Idiot travels to Iraq

Is this kid really that stupid? I thought that parents who gave birth to children this ridiculous were supposed to drown them when their level of idiocy reached its height. Perhaps the drowning is in the near future though, as Farris Hassan of Ft. Lauderdale is on his way home.
Hassan, in an ill-advised attempt to practice "immersion" journalism, decided that the best way to report on anything from Iraq was to, in fact, go to Iraq. Oh yeah, and the punchline: he's 16; left the country without his parents' knowledge; took a taxi from Kuwait City to the Iraqi border where he was turned away; and actually broke out an Arabic phrase book to ask for a menu from a street vendor.
If you haven't read about it yet, he e-mailed his mom after his departure; spent some time with family friends in Beirut; and flew into Baghdad to interview the people living there and the journalists covering the events. After his second night, he came across some AP reporters who were rightfully a bit concerned about why a so-obviously American kid was in a war zone by himself, and escorted him to the U.S. Embassy. Hassan left Baghdad this morning, and is on his way back to Florida.
Tell me, tell me, tell me that this kid is the idiot's exception to the rule, and that there are a lot smarter kids who can come up with much better ways to get extra credit in a journalism class.
Dude! You're in Florida! If you're looking for good news stories, check out Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama! I hear they've had a rough year there, too! And you don't have to bring an English-Arabic dictionary!

Move not, tire not

By the time I got home last night, I had no energy or motivation to walk or take the T over to the theater, so we didn't go to the movies. I get out of work early tomorrow, so I'm hoping to feel better about going in the afternoon, but we'll see. Really, I've gotten super comfortable with being super lazy lately, and I don't think that's an entirely good, or bad, thing. So I've been sedentary, like a statue, or perhaps more like a moving display, and I'm not guilty over it. I'm not!
I heard on the news last night that there was a Christmas tree fire in the lobby of the Grand Californian hotel at Disneyland yesterday early morning. They showed some video of the huge tree, more kindling then, in the hotel's lobby. Mom and I like to stay at that hotel when we visit the Happiest Place on Earth, so I was saddened to see the beautiful lobby in such a state. (The lobby is pictured to the left ... without a charred tree.) Of course, after our last visit there and our disappointment with the entire Disney experience over those two days, I told Mom that it almost seems as though this incident should have happened when we were there. It would have been the perfect cherry on top.
Also, because I've become iTunes anally retentive, I spent a good portion of the last day downloading album art off the internet for my iPod. Come to find out that if you don't download the songs or album off iTunes, there is no way to get the album art onto the Pod, unless you've got it saved to your computer and you can attach it to the file from there. This huge project has already been started, and I'm dysfunctionally excited about downloading all the art off my e-mail and into my iTunes. Those who know me so well can appreciate how much fun I'll have doing this!

I am your father...

In a nifty twist of fate, Darth Vader goes from the universally feared "more machine now than man" to a plastic being on my desk spitting out strawberry candies to get me through the afternoon. It's really pretty cute, when you think about it: the way his little head bends back at the neck, kinda like a decapitation, but instead of leaking out a lot of icky blood, it's Pez that ventures forth from his plastic throat.
What an amazing contraption this is! Who invented Pez? Seriously! Will there ever be another treat that can so capture the innocence of a growing pop culture world than this simple candy in a freakishly cool delivery receptacle powered by little more than a finger? I think not!
There should be Pez heads for celebrities too though. But not just characters, like Luke Skywalker or Han Solo (in keeping with the Star Wars angle), but for the people themselves, like a Harrison Ford Pez head. To have candy spew forth from Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie; Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie; Britney and Kevin; our ridiculous president and his v.p.; Hal Fishman; George Clooney; or BONO would be so fun! This is a market in desperate need of being tapped by the Pez people! Such an idea!

Movie tonight

Brian has agreed, in principle, to go to the movies with me tonight! I am excited mainly because Brokeback Mountain has finally made the marquee at one of our local theaters, and I've been wanting to see it. I've heard such positive stuff about it, and I'm looking forward to seeing a good movie.
You know, as I was reading through my Entertainment Weekly last night, I realized that most of the movies they named on their "Best" list were mysteries to me. Not because I didn't know about them; on the contrary, I just hadn't made it to the theater to see them. That depresses me. I love going to the movies. Sometimes we get into a phase and don't go for a while -- but during that time when we go every weekend, I am the happiest person!
Yay: tonight at the movies!

