Gentlemen--Beware of the Doghouse

My friend Les sent me a wonderful link to a cautionary tale for men wishing to please the woman in their lives during the holidays.

I know from personal experience that this truly happens. Men DO give their beloved household cleaning devices as "gifts." Last Christmas, Ondigo gave me a Roomba. His plaintive cry of "But Sweetie! It's a ROBOT vacuum cleaner!" did not spare him. The silver braided necklace he gave me *next* is what kept him out of the doghouse.

And, while I must admit the Roomba is strangely hypnotic as it wends its way around the room sucking up bits of detritus, it is still NOT an acceptable holiday gift. EVER.

Puppy!

We got to go visit with our new puppy this evening. Bridget at Faith Ridge Border Collies was very kind and gracious about letting us come late on Sunday and I'm sure we overstayed our welcome, (we were there 2 hours) but it was very hard to tear ourselves away from the little man. We played with Cody and his brother Chip and his sister Margo. Chip and Margo are still available and it is taking everything I have not to take them home with me. :) The puppy's litter name is Cody, but we haven't decided what his *real* name will be. In the running are Joss, Cai, Kip, Pip, Mick, and Nick. Which one do you like? I'm sure the little guy will tell us which one it is shortly after he moves in with us.

Which should be Tuesday December 23. Ondigo and I are only working half days on the 23 and we both have the 24-26th off, so we're looking forward to some bonding time!

I apologize for the red eyes. He really isn't a demon dog, but I don't have a decent photo editor on this 'puter, so I can't fix it right now.

Ondigo had a dream...

As most of you know, it's been several years since we lost the Blessed St. Davey and Miss Nell. Ondigo and I had thought that we would not get another dog until we had retired and it could go with us wherever we went.

Well... Ondigo had a dream last month. He dreamed of petting a dog. And when he awoke, he could still smell the dog. The dream stuck with him. And it churned in his mind, so that he began to look at border collie rescue websites, and the dogs therein spoke to his heart. But adopting a border collie through a rescue organization is much like purchasing a house, but with more stress and a longer wait time.

And lo it came to pass that Annabelle was looking in the classified section of the newspaper and saw an advertisement for border collies. And the advertisement listed a webpage! And the webpage had photos of dogs! Black and White Border Collies! Red and White Border Collies! Blue Merle Border Collies! Red Merle Border Collies! Blonde (Yes BLONDE) Border Collies! And Puppies! Pretty Pretty Puppies!

So into the car we hopped and trecked out into the wilds of Culpepper, Virginia. Wendy fell in love with Ace. Annabelle fell in love with Margo. But Ondigo fell in love with Cody. While Annabelle tried to talk Ondigo into getting two puppies, we settled on sweet Mr. Cody.

So...with out further ado... meet the newest member of our family. These pictures are a little old, but hopefully I can get some better pictures later. The puppies are still too young to leave their mother, but Cody (Ondigo has not yet chosen his permanent name--do you have any ideas?) will be coming to live with us shortly after Christmas.

Meme time!

Gakked from drharper who
Gakked from dreagoddess

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

In time the hosts of the Vanyar and the Noldor came to the last western shores of the Hither Lands.

In the north these shores, in the ancient days after the Battle of the Powers, bent ever westward, until in the northernmost parts of Arda only a narrow sea divided Aman, upon which Valinor was built, from the Hither Lands; but this narrow sea was filled with grinding ice, because of the the violence of the frosts of Melkor.

Therefore Orome did not lead the hosts of the Eldalie into the far north, but brought them to the fair lands about the River Sirion, that afterwards were name Beleriand; and from those shores whence first the Eldar looked in fear and wonder on the Sea there stretched an ocean, wide and dark and deep, between them and the Mountains of Aman.

Now Ulmo, by the counsel of the Valar, came to the shores of Middle-earth and spoke with the Eldar who waited there, gazing on the dark waves; and because of his words and the music which he made for them on his horns of shell their fear of the sea was turned rather to desire.

Therefore Ulmo uprooted an island which long had stood alone amid the sea, far from either shore, since the tumults of the fall of Illuin; and with the aid of his servants he moved it, as it were a mighty ship, and anchored it in the Bay of Balar, into which Sirion poured his water.

Then the Vanyar and the Noldor embarked upon that isle, and were drawn over the sea, and came at last to the long shores beneath the Mountains of Aman; and they entered Valinor and were welcomed to its bliss.

