In recognition of the LONGEST short week ever.

Why do short weeks feel long?
If we're weak or we're strong
I just want more than one
Weekend out in the sun
Without having to bring work along.

Postits

Google: Zany

Zany
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Amusingly crazy or clownish.

If you object to this definition, then you may be in the company of the compilers of several current dictionaries. It’s a hard word to pin down—we all think we know what we mean by it, but we may find describing it in plain English surprisingly hard.

That may have something to do with the way the word has evolved. It was first a noun, to describe a performer in the commedia dell’arte, an improvised Italian comic form of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The zany was a foolish servant, a buffoon, who attempted to mimic the actions of his master, himself a clown. The servant was given the generic name Giovanni (the Italian equivalent of John), much as English servants of the same period were frequently called Andrew (indeed, one English equivalent to the zany was a merry-andrew), or as a Glaswegian might call someone Jimmy as an all-purpose name. In time Giovanni turned into zannie and we imported it in that form.

Its first use in English was exactly equivalent to the Italian, “a comic performer attending on a clown, acrobat, or mountebank, who imitates his master’s acts in a ludicrously awkward way”, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it. This dates back as far as Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost in which Berowne says that a trick must have been carried out by “Some carry-tale, some please-man, some slight zany”.

Zany quickly evolved related senses, first contemptuously suggesting someone who was a hanger-on or toady, then somebody who played the fool for the amusement of others. The noun survived almost to our day; Tennyson wrote in 1847 that “The printers are awful zanies, they print erasures and corrections too, and other sins they commit of the utmost inhumanity”. But that –y ending made the word look like an adjective, and that is how it has more and more been employed, until now one really can’t use it as a noun. Here’s an example from 1978: “Television shows that lean heavily on the brand of humor known as ‘zany’, consisting largely of sight gags and the sight of appealing people making cheerful fools of themselves”.

But the essence of zaniness surely must be that the foolish behaviour is gently unconventional, unexpected or idiosyncratic. ‘Crazy’ in its much-diluted sense sums it up.

Discourse courtesy of World Wide Words.

Natural Selection at its Finest.

Man severs penis to prove faithfulness

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A man who apparently severed his penis in an attempt to convince his wife that he was faithful to her was recovering after surgery to reattach the organ at a northern Malaysian hospital, a news report said Tuesday.

The 41-year-old man, who was not identified, got into an argument last Friday with his wife, who found a text message on his mobile phone from another woman. The man was heard by his son shouting that he wanted to prove he was not having an affair, the New Straits Times reported.

The assertion was followed by loud screams and the man emerged from his room bleeding profusely, his 14-year-old son quoted as saying. His wife rushed him to hospital.

I'm sorry. Was this supposed to PROVE something? All it proves is that he shouldn't be having more children.

"Where does Mohair come from?"

My old roommate asked this at lunch on Saturday.

I hesitated for a moment.

My fiance jumped right in.

"It comes from the Mo of course!"

Sorry to burst your bubble dear.

From Wikipedia:

Mohair is a silk-like fabric made from the hair of the Angora goat. Mohair is durable, light and warm. Mohair is used to make sweaters and other clothing and blankets. It is also popular material to make teddy bears.

The word was adopted into English before 1570 from the Arabic mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally 'choice', from khayyara, 'he chose'.

Mohair should not be confused with the fur from the angora rabbit which is called angora. During World War II, U.S. soldiers wore uniforms made of wool. Worried that domestic producers could not supply enough for future wars, Congress enacted loan and price support programs for wool and mohair in 1954. Despite these programs, wool and mohair production declined. Nevertheless, the U.S. government continued to provide subsidies to mohair producers until 1994. As of 2002, mohair producers were still able to receive special assistance loans from the U.S. Government.

Wanted

Wanted
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

For more funnies go here.

The Weekend Recap.

DaVinci Code
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I thought I would take a few brief moments to recap the weekend and all the fun I had. And you know any good weekend involves movies and knitting!

Friday afternoon, the vacation gods bestowed upon us a half day off for the good holiday fortune. So I got out of work at 1pm and ran some errands. Then my sweetie and I went to see The DaVinci Code. I'd heard the critics panned it, but I found it to be an enjoyable movie. Sure the book was better (they always are!) but I thought the cast was amazing - Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany, and Ian McKellan. Other than a few moments of cheesy dialogue ("Get me to a library!"), I really liked it.

Saturday we slept in a bit, brunched with my old roommate and her new boyfriend at Sisley Italian Kitchen at Westside Pavilion. Yummy! Then we headed down to the beach to have dinner with my parents at my favorite restaurant of all time: The Bottle Inn. If you haven't been and you live near the area, you HAVE to go.

Sunday, we slept late again and then headed out to Anaheim for a little ARRRRR! We met up with Light and her crew for a delightful birthday adventure complete with large drinks and much swashbuckling and cheering. I'd say that this adventure was geared more toward the under 10 crowd, but I'd recommend anyone with kids go and have a piratey good time!

Yesterday was just hanging out, getting some work done, and spending one last day together before I have to go back to work. I LOVE that Wes is here for so long - it's starting to feel like we really live together.

Finally - the movies.

* Firefly and Serenity - I group these together because Serenity is the movie version/conclusion of the TV Series. We LOVED these. I'm sorry that I didn't know about Firefly when it was on TV, because it's really fun. I was a little surprised at some of the ending parts of the movie (won't give them away!) but I'd highly recommend.

* The Way of the Gun - This movie had a great cast (James Caan, Ryan Phillipe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis) but sort of failed to deliver (hah! if you've seen the movie you'll get the pun there!). In all honesty, I'm not sure what the point of it all was. Not sure whether I'd give it a thumbs up or not.

The entry in which I steal humorous content from other people's blogs...

bumperbush
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

My English teacher told me it's not stealing if you give appropriate credit. Please thank Crazy Aunt Purl for this photo goodness.

And try to survive this horrible Tuesday (that feels like a Monday) with your sense of humor still intact.

Thank you Google!

There's nothing I appreciate more than coming into work and finding a little gem of wisdom from Google:

Empty tissue boxes can provide easy and handy storage for plastic grocery bags.

There you go folks. Google has spoken.

