“Ahh, what a day! Up at 6:00, a 10-mile run in the sleet, and NOW a big bowl of plain oatmeal! How I love the crazy hedonism of weekends!” – Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
I indulged this past weekend, minions. I may have overindulged, in fact!
Let’s burn plastic and worry about doing penance on Monday.
I’ve had a self-imposed shopping ban in place for months now, saving up for a major shopping trip, and I finally took it. Woof. There was carnage, kittens. And then I went to a movie and dinner with my godfamily to round off my weekend of hedonism, because between weddings and assorted craziness we haven’t been able to play as much lately and that needed to be rectified.
Now the Small Dog clan is going on austerity measures until the holidays – Germany would adore us.
J.’s back in town tonight, permanently, no more cross continental marriage! And immediately I drag him to an out of state wedding this weekend, we have another godfamily dinner at the start of next week, I head out to the Flyboy’s Wedding Part Deux in Louisiana the Saturday after, and the next day is our three year anniversary. Life events are like buses, none come for huge stretches and then they all come all at once!
“There is no such cozy combination as man and wife.”
~ Menander
A bit tardy minions, but you’ll forgive me as it was for a good cause. I had our annual secretaries retreat today and then had to hightail it to Margot’s wedding. The girl gone and done it – she’s hitched! It’s been a lovely but long day, so here are your links and let Aunty C. just take a quick nap, k?
Speaking of wars, here’s a professor explaining how he lectures on the Trojan War – watch the whole thing if you want. I myself could barely make it past the first couple of minutes wherein he declares that every year fewer and fewer students even know what the Trojan War is. I’m wringing my hands, and Mum is probably gnashing her teeth in frustration!
The end point of the Big Bang has an equally negative sounding name and some unpleasant effects. Luckily we’re a few billion years out from it.
A great article (written by a friend!) about herself, Mitt Romney, the Mormon Moment, and how they intersect in personal and unexpected ways. It’s a fantastic piece, and not just because I adore this woman. Check it out.
Here’s yet another place I’ve found for you to spend your money, I’m having a kitsch craving moment with these, and even the more toned down versions are pretty cute.
This story is amazing. A (sort of) God’s creation doesn’t quite act the way he intended. There may be a philosophical lesson here, but even if not, have a listen.
This blog‘s been making the rounds, but still quite fun. A British school girl documents her lunches every day, and the phenomenon has spread so people can send in snap shots of their lunches from all over the world.
A while back I went through and weeded everyone from my social networks that I didn’t actually know personally and hadn’t spoken with in the past six months, but I never really thought of the role that exclusivity plays in social networking.
Grocery shopping habits across the decades, and the role of food industries.
If I could do one thing for incoming freshman to our humble university, it would be to sit them down and make them watch this. Freshman, and most seniors to be honest, you haven’t earned the right to be treated specially yet. You’ve got a long road ahead, get to work.
The weekly sheep, just try to be in a bad mood now!
“The finest clothing made is a person’s skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.”
~ Mark Twain
Moments after a phone call from a woman distraught to see a couple of young people park their car in her neighborhood and engage in some, ah, explicit amorous activities, Lt. South walks by my desk and sighs, “Bunch of guys running around the sports fields in thongs or less.”
“Catch, then, O catch the transient hour; Improve each moment as it flies.”
– St. Jerome
Alright, piglets! Recap of the past week and a half and a preview of coming attractions. Picture Grace Kelly saying it looking slinky and fabulous in some serious 1950’s night gear, believe it or not it ties into recent events:
So as not to offend maiden aunts and pearl clutchers, here’s an alternate image.
I hurt my knee exercising and lazed away on the sofa for days afterward. Immediately I gained forty-seven pounds (approximately) and since my gym classes are currently on break for the week, I am rediscovering exactly how bad I can be at self-motivation once a habit has been broken. But you don’t judge me, do you minions?
