Reading a CNN article stating that "Men are buying more clothes than women", I found it interesting that they felt the only reason for the disparity between men and women purchasing more/less clothing is that "Women's wear has painted themselves in a corner. By offering too many options and with everything a trend, it is very easy not to buy anything," and did not perhaps consider the fact that:

1) Hello fashion trends of the past? Please for the love of God take your unflattering clothing back. The current trend of potato sack dresses and giant shoulder pads and fantastically ugly colors and everything else is just depressing as it only really flatters a very small minority of people, who I am convinced may be some sort of hybrid alien

and

2) Excuse me, stores that sell clothing to us plebians? There's a reason why you are stuck with six million size 2 dresses that you end up having to sell at 25% the normal price, and your size 12 and up sell almost the minute you put them on the rack. When the rest of us normal people go to shop, there is nothing left for us to buy that would actually fit us.

and of course

3) Men do like to look good, believe it or not. Kudos to the fact that the current trend seems to come to realize this and is apparently appealing - so no wonder men are actually buying things for themselves. One of the reasons I think the whole "metrosexual" thing took off is because the media finally gave men permission to look good without feeling weird about it.

Of course, I also have to remind myself that this article was published by CNN, not exactly the most reliable news source to begin with, but the article just made me sort of snort out a laugh and wonder if perhaps the producers of Mad Men paid CNN to plug them in an inadvertent way. (PS I have not seen last Sunday's episode so please do not say anything about it until later - I am watching it on demand tonight.)

Ok, insipid rant about things I have no expertise on done.

I had seen this months ago when it was initially created, but I am sharing it now anyway, because it was in my head tonight. It moved me and I keep thinking in my head "Please be the next U.S. President. Pretty please?" Because really, look at the alternative... and also truly, it's been a very long time since I've felt drawn to a political leader the way this man draws people in. I actually prayed that Hillary Clinton would be ousted. Not to cast any disparaging remarks against her, as nobody can fault her for fighting for something she worked hard to achieve, but I really don't think we need another Clinton in the White House.

Anyway.

Yes. We. Can.



When Obama speaks I feel compelled to listen. People compare him to MLK and you can kind of see why. The speech that inspired the song can be seen here:



There is an excellent a capella version of the song, performed by students. Gorgeous.

"and Eric Stoltz"

Oh man.

Just amusing myself while waiting for the time to leave for the MRI. Wish me luck.

Who wants these awesome glasses?

This girl. That's who.

My cousin Lola is having TWINS (insert happy squeal here) and so of course I now have babies on the brain. The best thing about someone else having babies is that I can spoil them and send them home. Thus far I'm the only kid in my generation on my Dad's side to spawn children, and on my Mom's side only my cousin M has a couple of little girls, but he lives in Nova Scotia so I never see them. My kids are well past the baby stage and tragically I can not have any more (although when I am most honest with myself, I don't want any more). My hubby's side is equally bereft of little poop machines, so naturally I am pretty damn excited about this.

So I have been scouring Ravelry for some patterns, and wouldn't you know it, I am knee-deep in cuteness. Ravelry links you to the site where the patterns in question can be found, so here are a few I've been eyeing up.

Viking Baby Cap! (Some people have actually added on little yellow braids on each side to make a girlie viking cap - very cute)

Little Devil Baby Hat

Sakicho Kimono Sweater

Hoodie Baby Blanket

Cardigen for Merry(For you Tolkien nuts)

Kiddie Cadet Hat

Felted Baby Yoda Hat

Bernat Baby Hoodie (you have to register free on Bernat site to access pattern)

Crochet Top (you may have to register with Lion Brand [it's free yo] to access this pattern)

Five Fruits Sweater (sorry dudes you need to be on ravelry to see this one - magknits went bu-bye)

Jive Turkey Baby Hat

Leg Warmies

Ruby (I got a chuckle out of this)

Seed sticth jacket

Ok that's enough, I'm starting to see double again. Ugh.

I totally want to go to Bora Bora after looking at those photos. Who's with me?

My journal has been chock full of medical complaints recently. To try and spiff things up a bit, and keep me cheerful (I'm not going to lie - I have been pretty down in the dumps of late) I'm going to just post random stuff today. Not belittling what is going on but I need to focus on the happy/amusing here or I will go stir crazy.

Things that have amused me today:

Awesome Lunch Bags

Toe Tag Dinner Place cards!

Dr. Who wall panels

NES coffee table/storage bin

Nerdy baby flash cards

Super Mario Wedding cake!!

Indiana Jones amigurumi

Canstruction Vancouver (They make sculptures out of cans!)

R2D2 PC case mod

Spock Apron

Pac Man cupcakes!

Han Solo in Carbonite - the desk!

