocal out there, since none of them mince words. Here are the best quotes of the day.

"If you keep honkin and swearin', I'm gonna send even mowr bikes across"--ride volunteer to people sitting in traffic while the police allowed riders off the Brooklyn Bridge.

"I think dat's good for your health"-- woman crossing street with thick NY accent.

"Stop g#$%damnit"--Ride volunteer who was trying to stop traffic in a busy intersection and some guy ignored him.

Despite their harsh words in public, I still love New Yorkers and the city. The city is going strong!

Bikin' NYC Style

I just finished my first week back to work. The biggest challenge this time of year is creating a schedule that I can live with for the entire school year (without going crazy or driving up and down Westchester county 5 times a day). I am often torn. I am a softie, and all these assertive NY mothers know it. I kept a bunch of kids last year that were out of the way 'cause I really liked the kids and families. I guess I will do extra driving to deal with nice people, and that makes your job more enjoyable. Oh well. I work in a few school districts, and often there are not many kids to see. I am lucky 'cause the teachers have been really cool about being flexible and realizing that I do not want to travel to their school 3x a day to see 3 kids! I have not always been so lucky with teachers. So far, it looks good. I am getting better at saying no to things, even though it still makes me feel guilty (no body even gives me a guilt trip!).

Mike and I are doing the NYC century tommorrow. It is a really great ride and a great way to see the city. There is a 5 borough ride in the spring, but it has 40,000 people. My friends that have done it said it is so crowded that there are accidents and you can barely ride. They do not close the roads for the NYC century, but you start early and there is no traffic. No body in NY area gets going before noon. I go to Whole foods at 8:30 or 9 on a Saturday, and I get the place to myself. Otherwise it becomes too much of a zoo. White plains is a madhouse after noon. Anyways (I am on a tangent.), you get to ride right down 5th Ave, over the Brooklyn Bridge, to Coney Island, through some rough neighborhoods in Queens and the Bronx, etc. I saw some areas I would not have seen otherwise. It will also be fun since we have not been riding much this season.

The New Dance Show

Here is some old school TV DEETROIT STYLE!! Enjoy Be sure to stick around for the advertisement from one of the show's fine sponsors.

Back to reality

We are back from the cape, and work is now looming ahead. The house we rented in Provincetown was really great. That was a bonus since the weather was iffy for a couple of days. Fortunately we did not have a washout any of the days, just grey days with evening or late PM rain. We just hung out on the beach, read books, ate and drank, and biked all over the place. Mike is flying a kite in the remnants of Ernesto. The grocery store kite and heavy winds lead to poor control! Next is the surf guard station at Race Point. The surf guards lead to the formation of the Coast guard. They used to launch open boats into heavy sea to rescue people from the frequent ship wrecks off the end of the cape. The last pics are the Nauset light and the house we rented. That's about it!

Got free time on your hands?

Hey,
If you are bored and need a break, we will be up in Provincetown from sat to sept 3. We just booked a house tonight. We are getting pretty good at this last minute planning. People call Provincetown "P-town", but I think that you are not supposed to do that if you are cool and local. I am not cool or local, but I think I will stick to Provincetown. I do not like the sound of P-town personally. Oh no, am I hung up on words again!!

Mike and I will have to practice guitar. We will become guitar gods since we nagged a guitar pick a the Better than Ezra concert last night. It was a great show as usual.

Guilty Pleasures

Everyone has a few. Like admitting that you like a pop song (I like Beyonce's Crazy in Love for some unknown reason!) or a show that your friends would not understand or expect you to like. My latest guilty pleasure is Project Runway. I could care less about fashion (as my NY based friends would recognize). I do not even think shoes that most women describe as cute look nice. I keep thinking about the pain they will cause, and maybe my work as a PT has made me hypersensitive to maladies of the foot. At any rate, Project Runway is my guilty pleasure. I have no clue what makes something on that shoe brilliant or a failure. I guess it is my lack of fashion sense. I was hiding the fact I was watching Project Runway from Mike, but I came clean. I watch it on my own time. My recent discovery was that one of the contestants looks just like a really scary mannequin in a store that Mike and I pass on the way to the gym. I hate to have another mannequin story so soon, but oh well. These all have a freaky clownish smile with plastic short hair in a rainbow of colors! They are scary!!!

