So next week's Publisher's Weekly gives THE HALLELUJAH FLIGHT an amazing review! This high-spirited collaboration re-creates the historic flight of James Banning, the first African-American pilot to fly across the continental United States. Bildner (co-creator of the Sluggers series) chronicles this feat in the voice of Thomas Allen, Banning’s mechanic and copilot on the 1932 flight from Los Angeles to New York City. Propelled by breezy dialogue, including repeated cries of “Hallelujah!”, the story opens as Banning announces how they’ll fund the trip: those who donate food, fuel, and supplies along the way can write their names on the wings of the open-cockpit plane (“They’ll fly into the history books right along with us!”). Dubbed the Flying Hoboes by skeptical colleagues, the duo completes their mission despite such hurdles as a leaky engine pump, a fierce storm, and racial prejudice. Rendered in acrylic paint, Holyfield’s (Bessie Smith and the Night Riders) stylized paintings help this saga get off the ground effortlessly (night scenes, often lit in blue, take on the feel of movie posters). Especially uplifting is the image of the copilots saluting the sunlit Statue of Liberty from their plane, its wings crowded with signatures. Ages 5-8.

Tweets for the Day

• 11:01 Hey, Demand Media! Get Off My Lawn! (via @jasoncfry) is.gd/5oPW7 #contentfarms #
• 11:04 RT @victriviaqueen: Accordion playing Boba Fett needs to do a duet with Darth Violinist: ow.ly/Mn4L #starwars #
• 11:08 Seth Green in a Lionel Playworld Christmas Ad from 1986! is.gd/5oQqS (RT @aglt) #
• 12:48 "Pocket Monsters are really Pocket Demons!" is.gd/5keGU (RT @E_I_T) #
• 14:58 My photos of this weekend's San Fransico #BazaarBizarre! is.gd/5p5SB #crafts #
• 15:03 Brayden and his #starwars Christmas tree! yfrog.com/auq23j (RT @mattwhinery @starwars) #starwarsxmas #
• 15:47 "Blue Gardenia" is.gd/5nDTj #cocktails #noir (thanks @BernieDexter) #
• 16:26 Now THIS is gaming! www.freefrogger.org/ #
• 16:50 RT @jwz: SFPD hates bicyclists. is.gd/5pcVK #sanfrancisco #
• 17:18 "Love Unites" print personalized by @dividepictures for gay marriage equality #charity! is.gd/5pe44 & is.gd/5pep5 #
• 17:40 RT @NathanHamill: Thanks to everyone for the RTs today! Please RT. #
• 19:10 "Saved By The Bell" history and paradoxes: is.gd/5hk4H (RT @aglt) #
• 19:45 WHY isn't "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown" on DVD yet!? Merde! is.gd/5pnps & is.gd/5pnt0 VIDEO: is.gd/5pnvm #
• 19:59 I wonder how TSA would handle Snoopy these days? is.gd/5poh0 #
• 20:07 Daybreakers Explains How You Doomed Us All To A Viral Vampire Future! is.gd/5poJh (via @io9) #vampires #
• 20:20 Nic Cage Dresses like Batman, Shoots a Kid in "Kick-Ass!" is.gd/5pplv (RT @io9) #
• 21:56 The Weirdest/Tastiest Episode of #DangerMouse! Custard! is.gd/5pvaX & is.gd/5pvdp & is.gd/5pvfD #
• 23:26 Dalek #Twitter Avatar by @apelad! is.gd/5pAxJ #DoctorWho #

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Your nurse this evening is Hillary. She is wearing crazy bright blue & yellow eyeshadow, having a good hair day, & feeling much better. Also she'd like to point out her earrings, handmade by her good friend Alice!

Posted via email from What I Need is All Around Me

Check out my post on Haiku Knits over at CPL.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.

