Wednesday Randoms

Welcome back to our weekly favorite: WRs! As Christmas gets closer, I have a feeling that theme will dominate the WR topics...

• I have to admit- my building is pretty nicely decorated for the holidays. See what good things happen when the degenerate management is ousted? We get big, sparkly red bows on the doors, and a Christmas tree, albeit fake, that looks fairly impressive.
• Am I the only one who thoroughly enjoys wrapping presents and must get the transparent tape so the beauty of my carefully selected Mickey Mouse wrapping paper can be admired without opaque tape ruining the presentation?
• They must be hard up for cash. Check out this story and have a laugh
• Update: My lobster tail request for Christmas dinner was denied. I always make good on my followups with ya
• I miss my old job this time of year, when my sappy coworkers and I would bring a donation to the SPCA, and get so sad about all the homeless pets we'd have to leave as soon as we dropped the crap off
• I asked my birds what they wanted for Christmas. I wasn't sure about their answer. I'm hoping Petsmart sells "chirp tweet screech chirp tweet tweet"
• Who needs to SYAD this week?? I'll tell ya who:
• Howard Cain. AGAIN. Sit it dowwwwwn brother
• The US Postal Service, for delivering our mail at... 5pm? Really? You suck
• SJU. Maybe I'd give to the alumni fund (you kill 45 trees sending me notices about) if you didn't make those 12 credits of Theology mandatory to graduate.
• Any station who plays any Barbara Streisand Christmas song.
• Everyone at Occupy Philly. On second thought, maybe they need to stand their ass up, and get out of there finally!
• I wish I had a mini helicopter I could fly from my roof to Whole Foods, so when I crave a delicious cupcake, I can hop in without all the elevator and red light nonsense and go get one.
• I'm sorta craving a Florida getaway. Just a short one. It's been a few years and I'm really wanting to see some palm trees without flying more than 3hrs. Speaking of travel, I wonder how Dublin looks at Christmas? Probably wonderful and spectacular like it does all the other times of the year.

One of My Biggest Dislikes

Hunting.

I hate it.

This time of year especially, when the news announces the big "first day" and the proud hunters who stare into the eyes of an innocent animal minding it's own business and shoot it dead, and then brag to the news stations about who shot the biggest point buck.

Yes, overpopulation. Yes, danger to motorists on busy roads, blah blah and all the other reasons you can think to justify it. I understand if someone has to hunt for food to survive, but that's not a place where a grocery store is on every corner- like our entire area. The deer were here first, and now they are stalked by gun-happy, Cabella's-frequenting men with guns because we had to develop every square inch of land with cookie cutter subdivisions, and push these animals out of their habitat. 

The hunting will continue, but my problem is with the person who can look an innocent animal in the eye, pull the trigger, and kill it for the sake of hanging it on the wall as some kind of sick trophy. Can you guess I'm anti-hunting? I'm obviously mature enough not to preach my opinions to others, similar to what I've done for those (now dwindling) smoking friends of mine, but I could never have anyone in my life who enjoys this type of thing. It's not sport- it's killing.

Wednesday Randoms <|

My blog- how I've missed you. I've been looking forward to a WRs entry all day.

Oh, and that pathetic looking triangle in the title- in the spirit of Thanksgiving and WRs- it's supposed to be a slice of pumpkin pie. Lame, I know.

• First, the SYAD awards of the week:
• That db who sprayed the protesters at UC Davis like they were a swarm of bees. Have fun deflecting 8 million lawsuits
• The senior citizen in the (sweet) Mercedes who almost t-boned me in the parking lot the other morning. I'd love to steal your car and go for a joyride
• The 50+ yr old dapper men who frequent bars on the Main Line and think they can sweet talk me with a sly smile and a flash of their wallet #backoffgrandpa #yuck
• The ghetto Cosi worked who complained obnoxiously and loudly: "If people gonna leave trash on da table, dey betta leave a tip!" Get a real job. And STFU.
• Speaking of that last gem of a rant- I'm glad I worked all those crazy PT retail jobs when I was younger. Without them, I never would have learned to deal with how vile and nasty some of the general public can be- and how to handle them without stressing myself out.
• Had a little deja vu watching the news this week. NBC10 followed up on the story of a kidnapped 11yr old NJ boy in 1991. 20 years ago this happened, and the minute that red haired, freckle-faced picture of Mark Himebaugh appeared on the news, I remembered it like it was yesterday. One of those tragic tales of a (likely) non-family abduction, happening right near his house... and he just... vanished. Where did he go? I probably remember it so well because he was is was from Jersey and was just a year younger than me. Kidnapping is right up there with the super scary things that no one should have to worry about, but sadly, in the world we live in, it's a real live danger.
  
