Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

A lot of you know about my longtime desire to go to Ireland. My attraction to most things Celtic and I'm not talking about the basketball team that can't even say their name correctly. This fascination began in elementary school when we were studying the ancient Gods & Goddesses.

If I didn't already connect with U2's music, I'd love them anyway as they're Irish. Thankfully they totally rock my world and their Irishness is icing on their divine cake. Or something.

Anyway, this week I've seen/heard/been told about Stonehenge numerous times. Twice yesterday alone. I realize it's because of the upcoming show on the National Geographic Channel which is based on the recent discoveries. Since I hardly watch TV and read the news even less, it's pretty amazing that I've heard anything.

I'm taking these reminders as a hint and think it's time I plan my trip to Eire. Which means I need to spend some quality time in my parent's basement looking for my expired passport. Anybody want to come help me search? No? Understandable.

How about going to Ireland with me? We could probably work in some time in Scotland and England too. It'll be a sky/road trip to remember :)

WooooHooooo Penguins!! I actually got involved in the game last night. Yelling, cheering, exclaiming. It was great. I haven't had that since the end of the regular season. It's good to get the blood pumping again. To find the thrill again in hockey.

Of course the excitement took several hits with cold water every time orpik was shown or mentioned. Seriously, trade his sorry butt to the sabres or devils. I already loathe those teams so he'll fit right in on them.

Semi-Unrelatedly
B - today's title is how I described the locations of the outfalls on the map. It's nice for the Communications & Ops people to know where I am. Especially when it's raining and I'm climbing over mossy rocks. Thanks again for your help, Mr. Graphics. Maybe one day I'll have a more challenging request. ;)

I'm thinking of getting a new bicycle. I've tried fixing the one I currently have (it was a present from Santa a good 20+ years ago) but it still has issues. Namely the tires keep going flat and finding wheel parts for it is tough. Apparently the wheel size is out of style, despite everything else from the 80's coming back.

Do yall have any suggestions? Brands, styles, etc. I'm not particularly sure I want to fork over $300 for one either. Although the one I saw at REI on Monday was pretty swank. It had fishies painted on it.

Which got me singing Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World by (of course) U2. As some of you know, there's a line in that song that goes "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle".

Zodiacally speaking, I'm a fish. And if I need a new bicycle, does that mean I need a man too? I'm not sure I like the connotations of that. Or does it mean that I need a new man? Not that that's any better.

Unrelatedly
Welcome to the world, little Mara! Unless my first impression was seriously skewed, you have a warm and loving extended family. Although, you might keep an eye out for your Uncle. He can be a bit squirrelly.

I mentioned that I saw the movie Made Of Honor this past weekend. One of the best parts of the movie came at the beginning. Tom (Patrick Dempsey) mentioned that he had Bono's autograph. Apparently he used that to get women to sleep with him. Smart man.

On a sad yet related note, Sydney Pollack died of cancer yesterday. He played the father of Dempsey's character. Sydney also listed Casablanca as one of the top 10 films of all time. I wholeheartedly agree.

What's odd tho, is that three times in the last two days someone has mentioned Casablanca. Either in person or in a TV show. I think that means I need to watch it again.

Hockey
Oy vey Penguins!! What can I say? At least it was only 3-0 loss last night instead of 4-0. I think this means I can watch the games now since the red wings have won the ones I didn't watch.

Semi-Unrelatedly
The people who are Googling some version of "glow in the dark thunder beads", are you doing that because you saw the aforementioned movie? Or because you want to buy some?

Unrelatedly
Extra special kudos to the folks who know who said the partial quote that is my blog entry title today. And kudos to the folks who read the previous sentence and understood it. :)

I ate at Rach's favorite restaurant yesterday and then saw her totally favorite movie of all time. Well, at least her favorite genre of movie. Right, Rach? ;)

Fried okra, pot roast, steamed broccoli and chocolate fudge brownies. A dinner of champions, I tell you. And the movie was better than I thought it would be. I laughed a lot more than I anticipated. And there was some spiffy keen Scotland scenery too.

