Don't do handstands on the sidewalks, Denver kids!

cradle of filth, queen of winter throned, woman, morris, 15, delaware, kansas, fifteen, public, wealthville, tightness, frightened, ropes, pennsylvania, requirements, imitations, animals, lipstick, wearing, purchases, permits, indiana, kisses, hair, new york, entitlement, horses, hours, work, beds, law, logan, counties, colorado, illegal, kissing, sleeping, women, toilet paper, riding, motels, moving, together, floor, making love, miami, florida, camels, breaks, children, hands, stands, denver, sidewalks, scary, cigarettes, pipes, offers, mentions, boston, massachusetts, streets, washington, day, clothes, minnesota, santa, oh god i'm santa claus, fishing, bare, hand, dressing, dressing up, city, arkansas, bob, up, raises, teachers, nevada, bulls on parade, throwing, thinking, dc, washington, breaking, lewis seymour, forms, fitting, pants, you, teaching, education, hartford, connecticut, highways, north carolina, strange laws, bathroom readers, weird stuff, laws, us, sleep, twins, sex, coffee, kids, school, money, s, s, s, s, s, s, s, s, maxed-out tags limit,


More strange laws from Bathroom Readers... 4-PLY:

In Logan County, Colorado, it's illegal to kiss a sleeping woman.

It's illegal to ride a camel on Nevada highways.

In North Carolina motels, it's a crime to move twin beds together or to make love on the floor.

In Miami, Florida, it's unlawful to imitate an animal,

Women in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, are required by law to purchase a permit before wearing lipstick in public.

Laws in Indianapolis (Indiana) and Eureka (Nevada) make it a crime to kiss if you wear a mustache.

New York City law entitles its horses to a fifteen-minute "coffee break" after each two hours of work.

Children are prohibited from doing handstands on Denver, Colorado, sidewalks... it might frighten horses.

Laws in Boston, Massachusetts, prohibit sleeping in "day clothes."

In Minnesota, it's illegal for a woman to be dressed up as Santa Claus on city streets.

Kansas law prohibits catching fish with your bare hands.

Arkansas law prohibits schoolteachers with "bob" hairdos from getting raises.

Don't even think about it - BULL THROWING is illegal in Washington, D.C.

You're breaking the law if you're wearing "form-fitting" pants in Lewes, Delaware.

A law in Hartford, Connecticut, prohibits the teaching or education of a dog.

Pastor Bob Canada divorce laws (dream)

I had a dream that Mom and I were taking a class at a local school; Harmony was going to join us, but she couldn't make it. Christon and others showed up with a bunch of food, and announced that Pastor Bob was leaving the church because he disagreed with the congregational committee's stance on Canada's divorce laws. Pastor Bob and his wife Amy were there to explain their views, but the first thing I thought was "GOOD! SERVICE WILL GET BACK TO NORMAL!" Then Jordan showed up, screaming about a dead body. It was true... Jason had died! Everyone else came from the gym bleachers to discuss these developments. The dream ended when people were writing things down on huge white sheets of paper. Triggers: talking to Christon about Pastor Bob on Sunday, Christon's "life timeline" exercise on Friday, seeing Jordan on Sunday, talking about pastors leaving the church on Friday, and Harmony not being able to make it to church on Sunday. WEIRD!

Duggars, conjoined twins, virgins, GEEK LOVE

HAPPY PI DAY! HAPPY WHITE DAY!

Watched JAPAN TSUNAMI: TALES OF TERROR, 19 KIDS AND COUNTING (Duggars!), THE BATES FAMILY, and CSI: MIAMI last night. Today, I watched THE VIRGIN DIARIES / GEEK LOVE / CONJOINED TWINS. (the Herrin twins Kendra and Meliyah - the parents had another set of twins, Austin and Justin) Heard it was snowing again - wet snow, too. Replied to Mandy's email, as well. GEEK LOVE made me laugh at these costumed nerds and geeks at a speed dating event at a conference. HAHAHAHA! They just remind me of certain people (Kaili, Teunis, etc.) she used to know, who would want to "geek out" downtown when there was a PLAYOFF HOCKEY GAME going on. PRIORITIES, people! (Rachel sent my parents a postcard, saying she moved to Ottawa for school)

PRIEST WHITE?! / Visiting Grandma at Respite

Today, I watched CRIMINAL MINDS / THE FIRST 48 (one of which was about a black boy named PRIEST WHITE - that's a bad name!) / CSI, and ate some muffins. Heard that it was snowing around Vancouver; OH SHIT. Left at 1 to visit Grandma at the respite centre, but made a very brief stop at home to throw stuff out. I experienced good bus timing and efficiency, though!

