I'm a bit blue

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

It seems I pretty much stick to the East Coast, with just a few exceptions. And, like Phantom, there's at least one state out there I'm never going to visit.

Adventures in test-taking

Last Wednesday I took my first test in Statistics. I went in pretty confident. I knew my stuff. I was even excited about it.

I left an hour later feeling like day-old warmed-over puke. I knew nothing. I was a complete and total fraud.

Today we got our tests back. The average score out of a possible 99? 44.

I got a 77.

I am a rock star.

And on my Psychology test two weeks ago? 92. My Communications test wasn't quite so hot, but I did better than the average shmoe in my class. So I'm pretty happy.

I can't believe that my two best subjects are science and math. I think maybe that I might have gone to the right high school after all.

Blogger meetups everywhere you look!

Saturday: APL and Corndog, live at Jammin' Java. AB was there too, and he just gets more adorable everyday...

...a fact which I've proved conclusively today, Sunday: APL and Halloween Lover, live at a nearby Barnes & Noble. I brought Muffin Man along to play with AB. And though the two little people made discussion among the three big people a little difficult, we did talk about nothing and everything up to and including the weather (cold and windy). Halloween Lover is even more lovely than she appears on her blog and I hope she truly didn't mind having the little people along.

Muffin Man wanted to bring home EVERYTHING he saw, but I managed to keep it to a somewhat sensible 2 items: a stencil set with magic markers (on sale) and a set of Disney Princess playing cards (crazy 8's, go-fish, and old maid - also on sale)

We played go fish when we got home.

A very good weekend!

Holy Guacamole

As seen at Phantom Scribbler's...basket ball.

Consequences

Muffin Man loves to play on his computer. And he hates to get dressed in the morning. So the rule is, no computer on school days until fully clothed for the day. Sometimes, he gets the concept - other days, not so much.

Today was one of those days. "I WANT TO PLAY ON THE COMPUTER!!"
"You took too long. I told you that you were using up computer time."
"I WASN'T! I'M DRESSED NOW!"
"Yes, but you took a long time to get dressed. When you take too long, you end up not having enough time to play on the computer."
"I WANT TO! I WANT TO PLAY!"

Let the sobbing begin.

This means you. And you. And you. And you.

If there is someone on your blogroll who makes your world a better place just because that person exists and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence on your blog.

As seen in tons of places.

Annika Updates

Courtesy of Phantom Scribbler.

Annika's COTA page is up. Please donate generously. Annika, stay strong.

Baking with Muffin Man

Oy, it's been a long time since I posted. Homework and two exams...Got another one on Wednesday.


Last night Muffin Man helped me make dinner. Today we baked Butterscotch Bars (recipe fromo Weight Watchers). They came out pretty yummy. I think they'd be better if they had chocolate in them, but then what isn't better with chocolate?

Thanks to Genevieve's recommendation, we ordered Pretend Soup - a cookbook for kids. It looks really good and fun, but we haven't made anything from it yet.

Muffin Man had a great time helping me measure and stir. And last night he breaded the cutlets all by himself. First in the milk, then in the breadcrumbs, then on the plate all ready for me to saute with garlic. He only took one bite of the cutlets, but he was very proud to see Mr. Spock and me have seconds.

Breaded veal cutlets with spaghetti was the first meal I made all by myself...I remember being the breader for years before my mom let me loose with the frypan.

The first thing I was ever allowed to help with on the stove was Campbell's Tomato Soup. Either that or My-T-Fine chocolate pudding (not the instant stuff). Probably it was the soup. I'm looking forward to cooking many, many meals with my boy.

One year ago today...

I read Corndog's blog for the first time. It was the post on bad cover songs, taking nominations on the Worst Cover Song Ever. Joel Achenbach led me there.

After I nominated Adam Ant's cover of "Hello, I Love You", I read Corndog's archives. Then I read through his blog roll.

Eventually (in April), I stumbled on a blog that wouldn't let me comment if I didn't have a blogger account. I believe it may actually have been someone I found through Falling Down is Also a Gift, because I was thinking of Annika when I came up with my password.

So, Corndog, thank you for that post. Thank you for being smart and funny. Thank you for being there and leading me to Angry Pregnant Lawyer and Phantom Scribbler and by extension, everyone else on my blog roll.

I love you guys. I love this community. Big hugs and kisses to you all.

Helping hands across the internet

Annika, who I spoke of below, is a five-year-old girl with congenital liver disease. She's had two liver transplants in her young life and is currently having serious health problems after a few years of relatively good health. You can read all about her and her little sister Frankie on their mom's blog, Falling Down is Also a Gift.

The per-year limit on their insurance - One Million Dollars - has already been reached for this year. It's the middle of February! As of today, they may have no insurance to cover Anni's hospital bills.

All over the internet, people are coming together to raise money. Andrea of Beanie Baby is keeping the complete list. As soon as they are up and running, I'm going to have buttons with links over here to the right -->

There are so many good ideas: a cassarole campaign, raffles, auctions.