• Cheerios are so pure and satisfying after you've run through your Cocoa Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch stash.


• Gobble Wobble tomorrow. And then I promise, you won't have to hear me talk about any more holiday, rhyming, cutesy, alliteration types of runs. (Still debating that Reindeer Romp- oops! did it again)


• I came dangerously close to forgetting about the wet clothes in the washing machine. Hate when that happens, and you become a victim of your own fabulous multitasking. (For the record, I've only had it happen once; long enough that a rewash of everything was mandatory)


• This Friday's it's shopping insanity and... 1 month until Christmas! I can't wait to put up my tree! This will only be the 2nd tree I've had in 8 Christmases here- a fact I'm not proud of. No one like coming home to an un-festive house at Christmas. My Josh Groban Christmas album play list can only carry the holiday spirit so far...


• Looking forward to this weekend. It's really amazing when something is so fun, and so easy, and happens so naturally. You get to a certain point in your life when you really recognize and appreciate things. Not on some superficial level, but from a standpoint of maturity, where you wouldn't have realized those same things 10yrs ago because you hadn't gained the life experience needed to become fully aware.


• I'm getting smoked on Words With Friends this round- in about 5 different games. Ack.


• Thanks to the few who read the blog and are commenting! Ooh the excitement! I'll keep up my blogging, whether 2 people or 200 people ending up reading this. It's my voice, my chance to projects all these thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves from my mind straight to the pages of the internet. Some days I want to try and figure out how to fancy it all up... but I like the no nonsense, simple format.
  
  

That Stinks

I find every time I turn around I'm running out of something. So off I go on a Target run during the day today, since it's only a few miles from my office.

During my usual stroll around the store I was pretty shocked to notice an entire aisle devoted solely to air fresheners! Yes, here's the proof:

Filled with about 50 different scents of various air fresheners, am I the only one who stops and thinks knows this is complete overkill? If there are 3 different aisles for cleaning products alone, why do we need another 30ft of product to cover up or mask our supposedly clean rooms and air? Ugh. I'm all in favor of a soy candle (safe for the little lungs of my birds) or the occasional reed diffuser, but why oh why do some people plug in a different scented plug-in in every room of their house?

I have allergy issues as it is. The last thing I need is an artificial 'Berry Breeze' or 'Tropical Waters' smell covering up the clean, fresh smell naturally found in my house. But the truth is, if we keep buying it, they'll keep making it, and the crazy cycle continues. #toomuch

Wednesday RandomZzzzz

Since I never fail to explain my clever twist on the 'Wednesday Randoms' title post, it doesn't take a genius to figure out this week's... I'm draggin! A 15hr day followed by a 12hr (rainy) day today is rough. But there's no whining on this blog- only thoughts, opinions, rants and raves... and incrediblyt awesome midweek recurring randoms!

Ready? Okay....Go!