Got to the respite centre (where there was only one Chinese old person unlike yesterday when Jon stopped by), but made a brief stop at the nearby Killarney Market to buy Grandma three oranges. She seemed pleased with the oranges and the shrimp crackers I bought her yesterday, calling me "good." Watched parts of PALM SPRINGS WEEKEND and A PLACE FOR LOVERS on Turner Classic Movies while reminding her and the workers about our dinner tomorrow night. Grandma wanted me to eat dinner there, and thought tomorrow's dinner would involve Auntie Eva - nope, just us! Due to some stupid buses, I got back at 6:30 wanting something WARM. Noodle soup it is!

TOMORROW NEVER DIES / JUNIOR / Kind neighbors / Burned bowls

Talked to James about a bunch of stuff last night, then watched TOMORROW NEVER DIES and JUNIOR after being sucked into a consecutive repeat of BREAKOUT WARS. Replied to Mandy's email, too... went to bed at 4 AM. Today, I didn't see my parents' garbage can or recycling bin when I went outside to see if the garbage / recycling trucks had taken the contents. I was scared as HELL for a minute, and was about to look around the townhouse complex like a crazy woman. Then I discovered that some kind neighbor soul had put them back in the carport. PHEW!

Watched the JERRY SPRINGER show, THE PEOPLE'S COURT, and HOARDERS. Someone rang the doorbell - turned out to be #1 (Jack), saying he'd be in Hong Kong till the end of April. Okay, then. Burned a bowl while attempting to make brown and wild rice; I just tossed it, and had seafood with cookies instead.

New Zealand bans weird baby names

New Zealand bans weird baby names

Celebrities with a penchant for weird baby names (looking at you, David and Victoria Beckham) should avoid having kids in New Zealand.

The country's Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages has been cracking down on parents who get too creative when naming their kids, Australia's Herald Sun reports.

The list of weird names for kids that are banned by New Zealand's names registrar has grown to include Lucifer, Duke, Messiah, and 89.

Also not approved: Bishop, Baron, General, Judge, King, Knight, and Mr., names that were all said to be too similar to titles.

The letters, C, D, I, and T were also rejected as first names, the Herald Sun says.

As well, the agency has refused to allow names involving asterisks, commas, periods, and other punctuation marks.

And three different sets of Kiwi parents wanted to name their children Lucifer, only to have the name choice nixed.

In 2008, New Zealand's names registrar drew international attention when it approved such non-traditional names as Benson and Hedges for a set of twins, as well as the boys names of Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter.

But New Zealand isn't the only country to ban wacky names for kids, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports.

In Sweden, name choices are subject to a naming law. While Lego and Google have been approved as names for children... Superman, Metallica, and Elvis, and the name Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (pronounced Albin) were not approved.

In 2007, a judge in the Dominican Republic submitted a proposal to ban names that are either confusing or gave no indication of gender, such as the names Qeurida Pina (Dear Pineapple) and Tonton Ruiz (Dummy Ruiz), according to the Globe and Mail.


NUMBER 16 BUS SHELTER?!!! HAHAHAHAHA!

Lately, "Baron" makes me think of FINAL FANTASY II / IV:

$7.97 hydro bill, disrespect from Eric, and fish dying in vaginas - WTF?

This is the first full day I've spent at home since the 19th, which is good for my downtime needs! I also FINALLY got mail, no thanks to the postal strike - why is my hydro bill only $7.97?! HAHAHAHA! Matt A. loved that! Of course, I paid the bill! Eric also disrespected those same downtime needs when he thinks that weekends are good for meetings, and I know it since I'll be there for church anyway and could pack a lunch - well, just wait till I don't show up on the 17th, then! (that, or I'll have other plans) Then he thought it had to do with my sleep schedule - NO! FUCK OFF! (and I never say that about him) Teunis is also earning himself another frosty reception as I type - did he tell me that he'd be late getting home? NOPE! Do I feel guilty? NO!

