Math I actually LIKE

I've been into sharing pretty pictures lately, so, even though this may be a departure from the pretty, it's still fun to look at.

Yes, it's true -- math CAN be fun.

+ Mimosa(3)


Maybe next time.

Bastard kids taking all the good candy.


SOOO glad it's not me.


See? My going to bed at 10pm is a sign of maturity. Not utter sadness.


Uh oh. Better call Maury.

You're all insane.

{source}

Spring coats

Why do I torture myself?








Oh, eff it. I'm buying a couple of these. God, I love spring shopping.

Something weird is about to happen

We're having an office party on Friday and things have been kept verrrry secretive all week. After a little snooping around the space, we were able to find some, uh, interesting items that will be used at the party...






Your guess is as good as mine.

It's soda

Here's a little story about the first time I tried to order a Coke after my family moved from Connecticut to Tennessee so many years ago.


We were at a restaurant ordering drinks when the waitress turned to me.

"Whah about ewe, hon? Whah can ah git ya?" she said in her twangy drawl.

"I'll have a Coke," I said.

"Okay, wha kahnd?"

"Kind? Um, regular. Not diet..?" I guessed. What kind of question was that?

"Yeeyah, but ah mean, Coke, Sprite, Dahhcter Pepper?" she said.

I stared at her.

She stared back.

"Coke," I repeated.

"All raaght. Be raaght back!" She twirled around and left.


As I sat there wondering if she was mentally challenged, I had no idea that I was entering a world where every single person used "coke" to describe all carbonated beverages. In fact, up to that point, I hadn't realized that anyone anywhere called soda anything except "soda." Of course, I was way wrong, as this map reminded me the other day:




For the record, I absolutely hate the word "pop." It's always sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard to me and I hate you for saying it. It's WRONG. Seriously. Don't.

I bring this up because this pretty map has me a little stumped. It says that there are areas that don't call it soda, pop OR coke... What else is there? Good God, is there something worse than "pop"?? SAY IT AIN'T SO.

The A-List

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I asked Alexa to assign me a letter for this ABC letter game where you write a blog post about 10 of your favorite things beginning with the letter you were assigned. I like to think of myself as fashionably late to this game, but the truth is that I've just sucked at blogging lately. Time to break that cycle by telling you about my favorite things beginning with...

...the letter A!

Side note: Wanna participate? Leave a comment with your email address and I'll assign you a letter too.


1. Artichokes
Figures that the first thing on my list would be food. I'm obsessed with artichokes. On a pizza, in a dip, with some pasta, inside ravioli, as a fried appetizer -- I'll eat any of it. Yum. I'm giving myself a craving just thinking about it...

2. Artwork - original
I adore having original art in my apartment. Art not created by me, but by someone talented. I've got that amazing piece my boss made me as a wedding gift (below) along with some more paintings my talented sister created as well. You're jealous.




3. Andrew Sullivan
He writes the Daily Dish for the Atlantic and he's a gay, Catholic, British, libertarian conservative blogger who seems to share more Democratic/left-ish views than right. Actually, he battles with conservatives quite a bit (and he despises Ann Coulter, but, then again, who doesn't? Except Satan, I mean). He's thoughtful and brilliant.




4. Awful 90s music
Ang and I haven't done Dance Party Friday since we moved into our new office space, but that doesn't stop me from loving songs by Montell Jordan, Ace of Base, TLC, Blackstreet, Michael Jackson and the rest of our god-awful DPF favorites.




5. Alcohol
Too easy?




6. Accessories
I fully admit this one is a bit of a cop-out, but I'm not talking about accessories like jewelry and hair pieces. I'm talking SHOES, except my letter wasn't "S" so this is my only way to work it in here. I am mildly obsessed with shoes, even though I haven't bought a pair in, oh, a few months. I'm saving up to splurge for spring, so keep an eye on my feet once the weather warms.




7. Amstaffs
Just look at that little face. Such sweet dogs. He's my mom's baby and we think he might be an Amstaff, but he could also be a Staffordshire Terrier or an American Pit Bull. They're all so closely related that it really doesn't matter except when it comes to my mom's homeowner's insurance, where we listed him as a "black and white short-hair canine cross." Suckas!




