Scientific Nature of the Whammy

September 22, 2011

Friday Fragments: Sick & Tired

via Geek in Heels

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So, TV is back! And if you've been around here at all, you know how I loves the TV. I've been watching some new stuff - so far I have enjoyed New Girl, it made me laugh out loud several times. Also, Zooey Deschanel is just flippin' adorable. I watched Ringer with Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I'm not really sure about it yet. I also checked out Revenge, even though I wasn't sure I wanted to. It seems interesting, I'm a little intrigued by it. What new shows are you watching? Which old favorites did you enjoy this week?

I happen to be watching the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy while I type this. SINK HOLE!?! Love it. I live near Seattle, and we don't have NEARLY as many disasters as they do on this show. Good thing. Also, gotta love Derek's response to Meredith's "I got fired." He said "What did you think was going to happen?" GOOD QUESTION, GREY!

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This is hilarious.

via MamaPop

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Tomorrow, in Mt. Vernon (about 30 min south of here), they are making a 16,000 pound potato au gratin. I might go. I feel like I should because that is a huge dish and when am I going to get a chance to be around 400 pounds of cheese again?

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On Wednesday, the State of Georgia put convicted killer Troy Davis to death. I had not heard about his case before I saw chatter online on Facebook and a few blogs. I am anti-death penalty. I have not always been, but changed my mind after watching Timothy McVeigh on the morning of his execution. That day, I felt like it was absolutely wrong. I could write a whole post about it, but I really think that Amie at If You Seek Amy said it WAY better. Check out her thoughts about Troy Davis.

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And, to end on a little bit of a lighter note, here are a couple of things I've found and pinned on Pinterest lately that I love.

SO CUTE!

I want to make this SO bad. Pumpkin Coffee Cake.

HA!

Creative, fun, gift wrapping idea.

These are so adorable, I totally need one.

A photo by the lovely Lotus. So cool.

All right, that's all for this week! Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

September 13, 2011

"Awesome"

You know what is "awesome"?

When on the 2nd day of Kindergarten, your kid doesn't get off the bus.

Then you tell the bus driver that your kid is on the bus.

And he calls out his name a few times and no kid comes.

And then you are like, WTF?

Then he makes a final call and says the kid is not on his bus and that you will have to call the school.

And then you try not to totally freak the fuck out.

Then you wonder how hard he really looked. And even though you KNOW that your kid is probably fine, your heart rate is about double normal.

And then you don't have the number for the school, so you have to go back to your house.

Then you call the school and the secretary checks and says that he did get on the bus.

Then you are super pissed because they say you have to go to the middle school, which is like 20 minutes away to get your kid. And also, you are worrying that your kid will be freaking out, which is making you anxious.

And then you wonder why they are not being MORE HELPFUL to kids who started school YESTERDAY and might need a little extra help with bus stuff for a few days. Especially since yesterday, your kid was sitting on the bus and didn't get off until the driver called him and he came up and saw me. Especially since your kid is special ed, and has an IEP, and blah blah blah the bottom line is that part of his sensory issues is that he doesn't always hear/respond his name when you talk to him. Especially when he is crazy tired because he just started going to school and learning for 7 hours a day and adjusting and COME ON PEOPLE.

Then you get to the middle school and at least the REASON he is there starts to make sense since the buses are now loading up with middle schoolers. And you walk in the front door and practically bump into the bus driver.

And then he tells you that things will be okay and you can see your kid through the glass in the office and he is totally oblivious to anything being really wrong and seems pretty happy and you are relieved but at the same time you are sort of trying not to yell "WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE?" at the bus driver as he tells you that he makes sure all the Kindergarteners sit at the front but Sam must have slipped away to the middle of the bus and then he didn't respond to his name being called and I wonder why the hell the driver didn't take 5 seconds to walk down the aisle and actually LOOK for my kid and I shakily tell him that Sam is special ed might need extra help and he tells me that he has a kid with Autism who is graduating college this year and I wonder why he doesn't apologize in any way and just tells me things will be okay and both he and the secretary tell me I should remind Sam to sit in the front and watch for his stop and I am like HE IS FIVE DUDES.