A yucky thing from Kaili: "If anyone should give her husband to eat or drink a fish that died in her vagina, or bread kneaded on her buttocks, or her menstrual blood, she is to do heavy penance for five years." – Penitential of Arundel 81

Background noise, gay marriage, two Christons and math (dream), Ben, eye makeup

When Teunis got home last night, I strongly recommended that he look in the freezer - of course, I had my usual background noise on which included DRAGON WARRIOR videos! We discussed self-esteem, signs, smoking, marijuana, cocaine, New York legalizing gay marriage, Sony / hackers, reminders of good things, frustration, laws, the durian gelato (which he thanked me for), Kaili and dinner / THOR / licorice / Loki, corn syrup, Thai food, Jordan, and more. I called Steph to tell her about medicine and prescribed birth control, too. Apparently, William unfriended me AGAIN - make up your mind!

I had a weird dream in which there were two versions of Christon - one in a wheelchair - and a bunch of people were at a high school reunion in a theatre. We were viewing these old movies of the old graduating classes throughout the years, including a Valentine's Day event where all the girls were going to get something, but they had to find all these greetings scattered through the school. There were fast-forward aging vignettes, orange math textbooks, school supplies, and other things in these movies. Afterwards, this girl with blonde hair wanted me to go up and down the stairs with her in a fun way, even though my CP still affected me in the dream! Later, we all went to Phibbs Bus Exchange on the bus, and talked.

When I got up, I fielded an email from Chris about supposed "dark clouds" all over Richmond and Vancouver (the Awana BBQ will be at church instead), so I had to email him back to say that there weren't dark clouds in MY corner of Richmond, and also joked that he must attract the rain for some reason while driving from here to Vancouver! Since this was a group email, I also asked Ben to call me since I'd given him my number via FB wall post just a bit ago. Then Sarah emailed me to say that it was her fault, as she kept forgetting to email him my address. I told her to do it before she forgot - Ben then emailed me to say that he didn't have my phone number, so asked what was up. I emailed him my phone number, so he called me to say he'd pick me up at about 3:30, and that Sarah would probably arrange something for the ride home since he couldn't drop me off later. That definitely works!

You Are Real

You are an expansive and open-minded person. Most importantly, you are open to the idea that you are wrong. You only know how to live authentically. You're not the type of person who can fake it. There's a lot that you can endure. You have an inner toughness. You are a very warm and welcoming person. You have a kind and compassionate heart.

The Eye Makeup Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

Rona / Zellers / Eric's superstition better not come true for Game 7, man!

Teunis and I discussed guns, control, red bean soup, assumptions, violence, ICBC, communication, drugs in sports, sourdough pancakes, laws, and more prior to his leaving for an appointment. I tried calling Eric, but he wasn't home. When Teunis got back, I played a bunch of Tetris stuff just because I was in my room; he didn't like that, I guess! Shortly afterwards, we went to Zellers in Lansdowne and Rona for food bins / tubs / screws / vacuum belts - discussed $2 laundry detergent, police cars, intimidation, looking for new places, WOW, UBC, toilet paper, wireless routers, Weird Al, EVE ONLINE / Sony getting hacked, 4chan, mouse protection, disruptions, Russians, pricing being too expensive, awkwardness, habits, childhood conditioning, green beans, potato pancakes with corned beef, and more. It was a better outing than I thought, and he says everything will work out in the end, so that's good.

Got home to find that Mom wanted my presence at a Father's Day lunch held at Tsui Woo... *sigh* Then I saw that Eric had called me back, so I asked him about tomorrow at Jeremy's. I know his superstition comes into play when he says that every time he's watched the game with the same group of people, they end up losing, but eventually he said he'd go. Called Jeremy to inform him of this; yes, it's a good idea to order the pizza early since they'll likely be busy! Discovered that William C. had added me back on Facebook - haha, nice!