ARRRRRR!!!!!

Light & Fluffy
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Sneers and Jeers
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Coco-NUTS a.k.a. Admiral Rumworthy
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Thank Goodness this is a Holiday Weekend!

Getting there...
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I got out at 1pm today and have been getting errands done and generally enjoying not being at work ever since.

Wes and I are both looking forward to a weekend filled with DVD's, R&R and a few activities with my parents and friends. (Pirates....ARRRR!) I'm looking forward to the extra day to spend with him. And of course maybe possibly a little extra knitting time.

You can see the blanket is coming along nicely.... now I just need to start on birthday gifts and other gifts galore.

So long... and thanks for all the fish.

My thoughts exactly.

My thoughts exactly.
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

[This entry intentionally left blank.]

Creepy to the Nth Degree

9264646_240X180
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Woman's Toes Licked By Man Hiding Under Car

Police in Tulsa, Okla., are searching for a man who hid under a woman's car at a Wal-Mart parking lot and then licked her toes as she loaded groceries into the vehicle, according to a report.

The woman said she was at the Tulsa Wal-Mart located near 81st Street and Lewis when she felt her toes being licked.

She assumed it was a dog but when she looked down, she saw it was a man lying under her vehicle.

"I felt something lick my foot," the woman said. "I looked at him and I said, 'What in the hell are you doing?'"

For the coolest ass in town...

Black Toilet Paper
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

One MUST have Renova Black luxury bath tissue.

"Elegant, sophisticated, rebellious and eternally fashionable. Black has become virtually synonymous with chic and style but whilst it is often present in avant-garde creative work, no one has ever dared to use it for toilet paper until now! The idea is definitely different, yet there's something appealingly startling about it. Today's homes are becoming more open, less compartmentalized, more exposed to public view, and considered as places for social contact, sharing and interaction. People now view their houses or apartments as an area in which they can fully express their distinct, individual personalities. Now what could be distinctly more personal than a sign of differentiation in the lavatory?"

Really, what are they thinking?

As my coworker has so studiously inquired, "But, how will I know when I'm clean?"

Edited to add: I was just thinking about this. When you buy those colored party napkins the color often streaks off when wet. So do you end up with black dye tracks?

Horrifying.

nepal-everest-big
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Hillary rips climbers who left dying man

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Mount Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary said Wednesday he was shocked that dozens of climbers left a British mountaineer to die during their own attempts on the world's tallest peak.

David Sharp, 34, died apparently of oxygen deficiency while descending from the summit during a solo climb last week.

More than 40 climbers are thought to have seen him as he lay dying, and almost all continued to the summit without offering assistance.

"Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain," Hillary was quoted as saying in an interview with New Zealand Press Association.

I don't know which of these three things I find worse:
1. This has happened before.
2. This happened now.
3. This will happen again, and probably again after that.

If you want to read more about the dangers of Everest and how it can bring out the worst and the best in humanity, a must read is Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air.

"Oops. I think I might have farted on your ____."

The news as it's fit to print:

• Today's Quote of the Day
  
  Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
  
  -Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719)
  
  
• My favorite part of Firefly thus far:
  
  Book: What are we up to, sweetheart?
  
  River Tam: Fixing your Bible.
  
  Book: I, um...
  [alarmed]
  Book: ...what?
  
  River Tam: Bible's broken. Contradictions, false logistics - doesn't make sense.
  [she's marked up the bible, crossed out passages]
  
  Book: No, no. You - you can't...
  
  River Tam: So we'll integrate non-progressional evolution theory with God's creation of Eden. Eleven inherent metaphoric parallels already there. Eleven. Important number. Prime number. One goes into the house of eleven eleven times, but always comes out one. Noah's ark is a problem.
  
  Book: Really?
  
  River Tam: We'll have to call it early quantum state phenomenon. Only way to fit 5000 species of mammal on the same boat.
  [rips out page]
  
  THANK YOU RIVER!
  

P.S. While camping...MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE...ALLEGEDLY...you know.

"Just looking at your face makes mine hurt."

story.elephant
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So I survived Monday and now I'm halfway through Tuesday. School starts again tonight. Please join me in issuing a great big BLECH to grad school.

Today has been a pretty quiet day so far, compared to yesterday.

However, in keeping with the animal theme (started yesterday with the Monkey), I now give you "Tales of the Pachyderm: It's not Just Humans who are Fat"

Pachyderm won't pace to keep off pounds

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- So far, it's only the trainers at the Alaska Zoo who seem to be breaking into a sweat.

They've so far made little progress trying to coax Maggie, a somewhat cantankerous African elephant, onto the world's first treadmill for a pachyderm.

For two months, Maggie's trainers have used her favorite treats -- watermelon, apples, carrots, peanuts in the shell, banana slices and sweet potatoes -- to entice the 8,000-pound elephant into exercising on the $100,000 piece of equipment.

Maggie arrived at the zoo in 1983 as a calf when her herd in Kruger National Park in South Africa was culled. She has been alone since December 14, 1997, when the zoo's other elephant died at age 33 of a foot infection.

The treadmill is part of a $1 million program the zoo launched two years ago to improve Maggie's life after deciding to keep Alaska's only elephant instead of placing her at another facility, perhaps in a warmer climate, with more elephants.

The treadmill, made with the help of a company that designs heavy-duty conveyor systems used in mining, was delivered to the zoo in September. Lampi said they originally hoped to have Maggie taking walks on it by the end of November.

P.S. The title has no relation to the post.
P.P.S. I MAY OR MAY NOT have uttered this phrase whilst camping this weekend. ALLEGEDLY.

When I die...

My Tombstone
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So my family has all sort of rules about how we are to be buried.

1. Bury us in warm, dry climates.

with execeptions

1a. We do not want to be buried.
1b. Scattering us out at sea is ok, even though it doesn't qualify as a dry climate.

Yesterday night I watched Tristan and Isolde which I thought was a fabulous movie. It was set just after the fall of the Roman Empire. I took two things from this.

* The British "buried" their dead by putting them in boats with brush and sending them out to sea. When the boats were away from the shoreline, marksmen shot them with arrows of flame.

* The Irish made funeral pyres. The ashes were then placed in an urn and the urn could be kept in rock formations near the sea.