So much love, so many prayers. If it is at all possible to make someone healthy by an effort of many wills, then Annika's prognosis must be excellent.

Just to say

Annika.

Annika, I wish for you what I wish for my son. I wish for you to outlive your parents. I wish for your parents to be at your 60th birthday party. I wish for your life to be happy and easy from here on out.

God knows, you've been through enough.

I wish for you to have a lovely prom dress and a handsome prom date. (I'd wish for Muffin Man to be your handsome prom date, but that's geographically infeasible)

I wish for you to have a goofball freshman year in college and then buckle down and get to work.

I wish for you to kiss the toes of your own little baby.

Big hugs and kisses to you, Annika. Get healthy. Stay stubborn.

Hey you guys!!!!

I just found out from Danigirl that The Electric Company is being release on DVD! It was released today!!!

Silent E! LY! Letter Man! Holy guacamole, I need this DVD.

I've put it on my wish list. It's at the top. My birthday is next month.



Can I possibly wait that long?

SNARK!

Boy howdy! The entire class just got an e-mail that was just intended to go to the prof (I hope it was just intended to go to the prof.) It's from a girl who dropped the class and basically asks to be removed from the prof's mailing list. And it is SNARKY with a capital Snark.

It would, however, have been more effective as a slap-down if she had actually capitalized appropriately and used better grammar, but we can't have everything.





Am I evil that I am gloating over this? Yes. Yes, I am evil. I hate me.



No, actually, I don't. I am evil, but it is not affecting my self-esteem one bit.

Advanced Composition Haiku

My teacher is nuts,
Disorganized, phrenetic.
Classmates are dropping.

Despite good reviews,
previewed online, enjoyment
is beyond our reach.

E-mail this, print that
Post the other on-line now.
Respond by Monday.

We are never sure what
we need to send where or when
any of this is due.

Writing this haiku
Is very theraputic
Now for the essay.

Blogging with Muffin Man on my lap

Hectic weekend. We had a party for Muffin Man's birthday. Three of his friends came over with their parents (plus MakesBooksForGrandkids, SingsLullabyes, my SIL and her husband) and we all had a really, really good time. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge the camera before the party, so I have a little video and two pictures of MM's friends, but no cake picture. And the
cake was HUGELY POPULAR.

Can anyone guess what frickin' character was on the cake?

That's right! Tt(f)TE!!!

I think we will be having leftover cake for breakfast.

MakesBooksForGrandkids lived up to his name! Muffin Man has a book that's all about him.

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away

God said "Let there be lips!"

Trivia question: Whose lips were they?

Fives Meme

Dr. Four Eyes tagged me for this last week.

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1) zerodoll
2) Overread
3) BrightStar
4) dr four eyes
5) Mystery Mommy

Next select five people to tag:
I'm only doing one, since I think everybody else has done this, if you haven't, feel free to tag yourself: 1) Musiclover Marc

What were you doing 10 years ago? February 1996:
I had just quit my job at Murder Ink after the robbery. I was living with Mr. Spock in a two-room apartment on West 96th Street, and we were planning our wedding.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Celebrating Muffin Man's 3rd Birthday. Happy 4th Birthday, Muffin Man!

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) Smoked and salted almonds
2) Hummus (w/pita)
3) Guacamole (w/cornchips)
4) Take5 candy bars
5) Ritz Bits cheese-flavored sandwiches

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1) Every song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Plus call-backs)
2) It's a Small World After All (and how I wish I couldn't)
3) Every song off the Aladdin soundtrack (ditto)
4) Every song Tom Lehrer ever recorded (And will sing them at the drop of a hat, just try me!)
5) Dona Nobis Pacem (Not that that's any great feat, the title includes all the lyrics)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Like Dr. Four Eyes, I'm assuming this means multi-millionaire...
1) Pay off the house (and our sisters's houses and our parents's houses - if they wanted us to)
2) Get all the landscaping done
3) Put lots of money into Muffin Man's college fund (and his cousins's)
4) Spend lots of time in Kauai.
5) Send Mr. Spock back to school for his PhD if he wanted.

Five bad habits:
1) Chewing my fingers
2) Procrastinating
3) Messiness
4) Ordering out too much
5) Watching too much tv

Five things you like doing:
1) Reading
2) Blogging
3) Playing with Muffin Man
4) Snugglebunnies
5) Lazing in the sun like a lizard.

Five things you would never wear again:
1) My Frankenfurter outfit
2) My Columbia outfit
3) A size 4.
4) Dr. Scholls
5) Dayglo.

Five favorite toys:
1) The DVR
2) The digital camera
3) A deck of cards
4) Muffin Man's TtTE train tracks.
5) Muffin Man's Trax marble race.
I love setting up 4 and 5 into different configurations for Muffin Man to play with.