Word Facts for May 21-27, 2011

Word origin for the weekend of May 21-22, 2011: hooah - The U.S. Army exclamation "hooah," used to mean everything except "no," dates to the 1980s. It is said to derive from the acronym HUA, meaning "heard, understood, and acknowledged" in response to an order. Films that place the term in the Vietnam era are anachronistic. By the way, the Marines say "oorah" instead of "hooah," imitating the sound of a klaxon.

Word origin for May 23, 2011: hokey pokey - Is the "hokey pokey" really what it's all about? In wartime England, a bandleader concocted a hit tune that borrowed a phrase from Italian ice cream vendors, Ecco un poco - meaning "try a little" - and joined it to an old children's dance. The "hokey pokey" craze rapidly spread throughout the 1940s, though in various parts of the English-speaking world, it is known as the "hokey cokey" / the "cokey" / the "hokey tokey."

Word origin for May 24, 2011: loblolly pine - The "loblolly pine" grows in the swamps of the American Southeast, and it has been known by that name - which may have been borrowed from an Indian language - since 1760. "Loblolly" occurs as a dialect term for "mudhole" in the following century, and it is that usage that gives an old-fashioned southern dessert: a gooey, sticky mess of cream / sugar / egg - its name.

Word origin for May 25, 2011: fungible - Something "fungible" is not made of fungus, or even fun, but instead is interchangeable. It comes from the Latin fungi, which means "to perform," and is typically found in legal and economic contexts to mean something that can be converted readily into something of the same kind, be it a stock share or a junior employee.

Word origin for May 26, 2011: Peter Principle - Published in 1969, Laurence J. Peter's book, The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong, was famous for the observation: "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." The corollary is that the real work is done by employees who have yet to be promoted to their levels of incompetence. The "Peter Principle" is often confused for Murphy's law, which is another matter entirely.

Word origin for May 27, 2011: eat my shorts - Bart Simpson's favorite curse is not original to him - or rather, his writers - yet no one really knows who came up with it. It turns up in a passage by the novelist Ken Kesey in 1973, about the time it sees print in the old National Lampoon magazine - but even then, it seems to have been borrowed from somewhere else. Whatever the case, it was widespread slang across American college campuses in the mid-1970s, when Simpsons creator Matt Groening was attending school.

Wikileaks, Elizabeth, Mennonites, Jeremy, Susan Aglukark, and early calls as stress

Teunis and I discussed letters, nicknames, "Jack," "John," laundry, Wikileaks, copyright law, English names, Hermione, HARRY POTTER, the names Jacob and Elizabeth, TWILIGHT, Queen Elizabeth I, combination names, Jordan having a relative named Hermione, pronunciation, We also talked about Jeremy having Mennonite relatives too, politics, trumpets, lard, juice, ginger beer, Phil Collins, Suzanne Vega, Susan Aglukark, and more. Omgigi sent me a message about her paper on ONTD; sweet! Then Eric called half an hour early to say he was leaving NOW - if I didn't have those caramel Cadbury eggs for the BS group, I wouldn't go! Of course, redrum also had to start... UGH!

Flying Beaver? NO! Brown's Social House!

Steph and Lisa picked me up at 8:15, and we were off to the Flying Beaver, which was STANDING ROOM ONLY! We got ID'ed at the door, so it's a good thing I usually carry my ID with me! Called Denise, who was already in Richmond, so we went to Brown's Social House instead. Talked about the menu change, babies, black people, Haiti, tearing, stitches, Chilliwack, very sweet pie, key lime pie, calamari, the cost of adoption (Lisa's cousins must be rich - baby from China!), salad, halibut, strawberry / banana pancakes, milk, Grandma liking Brown's, Lisa's picture as a two-year-old, future playoff parties, Marble Slab Creamery / La Casa Gelato, Brian / Denise / Steph at Three Lions (or wherever) last summer watching World Cup games at 7 AM with coffee mugs because of alcohol laws, their sister Julie making us feel REALLY OLD ("she's 23?! that means *I* am not that age..."), and Twitter. We also discussed the Vancouver-Calgary hockey game (we won 3-2 in overtime), dry ribs, the Cactus Club service earlier being pretty slow, the game MASH, movies, blood tests, church tomorrow, Eric, Bellinis, social drinks, beer, Blackberry apps, Twitter, hashtags, Alan, Tracy, Hon, Florida, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, Manny Malhotra, Denise's new place, lunchboxes, Batman, Cabbage Patch Kids, Vanessa, Fidela, Mike, old phones, Orlando, playoff parties, and more.

