Uh huh. Stoned wallabies??
Supposedly they eat the poppies, get high as a kite, and then hop around in circles. So much for the aliens theory ;)
Read more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8118257.stm
Jun 26, 2009
Jun 23, 2009
My Take On Jon And Kate
Yes, I too got sucked into the "Jon and Kate big announcement" episode that aired last night.
I used to watch the show now and then, but found myself tuning in less and less as time went on. When I watched last night I was not really up to speed - for instance, I had no idea they now have two dogs, and I had never seen their new home (wow).
The episode saddened me. Not the divorce stuff - that's fairly common these days. What got to me and is still haunting me this morning was the birthday party.
Is it just me, or was there NO ONE there? Yes I saw the "classmates and other moms", but where were the other friends and family? The Gosselins were holed away in some secluded location, with all the trimmings (balloons, bouncy castle), but with no one else around. The whole time it was on, I felt like it was just the party set up and I was waiting for the real party to start. It was like some carnival that was never advertised, so no one knew to come. SUCH a weird vibe.
Why? Because the media attention has overwhelmed them, and they're trying to escape it. In the past they've taken the kids out in public (i.e. Disneyland) and they've had a taste of normalcy. Now, I think, the Gosselins are feeling so much media heat that they're hiding from the world. Hiding, and yet parading around on TV.
Is it really their fault, or is that simply what happens when you're in the public eye? For all their faults, Jon and Kate are just like so many other people that we share our "non-public" lives with. They're no different - no better, no worse. I think originally they tried to make a good decision in regards to doing the show, but that decision has turned sour.
In my opinion, the show has become toxic for these kids. In the beginning it may have been fun, and the exposure may have been beneficial to them in regards to getting them extra help. Now, however, I can't help but fear that the seclusion they've been forced into can only impair their development.
Whatever. I'm not a child psychologist.
I am, however, of the opinion that there should be a limit to this kind of TV programming when it involves kids who aren't old enough to choose for themselves. Adults can make their own choices and take the consequences of those choices, but is it really fair to take a child and shape his or her entire life in such a way that this child becomes segregated from the rest of mainstream society?
It's not too late - they could take these kids off the air, and let some time pass. Let their "fifteen minutes" fade into memory, and into the archives of reality TV. Give them a shot at a normal life. But will they? Here's hoping.
I used to watch the show now and then, but found myself tuning in less and less as time went on. When I watched last night I was not really up to speed - for instance, I had no idea they now have two dogs, and I had never seen their new home (wow).
The episode saddened me. Not the divorce stuff - that's fairly common these days. What got to me and is still haunting me this morning was the birthday party.
Is it just me, or was there NO ONE there? Yes I saw the "classmates and other moms", but where were the other friends and family? The Gosselins were holed away in some secluded location, with all the trimmings (balloons, bouncy castle), but with no one else around. The whole time it was on, I felt like it was just the party set up and I was waiting for the real party to start. It was like some carnival that was never advertised, so no one knew to come. SUCH a weird vibe.
Why? Because the media attention has overwhelmed them, and they're trying to escape it. In the past they've taken the kids out in public (i.e. Disneyland) and they've had a taste of normalcy. Now, I think, the Gosselins are feeling so much media heat that they're hiding from the world. Hiding, and yet parading around on TV.
Is it really their fault, or is that simply what happens when you're in the public eye? For all their faults, Jon and Kate are just like so many other people that we share our "non-public" lives with. They're no different - no better, no worse. I think originally they tried to make a good decision in regards to doing the show, but that decision has turned sour.
In my opinion, the show has become toxic for these kids. In the beginning it may have been fun, and the exposure may have been beneficial to them in regards to getting them extra help. Now, however, I can't help but fear that the seclusion they've been forced into can only impair their development.
Whatever. I'm not a child psychologist.
I am, however, of the opinion that there should be a limit to this kind of TV programming when it involves kids who aren't old enough to choose for themselves. Adults can make their own choices and take the consequences of those choices, but is it really fair to take a child and shape his or her entire life in such a way that this child becomes segregated from the rest of mainstream society?
It's not too late - they could take these kids off the air, and let some time pass. Let their "fifteen minutes" fade into memory, and into the archives of reality TV. Give them a shot at a normal life. But will they? Here's hoping.
Jun 22, 2009
Leather Couches And Cats
So here we are, in week I forget how many now, of the not-so-new leather couches and cats saga.
So far so good I suppose, if you're considering the scratching post scenario. As of yet both cats have absolutely NO interest WHATSOEVER in using the couches to purposefully scratch (why do they do that, anyway? Sigh). They both use other things to "sharpen their claws" or whatever it is they're doing: one cat uses the cat scratching post that we bought and the other uses the carpet (a-ok since we're going to rip it up and install laminate one of these fine days).
However one cat (the one who scratches the carpet) cannot resist sleeping on the leather. She simply cannot help herself, and no amount of spraying with a water bottle has deterred her.
Sleeping you say? What could be the harm in that? Simple - when she gets up to jump off the couch, she on occasion has accidentally scraped the leather with her nails.
How do you get mad at that? It's so not deliberate. She's just moving herself, for heaven's sake. Arrgh.
Anyhoo, below is a sample. There's a close up shot of one of her "jumping off" scratches, as well as a further back shot of the scratch next to my husband's glasses (for scale ;) One or two of these is tolerable and not really noticeable, but if this keeps up the couches will be looking old pretty fast...
