76/365 - The Castles of Burgundy

Board game time!

33/365 - "The Bean Game"

Bohnanza has been getting a lot of play (with two-player rules) at our house, lately. I like it for a quick game or something to play when you're a bit tired, because it doesn't require a lot of thought-- and there are no little pieces or elaborate "play areas" to set up and put away.

(As I uploaded this photo, I thought I remembered taking a photo of this card game before, and that maybe the "Stink Bean" card had been featured in that picture, too.  Sure enough, there it was.  Last time, I  may have selected that card to put on top-- but this time it's just how the discard stack happened to look when the game ended.  Funny.)

5/365 - Prosperity

This afternoon, we broke in a new expansion for Dominion (a deck-building game)-- Dominion: Prosperity.  It was lots of fun, and as the name would indicate, you find yourself with plenty of money to play with, early in the game.  Not nearly so much scrimping and saving.  (Goodness knows there's enough of that in real life...)

Not a Gamer

On a whim, I just played a game of Pacman.  However, I have decided that once was enough.  I can't take the stress.

Seriously, though, computer games / video games stress me out.  Surely I'm not the only one...

Monday Random Stuff

Thoughts and "I/we did"s...

♣  It's funny how you can't help but notice which card games were popular during certain periods of history, based on how frequently they were mentioned in contemporary literature.  Whist is always popping up in Austen, for example-- and in books set "between the wars", bridge seems to be the game of choice.  In at least one of the E.F. Benson Lucia novels, all the characters are obsessed with it, and now I've just finished Agatha Christie's Cards of the Table, in which bridge plays an even more important role in the story.  I don't guess I have any interesting commentary on this subject, though.  It's just amusing to notice. 

♣  The most recent (only?) TV adaptation of Cards on the Table is awful.  I mean, I'm really fond of David Suchet as Poirot, so as far as that goes, I was happy, but did the writers have to change so much of the story?  Nearly every aspect of the novel was distorted, often beyond recognition.  This is the second time I've seen an adaption of an Agatha Christie that I'd actually read.  That one was also altered significantly... and horribly.  (Interestingly, both of these adaptations saw fit to inject homosexual themes where they didn't exist in the novels.  I guess the writers thought that would make a juicier story for modern audiences.  ...?)  The downside:  It's disappointing that it may be difficult to find a faithful adaptation when I want one.  The upside:  Maybe this means I can read all those Poirot novels I've watched adaptations of and still find the plot virtually unspoiled.  (g)  (My remarkable ability to forget things also helps in this respect.)

The main reason I don't understand major rewrites in adaptations (particularly in these Agatha Christie mysteries, where the plot is pretty much everything) is this:  You have a carefully plotted story all ready to go.  It's been proven successful!  Yay!  All you need to do is figure out how to transfer it to the screen.  But no.  You decide to change how characters behave-- their relationships to one another-- the motive of the murderer-- maybe even the murderer's identity.  But why?  Your audience can be divided into two groups-- those who have read the novel and those who have not.  For those who have not read the novel, the original plot will be entirely new.  (See?  No need to change a blessed thing!)  And those who have read the novel, yet still decide to watch an adaptation must've liked the original plot, right?  I mean, if they hated it, why would they bother watching it on TV?  It makes no SENSE. 

♣  Sometime within the past few weeks, we (mostly Donald) put up a ceiling fan in the breakfast room.  Last summer, we decided it would be a good place for one-- so now we're all set! 

♣  I spent a portion of the morning cleaning out and reorganizing our pantry-- with the result that it is probably the most organized "room" in the house, now.  (Probably ought to do something about that...)


♣  I sewed a washable pad for my Swiffer Wet Jet from a piece of an old towel and a couple snippets of elastic.  It seemed to work pretty well (cleaned the floor, stayed put on the Swiffer during cleaning), so now I'm interested to see how it holds up in the washing machine.  If the elastic doesn't work out, I may try velcro... but I have a feeling elastic is much cheaper (even if I have to replace it every so often.) ...Or I may try making one side of the pads out of some fabrics that tend to cling to the velco on their own...
 

