The Myth & The Majesty

So we were out bowling last night (the Cool Table crowd) and at some point in time inertia came up. I don't know why. I wasn't paying a lot of attention at that point. The bottom line was that we didn't know what the equation for inertia was -- but we wanted to know. I realized that there was an untapped resource bowling on the next lane down: I had said hi earlier to a friend of mine from church who happens to be a (civil) engineer. We posed the question to him, and when he didn't know the equation, he asked the guys he was bowling with (more coworkers) -- and when they didn't know, they pulled up the Internet on someone's phone and tried to figure it out. I've seen this particular phenomenon more than once: random group curiosity. It almost always starts the same way ... Someone's mind wanders and he finds himself wondering about the marvels of the universe. From this comes a question -- a definition, an equation, a news story, whatever. Bu

(Kind of sounds like a garage rock band.) (More to come ...)

First snow yesterday!! It mostly fell in pellets, although for a brief time in the afternoon it looked flaky. Ahhh ... Fall. I love it.

I live in a city that schedules trick-or-treating. I'm so confused...

Oy. Monday. After a fairly eventful weekend, I'm ready for a normal week. Except Halloween is this week, so it will be far from normal. I’m even dressing up ... Five of us are going as the group from Scooby-Doo. If you haven't read any other recent posts, you get exactly one guess as to which character I'm going to be. (If you have read some recent ones but still have no idea what I'm talking about, you should be more observant.) The weekend held some sleeping in, a fair amount of activity (Saturday night alone I went out to dinner, then to a farm north of here where we went through a haunted house, on a hayride, and through their corn maze, then back into town to go bowling), and some great news ... Congratulations, Bridget and Evan! As of last Wednesday, they became the proud new parents of a baby girl, Vivian Rose (I hope I got that right!). They're also the first among that circle of friends to have a baby (just as they were the first to get mar

Twelve Things About My Twelve Closest Friends 1. Half of them are men and half are women. 2. They come from all over the place. 3. They each have a pretty unusual taste in music (at least for their stereotypical "types"). 4. They're all fairly spontaneous people. 5. There is not a bad sense of humor among them. Cheesy, perhaps, but not bad. 6. Most of them have helped me play a prank on someone else -- or have helped play one on me. 7. I will nearly refuse to watch movies with at least three of them. 8. Just over half of them are engineers. The others run the gamut from an historian to a physical therapist. 9. At this point, only two of them are married. Two are engaged; several more are in serious relationships. 10. Put into one room, they probably wouldn't all like each other, although they would likely all have a certain amount of respect for each other. 11. One I have known my whole life; two I have known for about a decade. The rest have appeared in my life in th

Step 1: Don't make any plans before 4PM. Step 2: Don't set your alarm clock. Step 3: Make sure your laundry, etc. is done before hand. Step 4: Sleep. Now, except for step 3, I did pretty well. Unfortunately, it's step 3 that slows you down if you manage to sleep late enough. (I didn't, but I sure didn't get much done for a few hours in there, either. Now I have to wait for my dryer to finish before I can be seen in public. Argh.)

7 days till Halloween. 11 days till election day. 34 days till Thanksgiving. 43 days till the company "holiday" party. 62 days till Christmas. 69 days till 2009. Yeah, I think you could say I'm excited about this time of year ...

All sorts of fun stuff today ... There's a Woot-Off (continued from yesterday) ... I have yet to make any purchases, but as shown by yesterday's list, it's probably not necessary. I'm really just keeping an eye out for a couple of Christmas presents. It's a Thursday -- which means it's a Cool Table dinner night. And E-Train's in town! Which means that the Cool Table is complete once again. I have a new project, so I'm staying busy. The Great Bubble Experiment will happen when the stars align correctly. If not in the next half hour or so, then hopefully tomorrow. We shall see. Never a dull moment, I tell you.

Now, because I've been giving my poor mail carrier a workout (since he has to do my street on foot ... yikes), I thought I'd amuse the rest of you with a new list. ---- Twelve Things I've Ordered In Recent History (going back a few weeks) 1. Russian vocabulary flash cards. 2. The book Zodiac by Robert Graysmith. 3. Parts of a costume for Velma from Scooby-Doo. 4. An appetizer/hors d'oeuvres dish from Taste of Home Entertaining. 5. Bath salts from Arbonne. 6. The book Party of One by Anneli Rufus. 7. Several Christmas presents that I shouldn't post up here because the recipients might read this thing. 8. Ten bubble pipes. 9. A fantastic red dress. 10. The movie "Hairspray." 11. A Christmas album by Ella Fitzgerald. 12. An instruction manual for a slide rule. ---- While this list is fairly extensive (kind of frightening that I hardly had to think in order to come up with twelve things I've ordered in the last six weeks or so), it's more surprising to

I love it. Why? Christopher Walken dancing. Christopher Walken dancing while singing a love song with John Travolta -- who happens to be in drag. Actually, John Travolta dancing in drag -- including high heels -- throughout the movie was more than enough for me to buy it. It's also a good story, well-performed, hilarious, and a fantastic satire -- and I'm a sucker for movies where the actors actually perform their own musical numbers. "You're Timeless To Me." That was the song that did me in.

