Randomness

In Florida, a man tried to steal a ferret by putting it in his pants. A witness confronted him in the parking lot and the man held the unhappy ferret up to the witness's face. In addition to theft, he's being charged with branishing a "special weapon" -- the ferret!

In New Jersey, a manatee was found in waters by an oil refinery. Since the water's too cold for a manatee in that area, he's being flown to Florida. I hope he doesn't get a middle seat -- I'm sure he'd use both of the arm rest!

36 inches of snow in the Denver area -- really? In October? I guess there's an advantage to living in the middle of the country after all.

A British couple, sleeping on their yacht, were taken by Somali pirates. I still think I deserve royalties -- they were all stealing my story!

U2 is planning a July 2010 concert in Soldiers Field again. Chicago Bears' groundkeepers are already planning the resodding of the field after the concert.

Bad economy? Then why are full face Halloween masks, the kind that cost upwards of $250 a piece, selling like crazy?

Americans Against Taxes on Food is running a commercial against proposed new taxes on "juice drinks and soda." And just what is of nutritional value in "juice drinks and soda"? You call that food?

Where Did All This Stuff Come From:

I've been doing some cleaning around the condo. That's what I do when I don't really want to do the homework I should be doing. I have an annotated bibliography due a week from Monday, a 2-3 page response paper due before November 16th, and a final paper of a "significant" length due by November 23rd. So while I've been pondering what to do my final paper on (I'm leaning toward Dante, but not sure exactly which direction to take) and looking up potential articles for my biblio, I've been cleaning. And like everytime I do some massive cleaning I get overwhelmed by all the "stuff" I have.

This time I've been going through my books. I love my new Ikea bookcase and have been sorting through my books to organize them. I've pulled out a couple hundred books (I think) to read and then sell. And I've walked past piles of other things that have gotten left undone. There's a lot of stuff in our lives that when we're honest with ourselves we can admit we don't really need.

In these tough economic times, people have cut back and changed their buying habits. But as a result many businesses are having a tough time and laying off more people. Why does our life, our very society, revolve around buying things we don't really need?

So I'm going to try -- I admit I may not succeed -- to simplify my life, to empty my life of unnecessary things that hold me back, and tie me down. Into this life then I can bring someone, not something, that I can love and care for and treasure more than any possession. I can bring a little four footed sweetie into my life and blog about her and her antics rather than feel tied down by my "stuff."

Wordless Wednesday - Little Moochers Version

Happy Birthday, Bo!

"'Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday." Barack Obama said that was how he was greeted this morning by his daughter Malia. I had heard on the radio that i wake up to that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize. What I just learned is that it's Bo's birthday! Yep, that is important stuff!!

A Split Second of Fame

Have you seen the new Fruit Loops commercial? It's touting the fiber in the cereal. No, I don't eat Fruit Loops and I don't intend to, but I do like the commercial. I saw it for the first time a few days ago. I saw it again today. The best part is the first split second of the commercial. Look to the left, on the couch, with the tongue action going. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXwsXtRqTY4

New Bookcase Coming

One of the first things to be moved over to my new condo last year were some of my books. A dear friend gave me a Target gift card that I used to buy two new bookcases and a TV stand (and only had to chip in $12 myself!). When my furniture was moved over, a large wall unit book shelf and a regular size bookcase came with and were soon filled with books.

Yes, I'm a book geek, having roughly 2,200 books which includes textbooks and travel guide books, but the collection also includes many novels, books on history, science, philosophy, political science and law. Needless to say, it was quite a job getting the whole collection moved over, even if the move was only 16 miles.

Tomorrow, a friend is picking up yet another bookcase for me at Ikea and will kindly do the assembly work. This may not be my last bookcase, but it is yet another small detail that will make the condo feel more like a home.

Several years ago, a friend mentioned once that he never felt at home when he moved until he built some bookcases for the place. I think I feel the same way about having bookcases in the house, though I couldn't build them if my life depended on it! Some people have all sorts of seasonal decor, some people lots of dishes, some people collect and display things in a curio cabinet. For me, it's books.

What little detail makes your house feel like a home?