Akinator, the Web Genius

A few years ago, I got a computerized 20 Questions game/toy in a game of Dirty Santa.  It's pretty amazing how that little thing (smaller than a baseball) can figure out what you're thinking of, just by asking a series of questions.  Of course, it's not always right, but it is often enough to be very impressive.

The other day, Kimberly commented on a web-based version of a similar "game".  For an hour or more, Donald and I took turns thinking of someone (living or dead, real or fictional), answering questions about him/her, and seeing if "Akinator, the Web Genius" could figure it out.  Most of the time, it could!  (It even knew such obscure characters as Dr. Snuggles and Captain Haddock.)

Want to give it a try?
Just ignore the stuff (ads that are sometimes disguised as part of the game with "play" buttons) on the top and right side.

Now I'm going to go see if Akinator knows some of the more obscure characters in my favorite novels...

More Random Thoughts

Aren't you lucky?!  ;o)

•  I kept seeing references to something called the "Angry Birds".  I was sure it must be a band, but when I finally remembered to look it up, I discovered it was only some type of little computer game.  The strange thing is that it's been around for a pretty long time (as these things go).  So why is everyone talking about it now?  I have to admit, I'm kind of disappointed.  A band would've been more interesting.

•  We now know that our fence is not Chihuahua-proof.  One wandered into our yard a couple nights ago.  Fortunately, our dogs either didn't see him or chose to ignore him. (Also fortunate:  Bands of ravenous Chihuahuas don't roam the Alabamian countryside with the frequency you might expect.  We'll probably be alright, even with our non-Chihuahua-proof fence.)

•  On a related note, we have also confirmed that Trixie is a coward.  When she saw the Chihuahua through a window (the next day), she acted a little frightened and didn't want to get too close.  (She seems to be scared of most "stranger dogs".)

•  Our dogs are both obsessed with the laser pointer toy they got for Christmas.  We've taken some video of them acting all crazy about it, and one of these days I may possibly manage to edit and upload it.  (I know, you can't wait.)

•  I moved our most-frequently used board and card games into two of the cabinets (with doors) in the bookcases in the main room of our house.  Before, they were all stacked in a closet-- kind of messy to get to-- hard to reach-- difficult to get to the one we wanted without moving some of the others, blah blah blah.  This new arrangement makes much more sense to me.  Now, why did I wait so long to think about this and move everything around?  (Some of us get so used to things being a certain way that we never consider whether there might be a better way.)

•  After seeing myself in some photos, I was reminded that I ought to start exercising and watching what I eat, again.  In other words, I need to shift out of holiday mode.  The thing is, I never did make that batch of sugar cookies I promised myself over the holidays...  I am going to make sugar cookies.  One of these days.  Maybe over the weekend...

•   During recent evenings, I've been weaving in the ends of the hexagon afghan I crocheted a while ago.  There are a lot of them.  (/understatement)  You can find more about this fascinating subject on my sewing/crochet blog-- excellent reading for those times you're plagued with insomnia.

•  I'm glad to see the return of new episodes of some of  the TV programs we watch.  Also, the talk radio hosts are trickling back in, now that the holidays are over.  The fill-in hosts are rarely as interesting as the usual ones.

•  We bought ourselves a space heater a few weeks ago.  It's been a long time since we had one.  When we lived in the trailer, we'd borrowed a pretty old one from my maternal grandparents.  It was the type that had wires that glowed orange (behind a grill) when it was running-- kind of scary-looking.  This new one is a tower-shaped unit that can be set to oscillate-- and there are no (visible) glowing wires.  It is so nice-- perfect for getting toasty-warm.  Why did we wait so long to get one of these?!

•  Those are all the random thoughts swimming around in my head first thing in the morning. 

