Mysteries of the Universe, Vol 1

Randomly inspired by my day...feel free to share your mysteries for future volumes!

1. Cactus Hair. Why, oh why, do balding men think that spiking their remaining hair looks good? Really, honey, it just shows off your scalp that much more!




2. "Gotta Getta Deal" attitudes. My friends on Etsy know all about this - people randomly asking for discounts on something you make/sell. We set that price for a reason, it's probably already too low - and you wouldn't ask the checkout girl at Macy's to give you a "special discount" either. Please stop.




3. 3. Cellphones at Work. Last I checked, most offices provided phones - free! (At least to us worker drones it's free) You don't need that cell, really. And the rest of us don't need to hear the instrumental version of "Don'tcha" over and over again.

4. Morning Talk Radio. Really, does anybody listen to this nonsense? Ok, yes, I understand paying attention for the contests...but Pet Psychics, random trivia, yelling and screaming...all before the caffeine has entered your nervous system. It's just wrong.

5. Cellphones for Kids. My 10-year-old is asking for one, and there are plenty of kids her age (and younger) with phones. What?!? Why, in heavens name, could they possibly need a phone? They don't drive - they can't get further away than their little feet can carry them.

6. Summer Visitation. At least half of you know what I mean - in divorced families, the kids get to visit the non-custodial parent for 6 weeks in the summer. Since summer itself tends to run 9 weeks or so (stupid holidays), this basically means the WHOLE summer. Don't get me wrong...hubby and I are looking forward to some quality couple time. But the WHOLE summer? Plus, it's hard on the kids, particularly when the 'other parent' doesn't live near you. Who thought this was a GOOD thing for kids anyway?

Random Tuesday Topics

Stuff that’s on my mind…perhaps even bugging me. Chime in if you have an opinion!

Door Dings

I have a newish car…it’s a 2004 model, but I just bought it less than three weeks ago, so it feels NEW to me. And this makes me SO mad.

We’ve all done it – you get out of your car, perhaps in a hurry, and realize you’ve just whacked the car next to you with your door. You surreptitiously check out the spot while pretending to look in your purse/check pockets for mystery item/fix offspring’s ratty hair. Most times, you sigh with relief when you see no damage…then hustle your family through whatever your errand was so you can, please g-d, leave before the other person gets back.

But what do you do when you see a big dent?

Me, I’ve been lucky enough to never dent a car. So I’ve got to guess that the answer is…NOTHING. Because somebody, most likely here AT MY WORK, whacked my new car hard enough to dent it and chip the paint down to the primer.

Man, am I pissed.

Gardasil for boys too

Our eldest daughter got her first shot of Gardasil this week…the HPV vaccine that is supposed to protect against cervical cancer. I’m all for this vaccine, even though it really does hurt more than other shots. (It’s not just whiney teenagers being dramatic)

I couldn’t help but wonder, however…as I gazed at the blond heads of my boys eating dinner last night…why aren’t boys getting the shot too? Ok, yes, the obvious reason of not having a cervix. Still, since HPV is an STD – that means men are carriers of the disease, and passing it around! Would it not stand to reason that we should immunize men too, so they can’t be carriers…and can’t pass HPV along to unprotected women?

Perhaps there’s something to either HPV or the transfer mechanism that prevents this – but I haven’t seen anything about that. If it’s just “men don’t get cervical cancer” as the reason…then that’s incredibly sexist!

Petfinder Spam

Don’tcha hate spam? The nasty canned meat, AND the email kind?

We have three little guinea pigs – the kids love them, but they are just too much to deal with. Plus, the eldest son and possibly eldest daughter seem to be allergic to them (or maybe it’s the bedding)…and hubby definitely is. So…we’re looking for new homes for Ashley, Spiky, and Squeaker. (Anyone interested?!?)

I’ve posted an ad on Craigslist, as well as one on PetFinder.com – and have been absolutely deluged with spam from PetFinder. Creepy ones, sent to 20 or 30 email addresses, saying, “I am interest in you Pet. I live in US, have good home” etc. I can’t decide if these are email-phishing attempts, scary people who want my name/address, or what. I’m just very, very sure that I’m unhappy with PetFinder!

Stupid Oregon drivers

There’s so much that can be said here – see “Door Dings” above. However, specifically I’m thinking of the idiot in the white Jetta this morning, who made a left turn across a busy road – against the red light – without even flashing his/her brake lights. If you drive a white Jetta, and made such a left across Brookwood in Hillsboro around 8am this morning – YOU ARE A F*#@ING IDIOT. I don’t think you heard me this morning, so just wanted to repeat.

Etsy Alchemy…it’s addicting. Yep.

I have been tagged…

Sophie at The Comforter blog tagged me on Monday, so I must share 7 random facts about myself. I don’t know if I’m actually that interesting, but here’s my attempt:

Me with my youngest 2 kids

1. In high school, I was a coloratura soprano (I could sing really, really high notes). Then in my senior year I did a concert with bronchitis, lost my voice for 2 weeks, scarred my vocal cords…and I’m lucky to get to high A now. I still enjoy singing, but it’s just not the same.

2. I’m a would-be fashion snob…if only I had the budget and body to actually buy designer clothes. I make do with accessories, mostly bought from Nordstrom’s Rack and eBay. (Kate Spade purses are my favorite)

3. I’m trying to get a designer body! I’ve been on WeightWatchers for 10 months now, and have lost 21 pounds. I’ve struggled a bit the past few months, but have recommitted and look forward to more loss.

4. My friend Emily and I went through painful divorces at about the same time. We both decided to do something a little wild, and that our ex’s would have hated. I’m not sure if she regrets hers, but I don’t regret mine! And that’s all I’m saying…my mom occasionally reads my blog. :-)

5. I miss my brother terribly. He’s currently in Sri Lanka (at the Consulate), and that’s really, really far away. We don’t even get to talk on the phone much. Sometimes I envy him too…he travels so much, and sees incredible parts of the world…but mostly I wish he was closer, so we could meet for lunch and talk politics now and then. That's him with his fiance Anne, somewhere cool. And his neat travels are partially documented here.

6. I think I’m addicted to books. I can sit and read and completely ignore the world around me for hours…and sometimes I long to get back into a book, despite what’s going on around me. Sometimes I wonder if that’s really a bad thing.

7. When I was little (3 or 4) I smashed my thumb in a car door. It was literally squished flat, and to this day the bone is malformed and larger on my right thumb – visibly so, if you look carefully.

I’m going to be coy about whom I’m tagging…will go check blogs to make sure they haven’t been tagged yet, for one. So any readers who are curious – you’ll have to look on my blogroll to find out for sure!