No One Gets Me Quite Like Me

No one quite gets me, like me. I've always said that I write for my own self. I often reread what I wrote to laugh at myself, to see how I've digressed, or perhaps improved. I also have a much more personal blog [I know, more personal than this?] that no one really reads; I very randomly read it to see how I've changed, to refocus my mind in a healthier manner. I think it's necessary that we do that every now and again. We have to do things for us. If we don't take care of ourselves first, how are we to ever help anyone else?

Anyway, I got started on all of this because I read Greg Kot's Wilco Learning How to Die. It was a great book and biography about Wilco and Jeff Tweedy. While it's ancient in terms of Wilco having concluded around 2002; the thoughts of Jeff Tweedy would still ring true. One of his particular quotes made me think of how important we all are to ourselves.

"That's the beauty of music" he says. "Because when it feels right, it does feel like you invented it-because you did. You invented if for yourself"

We should all be able to take a moment to forget what anyone else will think of what we write, draw, sing, or cook. If we make ourselves happy, the others will soon follow. We can't control the world, but we can control what decisions we make.

Anyway, I wasn't going any place in particular with this other than to say I really enjoyed the book. I also really enjoy rereading what I write because no one gets me like I do [my jokes are dry, but damn, I love 'em]. No matter who comes and goes in our lives, they each served a purpose while there that we should be grateful for that rather than resentful. Also, it's way too easy to get wrapped up in things greater than ourselves, but we shouldn't. We are all that matters. If we take care of us, the rest does follow.

Now, off of my public service announcement with a quick update that I'm moving on to the new Chet the Jet book. Also, I thought it was time to make you think...

You get only three clues...What Am I?

• I am a fiber tip pen.
• My ink is translucent.
• I was invented in Japan in 1962.

Too Many Words Sound Alike!

"I'm jealous, Becky is going to see Grease tonight" he says. I look confused and disgusted all at the same exact moment. I wonder aloud, "really, I want to go to Greece, how did I not know about this"? I get that blank confused expression in return while he replies, "well, you know, working at the Fox, she gets so many tickets, so she's going to see it tonight". Damn it, I did it again, the other Greece!

While I won't be going to Greece anytime soon, I will be going with Amanda to New York this weekend for the Tim Burton exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. I am supposed to give my flight info to my brother so that some one can "track" me for my mom. So, here it is:

sat jan 16 2010 AA1030 STL 10:55-LGA 14:15
mon jan 18 2010 AA2223 LGA 16:15-STL 18:10

Since that's cleared up, my only worry is about poor Haiti. They needed better buildings.

SMART ASS

WHO AM I?

I am a TV character.

Carroll Spinney plays me.

My voice was based on a Bronx cabbie’s.

I am green.

My pet peeve is cheerful people.

My favorite vacation spot is the Mudville City Dump.

I love trash.

I live on Sesame Street.

WORD

advertent: giving attention; heedful

30 Million Dollar Garage

Did you know that if you were going to have a concrete parking garage built in the US, it would cost you about $15,000 per car? So for instance, if you wanted to allow 2000 cars to park in your garage, it would cost you 30 million US dollars.

There are a lot of stipulations that I should note, [you know, all that fine print]. As I am neither an estimator nor producer of said concrete structures, you should ignore anything I have to say...just thought you might like to know that tidbit!

SMART ASS
WHERE AM I?

I am a lake.

My waters come from glaciers.

I claim to have 300 sunny days a year.

Each winter, I have 400 inches of snowfall.

I am the second deepest lake in the US.

My southern shore is known for its casinos.

I am divided between Nevada and California.

I am in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

WORD

yashmak: A veil worn by Muslim women that is wrapped around the upper and lower parts of the face so that only the eyes remain exposed to public view.

Chet the Jet

I recommend books all the time that people probably end up hating and wondering why I'd even bother reading let alone recommending! But one of the books I once recommended to my brother was Dog On It by Spencer Quinn, seemingly enjoyed by all. My mom and both my brothers read it. Since then, and to my utmost delight, I found the blog by Chet the Jet (hero of the book, a dog named Chet). I also follow Chet on Twitter! Anyway, the new book is out, Thereby Hangs A Tail.

I chose to mention this because I was reading today's blog which made me chortle aloud at work, thus giving away the fact I wasn't actually working. [People don't laugh at work in this industry]. So it goes, Chet arrives home and realizes that there have been trespassers. I'm on edge with anticipation as to who might have been on his property...

...I followed the scents: squirrel, bird, the mailman, toad, and several of my guys, including – Iggy?

...I have to laugh, that's just exactly what a dog would do; get everyone up in arms thinking some one is at the door or breaking into the house, you charge through rooms at the ready to find, but what, really?, that's just a squirrel taunting you with it's tail! Ohhhhh Dogs!

Anyway, good books, go read!

SMART ASS
WHAT AM I?

I am a form of dance.

I have companies throughout the world.

My lead dancers are called principals.

I have five main positions.

Edgar Degas’ paintings of me are well known.

The Nutcracker and Swan Lake are among my popular works.

Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of my most famous dancers.

My apparel can include tutus and toe shoes.

[easy peasy japanesy...and on that note, Mike, you were right, it was Degas...interesting that we just had that conversation yesterday]

WORDS

febrile: marked or caused by fever; feverish. This word, along with fever, are derived from the Latin word febris, meaning a fever.

confabulate: 1.:to talk informally; chat. 2. to hold a discussion; to confer. 3.:to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication. Confabulate, fabulous, and fable are all derivatives of the Latin word fabula meaning "conversation" or "story" depending on the usage.

kinesics: a systematic study of the relationship between nonlinguistic body motions (as blushes, shrugs, and eye movement) and communication. The formal study of "body language" is believed to have begun with the publishing of Ray Birdshistell's book Introduction to Kinesics in 1952.