I gave up coffee for lent. So far, so good. It's been trying because I go to Tim Horton's about every other day to get coffee for my S as it is right around the corner from where we live. Our coffee maker is a piece of gos se and doesn't brew anymore. Because I gave up coffee I'm foregoing purchasing a new one, and S will have to deal with Timmy's in the mornings (which doesn't bother him one iota, he loves their coffee).

K gave up chips & ice cream. This may not seem like much, but when you have 2 sets of doting grandparents that LOVVVE to junk you up with treats, this one is tough. C gave up computer and nintendo games - something I am lifting the ban for this Saturday for one day, for Z's birthday. I told her Jesus would understand - it's not every day your bff turns 10 and we'll go right back on track afterward.

I ran into someone the other day that left me very discombobulated. I hadn't seen him in literally years, and it was so strange because he approached me, and spoke like an old friend, which was nice but a bit surreal because we weren't really friends in school. Acquaintances, yes. He drove me nuts sometimes, but in general he was a good egg, and we got along well enough. Whatever, it was nice but a little... strange. He was shocked to see that I had not only one, but two children, and not even babies - the kind that go to school and can actually converse with him. The encounter was brief, and the kids were a bit confused - why was that man acting like he knew you mum? "Umm, because he does. I went to school with him." How come we've never met him before? "Because life takes you on strange paths, kiddo." What the heck does THAT mean? "You'll understand soon enough."

Ok, time to go do house-y type things before heading to work. Have a fabulous day folks.

P.S.
Here are some procedures for emergency situations.

How old are you on other planets?

So. A bit of an update. Took K to psychometric testing thinger, with a psychologist who didn't give me the impression that he was a quack, and had been working with kids for 35 years. Turns out K's IQ in academics (reading, writing, arithmetic & comprehension) is 118-120, which is above average (average being 100-110). The kid reads and comprehends at a grade 5 level (he's in grade 2) and math is around grade 4-5. His IQ in perception, logic, & something-or-other-I-forget-now is 134. That is beyond anything the doc anticipated, and he said "oh yeah, there's no doubt, your son is gifted. I see a case like his very rarely". I got to witness the testing, and even I was having trouble with some of the patterning logic etc. and I'm no dummy. Bottom line however, K has issues keeping focus, partly because he's bored with the material being presented to him, partly from external factors. He is a pretty active kid too - always moving, always on the move, however the doctor feels that it's more about him being a boy, than anything else, and he'll probably outgrow it in time. So the doctor is writing up recommendations for the school, for us, and a report for our family doctor as well.

It cost a kajillion dollars for us to find out that something we sort of already knew. Worth every god damned penny, if you ask me. Not just for the being smug that our kid is smart thing, but because we're finally getting K the tools he needs to reach his potential, as well as help him relieve some of the boredom & etc.

C came with us today for the testing, and the psych. asked her some questions, and made some observations on things she was drawing, etc, and said he wouldn't be surprised if she was also above-average intelligence etc.

Um. There's more on that topic, but I'm kind of tired now. I've been having seizures again, for the first time in years (since K was born at least) and they wear me out. I don't know what's going on; I have to go see a neurologist again.

Check out these fantastic aquariums!

This just in: Tom Jones is crazy.

This has got to be one of the neatest sites I've seen in a while. Talk about a wonderful comprehensive way to teach the kids how to navigate the night skies!!!

Today I:

- Managed to get the kids to school on time, in spite of all of us sleeping in.
- Got out of having to actually answer the phones by offering to take training on a certain aspect of the job I haven't learned yet
- Had to borrow the fil's car in order to get a friend from work so she could come over and make a soup to be judged tomorrow for entry into the "Soup's On" thing
- Comforted my daughter resonably when on the way to fil's house she tripped and fell all over herself, getting mud all over her new jacket and favorite jeans.
- Got the friend from work and got to show the kids my workplace. They were delighted that I had not only their photos up, but little things they had drawn for me were on display as well. It is one of those things that drive the point home to them that even when I'm at work I'm probably thinking of them.
- Made some kick-ass garlic cream soup. I can't even tell you how awesome it is.
- Disbursed a great sweet n' sour sauce recipe
- Got in a huge fight with my son when it was time to take friend home, as he wanted to finish watching a show. The words "I hate you" and "I wish you would disappear" came out of this boy's mouth. A bar of soap was considered for entry into said mouth but I decided to let it go. When we got home he mentioned he had had a really bad day and was tired and sorry and didn't really mean anything he said, etc etc. Man oh man. I didn't expect to hear that until they were into their teens. Isn't parenting fun?
- Got home and ignored the dishes in favor of sitting down with the kids and a book. Showers already had and pajamas on, you could see the remnants of a cruddy evening just uncoiling from them and releasing.

The really big thing I did all by myself:

- I managed to configure our wireless router so that all PCs in the house are now connected wirelessly. I also managed to set up an encryption for the wireless access in order to prevent others from reaping the benefits of our connection. I did this all by myself, within about an hour. I don't want to tell you how long today my S tried to get all this done. It was enough hours that a lot of swears were said when I told him I had it all figured out and working.