I announced to my fiance last night that the former was the way I wanted to go: in a boat out to sea.

HOWEVER, today I found this tombstone. It's perfect for me. Now what do I do?

Stolen from WineGuy and NBC4.com

1 Of Every 136 Americans Now Behind Bars

1,000 Inmates Added To Prison Rolls Weekly

WASHINGTON -- Prisons and jails added more than 1,000 inmates each week for a year, putting almost 2.2 million people, or one in every 136 U.S. residents, behind bars by last summer.

THIS MEANS THAT ALMOST 1% OF THE U.S. POPULATION IS BEHIND BARS.

Ok well .7%

What is our world coming to?


P.S. If I stole this from WineGuy and NBC4 does that mean I need to be behind bars?

Just monkeying around.

Popsicle.
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So I got to work slightly after 8am this morning and now it's 3:30 and I'm pooped. I had 6 new interns start today and I was in charge of an office-wide pizza party at lunch. I started about 7:45am at the market for sodas and ice, then swung by the local deli for bagels and sweet treats. The rest of the day was a blur of elevators and stairs.

But this picture reminded me of one of my favorite little parts of camping this weekend. We found a general store within walking distance of our camp site and bought a couple Big Sticks. You remember those orange and red and yellow popsicles? They were a throwback to the ice cream truck at the park in my childhood.

Anyway, now I'm just killing time until I can home to my sweetie.

"You spit like a girl"

Big Bear
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Howdy folks! Back from a weekend of camping and a little R&R. Only damage so far seems to be that we're both a little burned from our 4-5 mile walk on Saturday.

Big Bear was absolutely lovely, if not a little chilly (boy can that wind pick up off the lake!) We arrived midday Saturday and set up camp, took a LONG walk around the grounds, had some lunch and took a nap. Then we found an amazing restaurant lakeside (Lakota's by the Lake) and had a great dinner. In the evening we had a campfire and drank a bottle of blueberry mead that Wes made. The next morning we had breakfast and headed for home.

Sunday was just a lazy day. After we got home we watched some movies (started the Firefly series on DVD) and then headed to bed early.

Now it's Monday morning and it's raining and I have a serious case of the "Mondays". On the bright side - at least I don't have to wash my dusty dirty little car - the rain took care of that for me.

P.S. The title of this post MAY OR MAY NOT have originated when we MAY OR MAY NOT have been spitting on the hot coals and I MAY OR MAY NOT have become doused in my own spit. ALLEGEDLY.

Gone Camping.

camping
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

My sweetie is here and we're heading up to Big Bear for my virginal camping trip.

(Yeah yeah yeah, but I've never been camping!)

I guess we won't be snowed in like this poor chap, but it's supposed to get into the 40s at night. Good for snuggling!

Back late Sunday!

Fact or Fiction

You tell me.

Are these your friends?

In an homage to Chris, I decided to list some of the "friends" that keep cropping up in my beloved spam folder. If any of these are your friends, tell them I don't want their stinkin' ephedra penis enlargement free credit card emails any more.

Not my friends.

• Justin Joyal
  
• Gerwulf Millar
  
• Claudio Serquis
  
• Isabella Bird

And the weird ones.

• Conchobhar Mingus
  
• Tercero Shiffer - Shiffer the third.
  
• Alf Brookover - Any relation to ALF on tv?
  
• Adalbert Ayers
  
• Salacia Powley - That's positively gossip worthy.
  
• Hopcyn Swigert
  
• Nowell Heuser - A long lost cousin of Doogie Howser
  
• Jaganath Gillies - Beware the JubJub Bird and shun the frumious bandersnatch. Hee hee I said snatch.
  
• Nola Stovall
  
• Coursing O. Maricela
  
• Flouridates Eustachian - Your ear canals will be full of flouride.

The great Countess Dink...

The great Countess Dink has told me that Pat Robinson told her (through MSNBC) that God told him that a Tsunami would hit the US soon.

So folks, beware of the outdoors and take your umbrella with you wherever you go.

On the restorative powers of music and fresh air.

Piano
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Piano Found Near Summit of Mountain

LONDON - Volunteers tidying up Britain's highest mountain have found a piano near the summit, a conservation group said Wednesday.

The instrument was discovered at the weekend under a pile of stones near the top of the 4,418-foot Ben Nevis, according to the John Muir Trust, which owns part of the Scottish mountain.

Well YODEL-LAY-HEE-HOO. Brings new meaning to that old classic "The Hills Are Alive... With the Sound of Music."

***UPDATE: I asked some friends to postulate how such an implement might have reached the top of a mountain. I recieved the following limerick in reply.

On the mount of Ben Nevis, Scotland's loneliest peak
Stands a piano of who's history no-one can speak
It was hoisted there by twelve crazy men and a cart
Not sure if the endeavour can be called all that smart
Only clever thing is, it will never sink or spring a leak.

Quote of the Day

This world is divided roughly into three kinds of nations: those that spend lots of money to keep their weight down; those whose people eat to live; and those whose people don't know where their next meal is coming from.

-David S. Landes, author, professor of economics and history (1924- )

Not just a knitter...

Magazine Collage
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Occasionally I drag out my magazine collection and my shears and come up with something a little creative.

This is for a coworker's graduation book. I hope she likes it!

Can you guess what I've been reading?

Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Ok folks, I'll give the punctuation a rest after this last entry.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you have even a passing interest in writing or the English Language, Lynne Truss will crack you up repeatedly.

One final quote:

As Joseph Robertson wrote in an essay on punctuation in 1785, "The art of punctuation is of infinite consequence in writing; as it contributes to the perspicuity, and consequently to the beauty, of every composition."

P.S. Yes, this is how I pass slow days at work. Don't you wish you were me?

Grammatical diseases.

The Pluperfect Virus

By Cybersatirist Bob Hirschfeld of bobsfridge.com
(This column originally appeared in The Washington Post's Outlook section)


A new computer virus is spreading throughout the Internet, and it is far more insidious than last week's Chernobyl menace. Named Strunkenwhite after the authors of a classic guide to good writing, it returns e-mail messages that have grammatical or spelling errors. It is deadly accurate in its detection abilities, unlike the dubious spell checkers that come with word processing programs.


