The Tipping Point

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Did Oprah Winfrey tell her audience that restaurant patrons need not tip their servers more than 10 percent?

[SP] Widdle Babies

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 5:55 AM


If there are any problems with the comic or website, or if you have any questions, comments, or complaints you would like to address directly to Randy, please email him at choochoobear@gmail.com.

But Only If MTV Is There to Film It

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 12:00 AM

Guy #1: So I literally threw the books at her. And I said, "What's the point anymore? We fight like cats and dogs every time..."
Guy #2: So maybe we should all move in together in one big house! And we could marry each other's wives!
Guy #3: Yeah! Maybe...?

--17th St & 7th Ave


Alsome | Thumbs up | Thumbs down |
Link · Email · Quote this! · Del.icio.us · Posted 2009-11-09

Website: fics down.

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 11:31 PM
To: Everyone
From: Me

Stories on my website are down. Lots of them. I know.

WG has my external drive. That drive has all my files with my fanfic. The website will not be fixed until I get it.

So I am waiting for him. And waiting. And waiting.

I am *this* close to adding a redirect to his email so prospective readers can ask him for my fics.



Signed: Your friendly neighborhood fanfic writer,
Icarus

Tags:

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 3:34 AM

TPW_6689This is how Charlie greeted me when I returned home late Saturday night.

 
 
rightsideAnd okay. This is how he greeted me.

 
 
TPW_6689But this is much more fun. Much more freaky. Much more disturbing.

And you know what? I like disturbing.

After four kids and thirteen years of marriage, I really, really like disturbing.

Disturbing is where I live.

Disturbing is home to me.

Disturbing reassures me. Comforts me. Makes me happy.

 
TPW_6690In that respect, Charlie is, like, the most perfect animal on earth.

Dang, is he one weird dog.

Asian girl #1: I always wondered what chalk tasted like.
Asian girl #2: (silence)
Asian girl #1: Do you know what chalk tastes like?

--Elizabeth Center


Alsome | Thumbs up | Thumbs down |
Link · Email · Quote this! · Del.icio.us · Posted 2009-11-08

I said PEPPERONI AND EXTRA CARROTS

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 1:43 AM

They never listen—watch, it’s gonna arrive with broccoli on it.

Picture 858

Sorry about your Bunday, Annie T.

Posted in Uncategorized

Cocktailnerd's Bumblebee

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 6:00 PM

bumblebee_cocktailnerd.jpg

It's been one of those crazy weekends, and tonight I plan on unwinding with this deliciousness. It's a Bumblebee, and I have Cocktailnerd to thank.

Read this article | Comment on this article

Excitement, then tears, then happy times.

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 5:56 PM

IMG_2824

This is the wool plaid dress I mentioned I was working on. It's McCall's 5927. All was going well, I loved working on it. I sewed a little in the evening, on weekends, not rushing and really enjoying not starting and finishing a garment in 2 days. I lowered the neckline and added an extra little tab. I was having such a great time. The lining is all hand-sewn into place, all pretty and tidy, the invisible zipper went in perfectly and the pockets are lined in such a nice way. I was getting ready to hem the dress and then I cut a hole in it.

A hole, actually 2 holes, because it was folded, about 3 inches from the bottom on the dress. This was after I had trimmed it, so the hem would now have to be 3 inches shorter than I had planned.

Um, yeah, so saying there was tears and swearing and an all-around freak-out is an understatement. I kept telling myself it was just a dress, but I just felt like such an ass. I cut a hole in it! And it wasn't a patching/workable hole. It was a big horrible oddly shaped hole. A dress-wrecking hole. Through tears, I hemmed it as low as I could and tried it on to see if it could be saved.

Here's a photo of it too short. I had to serge the edge because I didn't even have enough to fold up. Now, I know I could have kept it like this, but it was so NOT what I had envisioned, way too short and too 1980s and really not a good dress when picking up kids and all that, I just was so sad when it was in this state.

