Friday, March 28, 2008

I Need Sleep.

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged, but it's the BlogHer Business Conference in New York next week, and I have been absolutely swamped with designing signage, brochures, etc. Hopefully things will slow down soon...

Thought I would leave you with some filler, though. Once again, this animator is spot on. This was our little Lemieux last night, trying desperately to get into our closet at 4 in the morning.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

(Of Course)

Trip was off work on Monday, which meant I had the honor of driving our Accord. I rarely get to drive this car, so always look forward to the much cushier ride than our Ford Escape. Don't get me wrong, that Escape is a great little SUV. Although it has been running a bit weird lately...

So ummm, yeah. I guess "weird" means the transmission is shot. Trip was treating himself to a rare Breakfast Jack (no meat!) when the Escape would not drive out of the drive-through. The engine was on, just no power when he tried to accelerate. He got a few blocks from our house when it just would not accelerate. At all.

Oddly enough, just a few days earlier we received an upgrade offer from AAA for our roadside assistance, as we only have the basic package. So rather than pay $10 a mile over the only 5 mile towing our current membership gives us, I went online and upgraded to the 100 mile tow membership. Which you can't use same day (of course). Urg! So Tripple took Tuesday off to deal with getting the car towed to Ford.

Okay, so one car for two people. Not good. Oh wait! My sister keeps her car at my brothers! Hurray! I can use that while the Escape is in the shop. Except the battery is dead (of course). So Tripple called my brother to see if he knew which size battery my sister's car needed, except he couldn't talk cause he had JUST BEEN PULLED OVER (of course).

Seriously, who pissed off the car Gods?

(Is it the whole disbelief in the math miracle thing? Cause if so, I would like to publicly declare my faith. Did you hear that people of the math miracle??? I believe you!!!!!!!!)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

I found God on a Billboard on the 101.

On my way into work today I saw this billboard:

Math Miracle

Okay, I know you can't read it. As I said, I was on my way into work. Which means I was driving. And trying to take a picture with my iPhone. Not usually a recipe for successful photoshoots.

I will transcribe:

The first Physical Evidence
For a Message From
GOD
to the World
www.MathMiracle.com

Now if you asked me where I would hear about "the First" physical evidence of God, I would definitely have said on a billboard on 101 in Redwood City. Duh. Newsweek, Scientific American, the Pope - heck no. It's all about the billboard, baby.

And I'm so not wanting to admit it, but I had to go online and check out the site, even though they would be achieving their goal of driving traffic to it (and possibly brainwashing me). Good news is no brainwashing. Bad news - I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, nor what this "proof" is that they mention throughout the site (whoever "they" are). All I could figure out is apparently the Qur'an is full of initials and numbers that somehow mathematically proves that there is a God. Got it? Exactly.

I also want to note that the site does not shed any light as to why they have what appears to be a satellite dish on their billboard. In fact, there wasn't ANY reference to the satellite dish, transmitting signals, cryptic Godly messages, XM radio, or three months free of DirecTV at all. I guess that was the most science-y clipart?

I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure this whole "math miracle" thing is legit. I will wait for more billboards and let you all know...

Friday, March 14, 2008

It's Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Don't say I never do anything for you (faceless people of the interweb).

I just got the BevMo "Pssst....Our 5-cent Wine Sale is Here!" email.

You know the deal: Buy one bottle, get the second for FIVE FREAKIN CENTS. 

Sorry. I got excited.

Check it out here in all it's grapey goodness glory. Shop now before they officially advertise the sale - and all the good stuff is gone!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Happy Anniversary to the More Than a Hundred Animals I Saved Last Year!

This past weekend Trip and I celebrated a very special anniversary - one year since year since we became full-fledged vegetarians.

Wow - a year. Although it seems like much longer. Not in the "Gosh I need a burger" kind of way. More in the, "I can't believe I haven't lived this way my whole life" kind of way.