But the eastern horn of the island, which was deep-grounded in the shoals off the mouths of Sirion, was broken asunder and remained behind; and that it is said, was the Isle of Balar, to which afterwards Osse often came.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

OMG-- there's a reason i've never been able to plow through this book. We had pulled it out as reference for some questions engendered by our post-Thanksgiving Lord of the Rings Extended Trilogy Marathon. Did the above make any sense to *you*?

Indecision 2008 ala Gary Gygax

Ondigo sent me this totally awesome link that puts the 2oo8 election players into terms that those of us of a geekier nature can readily understand.

from Somehedgehog:

Adventuring Party Politics: The Campaign is Getting Ugly


GM: OK, the bugbear attacks you. What do you do?

OBAMA: I send one of my 672 henchmen after it.

MCCAIN: OK, seriously. Why does he have so many henchmen? I'm a level 72 ranger and he's only a level 8 paladin.

OBAMA: Well, if you'd bought the Grassroots Organizing and Oratory/Colgate Smile proficiencies you could min max it so that you...

MCCAIN: Why is he even IN this campaign? I thought this was supposed to be a high level party.

OBAMA: Well, maybe some people got tired of the grim and squinty "Matterhorn, son of Marathon" shtick you keep doing. Dude, could you be any less original?

MCCAIN: Oh my god, I did not leave my left nut in a tiger cage in the Tomb of Horrors to spend my Friday nights mopping up after the new kid.

OBAMA: "My friends, I am a totally unoriginal grizzled character class stereotype. I should lead the party because I have more testicular damage than that one."

MCCAIN: Yeah, well, you pal around with dark elves.

OBAMA: OH NO YOU DIDN'T.


See the entire post here. You won't be sorry.

For those of you who for some reason don't get the gazebo reference, check out this link.

Cuitlacoche

Okay...here's the deal, my good friend Deb (okay..i'm not certain anymore how good a friend she is) forwarded me this link to the sneeze's review of the gastronomic sensation of Cuitlacoche.

I have many foodie friends. I am reasonable certain that none of them would try this nastiness.

Repeat after me... Mold on food is a disease, NOT a delicacy

(Cheese is, of course, the exception that proves the rule.)

I will NOT post the pictures. If your stomach is strong, you may follow the link. Please do not check it out around meal time. You will be sorry if you do not heed my warning.

The Evil League of Evil is now taking applications!

As I noted earlier, the EVE website would be taking application for membership soon. Well apparently, soon is now. The deadline to submit your video application is October 10, so get cracking.

I can only dream about being evil enough to hobnob with my hero, Dr. Horrible. I'd be lucky to get a job as a Henchman (henchwoman? henchperson? hmmm.. definitely Henchman.)

In any event, are you looking to get me a Christmas pressie? I rarely wear t-shirts, but I could make an exception for one of these!

UPDATE: According to syphyportal.com, the top 10 applications will appear on the Dr. Horrible DVD. Are you horrible enough?

Who's your Harry Potter Husband?

My result for The Harry Potter Husband Test...

Mrs. Snape

Your perfect HP man is Severus Snape.

You like a guy of loyalty and intelligence and don't really mind if he comes across as a bit harsh. Or a bit bastardy. Or if he happens to terrify every child who crosses his path. The point is that under that rough exterior lies...well, a rough interior. But under that is a soft, squishy center and you don't mind at all that you're the only person in the world who gets to see it.

(Fanart by Grant Gould GrantGould.com Used with permission.)

Take The Harry Potter Husband Test at HelloQuizzy

The really funny thing is...the test is pretty accurate! I've had a crush on Severus Snape ever since I read my first Harry Potter Book!

BTW--Wendybird's HP Husband is Neville Longbottom! He would be my second choice :)

Thanks Karen Sweety for the link

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Ahoy, Mateys!! Ye'd best be talkin' like a pirate today, else ye'll be walkin' the plank!

Happy Talk like a Pirate Day!

My pirate name is:

Dread Pirate Kidd

Like the famous Dread Pirate Roberts, you have a keen head for how to make a profit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

The Evil League of Evil

For those of you who are familiar with Dr. Horrible's Sing-along-Blog, the Evil League of Evil has a new website (http://evilleagueofevil.com/), where one can soon submit one's application for membership. And if you mouse over Bad Horse's name, you can send him an e-mail.

I'm afraid that I don't have the talent to be a member of the ELoE. Do you?

Tech Support LOLcat

I've had 2 hard drives fail this week. Help me.