Tweets for the Day

• 11:36 Thank you @NiferCritter is.gd/5nnQv & @lankyjoe is.gd/5nnP3 for making #BazaarBizarre so Felt-astic! #
• 11:42 Had fun hanging with @coquette & meeting @x at #BazaarBizarre! is.gd/5nsbS #
• 11:45 Here's all my photos of our Lucasfilm Holiday Party, before the lights went out & it became #LFLpartyinthedark! is.gd/5nstG #
• 12:26 "Keep your shotgun at your bedside =The Back Up!" is.gd/5nvY8 #
• 12:33 Catherine Tate shows off her lack of #DoctorWho knowledge on #Buzzcocks! is.gd/5nwHj #
• 13:38 "We heard something from the funeral home." "What?" "Screaming." is.gd/5nCmp (via @DenofGeek) #horror #zombietalk #
• 13:43 RT @mashable: #iPhone Users Urged to Take Down AT&T! bit.ly/5ZbvRB #
• 14:01 David O. Russell to direct "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies?" bit.ly/8RmZD3 (RT @FilmDrunk) #zombietalk #prideandprejudiceandzombies #
• 14:07 Millennium Falcon Bed! Comfiest Hunk of Junk in the Galaxy! bit.ly/85Wz1F (RT @starwars) #crafts #geektastic #
• 15:51 Yo, Milk Raps! is.gd/5kfaN (RT @E_I_T) #
• 16:06 Velvet Underground vs London Underground! @NoelFielding11 & @jupitusphillip discuss. is.gd/5nMZ9 #Buzzcocks #
• 16:56 Force-tastic @alyankovic w/ pals from @RebelLegion & @501stLegion twitpic.com/t8jy9 (RT @starwars) #501st #
• 17:51 #Caprica: Pilot (Extended Cut) on @Hulu! is.gd/5nT7a #BSG #
• 18:16 RT @Alyssa_Milano: Here's why I'm giving up my Birthday: bit.ly/8FFOgw Here's how u can help too: bit.ly/5G00w7 #
• 18:24 YAY! @FeliciaDay on #LieToMe! FTW! is.gd/5nUoP #
• 19:16 Congrats @ManMadeMoon! Variety tabs "Moon" star Sam Rockwell as "underdog actor" with shot at Oscar! is.gd/5nXVK (via @TheUnderwire) #
• 20:07 If I'm ever given the choice between a celeb-infested gala w/ ice sculpture & a Casa de Wheaton shindig, I'd pick @wilw. is.gd/5o0u6 #
• 23:15 What beetles dream about on Christmas Eve. is.gd/5o9wm #insects #
• 23:31 Art by @doubleparlour I bought at #BazaarBizarre! twitpic.com/slptq & twitpic.com/q9uyn #
• 00:39 Boba Fett, accordionist: is.gd/5lsoS (RT @starwars @klaatu) #

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You know how people do a Follow Friday over on Twitter? I've been thinking that I ought to do it on Livejournal. I have several people I think would really get along & enjoy each other's comments & company. In the spirit of Follow Friday...I started this on Friday. But I've felt crappy all week (even with no fever, coughing for 9 days solid is exhausting, you guys), and I just didn't have the energy+time this weekend to finish this.

trolliepop is a delightful girl who is very into fandoms & coincidentally attends the first university from which I graduated. Battlestar Galactica, Pushing Daisies, Dr. Who, Harry Potter, LotR, etc. She has one of the prettiest Starbuck icons I've ever seen. Her journal is not all fandom, however; it's a really good mix of that & real life. It's friends' locked, so you'll need to comment. Tell her I sent you. I'll vouch for you. Most of you. :D

greeneyes73180 is another friend who attends aforementioned university. She and I have a great deal in common, including very liberal political leanings though we come from conservative backgrounds/families. She's quite funny and one of those people with whom it's fun to have bouncing-back-&-forth comment conversations. Also friends' locked. I see you getting along really well with jorajo, actually, which is what prompted me to write this whole entry.

