Blog catch-up and morbid facts

Melia got on MSN to say she'd received my earlier phone message about not being able to make it out today. Eh, these things happen... she also emailed everyone to ask whether this gorging was lunch or dinner. Unfortunately for the three of them, it's dinner! Maybe Phil, Angus, and Melia can make it out next time! Hey, I have a phone call from Andrea on my Caller ID... maybe I'll call her back later. Should also call the dentist and make an appointment soonish. Man, this Anna Nicole Smith story is bizarre and interesting...

Caught up on blogs: Dawn was so jet-lagged that she slept till 7 on Sunday - too bad she didn't get a chance to see Vivian that day! At least she had some lasagna a few days later, and was excited about Eni getting back from Hong Kong / Beijing too! I bet they both missed Vancouver. Spoz apparently has a fever and such, but still managed to get his art together for the BIG DAY OUT with his friends. Hahaha, gotta love the pictures! Then I finally checked out Randal's blog: all I gotta say is TALKING SMILIES MUST DIE! (banner ads...) He has stuff about priests and singleness... and he also used the word "ho" in an online posting in the context of a story, which somehow amuses me - kinda like the hypothetical breastfeeding question!

Then there's the one about knowledge of love in Japan and a true crime story... I gotta see what that is, except the given description doesn't say much! (can't even do a proper Google search for it) He has stuff about Chinese churches in Vancouver... I dunno about the "Chinese restaurant into church" idea, but Shanghai Wind is great for a wedding banquet, hehe! He's also been reading a book about 70 great Christians, which sounds like interesting reading material. Given all this, I believe that certain people were joking around about a certain post last night, so I am going to have to kill them for that. As for those pictures... well, at least THOSE exist! Hmph.

By the way, I do NOT write the Morbid Facts newsletters. You can get them here, if you wish. With that said, here is today's edition before I get back to the journal changeover stuff:


Today's Dangling Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On 1 October 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivered its verdicts, after 216 court sessions. Of the original twenty-four Nazi defendants, twelve (including Martin Bormann, tried in absentia) were sentenced to death by hanging.

Three black-painted wooden scaffolds stood inside the gymnasium, a room approximately 33 feet wide by 80 feet long with plaster walls in which cracks showed. The gymnasium had been used only three days before by the American security guards for a basketball game. Two gallows were used alternately. The third was a spare for use if needed. The men were hanged one at a time, but to get the executions over with quickly, the military police would bring in the man while the prisoner who preceded him still was dangling at the end of the rope.

The ten once-great men in Hitler's Reich that was to have lasted for a thousand years walked up thirteen wooden steps to a platform eight feet high which also was eight square feet. Ropes were suspended from a crossbeam supported on two posts. A new one was used for each man.

When the trap was sprung, the victim dropped from sight in the interior of the scaffolding. The bottom of it was boarded up with wood on three sides and shielded by a dark canvas curtain on the fourth, so that no one saw the death struggles of the men dangling with broken necks.

Culled from: The Execution of Nazi War Criminals
Generously submitted by: Eric

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Alas, no camera phones were available to videotape these proceedings. Such primitive times...

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Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

Here's a fun-sounding video game: Super Columbine Massacre!!

Thanks to Steve O. for the link.

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Ghastly!

Here's another of those grim websites that contain photographs of unidentified bodies. In this case, from the province of Ontario.

Thanks to Evonne for the link.

Subway is certainly a change of pace from Pho!

Just missed the 410 this afternoon because I decided to take Eric's advice and get a bag of sour cream and onion chips, which we ended up NOT USING! Now what am I supposed to do with them besides nervously eat them during 24?! There was a pretty long line at Shoppers, too... not twenty zillion people as I told Eric it was, but I didn't have the time and patience to deal with it. Maybe next time I shouldn't take his advice, haha. After I got to Eric's car, I explained my week to him. Then he wanted to know if I was averse to Subway for dinner since he had a 2 for 1 coupon. He wasn't forcing me to have it or anything, but he didn't have to be at church ridiculously early like last week to set up for Resonate... eh, it's a change of pace from Pho! Inside the place, he asked me for $5... at first I thought I didn't have it, but I found a bill in my other jacket pocket. "See? Good things come to those who wait!" Eric joked. Hahaha, very funny! On the way to church, we listened to Team 1040's Canucks coverage and he teased me about certain subjects while he asked about my crazy week. I advised him to get gas before we went home even if he thought we had enough to make it to church, then NOT make it back afterwards. He did that, then jokingly wondered whether I'd had permission to enter his car... you know what I'm doing there, dude!

At church, we saw the humungous Daniel Fellowship committee having a meeting in the basement: it's a wonder they get anything done since there are at least 10 people there! (Daniel, Danielle, Nathan, Christon, Steph, Janette, Angus, Mike, Darren, Isabel, and others) I talked to Dylan, Eric, and Jeremy about hummus, sausage and melted cheese on crackers, Unico olives, pit warnings, sulphate (Cindy has a friend who's allergic to that stuff so she can't eat almost anything), trips, my week, Egyptian flatbread, and other such stuff before I decided to join Pat and Cindy talking about art / the Berlin Wall while I ate my dinner. (wow... that was a run-on sentence...) After the meeting was over, I asked Steph if I should reply to the Evite: yes, and she might get Vivian S. to pick me up - she'll ask. I talked to Janette for a while: she thought I was like a dollop of sunshine, probably because of my yellow shirt (almost wrote something else there, whoops), and told me about the climax to her week. She was trying to get some passport stuff done for her grandma early this morning, and was at the passport office at 7:30 - she had to get up at 6:30 or earlier! Her cell phone ran out of minutes, which wasn't good since she had to call her dad to get some info from him... of course, the phone stores aren't open at that time (maybe at 9), and the nearest 7-11 / convenience store was relatively far away! But she managed to do it after lining up for four hours and encountering other glitches! Nice to talk to her... haven't for some time. :)

Randal returned my VANCOUVER book to me while I was eating, so I told him to put it with my stuff - I know he's still working on the Zen Priest one, so no worries there! I probably sounded annoying / annoyed with a bunch of people today when I didn't really mean to because of my bad week... sorry! DAWN'S BACK! YAY! Asked her about Eni, who had returned yesterday (she got back on Saturday) - time crunch and money problems resulted in the different flights. You know it's time to get out of there and go home when the prices double in one day, and are definitely going to rise even more in the future because of Chinese New Year! Talked to Jen, who said that Andrea wasn't feeling well. Said hi to Alan, who hadn't talked to Tracy yet today since she was babysitting for a friend. Sat by Randal since I figured it was impossible to hold a conversation with him when sitting behind him, then verbally RSVP'ed to Chung and Karen's wedding / briefly described my week to Phil.

The program was pretty okay (to borrow Minli's turn of phrase), and we learned that Vivian and Eric had been designated the "official Fellowship huggers" for the year: definitely a Karen initiative! Too bad I inadvertently stepped on Eric's foot, then... but it's fine since he bugs me all the time about certain things! (not that I advocate violence as a solution!) Jen had bought carnations on Karen's behalf, which resulted in some questions by the Daniel members later. We took a group picture afterwards with the flowers, too. Talked to Randal about 24, my blog, and learning various things from his reading it a few times a week. Tried to get him interested in SLB, but turns out he doesn't like them - probably a good thing he's not coming, otherwise he might commit SLB blasphemy worse than Eddie! o_O (kidding... just!) He thinks my purple hat could be indigo! Maybe, if you look at it in a certain VERY precise light...

We joined Jeremy, Connie, Alan, Dianne, and others who were talking about switching jobs which Alan just did. Jeremy brought up his current favorite theory: we should get meat from the family pet by manipulating genes to have (let's say) beef growing from the sides of the dog! Pretty funny stuff, although I think you can only do that with plants nowadays. Stem cells are always tricky, according to Dianne. Asked Jeremy whether he was in for SLB: possibly, depending on what he's doing that night! It'll be sweet if he IS in, haha. Melia said that Henry had the flu, so wouldn't be going to Awana tomorrow - she tried getting his sister or Auntie Rebecca to drive me, but both were busy. If I decide it's too much hassle to get there, she won't hold it against me, so at least that's good... I'll let her know tomorrow! There IS Michelle, but I don't know what she's doing. More time to touch up the "cast of characters" posts, figure out what Chinese Eric is doing, do some laundry, and other stuff if I don't go, heh. (like switching offline journals?)

Alan agreed to drive Jeremy home, then Jeremy told me that Jon was supposed to call him after he was finished. Maybe his forum went overtime, but he was supposed to drop by the church... he did, later. Karen complimented him on his brown jacket, and gave a carnation to Christon. Talked to Nathan about Ellen, said hi to Cordia / Quan / Stanley, told Karen that I was going to call her but didn't (she wants me to?!), and did other sundry things before finally inching our way toward the door. By this time, Jon was already talking to Harmony on the phone, but he could do that in the car too. On the way home, my sibs and Eric bugged me about certain subjects (which resulted in much screaming) and reminded me to get an uneviction notice IN WRITING / be proactive about the whole thing. Man, I suck at that... but I will certainly try! (Monday it is!)