The flintstones birthday present

Mike just suggested I may have given him the proverbial "bowling ball". He is referring to the Flintstones episode when Fred gave Wilma a bowling ball he wanted for his birthday. I just got him a couple of CDs. But I have been listening to them more since I downloaded them into the computer. I have also been home a lot more lately to my defense. My other recent bowling ball was the Freaks and Geeks box set I got Mike for Christmas. I was not a fan of the show when I bought it for him, but now I am one of the Geek geeks. We will watch the last episode and cry one of these days.

When mannequins attack

I would be mad if I was the mannequin, it did not want to be humiliated with its shirt off.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060818/ap_on_fe_st/mannequin_attack

Goosed

You know how much I like geese
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060817/ap_on_go_ot/geese_be_gone

Me and a gorilla

There's a fine line between clever and stupid.

Birthday Boys

Happy birthday to Mike and John R. I hope they enjoy their days. I will not be throwing Mike a suprise party. I learned my lesson years ago. Kevin and I threw him a suprise party when he turned 30. To prepare for the event, I bought snacks and drinks, etc. Kevin turned on the little dorm sized fridge in the basement. Mike noticed this somehow (went to do laundry or something), so he was suspicious. I took Mike out to dinner and the guests came over when we were out. My fatal error was the fact I had Mike drive (so Kevin could unload the car with the goodies). After dinner, Mike suggested that we go for coffee. I wanted to get home, so I made up some lame excuse about having to call somebody. Then he started to get on the freeway! He wanted to get coffee in Royal Oak (we were in Dearborn). I convinced him to go back towards home, and he wanted Dairy Queen! Then he slowed down and gave me a look. He did drive home (thank you Lord!!) and did have fun. I guess if I was to do that again, my planning should be better!

Yankees 2

We made to another game last night, but we were really late since Mike had to work late. Since we were so late, we parked on a surface lot across from the stadium. During the game I was thinking that we would have to wait in a huge line for the valet. When we got there, everyone was zooming out of the lot. They just kept the keys in the car to clear it out. I had a naive assumption that they would check our tickets to make sure that they matched, but they did not do that. So thankfully we still have a car!

Lefty

Happy belated left hander's day. Ned Flanders would be proud. I am not excited about all the famous leftys out there though.

http://www.lefthandersday.com/

I really liked this link. I never realized that I put belts on backwards until tonight. Oh, the shame. Back in Michigan, the only social kissing done is with your family. Out in NY however, the kiss hello is pretty much a requirement (and not necessarily done with anyone that you even know well). I thought the awkwardness was just because it is not automatic with me, but maybe my leftyness is messing with me too. I am still not sure if you really are supposed to kiss people on the cheek or just air kiss. I need to figure that out. Hell, I am not adverse to putting my lips on somebody, but who knows who I may be freaking out.
http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lefty-kissing.html

I will not be insulted by being called Lefty, but I think other languages or cultures are not as kind.
http://www.lefthandersday.com/tour5.html

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

This is really fun.

Fluids

I wish they were banning fluids on the planes this week. That word offends me much more than liquids. My immediate family will understand this one.

Daily Show: Bush is Fat

There is another short story in the beginning, but stick with it.

Nature (Marine edition)

They spotted a manatee in the Hudson River. Around here they spot seals there too sometimes.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/07/manatee.hudson.river.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Hotter than H E double toothpicks

I am sure that everyone (regardless of where they are living) that I know is currently suffering with this nasty heat. This week I started wearing sandals and tank tops to work. I used to dress professionally, but when you are on the floor with kids all day, your standards change. Especially all of my 3 year old patients sneezing in my face and transferring boogers everywhere. I am sick of needing a shower at 11 AM after running around.
Tonight Mike and I usually do a brick (workout where you bike and follow it with a run to get used to the pain in triathlons). But the heat is a good excuse to be lazy. Hopefully it will not be this hot for any races (otherwise I will get my shirt, do the swim, and go home). Tonight's training was eating ice cream and watching crappy TV. I recently confessed to Mike that my latest TV guilty pleasure is Project Runway. I do not like fashion, but I can not stop watching.
On an unrelated note, Happy Birthday tommorrow to Joshua!! I can not believe you are 4!

Newport news

We are back to work this week after a relaxing weekend in Newport. It is only about 2.5 hour drive to get there, so it was a fun get away. We stayed right by the beaches about a mile out of town. There is a big surf scene there, so that is cool to see too. We plan on taking lessons next time we are out there.