The virus is causing something akin to panic throughout corporate America, which has become used to the typos, misspellings, missing words and mangled syntax so acceptable in cyberspace. The CEO of LoseItAll.com, an Internet startup, said the virus has rendered him helpless. "Each time I tried to send one particular e-mail this morning, I got back this error message: 'Your dependent clause preceding your independent clause must be set off by commas, but one must not precede the conjunction.' I threw my laptop across the room."

A top executive at a telecommunications and long-distance company, 10-10-10-10-10-10-123, said: "This morning, the same damned e-mail kept coming back to me with a pesky notation claiming I needed to use a pronoun's possessive case before a gerund. With the number of e-mails I crank out each day, who has time for proper grammar? Whoever created this virus should have their programming fingers broken."

A broker at Begg, Barow and Steel said he couldn't return to the "bad, old" days when he had to send paper memos in proper English. He speculated that the hacker who created Strunkenwhite was a "disgruntled English major who couldn't make it on a trading floor. When you're buying and selling on margin, I don't think it's anybody's business if I write that 'i meetinged through the morning, then cinched the deal on the cel phone while bareling down the xway.' "

If Strunkenwhite makes e-mailing impossible, it could mean the end to a communication revolution once hailed as a significant timesaver. A study of 1,254 office workers in Leonia, N.J., found that e-mail increased employees' productivity by 1.8 hours a day because they took less time to formulate their thoughts. (The same study also found that they lost 2.2 hours of productivity because they were e-mailing so many jokes to their spouses, parents and stockbrokers.)

Strunkenwhite is particularly difficult to detect because it doesn't come as an e-mail attachment (which requires the recipient to open it before it becomes active). Instead, it is disguised within the text of an e-mail entitled "Congratulations on your pay raise." The message asks the recipient to "click here to find out about how your raise effects your pension." The use of "effects" rather than the grammatically correct "affects" appears to be an inside joke from Strunkenwhite's mischievous creator.


The virus also has left government e-mail systems in disarray. Officials at the Office of Management and Budget can no longer transmit electronic versions of federal regulations because their highly technical language seems to run afoul of Strunkenwhite's dictum that "vigorous writing is concise." The White House speechwriting office reported that it had received the same message, along with a caution to avoid phrases such as "the truth is. . ." and "in fact. . . ."

Home computer users also are reporting snafus, although an e-mailer who used the word "snafu" said she had come to regret it.

The virus can have an even more devastating impact if it infects an entire network. A cable news operation was forced to shut down its computer system for several hours when it discovered that Strunkenwhite had somehow infiltrated its TelePrompTer software, delaying newscasts and leaving news anchors nearly tongue-tied as they wrestled with proper sentence structure.

There is concern among law enforcement officials that Strunkenwhite is a harbinger of the increasingly sophisticated methods hackers are using to exploit the vulnerability of business's reliance on computers. "This is one of the most complex and invasive examples of computer code we have ever encountered. We just can't imagine what kind of devious mind would want to tamper with e-mails to create this burden on communications," said an FBI agent who insisted on speaking via the telephone out of concern that trying to e-mail his comments could leave him tied up for hours.

Meanwhile, bookstores and online booksellers reported a surge in orders for Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style."

Those Overzealous Punctuation Fiends

The American writer Paul Robinson, in his essay "The Philosphy of Punctuation" (2002), says that "pretentious and overactive semicolons" have reached epidemic proportions in the world of academe, where they are used to gloss over imprecise thought. "They place two clauses in some kind of relation to one another but relieve the writer of saying exactly what the relation is." ...it does sound as if Rbinson is a bit worked up. "The semicolon has become so hateful to me," he says in in seriousness, "that I feel almost morally compromised when I use it."

-Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Overheard at Work

WineGuy: Went to the dentist today. They confirmed I have teeth.

Me: Well that's good. I always knew the aliens did a good job when they fabricated you to look like a human.

WineGuy: Could have worked a bit more on the tail though.

The perfect little thing for summer.

knittank
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

A knitted pink tank!

"A knitted, pink tank from the Danish Army (related to the knitted pink motorcycle in Georgia). Part of an art exhibition and created by Marianne Joergensen plus appr 1000 volunteers (knitters) from around the world who knitted the squares 15*15 cm which MJ then stitched onto the tank."

Apology

Apology
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

If this scarf could talk it would say "OMIGOD I'm a complete idiot and totally forgot we had dinner plans last night and I just hope I can make it up to you."

Yeah so the knitter is the one who sucks, but the knitted goods are a peace offering. A curly scarf in 2 skeins of Ironstone Mohair in a beautiful blue.

The Grammar Police

The confusion of the possessive "its" (no apostrophe) with the contractive "it's" (with apostrophe) is an unequivocal signal of illiteracy and sets off a simple Pavlovian "kill" response to the average [grammar] stickler...This is extremely easy to grasp...If you still persist in writing, "Good food at it's best", you deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave.

-Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Quote of the Day

"Lawks-a-mussy, what sort of punctuation chickens are we at the beginning of the 21st century?"

-Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Speechless.

Grey's Anatomy
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Tonight's 2 hour season finale was in a word amazing. I couldn't even breathe during the ending montage - it was that good. I can't wait for next season. It's going to be a long summer.

Darth Tater

Darth Tater
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

The latest from the Spud Wars - Darth Tater and Artoo-Potatoo. Coming to a farm near you. Check out the whole spud fleet at Hasbro.

Artoo-Potatoo
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

The latest in doggie fashions...

The latest in doggie fashions...
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I have never been a pet person. My parents were fairly anti-pet, so the most we ever had were a few goldfish (that invariably kicked the bucket not too long after we won them at carnivals and birthday parties).

Anyhow, I know people who have pets, and have watched how attached they become to their pets.

However, I was totally unprepared for my coworker to walk in this morning and proudly announce that she'd bought one of these for her two Chihuahuas.

That is CRAZY with a capital CRAZY.

It's just SO SMURFY!

smurfs_smurfette
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

A Smurfin' Movie Deal

Fans of a certain animated tribe of small, blue woodland creatures haven't gotten a lot of love lately: No new TV episodes, no old TV episodes on DVD (outside of a couple of import releases), no real news on a long-rumored movie.

