Big Easy

Merciful Zeus. I survived my trip to New Orleans. Man, what a trip! I've been travelling with the same group of buddies for several years now, and we've had some hard-drinking, all-night-carousing, hours-of-interstate-driving trips, but I think this one finally topped them all. I had several personal 'firsts' on this trip, some of which I just can't bring myself to share with the whole internet. (How's that for coy?) Drop me an email and I'll spill the beans, but suffice it to say that a good time was had by all, and I'm actually glad to be back, which is always the number one sign of a successful vacation for me.

Wheeeee!

I'm on vacation. I simply and humbly ask that you take a moment to pray to whatever gods you acknowledge to have mercy on my immortal soul. More updates (or not) when I get back--I can't possibly think of where to begin at the moment.

Legends of the Fall

I just love love love the Snopes.com Urban Legends Reference site for so many reasons. Primarily, of course, I love it when it helps me debunk all the bizarre emails that my otherwise reasonable friends and associates send me via email. But I also love the occasional listings of head-scratch-inducing questions the Snopes folks get sent from time to time. Some of my favorites:

1. I just read a blurb that pre-packaged foods can cause people to turn gay because of too much estrogen. If I was only allowed one question for snopes, I would ask if this is true. Is it?
2. They say that if a person has a pet cat and dies, if the person's body is not found fairly soon after death, the cat, having not been fed, will become ravenously hungry and eat the dead person's face off — JUST the face! Is this true? My cat often looks me in the face. I used to think he was just being friendly. Now I know he's just sizing me up, like a chef at a butcher shop, waiting for "the big day". Since hearing this rumor, every time my cat licks his chops it gives me the willies!
3. Is Ciara a MAN????? PLEASE ANSWER ME BACK!!!!!
4. IS IT TRUE PEARLS BRING SADNESS
5. Is it true that a girl cannot get pregnant if her mate smokes the seeds of marijuana when he smokes marijuana, please tell me if this is true because a lot of people tell me it is true and a lot of people tell me it's not and I don't know whaether to believe it or notbecause this town lies a lot. thanks.
6. Have you heard anything about a palm rub done when someone is shaking or holding hands that indicates they want to have sex with you? It sounds like some kind of secret sex handshake — and I've heard nothing about it till today.
7. I've heard that it is impossible to take a lightbulb out of your mouth once one puts it in, without either breaking the bulb or dislocating the jaw. Do you know if this is true? I'm counting on you - my husband is really curious, and I don't want to have to drive him to the hospital...
8. I'm 19 and from Yuma, Az and I would like to know if this myth I'v been hearing is true? By masturbating it helps the chance by not getting cancer? Is that true?..also I'v hurd other myths about masturbation and don't know if those myths are true or not. But I would like to know about the question I asked befoe.

The only helpful knowledge I can contribute to any of these is that I, myself, have been cancer-free my whole life, so take that as you will.

Rimmers

I love any product that advertises itself as a "Rimmer," even if it is just flavored salt for cocktail glasses.

Day in Knoxville

In all the times I've been to Knoxville, I don't think I'd ever taken the time to visit World's Fair Park until yesterday. As you might guess, as the location of the 1982 World's Fair, it's the home of the iconic Sunsphere. Of course, the Sunsphere's also a location for one of my very favorite Simpsons episodes ever. (I actually wanted to go up inside the thing, if only to see whether they actually had a wig warehouse up there! Sadly, on the elevator at the bottom, there was just a boring old sign that read, "The Sunsphere is closed to the public." Dammit. No mention of wigs at all.)

Another first-ever visit for me was to the way-cool print shop at Yee-Haw Industries, whose claim to fame are the gorgeous hand-pressed woodcut prints they produce, often promoting country/bluegrass/folk/roots musical artists. But one print in particular caught my eye, something unlike I'd ever seen from them: a three-color print with the characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Who knew? Of course, I had to buy it.

I'm still here

For the most part, when I experience the blog-constipation and just stop posting for a while, I'm either (A) busy, (B) depressed, or (C) both. Lately, it's been (C). You know I'm off kilter when the only thing I have to post is a funny little book I found at Amazon that's about fiber by a guy named Dr. Tooshi. (Get it? Huh? TOOSHI! FIBER! HA!!!) Yeesh.

Anyway, hope y'all are having a fun summer. Go have a fruity drink on a beach for me, mmm-kay?

I'd been wondering this myself.

Where In The World Is Jesus? (.com)