I yelled an apology to Harmony towards the backseat: Jon explained the screaming in the background while talking about his Toronto plans for when they'll be together again in less than a week. When bitter melon was brought up, Eric declared it to be awesome the one time he tried it - some people find it refreshing, but the bitterness is avoidable! (as per Steph) Eric also said that the Committee meeting on Monday went till 12:30 AM... NOT GOOD! The Daniel Committee has way more than four people, and yet the meeting today went from 6:30 to 7:15! Thank goodness his parents recorded 24 for him - he'll be over on Monday to watch the TWO HOURS! (Mom thought Eric would come in halfway through... I think he knows better than that, especially since both Steph and I reminded him!)

Stupid "single" decision / Valentine's quizzes

Note: LJ Valentine's Day Letters from Quiz Galaxy and Quiz Universe.


Eunice emailed us to say that she rarely uses her Yahoo address, so wants us to send any future emails to her Hotmail address: well, I hope they get the message with both me and Eunice! Yikes. Danielle says that she and Citrus are out of the SLB dinner this time round because relatives from the UK are here: gotta do the MEAT, EAT, and GREET thing! (and "meat" is NOT a typo... it is a pun instead!)

Blah! No wonder we're having the Spiritual Formation "singlehood" talk THIS WEEKEND! Of course, it has to be the closest weekend available to Valentine's Day... and I don't want to hear any more about that subject right now. Nice job, people... really. The LAST thing I want to hear about is how single I am! I'm sure that applies to a bunch of others, as well. Just because Karen is safely married (and has been for years) doesn't mean that everyone wants to hear about their single status! GAH! NOT THE BEST DECISION, EVER! *dies* That reminds me, I should reply to that Bonding Night Evite... maybe later.

Here's a bunch of quizzes from various sources:

Your Friend is Not Fake

You have a true friend - and you're smart enough to know you're lucky to have such a great friendship. So let your friend know that you really appreciate all she's done for you... and for keeping it real!

Is Your Friend Fake?

The Candy Heart You Should Give Is:

To: Everyone From: Leslie

What Candy Heart Should You Give?

Your True Love's Name Is

Nicholas L.

What's Your True Love's Name?

What Leslie Means

L is for Lovable E is for Elf S is for Smiley L is for Lambchop I is for Ice Cream Sandwich E is for Eye Candy

What's Your Pet Name?

Ice Cream Sandwich?! Hahahaha!

What Flami Brolx Means

F is for Firecracker L is for Love Nugget A is for Adorable M is for Muffin I is for Igloo Warmer B is for Bamboo R is for Raspberry Lips O is for Only Love L is for Lollipop X is for X-Rated

What's Your Pet Name?

I am NOT X-Rated, thank you very much! :P

You Are 57% Misanthropic

You're somewhat misanthropic, but you're not willing to write off the human race (yet!). There's a few people you like, and even them you like at a distance.

How Misanthropic Are You?

I didn't think I was THAT bad... o_O

You Are a Candy Heart

You're definitely a pro when it comes to romance - and you have great dating etiquette. Plus you probably smell and taste pretty darn good.

Are You a Candy Heart or a Candy Fart?

I am NOT a pro at romance! (even if that doesn't imply I'm a slut or whatever...)

Offline journals (black binder #1)

When I switch paper journals, I should make another one of these entries in LJ / GJ / Blogger!

Users on my LJ / GJ friends lists (past or present) who have been mentioned in my current offline journal (black binder) since February 10, 2007 till whenever I finish it:

Steph Ng (canucks94)
Darren Morrison (dfrancis)
Corey Tap. (dwcorey)
Jamie War. (jaebird)
Eric Ho (lddude)
Farrah Fong (lilaznffairy421 / farrah)
Billie Esma (murse / mrgrim)
John Abbott (snooooopy)
Teunis P.

* plus a special mention of Ryan (museirain), because I used to talk to him all the time, heh

If you want to know which LJ / GJ friends were mentioned in my previous offline journal, go here.

You want to break our SLB record?! That is SICK, man!

Good thing I still use YM since I got a notification of Eunice emailing me about "SLB All-Stars." Accordingly, I checked my Yahoo email account and found plans for another Shanghai Wind SLB night in the works with Eunice / me / Jon / Steph / Nathan / Dallas / Jeremy / Alan / Christon / Danielle / Citrus / Eric M. / Eric H. / Margaret L. / Edwin. Nathan says that Jon wants to break our record of 21 steamers as soon as this Sunday, and Eunice (who can't make it) had replied to say that was SICK! That's true in a way... we barely finished the 21 last time! I replied using my other (Gmail) account to say that I could definitely be there... gotta see if history will be made! Note to self: do NOT wear jeans to this event!

My future husband / Marie Callender's Cornbread

who will be your future husband Name kinda guys you like. RockerAthleteslob Age favorite color style Fave celeb / band Your husband's name Ryan life rocker's life... always on tour income $6,713,222 Piercings 4 This Fun Quiz created by chelsie at BlogQuiz.Net

Cancer Horoscope at DailyHoroscopes.Biz

Marie Callender's Cornbread

Serving Size: 1 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Breads, Dressings

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 box corn muffin mix -- (9 oz)
1 box yellow cake mix -- (9 oz)

Prepare corn muffin mix per directions on box, and cake mix per directions on box in separate bowl. Pour prepared yellow cake mix into prepared corn muffin mix, and stir well. Pour into greased 9x12x2 pan and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 min until toothpick comes out clean.

SLB skills competition / Bog bodies, Myspace deaths, sex offenders / Marie Callender's Honey Butter

Found four emails of note before I start updating on the night. One's from Andrea, to say that she couldn't make it tonight because she wasn't feeling well (as Jen had told us earlier). Another one's from Randal, who commiserates with me on my previous blog topic... what else are friends for? Then there's one from Steph and Eric: they want me to look at certain things, but I'm not going to do that till later!

There are a bunch of SLB-related emails, too: Jon can't remember whom to forward this to, although we usually send it along to those who haven't participated in it yet. Steph says that it is an ALL-STAR event, and jokes that no rookies should be included, haha. She's in, although she WAS going to watch her food intake before this, so feels she shouldn't... and has added Phil, Melia, and Angus to the list. Watching your food intake is NOT an option for these dinners, let me tell you!

Phil says he and Melia can't make it as they have a family dinner, and has a suggestion to make the night feel more like the REAL all-star game: "We seriously should have a skills competition, like who can eat a whole steaming "basket" of baos fastest, who can shove the most SLBs in their mouth at once, etc." Danielle just replied to ask whether he was insane since she anticipates a LOT of vomiting and third-degree burns, so I'm gonna say something about the old Roman orgies and their vomitoriums! Too bad Shanghai Wind doesn't have one, hahaha. Speaking of email, I'll email Chinese Eric right now to see whether he's still up for tomorrow night!


Today's Sacrificial Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Archaeologists have unveiled two Iron Age "bog bodies" which were found in the Republic of Ireland. The bodies, which are both male and have been dated to more than 2,000 years old, probably belong to the victims of a ritual sacrifice. In common with other bog bodies, they show signs of having been tortured before their deaths. The first body dropped off a peat-cutting machine in February 2003 in Clonycavan, near Dublin. The forearms, hands, and lower abdomen are missing: they are believed to have been hacked off by the machine. The second was found in May the same year in Croghan, just 25 miles (40km) from Clonycavan. Old Croghan Man, as it has become known, was missing a head and lower limbs. It was discovered by workmen clearing a drainage ditch through a peat bog.

Clonycavan Man was a young male no more than 5ft 2in tall (1.6m). Beneath his hair, which retains its unusual "raised" style, was a massive wound caused by heavy cutting object that smashed open his skull. Old Croghan Man was also young - probably in his early to mid 20s - but much taller than his counterpart from 25 miles away. Scientists worked out from the length of his arms that he would have stood around 6ft 6in tall (2.0m). He had been horrifically tortured before death. His nipples had been cut, and he had been stabbed in the ribs. A cut on his arm suggested he had tried to defend himself during the attack that ended his life. The young man was later beheaded and dismembered. Hazel ropes were passed through his arms before he was buried in the bog.

Culled from: BBC News
Generously submitted by: Scott

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Check out the link for some lovely pics of the corpses!

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Clarification Du Jour!

Regarding yesterday's photograph of the Frenchman being executed, apparently I had the description wrong, per RAS:

"On today's entry, I noted your picture of a Frenchman at the moment bullets hit him. Actually, that is a picture of a French collaborator with the Nazis, not a French Resistance fighter."

Sorry for the flub! I need to remember to check these things before I send them out!

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Morbid Link Du Jour!

Here's the perfect site for the morbid voyeur in all of us: My Death Space. It contains links to deceased Myspace members, along with details of how they died. Compelling stuff. I am completely addicted.

Thanks to Dave for the link.

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Ghastly!

Brian Peppers is definitely the creepiest sex offender on the face of the earth. No, make that in the entire universe!!!

*shudder!!!*

Thanks to Dave for the link.


Marie Callender's Honey Butter

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 1 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Copycat, Spreads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1/4 pound Butter
1/2 cup Honey
6 slices Bacon; cook crisp -- crumble

Beat butter in a 1-1/2 quart bowl with electric mixer, high speed, till light and fluffy. Gradually on reduced speed, beat in honey and bacon, beating till thoroughly combined and smooth. Keep refrigerated in covered container to serve within a week.