•  Ah, I remembered something else!  Last week, I don't remember how, but I found myself looking at a list of the 100 most beautiful English words, according to Robert Beard, "a long-time poet and word aficionado".  Some of them I can agree are beautiful... but then we find words like "ailurophile".  Really?  Well, if you say so.  And "bucolic".  (Ok, now I know you're pulling my leg.  "Bucolic" is one of those words only a mother could love.  It has the sound "ick" in it, for goodness' sake!  And "colic"-- not a beautiful thing, at all. )  "Conflate"?  "Fugacious"?  (Gag.) "Onomatopoeia".  (Meh. It's probably just me, but I've always felt that teachers make too much of a fuss over that word.)  "Palimpsest"?  "Petrichor"?  "Ratatouille"??  (C'mon, that hardly even counts as an English word.  It seems like this Beard fellow is extremely fond of words of French origin in general, though.)  "Riparian" makes me laugh, because the only place I recall ever hearing that one is in an episode of "Keeping Up Appearances"-- "waterside supper with riparian entertainments" and not by any means a "riverside picnic", mind you! To each his own favorite words, of course.  Far be it from me to tell you that your beautiful words are ugly...

•  Ok, I think that's really all, this time.

Welcome, 2011!

Are you getting the new year off to a good start?

We rang in 2011 at my parents' house with pizza, a couple of games (What's Yours Like? and Forbidden Island, both of which sound far more suggestive than they actually are, I assure you (g)), and a scary movie (30 Days of Night) with snacks.  Then we watched a little of such "countdown" shows as we could find, (sort of) saw the pelican drop (something they do in Pensacola and which was kinda-sorta televised locally), wished each other a Happy New Year, and went out on the porch to catch a few glimpses of neighbors' fireworks (and listen to the wind rushing in the the trees and some distant cannon-like booms).  It was a good end to the old year!

Then we said goodnight and had the long drive home.  Ok, not really.  It probably took less than five minutes to get from their door to ours.  Trixie thought it was great that the people were up at 1 a.m. and didn't really want to go back to her crate for the night.  ("Seriously?  You do realize I was in that thing from 6 p.m. until after midnight, right?")

2011 has been rainy and dreary, so far, but that's ok.  It's Saturday morning, we're safe and cozy at home, and there's nowhere we have to be-- nothing we have to do.  (Except maybe take a nap to catch up on missed sleep.)

I hope the coming year treats you well!
Don't forget to eat some black-eyed peas today (for prosperity)! ;o)

Chatting About Nothing in Particular

I woke early with a bad dream still echoing through my head, and I found I just couldn't get back to sleep.  (Don't you hate it when that happens?)  It's strange how latent worries and fears tend to rise to the surface when you lie awake in the middle of the night (or more often, early morning). Things that you can normally just push to the side are more presistent, and it seems impossible to clear your mind and let yourself drift off.  It is without doubt the most depressing time of day or night, so thank goodness most of us usually sleep right through it!

The downside of getting up a couple hours earlier than normal is that you catch yourself making lots more typos than usual!  Please excuse any that I may miss.

So, time for a little casual chit-chat, then.

- - - - - - -

I'm pretty sure the neighbor dogs moved in yesterday evening.  (That's because I saw them and-- just barely-- heard them barking.  So it's pretty good intel. (g))  You have to wonder what pets think when they are moved to a totally new location.  How long does it take before they consider the new place home?  Are they confused by the change, or do they simply accept it, because the rest of the "pack" is there? 

- - - - - - -

We walked over to my parents' house Monday afternoon/early evening.   (We were delivering one more T-post we'd found that they could use in their temporary fence for the dogs.)  I think it will be the last time I willingly walk until the seasons change.  That's partly because it's just too hot and/or humid this time of year to make walking pleasant.  (Donald may be crazy enough to go running in the summer, but I choose to get my exercise indoors!)  It's also because there are Things about in summer.

A few minutes after we arrived, Grandpa took his lawnmower (which happened to already be out) and started mowing the strip of land we'd just walked.  When he came back, he told us he'd just mowed over (i.e. killed) a water moccasin-- maybe 30 feet from where we'd been walking in some knee-high grass and weeds.

Ugh.  It's enough to make you shudder, think about what could have happened (pain, expense, infected wounds?--with quick access to a hospital, not likely death, thank goodness, but aren't those other things bad enough?), and resolve not to walk so much until later in the year!

I'm opposed to cottonmouths living in my general vicinity.  (And I guess I need to try the snake gun again so I'll be ready if one chooses to disregard that sentiment.  Sorry, snake-lovers, but I will be killing the venomous ones that venture onto our property, if I can manage it.)

