Random Tuesday Thoughts: Too Much Stupid?

You wanted it, you got it.  Find out whose fans are more stupid.  Based on Twitterers who are fans of "famous" people.

I am determined to ride RAGBRAI in 2012.  But first I need to start biking.  Oh, but before that, I need to get a new bike.  And before that, I actually need to get out to several bike stores and look at bikes.  I probably should also learn a lot more about maintaining and fixing bikes, and how RAGBRAI works here in 2010-11-12.  I'm thinking I need to sign up with a charter company.  Well, lots to learn before the snow flies.

My brain is really mush.  Which is funny, because the kids are heading back to school and have to get into gear with the whole thing.  Good luck to them.  I'll just continue to coast along.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  You know, in elementary school when they asked you that?  My ambitions--first female president.  Yeah, I know, I'm a little behind in that goal.  In order to acheive it, I figured I needed to be a lawyer.  Yeah, missed that one, too.  What the heck am I doing now?  Oh, yeah, this. (Well, not exactly that organization, but what they represent) We're bringing history to life, one person at a time.  (Sounds like I'm raising zombies)

My husband is turning forty soon.  I feel like we need to make a big splash about it, but he's not all that excited.  It's interesting, I saw an FB status post from a friend who was mourning her 20s, as she was turning 30 soon.  Basically, I told her no sweat, the 30s are awesome.  And I'm looking forward to the 40s as well, because my kids are bigger and then can take care of themselves more.  It's all around a good deal.  Which is why I can't understand mourning your 20s or 30s.  Life just keeps getting interesting.

I wanted to plead one more day of Prisoner of Summer (POS badge up in the corner), but I think I need to move on and get my calendar straight for the fall.  Soccer, dance, practices, events, work, play, it's all coming to a head and it will be a downhill slide to the holidays.  So busy!

Click the button for more random.  It's fun, you'll see.

Seriously?

I don't know, these weird me out.  Ick.  See them here.

Not so famous quote, but one you should ponder

Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom to never have to encounter anyone who doesn’t think or live the way you do.

--James F. McGrath comment on Unreasonable Faith.

Ok, now discuss....

Thursday Goodness

We should appreciate having our indoor toilets and sanitation facilities.  Some people aren't so lucky in the world.  I think we need to keep top of mind the fact that probably the majority of the planet doesn't share in the wealth and luxury we take for granted.

Standing in a Really Long Line: Toilet Queue Serves Indian Village Effort to Promote Sanitation Awareness

In honor of World Toilet Day, nearly 850 Janadesar villagers aligned themselves in front of this newly constructed toilet. Eighty percent of Janadesar’s households have access to a toilet, making the village a leader in sanitation issues in the region.

Random Tuesday Thoughts: So I'm behind...

I didn't mean for Tuesday to get away from me.  To keep this random, I am sure you have all see the stuff about the crazy Chinese traffic jam.

Oh, and when your daughter says that Pinkie Pie needs new batteries because she sounds funny, just say you don't have the right screwdriver to get to the batteries.  Or you will get renewed sing-along with Pinkie Pie episodes that haven't been done in months, but now are suddenly the best thing since sliced bread. (and NO I did not buy that thing at $129.  I didn't know they had gone up so much in value.  I will be Ebaying that baby later.)

I think zucchini is an astringent.  I grated two extremely large zucchinis to freeze later for bread.  I squeezed out a lot of juice (different websites advised that), but now my hands feel all tight and dry.  Yuck.  Where's my lotion? (and those things I thought of all while I was in the bathroom.)

I recovered on Monday from a fantastic 12 hours at Irish Fest on Sunday with my kids and my Irish friend and her kids.  We did a lot, but not all of it.  I am sure we could have used a couple of days to do everything.  We did, however, get to see Gaelic Storm, my daughter's absolutely favorite Irish band (I like them a bit too).  They started out in Cali, but are made up of ex-pats.  They got their big break as the band in the steerage section in the movie Titanic.  It may be the only band she knows, but she loves the music.  I even found out Gaelic Storm was doing autographs.  It was brilliant (to use an Irish phrase).