Snack reminders / Picture with a football player

Earlier tonight, I called most of the members of my Bible Study group to see what they were doing for snacks. Jon didn't know Andrea's cell number off the top of his head, and said that that Eric had probably bought pitas and hummus already, so I confirmed that with him later. He had indeed bought those items, and suggested I buy like a bag of chips or something tomorrow so I could feel like I was contributing. Good idea, and I should give my receipt to Dylan later so the Committee can keep track of it. Then I asked about tomorrow's ride arrangements: I'll be at the usual intersection at 6 since he forgot he had to do worship stuff! Small Pho for dinner tomorrow it is, I guess... he was going to ask who I plotted to kill this week, but he had to write some stuff. Heh, there's always later for that!

Jen said that Andrea wasn't feeling well, so she would make the guacamole herself from a recipe - she also confirmed Andrea's cell number was the one I had already, and gave me Dylan's. Of course, we have no idea what Jeremy's doing since the sausage and cheese have been vetoed, but I'm sure he'll come up with something! Dylan thought he'd better call Phil to see what was going on, and thanked me for the reminder: his week's been busy, and I suggested that he should figure things out with Phil before Costco closed if they wanted to purchase dry ribs or whatever they had in mind!

Steph emailed us a photo of her and Geroy Simon: he was the BC Lions Grey Cup MVP last November! She was at Yuk Yuk's (a comedy club) with her friends Lisa and Lawrence (and others?) after MissionsFest a few weeks ago, and they saw him in the crowd there with his wife. Lawrence asked if she wanted a picture with him, but she said she was too shy to ask him! So Lawrence said to Geroy Simon: "Excuse me, Mr. Simon, but my friend is a big fan of yours and would like a picture with you!" He and his wife seemed really pleased that someone recognized him, and obligingly posed for a picture:

Unwittingly falling off a bridge, war photos, ravens and spirits

Today's Dark Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A Massachusetts native and popular captain of a sightseeing riverboat in Tuscaloosa fell to his death from an interstate bridge following a traffic crash. Michael Medeiros, 59, originally from Fall River, Mass., was driving behind his wife, Nikki, in the southbound lane of Interstate 20/59 when several 18-foot flatbed trailers fell off a truck onto the roadway. Nikki Medeiros and the driver of another vehicle, Angelina Spyre, 26, of Eutaw, crashed into each other while trying to avoid the spilled trailers. When Michael Medeiros stopped his car on the bridge after the crash to check on his wife, Sartain said he stepped over a barrier rail in the darkness and fell 70 feet. Sartain said Medeiros apparently didn't realize he was on a bridge. His wife was not injured in the accident. Spyre was taken to a local hospital with injuries.

Culled from: The Tuscaloosa News
Generously submitted by: T.S.

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You know, I can completely understand how this could happen to the guy. Once upon a time, I was doing my customary 3-hour-drive home from a concert, and started getting sleepy and swerving around the road at 3 AM. Seeing the cop lights in my rear view mirror woke me up and I immediately pulled over. The cop told me to go to the mini mart down the street and get out and walk around to wake myself up. And he left me with, "Next time, don't pull over on a bridge." I didn't even realize I was on a bridge. So, see, if it can happen to me, it can happen to Michael...

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Ghastly!

Rob stumbled across an amazing photograph at the World War II National Archives. It is the execution of a French Resistance fighter by the Nazis in 1944. Taken the instant the bullets hit his body, you can see the rope he was tied with being severed and the wood stake splintering. Here's a link to the full site.

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Wretched Recommendations!

Black-Haired-Lass has a fiction recommendation for us:

A Fine & Private Place by Peter Beagle

"A beautifully-written novel about two spirits, trapped in the graveyard in which their bodies are buried, who fall in love, aided by a man living in a mausoleum and a talking raven. It's truly engrossing and not schmaltzy!"

Anna Nicole Smith dead / Eviction overturned - but "late fees"? / Name meaning

Heard that Anna Nicole Smith is dead at age 39 in Florida. Yikes. It affected major news outlets AND broke LJ, heh.

Went to see Sue, Barry, and Dave: man, their workplace has improved! Got a lunch consisting of a quesadilla with mushrooms and a Coke (NOT magic mushrooms and cocaine :P) for just $2.80, too! I read the newspaper after giving the eviction notice to them. They gave me a cheque for the owed amount, and now I'm in the clear according to the manager - Barry went with me to provide backup, heh. There IS this niggling issue about a "$25 per month late fee," which could be legal. They're trying to determine that right now, but Sue was on hold with the tenancy office for more than two hours before giving up temporarily. THAT is something I'd have to take up with the manager's supervisor, who's the one who gave me that stupid eviction notice. So I guess we'll see... at least I have money in the bank to pay that fee out of my own pocket should it be deemed legal. I'm hoping it isn't, simply because that management company is DODGY!

What Leslie Means

L is for Lucky E is for Edgy S is for Sappy L is for Lively I is for Inspirational E is for Emotional

What Does Your Name Mean?

What Flami Brolx Means

F is for Flirtatious L is for Lovable A is for Abstract M is for Magnificent I is for Impassioned B is for Brainy R is for Rebellious O is for Odd L is for Legendary X is for X-Rated

What Does Your Name Mean?

X-Rated?! Hmph.

Jack Bauer should torture them all, then burn them! / True or false

Disclaimer: No, I am not threatening the management in an online posting.

I think that my current apartment management all needs to be tortured Jack Bauer-style! They deserve it, believe me! Turning off the heat for a month, illegally trying to evict everyone a few months before that, trying to evict me twice now... the whole office building needs to go up in an explosion with everyone who works there IN it! They owe me at LEAST 4 whole days of sleep, and probably money as compensation besides! I'm not saying that I would torture them because I don't have half of Jack Bauer's awesomeness, but someone needs to do it.

I'd call certain friends of mine about this issue, but I really don't want to bother them. Then again, what are friends for? I know - or hope - they'd be there for me, but I'm just too chicken or something to call them about it. Thus, I just blog online about it... in some ways, this is easier. Although I might call certain people tonight after things happen this morning if there isn't Fellowship snack-making going on for me, which I think is the case! I think I'll head on over at 10:15 or so... good thing it's a walkable distance!


Here's a meme to take my mind off things:

"True or false" survey from Amy, via Myspace bulletin:

You can't say anything but true or false. No explaining anything unless they message you and ask. Have fun!!

Appearance:

I'm short: true
I have many scars: true
I tan easily: false
I burn easily: false
I wish my hair was a different color: false
I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color: true
I wear glasses or contacts: true
I have had 4 or more piercings: false

Relationships:

I'm in one right now: false
I miss someone right now: false
I've gotten divorced: false
I've had a crush on a teacher: true
I've hugged a stranger: false

Embarrassment:

I've laughed so hard I've cried: true
I've glued my hand to something: false
I've laughed till some beverage came out of my nose: false
I've had my pants rip / drop in public: false
I was born with a disease / impairment: true
I've sat in a doctor's office with a friend: false
I've had my wisdom teeth removed: true
I've had chicken pox: false

Experiences:

I've gotten lost in a city: true
I've seen a shooting star: false
I've wished on a shooting star: false
I've gone out in public in my pajamas: true
I've pushed all the buttons on an elevator: true
I've been to a casino: true
I've played spin the bottle: false
I've drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour: false
I've been in a car accident: true
I've caught a snowflake on my tongue: true
I've sat on a rooftop at night: false
I've played a prank on someone: true
I've ridden in a taxi: true
I've seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show: true
I've eaten sushi: true

Random:

I own something from Hot Topic: false
I own something from The Gap: true
I own something I got on eBay: false
I own something from American Eagle: true
I own something from Abercrombie: false
I own something from Anchor Blue: false
I own something from Aeropostale: false
I own something from Hollister: false

More Random:

I've stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant: false
I curse regularly: false
I sing in the shower: false
I'm a morning person: false
I am a sports fanatic: false
I have listened to more than 30 CDs in a day: false
I've worn pajamas to school: false
I know how to shoot a gun: false
I am really ticklish: false
I play video games: false
I'm good at remembering names: true
I'm good at remembering faces: true

Prayer / Long John Silver's Batter

Damn, I hope tomorrow goes well. Not that most people who read this would pray, but if you do, I ask for it! Heh.


Long John Silver's Batter

Serving Size: 1 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Seafood, Dressings, Fish And Seafood

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

Bisquick
Pancake mix
Club baking soda

With wire whisk, whip together equal parts Bisquick & boxed pancake mix with club baking soda till it's the consistency of buttermilk. Moisten fish fillets in water, and then coat lightly but evenly in flour. Let dry on waxed paper for 5 minutes. Spear pieces one at a time with the tip of a sharp knife, and coat in batter. Deep fry in 385°F oil, about 4 minutes each side, till crispy and browned. Do not use tongs, or coating will break apart.

Offers of help, hanging out, putting babies in the dryer, autopsies

Talked to Eric H. and Corey about the developments of this morning and afternoon for a while earlier. It's true that the management sucks and they want to kick everyone out of here. I do want to move now, but I don't want only ten days to do it. If I can get this sorted out, I swear that I want more time to prepare even if this location is cool. Future wishes: that the apartment management in a new place isn't shifty / dodgy, and that they're at least reasonably competent in the English language! It would be nice if the place is near a shopping centre and other amenities such as often-serviced bus stops, but really I don't require much else.