Now, finally, things are looking rather smurfin'.

A 3-D, CGI-animated Smurfs feature film will bow in theaters in 2008, Daily Variety reported Tuesday. The extravaganza from Paramount's Nickelodeon Movies will be the first in a planned trilogy, it said. According to Newsweek, the project has been trying to get off the ground since at least 2003.

"Dude, a Smurf movie?" went a message-board post on TheMovieBlog.com after Newsweek noted a film was nigh. "That's the smurfing best thing I've heard in smurfing forever."

Like the Transformers, the Smurfs were a phenomenon of the 1980s, unless one lived in Europe, where the characters have been mainstays since 1958, when Belgian artist Pierre Culliford, better known as Peyo, introduced them in the comic pages. The new movie's planned release date supposedly is tied to Smurfdom's upcoming 50th birthday.

Peyo's creations--the aforementioned small, blue woodland creatures who lived in homes shaped like mushrooms, whistled happy tunes, conjugated the word "smurf" in any way they saw fit, and named themselves Ramones-style (Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, etc.)--blew up as big as any Transformer robot in 1981 when The Smurfs debuted on NBC. The Hanna-Barbera-produced series won two Daytime Emmys, moved much merchandise, from Smurf-Berry Crunch cereal to countless figurines, and dominated Saturday morning TV until 1990. A 1983 big-screen adventure, The Smurfs and the Magic Flute, grossed $11 million, per the box-office site The-Numbers.com, even though it was nothing more than a retitled, redubbed version of a 1976 Belgian-produced movie.

There was no word on voice actors for the new film. The Smurfs' family recently lost Gargamel, the bad, and Baby Smurf, the good, in the death of performer Paul Winchell. Don Messick, who voiced Papa Smurf and others, died in 1997. Smurfette, meanwhile, lives. Lucille Bliss, who gave high-pitched voice to the tribe's lone female member, is 76, and still working.

As for Peyo, he died in 1992. His progeny, however, has kept right on their merry way.

Feed Me, Young Grasshopper

Grasshopper
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

The above title is another stunning example of the many ways in which punctuation changes the meaning of a sentence.

For instance I could have said "Feed Me Young Grasshopper" which would have been entirely different.

Wes and I spoke tonight about planning for our upcoming camping trip in Big Bear (this coming weekend).

He forwarded me some recipes for emergency survival. With a little easy prep you too can enjoy Cremed Grasshopper. Check out family favorites such as Ant Flambe and Earth Worm Spaghetti.

All in a weekend's work.

Knitting on parade.
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So here's what I've been up to this weekend:

Modeled on Mr. Bear the lovely iPurse destined for the UK and Ms. Freya.

Modeled on Mr. Panther, the Curly Scarf, a stash buster extraordinare. (Acutally I've just been dying to try this pattern out.) It takes a manly panther to wear a curly scarf.

To the left we see our ongoing Wavy Blanket.

And finally, in the foreground with some creative blocking tools the first square for Warming Grace.

Now I'm off to watch a movie and then spend Mother's Day with my mommy!

Advertising Brilliance.

I love my Mac.

But I LOVE the newest Mac commercial.

Check out Network here.

This iPurse is for you!

iPurse II
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Dear Ms. Freya Bug -

Your iPurse is on its way!

All the best,
Evil Knitting Girl

A bit of blonde knitting humor.

A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway.

Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting! Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, "PULL OVER!"

"NO!" the blonde yelled back, "IT'S A SCARF!"

News tidbits that make you go HMMMMMM....

• LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton unveiled her new video game on Thursday, but inexplicably called it by the wrong name as she greeted throngs of fans and photographers.
  
  
• LONDON (Reuters) - More than 60 percent of Britons use items such as screwdrivers, scissors and earrings to remove food from between their teeth, according to a survey published Friday.
  
  
• LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wheelchair-bound Los Angeles woman, who has repeatedly filed lawsuits over access for the disabled, got up and ran after police arrested her for fraud, authorities said on Thursday.
  
  
• TOKYO (Reuters) - How about a little relaxation with your robbery? A burglar gave a 35-year-old woman a shoulder massage for several hours after breaking into her apartment in central Tokyo and tying her up, police were quoted as saying Friday.
  

That's all the weird news that's fit to print. Happy Weekend!

5 1/2 Weeks

5 1/2 Weeks
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

'Tis a picture filled day.

Just thought I'd share the progress on my waves blanket. At this point it's measuring a few feet and knitting up to be heavy and warm.

As much as I'm loving knitting this, I'm itching to try some other new things as well. I've found a few small projects that are for good causes and will knit up quickly so I may sprinkle them throughout longer projects to break them up a little bit. So far I'm going to knit an iPurse, some squares for Warming Grace, and maybe some socks and/or scarves for the Dulaan Project.

Duck Duck Redu(ck)x

Duck Duck Redux
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I shall call them Donald and Daisy.

Hopefully they won't procreate in the pool.

Extra Extra Read All About It!

The Daily Devil
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Create your own here.

Self Portrait Wednesday

Self Portrait Wednesday
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Things that make me laugh:

• The sign on the church I passed today that said "When you contribute to God, you always get change."
  
• The restaurant near my house named "Dear John's"
  
• Treating myself to a great haircut and color for my birthday - $200; Getting a brand new birthday outfit - $29.00; Fulfilling my Taco Bell craving for a bean and cheese burrito - PRICELESS (or $1.71)
  

Things that don't make me laugh:

• Having teenage acne at 28.
  
• The sheer number of LA drivers who CANNOT drive.
  

What IS my obsession with squares??? (also known as "Getting what you asked for and then deciding it isn't what you wanted")

Square
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So all my life I have tended toward the edgy and modern, less towards the traditional. This means that most of my life is lived in vivid colors. I shun pale pinks and blues in favor of aqua and burgundy.

So I thought I was a square girl. Let me explain.

For years I idolized the Tiffany Princess Cut ring. You know the one, the one every girl loves (which is here for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about). I wanted that Princess Square like I never wanted anything else. I loved looking at it longingly in magazines and visiting the site.