Here she is getting the autographs.  (there was a splash pad at the place, so she had just been in her swimsuit splashing and was still too wet to put her shorts on.  Sorry she looks half dressed.)  They were very nice to her.  It was like an assembly line, but they gave her a couple of posters, some temp tattoos and signed her bag, too.  If I had known, I would have said that her favorite song was What's the Rumpus?  You'll find out why in a minute.

Irish Fest has these neat family passports and every stop has some type of craft or thing to do.  These were black shamrocks you scratched off to make a design and see colors underneath.

Many, many acts from the US and Ireland, and other places I am sure, were on hand for great entertainment, including musicians, poets, dancers.  These are kids from the area that had learned to play Irish instruments in a band.  They were pretty good.

Tug o' war contests, a few hurling matches with a chance to try hurling with a hurley.  You could buy drums and whistles, jewelry and clothing.  Some Irish food, but none of us thought that was all that great.  Which is too bad.  This would be the chance to showcase good Irish food.  The mead was really good though.  We didn't make it into the Jameson tent for our flight of whiskeys.  We had kids with us, you know.

Topped off the evening with Gaelic Storm concert.  Since it started at 7:30 pm, we thought we could stay for a bit with the kids.  We stayed the whole time.  It was a blast.  Except that they didn't play What's the Rumpus? My darling girl was a wee bit disappointed at the end of the concert.

(I know, it's a beer advert, but honestly, I don't think the kids noticed.)

We were having too good a time.

She's a concert goer alright.  She screamed her head off at intervals throughout the whole concert.  

 

(Pay no attention to the lady in the short sleeved green shirt.  Though her disposition at this moment may scream "Wild Child" to you, it's really a hoax with smoke and mirrors.)

Better randomness can be found by clicking the button at the beginning.  Keely has threatened to make a new one.  I don't know if I need to go and get one yet or not.

Thursday Goodness (yeah, I think this counts)

NPR article about the flap about Laura Schlessinger who said some things that people didn't like, then she quit, saying she had to get her 1st Amendment rights back.

The gist of NPR's article is that she has always had her first amendment rights.  What she didn't have was economic freedom to say what she wanted.  When she quit her show that depended on advertising to pay for her and everyone else's salary, she gave herself freedom from economic pressures.  By going through her blog and You Tube and books, etc, she targets her specific audience and doesn't have to please a larger more general audience that advertisers often target.

I'm glad someone puts it straight.  Thank you NPR.  See the article here.

I really should be asleep, but for that stupid Coke at 4 pm...

Mind on overdrive, not sure why.  I am tired, but I don't want to sleep.


So, it's a good thing I'm listening to recent top 40 hits or I wouldn't have known what my son was singing when he went, "P-p-p-p-p-p-pokerface, pokerface" out of the blue.  He doesn't listen to the radio at home or in the car, so I said, "Where did you hear that?"  It seems their PE teacher fancies himself a sometimes DJ and was playing it during gym.  It is a little strange to hear it coming out of your ten year old boy.

Mr. Wild had a good comment about 9/11.  "It was men that were the terrorists, not a religion."  They were rehashing Obama's comments on the radio and a person argued that if it had been Christian extremists we would not be that up in arms about them building a church near the towers' site.

If you were to get a tattoo, where would you put it?  I'm taking a survey.  Or maybe you already have one in a favorite spot?

I keep wanting to get up early and go to the gym.  Doesn't help that I am staying wide awake at night.

I need to find a book title for book club and I'm fresh out of ideas.  I should probably go to the library and just browse the shelves.  I had checked out the next book for September for our group, THE HELP, but it came due, I hadn't started reading it and I couldn't renew it.  Appears to be a hot read.  So I hope it is good.  We just finished DROWNING RUTH, but I totally spaced the meeting night, which was okay, because I hadn't read the whole book yet.  It was a fascinating story, but I had to read the end early on and I think it ruined the suspense for the rest of the book.  Also, in the 1910s and 20s, I don't think one could take a car from Milwaukee to Chicago there and back in one night.  There were no interstates, no street lights in the rural areas, and probably rutted roads in the countryside.  That was a bit unbelievable in the book.  I hate traveling 40 minutes to get to a restaurant, so to believe the characters tooled all around south eastern Wisconsin was just not working for me historically.

Maybe I'm tired now.  Thanks.