thejessone! She attends parties at my house, as she lives in Little Rock with her husband, eldridge. Just in case you needed more medical expertise on your flist, she's also an RN! She went through her senior year of nursing school (again, at the university from which I got my communication degree) in the same year I went through the 1-year BSN. She works in an extended care facility with acutely ill patients who poop a lot. Hey, that's just what she'd tell you. She has WICKED dry humor, which is like the perfect counterpoint to Mr. Jess One, who has a slightly less subtle style. Since I've known her, this delightful woman has become one of the major pillars of my support system. As she said on the phone tonight, not only are we both nurses but we're both brand new nurses. We're figuring the same stuff out at the same time, navigating very similar waters. It's pretty awesome to have someone who groks it on a level like that.

Yeah well of course you know I always recommend asqmh. She's recently switched jobs (to a MUCH better one!) & I can't wait for a blog post about it. BUT I don't wanna post about it before she does any sort of intro post. Other than the world's greatest stapler.

---

So I've been spending some time in new places on the internet, & I thought I'd share those too.

Tumblr & Posterous are interesting birds. Upon first glance they seem slightly similar, and they are, but the ways in which people use them are different. Right now I have Posterous automatically post to Tumblr (it also posts to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, & LJ for me and it supports a whole host of other services), but I also post things I come across on the internet to my Tumblr even if I don't put them on Posterous. And I suppose that's the way most folks seem to use them. Each one allows you to easily post things on the fly. Tumblr, however, is mostly people sharing Awesome Things™ that they found on the internet, while Posterous seems to be for sharing Awesome Things™ they find IRL.

For the record, my Tumblr is here and my posterous is here. If you are at either one please let me know; I follow my Tumblr & Posterous feeds much more easily from my iPhone because the layouts are slightly better for it, and their iPhone-specific pages are pretty good.

I've added 2 new feeds to my Google Reader and I'm really enjoying them. The internet is full of schadenfreude, watching people make dorks of themselves and proclaiming "EPIC FAIL!" That's funny, to a point, but after a while of stupid politician captions & stupid athlete captions & stupid regular people captions & lolcats, it can start to get you down. (Okay no, lolcats never get me down. Neither do Cakewrecks.)

Epic Win FTW is a blog along the lines of I Can Haz Cheezburger & Failblog, only it's all about things that are AWESOME. That makes me happy on days when I'm feeling down. I can look on this blog and see that someone, somewhere, got the COOLEST CUP OF COFFEE IN THE WORLD because it had a dragon in the foam. That's a really talented foam artist.

It Made My Day is another awesome site. This is one where people share very short situations (almost tweetlike) that made their day. There's a bit more schadenfreude in this one because hey. Some people's day is made when you fall over and break your face in front of them. We don't like those people. We kick them in their nads. BUT I DIGRESS. This page is dedicated to small moments of win, and many of them are indeed pretty full of win. Samples:

"I work at a daycare and woke up this morning to 3+ inches of primo packing snow. Just as I got out of bed, I got a phone call from my boss. She had activated the phone tree with the parents alerting everyone to send snowsuits with their kids this morning, we are having a snowman contest. IMMD"

"This morning, I pulled up next to a silver Lexus with a 40ish businessman alone inside. Between sips of his coffee, he was rocking out the radio. The song he was blasting? “I’ll Make A Man Out of You” from Disney’s “Mulan”. IMMD."

"Once I played some music somewhat loud.. after a few minutes a note on a rope descended in front of my window.. My upstairs neighbour had written on it: Please turn it up, this is great music! IMMD."

Someday I rather hope to make this blog. I've already determined what I'm going to do. When someone comes back from surgery and asks me if they're okay to go back to a regular diet I'm going to write "You can haz cheezburger!!!" on their whiteboard. Maybe even throw in a 1 for a ! :D

The Fatshionista Flickr Pool. All the awesome outfits & ideas, none of the LJ community drama.

And now you have a very short look at some of the places I hang out with on the internet and who I hang out with. Post yours & we'll have a big fat friend orgy.