• I love to talk. Not just to anybody, but with select people I can yap all day. Last night was the annual Whiskey Fest in the city. I think this is the 5th year I've worked it and Diageo puts on quite a show. The Crystal Tea Room is such a gorgeous venue too. How fitting I'm assigned the Bushmills/Bulleit table. Nothing greater than talking about Irish whiskey when you love Ireland and began your love of said drink while vacationing there. And I still think to myself: I'm getting paid to do all this? Yes. So lucky and thankful. Yes.
• The Middle is such a great show on Wednedays on ABC. If you're not watching it, you should check it out.
• So siked to see Breaking Dawn, the final movie in the Twilight series. Nothing like a Turkey Trot to start my morning and vampires to finish it off.
• I requested lobster tails for Christmas dinner. To my mom. Via email. I have a feeling my request won't be honored...
• I use the Tweetcaster app on Android solely because it has the cutest blue bird cartoon thing and icons within the app. I'm a bird lover- don't hate
• This Occupy (fill in city) is getting out of hand. The homeless people are jumping in on the cause and mucking it up even more. They'll need to hit up Costco for some 20gallon bottles of bleach to disinfect the place when they finally clear out.
• This is bad, but I'm gonna admit it anyway. Instead of taking the 8 minutes to make a grilled cheese, I toasted the bread, threw the cheese on it and put it in the microwave. Only took 1:30. Look at all that time saved! Only to waste it away later tonight surfing the internet tonight I'm sure.
• Christmas decorations are getting unpacked this week. Anyone who's not excited is a Grinch!
• I decided while brushing my teeth last night some furniture in the living room needed rearranging. In 5 minutes I stopped the toothbrush, ran and out rearranged, and finished brushing. That's called acting on an idea and gettin it done.
• My Josh Groban and Michael Buble Christmas albums are both so good. Time to shuffle them up on the iPod.
  
  Another WR blog means the weekend is almost here! Almost.

Faked out...almost

Ever open the mailbox and get a glimpse of what looks like a handwritten card, and then at a closer look see it's really junk mail in disguise?

Today wasn't the first time try tried to dupe me with this crafty cursive font. I wised up to their trickery years ago, and it led me to the conclusion that an actual handwritten anything is so rare anymore. So of course you grab that piece of mail first before all the other credit card applications and roof-fixing brochures. Why hand write and mail someone a note when you can...  wait for it ...email them? How many (non-coworker) friend's handwriting can you describe in detail? (Friends you've known pre-email era don't count) Not many, right?

Well readers, I still write out my Christmas cards. No massive e-card blast (although they do have some super cute song/animation combos), no generic "Merry Christmas to all my friends!!!" Facebook post as my only Christmas greeting. I carefully choose my cards, find my favorite pen with the most consistent ink flow, and write whatever I'm feeling at the moment. And I will feel satisfied mailing my authentic handwritten card amidst a sea of junk mail wannabes.  

Wednesday Randoms

• 'Where in the World is Matt Lauer' is one of my favorite segments of all the news and morning shows. Probably because traveling is so fun and he's getting paid to go visit all these fabulous places. This week he's already hit Namibia, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur this week. Lucky!
• And this week's list of those who deserved to be told to SYAD:
  The Duggars, Herman Cain, The entire Penn State football clan who lied and covered everything up, "Dr" Conrad Murray, all the Twilight haters, and anyone who doesn't agree that pumpkin pie is the most delicious part of Thanksgiving dinner.
• New developments today: Errrbody's 'retiring' at Penn State. See ya!
• Noel Gallagher show this Friday. Can't wait! Got a peek at the set list from a previous show and it's looking pretty good.
• I've expressed this before, but does anyone else feel just a little sad that an evergreen spends years and years growing, only to be chopped down and marveled for 3 weeks in someone's house, and then thrown in the trash? Poor trees. I will admit though, nothing looks or smells as good as a real tree. I'll have to devote more time to solving this dilemma another day.
• Guess who's making grilled cheese for dinner?
• I was browsing the SPCA website this weekend, because I feel bad for all the furry friends with no homes, and I saw they have bunnies! I already have 2 feathered children, so chances are slim to none that I'll add a bunny to the mix. It would be the cutest thing ever to sit and read, watch TV, (or blog!) while a bunny is hopping around.
• The past 2 days I've fallen asleep earlier than usual (before midnight) and woken up way earlier than usual (3:30am!!) Along with this has been the most vivid dreams. Guest appearances from all sorts of people which I can't trance back to any of the week's happenings. I'm thinking DST is not a factor, but I did run a humidifier the past 2 nights. (Next blog topic: The correlation between dreams and humidity)
• Little bit of a rant here. Facebook status posts, in my opinion, should be an outlet to express the spontaneous thought, a humourous experience, a brag-worthy vacation check in (guilty) or some other witty remark on current events or life. 
  What Facebook status updates should NOT include:
• Constant advice or suggestions on child rearing; there are parenting forums for this purpose- Use them!
• Stating the obvious: i.e. "Is it Friday yet?" or "The weekend went waaay too fast!". Yes, we all know/think this and you're wasting everyone's time and news feed space
• Thoughtless fragments: i.e. "Tired", "Freezing!" or "Bored". Really? You can't think of anything better? Thankfully I don't follow too many of these lame status-posters, but when I see one, or several in one day, I cringe.
• Vacation 2012? Already thinkin about it  : )