Eric H. also wants to hang out this weekend to update his blog. Since I respect his relationship with Fay, I asked what she was doing. Apparently, she's hanging out with old classmates this weekend, which leaves him free... but of course, he'll doublecheck first. Told him that Jon was seeing Harmony - my sister was NOT impressed when she told me when he'd be flying out: on HER BIRTHDAY, of all days! It's like "Why can't you fly out on Saturday instead of Friday?" Tough call, and Eric wouldn't want to be him in that situation! At least Eric says he'll help if / when I do move... that's what friends are for, and I definitely appreciate that! :)

I lack the motivation to do laundry with these recent developments, which is kinda pathetic... :P (but we'll see)


Today's First-Degree Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A mother was booked on a charge of first-degree murder for allegedly placing her 3-month-old son in a clothes dryer and turning it on. The infant had third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body and suffered blunt-force trauma to the head. Lakeisha Adams, 18, called police to her home on Monday to report that someone had killed her child. When officers arrived, they found Jailand Adams on a sofa. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Adams admitted during questioning to putting the infant in the dryer and turning it on, but did not say why. Adams also has a 1-year-old child who was placed in state custody. If convicted, Adams faces death by injection or a life sentence. The first-degree murder charge is mandatory under Louisiana law because the victim was under age 12.

Culled from: Associated Press
Generously submitted by: Paradox

**********************************************************************

As Paradox says, "You don't often see that sort of behavior in a major appliance."

*******

Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

Q: How do you get 100 babies into a bucket?

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A: With a blender!

Q: How do you get them out again?

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A: With tortilla chips!!!

[no] Thanks to Evonne for that one.

*******

Ghastly!

The National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland is currently showing an exhibition entitled Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body. I need hardly mention that this sounds like a brilliant exhibit. Better still, the website has some video footage of an actual autopsy for us to gawk over. I get a particular kick out of how they slice up the brain like a head of lettuce. Ah, a head's a head, I suppose...

Thanks to m3m3s3 for the link.


What kind of name is "Jailand," anyway? I can see that it kinda sounds like Jaylon, but that kind of spelling drives me nuts!

Amacon had better keep their legal troubles well in mind when I arrive with backup!

Sue called back and reassured me that the management would be likely to go along with the explanation of forgetting a rental increase and NOT kick me out. Apparently, this happens a lot: five days to pay, and five to vacate premises. The aforementioned management company has lost all their court cases and been in a lot of trouble with the law here, for sure. She says that Dave or Barry can go with me and explain things to Hester, then mail the requisitioned cheque to their head office. I picked Dave because I trust him more than Barry, haha. I asked her whether it was a sure thing that they'd accept it, given the past shady history of the company. She said they should because of the legal troubles they'd been through in the past year and a half. If not, I guess we'll see what else happens!

They have meetings in the morning, but can do it if I get there at 10:30 or 11. Man, I never go to that place unless I have trouble these days... but whatever works! Sue says not to lose any sleep over it (too late), and thought it hilarious that they personally served me the notice for some reason. I guess it's because they didn't tack it on the door as in Palmer's case, haha. (and I don't mean the 24 characters!) So now I have to set my alarm and hope it works... oh man, it was still on 11:30 from last Wednesday's food shopping when I tried to get up on Sunday for church! NO WONDER I DIDN'T HEAR MUSIC AT 8:30!

Okay, now I gotta eat... and then take a shower sometime tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow will go well. If it does, then my week will be interesting in sorta-kinda similar ways to Jeremy's last week! Ha ha ha. (no, I don't want to think about what'll happen if it DOESN'T go as I want!)

CURSE YOUR EVICTION NOTICES, AMACON!

CURSE YOU, AMACON!

Eric was right that time in September when he joked that I have many reasons to kill my landlords. I know Jesse said in December that every joke has a grain of truth to it, and this time he's also right! Now, not only is it the heat / waking me up before I'm ready / the toilet being on the fritz... BUT THEY JUST GAVE ME A FREAKIN' EVICTION NOTICE (AGAIN!) THIS MORNING FOR RENT REASONS, AND I HAVE TEN DAYS TO VACATE! WHAT. THE. *insert invective of your choice* I don't know what the heck I'm going to do! Well, besides call Sue and have dreams of being trapped in an apartment with no electricity because the management turned it off since that's their last resort in order to make me pay the rent!

Okay, so I called Sue and she suggests bringing in my eviction notice early tomorrow morning at around 10 - I gotta do what I gotta do, I guess! Sleep earlier tonight: yay, help! Good thing I did bring in the rental increase notice last week or so, because Dave's apparently written them a cheque for the missed funds. She thinks they can fix this up within the ten days. Although yes, I should have brought it in earlier... damn, I hate crying on the phone. :P

Do I really want to stay in this place with crappy management? As if the events of August-December 2005 weren't bad enough... if you want to know, look in the archives. Should all be there! Basically, this new management company took over from Richmond Gardens' previous management (two very nice ladies named Kathy and Kelly), and then took this place on a ride to hell. When I say that, I mean that there were various legal actions filed against the new owners for illegal pay parking / taking away the cablevision / taking away the heat for one entire month in May 2006 / evicting tenants willy-nilly because the owners supposedly wanted to tear down the place or charge much higher rents / other shady things. I know I said that I wanted to stay because of the location (good for buses and such!) when they offered me an extension last year, but now? Don't ask me.. I don't know! (I want to TP the place... not!)

At least I now know why those dudes had to come in yesterday and measure my carpets and countertops. Everyone in TQC was like "Replacements! You'll get shiny new ones soon!" Sure, sure... looks like I won't be around here to enjoy them! Given that I have a limited amount of time to make a decision, I should make one soon because I know people have to help me move if I choose to do so. (and I just might, this time round!) *screams* Man, this song I'm listening to (the Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go?) is oddly appropriate for my current dilemma... o_O

Tarzan Dan / Quizzes / Lone Star Steakhouse Lettuce Wedge Salad

While I was in the card shop today looking at the stickers, I found myself thinking of Jim. Guess it's natural since I did get him stuff from that specific store, haha. Best not to dwell on the e-friendship ending, however! Lots of quizzes tonight! Need to keep up more often, haha. :D

Corey brought up diphallia and Tarzan Dan tonight... no, Tarzan Dan does not have that condition as far as I know! I remember that dude from YTV's Hit List! Joke names, top music in his charts, etc. So much fun! Apparently, Tarzan Dan accidentally Goatse'd all his Myspace friends last night: WHOOPS! (although his head was flying out of the butt) Of course, Corey finds out all this stuff at Something Awful... why am I not surprised? :P

[01:21:41] Corey: someone on SA had an image leecher... he had a huge huge animated gif of a cute cat doing something... he just had it sitting on his personal webspace, not even linked anywhere. somehow, someone found it and put it all over Myspace (direct link to this guy's server)
[01:22:08] Corey: so that caused like 80 gigs of traffic from all these people downloading the cat image every time they went to those Myspace pages... which cost the guy a lot of money
[01:22:25] Corey: so... he changed it to Goatse, which makes it show up on all those Myspace pages :P
[01:22:44] Corey: then after a little while someone made one with this guy's head repeatedly flying out of Goatse's ass
[01:23:11] Corey: wasn't too long before someone figured out that this wasn't just some random person that was the offending leecher, but a Canadian TV guy :P
[01:25:28] Corey: Tarzan Dan has since apologized, saying he wasn't aware that not hosting his own images could cost someone a bunch of money, so the guy has changed it from Goatse to a kitten and a link to the SA thread about the whole thing :P

Where will you be stabbed?
	BY WHO? Your best friend WHY? You mistook them for a urinal
Where will you be stabbed? at QuizGalaxy.com

HAHAHAHA, oh dear! I hope that doesn't ever happen!

When will your life peak?
0-15y	16-35y	35+ y
Your life will peak when you are between 16 and 35.
When will your life peak? at QuizGalaxy.com

Where will you be in ten years?
	WHERE: In Amsterdam WHY: Lied about your past
Where will you be in 10 years? at QuizGalaxy.com

Lone Star Steakhouse Lettuce Wedge Salad

Why waste time chopping up the lettuce when you can just hack a head into four chunks, dress it up and serve? This unique presentation is not only easy to make, but also a deliciously different way to serve your next salad. The creamy bleu cheese dressing is a cinch to make from scratch, and tastes much better than anything you'll buy in a store. Add a bit of extra crumbled bleu over the top, some freshly diced tomatoes, and you're well on your way to a fancy-pants side salad that'll surely impress.

Bleu Cheese Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 head iceberg lettuce
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1 cup diced tomato (1 large tomato)
Do the wedge.

1. Use an electric mixer to combine all ingredients for bleu cheese dressing in a medium bowl.
2. Slice a head of iceberg lettuce into quarters through the stem end. Cut the stem off of the wedges and arrange each one on a plate.
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup of bleu cheese dressing over each lettuce wedge.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of crumbled bleu cheese over the dressing.
5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced tomato over the top and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Nazis cheating death, Stephen King movies, cemeteries

I think we can safely say that the Bauer family is well and truly screwed up and dysfunctional. o_O


Today's Sentenced Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On 1 October 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivered its verdicts, after 216 court sessions. Of the original twenty-four Nazi defendants, twelve (including Martin Bormann, tried in absentia) were sentenced to death by hanging.

Hermann Wilhelm Goering cheated the gallows of Allied justice by committing suicide in his prison cell shortly before the ten other condemned Nazi leaders were hanged in Nuremberg gaol. He swallowed cyanide he had concealed in a copper cartridge shell, while lying on a cot in his cell.