- - - - - - -

My left hand still smells vaguely of vinegar this morning. 

No, it's not a new beauty/hand-softening regimen.  ;o)  No, I haven't started perfuming myself with vinegar, either.  (Good guess, though. (g))

What happened is this:  Yesterday afternoon, I cleaned and chopped a handful of fresh jalapeño peppers.  I did not wear gloves.  I briefly considered that option, but then I thought, "Nah, jalapeños aren't that hot.  It's not like these are habeneros."  As I worked-- and afterward-- I was fine, which only confirmed to me that jalapeños are not that bad. I washed my hands when I was done, of course, but didn't really give it a whole lot of thought.

It wasn't until later, when Donald arrived home and we were talking, that I began to notice a slight burning on the fingertips-- under the nails-- of my left hand.  (The right remained unscathed.  I'm sure this is because I held the knife in my right hand and used mostly my left to handle the peppers.)  The burning was very slight-- so much so that I absentmindedly used a fingertip to scratch an eyelid.  Instantly I realized that that had been a mistake, and I went to rinse off my eye immediately.*

Burning my eye confirmed my suspicion that this had something to do with the peppers, so I googled it and ended up reading a thread of all sorts of humorous and horrifying stories of jalapeño-based misery.  Some people didn't realize their hands were "contaminated" until after they'd gone to the bathroom, for instance.  One man didn't feel it himself, but his wife certainly did (. . .later that night).  Then there was the woman whose hands burned so badly-- just from jalapeños!-- that she went to an emergency clinic in search of relief.

Reading all that (and how it was so frequently a delayed reaction) made me a little afraid that this was only the beginning-- and by this time, the burning had increased somewhat-- so I tried a couple of the possible remedies I'd read about.  First, I soaked my fingertips in vinegar**.  Later, I took a piece of aloe vera plant and squished as much as I could of the gel under my nails.  Both provided temporary relief, but at least some of the stinging came back.  If it had been worse, I would've tried tomato sauce/paste next, but it just wasn't that bad, so I was able to ignore it.

Throughout the evening, I would periodically feel a slight flare-up of discomfort-- usually when I was using my left hand-- putting pressure on it by picking something up.  Even this morning, as I type, I occasionally feel a very mild tingle in the tip of a finger.  Just enough to remind me of yesterday and why I will never again risk worse burning by chopping peppers gloveless.

It seems that (as with most things) some people are more susceptible to small amounts of capsaicin than are others.  (Thus the man who didn't feel it but whose wife did-- and the number of people who wrote that they never feel it on their hands, but if they touch an eye or their mouth, they burn just as much as the next person.)  In any case, I think I'll take some precautions next time.  Some people wrote that latex gloves don't work, but that rubber gloves do.  I'll probably try rubber gloves next time, just to be on the safe side. . .

(Looking back into my dimmest memory, I think Mom may have warned me about the peppers when she passed them along to me. . . I guess I wasn't paying enough attention.  Shame on me!)

*At that point, it was impossible not to remember the story of how poor little Tonya had been playing with some ornamental peppers (unbeknownst to the adults).  I don't remember all the details, but I think that somehow her fingers started burning, so she put them in her mouth.  That made her mouth start to burn, so she started crying, which led to-- as you've probably guessed-- her putting her hands to her eyes and burning them, too!  Ouch!

**I read this morning that vinegar (like water) is ineffective at removing capsaicin.  (So my fingers are all vinegary for no good reason?  How rude!)  On the other hand, they list vegetable oil and Vaseline as being possibly useful.  Then again, this is Wikipedia I'm citing here, so, um, take it or leave it, pretty much.

- - - - - - -

I mentioned exercising indoors, before.  My current favorite indoor exercises (because I have more time to waste this morning) are all Wii-based.  (There's something both satisfying and amusing about using video games to be more physically active!)

Number one on the list is Gold Gym's Cardio Workout.  If you enjoy the boxing elements in other games (Wii Fit, EA Sports Active), you might want to give this one a look.  If on the other hand you hate the boxing elements, avoid this one like the plague, because that's pretty much all it is.  (g)  I liked the boxing, and I haven't been disappointed in this "game".  Just as EA Sports Active's boxing takes Wii Fit's version to the next level, so too does Cardio Workout.