Digital TV remotes, crab and butter, snails, meat, junk, and nutrition

When Teunis finally got up after I ate the spanokopita (spinach pie), I asked him about the Digital TV equipment, which he set up and read the warnings / instruction manuals for. He said it was Shaw's solution to the analog TV not being supported much longer - makes sense, and his TV from Rhiannon's is indeed a digital one. Thank goodness they included a universal remote, haha. He messed about with the remote, but figures it's been hardwired not to work till later.

Discussed 9/11, Spanish culture (dinner at midnight?!), his being unable to sleep, US terrorism / gang violence, Jordan, frying imitation crab in butter, (toasted) croissants (as lunch), hutspot (carrots and potatoes) with curried stew beef as dinner, Tess getting in later tonight / his being out overnight or for the next week, European textbook teaching law (original language - no translations), Eleanor d'Aquitaine, English-French animosity, lobster, snails, coffee, nobility vs. peasants, meat, nutrition, height, frog legs, health, politics / food history, and junk. Also talked about math jokes, Marilynn's frog dying, Karla's beef stew, change for laundry, loonies, quarters, breathing, sleep apnea, expiry dates, exploring, PETA / elephants, a good school memory, the Lower Mainland feeling like home, missing each other if he moved, and more.

Merzbow, shamans, ApologetiX, DRAGONLANCE, and durian!

Turns out I took a shower and changed the music from Matt Good to Merzbow at the right time, since Teunis got home literally ten seconds after that! He expressed amusement at the noise music because he apparently used to work with BBS stuff which sounded like line noise! At least I recognized it was a comparison and not an insult, hahaha. We discussed Megadeth, Danzig, his server's video card, Kaili and screws, Melt Banana, the Boredoms, his mom, socks, strangeness, awful stuff, his stepdad being sick, hot chocolate with brandy, Tess, Cake, the Butthole Surfers, Coolio, L.V., and the ApologetiX. Also talked about trademarks / copyrights, Utah laws, looking for broccoli in DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, Myles and Brittney being engaged, cougars, IRON MAN, tacos for his dinner, noodles, his never feeling unwelcome here, respect, durian (Scott also likes the stuff), his religion, shamans / priests, war, Odin / Valhalla, and a movie that he just picked up called Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight with Kiefer Sutherland in it.

Heavy toolboxes, DAY OF REST, and Tom Waits

Teunis and I discussed hair, H.P. Lovecraft / Cthulhu, the Necromicron, sci-fi, Fox News, US news not being trustworthy, Al-Jazeera in Egypt, the CRTC banning usage-based billing (for now?), being night people, the pork in the freezer, Windows vs. Linux, STEAM, Android emulators, culture, and relationships. We also discussed Steph / Chantal / Boston, CBC musical variety as opposed to Rock 101 / Jack-FM, cast iron pots / collapsible portable closets / TV in the storage locker, old friends, weekend plans, his VERY heavy toolbox (I can't lift that sucker up!), trebuchets (stone castle walls!) / British piano-moving companies, help with doors, and more prior to his leaving for dance class and such. White Eric tried calling me later, but didn't get an answer, so resorted to MSN to ask if I were going to Kevin's tomorrow / say that I should learn to give a straight answer to a question. When I said that I was taking Friday as a "Day of Rest," he tried arguing it from the Biblical perspective - I do what I want, and "resting in God's Word" isn't going to cut it tonight! After the last few days around here, I need the break - and Sunday isn't going to be restful what with church / Committee Meeting / CNY dinner! Perhaps if this chocolate is still around, I could share it whenever the next BS is, if I'm up for going to that one! Talked about Vivian and other topics before he signed off - PHEW! I found that Candy had tried calling me at around 9:05 - HA! FOILED AGAIN!

When Teunis got back at 10, we discussed my staying home tomorrow too (my plan all along) / yogurt / sausage rolls (not really DINNER as such...) / replacement monitors and TV / seasoning cast-iron equipment / juice / new spatulas / pancakes / new shampoo / the collapsible closet / storage / shelves. Robin came online and linked me to Tom Waits' Fumbling With The Blues - nice!

