Sprizee :: A simple girl replete with complications

Candy Amnesia

For the past three months, I've successfully avoided the large bags of Halloween candy at Costco.  Not because I didn't think that many kids would stop by the house, but because I knew if I bought a bag that large more than 3 days before October 31st, the sucker would be gone long before the kids started knocking down the door.  So today I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple gallons of fresh apple cider to surprise my coworkers, and a few bags of candy.  Then I completely spaced on the Halloween candy bit.  Damn it.

So help me Allah, I will not be one of those people that hands out fresh fruit, floss or a toothbrush.  Maybe I'll just pass out blog URLs instead.  Speaking of Halloween, go ask Egan what his costume is going to be this year.  Just like him, it's awesome.

Fourth and Towne

People!  The Gap has opened new stores in Seattle under the brand, Fourth and Towne.  There's one in Pacific Place and it just opened on Wednesday.  I guess there's also one in Alderwood (way up in North Seattle), but if I'm going to drive up to Canada to go shopping, I'LL DRIVE UP TO CANADA. 

Rock the vote.

Selecting interior paints colors is hard work but I've finally narrowed it down to two options for the living room.  Now I want to hear from the peanut gallery.  If you were painting this living room would you pick Bay Laurel or Spanish Moss?  (If you click on the swatch it will throw it up on the wall for you.)  Technology is neat.  But still not neat enough to be able to do that thing from Total Recall when Sharon Stone goes to paint her nails and all she has to do is wave this magic wand, and poof, new color.  Damn you technology.  Why must you taunt me?

Like clockwork.

I've had enough tea with honey in the last 3 days to drown a whale.  The furnance is cranked to 70.  I've got two shirts, a cashmere sweater, a scarf, jeans, socks and slippers on.  A box of tissue by my side.  Fresh squeezed orange.  Fresh fruit.  Homemade tuna noodle casserole for lunch left over from days ago. I haven't been outside since Sunday. I felt perfectly fine Sunday night.  Monday morning I woke up with a sore throat.  Tuesday I woke up cursing the fact I was out of NyQuil.  Today I woke up in disbelieve that I was still sick.  So I'm sucking it up and working from home today.  No need to spread my germs around the office. 

Cold, please vamos already.

This American Life: Now free!

Why did it take me until yesterday to hear about This American Life offering free Podcasts?  I guess God really does want me to keep riding the bus.  Okay God. You keep me entertained with Ira Glass narratives and I promise to carpool with a bunch of insensitive strangers who never think about carrying an umbrella, get soaked waiting for the bus, and then decide to park their soggy ass on the seat next to me.  Deal.

Three things from the seminar I attended today.

It was pretty un-awesome of me when talking to a client to mention that I was pro-head shaving and anti-horseshoe hair pattern growing.  And why?  Because the presenter at the event, who was standing directly behind me AND WITHIN EASY EARSHOT, was sporting a horseshoe hair pattern.  I am the queen of putting my foot in my mouth.  The queen.

A good 75% of the audience at this event differed significantly from my view of technology and the world wide web.  Example?  One person actually raised her hand and asked, "Can you show an example of the IM?"

Remember those cool beer hats with the straws?  Well, this is the latest in beer gluzing technology/fashion.  Apparently the inventor has already made 1 million dollars off it.  It sounds like a horrible idea to me.  But HE'S RICH off it so what the hell do I know? 

Bzzz.

Yesterday I worked from home while some guy from Sears sucked dirt out of the air ducts.  It was noisy, cold, and costly and I wouldn't recommend doing it at your place.  But I was hoping he'd take some of the dust, dustmites and other unknown allergens that are causing me to feel like I'm dying every damn day, along with him; in which case it was totally money well spent.

One of the many advantages of working from home includes the fact that once you're done for the day you don't have to drive anywhere.  You simply have to close the laptop.  Or in my case, close the laptop, grab some tulip bulbs, turn your robotic vacuum on, and step outside with your trusty spade.  And maybe your camera too.

What the heck do ya mean?

Shit. I just opened my big mouth and now I might be spending Halloween weekend in a cold, isolated place called Fargo.  On the bright side, I now have an excuse to go shopping for a new parka.  On the dark side, it's FARGO (my car is broken and I just bought a house).   Are you crazy?  I can't afford a new parka!

You can run but you can't hide Brian Joe Hackett.

The biggest lie EVER has to be that this bio doesn't list Wings anywhere. C'mon now. I know you're trying to avoid being typecast or remembered as the dorky, straight-laced brother on Wings but seriously. That's your thing.  Just own it.

Danger, matches may lead to fire.

I found this article on preventing computer laptops from spontaneously combusting really informative.  But I'm surprised they didn't also mention to avoid dunking your laptop in gasoline, kerosene, or bacon grease and then taking a match to it. C'mon.  If you set your laptop down on a pile of blankets and don't expect the sucker to overheat and possibly start a fire, you probably also don't think it's a problem to pile a large stack of newspapers and kindling in front of your furnace duct, set the thermometer to Death Valley Hot, and then take off for a long weekend. 

And if that's the case, you've probably already burned down your house a time or two and I'm sure the fire department has you pretty well covered on the putting flammable things next hot things might start a fire lecture.  Spare the rest of us from the common sense "news" report, would you?

And in other news, this weekend I had fun with my 1940s circa plumbing.  Boo.