Month: January 2011

I am in the weeds today, literally and figuratively.  It rained yesterday, preventing me from giving my roses the TLC they desperately need, and it’s raining work this morning, which is good for The Profession Of Which We Do Not Speak but not so much for the writing and blogging ‘should attend it. (With apologies to Shakespeare, though none to Lady Macbeth). How, you ask, did I know my Monday was in the weeds?  Let me offer you some guidelines. 1. I walked into my partner’s office to discuss a business issue while simultaneously stapling some documents together.  Before leaving

(original story via The Consumerist) Everyone knows we should change our passwords often, and that for security reasons we should use words so long, complex, and filled with leetspeak (H4xx0rz!) that only a 19 year-old programmer from Singapore could understand them (ok, on second thought that might not be the individual you want guessing that he can reach your bank account by typing “Y0MamaWearsUnder00z” but you get my point). Most of us also tend to use similar passwords for similar sites, and seldom change them as often as we should. (Hint: If you’ve changed your name more recently than your

Yesterday, while writing, I remembered the old proverb and poem: For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. …which led me to wonder exactly when horses began wearing shoes. I’d done the research before, but given that my mind bears more resemblance to a colander than a fireproof safe, I’d forgotten the answer long

January 24, 2010: National Compliment Day I once heard it said that it takes seven compliments to undo the negative perceptions created by one harsh complaint.  Whether or not that’s accurate, it’s always a good idea to let people know we appreciate what they do.  A simple compliment (and sometimes just a smile) often goes a very long way. How many times have you found yourself smiling just because a stranger smiled first? Just this morning, someone told me “It’s nice to see you” under circumstances when no compliment was socially required.  I’ll be honest – it made my day.

January 21, 2011 is official “Hugging Day.” Now, I’ll be honest here, I’m not much on hugs unless they come from people I actually know and care for.  The idea of hugging a stranger gives me the willies.  Still, I was willing to take one for the team and at least hug the people I care about until I discovered that January 21 is also…. … National Fetish Day. Take a minute and think that juxtaposition over. Yeah. Creepy. So while I’m glad to know there’s a day dedicated to letting friends and others know we care, please keep your

(Titled “Revenge of the Drive-Thru ATM” in draft form.) Two nights ago I took Tesla out to practice his driving skills.  After seventeen laps around the neighborhood, he suggested a run to Pinkberry before going home.  (Note: He knows I am unable to resist coconut Pinkberry with fresh raspberries and chocolate chips.) On the way to the Pinkberry we stopped by the bank to pick up cash (as I’ve noticed an unwillingness on the part of Pinkberry staff to provide me with frozen yogurt unless I give them money in return).  As we pulled into the drive-thru ATM lane I

Many thanks to Belinda Kroll (aka Worderella) who recently honored me with the Stylish Blogger Award.  While I’d like to think I earned it with perfect prose, I’m thinking the template designer might be more to blame thank.  Either way, big thanks to Belinda for the honor. According to the rules, the newest “Stylish Bloggers” must show off that style by: – Linking back to the person who gave you the award. (Note: if you don’t already read Belinda’s blog, it’s interesting and I recommend you stop by.) – Giving 7 facts about yourself (a rule I’m modifying in my

January 18, 1871.  Versailles, France. “The boom of a gun … rolls above the voices in the Court hailing the Emperor King.  Then there is a hush of expectation, and then rich and sonorous rise the massive strains of the chorale … as the King, bearing his helmet in his hand and dressed in full uniform as a German general, stalked slowly up the long gallery, and bowing to the clergy in front of the temporary altar opposite him, halted and dressed himself right and front, and then twirling his heavy moustache with his disengaged hand, surveyed the scene at

I am not a patient person.  In fact, if I had to name my biggest faults, impatience ranks exceptionally high.  Although I’d like to be the Great Dane reclining gracefully on the sofa of life, in reality I’m the terrier in the corner, running in spastic circles with periodic breaks to gnaw the furniture. Which makes me a great candidate to teach a teenager how to drive. But when I recovered from the flu this weekend I decided to put a good face on it, screw my patience to the sticking point and teach Tesla  to drive. The driver training

January 13, 2011: official “Rubber Duckie Day.” In honor of the occasion, I’d like to share some special facts about Rubber Duckies. 1.  The “Rubber Duckie” Song was made famous by Ernie of Sesame Street.  (Statistically, I’m guessing that 35% of residents of the United States between the ages of 35 and 50 know the words to at least one verse.) 2.  According to the Boston Pops Orchestra, a rubber duckie is a percussion instrument.  (No lie, check the link above.) 3.  When a British tabloid claimed Queen Elizabeth had a rubber duckie in her bathroom (a duck with a