Random Tuesday-ness

It's the first day back to work after the long holiday weekend, and I have to tell you, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around doing anything productive. So here's a couple things floating around me, and the world, that seem fit to comment on:
* Dunkin Donuts makes a better hot chocolate than Starbucks.
* I always hated that my mom made me write thank-you notes to people. "Kimberly, have you done your thank-yous yet?" was a popular question in my house after birthdays and graduations. Of course, even complaining about the task, I always did them. Now, as a grown-up, I appreciate why the thank-you note was/is important. Seriously, I can name to you every person in the last five years to whom I have sent a wedding/baby/graduation/etc. gift, and not received a thank-you note. Is it because writing the thank-you was so important to my mom that receiving one has become so important to me? Perhaps, but I think a lot of it is just common courtesy. The task has become so ingrained that I spent last night writing out my thank-yous for the Christmas presents Brian and I received, so as to be sure that everyone gets them in a short amount of time.
* Biggest news of the day: Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has gone on record as saying that she'll start writing the final H.P. book next month! Wahoo! She says that she is both excited about, and dreading, writing the book, which I understand, as I am excited about, but also dreading, reading it. If you think about it, once this book is done, and at the printer, and finally on my bookshelf, it's kind of the end of an era. No more H.P. books to anticipate? It'll be nice to know how it ends, but yikes, waiting for the next Harry Potter has been such a part of my life over the last six or seven years!
* Brian bought me one of those iPod speaker systems for my desk at work, and I have to say, it's awesome. It's all set up and I've been rocking the "shuffle" setting all day so far. Besides the new Pod (Thanks, Mom!!), this is the best gift of the year!

Heavy sigh

As Austin Powers would say, "And I'm spent!"
We were up at 8:30 this morning, which was ideal, since we stayed up until 12:30 last night drinking hot chocolate and watching television. All our presents were opened and trash was taken care of by 11, which also was perfect, although there is a ton of garbage hanging out in my pitifully small (and seemingly smaller tonight) entry way waiting for Tuesday. Our Christmas Day feast of BLTs and other assorted snack foods were delectably wonderful for lunch and for getting us through the afternoon. We kinda flaked out on a proper dinner, as I was wanting to finish a book (PopCo; I don't recommend it too highly, as there was a whole lot of math), and Brian was cussing and moaning his way through the last bits of a video game. But right now, it's after 9, and Christmas is about over. And I'm done. Exhausted; bleary-eyed; sorta claustrophobic since we spent all day indoors; and struggling with a bit of a "been sitting all day, have you?" headache. I'm hoping to take a nice walk tomorrow, and maybe drag Brian over to the Burberry sale or something. We must spend at least a few minutes outside!
As for my feeling of odd Christmas melancholy, I think Brian described it best as saying that it's just because, for us, today was like any other day. Even if it was Christmas, we spent a majority of the day doing what we normally do: reading and playing video games. No gatherings to attend, no big dinners, no family insanity. So between the two of us, we've decided that next year, no matter where we are, we'll be Christmas-ing with the family. Just saying it, and deciding that together, makes me feel better for next year. I'll be looking forward to it!
I hope you all had a good holiday, too!

The Eve

So, here it is, Christmas Eve. Kids are starting to go a little crazy; parents are getting no sleep tonight; NORAD has begun to ready its Santa tracking. (Check it out at http://www.northpole.com/NoradSanta.asp.) As for Brian, Oliver and I, we've done our errands for the day, and are all ready for our night of waiting for Santa to visit. I think I'll crack open the window for him to get in, since our fireplaces are both closed up by the building's management.
We stopped at the pet shop and picked up some goodies for Ollie to unwrap tomorrow, too, so he'll also have some fun. I wrapped the Christmas treats to eat in tissue paper and put them at the bottom of his gift bag of new toys, so we're hoping for some fun entertainment in watching him dig through to get to them.
Brian's mixed some more chocolate chip cookie dough to bake later; I've got my fudge in the fridge cooling; our house smells like a deliciously festive mix of chocolate and Christmas tree; and all is happy for our little holiday! Yay!