My in-laws took me out for a birthday lunch last Saturday, which as usual I managed to complicate. It was at a venue I’d never been to before on an area of road that has recently received a major overhaul and is a bit hard to navigate. Nevertheless I followed the signs only to find the whole area (consisting of shops, open farms, gardens, museums, and other family friendly dittos), was overrun by a Scottish festival. The nearest parking was along the road and a half hour’s walk to the main buildings. I wended my way through many a kilted man wielding a broadsword shouting in horrendous fake-Scotch (mostly quoting Braveheart), only to discover I was in the wrong area and the bistro was actually located a couple of miles away in separate gardens – and, of course, I’d misplaced my mobile the day before. Luckily a very helpful lady at the information center called up the bistro and I was able to enlist Atticus to come rescue me. I didn’t live it down for the rest of the day, but frolicking with my nieces and nephews did much to lessen the smart of ridiculousness.
The smart returned when I found my mobile later that day. In the trunk of my car.
The construction of the highway interfered again when I went to Margot’s bridal shower last night – and it took me over an hour to take what should have been a twenty minute trip. Also, I was the only one who showed up with a Victoria’s Secret bag – almost everyone else brought kitchen gear – with the exception of Margot’s sister who also brought something silky and scandalous. Thank goodness! I don’t mind being a scandalous friend, but for heaven’s sake I had only barely met their mother!
J.’s last final is tomorrow and he’s coming home on Monday! At which point I will have to relinquish the half of his closet I took over…drat. On the other hand, I won’t have to do dishes anymore, huzzah!
Margot gets married this Friday, Flyboy gets married over the two weekends after that – two out of state parties in a row. Note to self, get nails done at some point.
My landlord should be checking out my plumbing today, which would be much more exciting had we not first asked them to look at a few problems back in March. In the meantime an empty bucket has been living under my bathroom sink to catch the leakage, and my patience is long dead.
There, you’re all caught up. What have you been doing with yourselves, ducklings?
Is Pintrest really as innovative as some people think? Or is it just the latest manifestation of human beings’ desire to “consume without purchasing?” Here’s an interesting post with equally interesting links from the National Trust Collections’ blog.
Too cool! I had a g’duh moment talking to J. the other day. There’s a noted Shakespeare festival halfway between us and Flyboy’s wedding so I mentioned maybe stopping off to see a show on the way back. J. looked at me funny and returned, “Or we could just go to The Globe when we’re back in London next year.” Sometimes I’m dismayed at myself, kittens.
Yet another product endorsement from C. Small Dog. This is my new go-to cat eye creating liner for the summer (it stayed on through an hour of kickboxing and zumba each) and my lashes are growing longer. While I can never hope to achieve Chip’s indecent-for-a-baby-boy flutterers, I’m closer.
Here’s an article on perfume bottles and marketing, too. Lady minions, do you have a signature scent or do you change your fragrances like you change your nail polish? I’m a Coco Mademoiselle girl myself, but I have one extra scent that Peregrine gave me for my birthday one year that only makes appearances during the hot days of summer.
Fascinating documentary on obesity in the US. I think HBO did a great job to portray the situation from socioeconomic, historical trend, ethnic, industry, and healthcare viewpoints and there’s a lot to learn and think about.
NYT have declared this the year of the fringe/bang (depending on your vernacular). Weigh in.
Good grief, let’s just all dress in paper bags so no one’s happy!
I found a piece of knapped flint once and an arrowhead…yeah, not as cool…
“For Children: You will need to know the difference between Friday and a fried egg. It’s quite a simple difference, but an important one. Friday comes at the end of the week, whereas a fried egg comes out of a chicken. Like most things, of course, it isn’t quite that simple. The fried egg isn’t properly a fried egg until it’s been put in a frying pan and fried. This is something you wouldn’t do to a Friday, of course, though you might do it on a Friday. You can also fry eggs on a Thursday, if you like, or on a cooker. It’s all rather complicated, but it makes a kind of sense if you think about it for a while.” – Douglas Adams
Last week was no good, pumpkins, my hormones went all crazy and I ate copious amount of terribly bad for me food. I’ve been trying to get back on track this week and it hasn’t been any fun. Food/Exercise morality is hateful.
Salad?!