My big plans for today? Buy a pair of shoes. And another pair. Woo. Maybe a hair cut too.

Hockey
Oy. The game on Saturday night was depressing and I didn't even watch. Maybe if I had, they would've won?

As yesterday wore on, I noticed myself sneezing & coughing more and my eyes were aching, itching and gooey. Even after eyeball removal. As the night progressed, it was much, much worse. I am one of the legions of people walking around, sounding and looking miserable. Oy.

Since I know my mom won't be reading this anytime soon, I have a confession to make. I took a double dose of my fake allergy medicine. Fake because you can buy it OTC. Sadly there were no pharmacies near me open when I needed them to be. My real allergy meds are at work. Although I'll be stopping at the store later today to stock up. Assuming they have any left.

Grass, sorrel, dock, hickory & pecan, I don't know which one of you is the culprit - or perhaps it's a combination - but you are most certainly not my friend right now. Stop fornicating and let us poor folks get back to normal. Please!

Song in my head
Hair of the dog by Nazareth. And yes, I find it amusing that it's called hair of the dog and that dog hair is another common allergy for folks. The chorus is what's in my head.

What do these three guys have in common? Besides being on my blog today...

I skimmed the article, Ali Hewson: Ethics Girl, on Sunday and then a friend of mine sent me a link to the article. I took that as a hint to write about it. Admittedly I found the article on a blog that discusses U2 (woohoo) and the U2 connection was the same reason my friend sent me the link. Good to know my friends are looking out for U2 articles for me.

I'm sure numerous people will be shocked to learn that the environmental aspects of Nude Skincare appeal to me more than the Ali Hewson aspect. Even if it were Morleigh's cause, the environmental aspect would interest me more. Probably Especially if it were Morleigh instead of Ali.

Anyway, Nude uses organic ingredients. Their containers are recyclable, some are made from recycled products. They even use biodegradable ink. There was at least one article from the environmental community, Nude Skincare Bares All The Right Connections, about the skincare line.

I'm sure there are others, I just haven't found (or looked) for them. I'm not much of a makeup wearer. If I were, I would definitely look for the Nude line in stores and give it a whirl.

How cool am I? I mentioned U2 and recycling in the same entry. Yay me!

RIP TC - 1991-2008

The longest running Fourth of July festival in North Carolina enters it's 29th year this summer. The Festival for the Eno happens for three days every summer, with July 4th being the anchor.

I've been twice. Or is it three times? Four? I don't remember. Each year I have fun, acquire more freckles (despite dedicated sunblock application), hear great music, learn something new and generally have a grand time.

The first year I went because Dar Williams was performing. I appeared to be one of the few who knew all the songs she played. It was spiffy. That festival is also when I heard The Nields for the first time. I've been a fan of theirs ever since. Sadly neither are scheduled to perform this year. Although, Girlyman is scheduled. Woo!

The Festival has arts, crafts, educational booths and a great earth-friendly vibe. They do their best to leave a small footprint, raise money and to educate about a variety of environmentally friendly ways to go about your life. Obviously it's my cup of tea - environmental awareness + music + crafts.

My inner hippie is dancing in anticipation of going again this year. And yes, she's wearing her (14 year old) birkenstocks. Yall should come out and join me. Birkenstocks not required.

Hockey
Stars won again, taking their series to 3-2 and possibly making the Red Wings sweat. Penguins eked out a win Sunday with their 6-0 performance over the Flyers. Anyone laying odds on who the Pens will face for the honor to hoist Lord Stanley's cup? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

This morning I woke up thinking about fish. I haven't eaten fish, fresh water or sea, since 1993. Same goes for all manner of water based critters. Started out as going meat free (I lasted about a year) but has continued to do overfishing and loss of habitat. I don't miss fish, I don't need it to survive, so I go without. There are others out there more than making up for what I don't eat.