Oh, that's probably an inappropriate analogy, isn't it? Hrmmm. :D

Ganon's new favorite hobby requires us to open TextEdit, crank the font up to about 72, & call out letters & numbers for him to type. He's trying to get a jump on this literacy thing because he hears it's helpful in world domination plans.

Posted via email from Wondering If You'd Come Along

Tweets for the Day

• 14:14 This is what a Party Passport looks like. twitpic.com/temkv #LFLpartyinthedark #
• 14:15 Inside the LFL Party Passport! twitpic.com/tems8 #LFLpartyinthedark #
• 22:33 Remember that spiral light over Norway? If it was a Russian rocket, then why was there a spiral sighting over China too? is.gd/5msb2 #
• 22:38 Foreign Technology Division: First UFO Incident For Our Country (China) - is.gd/5msm9 #UFOs #
• 23:25 Make a Droidel for Hanukkah! is.gd/5kj8w (RT @starwars) #crafts #
• 00:49 Why Facebook and Google hate privacy bit.ly/4QdySb /via @Glinner @dollars5 #

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Tweets for the Day

• 17:10 Getting ready for tonight's Lucasfilm Holiday Party/Prom where I'll be wearing a dress & trying not to topple over in heels. #
• 20:40 twitpic.com/tb3rv Live from Lucasfilm holiday party! #
• 20:44 twitpic.com/tb4fo Easter Island or Lucasfil hoilday party? #
• 20:46 twitpic.com/tb4oq No sign of Greg Brady at the Lucasfilm party! #
• 21:08 twitpic.com/tb858 Monte Carlo section of Lucasfilm Holiday party. #
• 21:09 twitpic.com/tb8at I Spy @amandajeannn in a Santa hat at Lucasfilm Holiday party! #
• 21:10 All the lights went out at the Lucasfilm Holiday Party. Using the Force to find the open bar in the dark. #
• 21:13 Tweeting in the dark at Lucasfilm Holiday Party - @amandajeannn & @missingwords! twitpic.com/tb8xi #
• 21:14 twitpic.com/tb928 No Lucasfilm Holiday Party is complete without a drag queen! #
• 21:16 RT @missingwords: OMG WE'RE ALL GUNNA DIE!!! Power outage at the LFL holiday party... we haven't even found food yet! #
• 21:28 I'm tempted to kiss/depants random coworkers at this party no that we have zero lighting. #LFLpartyinthedark #
• 21:35 twitpic.com/tbc02 Playing Poker in the dark! #LFLpartyinthedark #
• 21:35 RT @lucasfilmmouse: I snapped a pic of @bonniegrrl but there's no flash on mePhone.. Curses!! #
• 23:33 Back home from #lflpartyinthedark aka Titanic. Had a blast watching coworkers try not to turn into Lord of the Flies at the open bar. #

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Because no one ever takes you seriously when you're wearing a sparkly hat, & that's when you sneak up & take 'em by surprise.