Then I tried it on. (Well ok it wasn't Tiffany's, but I tried on a similar Princess Cut.) And I HATED it. The square on my hand looked horrible. That plain stone that I had thought I always wanted wasn't anything like what I really wanted. And I ended up getting something full of round diamonds, with a unique setting that I'd never seen anywhere.

*takes a brief break to apologize to all those women who have princess cut single stone rings because she's sure they're beautiful, they just aren't for her*

So where was I? Oh yes, square obsession. For years I thought I was a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. I wasn't as social as my sister, I didn't seem to fit in very well with the people around me, I found most of the parties and liquor in college boring. Yes I was SQUARE. Except - I loved being around people. And now in my life more than ever, I find that I have a group of friends. I talk to and hang out with more people today than I ever have. And that "separation" I felt from everyone else - I hate that. I'm getting to be more rounded, and finding where I fit in. And I don't want to be square. I want to let loose and have a little fun.

Which brings me to tonight. You've all read my stories about getting my nails done. I decided tonight I wanted something different - a beautiful white tip manicure. And secretly, way down deep inside, I've always wanted square white tips.

Yeah you see where this is going.

The man who did my nails tonight is excellent. He is without a doubt, the best manicurist I have ever sat for, and recently I've sat for quite a few. He did an impeccable job on my nails. They're gorgeous. But you know what?

I don't like square nails.

Hah. Big surprise right?

The Underwear Fairy

tinkerbell
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I haven't always been into fairies - I probably owe my interest in them to Light, who is in love with all things fairy. In recent years, however, I have developed a growing affection for Tinkerbell.

I never imagined that I'd be the Underwear Fairy though. See my wonderful fiance keeps collecting free Pink Panty coupons from his school newspaper, giving me endless fun at Victoria's Secret. Apparently it has made me very popular at work too, as now I am the girl with the free panty coupons. I think the Underwear Fairy is much more glamourous though.

Unfortunately this "season's" supply has run out. Check back soon for more updates, and more coupons if Vicki's obliges us. (And if Wes is willing to be seen rifling through the Wildcat newspaper collecting panty coupons, an obvious confidence in his manhood.)

Albondigas, Lotion and Joyriding on a Mower

Yes, it's been a slow news day today. Work has been practically non-existent due to E3 which makes all the bosses want to go play with electronics downtown. That combined with the fact that they're drilling on the roof (read: right above my friggin' head) means that I took an extra long lunch today.

My companion and I headed to Souplantation. He being of a more discerning palate, and having tremendous skill in the kitchen tasked me to taste the Albondigas and deliver a summary of potential ingredients. After which I tortured him by parading him through Victoria's Secret so I could pick up more free panties. AND I got a free sample of lotion! I think I lost him somewhere in there while he stared at the rich crimson WALLPAPER of all things. And no, he's not gay. He just apparently has no interest in women's undergarments.

And finally, I leave you with something that could only happen in that great heartland we call the Midwest. Even with the ducks yesterday, I doubt you'd see this in LA.


Man Arrested for Drunken Mower Driving

VERMILION, Ohio - Police have arrested a man accused of operating lawnmower while drunk. Dondi Bowles, 50, was arrested about 9:45 p.m. Friday as he drove the mower on a sidewalk.

Police said he had used the mower to drive to a store about a mile from his home and was arrested on his way back. Police had the lawn mower towed.


***UPDATE: Fiance confirms my suspicions regarding the Midwest. "I think there is actually a guy around here who drives a riding mower because his license is suspended." That's Kansas for you.

Happy Lost Sock Memorial Day!!!

Lost Socks
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Tomorrow May 9, my friends, is Lost Sock Memorial Day. I originally heard of this wonderful day whilst reading a recent issue of my new favorite magazine, Real Simple.

For those of you who don't want to click, here's what that means:

Lost Sock Memorial Day recognizes your drawer full of unmatched socks. Each unmatched sock represents a missing sock. We never throw away our unmatched socks. After all, it may show up someday.

On Lost Sock Memorial Day, we suggest you spend a little time (as little as possible) searching for those missing socks. After a (very) brief search, and in good "Memorial" spirit, spend a minute reflecting upon how warm and comforting the missing socks were on your stinky toes. Then, by all means, get on with your life. Today is also a good opportunity to toss out all of your unmatched socks.

Don't Do It Man!

I was surfing a few weeks ago and found this and it just cracked me up. Enjoy!

Committing MySpacecide

By Momus | 02:00 AM Apr, 25, 2006

Briefly, on November 13th, 2005, I was a friend of Tom. I'm talking, of course, about Tom Anderson -- male, 30-years old, based in Santa Monica, California, and founder of MySpace. The man with $580 million and nearly 50 million "friends."

The MySpace page was online for just 48 minutes. Barely long enough to tell the world my relationship status, sexual orientation, body type, ethnicity, religion, zodiac sign, smoking and drinking habits, income and company affiliations. To receive a message telling me to "read the FAQ and give Tom a break." To upload the most flattering photo I could find. To notice that Tom had been added automatically as my first friend, and that Tom's favorite music included Billy Joel, Oasis, Guns & Roses and Whitney Houston ("particularly The Bodyguard soundtrack").

I don't know what made me delete it. It just looked ugly: the page layout, the blue writing. I felt like a sheep, letting social pressures, memes and fads herd me around. I wondered why I needed yet another social networking website to check: After all, I was already on Friendster and Japanese network Mixi, not to mention LiveJournal, a network organized around daily content rather than mere profiles and links. Mostly, I just wondered why I needed to affirm tenuous affiliation with a new set of ghosts.

A couple of weeks ago I had lunch with an old friend of mine, an early pioneer of multimedia who used to be a kind of digital exhibitionist. He once put online a highly provocative autobiography. After falling victim to identity theft, he's had a change of heart.

"The thing to be now is untraceable," he told me. "Wipe every reference to yourself off the internet. Make yourself ungoogleable. Why tell criminals, corporations or the government all that stuff about yourself? Why do the spies' job for them?"

A bit later, I heard about someone who'd committed "Friendstercide." He'd killed his Friendster page, announcing that from then on he'd only be contactable by phone and e-mail. So I guess you'd call what I did last November "committing MySpacecide."