Anyway, so I woke up wanting to post today about overfishing, plummeting fish populations, or habitat destruction. Figured I'd have to Google and go from there. I don't even have to do that! Nee sent me an email about overall wildlife populations decreasing. Good to know we're still on similar thinking frequencies, despite her living in the Midwest and having a newborn daughter (Hi Sophia!).

According to data complied by The Zoological Society of London, populations of land-based species fell by 25%, marine by 28% and freshwater by 29%, since the 1970's. The article goes on to give examples and discuss the impact of this loss of wildlife on humans. Read it here.

Hockey
Pens lost to the Flyers, Game 5 on Sunday. Stars play Red Wings Sat. night in their Game 5.

Things I learned yesterday:
- Steel toed boots are not superb footwear for hiking through the woods
- Walking face first into spiderwebs is still unpleasant
- Sliding down an embankment, when you were trying to go up it, is not bad until your downward progression is halted by a thorny bush landing on your derrière
- People litter excessively
- Turkeys run funny

And, most importantly, I learned that trailblazing in the woods and walking along creek beds is still gobs of fun! Even more so when you're getting paid to do it :)

Hockey
Stars win and stay alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pens vs Flyers tonight.

Yesterday I meant to post a link to an article about a pelican diving down to get a fish, hitting a woman and subsequently dying. The woman needed 20 stitches for the laceration on her cheek from the pelican's beak. Hence the name of yesterday's title. Ah well.

Hockey
Pens won last night, now lead flyers 3-0 in series. Red Wings and Stars play tonight, if RW win, they're onto the Stanley Cup Finals and the Stars go home.

Ergh
Seems to be my theme to forgot to blog about birthdays on the actual day, this month. HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY TOPH!

Amusement
The tongue-in-cheek(ness) of the website itsgoodtobegreen.com amused me this morning. Click on the link and learn what 9 out of 10 polar bears prefer.

For those of you interested in reading more blogs of the environmentally veined, the Nature Blog Network has a ranked list of most viewed nature blogs. Maybe, one day, my environmental blog will show up in the upper rankings of their network. Of course, first, I have to make it publicly viewable :)

Kroger and Harris Teeter post mercury warnings about fish. They are now on the Green List as shown on Oceana's website . For all the info, read the update.

Hockey
Red Wings won again. I thought the Stars might pull out a win last night. Last time I saw the score it was tied at 2. I guess, on the bright side, the Stars scored twice as many goals in one game, as they had previously in the series.

Pens vs Flyers tonight.

I found a new green website last week. Well I learned bout it through one of the environmental emails I get - I couldn't tell you which one of those. Anyway, website is called 3rd Whale. It has links on green travel, green living, buying green, sustainability and several other green issues.

3rd Whale is currently running a competition. They're trying to find the Greenest Person on the Planet. Sadly, it's not me. I don't have solar panels or a windmill or a compost pile or energy star appliances. Then there's the roommate who is so UN-green it's ridiculous. No way I could win that competition. Maybe next year ;)

Hockey
Pens won 4-2 last night and lead their series with Philly 2-0. Red Wings won again and lead their series against the Stars 2-0

Belated Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONO!!!! :)

I bought my brother the first season of The Muppet Show for his birthday. And now JT is a big fan :) Am I cool or what? Even though I'm not close, I still have influence. Mwahahahahahaha! Err, I mean, Mah nah mah nah doo doo dah doo doo

Hockey
Red Wings beat the Stars 4-1, last night. And with Timonen (flyers) out with a blood clot in his foot, lots of folks are eyeing the Pens flyers game differently.

Song in Head
See the first paragraph. Or the title.

I want to give a shout out to Cupcake and Ren. Yall have been great friends the last few days. Being steadfast, level-headed, snarky and supportive, not to mention showing me the funny side of my ...aggravation. Yall rock! Thanks guys.

Hockey
Playoffs resume tonight with Dallas vs Detroit. Pittsburgh vs Philly tomorrow night.

Music
The Edge is in a guitar documentary. Along with two others. Their names escape me, because, well, they're not The Edge and therefore are barely a blip on my radar.