And then you walk in and your kids is like, "Hey! Mommy!" and he is fine and you say woah, that was silly, you had a long bus ride and he tells you that he knows he gets off at Huckleberry Park and you are kind of like, what? You know the name of that park? And he says that the other kids were talking and he tried to get them to be quiet so he could hear the bus driver but they were not listening and then through conversation you realize that he may actually have heard his name, but didn't know he was being talked to because there is another Sam in his class, Sam V.

AND THEN YOU GO HOME AND OH MY GOD ITS ONLY THE SECOND DAY OF KINDERGARTEN AND GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Yeah, that's "awesome".

September 2, 2011

New Blog, and Stuff

Sooo.... we're moving. On Sunday. And we're only about 60% as packed as we need to be. As it is, we'll be leaving stuff behind. This whole thing happened really fast because once we decided to move I realized Sam is starting Kindergarten next week. So, we either moved fast, drove Sam to Kindergarten every day at first, or had him start at one school and transfer a week or two in. Neither of the last two options appealed to me, so here we are. Moving on Sunday. I am crazy anxious, and also, I hate packing. So much. I LOVE the arranging and unpacking that happens on the other end... but trying to get everything boxed up sucks. Luckily, since we're moving out of my father-in-law's house and no one else is moving in right now, we don't have to have everything out right away. Mostly, we just have to make sure we move all the furniture and anything too big to go in the car. We're leaving behind a lot of books and random other stuff we don't use that often, and we'll work on packing and moving it throughout September. BUT, with all this craziness, I haven't had much time to sit and write (or do much of anything).

I DID, however, manage to start another blog! Way to add more to your plate, Rachael! But, it's really not. See, a couple of weeks ago Justin and I were at Barnes and Noble looking at blank books, and there was a 5 year, one thought a day journal. I looked at it and thought it was a good idea. Just one idea each day, one tiny piece of life recorded. Of course, my first thought was not that I should buy the book, but that I should put it online. Thus, SNOTW - Life. Abbreviated. There's a button over to the right in my sidebar that will take you there if you're interested. I'm enjoying it so far, especially when I just want to get something out there. I would love to have time to write MORE every day, but it's a good way for me to make sure I write at least a couple of sentences every day.

All right, off to fill out change of address forms. Or pack something. Or pull out my hair.

August 26, 2011

Friday Fragments - Better Late than Never!

via Entertainment Weekly - Rutina Wesley, Tara on "True Blood"

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So, we're moving. Once we made the decision, it happened pretty fast. I have a whole post to write about it soon, but for now I just need to say that I HATE PACKING. I am looking around my house wanting to do it, but at the same time, it's such a pain in the butt. I was hoping that I would not be moving again for a VERY long time, but obviously that didn't work out the way I thought. Send me some kind of 'be really productive' vibes if you have them, okay?

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Do you ever look at Improv Everywhere's website? Their most recent video is "Say Something Nice." Take a look.

Pretty great. Spreading the positive is ALWAYS a good thing, isn't it? To Infinity and Beyond!

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Sam got his 'back to school' haircut this year - he was quite shaggy.

He told me that morning he wanted to get all his hair cut off. I was kind of surprised, because I've asked him a couple of times this summer if he wanted Daddy to buzz his hair and he said no. So I asked if he was sure, and he said yes, he wanted all his hair cut off so it would be like Daddy's. AWWW! It's nice being able to see his face again, but they always look SO much older after a haircut!

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Here are a couple of things that made me laugh out loud this week.

via MamaPop - you should be reading Jurgen Nation's weekly 'make you laugh' posts, because they will!

click to enlarge - via Geek in Heels

via The Greatest

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Another thing that might make you laugh if you have some spare time is reading bad boyfriend stories over at Temerity Jane. I just started reading her blog earlier this year, and it quickly became one of my favorites. She always makes me laugh, and I can totally relate to so much of what she says.

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This week I also read about how PETA has decided to have a Porn Site. You guys... Something is really wrong with PETA. So, basically they are going to put all the naked photos they've taken up.. and randomly insert horrible animal cruelty photos? I don't get it. Then today I randomly came across this old blog post about how earlier this year for 'infertility awareness week' they were offering free vasectomy (coupons?) to men who had recently had their pets neutered. Way to OFFEND people by not understanding the meaning of infertility and how hard it is for people. I am just as against animal cruelty as the next guy, but I think that PETA should take a good, long look at their methods of trying to expose the plight of animals and convince people to change it. Their message is so lost at this point it's not even funny.