The Hero of Canton, the Man they call Jayne!

Jayne! The man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor!
Stood up to the man and he gave him what for!
Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain--
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!

okay... i know, he's not Adam Baldwin. But you have to admit, he's really really cute!

If you don't get the reference...SHAME ON YOU!

Go rent Firefly, RIGHT NOW!

Now you may be wondering why Mr. Patch has a Jayne hat on his head. Then again, you may not give a hoot. I'm going to tell you anyway.

My very sweet nephew, D2, is going to DragonCon on Labor Day weekend with his parents and he very sweetly requested that I knit a Jayne hat for him so that he would be appropriately attired when he met his idol, the aforementioned Adam Baldwin. Well... you can see how cute he is, how could I refuse?

Well, the funny thing is, D2 asked me to make his hat shortly after he was born waaaaaaay back in April. But with one thing and another (Refinishing the basement, trip to Illinois, work, houseguests, moving Nana Sue in, work, children, etc.) I just didn't get around to starting it until yesterday (Sunday August 10--never do today, what you can put off until the last possible instant!)

So I found a pattern, and noticed that the child's hat in the pattern was for a head circumference of 12 inch. I'm pretty sure D2's head was bigger than *that* the day he was born (his Aunt Erin calls him Danzilla for a reason!) So I called his parents and asked them what D2's head circumference was. (Apparently, you can discover this information using a USB cord and a tape measure--arcane geometry must have been involved.)

Anyway, D2's head is 16 inches in circumference, and that involved some very complex math on Aunt Annie's part, but I managed to produce an acceptable Baby Jayne hat in a day. Damn, I'm good.

I have lots of yarn left, so let me know if you want a Jayne hat of your own!

The Adventures of Adrian and Senor Flippy

Wendybird has been enjoying her cartooning class and I thought I'd share with you....

Wendy says "Adrian is a person who abhors squirrels. Senor Flippy is a prankster who enjoys annoying Adrian."

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Check it out--

Dr. Horrible

'Nuff Said.

Did I mention that drywall sucks?

'Cause mudding drywall really sucks!

Rules for the Novice Mudder

Rule 1: Don't wear black when mudding drywall.

Air Conditioning FTW!!!

I feel like a crack addict getting a fix.

We had a major string of storms come through Wednesday afternoon and knocked out power in a significant portion of Northern Virginia. (Okay...it knocked out *MY* power... that's significant.)

30 hours without Air Conditioning, Lights, Refrigeration, E-books, C-PAP, or Internet.

It really makes you appreciate how luxurious our lifestyles are.

I'm very grateful for what I have (and I have purchased a generator to ensure I keep it!)

Drywall Sucks!

More specifically, mudding drywall sucks! I spent this evening mudding drywall in the basement. Thank Goodness I was working in a closet, 'cause my drywall mudding looks AWFUL! I think there is more joint compound on the floor than on the walls...

Dan and I discussed hiring someone to finish it up, but, dang it! I know I can do it. It's a lot like icing a cake. It's just a matter of practice. So thankfully, I have two closets to practice on before I need to do the bathroom or the stairwell.

But man...

DRYWALL SUCKS!!

My house is so quiet!

Well, it's been a very eventful week! The Souza's came up from Tennessee to help us get the basement ready for Nana Sue. Dan and Peter worked non-stop to get the basement ready, but I'm afraid, I totally underestimated the amount of work involved in this endeavor. Dan says the only part of his body that doesn't hurt is his eyelids.

PopPop and Mir came down from Pennsylvania for a few days to help. While we got a LOT done, we are by no means finished. Nana Sue comes in 4 weeks. I'm hoping we'll be ready.

We still need to finish tiling the shower and bathroom, set the toilet and vanity, install the shower head and sink faucets, finish mudding and taping the drywall, wire and install the stair well light. Install the utility sink, connect the dryer vent, prime and paint the walls and stairwell, add the closet fixtures , hang 2 regular doors, one bi-fold door, and one accordion door, install 2 door knobs, paint the security grill, assemble the shelving for the storage area, nail up the shoe molding, fix the stair railing and shampoo the carpeting. There's probably a few tasks I've forgotten.

Then we get to go to Tennessee and pack up Nana Sue and move her up.

(And somewhere in there, I need to go to my family reunion in Illinois)

I think I'm going to bed now... I'm tired... :)

What do we *really* want to teach our children

I was so appalled to read about this misguided teacher in Florida. Aside from the unbelievable cruelty of this act, what has this woman really taught her classroom of 5 year olds? Compassion? Nope. Empathy? Nope. Tolerance? I think not. What she's really taught them is "conform, or you too will be ejected."

