Skip Loves a Good Forward

Email forwards in college were somewhat of a novelty, which was relatively easy seeing that the internet and any email content were also exciting and new. Yet, after a little while, all the dancing-baby-needle-in-the-gas-pump-tell-us-your-favorite-color-friend-and-number-and-we'll-tell-you-who-your-future-husband-is-but-you-must-forward-this-on-to-7-people-as-soon-as-possible-otherwise-someone-will-die-or-you'll-have-bad-luck-forever-and-won't-get-a-check-for-$100-from-Microsoft emails became tedious and trite. So, with the exception of my mummy, who still finds them endlessly entertaining and feels the need to pass them along to her children (and someone called 'smackfam') or she might be cursed with the demonic destiny as dictated by the email, we delete them.

However, I was recently sent a forward by my dear friend, Mike 'Collars Up' Crittenden, that I took the time to open (Michael is such a fastidious forwarder, that I can trust the content of his emails will not be frivolous). Demonic destiny, indeed! What I discovered was a link to an online gallery of Demonic Tots and Deeply Disturbing Cuisine, which kept me entertained for a few hours and left me pondering the marketing wonders that are American consumer goods for even a few hours more.

Enjoy!

Match Made in Heaven; Part II

But, of course! Brake Alignment and Burlwood!

Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA.

Skip Prefers Hayes Valley

My most recent visit to the Marina area of San Francisco was about a month ago (after a 2-year hiatus) when I met up with some people at the divey bar, Mauna Loa, on Fillmore Street. While I very much love my friends, I was reminded on my trip to homogeneity that I most definitely do not enjoy going out in the Marina; the bar was ridiculously crowded, a discomfort only matched by the din of high-pitched Marina girl voices in my ears, and everyone looked exactly the same.

I am very happy to see that my observations and subsequent reasons for hating this nightlife nausea are corroborated by the witty folks at Wikipedia.

Take a peek. Marina District.

Only in San Francisco; Part II

I am not kidding. There are people twirling flaming batons around their heads at 10:20pm in the park outside my apartment.

Skip Wants to Go Back to College

Before I left for London I had the most glorious weekend reunited with my college roommates, Mary and Natalie, all three of us together for the first time since our university utopia.

What shining girls they are!

Skip's Fairyland

Anyone who knows me, is all too aware that I am scared to death of air travel. The paranoia begins about four hours before airport departure as I sweat and panic at the thought of getting into a flying tube. In flight, I clutch my cross necklace and say my 'goodbyes' at each tumble of turbulence. My fear ends only as the plane touches down and I thank God for delivering me safely (while I mutter to myself how I should be in control, because clearly I would have flown the plane better than the loon at the helm).

However, there was a brief respite in my persistent flight fright on my most recent trip to London (my location at press time). Not only was the flight going to be in record time thanks to some hefty tailwind, but also I was blessed with three empty seats and so I fitfully attempted to snooze as a way of making the time pass. Clearly, it was not going to happen and so I gazed out the window.

We were just west of the Hudson Bay and the sky was pitch black save for the most amazing display of Northern Lights. It sounds cheesy, but I was immediately at peace as I watched the glow flickering across the sky as if invisible ice skaters were leaving a trail of green embers as they sliced across a night pond. It looked like the darkness were tearing open to reveal some lightness beyond and it made everything quiet in its beauty for almost two hours. I was silent, awe-struck.

How can you not believe in God?

Take it back, Brad

No. This is wrong on so many levels.

Tune Buckle.

Skip to the Future

Apparently JBL had 'The Jetsons' in mind when they created this spacy OnTime iPod alarm clock. It's ridiculously cool looking and I can already see my cats' heads stuck in the halo space (which is clearly a reason to buy); but, though I consider myself a modern girl, this just might be too contemporary, architechture-as-consumer-electronics for me.

Then again, maybe not. Have you seen the size of the snooze button?!?!

Down Under

She's Back!

Dinner for Friends

Despite the dirty wine glasses in my sink, it was well worth it.

Skip Loves Dull Men

I have recently come across one of the most entertaining websites on the entire internet. It is the Dull Men's Club. Their motto: 'A place -- in cyberspace -- where Dull Men can share thoughts and experiences, free from pressures to be in and trendy, free instead to enjoy the simple, ordinary things of everyday life.' No, seriously.

Here, boring men from around the world (funny that most of them live in England) can share their inane stories and insipid facts about Baggage Carousels and Bingo, Rest Areas and Roundabouting. For example, who knew that of '366 airports reporting. . . 45.5% are counterclockwise, 29% clockwise, 7.7% go both ways, 3% other, 15.8% have no carousels.' Amazing! If only I knew what 'other' direction a baggage carousel could go in?!?!

You see! It is a wealth of pointless prosaic information that happily feeds my mind's need for just such nonsense and keeps you wanting more!

Skip is a Cheesehead

Part of my 'Take Charge of My Life' focus in 2006 (a reference to the moving 'Take Back the Night' episode of 90210 when Kelly works to counter violence against women at her university after being raped) involves determining where I want to live next. This would ideally be somewhere I could settle down and buy a home (read: NOT somewhere ridiculously expensive like New York or DC, but a place where I can have a yard. I want a yard. I want a puppy...but that's a different blog entry), enjoy the outdoors, seasons, movies, sports and still have a Neiman's and a Cheesecake Factory nearby.

In determining my next move, I utilized the Find Your Spot engine to generate geographic fits to my personality after answering a short series of questions.

Where will my next adventure take me? Apparently, I'm headed to Milwaukee.

Skip into 2006

Some New Year's pics for those who missed out...

And, there's more at Ofoto.com.

Skip's Mobile Phone Update

The wait is over! My oft'-blogged-about favorite phone ever, the Motorola SLVR, is now available in the US.

At eGizmo.com.