random brain bits

I love visiting Florida.
Living there? Not so much.
But a nice week in the sunshine is just what is needed to relax, clear one's mind and start to shake off those winter doldrums.
There are record high temperatures this week.
The AC broke, so that's a bit unfortunate.
Still, i don't have to shovel heat.

Two weeks ago i couldn't close zip-top bags.
I use them every day in the studio.
I have never had any issue before, but suddenly, no matter how many times i slid my fingers down the top ridge, it wouldn't seal.
I tried different sizes and brands, but i was stymied.
What the what, people?
Then just as suddenly, last Tuesday i could close all of the bags again.
Sometimes i think my house must have been built over toxic waste and the fumes are making me hallucinate large parts of my life. It would explain a lot.

Going by someone's house yesterday on my constitutional, i saw small decorative piles of rocks placed as yard art and said, Oh look -  Inukshuks! to the no one riding along with me.
Then i paused to think, Why in the world do i even know that word? Inuit sculpture isn't something i encounter in my every day life.
It was from an episode of due South.
Betcha haven't thought about that show in a hot minute.
Who says tv isn't educational?
Upon closer investigation they were less traditional Arctic tribal art and more tiny little adorable  rock people.

i want them in my yard

Mental Morsel: the plural of inukshuk is not inukshuks as i thought, but rather inuksuit, which i have no idea have to pronounce.

Recently i heard some less than good news of a medical nature (not about me).
For the next 36 hours or so i had the Time For Your Checkup song from Doc McStuffins stuck in my head. A 43-year old woman with no children should not have to endure It's okay if you giggle; this will only tickle a little for that long.
Great. Now it is stuck in my head again.

Bonus Mental Morsel: despite sounding like most of the noble gasses (neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon) the coolant Freon is not really a single chemical, but the trade name of a bunch of different chloroflourocarbons used as refrigerants.
Generally, Freon is four times heavier than air.

I can't believe it took me the last 25 minutes searching the internet to find that this guy's name is Sir Scoopsalot.

You know i can't resist a costume character and this guy was in Hampden, hon, handing out coupons to The Charmery.

If you haven't been to The Charmery in Baltimore, you need to go now.
They make all the ice cream in-house from local milk, invent interesting flavors and try to capture the spirit of our charming, quirky city.
I highly recommend the salty caramel.
Every day is the right day for ice cream, even if it is only 30 degrees.
Or you can get hot chocolate with house-made marshmallow.

The fountain in the lake in front of my dad's house goes off at 11:47 pm or, as my dad informed me when i pointed it out, 10:47 pm before daylight saving's time.
Nice round number, yeah?
It gives me pause.

Recently -maybe the last two months-  i have been using "totes" instead of totally when speaking.
Hello 2010, what are you doing here?
I didn't use that term when it was popular.
Why in the world would i suddenly start now?
I didn't even realize i was doing it until i heard one of my charges -a kindergartner no less- use it in a sentence and realized she had to have picked it up from me.
Now i am hyper-aware of when it slips into conversation and am really annoyed with myself.
So to all of the people with whom i might have had a conversation of late, i am sorry about resurrecting this lame slang.
I think i need to go with the snapping-rubberband-around-the-wrist aversion therapy to stop myself.

And finally, to end this stream of consciousness, kittens:

Spring 2014 with Erin, Caleb, Cameron and Collin

Open letter to my #1 Fan

Dear Olga - I am sorry that there haven't been as many updates here as promised while i have keys to a house with internet. I know we both thought you'd have hours of reading material during the third shift. I had good intentions, really i did. It is just that the house with AC and internet also has a few other things, like a ginormous tv and cable and Wii. I have played so much Wii Boxing and Wii Swordplay (on Wii Resort) every single night that i can barely lift my arms above my head. My mii (who looks just like me) is about to become a professional at both things and i just can't deny her dreams. Yes, it makes me sweaty and makes my triceps ache, but she's soooooo close to crossing the 1000 point line. Did i mention the cable? I have been swooning over Food Network all week and am delighted to find that they have another channel all about cooking. I watch, i learn, i absorb, i dream and then i go home to the itsy, bitsy little kitchen in my apartment and i sigh. Plus, last night, on my way to the Blogger Dashboard i stumbled on something called Sporcle. I'm sure it has been around forever, but you know how far i am from the center of the universe. It is full of trivia quizzes and you know who loves trivia quizzes, right? I got sucked in on some literature things -gosh i love books- and time stood still. When i realized it was 12:45am i started to go back to Blogger, but a tab marked MUSIC made itself known and you know that i love music even more than i love books. Name bands, name singers, identify songs by music clips: all with a countdown clock. [you'll be delighted to know that i can type 9 of Duran Duran's 12 albums in 38 seconds, btw] At 2:30am it occurred to me that i had to get up for work in 4 hours and i wasn't even in my own house yet. Know that i haven't forgotten you and i still love you. After all, you are my #1 fan, Olga. Keep the faith and there might be pictures of chickens in your somewhat near future (once i figure out how to spell the lead singer of Dire Strait's name: knopler, knofler, knopfler, knofler...) Much love and high regards, Niki

Consider yourself off of the list

To: Entertainment Industry From: Niki RE: Unamused ********************************************************** Sirs and/or Madams- Really? Really?!? First you release my second favorite show - Farscape - on VHS. I did not buy it because i already had some crappy VHS versions that i taped off of Friday Prime when it was originally aired. Then, you released it on DVD, with each season broken into parts. I did not buy it because i did not own a DVD player. Then, you released the Starburst edition DVDs, with more special features. You know i can't resist special features. This time the seasons were packaged differently so even if one owned some of the original DVDs it would be impossible to supplement with the Starburst without missing or doubling episodes. Must you be so sneaky? Still, i only bought one cause they were pricey and i am frugal. Enter my good friend, but sometimes nemesis, EBay, where i could find some used copies in a more reasonable Niki price range. Then, you -oh entertainment industry- discontinued the Starburst editions and prices skyrocketed. The whole series is 12 DVD sets in the Starburst format and on EBay i saw ver1.1 top out at $119! What the hey?!? I can't afford 11 more sets at over $100 per set. Finally, after a year or so the prices settled a little bit. Slowly, but surely, like a giant tortoise i have saved and bid and waited and bid and have managed to get 7 of the 12 sets. At my current pace i am projected to have the whole collection in about 18 months after spending about 80 more dollars. When necessary i can have immense patience. So what the heck is THIS I hate you entertainment industry. Why must you betray me so? I waited and waited and tried to get the whole series as cheaply as possible and only after i am halfway there you release an entire BOX SET?!? It even looks like most of the special features are intact. And it takes up less room. AND it is only $100 at Sam's Club! I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. (foot stomping and general wailing here) I am a firm believer in capitalism and can appreciate the market economy, but must you so obviously be such money-grubbing, bottom feeders? I am happy to pay for your products, but stop offering 10 jillion versions of the same dang thing already. I have 3 versions of Star Wars, for goodness sakes. Just stop it. I am taking you off of the New Year's card list, Entertainment Industry, and i will not be attending your brother's wedding this summer. BTW, i want my Kenny Rogers cassette back and that scarf you borrowed last October. I'm not talking to you anymore.