I can't complain too much because it's still cheaper than anywhere else. But. $1.05 is a dumb amount for a bottle of soda from a vending machine. (I could just stop drinking the stuff and not think about it again, but what fun would that be?)

It's a Monday. I wish I could get more excited about that. But alas. I can't. Tomorrow I have an all-day seminar about ... steam! Woo. Actually, I suspect it will be pretty interesting and incredibly useful. It's just describing it that makes it seem terribly boring. And then a Taste of Home Entertaining party. The girliness continues. But that's tomorrow. First I have to get through today. Monday. Ew.

"There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it. " - George Bernard Shaw

It's Friday. My plans for tonight just got cancelled, and while I'm mildly bummed about that, I'm also somewhat relieved. I have a full, relaxing weekend ahead of me, filled with movies, good food, laundry, cleaning, and leaf-raking. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but I've had three weekends of action -- and I'm ready to take a break again. And spend little to no money. Egads. There are now less than six weeks till Thanksgiving, and less than ten till Christmas. A lot needs to get done between now and then. It's funny ... I'm not sure what I've been running on lately, but I'm running low on it now. This weekend off is just about perfectly timed. Hm. Anyway! Welcome back, Barb ... I'll have to stop by your blog when I'm not emailing from work. Now, to finish my day here. Have a good weekend, all.

There's been an interesting shift in the last year or so. I think it started with the women's Christmas event at church last year, or at least that's the first time I remember it being a "thing" in my life. It was all about decorating and entertaining for the holidays -- centerpieces, wreaths, hors d'oevres. And it was a blast. Then I started buying things. Things like glass vases, decorative trays, fun serving plates, and candles. (Candles in excess, but that's another topic.) The next thing that happened was because I went to a wedding and felt oddly underdressed. I started shopping for dresses without actually needing one -- never buying, only shopping. I was looking at shoes because they were cute, not because they were practical. (And I re-realized that my mother did manage to instill a weakness for shoes in me.) Then -- then the Arbonne phase started. Suddenly I was paying a lot more attention to makeup and all manner of beauty products.

Ten years ago, when I got my license, gas was $0.96/gallon. When it hit $1.50, my mom got angry. When it hit $2.00, my mom got REALLY angry. When it hit $2.50, we were just hoping it would stop there. When it first threatened to top $3.00, I was scared because I was in college, drove a gas-guzzler, and had no money to spare. I waited in line for gas for almost an hour -- chiefly because the automatic shut-off at that station had failed so gas was pumping reeeeeeeeeeeally slowly. When I got Sophie, I paid $3.09/gallon for my first tank of gas. The lowest I've paid in Wausau is $2.91/gallon. The highest I've paid in Wausau is $4.07/gallon. A week ago, there was a 55-cent difference between what I was paying and what my parents were paying. (The downside to living in Wisconsin.) It has now dropped below $3.00 for the first time in Wausau since October a year ago. Is it even worthwhile to hope for it to keep dropping? I mean, I've reached the point where three bucks seems prett

Before the wedding, we hit up the Sculpture Gardens and I got to take more pictures. It was a perfect day -- 75°, sunny, and the Gardens were within walking distance of our hotel. I kind of fell in love with that bright red-orange tree in the background. My last fifteen pictures or so all had it in there. And we got to hear the bells... It was just the beginning of a perfect October afternoon.

As much as I have complained about it at times, I think it's time I tackle a new list. So -- Twelve Things I Like About Wisconsin 1. The fall colors. 'Nuff said. 2. The moderate summers. Rapid City has a tendency to hit 110°F every summer. Here? I think I've seen maybe five days that hit over 90°F. The humidity can get to you, but it keeps the temperature down so things stay bearable. 3. Fresh cranberries. Until I moved here, I had never had cranberries that had never been frozen and/or canned. Now I'm afraid I'll never be able to go back. I'm finding more and more uses for them; fall is harvest time, and after Christmas I'll have to wait again until next year before I can indulge. 4. Fresh apples. Another one -- wow. There are enough local orchards to keep all of the grocery stores stocked with apples in more varieties than I knew existed. 5. Fresh cheese curds. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should visit Wisconsin just to try them. C

This may be one of my favorite group photos yet. (Roughly two-thirds of the original Cool Table.)