The one-time Number Two man in the Nazi hierarchy was dead two hours before he was scheduled to have been dropped through the trap door of a gallows erected in a small, brightly lighted gymnasium in the gaol yard, 35 yards from the cell block where he spent his last days of ignominy.

Culled from: The Execution of Nazi War Criminals
Generously submitted by: Eric

**********************************************************************

Ignominy! Now *there's* a word with which to impress your friends!

ig·no·min·y
1. disgrace; dishonor; public contempt.
2. shameful or dishonorable quality or conduct or an instance of this.

*******

Wretched Recommendations!

PandaThief has a film recommendation for us:

Dreamcatcher (2003)

"Dreamcatcher is a pretty weird movie. Stephen King has been writing for longer than I've been alive, and I think his works fall into three categories: stuff he was getting started with, stuff he wrote after he first got popular, and stuff he wrote after he didn't really have to care what people thought about it any longer.

"Rather than distract by digging into my own inner weirdness, I'll tender a simple explanation of what I think I mean. When SK was getting started, he published a lot of short stories that had a certain thematic appeal to them. I'm not exactly a student of literature, but I think that he was writing very cerebral and visceral horror in a time when society was trying to cling to its happy thoughts, and he had to be really damn good to get anyone to take him seriously.

"After he got popular, he as able to rely on his image to get people to sit through what he had to tell them, and this - in my humble opinion - is when his works settled firmly into our culture. This period is when most of his popular works came out. People started falling into two categories: those who loved his stuff, and those who hated it. SK doesn't give you a thumbnail sketch; he starts setting up a scene, and then he takes the reader back to a particular time in each character's past where a pivotal event happened, something that shaped who and what they are. He then draws us back to the present scenario, and we suddenly understand why this person does this thing, and that person does that. If you can sit through hundreds of pages of background story, it makes for a good read: there is no such thing as a two-dimensional character in SK's work.

"Then we enter the latter stage, where SK is too rich and well-established to need to care what people think. I don't mean to cheapen him in any way - hell, I've never met him; who am I to judge? - but he certainly passed the "authorial success event horizon," where it's obvious that the writer is more concerned with what he thinks than how his or her work will be accepted. Herein we see such books as the Gunslinger series, where the story - at least for me - stays hot, but the timeline starts slowing down to a gradual crawl. The first book wrapped up 20+ years of the protagonist's life; the second book was set more in the present, and took on an "everyday" speed; the third book started picking apart daily events; the fourth book kind of sat down and gave you an exhaustive seminar on the how and the why. I guess it was dynamic in the sense that things happened, but it would make for a better A&E documentary than a Spike TV one-shot.

"But it was still pretty damn good, if you ask me.

"Anyway, Dreamcatcher. In order to watch this movie, you kind of have to know ahead of time what you're getting into. SK once said that he keeps his fingers out of the pies that moviemakers build from his stories: he understands that it is a separate art, and he feels he put enough work into the written story, that he is exempt from putting forth any more effort. He's already said what he has to say. I think this is why SK movies are kind of 50/50: half of them are good, half of them are rotten pieces of stuff. The Shining: classic. The Mangler: I want my five dollars back. (Yeah... back then, a movie ticket cost five dollars. Why you need a mortgage to go to the movies these days is beyond my understanding. Then again, our society pays people millions a year to play sports, and then sits back and takes it when they go on strike for more money.)

"So, Dreamcatcher is pretty strange. All five of the main characters are psychic, and rather than spelling it out, you're expected to pick up on it. That's because there's too much else going on to waste time with details. For example, the sixth main character is a mentally retarded super-psychic who knew at the age of maybe 15 that in twenty years, the earth will be invaded by alien psychic vampires - and not for the first time - and this time, there is an excellent chance our species won't survive. So, he sets up the other five with psychic powers, and later tricks one guy into walking out in front of traffic because the guy needs to have his heart stop twice so the Evil Boss Alien - Mr. Gray) can inhabit him without fully possessing him.

"I said it was a weird movie.

"I can't really describe the movie any further without trying to write it out, but if you are "into" SK and you like taking chances with movie rentals, this one's a good bet.

"'I... DUDDITS!'"

*******

Morbid Sightseeing!

Trixie has a morbid sightseeing suggestion:

"Another key sightseeing spot in Atlanta, Georgia has to be the Oakland Cemetery.

"Oakland Cemetery is rather expansive with incredibly mausoleums, statues, and landscape - especially in the middle of the night). There is a vast amount of ghostly activity and definitely casts an air of foreboding. A must-see for nocturnal troopers!"

Oooh, new books and stickers for other people!

Went out to buy some bug / dog stickers for Amos, since he seemed to like them on Dylan's birthday card. There are some butterfly stickers too, but I can't do anything about that because they're included in the bug sticker pack. Also renewed my Chapters membership for the year, got No Regrets: Ann Rule's Crime Files: Volume 11 and Homeland Insecurity: The Onion Complete News Archives, Volume 17 for myself, and two bookmarks which ended up being four since I got two cheap free ones with my purchase.

Oh yes, the sticker thing reminds me of something Corey said recently. We were talking about stickers I include on birthday cards, a few in particular. He seems to think that stickers are for people who are 10 years old. I know not to send them OR bookmarks to him anymore, but surely stickers have a wider market than the children of this world... poll time elsewhere!

Signs I've been watching / reading too much about 24

Signs I've been watching / reading too much about 24: I had a dream last night that the Tom character - a real sleazeball, by the way - got gruesomely bitten to death by these two girls that he met in a village. JUST LIKE JACK BAUER BITING THAT FAYED HENCHMAN TO DEATH! I saw pictures of that, and those girls looked possessed! The dream also involved my sister and me being in an elevator that went all the way up to the 147th floor, but wouldn't go down to the 25th floor - it left us hanging at the 109th floor! We yelled at the elevator machinery, and eventually got out of there using a plane and magic carpet.

Then for some reason, I decided to go to Safeway via scooter. I was walking around the store looking at the cards when someone flagged me down to give me a "romantic" Valentine's Day package from a person whom nobody liked. It had lots of heart-shaped stickers, a card or two, and a message on green paper with heart-shaped confetti spelling out "I LOVE YOU! LAILA ANDERSON [plus seven other names]" - I was less than impressed! I told the person that I wouldn't even use the stickers! The dream then ended when someone knocked at my door: it was the apartment manager wanting to let people in to measure my carpet and my countertops. Is that even legal?! (yes, I got a notice... maybe I'll post a question somewhere before I leave to see since Hester claimed not to know why!)

TV Show Meme

Tomorrow, I need to mail a bunch of stuff. If I don't do this, I'll be disappointed.

Here's another TV-watching meme, courtesy of a bunch of people on my friends list. (I took Tracey's version because her journal was next on my dungeon list and the entry with this meme was her most recent entry at the time I grabbed it, har har)

Bold all of the following TV shows you've seen five or more episodes of in your lifetime. Bold and underline a show if you've seen (just about) every episode, or own any episodes / seasons on VHS / DVD.
Add three additional shows. (please keep the list in alphabetical order)
I added Square One, The Partridge Family, and Guinness World Records Primetime.

24
7th Heaven
Adam-12
Aeon Flux
ALF
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alias
Alien Nation
American Idol
America's Next Top Model
Angel
Are You Being Served?
Arrested Development
Babylon 5
Babylon 5: Crusade
Battlestar Galactica (the old one)
Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
Battle of the Planets
Baywatch
Beavis & Butthead
Beverly Hills 90210
Bonanza
Bosom Buddies
Boy Meets World
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Bug Juice
Car 54, Where Are You?
Chappelle's Show
Charlie's Angels
Charmed
Cheers
Chicago Hope
Columbo
Commander in Chief
Coupling
Cowboy Bebop
Crossing Jordan
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Danny Phantom
Dark Angel
Dark Skies
Davinci's Inquest
Dawson's Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadliest Catch
Deadwood
Degrassi High
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Designing Women
Desperate Housewives
Dharma & Greg
Different Strokes
Dirty Jobs
Doctor Who (pre-2005)
Doctor Who (2005)
Dragnet
Drake & Josh
Due South
Earth2
Emergency!
Entourage
ER
Everwood
Everybody Loves Raymond
Facts of Life
Family Guy
Family Ties
Farscape
Father Ted
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Forever Knight
Frasier
Friends
Futurama
Get Smart
Ghost Hunters
Gilligan's Island
Gilmore Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Green Acres
Grey's Anatomy
Growing Pains
Guinness World Records Primetime
Gunsmoke
Hannah Montana
Happy Days
Hell's Kitchen
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
HEX
Highlander
Highlander: The Raven
Hogan's Heroes
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
I Spy
Inuyasha
Invader Zim
Invasion
Iron Chef (Japan)
Iron Chef (US)
It Takes a Thief
JAG
Jackass
Joey
Keen Eddie
Kitchen Confidential
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (original)
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (reincarnation)
Laverne and Shirley
Life Goes On
Life On Mars
Little House on the Prairie
Lizzie McGuire
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost
Lost in Space
Love, American Style
M*A*S*H
MacGyver
Malcolm in the Middle
Married... With Children
Melrose Place
Miami Vice
Mission: Impossible
Mod Squad
Monk
Mork & Mindy
Murphy Brown
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
My So-Called Life
Mystery Science Theater 3000
NCIS
Ned Bigby's Declassified School Survival Guide
Nip/Tuck
Numb3rs
Odyssey 5
One Tree Hill
Oz
Perry Mason
Pokemon
Power Rangers
Prey
Prison Break
Profiler
Project Runway
Quantum Leap
Queer As Folk (US)
Queer as Folk (British)
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
ReGenesis
Relic Hunter
Remington Steele
Rescue Me
Road Rules
Rome
Roseanne
Roswell
Saved by the Bell
Soap
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Scrubs
Seinfeld
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
60 Minutes
Slings and Arrows
Smallville
So Weird
South Park
Space: Above & Beyond
Spaced
Spongebob Squarepants
Spooks
Square One
Square Pegs
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
Starsky & Hutch
Strange Luck
Stingray
Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing with the Stars
Strange World
Superman
Supernatural
Surface
Survivor
Taxi
Teen Titans
That 70's Show
That's So Raven
The 4400
The Addams Family
The Andy Griffith Show
The A-Team
The Avengers
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Bionic Woman
The Brady Bunch
The Champions
The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
The Dead Zone
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Golden Girls
The Honeymooners
The Invisible Man (2000s)
The Jeffersons
The Jetsons
The L Word
The Love Boat
The Magnificent Seven
The Man from Atlantis
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Monkees
The Munsters
The Muppet Show
The Mythbusters
The O.C.
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
The Partridge Family
The Phoenix
The Pretender
The Professionals
The Real World
The Saint
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Sopranos
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Sweeney
The Twilight Zone (original)
The Twilight Zone (reincarnation)
The Waltons
The West Wing
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Third Watch
Thirty-something
Three's Company
Threshold
Top Gear
Touching Evil (UK)
Touching Evil (US)
Twin Peaks
Veronica Mars
Whose Line is it Anyway? (US)
Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK)
Will and Grace
Wings
Wire in the Blood
Witchblade
WKRP in Cincinnati
Wonderfalls
Xena: Warrior Princess
You Can't Do That On Television