Summer Readin'

I finally this year have become a regular library patron, so sorry mom and others that I circulate my books when I am done. It is nice to just check them out, especially after buying books I did not like. I am currently reading a fascinating book that I checked out on a whim (Animals in Translation by Temple Gradin). I was interested in reading her book since I learned about her in continuing education courses I attended. She is an adult with autism who is a PhD in animal sciences. She changed practices in slaughterhouses to make them more humane. It is a great read, and I am driving Mike crazy with my constant comments. I am sure he will never need to read it since he is getting a running book report. I always get in trouble with him reading a paper, because I have to brief him on what I find to be notable. We now have a rule that I can only interrupt him 3 times.

Orrin makes a good point

Mike and I watch this old fogey show on the weekend in the morning sometimes. I think it is called Sunday Morning. Anyways, they had Orrin Hatch on Sunday with a piece where he ended up backing up the stem cell bill that Bush vetoed. I never thought that I would agree with him in a million years. Anyways, it was nice to see the other side of people that you did not know existed.

movie teaser trailer

This is a trailer that we saw at the movies that I found to be hilarious for reasons they did not intend. This is a real movie believe it or not.

(TheBlueState.com) Bush gropes Merkel

This is pretty stellar too.

Jon Stewart on Net Neutrality

Here is the video from the Daily show. Enjoy!

Don't Worry about the Government

I think that they should require an IQ test to serve in the senate and congress. I heard this quote from Sen Ted Stevens on the daily show, and it is extremely entertaining as well as frightening. This is who is making decisions for us!!!
http://blog.wired.com/27BStroke6/?entry_id=1512499

More random pics

Here are some more pics from up north. Nicky is taking serious flight from the dunes. Mike is going to jump with a passenger (Anthony) who became a frequent flyer. And presenting our gracious hosts, Ann and Kevin. Their cottage is really great and will see a lot of activity in the years to come.

Tri again

Mike and I muddled through our first tri this summer. We have been lax in our training, and Mike has been sick. I think he has only swam twice so far, so he is the king. My poor running preparation is not too bad compared to his swim prep. It was a nice race only a half hour away (that was a bonus since the start was at 6:30). When we race and are done before 8 in the morning, it is really weird since we do not get moving early in general on the weekends. We saw our hardcore friends Margaret and Monty there, and we talked until 10 AM. We do not always see people we know at races since they are getting so big and numerous. It was the flattest race I have done out here, so that was nice.

Twister

We had a tornado touch down in some nearby towns yesterday afternoon. It is really rare around here, and there is the most overdone news coverage I have ever seen. All the reporters who interview witnesses all ask, "...so what did it sound like?" I guess that you are supposed to answer "like a train". There is a fair amount of damage, but nobody hurt.

Head Butt heard 'round the World

I know everyone is sick of hearing about the french world cup player, but I thought this link shed some light on the situation.
http://solutionsxt.blogspot.com/

Skipping Stones

When we were in Michigan recently, there was a great deal of stone skipping going on when we were up north (at a cottage with 6 boys there has to be stones flying!). It was great fun searching and trying out stones to skip. Pat claimed that he could skip anything you could give him, and he nearly did. I got a kick out of this story when I heard it yesterday. Maybe we can send a team out next year!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5549680

Da Moon

Did anyone see the moon tonight? It was full and very orange here. Very cool.

Newcleus - Jam On It

This video makes me want to get a bass. Again, this is for Pat. I tried to find the "I sing the body electric", but I did not have luck--just a lot of weird hits. I also dig the outfits and the backup singers with the keytars. Those boys have not hit puberty yet!

poppin' J.. electric kingdom

Another blast from the past. It reminds me of listening to WJLB and the electrifying Mojo. I used to have this record.

Kraftwerk - Mini Calcolatore (live in Rome 2004)

This is for Pat. I hope that he enjoys it as much as I did. I did not know they were touring in 2004.

Extreme Sports - Unicycle

It makes mountain biking look tame!

We are family

Here is a group shot of the family. It is rare that we are all together at once.

We're back

We had a great time in Michigan. I was commenting about the tree and sand smell in my earlier post, but I suppose fish smells count too.

Coming home turned out to be an adventure. Mike developed a bad ear infection on Sunday and was told by the doctor that he should not fly (could rupture his ear drum). The doctor also told him that it would hurt a great deal during landing, so we were also concerned about getting stuck in Chicago (when Mike refused to board the second plane due to the pain). So we ended up returning our car in Detroit (instead of Traverse City) and changing to another one to drive home. We did not hit a lot of traffic thankfully, and we were able to see the second half of the Germany-Italy soccer game (boo hoo!!!).

Here is a typical leelanau sunset.