Leg2

So here was the fix, which as these situations sometimes go, if I am lucky and extra clever— I really like better than the original pattern. I am so happy with how this turned out. I had enough fabric (I always buy extra) to cut a strip on the bias, and then added a side slit and some bras buttons for a detail to match the buttons on the neckline. I actually copied the cap sleeve construction and folded the strip on the bias, so it's double thick, and this allowed me to skip the dreaded hemming on the bias situation, because the hem is actually a folded edge, dig?

IMG_2854

And here we are all layered and much warmer and very happy with how this turned out. Whew. Thank you family and friends for your support with the drama.



 







Whut r we lookng at?

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 1:00 AM


funny pictures of dogs with captions

Whut r we lookng at? I dunno… but I wanna mek shur the cat dont gets
it furst

Picture by: dunno source. Caption by: rebel_ious28 via Loldog Builder

» Recaption This

» See All Captions

Tagged: competiton, first, labrador, lolcats, look


talisman project challenge 2: talismans

  • Nov. 9th, 2009 at 1:09 AM

We finished our second creative challenge for the Talisman Project a few weeks ago. Here’s the assignment from Laura:

“Think of some qualities you wish you had (or had more of…) (for example: time, courage, focus, peace, health, etc). Using these as your source of inspiration, create 2 small “things” (…a story, a postcard, a soap, a bracelet, a key, ANYTHING!) that represents those qualities in some way (these can both be the same, or you can do 2 different things).
Each one of these “magical type things” is going to be put in its own envelope (along with maybe a little description of what qualities it carries) and mailed off to 2 other group members. then sometime in the days to follow, SUDDENLY, almost UNEXPECTEDLY you are going to receive two handmade talismans of your very own carrying qualities you didn’t know you needed.
Ideally you use only what you already have available to make these talismans, you can even use old paper to make the envelope; the more thrifty you can challenge yourself to be the better!”

This one was so much easier than the self portrait. I’ll post my two items soon!

First Annual Cheese Festival

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 4:27 PM
This past weekend was the First Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival at the Monona Terrace in Madison. I have to say that while most of it was a blur because I was organizing instead of attending, there were a few truly memorable moments, including:

1. Exhuberant cheesemakers = big hugs = accidental bloody noses. We were setting up for Friday night's Meet the Cheesemaker event, and as cheesemakers arrived to set up, many were giving me hugs. One cheesemaker, who will remain unidentified, ran toward me, gave me a big hug, and without meaning to, punched my daughter square in the nose (she was standing behind me). Gushing blood ensued, but about 20 minutes of applying pressure to her nose and splashing cold water on her dress, we got out all the stains. In good news, she likes his cheese, so all is forgiven. Which leads me to the next memory ...

2. Don't carry a large round glass vase with one finger. Words to the wise: don't carry a big glass bowl full of water and flowers by the top, because in this case, gravity will work against you. All I can say is that somewhere last night at the Monona Terrace, a highly valued, probably highly underpaid worker is still probably trying to get glass out of the carpet and, at the same time, attempting to remove large amounts of my blood from a white linen napkin. In exciting news, I have a potential scar on my right forefinger to show off for the Second Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival in 2010.

3. Stinky cheese is really stinky. Turns out that nine pounds of Limburger, three pounds of Aged German Brick and six wheels of washed rind Petit Frere really stink up a room. Kudos to the attendees of Saturday afternoon's Rebirth of Washed Rind Cheeses seminar for tasting three different ages of Limburger on rye bread with mustard and jam, eating a big hunk of German Aged Brick and tasting Petit Frere, all the while sitting in a closed room for 60 minutes listening to cheesemakers Myron Olson and George Crave. That's what I call dedication.