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All righty, I think that's it for this week. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

August 11, 2011

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations, "Heard" items, and other small gems and put them together in a Friday Fragments post.

Friday Fragments are the brainchild of Mrs.4444 and you can find more at Half Past Kissin' Time.

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My friend posted this on Facebook this week and it made me chuckle:

$1,000 worth of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49.00 today! If you purchased $1,000 worth of shares in AIG, you would have $33.00. If you purchased $1,000 worth of shares in Lehman Brothers, you would have $0.00 today. But, if you purchased $1,000 worth of beer, drank all the beer, turned in the aluminum cans for recycling, you would have $214.00. Therefore the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg Plan.

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Does anyone else out there watch In Plain Sight on USA? The season finale was really good, but that show has THE WORST cliffhangers! I can't wait for next season already, and it's been less than a week. In other TV news, SyFy is ending Eureka after next season, which sucks. Falling Skies just got better at the end - the reveal of what's inside the Skitters? AWESOME. It was one of those shows that kind of ebbed and flowed for me, but I'm really glad it was picked up for a second season. Justin and I have also been enjoying watching Hell's Kitchen together - for some reason every time Ramsay screams "It's RAW" we both crack up.

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Last weekend, my awesome cousin Emaleigh was in town, and we got to do some fun stuff. I haven't processed all my photos yet, but here are a few of my favorites:

Silhouette Mural in Phinney

Perre's Ventaglio III @ Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle

I am not a huge art person, and not very versed in the world of sculpture. I thought this one was interesting, then I read the description of what American artist Beverly Pepper intended it to be:

One of the first sculptors of her generation to be captivated by the possibilities of industrial materials and geometric forms, Beverly Pepper achieved a cool objectivity in Perre's Ventaglio III, which reveals no trace of the artist's hand or process, but possesses the sleek appearance of a manufactured object. Light heightens the optical effect of the sculpture, whose surface reflects the surrounding natural environment, a striking contrast with the opaque blue enamel paint on the interior of each cubic form.

After reading it and looking at the sculpture, I totally GOT it and kind of loved it. Emmy wrote a great post about the sculpture park on her blog, (sometimes) blog at Emaleigh Says.

Lily in Ellensburg

Sunburst at The Gorge

Seattle Public Library

I'd never been to the amazing central branch before, and we went to check it out. It's full of amazing architecture and art, and I'm glad I got to explore it a bit! Emmy wrote another great post about that building here.

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Justin and I went and saw "The Help" on Wednesday. I read the book earlier this year after about 20 people recommended it to me, and loved it. The movie was amazing. It was incredibly well done, the casting was great, and it was just as touching and moving as the book. Justin loved it too, although he found it so unsettling that he was a little shaken. It's hard to imagine the blatant racism that occurred in this country so recently. I know it still exists, but we have certainly come a long, long way.

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Well, I'm pretty tired tonight, so I think that's it for this week! Can't wait to read more Friday Fragments tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

August 9, 2011

Marijuana should be legal... but not for babies.

Last Saturday, I attended a Phish concert at The Gorge. It was so great to be back there - I haven't been in over 5 years, and I'd forgotten just how beautiful it is. If you're not familiar with Phish, think similar to The Grateful Dead - the crowd varies, but one thing you can absolutely count on is a whole lot of pot smoking.

It doesn't bother me. I've said here on multiple occasions that I absolutely think that marijuana should be legal. I don't think that pot is any more potent than alcohol, and people get shit-canned all the time. I also think that getting high tends to be more mellow - you've probably seen 'angry drunks,' but in my experience you're not very likely to see an angry weed smoker.

Between sets, I was talking to my cousin, Emmy, about how interesting the atmosphere is of that type of show. I would say that well over 70% of the people there were smoking pot throughout the show. In other words, it's rampant. And it's pretty out-in-the-open, they check bags and do some patdowns at the gates, but we managed to sneak a kitchen knife in to cut our fancy cheese with, so it's not that hardcore. I guess it would be nearly impossible to enforce the fact that illegal drug use is happening. What are they going to do, arrest everyone? She pointed out that the amount of revenue created from a weekend of concerts where people are very, very likely to attend both shows and to camp at the venue is substantial. When I thought about it, I also wonder if the crowds at this type of show tend to consume less alcohol, and whether that makes the trek after the show any safer.