Here are some points of interest about the game:

• Though the game info says it works with the balance board, that's a bit misleading.  Only a couple of exercises use the balance board-- none of the actual workouts do.  Instead, you stand at a slight angle to the TV and are prompted to keep up a rhythm of shifting your balance from one foot to the other.  This helps keep your heartrate up.  At first, I found it kind of awkward-- partly because I thought you were supposed to be stepping each time.  You're not (unless they specifically tell you to do so).  You just shift your balance from the front foot to the back foot and vice versa, at a decent pace. If you're doing this to get a workout, you really need to try to keep up with the balance shifting.  I'm sure it makes a huge difference in how much work it is.
• For most of the workouts (or at least the ones I'm familiar with-- because I haven't tried them all, yet), you're "just standing there".  They don't ask you to do any kicks or steps-- just shift your balance and throw punches.  As you work your way up in difficulty, they add in "ducking" (like quick squats) and "weaving", and later on, they do incorporate quick steps to the side or forward and backward.  For someone like me, though, even the ones with just ducking are a pretty good workout. (The first couple times I did those, I could definitely tell the next day that I'd been working those specific muscles.  Now, the fact that I don't feel sore the next day tells me that I've made some progress.)
• If you're like me, you'll probably have a little problem getting some of the punches to register.  There are (I think) three different types of punches.  Jab and cross ("1,2") are the easiest-- just straightforward punches like the ones used in Wii Fit.  Then there are hooks (left and right) and uppercuts (again, left and right).  Try not to despair if you find yourself shouting at the TV, "I did it!  I made that punch!  Why aren't you giving me credit, you miserable piece of--?!" -- Ahem.  As I was saying, don't give up if you have trouble getting punches to "count".  It does get easier with practice. 
• The music. . . One of the parts of the game I haven't been thrilled with is the music selection.  They have a fair number of songs to choose from, but they're mostly very. . . video-gamey.  It's probably hard for game designers to find music that everyone will like, but still. . . There's always the option to turn down the music and play your own instead.  I just wonder if the beat/rhythm of the music you play might throw you off.  Maybe the ones included in the game all have the same beat.  (I haven't paid that much attention to them, honestly.)
• You earn points for every workout you do, based in part on how well you do.  (You get a bonus if you have a "perfect" workout-- no missed moves-- which makes it even more annoying when the Wii doesn't register one of your punches. (g))  The game keeps up with your points not only so you can track your progress, but also so you can "go shopping".  Punches/points translate into "gold", which you use to purchase new clothes for your mii.  I think that part of the game is a little bit pointless, but I guess it might be more of a motivator for other people.  Some might be motivated just by the desire to earn enough gold to buy every single item possible.  Personally, I'd be more interested if there were new songs or workouts for sale in the shop. . . You do earn/unlock new music, workouts, instructors, and-- get this-- clothing for your instructors, just by putting in the time/punches.  (Periodically you'll get a notice that you've unlocked something new.)  So you can change not only your own mii's clothes, but also those of your instructor.  There are several instructors from which to choose, by the way.  I think they have different voices and say slightly different things during workouts, but it's not something I've given a lot of thought.  (g)

. . . Wow, I rambled a lot about that game!  (And there's still so much more I could say.  But don't worry-- I won't.)  The other two I've been using lately I'll just mention briefly.

Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Grooves.  We chose this one because it came with two dance mats, so we could play simultaneously.  I've seen some complain that the routines aren't sufficiently difficult.  To them, I stick out my tongue, because they must be in much better physical condition than I am.  It's difficult enough, trust me, and I'm just playing on the "Difficult" level-- not "Expert".  It's certainly enough to give you a little exercise.  I think I have to "dance" longer than I have to "box" to get the same kind of results-- at least it feels longer-- but it's nice for a little of a change. 