4. Cheesemaker Brenda Jensen likes to wander. Some cheesemakers are better speakers than others, and some get more nervous than others when they are about to tell their life story to a room of 40 strangers. Brenda Jensen is a fabulous speaker who gets really nervous before speaking. This leads her to walk around a room while giving her presentation, but also serves as a highly entertaining, interactive presentation. She has officially been named the festival's "Honorary Wandering Cheesemaker." You rock, Brenda!

5. "You need a live cow in here". The drinks were flowing pretty steady Friday night, evidenced by the lovely gentleman who approached me around 8:45 p.m. with what I would guess was about his fifth microbrew in hand. He grabbed me by the arm, drew me in close and said: "You know what would make this shindig just about perfect? (insert dramatic pause here with me arching one eyebrow, attempting to dodge his breath and asking What?) ... "You need a live cow in here." And with that, he let go of my arm, happily walked away and continued to sample cheese. Ahhh ... another happy customer.

6. Favorite quote. This has to be my all time favorite quote from attendees all weekend. Katie Houghton, a member of Wisconsin Cheese Originals who lives in Shorewood, emailed me right away this morning with the following: "I met every single artisan cheesemaker that I have ever wanted to meet, and had actual conversations with them. I ate so much cheese I had trouble sleeping. Wow, what a fabulous day." Yes ... mission accomplished.

7. You look hungry. After four hours of cutting up cheeses, my volunteers were looking a little peaked. Seminar leader and Fromagination cheesemonger Gisele Grad noticed this, and without a word, went to Roman Candle and brought back a huge pepperoni pizza for everybody. What a woman. We love you, Gisele!

8. You cashed in your savings bonds for this? Teenager MaryLove Himebook of Memphis, Tennessee cajoled her mother into driving to Wisconsin for the First Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival, and paid for gas and hotel by cashing in more than $300 worth of her own savings bonds. Read the whole story here. Pretty inspiring.

9. "Put it towards next year." And finally, one of the best moments of the festival was watching Cheesemaker Al Bekkum open up his thank you envelope on Saturday, pull out his speaker honorarium check and hand it right back to me. "Put it towards next year and sign me up now." I nearly cried but instead gave him a big hug. I love Wisconsin cheesemakers. You guys and gals are the best.

See you all on November 5 -7, 2010 for the Second Annual Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival. Same time, same place. Lots of cheese. Whoo-hoo!

...Whatever President Obama May Think

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 6:00 PM

Black gay guy #1: We better get back to class. This shopping can wait for another day.
Black gay guy #2: Class can wait in the name of fashion.

--Clothing Shop, Williamsberg


Alsome | Thumbs up | Thumbs down |
Link · Email · Quote this! · Del.icio.us · Posted 2009-11-08

Supreme Court

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Attending oral arguments tomorrow at the Supreme Court. Can i keep my laptop with me? Thanks.

From The Mailbox

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Photo: WireImage/Spellman

Kristen Johnson looked lovely in her Christian Siriano gown and necklace at the This is Tisch! Gala to benefit the Tisch School of the Arts at Lincoln Center on November 2, 2009 in New York City.

Click here for "Ten Minutes with Christian Siriano" from 944 magazine.

Click here for a report from Tim Gunn's visit to USF in Tampa.

Click here for exit interviews with Gordana Gehlhausen and Christopher Straub from EW.com.

Click here for the "Top Ten Moments of Greatness from This Week's Episode of Project Runway" from Racked NY.


Don let me near de punch bowl.

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 8:00 PM


funny pictures of dogs with captions

Don let me near de punch bowl. Member last year?
Dude, what evvy ‘members is wut u did in de middle of de dance floor.

wyne iz no gud fur u

Picture by: Tuxcat123 Caption by: MallardVHS via Loldog Builder

» Recaption This!

» View All Captions

Tagged: boxer, dance, drunk, dude, party, remember


Are the H1N1 shots ready yet!?

  • Nov. 8th, 2009 at 8:51 PM

This thing is really getting in the way of my alfalfa nomming.

lambylamby1

Des M., you might want to try an apple a day, as a precaution.

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Farm Animals