So far so good I suppose, if you're considering the scratching post scenario. As of yet both cats have absolutely NO interest WHATSOEVER in using the couches to purposefully scratch (why do they do that, anyway? Sigh). They both use other things to "sharpen their claws" or whatever it is they're doing: one cat uses the cat scratching post that we bought and the other uses the carpet (a-ok since we're going to rip it up and install laminate one of these fine days).
However one cat (the one who scratches the carpet) cannot resist sleeping on the leather. She simply cannot help herself, and no amount of spraying with a water bottle has deterred her.
Sleeping you say? What could be the harm in that? Simple - when she gets up to jump off the couch, she on occasion has accidentally scraped the leather with her nails.
How do you get mad at that? It's so not deliberate. She's just moving herself, for heaven's sake. Arrgh.
Anyhoo, below is a sample. There's a close up shot of one of her "jumping off" scratches, as well as a further back shot of the scratch next to my husband's glasses (for scale ;) One or two of these is tolerable and not really noticeable, but if this keeps up the couches will be looking old pretty fast...
Jun 20, 2009
My Puppy And His Paws
My dog loves to chase his ball, and will bring it back for us to throw to the point of exhaustion (his and ours ;) Usually we do this in the back yard, where he's running on grass. Yesterday we were talking to neighbours in the front yard, and our mutt was doing his mad retriever act on the street.
I could hear the scritch scritch sound of his nails on the pavement, but not for a second did I stop to think about the pads of his paws. He, of course, was so intent in playing ball that he didn't pay attention to how he felt.
Today I noticed him walking gingerly across the lawn. I stopped him and inspected his feet, and sure enough, the pads were worn almost raw in some spots. Poor pup!!
Needless to say he won't be running after his ball for a few days...
I could hear the scritch scritch sound of his nails on the pavement, but not for a second did I stop to think about the pads of his paws. He, of course, was so intent in playing ball that he didn't pay attention to how he felt.
Today I noticed him walking gingerly across the lawn. I stopped him and inspected his feet, and sure enough, the pads were worn almost raw in some spots. Poor pup!!
Needless to say he won't be running after his ball for a few days...
Jun 16, 2009
Rambling About Reading, Writing, and the Internet
This has become more of my blogroll page than I blog I actually post to. I log in, and then scroll down to the bottom right (where I have other blogs I read) and then I start surfing (do people still use that term?).
I'm finding lately that I'm able to focus more when I read, after struggling with my attention span in recent years (not sure why it's getting better - maybe the fish oil I've been taking?). I was an absolutely voracious reader as a kid, devouring entire books (well above my grade level) in one sitting. As an adult, however, I have trouble finishing a newspaper column.
I blame "The Google Effect". Hey why not? It makes sense. Good enough theory for me. It beats blaming pregnancy related brain loss (that's just depressing ;)
The upside of spending so much time on the net is that I'll be web savvy when my kids get here. They're already on-line, but in a very controlled and kid friendly environment. When they start to branch out into older kid stuff, I'll be the mom who's one step ahead.
I burst out laughing last night at a TV ad for www.bing.com - the new search engine: the ad showed a couple of women talking, one of them spewing gibberish because she was all Googled out. I found it hilarious, but my husband (being a non-net trades guy) was lost. I guess there's hope for my Google-affected brain yet ;)
I'm finding lately that I'm able to focus more when I read, after struggling with my attention span in recent years (not sure why it's getting better - maybe the fish oil I've been taking?). I was an absolutely voracious reader as a kid, devouring entire books (well above my grade level) in one sitting. As an adult, however, I have trouble finishing a newspaper column.
I blame "The Google Effect". Hey why not? It makes sense. Good enough theory for me. It beats blaming pregnancy related brain loss (that's just depressing ;)
The upside of spending so much time on the net is that I'll be web savvy when my kids get here. They're already on-line, but in a very controlled and kid friendly environment. When they start to branch out into older kid stuff, I'll be the mom who's one step ahead.
I burst out laughing last night at a TV ad for www.bing.com - the new search engine: the ad showed a couple of women talking, one of them spewing gibberish because she was all Googled out. I found it hilarious, but my husband (being a non-net trades guy) was lost. I guess there's hope for my Google-affected brain yet ;)
Jun 12, 2009
Bear With Me...
...while I tinker with some HTML. I'm still learning ;) I'm using this post to try a few things, so it may keep changing...
Jun 7, 2009
Have A Cuppa AdSense
Coffee coffee coffee ;)
I just noticed that all the ads between the posts on this blog are coffee related (grinders, beans, etc etc). How in keeping with the blog theme! So I suppose if I want that to continue, it means I have to keep talking about coffee. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with AdSense, the ads are automatically generated based on the content of your blog, so that your audience is more likely to be interested).
At the moment (coffee) my daughter has a friend over, and they're (beans) playing in the back yard -
...wait, I can do better than that:
At the moment my little bean of a daughter has a friend visiting. They're too young to go for coffee, so at the moment they're in the back yard, the sound of their happy voices filtering through the window. The two girls, with my son, are a good blend of fun!
(Heh heh)
I just noticed that all the ads between the posts on this blog are coffee related (grinders, beans, etc etc). How in keeping with the blog theme! So I suppose if I want that to continue, it means I have to keep talking about coffee. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with AdSense, the ads are automatically generated based on the content of your blog, so that your audience is more likely to be interested).
At the moment (coffee) my daughter has a friend over, and they're (beans) playing in the back yard -
...wait, I can do better than that:
At the moment my little bean of a daughter has a friend visiting. They're too young to go for coffee, so at the moment they're in the back yard, the sound of their happy voices filtering through the window. The two girls, with my son, are a good blend of fun!
(Heh heh)
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