This just proves that I had WEIRD childhood TV taste... o_O

Snacks, Evites, lessons learned from TV, 24 icons, Lone Star Steakhouse Chili

Jon says the list of snacks for Friday's program almost makes him not want to go to the forum. I think he probably should anyhow! Steph's also sent me an Evite to something called "Spinsters' Bonding Night." She's invited me, Vania (who can't make it), Cindy (who'll be late), Jackie, Vivian and Karen Lew, Sheena, Chalaine, Anita T., Jen, Chrystal, Isabel, Joyce, Janette, Cordia, Quan, Vivian Lam, and Sabrina. Since I'll probably die a spinster / old maid (oh, how optimistic is THIS hamsterette?! :P), I'll probably go. Valentine's Day at the church... Intolerable Cruelty featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones... Uncle Fatih's Pizza (that place near the Broadway Skytrain station!)... $5-10 to cover costs of food which includes veggies / dip / kettlecorn / ice cream / cake... sounds cool. I need something in my Yearly Recap Post for February, anyhow! ;)

Just in case anyone answers this about circumventing 50 posts in the Blogger search limit...

Lessons learned from tonight's episode of 24:

* You CAN kill your own son, even if he's just following your orders.

* Never trust anyone, not even your own father or phone calls. The likelihood that it's all a setup is very high, even if you ARE a mole.

* You can simultaneously hug your brother whilst torturing him with 8 cubic centimetres of sodium pentothal.

* Also, keep your presidential cards close to your vest until meetings convene. Hopefully they do something to that slimeball. 1066 is GOING DOWN!!!


Note: It's two hours next week starting at 8. MUST WATCH BECAUSE IT'S WORTH IT, OH MY! Ruses by your own father, setups for an engineer from CTU, etc. Absolutely is on my calendar, and I swear I should join some groups (or get an icon) dedicated to the show since I'm sure Corey's had enough of my ramblings! Almost all of them seem to be roleplay / fanfiction, though. (which I'm not into) Now I know who played Jack Bauer's brother: I kinda thought the guy looked like Dr. Romano in ER! Ah-HA! Found a community, although it looks like the posting is moderated. Probably a good thing, though.

Ha! Addicts! Another for me!

Hey, I found two icons I liked! There are more in 24_ICONS. I could have taken more, but didn't. Some had questionable words on them, haha.

A relatively harmless icon:



Since I'm a sick person sometimes and love this stuff, I'll also take this one of Jack Bauer torturing his brother using the "plastic bag strangulation method" in his own house!




Lone Star Steakhouse Chili

When the weather gets cold, it's time to fire up the stovetop. This chain makes a tasty chili that warms the bones on a nippy fall day. This clone recipe is easy-to-make, low-fat and delicious. And if it's super-brisk outside, you might want to add an additional tablespoon of diced jalapeno to aggressively stoke those internal flames.

1 pound ground beef
1 diced onion
1 tablespoon diced fresh jalapeno pepper
1 15-ounce can kidney beans with liquid
1 14.5-ounce can peeled diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf

Garnish
grated cheddar cheese
diced onion
canned whole jalapeno chili peppers
Hot enough for you?

1. Brown ground beef in a large saucepan over medium heat. Drain fat.
2. Add onion and pepper and sauté for about two minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve one cup in a bowl with the optional cheese, diced onion and whole jalapeno garnish on top. Makes 4 servings.

Weird emails and Spozdog reminders / Cremation, suicide notes, and morbid songs

Jen emailed us a link to this video about climate change. Interesting... perhaps I'll look at it later and maybe sign the petition too, but I need to shower before 24. I know there's still time before the show starts at 9, but considering I multi-task / get distracted easily, it's good to shower NOW! To give you an example, I got an email at about 10:15 last night, and didn't answer it till almost 2 AM since I was distracted by Corey / sentence structure in blog posts / editing / tagging. Ah well, it's all good!

Speaking of email, I got a response from Andrea saying that it was her bad that she spelled my name wrong. Hey, I had to bug her about it even though I know she didn't mean it! She'd just finished talking to Lesley, and she makes mistakes in late-night email. Although she DID put "that's probably way" instead of "that's probably why" in her explanation at 6:35, so I'm sure it's not just confined to late nights. ;)

Also got an email from Eric, who says he wants to make pita and hummus instead for Friday. As long as it's not a spozdog, I can deal with that! (hot dog, melted cheese, BBQ sauce, and hummus... "flavor country when you're drunk," according to Spoz!)

Spozdog comic:




Today's Decreed Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

In 789, Charlemagne decreed punishment by death for anyone found practising cremation.

Culled from: Death: A History of Man's Obsessions and Fears

**********************************************************************

Good for him! That will teach those people for being so boring!

*******

Morbid Link Du Jour!

Bernard sends a link to the perfect site for the morbid voyeur in all of us: a page of allegedly real suicide notes. As Bernard says, Lord knows we've all written a few in our time.

*******

Morbid Song Du Jour!

Cathy sends The Morbid Song - which the Comtesse can especially relate to!

The Morbid Song

If you're "MONSTROUS" and you know it, CLAP YOUR HANDS!
If you're a "SICKO" and you know it, CLAP YOUR HANDS!
If you're "HORRID" and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're "MORBID" and you know it, CLAP YOUR HANDS!

If you're "DISMAL" and you know it, STOMP YOUR FEET!
If you're "LOATHSOME" and you know it, STOMP YOUR FEET!
If you're "HIDEOUS" and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're "MORBID" and you know it, STOMP YOUR FEET!

If you're "MACABRE" and you know it, SHOUT HURRAY!
If you're "ODIOUS" and you know it, SHOUT HURRAY!
If you're "DISGRACEFUL" and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you're "MORBID" and you know it, SHOUT HURRAY!

If you're "REPELLENT" and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you're "GRUESOME" and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you're "SINISTER" and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you're "MORBID" and you know it, do all three. (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)


Hahahaha. This is definitely NOT one I'll be teaching the kids at Sunday School since I'd probably get kicked out of there for doing so! o_O

MORBID SURVEY

Morbid survey, from Amy via Myspace bulletin. Just my thing! :D

MORBID SURVEY.

1. Do you ever see garbage bags on the side of the highway and wonder if there are body parts inside? No, but then again I don't remember the last time I saw a garbage bag on the side of the highway. (good answer, Amy!)

2. If you ever got the chance to practice cannibalism, would you? No. Ew.

3. If forced to overdose on a drug, which one would you choose? Caffeine / chocolate. :D (a good answer, again!)


WOULD YOU RATHER BE...

4. Shot or stabbed to death? Stabbed, just because so many people get shot nowadays. (another good answer...)

5. Asphyxiated or exsanguinated? Exsanguinated, but they're both fun to say! (indeed they are, Amy!)

6. Drowned or buried alive? Drowned.

7. Killed by blunt-force trauma to the head or crushed to death? Blunt-force trauma to the head. I think death would come faster that way. Yay for less suffering! (yet another one stolen from Amy since the answer's so good!) Besides, I really don't think I'd like the feeling of being crushed... o_O

8. Poisoned or overdosed? Poisoned, 'cause then I can die knowing it wasn't (directly) my own fault. (Amy has sense, yo!)

9. Killed by a flesh-eating virus or by rats? I'll take the flesh-eating virus, if I absolutely had to choose.

10. Out of all the above choices, which one do you like best? Poison, as long as it takes effect while I'm sleeping... I hear dying by arsenic poisoning is pretty wretched. :(

11. Which is the worst way to die in your opinion? ... of the choices above, I'd have to pick being crushed!

12. Killed (by a person) intentionally, or by accident? Intentionally, since I'd hate to think that I could have had MORE life if it weren't for an unfortunate mistake!

