Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

For the three or four of you who read this, I'm taking an informal survey. I'm moving in June, where should I go?

A. Stay near DC
B. Raleigh, NC (or Wilmington)
C. Somewhere else

Anyone?

For a lot of yall out there, today is Arbor Day. Then again, others celebrated in March, some will in May. It varies by state. To see when your state celebrates Arbor Day, click here.

Picture is by Ansel Adams. I'm a big fan. This one is called Oak Tree, Sunset City. As I found the picture at the Ansel Adams website, I figure they got the title correct.

For more information on Arbor Day, visit the website of The National Arbor Day Foundation.

Hockey
So the Senators and the Sharks won last night. I actually didn't figure either team would. Although Ottawa had a 4-0 lead and only won the game 5-4. Sadly that wasn't the game I got to see and I missed the 2 goals in the Sharks red wings game. Ah well, there's more hockey to come :)

I didn't need another reason to loathe & detest american idol but last night, I got one anyway. Bono was on for less than 3 minutes. At the very end. Although it wasn't a complete waste of my time as I did get some boxes packed. Oh and I verified that my mute button works Really well. But it is two hours of my life I'll never get back.

Bono said nothing new. Well, unless you’re unfamiliar with one of the founding pillars of DATA and One. His trip to Africa and a life changing moment for him. Then he told the contestants (by no means of the imaginations can I call them singers as my eardrums wailed in agony anytime one of them “sang”) how they can do anything. Blah blah blah. Obviously the producers asked Bono to give a pep talk.

Oh Bono. Bono. Bono. I understand that you will talk to anyone, go anywhere to raise awareness and support for the unacceptable conditions in Africa and kudos to you for that. But I seriously felt filthier and more violated watching you on this show than when you talk to sleazy politicians (the current president, jesse helms, etc.). I hope you took a long hot shower after that taping. I know I did.

I couldn’t even flip over to hockey as every time I did the sabers, literally, scored goal. *sigh*

Hockey
Rangers and Canucks both lost last night. Apparently my hockey curse is widespread and highly contagious. I can only hope the Canes recover during their downtime. If (when!) they do, all I have to do is cheer for the other team and the Canes are guaranteed victory. Or something.

For the last, however many, years I have successfully avoided watching that stupid and annoying show called american idol. The first couple of seasons I saw parts of a couple of episodes and am now scarred for life.

Sadly Bono will be on tonight's show to promote One. Why Bono??? WHY??!!?! I honestly don't know if I can sit through that show to see him. Even with the TV muted. It's good and all, getting the message of One out there (apparently that dumb show has high ratings which depresses the hell out of me because that means it'll be on the air longer) but did you have to sell your soul to do it?

Hockey
Two games tonight. Rangers vs sabres and Canucks vs ducks. I'm pretty sure yall can figure out who I want to win.

Unrelatedly
I'm a big, big fan of chipotle cheddar cheese. Especially when melted on top of a grilled turkey burger. Mmmmmmm. Good stuff.

Tai Shan is staying for two more years!!! Woooohoooooo!! I suspected this was the announcement when the National Zoo mentioned that the Chinese Ambassador to the US was going to be at this morning's press conference. Although, frankly, I didn't figure it would be through 2009. I was thinking 2008.

I'm glad he gets to stay! Hopefully, he'll have a new brother or sister before the year is over. Mei Xiang (Tai Shan's momma) was artificially inseminated twice (April 4 & 5) with frozen semen from Gao Gao who resides at the San Diego Zoo. Tai's dad is Tian Tian and lives at the National Zoo until 2010. Actually both he & Mei Xian are on loan to the National Zoo until then.

Read local news articles about Washington's Favorite Furball (this was said on the morning news about 5.15 & I'm still chuckling over it).

NBC4
WTOP
WUSA9

Check back mid-morning (9.30 or 10). There's a press conference at 0900 with some exciting news.

Sorry folks, nothing squirrelly or snarky today. Only one hockey series left before the next round. Yay Playoffs.