Fish Town

We are enjoying being up in Northern MI. I can not remember the last time I was here, but it smells exactly the same despite the changes up here. It has been really relaxing, and Ann and Kevin's place is fantastic. I guess I will try not to fight with them!

Michigan Bound

Tommorrow evening Mike and I will be flying to Traverse City. We will be downstate around July 2-3, and then back up so we can catch our plane back home. If you need to reach us, call my cell or leave me a message at home. I can not wait. I can't remember the last time I was up in Northern Mi.

Bumpy Cake

It is amazing that I googled Bumpy cake, and got a ton of hits. I guess I was not sure if it was really called bumpy cake, or that is what we named it. Anyways, I think you still can get it.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0502/06/D01-80905.htm

And this is for those who are talented in the kitchen
http://www.recipezaar.com/36961
bumpy cake recipe

Useless knowledge

I think that my brain is full of useless facts. When I was a kid, I used to leaf through our World Books for entertainment purposes. I also liked the Book of Lists. It had a lists of weird facts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Lists

I was especially interested in spontaneous combustion. It really blew my little pea brain. I think the spontaneous combustion fed my morbid fascination very well. I also had a Helen Keller fixation as well. I penned a dramatic story (the ones you illustrated with cardboard covers covered with contact paper) that starred a blind girl who gets Scarlet fever and then goes deaf as well (and to add insult to injury, she transmits Scarlet fever to a baby bird that she found). I think my teacher must have thought I was insane. I also was paranoid that I would go blind overnight like Mary in Little House on the Prarie. Was I the only freaky kid, or do I have company??????

Happy B-Day

Happy birthday to Ann. We always get to kick off the summer with your bday. I want some silver dollar pancakes with hot butter sauce--no cross table dancing!!!!

Links

Mike and I went to the US Open yesterday. I am not a golf fan, but I figured a large event would be a lot of fun regardless of the sport. I have been told be people in the past that I would be a good golfer. Maybe they think that since I am tall I would play well, but I am not sure if I am coordinated enough. I also think that I would spend a great deal of time swearing and tearing up the grass. But who knows, maybe I will try it when all my joints are totally worn out.

Mike was invited by a banker, so of course everything was first class. It blew my middle-class mind. I have never seen so many men in khaki shorts and striped shirts. They had a huge tent village with AC for food and drinks that had computers, phones, walls with paintings, and TVs showing the event (and the world cup for Mike). Even the portable bathrooms were fancy (more pictures on the wall, wall paper, wooden doors). Mike's work friend said that they started building all of the tents in March for the event. The merchandise tent was the size of a large tennis bubble. It was a spectacle.

I have to say that golfing is a really good spectator sport (in person). You can get up really close to all of the players since the course is so large. That made it really fun, even for the non-fan. We watched a lot of the guys that I heard about from 10 feet away. It was most impressive seeing them drive. The players all had different body types as well. Most sports tend to favor a certain body type, but you saw them all (fat and fit).

Why can't you boo in golf? New Yorkers even boo in the opera!

Bronx Bombers

I finally made it to a Yankees game. It was a cultural experience among all of the loud mouthed Yankee fans. I shudda recorded the tawnts from the crowd, they were primo. I even heard some guy calling the Indian's pitcher a bum. Sweet.

Einstein

Not only do I occasionally wake up with hair like Einstein, I even do really smart things like book my return flight home on the wrong day!! Oh Well, at least it did not cost me 1,000 dollars.

Happy Campers

I just arrived home last night from my brief visit to Michigan for camp.
It was as fabulous as usual. It was fun to catch up with my fellow volunteers and campers. This is the reason I keep coming back to camp, despite how crazy it is this time of year.

Haircut

Sue left me a message stating that she got her hair cut, and now she looks like me. I wonder if that is a good or bad thing!
I am getting my haircut in Michigan this week when I am back for camp. My family gives me so much shit about getting my haircut in Michigan, and to date I have had my hair cut in NY 3 times (I am going onto 5 years out here). I get such a good deal in Michigan that it makes sense to make appts when I am here. I have been accused of flying to Michigan solely for a haircut, but that is not true-- I swear to God. I save 60 dollars in Michigan, and the lady who cuts my hair here does it at home for a discount. Who's the fool??

robot dance

I think that Brian has the flexiblity required to perform this type of dancing.

Summer Readin'

There is nothing like an excellent book, especially while on summer vacation. NPR's morning edition asked independent booksellers for recommendations, and some of them sounded fun.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5444914

Has anyone read something outstanding lately? I have read some good books, but nothing that I could not put down for a week or two recently.