Kindergarten, Survivor Style. Sigh. I think Ms. Portilo needs to investigate other career choices.

Cousins!

Cousins! Cousins! Here come the boys! Bedlam! Mayhem! Noise! Noise! Noise!

The Souzas arrived today to help finish the basement! YAY!

Souzas do not waste any time. Demo is complete.

I love Souzas!

Stolen from Epona Harper who stole it from RaisedbyMoogles who stole it from someone else...you follow the chain, I have a bathroom to build!


Go here. Keep refreshing until you've collected five quotes that really resonate with you, then post 'em to your journal.


We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
Bertha Calloway

Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be.
William Hazlitt English essayist (1778 - 1830)

The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.
Thomas Moore Irish poet (1779 - 1852)

Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There's just too much fraternizing with the enemy.
Henry Kissinger US (German-born) diplomat & scholar (1923 - )

The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson US essayist & poet (1803 - 1882)

Indiana Jones and the 1040 of Doom

As an accountant I was quite amused by this letter to Indiana Jones from his CPA.

Happy Birthday!

I have abandoned Ondigo to the joys of basement renovation and I have taken the Birdling and Pigboy to the beach to celebrate my family's March and April Birthdays.















Are you jealous? You should be.

Yipee! It's a FLOOR!

Well, will you look at that! I have a floor!

Oh! And I also have HOT WATER!

It's the little things that make one content, you know?

There's a Hole in My Basement!

Well...the plumbing contractors were here yesterday. There is now a very large hole in my basement.....

And my water heater doesn't work...

Waiting on the plumbing inspector....

.....


.....

sigh....

The Giant Pool of Money

Working as I do for a real estate settlement company, I am naturally interested in any discussion of the housing market and the mortgage crisis. I was listening to NPR this weekend, (... okay.... *I* wasn't listening to NPR. I was riding in the car with Ondigo, who was listening to NPR. Personally I prefer the country music station. Don't hate me because I have no musical taste.)

Anyway... I was listening to NPR this weekend, and a piece on the Global Pool of Money came on. It was absolutely fascinating. I wasn't able to catch it all, as we were running errands, but I made a mental note to look on the web and see if I could find a podcast of it. I must have made the note on a virtual post-it note that had lost its stickiness, because I totally forgot about it until I was browsing BoingBoing tonight and found this link to the podcast. I don't have time to listen to it tonight, but I'm looking forward to checking it out tomorrow.

I am a failure as wife....

Sigh...Ondigo sent me this link to 1939 marital rating scale.. And while it is clear that according to this scale, I am a dismal failure in the wife department (my raw score is negative), I have only one question:

Where is the husband rating scale?

UPDATE: My friend Debs sent me a link to this flickr site that has the scan of the entire document. I still have a negative raw score....

And a basement bathroom begins...

Well... we finally picked out a contractor to do the bathroom rough-in. I still think 4 grand is waaaaay to much, but i'm running out of time. Why the time constraint, you ask? Ondigo's sister, her husband and their 4 boys are coming in less than two weeks to help us finish the basement so that Ondigo's mother will be able to move in next month. So, umm.. we've got a week and half to get the concrete broken, the drains set, the ground plumbing inspected, the concrete reset, the rough in plumbing put in place, and the final plumbing inspection done. Ergo, almost four thousand dollars for a bathroom rough in. Sigh... Not even Gulliver can save us now.

Wow... A blog of my own....

I've decided that if my newest nephew can create a blog in utero then I can certainly maintain one as a fully functioning adult. Right? Of course Right!

My latest endeavor is attempting to get estimates for a basement bathroom rough-in. OMFG. Some of these guys are crazy. For what they want to rough-in my bathroom, I could have the entire bathroom installed. If you don't think the job is worth your time, just say so! But don't have me take time off of work to meet you for an estimate and then send me something so outrageous.
For these prices, I'll take a jackhammer to the floor myself, do it wrong, have the inspector tell me what's wrong, rip it out and fix it. It's still 1/4 of the cost and I have a new skill. Of course, when I say "me", I mean my beloved Ondigo. I've made him learn painting, drywall, wiring and tiling. It looks like plumbing may be next on the list. (What? You didn't think I would be getting *my* hands dirty? Manicures cost $$!)