Don't forget folks, this Sunday is Earth Day. Go outside and take a walk, plant a tree, weed your garden, go hiking, ride your bike, chase squirrels (that's for you, JT), play a game of Boggle, or just nap in a hammock. Whatever it is, do it outside.

Hockey
Well the Penguins lost last night. Their season is over. Bright side? Ummm.. The Office was a rerun last night so I didn't miss anything by watching the game. Eric & Jordan can spend more time hanging out. There's prolly some more but I'm drawing a blank.

So as not to jinx the team I'm now cheering for, I'm not going to say who it is. Since I haven't rooted them on most of the year, my sudden support may throw the universe into some sort of vortex. I'm keeping quiet. I will say that their name may have and 'R' in it and they may have a lot of blue in their uniforms. Possibly. Someone I know calls them the alternate Penguins. That's all I'm saying.

You know, maybe I could blame the lady who called about 7.30 for the Penguins' demise. She asked to speak to me but by the way she asked, I knew it wasn't a personal call. So I said, "Yeah, I can't talk right now. There's a hockey game on. You'll have to try again later." I could hear her chuckling as I hung up. As soon as I hung up it dawned on me that maybe I should've heard what she wanted instead of assuming she was selling something, wanting a donation or giving a survey. And it wasn't until this morning that I asked myself why I didn't let the machine pick up. Ah well.

Since I've been wallowing in all the hockey games on TV this week, I don't have much of anything else to post about it. Hmm, let me clarify that, my brain is too tired from staying up til midnight (okay, it's often later than that) and getting up at 4.30 (sometimes 5) to think of something witty and/or snarky to post about. Sure signs I'm getting old, I know.

Anyway, here's a Political Quiz for people not interested in hockey. Which, frankly, I find inconceivable but then there are people who actually like basketball. I don't get that but, to each his own.

Hockey
RIP Thrashers. Enjoy your time off.

The Ducks/Wild & Preds/Sharks series seem to be riddled with bullies. Don't get me wrong, I like a good hockey brawl but some of this stuff just seems asinine. And no, I haven't forgotten about Avery. He's already gotten too much press, so I'm refraining from any more commentary.

Pens & Sens tonight on VS at 7. C'mon Penguins! We have enough senators in the country already, send these guys back to Canada!! (If you feel that is super lame, please see above statement about my sleep schedule & cut me some slack)

I still feel weird about cheering on the Islanders but not enough to want the sabres to win.

Environment
I'm not necessarily advocating Home Depot (99% of the time I call it Home Despot, no idea why, I just do) as an overall stellar company (or at all) but they have a new line/brand/whatever of environmental conscious stuff. It's called Eco Options. So if you're remodeling, take an eyeball at what Eco Options offers & see if they'll work for you.

Don't forget about Energy Star products.

This Sunday (April 22) is Earth Day. Thank you Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI 1963-1981) for taking the initiative to begin Earth Day in 1970. To find an Earth Day event in your area, go here.

Other Environmental Links for Earth Day information, ideas and involvement.
Earth Day Network
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Earth Day page
Natural Resources Defense Council Guide to Greener Living
The Nature Conservancy
Discovery Channel's Planet Earth
World Wildlife Fund


Hockey
I'm seriously bummed. The Penguins lost last night. They're behind in the series vs the Senators, 3-1. On the bright side I got a snarky nifty picture of the zamboni during the 2nd intermission. Thanks again b. I know you didn't text the picture to rub it in that you were at a playoff game and I was at home, sitting on my floor drinking cold soda to nurse my sore throat. Apparently I need to yell louder and more vehemently since it seemed to help during the second period. Tho you can tell it wasn't the Canes playing because I still have a voice this morning.

Atlanta - what the hell is wrong with you guys????? Losing 7-0??? Behind in the series 3-0?? Sheesh.