What's Going On?

I'm either having a stroke or everyone on Twitter today is really confusing!

Want to know where the earthquakes are happening? Go to these sites:

• US


• Mediterranean

Want to know about any event? Go here:

• ubAlert

WHO AM I?

I am a famous leader.

I was born in Corsica in 1769 and died in 1821.

My military battles were well documented.

I was the greatest military genius of the 19th century.

I declared myself Emperor.

I was called the “Little Corporal.”

In 1815, I pushed it too far at Waterloo.

I told Josephine, “Not tonight.”

WORD

truculent: 1:feeling or displaying ferocity 2: deadly or destructive 3: scathingly harsh 4: aggressively self-assertive

Book of Lost Things

I just finished a lovely book, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It was a great book with much taken from myths, folklore, and fairy tales. I have to admit that the ending was my favorite part. I won't share it, but will tell you that it has elements of well dressed talking animals [one of my bigger fears]; twisted fairy tales that end not quite like you expect yet the tales all end in some way that you some how did expect; the ending is sad and yet you smile by the shear happiness of it all. I recommend it indeed. On that note, I also think that @ibificus, @Emmet, and @FrankieP would rather enjoy it. First, well dressed talking animals. Second, great imagery for the mind that I think the likes of those fellas would appreciate. Third, it's twisted, and those three seem to like that which is twisted [or I assume since that what I gather from Twitter]!

WHERE AM I?

I am a North American city in the Rocky Mountains.

I am a stylish ski resort for the rich and famous.

I was once a rich silver mining center.

I am in Colorado.

I am located on the Roaring Fork River.

I share my name with a variety of tree.

I am the site of a music festival each summer.

John Denver moved here in the 1970s.

[Not quite so easy today]

WORD

passel: a large number or amount. [This word is similar to the words cuss and bust with respect that it comes from a "linguistic idiosyncrasy" where there is a loss of sound of "r" after a vowel and before a consonant in the middle of a word. curse-cuss; burst-bust]

Things Will Get Easier?

And so it goes, 2010 is on the move. It hasn't started out swell, but I suppose, granted the way the universe works, I shall not worry the small stuff. As an update, Chris (Andy's friend) is alive and well. By well I mean no internal injuries. Yesterday afternoon he was sitting on his couch when a car drove over his porch and into his front room pinning him against the wall opposite where he sat; he was then flown to Barnes-Jewish hospital. As I mentioned, he is well and since they aren't my injuries I won't share them here, just know he's well.

I have a whole list of worries and dilemmas plaguing me at the moment, but I won't share them all at once, instead I shall share with you a question in order to get your opinion on the matter.

QUESTION
How should one say 2010? [Click here for my poll]

• Twenty Ten [history indicates this to be logical... The War of Eighteen Twelve; Party Like It's Nineteen Ninety-nine]


• Two-thousand and Ten [while this feels right to me, I would not have chosen to say "The War of Eighteen-hundred and Twelve" nor "The War of One-thousand Eight-hundred and Twelve"]

WHAT AM I?

I am a musical instrument.

I am made from brass, but am not part of the brass section.

A “Bird” was known for playing me.

I can be an alto, soprano, tenor, or baritone.

Lisa Simpson plays me all the time.

Bill Clinton once played me on a late night talk show.

I am occasionally used in the orchestra.

My popularity stems mainly from jazz.

[another easy one to boost the confidence! As usual, check back in the comments for the answer]


WORD
fissiparous: tending to break up into parts; divisive. For example, my home made shortbread! In biology, where the word was first used, it applied to organisms that produce new individuals by fission (dividing into seperate cells creating two new and unique organisms).

Did I Wake Up In Alaska?

I fear I may have accidentally moved to Alaska without knowing I have done so...



[temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit]

WHO AM I?

I am an actor and screenwriter born in New York City.

The first movie I wrote and starred in won Best Picture.

My most famous character now has been in 6 movies.

My second most famous character has been in 4 movies.

Neither character speaks much.

At birth, part of my face was partially paralyzed.

I have a body-focused nutrition company and book.

My nickname is “Sly.”

[Seriously, if you can't get this, you're out of the loop, but I'll be sure to post the answer in the comment section of this blog towards the end of the day]

WORD

alley-oop: A basketball play in which a player catches a pass above the basketball and immediately dunks the ball. "Alley-oop" was first heard by English ears under the big tops of early 20th-century circuses. When acrobats were about to leap to their trapezes, they would often cry the similar sounding French word allez-oop--an interjection meaning roughly "go up". Its latest venue is the half pipe, where skateboarders and snowboarders pull "alley-oop" spinning tricks.

Smart Ass

So far 2010 started out well. It's 3°F outside with a -6° wind chill. This weather made drinking my hot tea quite delightful!

I was a bit disappointed in my word of the day so I decided to register online for my free calendar (that came along with my purchase of the paper kind).

I opted for Smart Ass (though it took some finagling with the site to get around to giving it to me)! Anyway, instead of a word, here's a riddle...

Where Am I?

I am a famous structure in Asia.

Shocking conditions were endured while making me.

I was built by Allied prisoners of war.

The Japanese oversaw my construction.

I was portrayed in a 1957 Oscar-winning movie.

I am in Thailand.

I was destroyed during the war, but was rebuilt.

I am still in use today.

[Just a note from the editor, don't respond with the answer "Thailand", smart ass indeed]