Since I knew we were heading over to the pet shop today, and that part of our holiday preparation would focus on Ollie, I dedicated today's Christmas sock to the all-mighty puppy. See? He's wearing a Santa hat, and even has a present sitting next to him! (Of course, my Christmas puppy is currently sleeping on the floor next to me, all tired and napping because he got to go with us in the car today.)

Fine. Here it is.

I don't want you all to whine, so here's a picture of today's sock: black background; Santa in his red suit; silver sparkly snowflakes; and red "ho, ho, ho" on the sole. And because I made you wait until the end of the day, you even get to see the whole foot. Don't ever say I don't treat you all with the love you deserve. ~ mwah ~

Four-day weekend begins!

Here's a picture of a guinea pig dressed up in a Santa suit.
I've taken today off from work, so, as I've not even put on my shoes for the day's adventures, there is no Santa sock yet. Our activities though, will be lunch and the grocery store, so as to fill up the fridge for the weekend. Beyond that, we've got no real agenda, so who knows what kind of trouble we may get into?
All our presents are underneath the tree, and I'm looking forward to digging in to them in a couple days. Brian's even wrapped his gifts for me, and he did a good job of them, too!
But for goodness sake! Would the big dickhead who stole the penguin from the zoo in England just return the animal already? Seriously! What kind of monster are you? Make that my Christmas wish, okay? -- (Update: I've read that the afore-mentioned monster/shit called the zoo and said that he'd dropped the penguin into the harbor. Sailors, scientists and zoo officials are looking for it now.)

Why for Christmas?

I was listening to one of those all-Christmas, all-the-time radio stations this morning on my way in to work, and I had a thought about a couple songs I heard. What makes a song such as "My Favorite Things," "Let it Snow," or "Baby, it's Cold Outside," a Christmas song? There's no mention of the holiday in any of them, yet they're all played regularly during this time of year. There's no love of jingling bells, silent nights or reindeers put to music, and no fuzzy religious connotations: just raindrops and puppies, snow, and some guy trying to get some action from his prudish girlfriend. Is it just because someone, some mythical someone, decided that these songs sound Christmas-y? Couldn't they just be considered "winter" carols and featured anytime from the first snowfall to last snowfall, or just anytime, as for "Things"?
(And bonus points for those who will also make note that "My Favorite Things" is from The Sound of Music, a movie involving not only an almost-nun who turns away from the convent, but Nazis; an unnerving use of string puppets; horrificly green playclothes; and a German baroness who's just mean. Nothing at all in the spirit of the holiday.)

Now, the beauty of today's sock is that it features Olive, the Other Reindeer. For those who don't know the story, Olive is a dog, who didn't know she was a dog, and who figured that she must be a reindeer, based on the evidence of the line from the Rudolph song, "...all of the other reindeer...." (Trust me; if you sing it, it sounds right.) Anyway, in the story, Olive makes her way to the North Pole, meets Mr. Martini the penguin along the way, and saves Christmas from a nefarious postman. It's a totally cute story, and the little movie is adorable, so the socks were a must-buy when I saw them at the store.

Wed.'s Santa socks

Today's sock is a wild, busy and fantastical tableau of Santa and his "ho, ho, ho." He's waving at everyone who glimpses my ankles; he boasts a beard a bit grayer than other Santas, making him a rebel Santa; and he also has a silver, sparkly belt buckle. Good stuff!

Buffalo turd

I made a chocolate cake last night for our Christmas party today. I added some chocolate chips into the mix, and it's got a good amount of chocolate frosting on it. I strategically placed some candy canes on the top of it, too, to make it a bit more festive. Since after I made the cake, I actually took it out of the pan and frosted it around the sides and on top, I was pretty proud of myself. It's a good looking cake, I think.
My husband however, in his most nurturing, sweet and loving way, said it looks like a buffalo turd. Great. I mean, I love the chocolate cake, and anything that's big and brown like this does tend to resemble something you'd more likely see in a pasture than on a dessert table, but really, to just throw it out there, when I'm all proud of it? You know what that means, right? He gets none. No leftovers brought home to Brian tonight! Hah!!