Way to go Flames! Now, just three more wins and you'll be golden :)

I spent most of yesterday in my pajamas. Okay, okay, I spent All of yesterday in my pj's. It was raining all day, three hockey games were on TV & I didn't get to bed til after 4 in the morning Saturday night. Which means I didn't get up til 10. Okay, Okay, 11:30. My neighbors did wake me up at 7 tho, when they went banging down the steps. Jerks.

Anyway, I had a cleaning urge. Most folks who know me will tell you this is rare. Very rare. Threatened species list rare. So I'm puttering around in my jammies, going thru stuff and making neat little piles. Recycle, Shred, Trash, Keep, Decide later, etc. Yes, my organizing & sorting & cleaning actually made my place look worse than it did before I started. But that's the method to my cleaning system. Then, when you're done cleaning, it looks Really clean. Yeah, I haven't reached that stage yet. I've got piles of stuff all over my living & dining rooms.

Between hockey game 1 (Flames vs Red Wings game 3) and hockey game 2 (Penguins vs Senators game 3) I decided to start shredding stuff. Obviously I couldn't let silence descend on my apartment for the two hours between hockey games. I mean, what kind of neighbor would I be to go from shouting at the TV to utter silence to more shouting at the ref- err TV. I decided to make obnoxious mechanical noises instead.

I shred my way through about half my pile when I start to notice odd sounds from the shredder. I figure it's tired. Using muscles it hasn't used in weeks (okay, months). I let it rest for awhile. I come back to resume my shredding & it promptly jams. I unplug it & start pulling out the stuck paper. I may or may not have nicked myself. Several times.

I get all the paper out, reassemble it & start shredding again. The noises are now more prevalent & it only accepts paper on one side. Hmm. I start feeding it only 1 or 2 sheets of paper at a time. It jams up again. I fiddle with it as I did before & try again. No go.

By this time it's 5.58 & the Pens Sens game is about to start (well, the pregame stuff as puck drop isn't til 11 after or so). I decide to let the shredder sit and cool off. And yes, it's still sitting & cooling off. I'm thinking it's down for the count. I may have to pull out my old shredder & use it.

Why are you looking at me like that? Stop rolling your eyes, they might fall out. Yes I have two shredders. What's wrong with that? One was a Christmas gift from my folks (I see them eyebealls rolling again, folks) and one was a hand-me-down from my brother since he upgraded. That's the one I (prolly) broke. The spiffy cross-shredding shredder. Ah well. Maybe it'll have spontaneously healed itself by the time I try it again.

Hockey
Penguins lost yesterday. Grrrr. Although they did win on Saturday, despite the efforts of that sorry referee McGeough. I have issues with him stemming from the devils Canes series last season. The guy should retire already or get lasik on his eyes. Preferably both. So the Senators lead the series 2-1. The way the fans taunt the opposing goalie in this series amuses me no end. No idea why, it just does.

Flames are losing badly to the Red Wings (series is 3-0). It's not that I particularly like the Flames, I just don't exactly like the Red Wings. No real rhyme or reason. Maybe it's that Ohio Michigan rivalry I was bred on growing up or maybe it's my affinity for all critters in the oceans. Dunno.

Canucks beat the stars again & lead the series 2-1. Woohoo! Although I am rather fond of Marty Turco (stars' goalie). Have been ever since the NHL All Star Game. So, if he were to be traded to a team I actually liked or didn't actively dislike, it'd be good. Not that I think that'll happen.

Ducks lead their series with the Wild 3-0. I don't care for either team, so I'm hopeful that whoever wins this series gets knocked out in the next. Harsh maybe, but true.

Unrelatedly
I was nearly blown off my feet & into a pole this morning waiting for the metro bus. Good times :)

This time of year there are all kinds of bunny paraphernalia. Everywhere. Stuffed animals, charm bracelets, clothing, candy, chocolate, etc. It's nigh on impossible to go anywhere without encountering a bunny of some sort. And let me tell you, some of them are pretty darn scary looking. Big white orbs bulging out of their head with little dots of color to be the iris.