Wii Fit (Free Step).  I haven't used this one as much as the other two, but I think that's going to change.  This is nice for a lower impact workout, and I like that I can be watching whatever I want on TV (or listening to my own music) while I do it, yet I still get credit in the game for exercising.  (g)  I know it's not much different than if I just went for a walk around the house (or, well, outside-- but that's just crazy-talk), but I'm more likely to do it if I'm getting points for it, so in a way there is a difference.  Also, because it's "just walking", I think it will be easy to talk myself into doing it, even on days I don't really feel like exercising.  (That's the plan, anyway.)

- - - - - - -

 Well, time to go start the day for real!  :o)

This probably irritates me more than it should. . .

Oh, ick:

"Mattel Changes Rules of Scrabble for First Time Since 1948":

The official rules of Scrabble are being changed for the first time in 62 years, to allow the names of celebrities, places and companies to be used, The Times of London reported Monday.

When Alfred Butts, an American architect, invented and trademarked the game in 1948, the use of proper nouns was banned. But Mattel, the game manufacturer that owns the distribution rights to Scrabble, has announced plans to make a series of radical changes.

Players will now be permitted to use proper nouns, which will enable high scores from celebrities such as Jordan, Beyoncé and Shakira. Mattel is also considering allowing players to spell words backwards and upwards on the board and place words unconnected to other pieces.

A spokeswoman for the company said Monday that the new rules would be a “great new twist” on the classic game. “The layout, the colors of the board, the rules and the game itself have all remained unchanged for more than 60 years,” she said. “These changes are the biggest news for Scrabble lovers in the history of the game and will provide a great new twist on the old formula.

“We believe that people who are already fans will enjoy the changes but some people will want to continue playing the old way so we will still be selling a board with the original rules.”

What are they thinking?!

I'm surprisingly annoyed by this, considering that it's been a while since  the last time we played Scrabble, but it just seems wrong.  If you haven't changed your rules for more then 60 years, and you're still considered one of the great classic boardgames, it's probably a sign that you got it right.  In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Also: Who is to determine which people qualify as "celebrities"?  I assume that'll be in the new rules, somewhere.  And for that matter, why only allow the names of celebrities (and places and companies)?  Why not allow all proper nouns?  (I think it's the celebrity-worship aspect of this that grates most on my nerves...)

We can only hope that the new rules will cause so much outrage and disgust among those who actually play the game that the people behind this change (who were looking, no doubt, to create some buzz-- which I guess they've succeeded in) will see the error of their ways and relent.

. . . On the other hand, some of the existing rules for Scrabble already drive me crazy-- mainly the way the game accepts so many bizarre (so-called) words that people (the pros) only know because they memorized them from the official Scrabble dictionary.  (No, in fact I'm not impressed by your ability to memorize a bunch of fake words.)

Random Tidbits

• Twice on Friday, Trixie barked at a butterfly that landed on the atrium door. Serious, extended barking. She's always been very conscious of insects and alerts us to invading spiders, moths, or crickets, but I think that's the first time she's barked at a butterfly.
  
• I am afraid of my pressure cooker. I still use it from time to time, but I don't really trust it not to explode. When I use it, I put Molly outside (her usual spot is in the kitchen) and I don't stay in the room more than I have to, myself. Irrational? Perhaps. But at least we're safe from exploding pressure cookers. ;o)
  
• World Celebrities Sing to Stop Global Warming. Oh, those celebrities. Always changing the world. This time, they "joined in recording a song to draw attention to the global warming crisis"-- because, you know, hardly anyone's heard about global warming. (But I thought the new accepted term was "climate change"...)
• I am:
  
• Encouraged by the huge numbers of people who showed up in Washington D.C. on Saturday (to protest the government's ever-increasing grasp for power).
  
• Annoyed (though not surprised) by the lack of coverage in much of the media-- or the sad attempts to belittle it by describing the crowds as merely "thousands" or "scores".
  