Bad Me
I'm so sorry, Frulequet!!!! I didn't give you a shout out on Tuesday. Please smack me the next time you see me! Anyway, HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY!!! At least I wasn't such a tool that I forgot to call and talk to you on your birthday. *whew*

This past weekend I was lucky to see my nephews And the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Springfield, Massachusetts. The bronze sculptures were created by sculptor Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, Seuss' step-daughter.

Obviously my favorite sculpture is the one pictured here; The Lorax. I even have a picture of myself giving him bunny ears and JT laughing. I think the Lorax would appreciate the humor of bunny ears. Bunny's are animals and he speaks for them too.

I tried to get JT to let me read him The Lorax as a bedtime or nap time story but no. He wanted Fox in Sox and then Sam I Am. Both are good stories, even the tongue twisters in Fox in Sox. Maybe next time I can convince him he wants to hear about the Lorax.

The Go New England About site has a virtual tour of the memorial. There's actually a new sculpture there, not listed on the websites I perused. It wasn't created for the Dr. Seuss Memorial, but it looks like something that Dr. Seuss would draw. It was a physics project for a guy in Dayton, Ohio. I think. I don't have the paper telling me about it.

Anyway, if yall get the chance to go, do it! Especially if you have little kids (or me) with you. :)

I was perusing some environmental websites and found one with a section on how to find Energy-Saving Light bulbs. It's pretty spiffy. You click on the type of fixture (ceiling fan, recessed, pendant, sconce, etc.), shape (globe, flood, traditional, etc.) and then select the features you want (dimmable, enclosed, 3-way, brightness, etc.).

It goes through the list of bulbs and lists the ones that match your criteria. Then you can compare and contrast the results. Only issue I had was that the list didn't indicate whether the bulbs were Mercury free or not.

There's also a separate page of tips for buying and using energy efficient bulbs. I haven't had time to eyeball that section. So if yall get a chance, let me know how helpful it is.

Look Up
When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west. You'll be able to see the Moon and Mercury, side-by-side, through the sunset. To see Mercury is rare but to see the moon alongside it; Amazing! Skymap available at www.spaceweather.com

Hockey
So it's the Penguins vs flyers in the East and Red Wings vs Stars in the West. Poor Canada.

Been crazy busy at work. Woo! I'd give examples, but then strangers would know where I work and could deduce who I am. No thanks. So if you want examples, email me. :)

I had a surprise inspection from the State earlier this week. It threw off my entire schedule but was, scarily, fun. I think we passed. I hope.

Hockey
I watched, sort of, an entire period of hockey last night. The TV was on and tuned to Versus for all of it. I even watched some of the pre-game chatter and 1st intermission stuff. Mostly I was doing some work and then the phone rang a couple times. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, B it's not my fault the Rangers won.

Speaking of Rangers, I can't believe avery played with a lacerated spleen the other day. I can't stand the guy with his immature antics but that's mighty impressive. I bet the whiny butt brodeur couldn't do it. I don't care how good a player you are if you whine and cry to the refs. Suck it up. You're a hockey player.

Song In My Head
An End Has A Start by Editors

I found the next car I want to buy.

The Tesla Roadster
- Is 100% electric
- Produces one-tenth of the pollution
- Is six times as efficient as the best sports car
- Produces zero emissions
- Can go 220 miles on a fully charged battery
- Charges fully in about 3.5 hours
- Costs less than two cents a mile to recharge (depending on time and local electric charges)
- Battery is recyclable and weighs about 115 pounds
- Can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds. Which is better than a Lamborghini
- Base price is $109,000
- You only have to put $60,000 down to reserve your car

Sure, I found out about it because of the guy in the picture below.

But I'd still want one even if he hadn't been in it. It's an electric car that looks super cool! Why wouldn't I want one?? Just because it costs more than some houses doesn't mean I'd disregard it. Umm yeah.

Hockey
Yay for M! The Sharks won last night. I'm happy for you, me dear, but I still don't particularly care who wins the series.

Song in Head
Two by Ryan Adams.