But then – then! On Monday J. got a job offer in London! And if you think I’m complaining about anything for weeks to come, you’re nuts. Here are your links, kittens! I’ll be spending the weekend celebrating my birthday (!), checking in on the Queen’s Jubilee, checking out a new exhibit at the Museum of Art (courtesy of the V&A, so you know I have to go), and being a bit lazy. How about you?
I burst into hysterical giggles checking these out.
If you’re celebrating the Jubilee with a G&T and dread a watery cocktail bringing you down, or just want your lemonade to look extra fancy at the next neighborhood barbeque, I think these oversize ice cube trays are nifty!
Very scary and upsetting, not for the faint hearted. (On a less somber and highly inappropriate note, I’m pretty sure this is how the zombie apocalypse starts…)
Marie’s style is preppy, Kiri’s is French country, Nora’s is pure mid-century American. My decorating tastes (inherited directly and unadulterated from my mum) are hardwood floors in houses stuffed to the brim with antiques and treasures from world travels, interspersed with trendy art that can be altered to fit the times. There is probably no place for this in my Someday House. Which means I may have to undergo a complete style makeover to accommodate it.
I have seen these fabulous riffs on vintage floating around the internet for months and I had no idea a genius company was behind it. I have presents for the girls covered for years off of this site! I’m craving this one in particular – because I am pretty sure this phrase has crossed the lips of of myself and everyone I have every considered to be a true friend.
Tumblr of the week: for my fellow expats, travelers, gypsy souls, or generally lost friends. And for those of you who just love to travel.
I suffer from pasta portion control. Therefore, this thingy is fantastic.
More kitchen stuff! I am not prepared to pay the money for these, but the tiny organizer in me thinks these would save a lot of space.
Scary! Women: know your finances! I’ll the the first to admit that J. does most of the financial research in our family (he’s an accountant after all), but without trying to sound like an idiot or helpless female, he takes time to explain financial concepts to me if I don’t understand them well. I also try to educate myself about the economic state of the world, country, and my family. He may be the financial wizard, but there isn’t a single financial decision made that we don’t talk about and come to an agreement on – from food budgets to student loans. Lady minions – this is important!
Spring is nearly over, but I think we can all agree that these brings out the country gentry in all of us, right?
Recipe to try (and one of the cuter ex-pat blogs out there).
“Look, you can’t do things like that! Now, I don’t know how I can explain this to you. But, it’s not only against the law, its wrong!” – Arsenic and Old Lace
Dear World At Large,
Meagain! We haven’t chatted in a while, so I thought I’d do my usual pop in and deliver a few quiet words of advice. This one’s heavy on both the philosophy and the rambling, but going to be a firm talking to nonetheless.
Some things cannot be undone. Most things, in fact.
We live in a world of autocorrect, delete buttons, editing, photoshop, spellcheck, you name it, all of which exist to give a comforting sense that errors and perceived mistakes or flaws can be done away with. I know these are all technological examples and heavy on social media, but I think that anyone who believes these don’t inform our personal, unofficial philosophies is terribly self unaware. We live in a society that seems to believe that things we don’t like can be made to go away – whether that’s removing something you once posted on Facebook, or deleting a text message – but I am here to tell you that this is a false sense of security.
Mistakes follow you, Dear World At Large, and even if you have gone through a legal, religious/spiritual/philosophical, or paperwork laden process to atone, make restitution, or accept punishment for your actions, this is not the same thing as unmaking them. They cannot be unmade. Stupid mistakes can – and will – follow you around for a long time.
So, as a recent example, if you’re a visiting university staff member responsible for a number of students and you make a series of poor decisions culminating in the arrest of you and several of those students, putting your job in jeopardy – this is not something that’s going to just vanish because you want it to. Particularly after you’ve already appeared before a judge and plead guilty. Yelling at your friend neighborhood secretary, demanding to speak various administrative officers, and trying to pressure people to make your arrest, court appearance, and sentencing all vanish will not work. First of all, we can’t make such records and events disappear (at least not without some sort of political clout and obscene amounts of money, and even then a fairly obvious hole still gets left in the legal system). Second of all, and probably more importantly, we won’t make them disappear. See the quote at the beginning of this post.