This is not actually my first experience with vegetarianism. Fast backward to me at 18, when I saw an Earth Day special on MTV that totally changed my life. I know, hokey, right? But to an 18-year-old that had never been exposed to animal abuse, it really was a life changing event. I guess up until then I was a naive girl that truly couldn't fathom the idea that a human being would want to deliberately hurt an animal. I grew up in household that at any given time had at least one dog and one cat (but more often than not at least a couple of each). Our pets were not pets - they were family members. We joke now that mom used to take the pets to the vet more than she took us to the doctor. This was what I knew.

So when I saw that peaceful white seal being clubbed on the head - I froze. Then I cried. Then I asked questions. Why? HOW?

It was around this same time that I went to my first Body Shop on a visit to my sister's. I don't know if any of you remember The Body Shop when it first came to the states, but it had tons and tons of pamphlets on animal testing, endangered species and animal abuse. It was the first time that a company seemed more focused on making a difference then making a buck (unfortunately, after Anita Roddick sold the company, it lost a bit of it's focus - but I'm still a dedicated shopper).

The more I read, the more I was disgusted, and the more I wanted to DO SOMETHING. So at 18, on my way off to Santa Clara University, I decided to stop eating meat.

This was 1994, people. There was no Boca burger, no Whole Foods (at least not near where I lived), no tofu paté (can you even imagine), and frankly, I didn't really educate myself on how to get the protein and nutrients that I needed. So what happened? A few years later a then 98 pound healthy teenager became an 85 pound 20-year-old anemic. After getting sick of the shots of B-12 (and my mom getting sick of telling people "no, my daughter is not anorexic"), I made a trip to the doctor - who basically told me I had to eat meat. Yes, I was a stupid 20-year-old that trusted her doctor and thought that really was my only option. So I started to eat meat again.

Fast forward to a year ago. Trip was taking an Environmental Ethics class and we were getting into these passionate discussions about the horrible environmental impact of the meat industry. Independent of that I was having conversations with a co-worker about the state of the meat industry and all the gross icky funk thats in it all. The stars were aligning. Some crazy force was beating me over the head - "you should not be eating meat!" So over lunch one day I told my friend the fish I was eating would be my last, that I was going to go back to work and print out a bunch of information to support my case for when I would tell Trip that evening.

On my drive my home I even practiced in my head what I would tell him. "It's not just an ethical choice, but an environmental one, too..."

The phone rings.

Me: Hi sweetie bear pumpkin face (or something like that).

Trip: Hello love of my life to which the sun rises and sets (or something like that). I've been reading for my Environmental Ethics class, and the more I think about it, the more I really want to become a vegetarian.

Me: (silence)

Trip: Hello? Did you hear me?

Me: (cannot speak as I am overcome by how much that crazy force REALLY wants me to become a vegetarian)

I don't know if you believe in fate folks, but you have to admit this is crazy. Whats even more amazing is how easily we transitioned into this new lifestyle. For two people that would eat sushi about once a week, we both just had this immediate change. In our heads, in our hearts, in our bodies - it just happened. And the rest is, well, a meatless history.

Which bring me to today. A year later. Now, even all you die-hard meat eaters must be slightly concerned with the recent 143 million pounds of beef recall - the largest meat recall in its history. I'm not trying to preach (don't eat meat) or convert (don't eat meat) or brainwash (don't eat meat). In fact, I don't even care if you give up meat or not (even though you should). But if you aren't willing to give up meat completely, at least try getting your meat from a less-alarming source. When buying your meat, just remember that the more you go with eco-meat, the better the chance that producers will change their ways. Check out the eat well guide to find where to get wholesome, fresh, sustainable food. You will make a difference!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

As If I Couldn't Love Brandon Flowers Anymore Than I Already Do

The Killers, covering one of the best love songs ever, on Live at Abbey Road.

Could it be more perfect?



<sigh> I *heart* it.

Monday, March 3, 2008

If I Wasn't Married...

I'd be all over this.

I think I found my "special someone". Her name is Butterfly, and she is "looking for networking with others to heal the earth."

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go thank Tripple that I am no longer a single creative.