MadMup.com

I read this in a book at Barnes and Noble today, but don't know who said it:

My friends say I have intimacy issues, but they don't really know me that well.

Labels: it's been said

7 comments

I am taking a vacation day tomorrow for no other reason than I am able to do so. I have no big plans, no trips, no nothing - I am just taking a day off. I might watch a movie, I might play some games, I might go shopping - it's not clear yet how I plan to spend the day. In fact, let's not even use the word "plan," as it clearly doesn't fit. Instead, let's use words like "couch" and "slacker clothes."

Ah, day off. So full of mystery and promise, like a box of CrackerJacks. What little toy surprise do you hold in store for me? 6 comments

It's Nutmeg's birthday today. She is three years old and decided to start the day off being even more annoying than usual in her attempts to wake me up.

Grrr.

Even though she's prone to hiss at people and bite them, she seems to like me - at least, when no one else is around. She's the one most likely to follow me around the house, seemingly in an attempt to be near me.

I do love her dearly, even if I can't pick her up for longer than ten seconds.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of her, in celebration of her birthday:

Happy Birthday, Nutmeg. Maybe after work I'll bring you home something you can bite.
6 comments

My all-time favorite Weird Al song is "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota." He somehow perfectly captures a Midwest slice of Americana in a way that both satirizes and celebrates a way of life that is perfectly happy to drive "three whole days and nights" to see "the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota." It's catchy and fun, and I think it's the best song he's ever written.

My family was never one to visit these sorts of attractions (the biggest family vacation I remember was a visit to Washington, D.C.), so I didn't have much experience to draw on to enjoy the song.

Until now.

This weekend, Kat's sister (We'll call her "Missy") came to town with the express purpose of making us all go see the "World's Largest Ball of Paint."

There are a few things you should know about the World's Largest Ball of Paint:

1) It is not in our town.
2) It is, in fact, over an hour away.
3) It looks bigger in person.

We met the nice man and his wife that you see on the main page I linked to there, and we got to paint a layer on the ball ourselves. We painted layer #19,069, in case you were wondering, and we each got a certificate declaring that fact. We painted a yellow layer, at Kat's request (it was her birthday weekend, therefore, her choice.)

The World's Largest ball of Paint is not in a museum. It is not easy to find. It is in a shed built specifically to house the World's Largest ball of Paint on Mike and Glenda Carmichael's property. It weighs over 1,700 pounds. It has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live and is in the Guinness Book of World Records. Tom Green taped a segment for his show at the actual location, but his show got cancelled before the segment aired. I asked Mike if Tom Green behaved while he was there and Mike said, "No."

The World's Largest Ball of Paint was not the only activity we packed into the day. We also saw an improv group in Indy (they weren't very good; in fact, the farther away I get from their performance, the worse I think it was) and ended the day with some Cosmic Bowling, which is like regular bowling except the lights are off, the music is louder, and you're surrounded by teenagers.

I'll soon forget the improv group from Indy and my bowling experiences will be eclipsed by new ones before long, but I'm not likely to forget the World's Largest ball of Paint any time soon.

Now if only I could write a song about it... 9 comments

It's been a while since I had a good improv show. Whether it's because I've been stressed or because audience numbers have been down or because I'm not getting enough taurine and guarana, I don't know. All I know is that I haven't had a good show in a long time.

Last night, I had a decent show. It wasn't a great show, but it was decent. It was decent enough for me to put off the "I don't know, maybe I'm just done" thoughts I'd been having. I was worried that maybe I'd used up all my funny. It was nice to discover I had a little bit left.

Trying to explain an improv show is a lot like describing a dream or a video game. Think back to the last time someone told you a dream they had: "So, I was at my uncle's house, but it was really Buckingham Palace. You and Jimmy were there, only it wasn't really Jimmy, it was an owl with a moose head..." And it goes on from there. Video game: "After you get the feather (you have to hit the invisible box right after the three turtles), then you can fly, but only in limited bursts. Fly to the pipe that has teeth and get the hammer. Then..."