It sounds radically self-destructive, but the opposite situation would be much worse. Imagine dying for real, dying physically, but lingering on as a digital ghost, a presence on a MySpace page collecting obituaries and tributes. It's already happened to quite a few MySpace users. A website called MyDeathSpace, for instance, collects dead MySpace users' pages. It has over a hundred, and adds more each day.

The sad fact is that more and more of us, as we invest ourselves in the web, entrusting intimate personal information to garish pages, are destined to leave hastily-constructed, poorly-designed memorials online when we die, trivial shrines whose guest books and comments sections will continue to grow even as we rot, puffing up slowly with hackneyed, repetitive, ghoulish, unintentionally funny tributes.

Eventually, of course, these pages, too, will follow us into oblivion. Tribute activity will level off, some administrator or relative will delete us, the networking brand itself will fall out of favor, its elderly owner will also die, and even his satirists will stop maintaining their spoof page about him. Out of fashion, replaced by new technologies as yet unimagined on infrastructure as yet unbuilt, the network will change hands a few times and close.

There's a short cut to the same nirvana, though: You could make today the day you commit MySpacecide.

From those crazy folks at Yahoo:

superman-returns
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Why does Superman wear his underwear on top of his clothes?

Superheroes are a strange breed, often doing things we mortals don't understand. Why does Superman wear his unmentionables on top of his clothes? Hey, man, who the heck knows! Why does Wonder Woman bother with an invisible jet? Why does the Hulk insist on sporting purple pants? Such questions plague us, and if we had the chance, we'd move to Tibet and ponder them for a year. But our time is limited, so let's set our sights on Superman's skivvies.

According to Superman through the Ages, several theories attempt to explain the origin of his peculiar costume. In a 1940 comic, Superman says he invented the costume himself from "cloth immune to the most powerful forces." (Look out, Tommy Hilfiger.) A few years later, it's revealed that Superman's adoptive mother constructed the outfit from blankets found wrapped around the infant when he landed on Earth.

More recent comics state that the costume "acquired its indestructibility...as the result of being transported from the planet Krypton." Well, OK, but why does the Man of Steel dress like an '80s aerobics instructor? If we had to hazard a guess, we'd say it's for aesthetics and nothing more. Without the red trunks, he'd look like a male ballerina in blue pantyhose. And not even Superman could pull off that look.

Duck. Duck. Pool.

Mallard
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Welcome to Monday morning. I woke up earlier than usual to get some work stuff done, and in anticipation of my final tonight. BLECH!

I also thought as I was walking out of my apartment complex this morning that I heard a duck quacking. Nuts, you say? Well where else would you find two ducks swimming in a 70's style kidney shaped pool? Why in the center of my complex in West L.A. of course. What else could be more normal?

Princess for a day.

28th - Wes & Laura
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Yesterday I was gifted with a tiara to wear to my birthday celebration. Let me tell ya, it's good to be royalty.

Thanks to everyone for their good wishes and for coming out and celebrating!

A day of great things...

margarita
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So this is the original post I had planned. Enjoy!

• May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). There are 240 days remaining.
  
• The Northern Hemisphere is considered halfway through Spring on May 5, since there are usually 92 days in that season of the year.
  
• Mexican troops under General Ignacio Zaragoza successfully defended the town of Puebla on May 5, 1862, temporarily halting France's efforts to establish a puppet regime in Mexico. With the U.S. absorbed by the Civil War, Emperor Napoleon III hoped to create a French sphere of influence in Latin America. The victory is commemorated as a national holiday in Mexico.
  
• 1891 - The Music Hall in New York (now known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
  
• 1893 - Panic of 1893: Crash on the New York Stock Exchange starts a depression.
  
• On May 5, 1925, high school science teacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in one of Tennessee's public schools. Scopes had agreed to act as defendant in a case intended to test Tennessee's new law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in its public schools.
  
• The Netherlands: May 5, Liberation day (1945)
  
• 1961: Alan Shepard becomes the first American into space
  
• 1988: A live broadcast from the top of Mt Everest is made for the first time, by Japanese TV
  
• What's hot in 1978: We Are The Champions - Queen, Take A Chance On Me - Abba
  

So y'all need to come down to Kingshead tonight (for those of you that are local) and help me celebrate this fine, fine day...

AND OF COURSE MY 28TH BIRTHDAY!

Birthday Surprise!

Birthday Surprise!
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

So I had this really cool post about Cinco de Mayo and my birthday and all the neat things that have happened on this day in history.

And then just as I was about to post it my phone rang.

And Wes was outside.

TOTALLY TRUMPS ANYTHING I HAD PLANNED.

I love you baby and I can't wait to marry you.

And yes, I was surprised.

The Ultimate in Online Pharmaceuticals Spam

The reason this is called spam. Would you want to buy any of these drugs?

NEWSFLASH FOR SPAMMERS: Spell the drugs right you dumb toads.

Vliragra - $3.3
Levitnra - $3.3
Cialxis - $3.7
Imitrrex - $16.4
Viomxx - $4.75
Amablem - $2.2
VaIioum - $0.97
Xaneax - $1.09

Best regards,
Online Pharmaceuticals

And of course a little poetry from our non-speller:

It is never too late to learn.
A lost friendship is an enmity won.
Tomorrow is another day.

This little gem brought to you from:

Trellising H. Drivers (schweikh@gettel.mahnomen.mn.us)

Feel free to spam him equally.

I think you are missing the point.

PARIS - Zacarias Moussaoui's mother said Thursday a life sentence for her son was more cruel than putting him to death because now he will "live like a rat in a hole."

*gets on her soapbox for a brief moment*

I'd like to congratulate the members of the jury on this trial for not only doing their civic duty, but for making a commendable decision in the face of what must have been an extremely difficult set of circumstances.

I am not decided on the death penalty. In this case, however, I was very opposed to it. Putting this man to death would allow him to die the death of a martyr. Allowing him to live for the rest of his life, in solitary confinement gives him a virtual eternity to think about all the evil that he helped perpetrate. If there is one man who deserves to "live like a rat in a hole" it is Zacarias Moussaoui.

How to instantly suck the fun out of my day.

