My mistake, it was already done (7th paragraph): From ugly times, a beautiful thing

Must be a convention of Service Master employees booked at the hotel next to my office. Looking down from my window to the top level of the parking ramp I can see about 20 cars, trucks, and vans all in that odd yellow that seems to be their corporate color.

Actually, awfully close to a Peeps yellow, actually.

Can you hear them praying? Oops, they don't actually all have to pray, but the ServiceMaster corporate ethos is based on: (page 7 of the 41-page corporate code of conduct) Not intolerant, mind you -- but I think I'd have a hard time working there. (besides the fact that I hate to clean and know nothing about lawns)

Disclosure: I worked on a book by C. William Pollard, former CEO.

I've always heard about dalmations and fire houses, but always assumed it was an urban legend because I never actually saw it. Until last night, while strolling down LaGuardia Place, a truck from Ladder 20 rumbled by with a dalmation sticking his head out the window catching the breeze. He was adorable! The guys were heading to Bruno's bakery for dessert.

My office phone rings this morning and I pick-up. The woman on the other end tells me she's calling from the medical school and has a question for me. She proceeds to ask if I grew up in X to which I answer yes and whether my parents are M & J - again yes. It turns out she's married to the a guy who's backyard to was catercorner to mine and our parents were quite friendly. Her husband was a childhood friend of my brother. Turns out she just started working at the university on monday, saw my name in an email and figured there aren't too many Bloviatrix's running around.

Slept with the windows open last night - expecting snow tonight.

Dropping thirty degrees, apparently, which my arthritis will just .

As we were driving upstate last Saturday, an SUV passed us on the right. A kid in the back seat, maybe 7 or 8, mooned us while his parents laughed hysterically. We did too.

oh, you should have taken out a fake gun and chased them for 100 miles or so.

most likely a future Seann William Scott.

It's spooky quiet here. Where is everyone?

Over in the Brangelina thread, which in itself is pretty surreal (it has become a rather interesting discussion about parenting or not parenting actually)

The NY Times has an article on how pole dancing has become a favorite activity for suburban housewives. The art form has turned up at bat-mitzvahs, etc and may be on its way to pushing out book clubs and tupperware parties.

Video included

Is this part of another Bruni review?

Snakes alive!

We've gone fishing in Central Pennsylvania and driven through a town that was going to have a rattlesnake roundup. DH said, "Aw, honey, we're going to miss Whacking Day"!

"For ultimate comfort Arche utilizes 100% milk fed latex soles to maximize flexibility".

Came across an interesting case today. Seems Mr. Plaintiff needed to remove the hair from his scrotum before a vasectomy. He thought Nair would do the trick. He did read the bottle, including the warning not to use Nair on the genitals. Yes, he knew this referred to the scrotum. He used it anyway. An infection ensued and, well, eventually, his "scrotum disintegrated causing his testicles to prolapse."

Just thought you'd want to know.

Well thank goodness for that. Wouldn't want the idiot fathering any children. Hope he had the vasectomy anyway.

Which side are you on?

I got an extremely, uh, friendly text message from someone (and the contents indicate it is someone I know rather than a wrong number) and I cannot figure out who it is. It is not, for instance, anyone I have programmed into my phone.

If your phone stored the number, try doing a reverse lookup.

Yes, but am I sure I want to know?

Better not to know in some instances. Like when I found out the guy calling me all the time was a former doorman.

Exactly.

does stone have your number?

I think we'd need to read it first.

Goodness, no. I am much too shy and retiring to do that.

Oh well, at least you know somebody likes you.

Winesonoma, a couple of years ago, suggesting that rancho_gordo doesn't promote his product enough.

Wilf's new avatar: The two-snouted, three-eyed piglet

I saw it on TV recently. Strangely cute.

Just like you.

The piggies are multiplying! This was just last month in Illinois.
Apparently its a trend....

Disturbing. Probably not a vegetarian.

Year of the Pig!