The fastest human pyramid I've ever been a part of. And by people in rainbowed T-shirts to boot. Mad skills.

I have checked out for the weekend. Mentally, at least. Physically I'll be here for about another hour, in the off-hand chance that there's someone who a) is still here and b) has a question that only I can answer. Odds are not good on either point, but oh well. I need to stop and fuel up Sophie, and then I need to dash home and get ready to go so that us girls can be on the road by 4:30. Tonight, some fun in the cities. Well, only Minneapolis, actually. Tomorrow, some more random fun (probably the Sculpture Garden, by the looks of the weather) and then ... E-Train's Wedding! Which should be awesome. Then on Sunday there will probably be some shopping and hopefully some gelato before we hit the road. Overall, it will be an experience. That much I already know. What kind of an experience is still a little up in the air. We've never attempted the overnight thing with this crowd before. Six of us in a couple of hotel rooms might make us hate each othe

I will be headed to wedding number 20 (since May of 2004) this coming weekend. In honor of that, I thought I would finally post the very first SWG2L that I ever wrote. It's been waiting for me to finish it for over a year now. Without further ado, here we go! ---------------- It was bound to happen. They'd been dating for awhile, got engaged, and now you have the invitation in your hands. But you're single and suddenly feeling vulnerable and awkward. The truth is that weddings can be weird for single women, especially if the bride or her friends are huge into matchmaking and are already telling you about this groomsman or that cousin that you just have to meet. But they're also fun and you'd like to show your congratulations for the couple. Like so many things, a little preparedness can go a long way. Putting some extra thought into your plans can make all the difference. To Go Or Not To Go? This is the first thing with which you're likely to wr

So there has been some drama around these parts lately (from which I am removed, thankfully) and it's led to some interesting reminiscing and storytelling from my end. Which is why I just want to say hi to Chris, Matt, Justin, and Darren. So -- hello, boys. Hope things are going well in your various locations. I think I currently owe each of you a phone call (two of you for sure). And I owe you a review, Chris (which might end up on here, if that's okay). Oh, and Darren -- yes, I made that myself.

My legs still hurt from all of the crouching and odd hunkered-over running from Saturday. I feel like such a wuss. *Ow.*

So! Paintball was fantastic. I have nine welts in various places, mostly my right arm. Seems I need to find a better way to take cover while shooting. I also got hit three times in the face mask and twice on the top of the head. Lesson learned there, although slowly. And once in the rear end, but I was already out and headed for the sidelines. Cheap shot. Anyway, the paintball was well worth the trip north. We skipped out on the brewfest due to various time and monetary constraints -- which ended up being okay all around, I think. Personally, my hair was caked with paint. I was okay with NOT being seen in public right away. Instead, we made it back to Wausau early and I showered and went shopping. No luck with shoes, but I'm done with my Christmas shopping for Mia Sorella. So that's cool. Isn't this just a terribly exciting update? Wow. I amaze myself sometimes. I spent some of my usual quality time at B&N as well ... However, I was quickly reminded that Saturday aftern

United Way Week is almost over; the winners of the Parade of Cubes will be decided shortly. Perhaps maybe then I'll be able to accomplish something today. Maybe. [At least Moon might take off his hat. It's very hard to take him seriously with that thing.] [And that's root beer. We're not THAT relaxed. Although it's too bad you can't see the sand and the pond ...] Tomorrow a bunch of us are headed north for paintball ... Woot! It's been a looooong time since I've played, but at least I have played -- most of the crowd will be brand new to the game. After that there's a brewfest in a neighboring town to add to the fun. So an eventful Saturday. Sunday I'll probably clean because it's about that time again -- and I'll be tired and ready for some home time. It'll also be one of my last chances to go find a rather elusive geocache before the snow falls. Next weekend is E-train's wedding ... After that, who knows what will happen. The we

Woke up late. Got ready to go in record time. Had to scrape frost off my windows for the first time this year. Made it to work at the same time as always. Hallucinated and thought I was at the beach. Came back to reality and found I was actually next to the beach. Gave Moon a couple of signs ("No Lifeguard On Duty," "No Fishing/Diving/Skinny-Dipping"). Admired Foamhenge, the Man Cave, the Hunting Shack, and the Pottery Studio while getting my morning tea. Now I'm off to see the Watercolor Studio, the Monkey Cage, and who knows what other creations that have sprung up beyond the black door. My workplace is an interesting place.

A quirky movie find: " Mad Money ." Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes. And Ted Dansen, just for kicks. Three women rob a federal bank over the course of three years, taking the old money that was sent to be shredded -- from the "inpenetrable" bank. I think I recommend it. But it's definitely an oddball and, like most movies of its general kind, requires a suspension of reality. (Isn't that the point of Hollywood product?)