13. Killed by a serial killer (for pleasure) or a hitman (for profit)? Hitman, because I'd hate for someone to get sexual satisfaction or something like it out of my death! (if you think I'm kidding about this one, go look up some serial killers with weird fetishes and get back to me later!)

14. Killed in a car crash or a plane crash? Plane crash... there are enough car crashes out there as it is, and maybe it'll get featured on The Learning Channel later, haha.

15. Killed in your home or away from home? Away, since I'd hate to die in my own home at the hands of a murderer!

16. Killed in your sleep or while watching TV? Sleep, because I'd like to be somewhat unconscious and unaware of what's happening!

17. Killed by someone who knew you, a stalker, or a complete stranger? Probably the complete stranger, I guess...


RANDOM..

18. What do you want done with your body when you die? I don't know... maybe have it buried with a gravestone. (I'm 30, so it's time to start thinking about these things! :P)

19. You're forced to have your funeral at a place OTHER than a church - where would you choose? I don't really care since I'm dead!

20. What song(s) would you want played at your funeral? See above.

21. What outfit would you like to be buried in? Maybe a nice dress with sequins... I'll look nice for once in my life. (er, death :P)

22. Who do you want to give your eulogy? Someone who knows me well enough to make it personal and heartfelt. At this point, it's looking to be... my sister? Hell, I don't know!

23. Any other specifics about your funeral you'd like to share? No, but it'll probably be followed by a lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

24. Would you rather be forgotten about when you die, or remembered but hated? Forgotten about.

25. Would you rather die alone, or die loved but leave a heartbroken mate behind? Die alone.

Cards Received, 2006

Also way past time for this entry, but I can't procrastinate any longer! Me sleep now... or try to...

Chinese New Year 2006

Candy: "Hi Leslie! As promised, the envelope I was telling you about on the forum. One has not been opened and the other was, so I replaced what they had in it with four poppy quarters. Happy Chinese New Year. Candy."


Special 2006

Billy, Stella, and Benjamin: "Leslie: Thank you for all the bathing presents and the sippy cups... very useful gifts and just what I wanted. Leslie, you're always very thoughtful. Thanks for just being YOU! Love from Billy, Stella, and Baby."

Steph: "Dearest Sarne! Hoho! Thanks for helping me to enjoy a very fun 23rd birthday! Yaz is LARD! Reality! True Bain."

Karen Choo: "Dear Leslie, Thank you for your understanding and patience with me. I know you don't always say much, but I know that you have a sincere and true heart. I have seen it over our many years of knowing each other as fellow Bible Study members. Isn't it great that we've been in the same group together for so long? So glad you're not tired of me yet. Thank you again for your constant friendship. In Christ, Karen Choo."


Birthday 2006

Erin: "Hey Leslie! I hope you have an awesome 30th birthday and a great year filled with lots of smiles, good memories, and special people. :) Thanks for all the years of friendship and laughter. You're a great gal. Happy Happy Birthday. Love always, Erin."

card from Uncle Y.C., Auntie Catherine, Chung Yan, and Chung Ming (the card has 1 Samuel 2:1 on it)

Dawn: "Dear Leslie, Just wanna wish you a Happy, Happy 30th Birthday!!! I just realized I wrote the date at the top as August, rather than September, but this is only because I happened to pick up your B-Day gift and write the card so early! Haha... Well, all the best on your special day! Love, Dawn. P.S. I know you have a penchant for lists and records, so I hope you enjoy the gift." ("May your rice bowl always be full" on the front... how cute!)

card from parents

Steph: "Dearest Sarny: Yaz is now OLD!! 30! Though you are old, I know your actions and mind will be more like your shoe size!! HoHo! Use the toothpaste on your teeth, not on your bum! Truebain."

Jon: "Hey, old fart. You make sure your soap touches your body and not just a certain body part! Have a good 30th - we'll drink 30 shots (divided among 15 people, unless you want to have them all yourself) on your behalf. Hope your face isn't too red at the appreciation dinner! Jon." (their card has some picture of a man with a toothpaste tube in his butt... "That's correct, Doctor. He claims that the instructions said to squeeze toothpaste from bottom. Bottoms up on your birthday!")

card from Connie Lucas

Kevin: "Thank you for all the cards you gave me for my birthday; it is about time I return the favor. Best wishes and happy birthday. Kevin."

Vivian: "Hey Leslie! :) May God continue to bless you on this VERY special day and in the years to come. Here's to more fun and laughter during Sunday dinners, fellowship, and Bible Study! Happy Birthday! Love, Vivian." (the card has Psalm 118:24 on it)

Karen Lew: "Sorry 'bout my attempt at drawing a cake! What can I say? 2D just isn't my forte! Haha. It's that time of year again! Haha. I hope you have a very happy birthday this year as well as all the following years. :) I'm glad that we've gotten to know each other through our family roadtrips, and I hope to know you even better at those weekly dinners! Always interesting! Well, have a good one! Cheers! Love, Karen." (her attempt at drawing a cake came out way better than what I could draw, I'm sure!)

Danielle and Citrus: "HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, LESLIE!! HAHA! :) We hope you have an awesome birthday... even if has to be celebrated a couple days late... but you know how it is with Chinese time and all! :) Can't wait for the next SLB event... certainly we will outdo our last record of 21 baskets! Yeah!! Love, Danielle and Citrus!" (she drew a cool puff on it... there was mention of a "butt feather" in the card, haha)

card from Auntie Fonda, Auntie Tracy, and Vania (the card has Psalm 32:11 on it)


Karen Choo: "Dearest Leslie, What a privilege and honor it is for me to be included in the celebration of your special day. You have been a constant friend through good and hard times. You especially and uniquely proved yourself outstandingly fair-minded and true during certain dark times. What a friend you are indeed! Thank you from my heart!

I think you are a bright, creative person with a loving patient soul. Love your frank honesty and willingness to overlook the weaknesses and foibles of others. Very generous! May God continue to bless your humble soul, and may your unique sense of humor become increasingly comprehensible to this ol' friend of yours. In the meantime, keep up your patient explanations. I appreciate them! Thank you for your love and support over these many years and especially for your friendship. Happy Birthday! Wishing you love and blessings in the Lord Jesus Christ. Your spiritual sister, Karen Choo."


Ivan: "Dear Leslie, I am excited that you will be celebrating your birthday. Sorry that I am unable to attend. Thanks for your regular attendance to Bible Study. It is encouraging - keep it up! Have a great party! Your friend, Ivan Choo." (the card has Psalm 29:11 on it)

Eric M.: "Happy Birthday, Leslie!" (the birthday card had 30 cakes on it... "30! That is old!")

Eric H.: "Hey Leslie! How time flies!!! Haha... it has been another year already. I hope this past one has been an enjoyable one for you, and may it continue for many more years to come! It has been a real pleasure of mine to be able to talk to you about my positive and negative moments with Fay... THANK YOU for your continued friendship. May God continue to bless you. Amen to that, haha. By the way, I emailed you the list. You know what I am talking about (wink)... just add to my blog. Thanks! Your pal, Eric H."

Jen: "Happy 30th Birthday! Thanks for inviting me out. Hope you enjoy the gift, and have a great year full of adventure and blessings! Take care! Luv, Jen. P.S. You are NOT old! :P"

Randal: "Happy Birthday, Leslie! You can go ahead and get rowdy and disorderly. You can get kicked out of the finest restaurants of Vancouver and Richmond - but don't ever get kicked out of the David Fellowship or VCEFC! I'm always happy to see you at fellowship and service. Thank you always for your books, your thoughtfulness (in remembering my birthday), and your friendship. God bless you always. Love, Randal."

Nina: "Happy Birthday. You have been a very good friend to me, and I wish you all the happiness in the world. Enjoy your gift."

Candy: "Hope you have a good day." (the card said: "A person should act like a mature adult by the time they reach 30... do I hear 40?" and she added a winky)

Mike T.: "Hi Leslie! I hogged this side, so I hope you don't mind. Well, I want to say Happy Belated Birthday to you, and hope that you had a good time during your Birthday on Tuesday, celebrated on that day. Also, I want to thank you for the cards you've given me!!! You gave me so many cards... one during my Birthday, one for the baptism, and one for Christmas. That's a lot. Wonder where you get your cards from. Anyway, I wish you the best, and may God bless you and give you a joyful life. Cheers, Michael."

Emily C.: "Dear Leslie, Sorry for giving you this card so late. I hope you had a great birthday and birthday party on Tuesday! Thanks for always remembering other people's birthdays like mine! I don't know how you do it! You have such good memory! I wish I had just as good memory as you do. :) Anyway, best wishes and God Bless! Love, Emily." (she included a drawing of a little poof lamb)

Chrystal: "Dear Leslie, Happy 30th Birthday. :) I hope you had a good time celebrating your special day with your friends and family! I enjoy talking to you each week at AWANA. I always see you're so busy at the secretary desk!! You're doing an awesome job! Have a blessed year! :) Love ya!"