• Encouraged again that apparently a few more people are seeing this bias.
• After a rainy weekend, we're starting off the workweek with more rain. I would mind the rain less if it was at least a cool rain, but it's still fairly steamy out there. Still, this is September. If I remember correctly ;o) October comes next. Ah, October...
• Friday evening, I accidentally stepped on a caterpillar. I only knew I did so because (gulp) it made a sharp pop. (shudder) I am still haunted by the memory of that sound.
• Donald started training Trixie to "stay" in preparation for training her on weave poles. (Those are the the rows of vertical obstacles that dogs in agility competitions "weave" through.) She's definitely got the idea of what "stay" means, but she still needs some work on sticking with it. (Why does she have to stay? She doesn't want to!)
• We tried out our new board game, The Settlers of Catan, over the weekend. Technically it's not a two-person game, but lots of people have figured out ways to make it work. It was entertaining with two people, but I bet it'll be even better with three or more. We're going to have to invite my family over for a game, one of these weekends. (Family-- you've been warned. ;o))

Today in Three Photos

Today has been rainy at times, and at other times merely overcast and dreary. With an occasional breeze, it almost feels like autumn. (A bit too warm still-- and too humid-- but getting there...)

Overcast days are nice for mini photographic excursions around the yard. . .



. . .trying out a new board game (Settlers of Catan). . .

. . .and digging holes in the moistened soil. . .

(Just ask Trixie.)

Pointless Babble

Only three rounds of pointless babble this time.

- - - - - - -

1. Does Twitter have a monopoly on "pointless babble"? I think not.

I'm now following The Drudge Report on Twitter-- by far the most prolific entity on my list. One of their tweets the other day was a link to a story about how one study (with a sample of a measly 2,000 tweets, however) determined that 40 percent of tweets are "pointless babble". (Their example of "pointless babble" was something like "I'm eating a sandwich now", by the way.)

Measly sample size aside, I'd say the findings are accurate-- if anything, they may be a little low-- but remarkably unsurprising. Haven't people known all along that Twitter is designed for pointless babble? Or at least that's what I tell myself, since babbling is just about all I do on Twitter-- usually pointlessly.

After reading something like that-- and honestly, even before reading the article-- I think twice before tweeting. This may be difficult to believe, for those of you who either "follow" me on Twitter or read my tweets right here on this blog and see my snoozy observations on weather, how tired I am, or what Trixie happens to be doing at the moment, but I've actually been holding back my most boring tweets. I frequently stop myself in mid-tweet. "Nah. That's just too boring to bother people with" Or-- "I don't want it to sound like all I ever do is grumble, so... (backspace backspace backspace)"...

I wonder how many Twitter users feel this pressure to be interesting-- to stay upbeat (or cool and dark, depending on the personality)-- to censor themselves when they begin to feel that they've been doing too much babbling. (Note that I only insinuated that I feel the pressure to be interesting and upbeat-- not that I actually achieve a high level of interest and cheeriness. Just wanted to make sure that was clear. (g))

As someone who only tweets "on the side" and really prefers a blog for the long haul, my next thought naturally is of the blog. I may curb my tongue (fingers?) on Twitter, but my blog is at least 40% pointless babble, too. I'm going to try to forget I ever thought about that, though, and just keep on blogging away, one tedious entry at a time. The good thing about my blog is that there's no fluctuating "follower" count to avoid noticing every time I log on.

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2. Trixie may not be destined for print, after all. (Oops.)

I may have spoken too soon about Trixie being in the I Has a Hotdog book. The last e-mail we got on the subject indicated that there's still some chance of the photo not making the cut. (Though they did sound encouraging.) I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

No, this doesn't really matter-- only I'll feel silly for having mentioned it at all, if it doesn't pan out. And it would be fun to see one of our dogs in a Real Book.

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3. "Island Flyover" is fun.

My current favorite thing on the Wii is the Resort's "Island Flyover" game. It's not a very structured, competitive game, which is probably a big part of why I like it right now. Just between the two three however-many of us there are, I can sometimes be a little too competitive. (No comment necessary, Donald :oP) A non-competitive solo game is a nice break from losing to the meanie computer for the nth time in a row at ping pong table tennis.

For those who don't know, in this game you fly a little plane around the island resort looking for (marked) points of interest and/or popping balloons by shooting them or flying into them. I like games with a little of a treasure hunt in them, and this one is also something where you can just sit back and enjoy the view, too-- particularly once you unlock the sunset and night-time options.

