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)
May 29, 2009
How To Grind Coffee Beans When Everyone Is Asleep
I'm back!! (What was I thinking, planning to update 8 blogs daily ;) Monthly maybe.
So here I am, sitting at my laptop, thinking that a fresh cuppa joe might be nice (although it is 10:10 pm). The kids are asleep, and my husband is, um, snoring on the couch.
must have coffee
Unfortunately for me, I'm a little picky about my brew. It's not just that I prefer freshly ground beans, it's also that I don't have pre-ground coffee in my house. Just beans, beans, and more beans, and a noisy grinder.
I came up with this solution awhile back, and it's pretty darn funny so I thought I'd share it (ok, I think it's funny, which is maybe why I need more coffee).
I take a short and a long couch cushion into the kitchen. I put the short cushion on the counter and place the grinder on top of it. I then wrap the long cushion around the grinder, making sure that I cover it completely, top and sides. I then wrap my arms around the whole thing and lean until it starts grinding.
Once you've finished laughing (and wondering why I don't just take the grinder into another part of the house), you can read on to find out that this actually works! The cushions insulate the grinder enough so that the sound is muffled and doesn't wake anyone up. This means I can have coffee ANY time, regardless of who is sleeping nearby.
...why am I still typing?
So here I am, sitting at my laptop, thinking that a fresh cuppa joe might be nice (although it is 10:10 pm). The kids are asleep, and my husband is, um, snoring on the couch.
must have coffee
Unfortunately for me, I'm a little picky about my brew. It's not just that I prefer freshly ground beans, it's also that I don't have pre-ground coffee in my house. Just beans, beans, and more beans, and a noisy grinder.
I came up with this solution awhile back, and it's pretty darn funny so I thought I'd share it (ok, I think it's funny, which is maybe why I need more coffee).
I take a short and a long couch cushion into the kitchen. I put the short cushion on the counter and place the grinder on top of it. I then wrap the long cushion around the grinder, making sure that I cover it completely, top and sides. I then wrap my arms around the whole thing and lean until it starts grinding.
Once you've finished laughing (and wondering why I don't just take the grinder into another part of the house), you can read on to find out that this actually works! The cushions insulate the grinder enough so that the sound is muffled and doesn't wake anyone up. This means I can have coffee ANY time, regardless of who is sleeping nearby.
...why am I still typing?
May 22, 2009
Internet Explorer Issue Resolved?
Looks like everything is back to normal, at least. Meanwhile I now have Firefox downloaded and am using it as an alternate browser. It seems to work really well (I like it!) although the version I've downloaded is missing some plug-ins that I'll have to add (like Flash Player). No biggie.
The upside to it all is that in an attempt to rectify the problem (before I knew it wasn't just me that was having it), I changed my Fine Grind blog template as a way of cleaning up the code. I actually like this new template better, but wouldn't have switched and discovered it if Internet Explorer hadn't gone wonky on me. Silver lining!
The upside to it all is that in an attempt to rectify the problem (before I knew it wasn't just me that was having it), I changed my Fine Grind blog template as a way of cleaning up the code. I actually like this new template better, but wouldn't have switched and discovered it if Internet Explorer hadn't gone wonky on me. Silver lining!
May 21, 2009
Internet Explorer Problems
Ok, soooo... if Firefox opens this blog fine but not Internet Explorer, is it a Blogger issue, or an Internet Explorer Issue?
Not sure how to procede from here, other than to cross my fingers that IE & Blogger will work out the bugs. I've changed my browser to Firefox, but what about readers on IE who will simply move on when they can't open this page?
Oh the joys! Gotta love technology...
Not sure how to procede from here, other than to cross my fingers that IE & Blogger will work out the bugs. I've changed my browser to Firefox, but what about readers on IE who will simply move on when they can't open this page?
Oh the joys! Gotta love technology...
Oops... Blogger Problems
Will this post publish? We'll see... !!
So many times I've been surfing through blogs and encountered sites that would not open. Now it appears that I'm having the same trouble with this site, and "My Life With Two Kids".
It started when I made a small change to the HTML for Fine Grind. I'm very careful when I do this, and after I encountered problems I went back in and reversed the changes. The odd thing is, I didn't make any changes with the Two Kids blog, and yet that one is having problems as well. Hmmm.
The one thing I haven't done yet is restart my laptop in case it's a problem with IE. I'm going to do that next... wish me luck!!
So many times I've been surfing through blogs and encountered sites that would not open. Now it appears that I'm having the same trouble with this site, and "My Life With Two Kids".
It started when I made a small change to the HTML for Fine Grind. I'm very careful when I do this, and after I encountered problems I went back in and reversed the changes. The odd thing is, I didn't make any changes with the Two Kids blog, and yet that one is having problems as well. Hmmm.
The one thing I haven't done yet is restart my laptop in case it's a problem with IE. I'm going to do that next... wish me luck!!
May 18, 2009
Happy Victoria Day :)
Happy birthday to the late Queen Victoria, who took the throne at the tender age of 18 and then ruled until she died. Now there's job security for you ;)
My six year old and I, with the help of the internet, did a quick lesson in the British monarchy, from a look at old paintings of Victoria, to new photographs of Harry and William. Queen Elizabeth II, who is "the alive queen right now", was referred to as "very beautiful!" by my jewel-obsessed daughter.
Gotta run... must make lunch for my little Queen & her brother. Have a nice Victoria Day :)
My six year old and I, with the help of the internet, did a quick lesson in the British monarchy, from a look at old paintings of Victoria, to new photographs of Harry and William. Queen Elizabeth II, who is "the alive queen right now", was referred to as "very beautiful!" by my jewel-obsessed daughter.
Gotta run... must make lunch for my little Queen & her brother. Have a nice Victoria Day :)
May 12, 2009
Ahhhh! Chai Tea :)
...with LOTS of organic wild flower honey, and 1% milk. Yummy. Drowning my sorrows, trying to not think about hockey... (ooh!! darn it ;)
May 9, 2009
Busy With Life
I seem to be in another one of my blogging dry spells... Lately the kids have kept me pretty busy. Busy with playdates, birthday parties, trips to the park... and tonight, the TV will keep me busy with...
Canucks vs Blackhawks!!!!
C'mon, guys!!! Best of three, now. The next team to win two games takes the series. You can do it!! (Ok, well, we can all PRETEND you can do it to make ourselves feel better?) lol, or you can just do it!!!
Good luck, Nucks!!
Canucks vs Blackhawks!!!!
C'mon, guys!!! Best of three, now. The next team to win two games takes the series. You can do it!! (Ok, well, we can all PRETEND you can do it to make ourselves feel better?) lol, or you can just do it!!!
Good luck, Nucks!!
May 2, 2009
Game Two Tonight!
So far so good, vs the Chicago Blackhawks. Game one was touch and go at the end when the Blackhawks tied it up, but the Canucks were able to prevail. That makes their 2009 playoff record 5-0!
Keep up the good work guys! We'll be watching tonight :)
Keep up the good work guys! We'll be watching tonight :)
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