Cindy and Dianne: "Dear Leslie, Happy Birthday! You have an amazing gift of memory and kindness, and it is with great pleasure we wish you a Happy Birthday in return! Thank you for your friendship and care! Love, Cindy and Dianne." (it was all nicely done with felts and such, and had a green dolphin drawing)

Andrea: "Happy Birthday! Thanks for being such a thoughtful friend. Although we don't hang out as often as we would like, I've come to really appreciate you and your beautiful character. Your cheerfulness with the kids at church is a reflection to me of the joy you have in serving them. May God draw you closer to Him this coming year, and may He bless you richly. I pray that our friendship would grow in the love and light of Christ. Hope you enjoy the Zen tea and like the note tote. Love, Andrea."


Christmas 2006

Julie Ste. (julie709): "Have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)"

Deborah Goldman (depine1pssets): "Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a very Happy New Year. Have a great 2007! Debbie."

Taru Rouvinen (tarutar): "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Natalie Hy. (chibi_blackie): "Hi Leslie! Thank you for your card! I got it quite early. Anyway, I thought that you deserved to get a card back! I don't watch much anime, but I might in the spring because I'm taking a Modern Japan class in the spring. It might inspire me. Have a Merry Christmas!"


Kaitlin O. (norsk): "Leslie! AKA Flami! Hellooo! I just found a bunch of construction paper and it's awesome, so I've been writing to everyone on it. (I had a lot of stuff to write to a lot of people!) Okay, I'll be back to writing after dinner, hopefully... either that, or I'll just go online, heh. Unfortunately, it'll probably be the latter. ADDICT!

Ah. Yes. So apparently I haven't gone online. Hahaha. I just cleaned my floor; it was exhilarating. Oops. Sorry about that random line up there. I was moving my paper, I forget why, and my pen just like attacked it! It was like RAWR! Haha. True story. So anyway, I don't have any cool stuff about the city I live in to show you, unfortunately. It's not that cool in itself, though. Just a bunch of huge houses and trees and a bunch of Chick-Fil-A's and stuff. Speaking of which, they're hiring and I'm totally considering applying (even if I've sworn I'd like never work in a fast food place...)

Have you had Asiago cheese? I just learned from this commercial how to say it (I definitely thought it was "Asia go"), and I'm pretty sure that's the kind of cheese that I despise... Okay, why do my margins always get bigger as I go along? Ugh. I guess I always write at a slant. Well, it's my tradition to draw a masterpiece on the back of all of my letters, so be sure to look there, although I really have no idea what to draw. Hmmm... today I've drawn eyes and the goth son... I guess I'll draw another eye and see what randomly appears in my mind after that. I still love your handwriting! Kaitlin (AKA norsk @ GJ)"

[she included a drawing of the moon and stars on the back of the bubble-wrap envelope, and a drawing of a cool eye and some lady with a long neck on the back of the envelope! "Long neck... Apparently, the eye turned into a person! That works. The Majesty of The Night Sky! Wow. That's the best moon-face I've ever drawn! :)"]


Carmina (on_the_ground): "Hi Leslie! I'm very glad for having the opportunity to wish you again this year a great time these holidays with all the people that you care about. I also hope that all your dreams for the next year will come true. My Best Wishes. And here I send you some stickers for you and the boy you talked about that I hope are good enough - TAKE CARE! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2007! ¡Feliz Navidad!"

Matt K. (jarethshair): "I hope you have a fantastic holiday season and a truly wonderful New Year. Yours, Matt. xx"

Denise Morris (rostand): "And they say you can't meet anyone nice over the Internet. Happy Holidays!"

Alessandra Poletti (dru_it): "Wishing you Christmas surprises and lots of sweet dreams come true! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"

Sheryll Tow. (sheryll): "Hi, Leslie. The card seemed appropriate, considering the amount of snow you got. Hope the stickers survived the folding! Merry Christmas!"

Kelli Ellis (neonrose5): "Hi Leslie! I finally got around to opening my Christmas boxes, and lo and behold, there was the card you sent me last year! I hope everything has been well with you this past year. Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season."

Jamie Re. (corporatebeach): "Leslie - It's been fun getting to know you. There's so much to learn! No, you don't post that much. At least it's an interesting read. I don't always go for those memes. :) And yes - I still do those smiley faces... even HERE --> :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!"

Lyndsey Nicholson (fenellaevangela): "Leslie! Would you believe that rainbow stickers are hard to find? I went all over town looking for some! I finally found ONE store with ONE pack left. Hopefully you aren't violently opposed to unicorns. :D Anyway, happy holidays! P.S. I loved your card! Thanks for the postcard, too. :)"

Samara (mystic_notions): "Leslie, I hope things are going well for you, and that the weather has returned to normal for you West Coasters. While you guys were getting all that snow, we had some weird wet weather. It was like BC and MB switched places. I would much rather have the snow... you can keep the winter rain. :) Merry Christmas! I wish you all the best for 2007. Take care!"

Vania: "Hey Leslie! Didn't get to see as much of you this year as I'd have liked, but that's the beauty of the church family. There's always next year... and the next... and the next... Merry Christmas!"

Kristin Brenemen (wyldkyss): "Merry Christmas, Leslie. I got the cards in the mail. Thank you!! I hope you have an enjoyable holiday. :)"

Marilynn Schm. (_angel_of_nite_): "Happy Holidays, my dearest online friend. May you receive gifts that never end. May you eat a lot of food that you probably won't hold for you may explode... But I already said that speech for Turkey Day. So I will continue with what I have to say. Have fun this holiday season. Don't let anybody else's reason stop you from doing so. I'll have a good time in the hail while you have a better time in the snow. So cheers to being great online friends on this joyful holiday! Sadly, this is where the poem ends. Until we meet, I wish you a wonderful day. Luv always."

Jenessa (cuteapple): "Love yourself first. Everything is connected."

Steve and Carol: "Happy Holidays!"

card from Candy

Marie: "Hi, Leslie / Flami! A very merry Christmas to you."

Jenna (jennaxrose): "Happy holidays!"

Nyssa (giggles19): "Hope you have an awesome holiday season. Glad that I friended you this year. I find your journal hilarious sometimes!"

Billy S. (fdolarhyde13): "Dear Leslie, I hope you have a wonderful holiday up there in the great white north. I hope also that this new year brings you many great things."

Janina (mrshannibal): "Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year - may your wishes comes true!"

Auntie Esther: "Dear Leslie, Have a blessed Christmas! Thanks so much for the book. I'll enjoy it during the Christmas break. :)" (she included a plaque with Romans 8:39 on it, and some other stuff detailed in What I Got For Christmas 2006)

Dylan: "Dear Leslie, I'm following your example and writing cards to all my friends to encourage them and let them know that someone's thinking about them. Thanks for always remembering my birthday even when I don't remember myself! I hope we will have a fun time together in the new year while being part of the same Bible Study group. But for the next little while, I'll wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Randal: "Dear Leslie, Thanks for all the ways that you help brighten things up in our fellowship... like your crazy sense of humor, your birthday cards, and always remembering to wear your Santa Claus hat for Christmas. You are a light to the world around you. May the love of Jesus always burn brightly within you. God bless! Randal."

Sheena: "Dear Leslie, Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great winter holiday planned with friends and family! You're such a thoughtful person to remember everyone's birthday. May God continue to bless people through you, Leslie! Have a wonderful time celebrating God's love for us! Love, Sheena."

Cindy and Dianne: "Merry Christmas!! Your smile is contagious. Thank you for being a great friend to us!"

Denise, Brian, and Julie: "Merry Christmas!! Have a great new year!"

Soleta: "Leslie, Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for the cute card! It looks great on my wall. :) I hope you get many wishes fulfilled! May 2007 bring much happiness and success."

Chris (dingo727): "Dear Leslie, Stay warm up there, and I will see you on the nerd box. Yours truly, Chris."

Sara W. (sparkle_bint): "Dear Leslie, Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year! Love from Sara. xxx"

Kitty (bornwitch): "Hello, Leslie. I hope you will have a great Christmas, and that all your wishes for 2007 will come true. I hope that when I get used to my new REAL LIFE, it will get easier for me to get online more. I miss nattering with you!"

Amy C. (letmypidgeonsgo): "I didn't write on the postcard in case you wanted it blank or whatever." (New York's Empire State Building)

John (snooooopy): "Canucks Rule!" (the C was a nice approximation of the hockey logo, haha)

Sandra (thepooloftears): "Leslie, I thought it was neat that we both live in Richmonds. :) I'm hoping to start doing volunteer work with kids and animals while I take a semester off from school. I spend WAY too much time on my computer too. Do you play any games? Anyway, this isn't really enough space for a letter, but Merry Christmas! P.S. I loved the postcard. Thank you! :)"

Jennifer (tehgreenfairy): "Hi Leslie!! It is good to finally write you too! I wish I could keep up better on LJ! Maybe in 2007, haha. Much love!"

Ana (glamourcorpse): "Have a very very Happy New Year! Sincerely, Anastasia."

Taru (sinnarn): "Hi. Here's a Finnish treat for you - salmiakki licorice. Sisu means spite, strength that Finnish folklore says we're full of. Horna is a poetic way to say Hell. So this is basically candy from Hell... enjoy! Happy New Year!"

Katya (katzk): "Leslie - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope the new year 2007 brings you positive changes, new friends, and exciting adventures... but also time to just relax and enjoy every moment of life. Hugs, Katya. (katzk @ LJ)"


Special 2006

Anita and Jeff: "Dear Leslie and Stephanie: Thanks so much for celebrating our wedding with us! Your presence made it extra special! Thanks so much also for the Corningware dish! Jeff loves it as he gets served delicious food in it! Love, Anita and Jeff."

Total: 65