We were seated on a blanket on the huge hillside that overlooks the amphitheater. Three blankets down, there was a couple, maybe late 20's or early 30's with a baby that looked to be 4-5 months old. There were a lot of children at the show, and I'm not sure I really have an opinion about that. I would not take my child there until they were a teen, and then only if they actually really enjoyed the music of their own volition. To me, it's a hassle to bring young children to that type of concert. Not only that, but it goes very late and depending on the age, you may need to do some explanation of the drug use. The parents who did take their kids were probably very different in their parenting styles than I am, and that's fine. I'm not judging. Well, except for in the case of the woman with the baby.

Do I care that she had her baby at this concert that was loud? Not really. I used to take Sam to movies with me when he was a newborn, up to about 7 or 8 months, and he did fine. He slept, and the noise didn't bother him, and that was that. Do I care that their baby was up late? Not really. We're a night-owl type family, and when they were babies my kids stayed up late. They also slept in late, which was probably key to Justin and my sanity.

But I did care when I watched her take several hits from a pipe full of marijuana then immediately sit down to breastfeed her baby. I was so mad - how irresponsible. I'm sure many people noticed, and didn't say anything. I didn't either, but it made me sad and a bit sick. I'm not sure what I even could have said that would have been productive in any way. I think there are many ways to smoke pot or drink responsibly, even when you have children. Having a couple of drinks in the evening when you have kids? People do it all the time, and I think it's fine. But turning around and then putting that alcohol into your infant? NO.

As I sat there, I wondered if she had taken a couple of shots then immediately sat down to breastfeed if anyone would have said anything. I wondered if she would see a difference in the two if I confronted her - would she argue that it's not the same thing? I wondered if the people there would have thought that breastfeeding after drinking was more harmful, when in reality I think either one is so completely harmful to your baby. I really hope that it's not a regular occurrence, but I don't know if that's realistic.

Have you ever seen another parent do something you felt put their child at risk? Did you speak up?

August 4, 2011

Friday Fragments - TGIF!

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My cousin Emmy is visiting from Philadelphia. It's a short visit, but always awesome when she makes it over here. I'm looking forward to a really fun weekend with her and my sister Kira including a Phish show at The Gorge and a visit to the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Somehow out of all of our cousins we've managed to stay close over the years despite the distance and the fact that we only see each other 2-3 times a year. Emmy got here late Wed, then took the bus up to Bellingham from Seattle Thursday afternoon. We got to eat at Pepper Sisters and Sam showed her his trampoline. I'll try to take lots of photos this weekend!

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I saw these shoes on sale downtown yesterday and when I slipped one on they were just SO adorable. Still $40 on clearance though so I probably won't reunite with them.

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I've blogged here about how much I HATE Truck Nuts. If you still don't know what they are, or have been fortunate enough never to see any, check here. Well, it turns out that at least one person is on my side - Bonneau, South Carolina Police Department Chief Franco Fuda. He gave someone a $445 ticket for hanging those nasties on their car. I applaud you, Chief Fuda.

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I used to take a lot of pride in my nails. Kind of silly, maybe, but it's one thing I could do well, and I just like the look of some well manicured nails. Also, I MAY have a box with about 50 colors in it. Maybe. After having kids I stopped painting my nails as much, but now that Danny's a bit older and I don't have to worry about scratching him or him chewing off the polish, I've decided I want to have nice nails again. I LOVE the look of a French manicure and do them myself at home - super easy with manicure guide stickers. I have been experimenting with some other stuff lately too...

2 weeks ago - Sally Hansen Crackle over midnight blue

Last week - Pink w/black tips

Currently - Flat teal with shiny emerald tips

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This cracked me up.

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This week, I bought most of Sam's school supplies for kindergarten. WHAT? KINDERGARTEN!? SCHOOL SUPPLIES??!! I know. I can't believe it. He got a Mario Kart lunch pack and a Star Wars thermos and chose Star Wars folders too. I can't believe in only a bit over a month he'll be going to all day school three times a week.

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Well, it's almost midnight and I need to get some sleep so I have plenty of energy tomorrow. Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend. I may not be able to visit too many fragmenters until Monday, but I'll try to make the rounds!