Yall ever see the movie or read the book The Neverending Story? How about The Amityville Horror? or The Shining? Yeah, that's what those bug-eyed bunnies remind me of. Possessed things with glowing eyeballs.

Then, to make matters worse, someone Gives you a chocolate bunny. You can't throw it away because it's a Dark Chocolate bunny. So you sit there & decapitate it (have to get rid of those freaky eyes first). Then you're creeped out because you have this headless thing in your fridge with feet and a tail, clearly indicating that it Was a critter at one point.

As your mind ponders this, you're reminded of the above mentioned movies. Who's to say that the headless, chilled bunny can't find its way out of the fridge? So then you go and gnaw off it's feet and tail (just for good measure).

Now it's just a hunk of chocolate. Kinda curved on the sides, with grooves on it like someone took a rake to it. No big deal. Doesn't resemble any kind of (formerly) living being. Or does it? If you look at it with squinty eyes and your head tilted to the side, it kinda resembles The Blob. And yall know what kind of damage That thing did!

You polish off the rest of the (highly addictive) dark chocolate bunny's body. You're in the clear now. No more bunny or bunny parts to taunt you when you try to sleep. Except that now, you're feeling a little queasy.

Damn that bunny! He still got the last jab in! It had to be his game plan, if you're going to make me into a form that people gobble down by the basketful when normally they turn their noses up at eating bunnies for food, then by god I'm going to make you sick to your stomach for doing so! Sneaky little bunnies.

Err wait. You ever see Alien? Maybe I should go to the ER. On second thought, maybe I should schedule a visit with Father Karras.

Hockey
Ahhh I so love the playoffs. Hockey game after hockey game after hockey game on tv. It's Heaven, I tell ya.

Super Cool!
My main man will soon be known as Dr. The Edge! :)

I was gonna write today about the inherent eveilness of bunnies, but I believe I'll save that for tomorrow. Lots of hockey chatter to give and I try to limit the length of my posts. Well, sometimes. Anywho...

Hockey
So far I'm 50/50 in the playoffs. The stars and wild lost but so did the Predators and Penguins. Apparently I should've secretly picked/hoped/wished for two other teams to battle for Lord Stanley's Cup. Of course, last night was only game one of seven. Plenty of time. Especially since the Penguins went from 6-1 to 6-3, a much more respectable score. Four more games tonight. Yay hockey!!

Got a call from a pal (Chel) last night. She manages a shoe store down in Raleigh. Last night a very pretty, extremely nice and vaguley familiar woman came in with a young child. Chel and the woman chatted for awhile as shoes were selected and the lady tried them on. It finally dawns on Chel who this woman is: Kristi Yamaguchi. Soon after this realization hits, Kristi's husband walks in. For those unaware, that would be Canes' Defenseman Bret Hedican.

Yes Chel is a hockey fan. Yes Chel became a little shellshocked. Hello! An Olympic Gold Medalist and a Stanley Cup winner in your store, at once! I'm sure I'd have stuttered and gaped and made a complete fool of myself. Thankfully Chel is more savvy than I. She kept her cool long enough to sell some shoes too :)

Unrelatedly
Rest in Peace, Mr. Vonnegut

Been having some weird dreams lately. Last night I dreamt that I had a baby at a hockey rink, during an NHL game. Actually it was twins. Apparently my subconscious thinks I need to birth future hockey players. Get the Canes back in the playoffs because, obviously, my spawn err offspring will be Hurricanes ;) Not that I doubt the Canes will be back in the playoffs AND Stanley Cup Champs long before any kid of mine is playing in the NHL. I mean, Hello! Only seven months til October :)

So I'm out of denial now. Mostly. Definitely in the grieving stage. Canes didn't make it to the playoffs this year. But at least we won our last game of the season :) I can't really talk about it yet, the wound is still too fresh, too sore.