Went to a really surreal wedding yesterday. Self-described by the groom as an Irish-themed "white trash with money" wedding in the Antelope Valley high desert. Joshua trees. Church was a boarded up strip mall J C Penney's building painted a chartreuse yellow. Foyer included a tiny two-foot tall "water feature" concrete flowing fountain with plastic flowers. Not an "updated" holy water font, this was a United Methodist church praise-song church with huge audio speakers all over the ceiling. Most of the guests under age 30 were tattooed and pierced somewhere visibly. Police car cruised the parking lot three times as guests arrived, later learned for protection not observation. These were all white people, too. Ceremony was brief and traditional except with no attendants, no best man or maid of honor, and it included a Celtic handfasting. They literally tied the knot. Never saw this before. Reception for the 300 people was in the next room with no lights, darker than most old-man cocktail lounges, votive candles everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds of yards of white tulle wrapped around twinkly lights and swagged across a ceiling filled with blue, white and black helium balloons. Round tables for 10, centerpieces were mirror square holding hurricane candle holders filled with blue, white and black Jelly Belly beans with monogramed little aluminum cantainers to fill with the JellyB beans to take home as favors. Food was only desserts, bottled water, coffee/tea and non-dairy flavored creamers. Twenty tables of desserts. Everything imaginable from Costco candies, red vine licorice, homemade cookies, pies, pies and more pies, cheesecakes, ice cream, sherbet, one tray of pre-sliced packaged American food product cheeses and one table of wontons. Total sugar overload. Best of all were the wedding cakes. A whole table of enchanting Druid castles and forests. And one large brown and red Mayflower ship. I'm still clueless . . .

Protection from what, I wonder? Was this a branch of the Black Donnellys?

Was this in Real Life or Second Life?

Real Life or Second Life? Black Donnellys? You two are so astute, but, no. I was really unprepared for that wedding. Really, really surreal.

Never had seen a dessert buffet like that. Whole church congregation participated in making/bringing oddball stuff, most of it homemade. Oh, I forgot to say all but a few of the women, young and old, wore flowered print cotton dresses. But most of all, I was not expecting the tattoo and piercing tableaus on so many white kids, in church. Who do we blame for this, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp? These are not skinhead Nazi kids, either, just average, decent, no-agenda young adults. Young, beautiful women in flowered cotton print dresses with tattoos on shoulders, neck, arms. Turns out the groom's brother is a certified LA County tattoo artist highly respected for his work. Does what his paying customers want and he explained a lot of the techniques/pain/blood clottings to me. (Sidebar note to the PNW MFFers: he's sending me some of his black nitrile gloves!) Turns out a couple of nights before, a Black gang confronted some Hispanic gang members in his tattoo parlor and shots were fired. Police were concerned he might be a retaliation target. Hispanic weddings are often turf wars here in California. This was an all white wedding but the police were concerned. Just added to the whole surreal afternoon. Sensory overload. Still can't figure out the white, blue and black colors in the "Irish-themed" wedding. I am so innocent and naive and never been exposed to any of this.

Bruises?

(Mora, you fonny.)

Having lived in Jersey for 18 years now, the tattoos would not surprise me at all. Every Jersey town has to have a tattoo parlor & a poodle grooming salon, it's in the state constitution now.

As for the rest of that wedding - yes, way surreal! Thanks for taking us there.

I was in this little Vietnamese Bahn Mi shop today and noticed among the dried fish, shrimp, pastes, and jars of unkown items, cans of Cafe Dumond Coffee.. I was really just so excited and surprised. Out of everything in this tiny shop, where had this man come across Cafe Du Monde Coffee.. I grabbed the can and said,"what, why, how do you have this here?" Obviously a stupid question, he laughed and said he really liked their coffee.. Also it was only 4.25.. I think its more expensive if you were to purchase it in New Orleans..Looking foward to my Chicory Coffee tomorrow morning..

I just checked the website.. They are selling the coffee for 5.20 before shipping.. Pretty funny..


http://shop.cafedumonde.com/mpr/mdb-cafed?...oter.htm&rno=14Cafe Du Monde

I wonder how many containers of Cafe du Monde coffee I tossed when I realized that Coffee Is the New Cocaine. (Your mileage may vary.)

But what a pleasant April morning I spent, 25 years ago or so, outside with my beignets and café au lait. The air, balmy and kind, as it is in the Deep South on an early spring morning.

Coffee is my new thing these days.. Since getting my espresso machine, I dont think I have slept more then 5 hours in a night...

I do love New Orleans. But I cannot stand chicory coffee. Ugh.

Daniel, try ordering French Market and see how you like it compared to CdM. We use half French Market in our coffee blend every day, and we love it.

http://www.frenchmarketcoffee.com/

You might also enjoy Community Coffee.

I was recently browsing in the wonderful kitchenware store Broadway Panhandler, one of my favorite spots to leave my money in. Set up in the front on a display was a collection of porcelain serving bowls, cups, saucers and plates in white with a silver motif of....skulls. Now I know you can't turn around without seeing skulls on clothing and jewelry and this porcelain was actually quite handsome, but what are the circumstances other than perhaps Halloween under which you could use this stuff?

Day of the Dead party? Perhaps the wedding Rebecca just went to?