Misquotations, "QUITTING ONTD," tomatoes, expired soy milk, reading directions FAIL

Wikipedia's list of misquotations

Teunis and I discussed beer for baking bread, Christmas decoration for his shelves, Jessica Leung's cute Cookie Monster cupcakes, copyright law, BIOSHOCK references in WOW (Clarissa), harmonicas for kids, radio shows, pasta (use it!), being able to have tomatoes again if necessary (like in pizza - which he LOVES), budgeting, canning seals for the Granville Island tomatillo salsa, opening the Goji Berry Genesis Juice, ARMY OF DARKNESS, and DR. STRANGELOVE. We also talked about I'M QUITTING ONTD! / drama, decoration for his shelves, being able to do things he loves, my soy milk expiration, microwaves, my FAIL at reading directions, doing the dishes, his cornstarch-based pudding mix (chocolate custard mix), WOW silliness, gnomish battle chickens, exploding sheep, and more. Hey, I don't mind if he does do good things - it's all about letting him be free, haha.

Wearing KILTS in relationships! / Chinese Eric was SICK!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Eric came over for about five minutes while I got ready, since I thought he was calling me from the house at 6:30 - whoops. After giving me a Christmas present (which turned out to be a Canucks mug with Apples and Cotlets candies), he correctly assumed that Teunis had moved the bookshelf with all the books - if you think I did that myself, you'd be WRONG! We were on our way within a few minutes, and spent the ride discussing the usual subjects: his speaking in French, Homestar Runner things, "blue liquid" (which sprung from his joke that I was drunk - WRONG TIME FOR THAT... GET BACK TO ME NEXT WEEK!), doing sound, our weeks, WOW references, driving in the rain NOT being fun (but imagine if it were snow!), and more. When we got to church, he asked whether he should give Steph's gift to me, Jon, or Harmony - and whether he should just keep everything for them and Christon in the car. I advised him to give the gift to Harmony, and just take everything with him unless it was too bulky - that's what he ended up doing! In the sanctuary, Calla was telling Nathan about her wedding - Stanford hadn't wanted to get an umbrella, but the weather forecast was iffy that weekend in October, and it ended up POURING! Her brother Acer wants to get him a kilt for Christmas, symbolizing their wearing shorts / skirts / no real pants in the relationship! Jon came up in the middle of THIS conversation, and wondered what we were talking about, hahaha!

Nathan also wondered what had happened to Chinese Eric on Wednesday (he'd seemed excited about brunch...), since everyone just ended up staying home. I said that Jon and I figured that maybe his mom wouldn't let him out of the house because of the sunlight outside, which COULD happen! Harmony was giving us an inquiring look, so Nate said that it was a Chinese Eric "thing" to bail without explanation sometimes, and added that he had a Chinese friend named Eric for Calla's benefit. "If you want a white Christmas, look over there at the piano where white Eric is, hahaha!" (I talked to Chinese Eric on MSN when I got home, and he said he'd been SICK! He was sleeping and resting - he hates being sick, which is apparently happening to him more often now - yikes! I'll have to remember to tell Nate that tomorrow - I'm only in for Xmas dinner because he's coming, and I can get a ride from Jon and Harmony... haha)

I managed to give Christmas cards to Dianne, Wesley, Lincoln, Cordia (before she had to go to the bathroom), and Phil for his mom. Said hi to Kevin, heard about Randal's new job (not my place to congratulate him), and talked to Isabel and Nathan about her plans to go to Europe for two years later on. Nathan tried telling her in a funny way about Ciel and Singapore, but she didn't get it! The candlelight service itself was good, especially since certain people didn't show up! However, the candles on the Advent display were finicky when we had to ignite tealight candles for our symbolic Christ action, haha! Good thing my row was among the first to do that! (although I ended up going in the wrong row - Nate said he'd done that, too)