On top of the Canes not making it, neither did the Avalanche. My two favorite teams. Out. I don't have anyone to cheer on as wholeheartedly as I have been during the regular season. *sigh*

I guess now I have to go and see who I want to win. Although, in some cases, it'll be a case of who I don't want to win (devils, sabres, stars). C'mon hockey, lift me up out of these blues! (and no, I'm not talking about St Louis - besides they didn't make it either, not that I care one way or another about them)

I came across this on Ms. Diesel's blog. It's a list of books (we don't know how they were selected) and you boldface the ones you've read. And no, seeing the movie doesn't count.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo) – in French, mind you
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones' Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) – Also an excellent musical
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Have yall seen the advertisements for the Star Wars US Postal Office (USPS) union? They have mailboxes posing as R2D2 popping up all over the place (since mid-March, I believe). I've seen three of the little buggers myself.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars the USPS is featuring a new set of stamps. Apparently you can vote on which image (Vader, Yoda, Luke, Leia, etc.) you like best & the winner will get it's own stamp pane. For more information visit uspsjedimaster.com.

JT's dad is a ...fan of the Star Wars series. Okay, that's a minor understatement. I'm a fan of the series. My brother is a crazed fan of it. Star Wars legos all over his office space at home. I think he has all versions of the movies (VHS, DVD, Blu Ray, Force Footage, Vader Videos, Ewok Expositions, etc.) And yes I might have exaggerated or even made up some of those file formats. Maybe.

Anyway, I knew I had to take a picture of JT with the mailbox. I'm sure my bro has it printed out and framed. Prominently displayed somewhere in his office at home. Maybe even another copy at work. It combines three things (our dad, his son & Star Wars) he loves in one photo, how could he not love it? See what a good sister I am? :)

Unrelatedly
Last night on, The Office, Dwight was made into a 'hero'. At the very end of the show Dwight denies hero status & says who he thinks are the real heroes, "People who wear cloaks & save people. And Bono." Way to go Dwight!

I'm highly irritated this morning. I saw a news clip on the local NBC station. I went to their website to find a link to the article. There's nothing. I went to Google & searched. Nothing. I went to Yahoo & searched. Nothing. Grrrr!!! Why the hell do you put a video & news segment on your live broadcast if you're not going to put it on your website???!!!!!! Gah!!! And it's not the first time. Stupid people.

I'm also mildly irked about something else but I won't go into that here, on a public forum. I may talk your ear off about it in person, in email or via YIM or AIM. And I still can't talk hockey. I may get an ulcer if I do. I'll continue living in my little fantasy world for a few more days.

Hope everyone has a better Thursday than how mine is beginning!

Obviously JT is still as cute as ever. We were at the National Zoo (as noted on JT's hat) and walking by the petting zoo area. A volunteer was standing at a table with a variety of cow related items. Leg bone, rib, food, poop, tail hair, etc. It was pretty nifty to see the size of a cow rib as compared to a human one. While standing there I got the idea to take JT's picture with him holding one of the items.

That's right folks, I gave JT a cow patty to hold. I figured that would get the most reaction out of his folks. I take my duties as Aunt very seriously. No worries though, the poop had been dried and shellacked. It was surprisingly light and utterly odor free. The hand over JT's is my dad's as my mom refused to touch the patty. I can't imagine why ;)

For those interested in reading books and then sharing your thoughts on said books, there's a new (well, it's new to me anyway) website out there just for you. It's called Goodreads. A friend of mine introduced me to it yesterday. I can easily see it becoming an addiction :)

If yall want my take on books go ahead & add me to your friends list. So far I've only actually written about one book, tho I have starred numerous others. Don't fret me dears, I'll be changing that in the not too distant future.

Weekend was good. Cherry blossoms were lovely, weather was gorgeous & JT was as cute as ever. It's good being an Auntie & teaching random things to your nephew. Not only because it's fun to hear him say things that have absolutely no meaning or use in the every day, Lizard Lips for example (who remembers how hard it was to learn to say the letter 'z'?) and because it might, possibly, annoy his folks :)

Hockey
I can't talk or think about hockey right now. Too stressful. Canes need to win, a couple teams need to lose. Maybe then I can talk hockey without stressing myself out. Maybe.