spring cleaning ....

have you ever heard of frazzil ice? i had no knowledge of this trick up nature's sleeve until my cousin sent me this link to a very cool (so to speak) phenomenon. maybe we should have a family reunion there in late march or early april.

but what does it mean?

it looks like change is afoot at work. at least in our little department. word is that in another part of the country, our department got combined with two other sections of the agency. no info on what happened to the people in the new department, but it looks like we're going to be finding out, first-hand, how it'll work. it's just conjecture at this point, to us underlings anyhow, but it won't surprise me if the action does take place, and within the next few months. and why do i think it actually will happen? because last week someone from the field office was asking what kind of stuff i did in my job. when my boss mentioned the query, she said she had told the big boss a couple of things to add to whatever list he had. 'good grief,' i said, 'two things? nobody has any idea what i do -- why didn't anyone ask me?' this was just before i went home, of course. the next morning i e-mailed her a three-page list of things i do on a regular basis. and i KNOW there were things on there she'd forgotten i was doing.

it'll be interesting to see how they handle everything. are we going to be riffed? are they going to give our jobs to officers? are there so many people in the other sections that they will get rid of some of us and spread the work around to the rest? it's long been know that our office has the most work/vehicles/people-we're-responsible-for of any office in the region, and we do our work with the least number of staff. like the big boss says, life isn't fair. i'm curious to see how it all plays out. and i just keep repeating to myself the mantra that the universe is looking out for my best interests.

movie fun

if you're in the mood to take a ride in the way-back machine, take a look at this. it talks about the best special effects in sci-fi/fantasy, and it's a lot of fun. i never think about 2001-a space odyssey anymore, or the matrix, or ghostbusters, or hellboy. and i never saw some of those horror flicks, i mean, yuck! but this is a fun half hour or so and brings back memories of times not that long ago (20 yrs, 30 yrs, etc).

for better or worse, getting older makes everything seem like yesterday.

preggers?

are you trying to get someone pregnant, but just can't seem to get the job done? maybe you should make some adjustments in the way you deal with the environment. prevention magazine has some tips, e.g. never touch a cash register receipt, avoid canned food like the plague, turn off your heated car seat, and always go organic. there are a couple more, but really, it seems like good advice for all of us. well, except for the heated car seat ... those of us without testicles should be okay.

i love you but i hate YOU

and then there is the hormone which promotes feelings of love and trust. recently it was discovered it also seems to reinforce bigotry. i don't know whether to be surprised or laugh.

i'm going to do what i want and the heck with everyone else

have you noticed, lately, how many people are rude or downright nasty? when everyone gets tired of being cut out of line, or taken advantage of, or getting a ticket while others whiz on by, then it's really going to get bad.

honestly, whatever happened to decency and goodness and courtesy? there's a lot more of that kind of thing in the midwest (north dakota south to texas and a state or two on either side) than there is in the pacific northwest or the east and southeast.

but the latest thing that caught my eye was ms. huffington who talked on her cell phone the whole time she was on the plane -- takeoff, flight, landing. what about the rules? i, for one, am really sick of people who just decide they don't have to obey the rules. one person gets away with it, and then another, then the whole domino thing happens. and if anyone objects, he is vilified and reviled! all this 'me, me, and only me' is going to bring this country down. damn.

at least the vote showed that most people didn't approve of her display. that's reassuring.

dream house

oh god i love this place!! click on the 'see all 25 pictures' and try to imagine what it would be like to live there! it was made (built?) in 1969 (good year!) out of chicken wire, burlap, and polyurethane. it's a 2-bedroom, 3 bath, 4000 sq ft place on 8+ acres with lots of trees and blue skies for $194,000-- what's not to like??!!!