8. Amusement parks
I haven't been to an amusement park in years. Once I get past all the rampant obesity, grease, mullets and children that should be on leashes, I love it. Roller coasters, rides that spin endlessly, rides that drop you 30 stories outta nowhere, that swinging pirate ship thing -- they can make me pee my pants in terror, but it's just so fun.




9. Australia
Except for that horrible plane ride (which was actually made less horrible because I drugged myself to near oblivion), I'd go back in a second. It was just incredible.




10. Afterlife/angels
I love reading about, hearing about and watching shows about angels, ghosts, spirits, etc. From sci-fi shows that debunk reported "sightings" to your own blogs about spooky hauntings to high-quality television like the Ghost Whisperer (high quality, I say!), I just can't stop myself from getting caught up it it all. I must have inherited this kookiness from my mother.

Busy, you say?

You're actually NOT that busy at work if:

• You get to take lunch without remaining hunched over in front of your computer.
• Your Goog Reader stays under 1000+.
• You still update Twitter every hour.
• You still leave work at 5pm.
• You're on Facebook, like, at all.
• You take personal phone calls and say anything except, "I'm too busy to talk. Can I call you back later?"
• You haven't tried to crawl through an office window and hurl yourself out there just to avoid another meeting.
• You keep talking about how busy you are instead of getting your shit done.
• You have time to write blog posts about what it means to not be busy.

I've been in RFP hell this past week, so I've been ridiculously busy and even more ridiculously cranky. Now that this particular project is over, I've got, oh, an afternoon to relax before I have to move onto another one -- writing a 9,000 word guide/booklet in the next three weeks.

Suffice to say that 2009 is already kicking my ASS.

A rare dose of vulnerability

I'm over here tonight.

A heavier post for this blog, but it's a post nonetheless. Maybe read it when you're drunk. Either way, read it while you can, since I might remove this later when I'm not in such a somber mood.

Annoying wife tendency?

Last night, Dave and I went out to Wicker Park for dinner with his buddy from high school. I'd never met the guy before, but I figured everything would be friendly enough, we'd have some laughs and that would be that. I imagined this obligatory wife-meeting evening would end pleasantly with me saying, "Well, it was nice to meet you," with undertones of, "We probably won't be seeing too much of each other since you're my husband's friend and I force him to hang out with my friends way more than we hang out with his."

Instead, dinner turned into drinks at Cans and drinks turned into a late night where we stumbled home at 3am and I couldn't stop gushing about the guy.

He was cute, hilarious, genuine, kind, laid-back, smart, fun and generous. He's got a good job, a stable personal life and managed to strike a great balance between listening and talking. He doesn't seem to have any crazy baggage or creepy-guy tendencies, as evidenced by the fact that he didn't leer at women at Cans or turn into a New Haircut when drunk.

So, when Dave's friend left to use the bathroom at one point, I immediately turned to Dave and said, "I love him. Who could we set him up with?"

"Stop it," Dave said, rolling his eyes.

"No! Come on! He would be great for someone."

"Okay, you're doing that really annoying thing that married couples do to their single friends and you've gotta chill out."


Oh my God, am I THAT WIFE?

I was just so excited to see one of Dave's friends who I'd happily introduce to my girlfriends without spouting off disclaimers or warnings. Is it really fair to hide him from them? I mean, what's the harm in all of us going out and seeing if he has a connection with someone I know?

None, right?

Right, which is why I have decided we will be calling this guy to hang out when Audrey comes in town in March. He already knows her and is already a fan! :-) The whole Cleveland-Chicago thing kinda puts a damper on future date nights they'd have, but they could have a good time for a weekend at least.

Aaand I'm starting to think that my last statement might make me more of a pimp than an annoying wife, which, frankly, isn't much better...

Sigh. Good Intention Fail.

How I spent my Super Bowl

Making connections between the teams and their celebrity look-a-like counterparts.

Mike Tomlin & Omar Epps

Ken Whisenhunt & Apollo 13 Ed Harris

Hmmm, maybe the champagne really made the connections for me... All attractive men though. Can't say I complained much while watching this game.