As a result, I am typing this from the comfort of my bed. Hurraz for progress, I guess.

Ok, time to finish up the last bits of GIR so I can stuff it and give it to sisterinlaw. Cheers~

I have a headcold.

I have a headcold, which means my head is full of goo.

I have a headcold, which means my head is full of goo, and I'm worried about my mother.

I have a headcold, which means my head is full of goo, and I'm worried about my mother, BUT my friends witchie & fez (but mostly witchie) sent me a kick-ass package.

I have a headcold which means my head is full of goo, and I'm worried about my mother, BUT my friends witchie & fez (but mostly witchie) sent me a kick-ass package, which made me cry.

I have a... oh fuck it.

Witchie, I got your package and it was awesome and everything was wrapped so beautifully that I was half-afraid to open them, and every little treasure I opened up just made me happier and happier, and I cried because I've had such a lousy time of things lately and this just made me so damn happy it wasn't even funny.

So thank you. And thank you. And thank you. I feel blessed, in spite of the head full of goo and the very sick mother.

So in spite of the fact that I once posted 100 damn things about myself,, I'll humor the recent thing that's going around and do only 8. I don't know that there's anything more I can really say about myself but I'll give it the ol' college try.

The rules: Each player lists 8 random facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


Here goes:

1. I really love it when in winter, it's a clear day and everything is still, and all you can hear is your own gasping breaths. And there is nothing around for miles to break that calm and the whole world is blanketed in white. The air smells and feels cleaner than it normally does, and every breath you take reminds you that you are alive.

2. In spite of the fact that my father once ran a sock factory, and my uncle runs his own business making them, I almost never wear the damn things. I do in winter, out of duty to them, but I hate it. And you know what? My son is the exact same way.

3. If you betray my trust it takes a very, very long time for me to give it back. Decades, if necessary. I'll forgive you but I won't trust you again.

4. I keep telling myself that one day I should rent all those classic movies that everyone goes on about, just to say I've seen them all, but I never really put that into action because I figure if I really wanted to see them, I would have by now.

5. I have very vivid dreams. The kind where you wake up and you are just exhausted because you did so much in your dream and it felt so real, like you were living a second life for a while. And I always dream in color.

6. I used to take the change from my father's dresser all the time when I was little. It was just sitting there and would sit there for weeks and I'd want penny candy so I'd just take it. He never seemed to mind because I wasn't sneaky about it or anything - I'd walk up in front of him even.

7. My favorite thing to snack on? Buns. No word of a lie.

8. I used to love the sun when I was a kid but now if I'm in it too long I actually feel kind of sick. I hate that because I do love the outdoors and I don't know why I've become so sensitive to heat.

SO there you have it, a bunch of completely useless information about me. I tag whoever happens to be reading this. The end.

Too fun.

Too. Funny.

In other news, I have strep throat and have been sick all week. No talk = no work, unfortunately, since like uh, 99% of my job is talking on the phone all day.

My uncle is really sick. Hospital sick. I can't really go into details because 1) I only know vague information at this point and 2) there is no 2, #1 sums it up basically.

My cousin Lola seems to be taking it ok (it's her daddy) but then she's had all week to sort of process it. I am hoping this is an eye opener for my uncle, mostly because I'm selfish and want him to keep living or some nonsense like that.

Ok I'm going back to bed or somesuch.

I have no words for this...

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/070912/oddities/russia_demography_offbeat_2

Patriot babies: Russian province holds 'Conception Day'

ULYANOVSK, Russia (AFP) - Bureaucrats in Russia's Ulyanovsk province urged residents Wednesday to do their patriotic duty and make love, with prizes for anyone producing a child on the country's constitution day in exactly nine months.

Here's an article from CNN, which I'll paste some of it here because 3 months from now the damn link won't work anyway. If Reuters sues me for it they really need to get a life. My comments of outrage are in italics.

Scientists unearth Superman's 'kryptonite'

"We will have to be careful with it -- we wouldn't want to deprive Earth of its most famous superhero!," said Dr Chris Stanley, a mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum.

Dr. Chris Stanley, I am horrified that you would unearth a substance that you know - YOU KNOW - will kill Superman. For shame, Dr. Chris Stanley. For shame.

Stanley, who revealed the identity of the mysterious new mineral, discovered the match after searching the Internet for its chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide.

"I was amazed to discover that same scientific name written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film Superman Returns," he said.

Curse you internet! Curse you, terrible movie about Superman!

But instead of the large green crystals in Superman comics, the real thing is a white, powdery substance which contains no fluorine and is non-radioactive.

Um. Well. That's interesting? And they're naming the rock Jadarite??? What the hell, Science. What. The. Hell.