Later, I said hi to William / Emily Lam (Sam came back last Friday) / Christon (who gave me a card) / Jon (who gave me Karen and Lincoln's card) / Karen, Lincoln, and Vivian / Dianne (she's in charge of the turkey dinner) / Hannah and Natalie / Priscilla (she's a Christmas Eve baby, so I made sure to wish her a Happy Birthday instead of Merry Christmas) / Cordia (she laughed when she saw the "Santa Makes A Tragic Wrong Turn Over Tokyo" card - I knew she'd like it!) / Dawn and Eni / Andrew L. (figure skating!) / Adam L. / Lanie / more people. By the time that was finished, I was definitely ready to go! I gave Eric a LOOK when I asked if he were leaving soon (he was talking to Christon about phone interviews and such - said he was ready if I was - OH YES!), and then Dianne wanted to know if we were going anywhere afterwards. Chris was playing with my Santa hat - good thing I saw him since he leaves tomorrow! His brother Wesley wanted to go out with Jon and other people later, so Eric and I referred them to Dianne - her parents have been away in China since the 2nd, and Cindy went to Fraserlands tonight instead of OUR church! On the way home between Christmas songs / DARKWING DUCK, Eric tried telling me to befriend certain people: NOT HAPPENING WITH ICKY FEELINGS! Yes, my abbreviation for Bible Study is BS - what of it?! He also hopes my mom doesn't poison me with the turkey tomorrow, haha. Got home and emailed Karmie to wish her and the family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, too.


Trivia fact for Saturday, Dec. 25: What did Germans use to make artificial Christmas trees when they were banned from cutting down fir trees in the 19th century? Goose feathers that were dyed green, wound around small sticks to resemble branches, and then inserted into a bigger stick that served as a tree trunk. They were made as tabletop ornaments after forest preservation laws were passed to stop the decapitation of fir trees.

Spiffy mobs, Savina's card arriving, Vanessa / BBT / rent, Wyatt Earp

High-scoring word of the night:

SPIFF (154 points) - against Nancy M. [two 3W, hook off MOB for a plural]


Savina (bodha) let me know that my card arrived there as well - yay! Vanessa H. got on MSN to say that Krista's dad wants her to find another place to live because he's renting the condo to sell it - two weeks before Xmas, eh? Hmm... that kind of thing isn't easy, I'm sure! (who can afford $1200 a month?!) I told her to let me know if she needed to borrow my Internet since Os is going to take the server and phone away at some point. We also have BBT plans tomorrow, should she get back early from Victoria!


Trivia fact for Thursday, Dec. 16: What larger-than-life American character was played in the movies by Kurt Russell in 1993 and Kevin Costner in 1994? Old West lawman Wyatt Earp. Russell appeared as Earp in Tombstone; Costner, in Wyatt Earp.

Infants cannot dance in public halls! (strange laws)

More strange laws from Bathroom Readers! These are from WISE UP! and EXTRAORDINARY BOOK OF FACTS:

It's against the law to slam your car door in Switzerland. Good thing Eric and I don't live there; if they still have this law on the books, we (and our friends) could have gone to jail 3000 times over for doing just this to the grey Honda because it had to be done!

Melbourne, Australia, has an 8 PM curfew... for cats.

A Memphis, Tennessee, ordinance bans frogs from croaking after 11 PM.

In Wilbur, Washington, you can be fined for riding an ugly horse.

In Atlanta, it's illegal to tie a giraffe to a streetlight or telephone pole. Dogs are okay.

Whale harassment is a federal offense punishable by up to $10,000 in fines.

A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in Indiana.

In St. Louis, Missouri, it's illegal to drink beer from a bucket when you're sitting at the curb.

Snoring is legal in Massachusetts only when all bedroom windows are closed and locked.

Kentucky citizens are required by state law to bathe at least once a year.

It's illegal to ship live mice through the U.S. mail.

In Downey, California, more than two police officers are prohibited from gathering at the same doughnut shop at the same time.

In Kentucky, it's illegal to marry your wife's grandmother.

In Yukon, Oklahoma, it's illegal for patients to pull their dentist's teeth.

In Sarasota, Florida, it's illegal to wear a swimsuit while singing in a public place.

In Oklahoma, you can be fined for making funny faces at dogs.

In some states, it's illegal to dance to The Star-Spangled Banner.

It's against the law to drink beer in Cedar City, Utah, if your shoelaces are untied.