1. Tell me you're sick. (Feel better sweetie!)

2. Use the words "I'm volunteering you for something...again."

3. Don't load my pictures. *kicks at nothing and whistles while steadily ignoring Flickr*

How I Feel Today.

Bright Side?
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I think I'm living this quote right now.

When I reflect upon the number of disagreeable people who I know have gone to a better world, I am moved to lead a different life.

-Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

Veni. Vidi. Bloggi.

Veni. Vidi. Bloggi.
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I've decided to start a new venture. I now have a shop at CafePress.com to sell The Devil Made Me Do It wares, as well as my new tagline "Veni. Vidi. Bloggi."

Visit my new digs (and shop a little!)

Conversations at Work

Me: Can I order three print catridges?

CoWorker: It's gonna cost ya. I take barter of Barnyard Animals or DVDs.

Me: Well it just so happens I just ordered a book on how to knit animals. So you can have a pig or a chicken or a cow in a couple weeks when it gets here.

CoWorker: Can I have an octopus?

Me: Sure. I would like to say however, that an Octopus is not a barnyard animal.

CoWorker: Yeah, but they’re really cool.

Train of Thought Derailed

Derailed Train
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I had so much trouble getting to sleep last night. Let's see if you can guess why...

Hmmm it's warm in here.
Did I open the window?
Did I lock the door?
Wes always wants me to lock the door just in case.
Did I set the alarm?
Have to go to the ATM tomorrow morning.
Where are we going for lunch tomorrow?
I need a graduation card/gift.
I think I need to get more gas in the car.
Am I going home to see the parents this weekend?
Wedding Dress.
Want to go wedding dress shopping.
Aw, Wes is such a sweetie.
I got really lucky with him.
He'll be here soon.
Right after finals.
Shit I need to start studying.
Where's my binder of stuff?
Have to remember to download the photos tomorrow.
Don't forget to return the videos.
Argh. Too much work to do tomorrow.
Good thing it pays the rent.
Oh lord, tomorrow is May 2 and I have to pay rent.
What was it they said about extra fees?
Was that for next month?
Woohoo I can't wait till later this month when Wes gets here.
Uhoh I need to get the camping gear ready.
Hmm that's going to be a decent drive.
I'd better get the car serviced.
Do I have a free Saturday?
Hmmm I need to get my nails done this weekend.
Wow it's only Monday and I'm really tired.
Dammit why can't I sleep?

Is it just me?

DAVID BLAINE WILL STUN THE WORLD WITH ANOTHER DEATH-DEFYING FEAT ON "DAVID BLAINE: DROWNED ALIVE," LIVE FROM NEW YORK'S LINCOLN CENTER, MONDAY, MAY 8 ON ABC

David Blaine, known for his headline-making feats of physical, emotional and mental endurance, will once again put his life on the line in a death-defying attempt to hold his breath underwater longer than any human being, which is currently a stunning eight minutes, 58 seconds. Viewers will hold their collective breath during the heart-stopping finale of the broadcast when Blaine will put himself to the ultimate test - live - on a new, two-hour ABC primetime special, "David Blaine: Drowned Alive," MONDAY, MAY 8 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

So tell me why David Blaine holding his breath underwater for 9 minutes takes TWO HOURS on ABC. Where's the other hour and 51 minutes coming from? And are they counting the time it's going to take to resuscitate him or declare him brain dead?

Some Smarts for You

Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Tonight Wes and I were discussing snowflakes, among other things. He told me that when people cut out paper snowflakes, they always cut them out wrong by using squares/rectangles. When I asked why this was, he answered "Because a snowflake doesn't have 4 sides."

DID YOU KNOW THAT SNOWFLAKES ARE HEXAGONAL?

From Wikipedia:

A snowflake always has six lines of symmetry, which arises from the hexagonal crystal structure of ordinary ice (known as ice Ih) along its 'basal' plane. There are, broadly, two possible explanations for the symmetry of snowflakes. Firstly, there could be communication or information transfer between the arms, such that growth in each arm affects the growth in each other arm. Surface tension or phonons are among the ways that such communication could occur. The other explanation, which appears to be the prevalent view, is that the arms of a snowflake grow independently in an environment that is believed to be rapidly varying in temperature, humidity and other atmospherical conditions. This environment is believed to be relatively spatially homogeneous on the scale of a single flake, leading to the arms growing to a high level of visual similarity by responding in identical ways to identical conditions, much in the same way that unrelated trees respond to environmental changes by growing near-identical sets of tree rings.

However, the concept that no two snowflakes are alike is not necessarily true. Strictly speaking, it is extremely unlikely for any two objects in the universe to contain an identical molecular structure; but, there are, nonetheless, no known scientific laws which prevent it. In a more pragmatic sense, it's more likely, albeit not much more, that a pair of snowflakes are visually identical if their environments were similar enough, either because they grew very near one another, or simply by chance.

The American Meteorological Society has reported that matching snow crystals were discovered by Nancy Knight of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The crystals were not flakes in the usual sense but rather hollow hexagonal prisms.

The movies.

This weekend was full of movies and knitting. The movies were:

* Undertaking Betty - This was by far my favorite movie this weekend. Take an unhappy housewife and a wacky undertaker and mix them together. Throw in Brenda Blethyn, Alfred Molina and Christopher Walken and you have a bizarre, hysterical movie. I would highly recommend this one for a good laugh!

* Brokeback Mountain - I really wanted to see this one, although I wasn't sure what to expect. The girls and I ordered Indian food on Friday night and watched together, and I was quite impressed. A good movie.

* The Squid and The Whale - This flick starring Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels was quite good, but very uncomfortable to watch. The film is about their marriage breaking up and the effect it has on them and their children. Quite good, but not a happy movie.

* Northern Exposure - Still hysterical and on this disc we got to meet Joel's fiancee Elaine. I'm eagerly awaiting the next disc.

* The Fugitive - I don't know how I hadn't seen this movie, but somehow it never came to be. I ended up watching it for work (looking for footage for a project), but enjoyed it while sitting on my own couch and knitting. A pretty decent flick.

Between all of these and Grey's Anatomy (loved it!) and West Wing last night it was a couch/TV-filled weekend. Too bad I have to rejoin the real world today.