Ok so it's been a bit

Send yourself an e-mail:

FutureMe.org makes it possible to write yourself an e-mail to be delivered on the date of your choice (up through 2036).

What would you like to say to yourself in 5 months? 2 years? 20 years

Create your own electronic time capsule.

halloween fun

This video is pretty good, about people who wear Halloween costumes to work. The part with people scaring the crap out of their coworkers is laugh-out-loud funny.

celebrity look-alike

Thanks to Max for a link to this cool
Face Recognition
page.

This is worth the bullshit sign-up you have to do, which only takes a minute. It scans a photo of your face and matches it, percentage-wise, to various celebs. It told me I looked 73% like Mia Kirshner. That was the highest percentage match I got.

I have no idea who Mia Kirshner is but the photo of her is gorgeous.
I also, however, look 58% like Sigmund Freud!

Pear-happs I am a dee-zen-dant, no? Tell me about your mother...

When I uploaded the photo you see of me here, I found I am 63% Moby!

the peeing section

I read a great quote today, and I'm told it's George Carlin who said it:

Having a smoking section in a restaurant
is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.

As I recall, he is also the one who, when asked what cocaine feels like, responded:

It makes you feel like doing more cocaine.

Now I have done my share of drugs, but I have never taken cocaine, not even once -- and I think his quote is the best reason why I haven't and never will.

Is this sheet taken?

Enter here to win a year ($1,800), six months ($900), or one month's ($150) worth of gas. It's through Reader's Digest but you don't have to register anywhere or be a subscriber to enter. You can only enter once, though.

I like Reader's Digest. It's just more proof that I am off-the-charts uncool. Now husband Andy likes it too because they have a contest every month where they provide the first line of a joke and you provide the punchline. Best punchline gets $100 and is printed in the magazine.

Andy is very clever and has already won (twice, even) mousepads from David Letterman by submitting ideas for the online version of Dave's "Top 10 List." Out of thousands of entries, Andy's ideas made the top 10 list twice in two months. And then he enters a caption contest over at TV Tunes Online and wins that too!

This time he won a dvd set of some show or another.

So now Andy fully expects Reader's Digest to join the ranks of those astounded by his wit. Toward the end of every month he starts bugging me: Did it come today? He doesn't even need to tell me what he's talking about.

NO, sweetie, sorry. Maybe tomorrow.



Today he will get a nice surprise when he comes home from work because it came!

But his punchline didn't win.

The question was: What did the pencil say to the paper?

And Andy submitted a bunch of punchlines, but the one we both liked best was: Look at you! You just lay around all day while I get the lead out, and I'm still number two around here!

The winning punchline was:
Is this sheet taken?

Which I had to admit was pretty funny. Sometimes the winners aren't that funny at all, and you gotta wonder if the judges are smoking crack.

a great name for a band

My friend Laurie's band has splintered and is reforming under a new name. They're trying to think of cool band names and are open to suggestions. (Their sound is funky-jazzy-rock)

Here are my official cool band name suggestions. I'll bold my favorite ones.

Happier in Black

Perfect Already

Greener Grass

The Other Side

Eerily Appropriate

Flood

Kaleidoscopic

Dreamers of Dreams

Joy Capacity

Knock Knock

Land of Oz

Further to Fly

Nothing but Now

All Shine On

Ashes Ashes

Capital Eyes

Cellar Door

The Sinister Misfits

Close Enough

Nap 'Til Nine

Pajama Llama

Wake Up Call

Deep Breath

Elevation

Vanishing Anger

Liquid Blue Racket

Jupiter Picnic

Basket of Blue

WonderTwins Activate

...and one from Andy, which Laurie really likes:

Something Totally Inappropriate

Did you know there are band name generators? Weird.


(If you have any cool band name ideas, feel free to leave 'em in the comments and I'll pass 'em along for consideration)

Energy Smart

Andy and I are looking into making energy-smart home improvements under New York State's new-ish Energy Star program.

If eligible (which we are), the program will cover up to 50% of the costs associated with the energy-efficiency improvements, up to a maximum of $5,000 per household or $10,000 for a 2 - 4 family building.

And Andy's parents said they'd fund the initial cost and we can pay them back interest-free. Sweet! I like the idea of helping the environment by conserving water/electricity/energy and also saving money in the long run.

my husband, my hero

"Boddhisatva, won't you take me by the hand?"
~ Steely Dan

My husband embodies the idea of zen effortlessly; I am convinced he is a boddhisattva of sorts, always seeing the best in others, no matter what the situation or perceived hurt/wrong.

I, on the other hand, stuggle continually with feeling unhealthy emotions toward those who anger/annoy me, all the while proclaiming an affinity for compassionate Buddhism and a wish to follow the path of non-attachment and kindness.

I was bothered very recently by an individual who came across quite blatantly as an arrogant, swaggering, braggart, all ready to play the "I have more & better things/money/music/toys than you do" game and assert knowledge/expertise/attitude at every turn without the slightest compunction...the very opposite (so I judged) of humility. I lay awake one night feeling anger and resentment toward this individual.

And that's what bothers me the most....not the individual, but my bitter reaction toward them. If I am to be the ecumenical Christian/Buddhist I want to be, I need to realize that the indivuduals who challenge me in this manner are my greatest teachers. They are to be revered as treasures because they allow me a real opportunity to practice compassion, patience, humility, and non-attachment. They have Buddha nature, and it should be recognized and they should be valued for it.

Sitting in meditation helps me let go; silence helps me let go. We don't have enough silence in our culture and we do not value the moments of nothing which allow us to see inside ourselves and the illusory nature of our thinking patterns. At least this is what I am coming to believe.

And somehow my husband continues to set a wonderful example in this regard.

He does not claim to follow any doctrine or teaching, but he lives a simple life full of positive notions about those he encounters and he does not define success in terms of the illusion of material/monetary assets or power. He does not brag or belittle others. He is always ready with a smile and a friendly comment. He does not complain or feel self-pity.

In short, I am blessed to have him to look up to and emulate. He is my hero. He is my teacher.

And I have much to learn!

Create your own Cartman

At Custom South Parks, you can model a South Park character after yourself or someone you know. It's online dress-up fun. Now bitch! Make me a pie!