The same is true for much less serious errors, Dear World At Large, but even small things can affect your ability to get a job, a date, housing, loans, recommendations, and even friends. As for social media, everything you have ever said, done, linked to, or ranted about is cached away somewhere in the dark bowels of the internet. On a more human note, unkind words you’ve spoken, silly errors in judgement, and countless day to day interactions are also stored away in the collective memory of your friends and associates. Nothing is really lost.
Which is why you have to be so careful! I’m not saying there isn’t room for mistakes in life (because good luck with that!) but I am saying that people need to step back and reflect more often on whether or not their actions are wise ones. It won’t protect you from everything, but occasionally it may protect you from yourself.
Unless you ascribe to reincarnation, we don’t get do-overs. We get do-betters. These can be wonderful in and of themselves, much of the good in the world has come from them, but they are not always nice experiences. You are responsible for all your actions; you can’t disavow them, you can’t be made immune from them, and there is no “Undo” button. Be smart out there.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” ― Albert Einstein
Minions? Are you still reeling from that happiness bomb that J. dropped on us collectively? Is your soul still singing with glee? Are visions of crumpets and home dancing in your heads? No…just me? Well, thrills happen but ridiculousness is eternal. I’ll update you on plans soon, but in the meantime, here’s a cheap laugh at my expense.
In my current fog (plus the fact that I’m a bit thrown off since I worked yesterday on the holiday and my coworkers and I are running on different mental timelines), I answered the phone today to a perky voice declaring, “Hi, I’m Jane Smith, calling from The Universe.”
I’m horrifyingly embarrassed to tell you this tale, but my brain didn’t compute this one very quickly
“The Universe.” I repeated stupidly.
“Yes, I think I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a while now.”
“Ah.” Praise Odin my backup generators didn’t fail me. “How can I help you?”
“Well we’re working on something big right now, and we’d like some police involvement.”
“Of course.”
“Could I set up a meeting with Lt. Citrus for next week for a brief interview?”
In the area there are multiple newspapers, some of them with laughably grandiose names: The World, The All The News That’s Fit to Print Times Gazette Post, and…The Universe. I was not, in fact having an existential crisis. I’m still beating my head on my desk at how long it took my brain to catch up to that. Wonky holidays and happiness, kitten, make a potent combination!
“I want to start a band called “Friday Have Been Cancelled” and then hold open auditions every Friday. The sign will read, “Auditions For Friday Have Been Cancelled.” I sure hope nobody shows up because I certainly won’t be there.” ― Jarod Kintz
Today I have a wedding reception, I’ve been (surprisingly!) busy on a project all day, and had to run several errands for work. And for some reason, I’ve been ridiculous all week and refused to go to bed a reasonable hour so I’m running on mostly sugar and hyperactivity right now. But I’m way too tired to come up with something clever. Here are your links, minions, “and therefore, frolic.”
Just in time for the Queen’s Jubilee (and who am I kidding, that party’s been going on for a while now), the Royal Archives have finished digitizing Queen Victoria’s journals and made them available. She was a surprisingly good doodler.
Speaking of Good Queen Bess, here she is demonstrating the color wheel. Nien sprechen sie Deutsch? Enjoy anyway, Betty’s fabulous.
Someday I will crank out a novel, and at that time I solemnly swear I will not be one of these writers. Literary agents must have great stories, I should befriend one (for totally humorous and not at all selfish reasons, of course),
One of my assignments for Flyboy’s upcoming wedding was to find a quality barber shop so he could get a real gentleman’s shave. And for some reason, I’m now mildly obsessed with the them, it’s an instant boost of class. I think J. should check out this joint in London and report back.
This shop contains many items that might be prohibitively expensive, but still make me drool a bit. The real gems are in the Apothecary and This N’ That sections.
J.? I want one. Not immediately, not today, but I want one to save and make pretty someday. It will cost a fortune, but I want one.
Small Dog Syndrome 