I Don't Buy It

So this Penn State scandal has spread like wildfire the past 48hrs... and it keeps getting uglier. Given what the media and their 'facts' are saying, no one knew this disgusting creep was doing this in the 30+yrs(!!!) he was coaching there and running his 'charity'?

Lies
Lies
Lies

Come on!

So what... you're a big deal football coach at a big name school. When did it become acceptable to abandon your moral conscience, or fail to recognize your responsibility to do what's right?

It's not just him we can blame. Anyone in that football wolf pack had to know what was going on, or had some kind of suspicion. Sounds like the game was top priority and now they're paying the price for exercising the "Maybe if we ignore it, it'll go away" theory.

Here's hoping the guilty get the book thrown at them. Have fun in prison!

#Scumbags

Super Fast!

How on earth does the winner of the NYC Marathon run 26.2mi in 2:03:02? I sit here and simply can not comprehend running that fast for that long. Congrats to him, because that's incredible.

Now I've admitted outright I don't run to win or set course records. (I'm not just saying that because I never have either) I'm trying to keep myself fit, basically, and I happen to like running outdoors. I'd be willing to bet this guy, after finishing 26.2 miles, could still beat me in a 1mile race if I were well-rested and feeling my best. I could train my entire life and still wouldn't come within an hour of him for 26.2. I know Kenya and Ethiopia are the places that produce insanely fast  marathoners and not the PA suburbs, but this is still so ridic!

Well, go me.  I did 4miles today... in....38min. Not exactly record breaking pace :)

Those marathon winners- this is prob who they train with

Wednesday Randoms

Note to self: When you come home from work and your place is a little cold, turning the heat up to 80deg means you'll instantly fall asleep while trying to write your Wednesday Randoms blog. I am now awake and the heat is off. Let's try this again.

• Entire Kardashian family: SYAD and STFU
• I had some Frank Sinatra Christmas songs playing today and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. Halloween is done, bring on Christmas!
• I've had to charge my completely drained Kindle 3x in the past month and I haven't read a thing. Need to find some good reads and #getonthat... maybe 'A Christmas Carol'?
• That crazy blast of unexpected snow this past weekend brought back one of my favorite winter people-watching activities: Cleaning snow/ice off your car with anything and everything- brooms, credit cards, books... I love it. I guess not everyone is as psycho as me with their seasonal rotations of ice scrapers and gloves ready in the car.
•  As I sadly pass this deer carcus in the weeds near the TP off-ramp for the 3rd day in a row, I was reminded of a funny story from my past. I remember browsing the newspaper for a PT job when I was about 16, you know, before online job searching really existed. I came across something like "Wildlife Caretaker". Wow! Perfect! I love animals and the outdoors, so I called the number... and instead of filling bird feeders or rescuing ducks stuck in a frozen pond, I come to find out the job was... picking up roadkill!
  Um... no thanks!
• Lauren Luke tweeted me back this week- twice! Yay
• In 2012 I'm making it a point to realize my dream of throwing a grilled cheese-themed dinner party. I'm talking uber gourmet combinations. Oh you know you want to do this too- or be invited to mine. This will be the most delicious event I've ever hosted. Simultaneously occuring will be the 'Help Me Drink All This Liquor' party, as I have enough to supply a small wedding right now.
• If it wasn't so dark, and I wasn't so comfortable sitting in my bed right now, I'd walk drive to Whole Foods and get one of those special fancy cupcakes. Chocolate banana, of course.
• As I watch my usual episode of Nightly News, I can't help but notice the products in their commercials all have a similar theme: Touch of Grey, Centrum Silver, Tums... I not sure who their intended target market is, but how about we not assume everyone watching is 65+?
• 9hr school days in Shanghai China? No wonder they're killing us in math, science, reading and everything else.
• The primere of Rock Center was great this week. Well done BWill