Saturday, February 28, 2009

Don't say ROFLOL unless you're actually rolling

For the first time I actually ROFLOL. This is one of 28 pictures of Do/Don't when raising baby. The Don't images are, of course, obvious but so funny!
One quick warning: if you click through the random images on the linked site some are not, uh, family friendly. Use your discretion. http://www.fukung.net/v/8234/f1bfac554f153545f2a956fd9a52104c.jpg

Blueberry Picking



Apparently I'm a person who uses a lot of colloquialisms/idioms in my every day speech. Many times I'm asked "what does that mean"? So I've started making a list of things I say that people aren't always familiar with. Here's a starter list and the meanings:

Frumpy - clothing style that usually consists of bagging, careless clothing i.e. sweatpants, large baggy t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.

Moot point - it generally means "of no practical importance; irrelevant". In one of my favorite Friends episodes Joey explains moot point (or "moo point") as "It's like a cow's opinion. It doesn't matter".

Mrs Grundy - An imaginary character, she personifies the censorship enacted in everyday life by conventional opinion. Basically she's the neighbor who watches through her curtains to see what you're doing and pass judgement on you for it. I first heard of her through Heinlein's books but the character actually dates back to a play by Thomas Morton in 1798.

Sometimes rubbing blue mud in your belly button is an indispensable survival trait - Also from author Robert Heinlein, it's a way of saying that sometimes you do things that don't make any actual sense but you do them anyway because the society you're surrounded with expects you to.

Shiny - When someone asks how I'm doing, instead of saying "good" or "ok" I say "shiny". It's from a T.V. show called Firefly. While watching it I picked it up and it seems to have stuck.

Blueberry picking - Yes, this one is obscure and family related. When an older sister was at a friend's house talking with other classmates the friend's mom suddenly said "blueberry picking!" which had absolutely nothing to do with what they were talking about. Since then when someone starts talking about something completely unrelated to the conversation we say they're blueberry picking.

Once in a blue moon - describes something that happens rarely. A blue moon (by the more recent and popular definition) is the second full moon to occur in a single month. This happens, on average, 41 times a century, or once every 2 1/2 years. An older definition defines it as the third full moon in a season that has 4.

Enough to make a cat laugh - a cat doesn't "smile" so it would have to be pretty funny to make a cat laugh.

Hair past a freckle, eastern elbow time - I can't find the origin of this one but it's a response for "what time is it?" when you're not wearing a watch (or when your kids keep asking every 5 minutes).

A lick and a promise - a superficial effort made without care or enthusiasm. "I didn't have time to clean thoroughly, so I gave the room a lick and a promise."


Some sayings that people get but I just happen to like:

The bee in my bonnet - preoccupied or obsessed with an idea.

It's colder than a well digger's butt - My grandpa used to say this. I've also heard it as "wetter than" instead of "colder than"

Busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest

If dumb was dirt he'd cover 'bout an acre

A horse of a different color - currently known to mean that something makes a difference, making it another matter entirely. One guess of origin is a phrase in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare) where it's used as "horse of that color", though in that case it was used to describe a similarity (as in, no matter the color, it's still a horse) rather than a difference as it's now known.

As pleased as Punch - Punch and Judy, puppet characters. My mother has heard of the puppets, it's new to me. I know the phrase but I never knew where it was from. Punch's character is depicted as self-satisfied and pleased with his evil deeds.

A riddle wrapped up in an enigma - a puzzle, difficult to solve. It's a variation on a Winston Churchill quote.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Jazmine





Today I had lunch at a restaurant called Jazmine. It's across the street from work but in almost 2 years I've somehow never been there. The decorating in there is really cool, lots of curves. I had the basil chicken (very tasty).

In another first I had my kitty spayed today. Previously all of my cats have come to me previously fixed so this was new. After surgery they put a "cuddle bear" in with the kitty while they're still drugged up and recovering and Pixel really liked cuddling with it. My poor little baby.


Monday, February 23, 2009

Looms



I made a new scarf today using a loom. It came out very pretty and it's extra long which is just the way I like my scarves. Technically this is my "new thing #5" but for #4 I made a 3 story house of cards that my kitty knocked down before I could get a picture of it. I think I'll need to do that one again so I'll have a record. So anyway, here are the pictures of my finished scarf.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Origami Flowers


Origami flowers sounded like an interesting diversion this afternoon. My instructions were completely in Japanese so I think that they came out well, considering I had to guess what some of the instructions meant. I started with a dozen tulips (I made my vase out of a McDonald's child sized cup) and made a very funny looking daisy that looks more like a sun instead. I think the iris turned out beautifully, though. My daughter helped me make the tulips and she is amazingly good at folding for being just 5 years old. I'm so proud of my baby!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Oscar Mayer

Yes, the whistle has now been around (per Kraft) since 1952. But somehow I have never actually owned one (since I can remember, anyway). So now I have had my picture taken with the Oscar Mayer Wiener Wagon and have my very first Wienie Whistle!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

My first something new


Okay... So for my first something new I tried asparagus. Yes, may sound a little strange, but I've never had it before. Very much like a bitter green bean. I'm told if cooked better with garlic butter it tastes better so I am willing to give it another try but I do still prefer green beans or peas for a green vegetable. They're harder to cook wrong. :)

30 years

Starting in 24 hours, I am officially closer to 40 than to 20.

I have stopped trying to find myself and started creating myself.

So today is my 30th birthday. Just for fun I googled "turning 30" and I came across a blog about a project someone started on their 29th birthday where they did something new every day for a year leading up to their 30th birthday. I don't know if I can do it for a whole year but today I am starting 30 something news (and I'll keep it going longer if I can). I am going to do something each day I've never done before. Some of them are going to be very simple, some possibly more involved. I'm open to suggestions as I only have about a dozen things written down so far. Yes, I know what you are thinking and no, that is NOT a promise to do them no matter what. But ideas are certainly appreciated. So wish me luck and lets hear what you've got!