In Zion, Illinois, it's illegal to give a lit cigar to a dog, cat, or other domesticated pet.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, moose are banned from mating within city limits.

In Florida, it's against the law to hunt deer while they're swimming.

It's against the law in Utah to fish from horseback.

Wearing a necktie in some parts of Iran can get you thrown in jail.

Paris law forbids spinning tops on sidewalks... and staring at the mayor.

Nineteenth-century Scottish law required brides to be pregnant on their wedding day.

In England, it's against the law to sue the queen... or to name your daughter Princess without the queen's permission.

It's illegal to put graffiti on someone else's cow in Texas.

Technically, you must have a hunting license to catch mice in California.

In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.

In Brooklyn, New York, it's illegal to let a dog sleep in your bathtub.

It's against the law to run out of gas in Youngstown, Ohio.

In Los Angeles, it's against the law for infants to dance in public halls.

If you've just eaten garlic in Gary, Indiana, you must wait at least four hours before you can attend a theatre or ride on a public streetcar.

In Rochester, Michigan, anyone swimming in public must have their suit inspected by a police officer.

In Massachusetts, it is illegal for a mourner at a funeral to eat more than three sandwiches.

In Elkhart, Indiana, it's against the law for a barber to threaten to cut off a child's ears.

In Xenia, Ohio, it's a crime to spit on a salad bar.

It's illegal to drive without a steering wheel in Decatur, Illinois.

Swedish law prohibits trained seals from balancing balls on their noses.

In Athens, Greece, you can lose your driver's license for being "poorly dressed" or "unbathed."

Penalty for stealing a rabbit in 19th-century England: seven years in prison.

It's against French law to reveal the true identity of a member of the French Foreign Legion.

By law, all Washington, D.C., taxis must carry a broom and a shovel.

In Louisiana, it is illegal to gargle in public.

It's against the law in Jefferson City, Missouri, to tie a boat to the railroad tracks.

In Winchester, Massachusetts, it is illegal for a woman to dance on a tightrope... unless she's in a church.

In Florida, you may not pass gas in a public place after 6 PM.

In Switzerland, it's illegal to flush a toilet or urinate standing up after 10 PM.

In the town of Summerside on Canada's Prince Edward Island, it's illegal to borrow or lend water.

In Cuba, you can be jailed for three days if your house burns down,

It's against the law in Madagascar for pregnant women to eat eels or wear hats.

In Paraguay, dueling is perfectly legal... if both parties are registered blood donors.

Speeding-ticket fines in Finland are based on the driver's income.

Canadian law prohibits anyone from boarding a plane while it's in flight.

Law requires that farmers in England provide their pigs with toys.

Roger Tullgren, a man from Sweden, gets disability benefits for his "heavy metal music addiction."

In Glasgow, Scotland, it's a crime for a man to bug a store mannequin.

The law in Teruel, Spain, forbids taking hot baths on Sundays. (Cold baths are okay.)

In Reykjavik, Iceland, it's illegal to keep a dog as a pet.

If you curse within earshot of a woman in Egypt, the law says you forfeit two days' pay.

In Equatorial Guinea, it's illegal to name your child Monica.

Foam letters in a dream / No 2015 candy here! / Dragon Name / Voting

I had a dream about foam letters being on the front door of our old church, Ivan's brother Nathan giving stuff away out of his yellow knapsack, and general hijinks. Probably had it because I see Nathan with his yellow knapsack, and Shira looking at the foam Cubbies letters on the door of the Toddler Sunday School room every Sunday! Today, I got up to find that (as is usual these days) the computer had forgotten the cookies for passwords on a restart... ugh! Of course, David Wong HAD to comment on the "discount Halloween candy" status: "What do ya got left for the year 2015?" YOU ARE CRAZY!


My Dragon Name is Smerg the Evil Dragon.

You Should Vote Democrat

Your views are most closely aligned with the Democrat party. You believe that government can do a lot of good in people's lives, and you especially think the rich should pay their fair share of taxes. It's also likely that you have progressive values. You don't think the government should legislate morality. You may not like every Democrat or totally fit in with the party, but chances are that it is your party.

How Should You Vote?

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!