So, I'll just say this about the show: my favorite scene I participated in was the film noir version of Cro-Magnon baseball players discovering the moon. Really.

And with that, now I'm looking forward to the next show. 4 comments

It's my friend Kat's birthday today!

Happy Birthday, Kat!

Here's how you, faithful blog reader, can be a part of it. Last night, for her birthday party, everyone gave her a book (or two) as a present. It was supposed to be a book that meant a lot to that person, and they were supposed to write in the front of it why that book was important to them.

(Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow did this and it's a fantastic idea. That doesn't mean you should name your kid "Apple," though.)

Anyway, to be a part of Kat's birthday, leave the name and author of your favorite book in the comments section, along with why it's an important book to you. I'll collect them and make sure she gets the list. I know you don't know Kat, but do it any way. She will think you are fabulous. 12 comments

I'd been missing them all summer, but now they're back. They're so adorable, even in their grumpiness. They huddle together and cast a baleful eye on anyone who comes near. Attempts to get a reaction out of them go unnoticed. It's impossible to not watch them, even though they don't really do much - they're mostly nocturnal, so daylight finds them doing as little as possible. They always bring a smile to my face, and if I'm having a rough day, I make a point of seeing them.

Students? No, no, no. Oh, my, no.

Chinchillas!

Our science lab has five of them, and they are one of the most adorable of God's creations. They're so very soft, and even though I've been told I can pick one up, I probably never will. I have an unfounded fear of being bitten. It seems likely to me that any creature I pick up will bite me, even if I've never observed them biting anyone else. I think I got that mindset from my cat Nutmeg...

The chinchillas were gone over the summer because they needed to be fed and cared for on a daily basis, but now they're back and I couldn't be happier.

The chinchillas have a new roomate this year - some sort of peacock-colored pheasant. I've never seen one so brightly hued. He's housed in a cage right next to them, and I worry that his pheasant noises will keep them up during the day. Of course, they're used to dealing with students all the time, so maybe they'll be able to tune the pheasant out, too.

The science zoo also has a parrot, a whitish rat, at least one snake (Mitch the boa) and some fish that could very well be piranha. They all seem to be doing fine, but none of them hold my attention like the chinchillas. I'm comforted by their softness and cuddliness, even though I'm separated from them by a thick pane of glass.

Welcome back, chinchillas!


And speaking of helpless creatures who need to be constantly fed and looked after, the students come back today. 4 comments

I am still alive, despite your best efforts.

I am all moved in, and will hopefully have pictures soon.

Work is crazybusy. Teachers are back in a week and a half.

My cousin is getting married this weekend in Wisconsin. Congratulations, Nicole!

In what could be the worst possible timing ever, I have started playing World of Warcraft, an MMORPG* that has me killing spiders to "level up," a thing I just recently denounced. Ah, well.

My cats still don't seem quite settled with the idea of living in a new place.

My office decorations at work include a statue of Ulala with two Morolians, a foam skull, and a Batman Begins poster.

My van has some sort of a tire problem that causes the van to shake. Not good.

Speaking of vans, it costs me $50 to fill the gas tank. Also not good.

I am run-down and tired 90% of the time these days. I probably should go to a doctor, but who has the time?

March of the Penguins is one of the cutest, most adorable movies you're ever likely to see. Go check it out!

Mandy Patinkin just doesn't get enough mentions on this blog, so here's a shout-out. You know him best as Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride.

I haven't had an improv gig for a while, but my last excursion was so awful that maybe that's been a good thing. Next one's in two weeks. Hopefully "the funny" will have returned by then.

"Apropos of Nothing" is the new "Creek of Consciousness" title, in case you've been following along or wondering. Now you know!

I hope you are all doing well. Say hi in the comments, why don't you?


*MMORPG = Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

Labels: apropos of nothing

13 comments