Also, here's today's Christmas sock. It's one of an older pair, but much loved for about four years or so. Notice the lights and the silver strings between them. The strings, I'll have you know, sparkle. A work of art.

Six days and counting

I've got to tell you, I'm getting super excited about Christmas this year. The holiday is a bit of a drag since we're so far from the family, and we don't get to be caught up in the togetherness of the celebrations, but still, I'm getting pretty geeked up about it.
Could it be that just the build-up of the festivities this week, including the work party tomorrow and my four-day weekend, are enough to make my heart skip a beat when I hear a carol? Or is it the snow still on the ground, nip in the air, and general merriment in the steps of people passing by? Whatever it is and for whatever reason ... this year, I'm hooked on the enthusiasm.
And in the spirit of the five days this week leading up to the Christmas weekend, I'm wearing a different pair of Christmas socks to work every day. Today's are a new pair that I got from Mom on Friday, and feature a creepy video-game Santa on a red background.

Going to the chapel

I read this morning that Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, are going to form a civil partnership in England on Wednesday. John expressed joy that he was able to make this kind of commitment to Furnish, and vice versa, and was quoted as saying that he wished other gays could also take this step, and that he felt sorry for the many others in countries that prohibit such unions (cough-cough, U.S.). I'll tell you something: I feel bad for the people not allowed to marry, or make a commitment on that level with the people they love because their countries prohibit it, too.
I remember several years ago, talking with a friend who had been in a long-standing homosexual relationship, and us discussing the fact that these two people, no matter how much they loved each other, could not marry. It's a shame really, that such rampant prejudice, on a governmental level, still exists (of course, all kinds of prejudice still exists, but let's focus on this for now). Nothing makes a gay person any different in the eyes of the law: they pay taxes, they hold jobs and own property, they are members of their community, they serve in the military, they vote. Because of that, they should be able to marry whoever they want.
Opponents say that a gay marriage cheapens the sanctity of marriage. I say it strengthens it. If you look at a majority of the monogamous gay relationships, so many have lasted longer than any heterosexual relationship. Look around, and you'll see several man/woman marriages that cheapen the relationship more than any gay couple could.
There are only one or two things in this world that really make me want to live in another society, and in another time. The acceptance of a gay partnership in England makes me want to be there, and pay my taxes there, rather than here, where the government treats a portion of its population differently by not allowing them the right to spend their lives with someone, and make a legal commitment to each other, as it does others.
I do have confidence in the people of the United States on this though. I believe that the anti-gay marriage movement will eventually cease to exist. It will take years, a shift in the country's overall demographic, and new and open-minded politicians. These changes are already happening, too. Massachusetts and Vermont have begun the slow turnaround by allowing civil unions, and granting marriage certificates. Someday, everyone who wants to get married will be able to. I just hope that I am alive to see it.

Christmas shopping

I finished my Christmas shopping this afternoon! Yay!
Mom's done; Brian's done; and Howie's done. And yes, I'm done, too. I usually avoid spending any part of the last weekend before Christmas in the mall, but as Christmas lands on a Sunday next week, my timeline was completely messed, and it could not be helped. I'm really excited about the selection of gifts I've got going on this year, and am anxious for the day of the opening. I think Brian will be pretty surprised by a couple of my choices for him, though I know that he'll like them.
The mall itself though, was not the zoo I had thought it might be. The shops opened at 8 this morning, and when I arrived about 9:30, the shops were still pretty empty. Actually, even at noon when Brian met me for lunch, the place wasn't as insane as I've known malls to be right before the holiday. A refreshing change! (As a veteran shopper, I get very frustrated and annoyed with being jostled too much in a store, and do not hesitate to drop my stuff and leave if it gets too uncomfortable and crowded.)
Cut to this afternoon, and I still had another idea or two to act on, so I also walked up to the other mall this afternoon, to finish up the last of the shopping. Thankfully, the one thing I was looking for was at the store, and some other pleasant surprises were found, so all in all, it was a very successful day!
(Hey! Wave at Santa! He's saying "Hi" to you!!)