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The End.

Our Fourth

We spent our Fourth of July afternoon at my parents' house.

Carrie and Victor had driven down for a visit, Mom and Dad had prepared a tasty meal of grilled burgers and sausage dogs-- with homemade Butterfinger ice cream for dessert! We watched a little of some old home videos (converted to digital), gave Carrie her birthday gifts (the actual day was a week or so ago), played a couple of card games ("Seven" and "Crazy Eights"), watched Kolby and Mandy demonstrate their ability to "wait" (not take treats placed on their feet until they get the signal that it's ok)-- and just generally visited.

Afterward, most of us drove into town to watch the fireworks display. (Donald took some photos of the fireworks. I may upload some of those, later. As of now, they're still sitting in the camera, and I'm too lazy/sleepy to deal with them, yet.)

It was a very pleasant way to spend the holiday-- and we didn't even have thunderstorms! (Lately, thunder has been a daily occurrence, so the quiet was a nice change of pace.)

And now there's a whole weekend left still left to enjoy! :o)

More important stuff ;o)

When we played Yahtzee a few days ago, I rolled two "Yahtzees" of sixes in one game-- one of which came out all sixes on my first roll that time around. This is obviously an occasion worth noting. ;o)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

We found a nest of ground-dwelling wasps near the easement, today. Fortunately we saw it before anyone got stung-- and it's outside the yard, so there's no chance of Molly getting into it-- but now we'll have to figure out how to deal with it.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Seeing as this is ancient (i.e. from August 2004), you've probably watched it and gotten bored with it, but we just found it for the first time tonight and think it's hilarious. It's probably only funny if you're familiar with the Lord of the Rings movies. . . and if you have a silly sense of humor. (g)

Anyway, here it is: Mashed Taters. (Boil 'em-- Mash 'em-- Stick 'em in a stew!)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Take5 Tuesday

Prompt from Take5 Tuesday:

1. 5 things you like about spring.

• The first days of warm sunshine. (It's one of the few times of the year when I actually enjoy sunshine, because it's not yet too hot.)
  
• The smell of freshly cut grass and honeysuckle.
• Feeling excited (for a few weeks, maybe?) about the yard. (This is when I make big plans that I later fail to carry through to completion. ;o))
• Gentle springtime breezes.
• Birds building nests all over the place (even on our back porch).
  

2. 5 things you plan to do this summer.

• Work on at least a couple of yard projects. (Pump house, patio, maybe more. . .)
• Keep alive the tomato plants we've purchased. (I hope!)
• Keep an eye open for an ad for Eskie puppies. (There aren't many available, but I'd really love to have another Eskie, one of these days.)
• Do a better job than last year at keeping the yard in order.
• Avoid snakes.
  

3. 5 of your favorite sports to play.
Ha ha ha. You're joking, right? I'm not that sporty.

• Badminton
  
• Bowling (It's been a while. . .)
  
• Bocce (Just the two of us, around the yard-- nothing fancy.)
  
• Volleyball? (It's been so many years, though!)
• Softball (Again, years and years and years!)
  

4. 5 board games you like to play, (or played as a kid.)
I don't play that many board games these days. Not because I don't like to, but because most of the time it's just the two of us, and there aren't many board games (that we like) that work with two people. We need to invite some people over to play board games, sometime. . .

• Scrabble (We do play this one fairly often. Neither of us are champion level, but it's nice for a change from the other games we play.)
  
• Trivial Pursuit (Another one the just the two of us can play.)
  
• Clue (I used to play this a lot as a kid.)
• Pay Day (Same as above. . .)
• Parcheesi (Just to name one more-- we had a lot of games I liked just about as much as this one. I think I like Pit better, but I don't think of that as a board game. . .)

5. 5 sites you visited today.

• Flickr (More specifically, I visited my "home" on the site, with recent photos from my contacts, recent activity on my own photos, etc.)
  
• Google Reader (which helps me keep track of blogs I read)
• Blogger (this blog and my clay blog)
• Google (Almost every search starts with the little Google search bar built into my browser. I end up here several times a day, usually.)
• The Daily Meme's list of Tuesday memes (where I found this one)