Posted via email from Wondering If You'd Come Along

Tweets for the Day

• 01:15 "Whenever you're feeling a bit angry, I want you to look at Phillip." is.gd/5bNrs #MightyBoosh #
• 10:55 #FF #MST3K @michaeljnelson @TraceBeaulieu @kwmurphy @FrankConniff @JElvisWeinstein @BillCorbett #
• 11:04 Best Bloopers Ever. "Dat-gummit!" is.gd/5j15p (via @cyborgturkey) #
• 11:09 Maps of Zombie Outbreaks Throughout History! is.gd/5jY6q (via @io9) #zombietalk #
• 11:16 Not surprisingly, my tongue is stuck to a frozen flagpole. (@JibJab card by artist @CatStaggs) is.gd/5jYrL #
• 12:17 #Buzzcocks w/ @NoelFielding11, @jupitusphillip, Frankie Boyle (doesn't tweet!) is.gd/5k0hy is.gd/5k0C1 is.gd/5k1Uy #
• 12:28 RT @craft: How-To: Mistle-TIE Fighter: For all the #StarWars lovers who are looking for some holiday smooch action! bit.ly/7UsyHg #
• 14:09 Ask Bonnie: Weird Holiday Music (I review my fave Christmas tunes) is.gd/5jZt4 #starwarsxmas #
• 14:22 10 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays Like a DIY Jedi! (Those are my #crafts! yay!) is.gd/5k2th #starwarsxmas #starwars #
• 14:52 #FF: UK invasion: @simonpegg @nickjfrost @clarkville @nobleengland @RealDMitchell @jimmycarr @Wossy @rustyrockets #
• 15:08 WE GOT THAT B ROLL! is.gd/5kbul #
• 15:39 "Let's go shooting, then we'll go shopping!" is.gd/5kf2P (RT @E_I_T) #
• 15:52 Only #Bones would blow up Santa. Ho, ho, KABOOM! Bonus pts for Zooey Deschanel guest star! is.gd/5kg92 #SantaTeeth #
• 16:39 Loved seeing Zooey Deschanel quoting Ben Franklin non-stop on #Bones! Phalanges crossed she returns! twitpic.com/symqj #
• 17:31 Just got this awesome @DarkHorseComics holiday card! Yay! twitpic.com/t4nvw #comics #
• 17:42 Reason #4,986 why Director Dave Filoni rocks! He drew me a picture of Ahsoka dressed as #Godzilla, plus toys! is.gd/5klTM #
• 18:13 May the candy cane be with you! twitpic.com/szf3z (RT @starwars) #starwarsxmas #
• 20:38 Always Sunny in Philly Xmas Special makes me wish the show was completely in stop-motion! #sunnyfx #
• 00:08 It's a Frap! Your barista is Admiral Ackbar tinyurl.com/y9tx2af (via @jennsacks @galacticbinder) #

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Tweets for the Day

• 11:36 RT @NathanHamill: twitpic.com/svl5j - I dare you to find a better photo of a raccoon. #
• 12:43 RT @hansolo: I love eating ribs with Chewie, aka the walking napkin. #
• 12:54 Sneak peek at Audrey Kawasaki's upcoming Hajimari #art show! is.gd/5izlX (via @boingboing) #
• 12:55 Beer Can Chainmail Armor! bit.ly/8MQMo6 (RT @mydisguises) #
• 15:57 Typothermia = typos that happen because your hands are too cold to text! (via @mattduplessis @charliejane) #
• 16:04 #Godzilla vs. Mothra on @Hulu! is.gd/5iOn5 #monsters #
• 16:37 Rest easy. The creepy apt. invader was just a lame viral ad campaign. is.gd/5iQGI #
• 17:56 "Godzilla's bones must return to the sea & remain there!" is.gd/5iVhG #Godzilla #Tokyo #
• 18:06 Sneak peek at my next #StarWars craft for @starwars - is.gd/5iVTB #starwarsxmas #crafts #
• 18:40 My Mistle-TIE Fighter Holiday Craft! bit.ly/7WXyuo #starwars #starwarsxmas #crafts #
• 18:50 RT @clubjade: Thomas Dolby on his #StarWars movie rumor: “I should have chosen my words more carefully” is.gd/5iYjw (File Under DUH) #
• 19:26 RT @starwars: Remember - Rumors are rumors, until you hear Uncle George say differently. #
• 19:32 "The Duckening: Howard Revisited" #sequelrumors #
• 19:34 RT @MandyBu: "Willow II: The Sapling" #sequelrumors #
• 20:57 The more #Godzilla movies I watch, the more I'm convinced Tokyo had it coming. #
• 23:00 #STARWARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL - "Happy Life Day" (1978) bit.ly/8DiEtA (RT @lotsacoffee) #
• 23:14 It's times like these I wish The Man Eating Cow would avenge their deaths. is.gd/5jcSL #UFOs #
• 23:55 RT @JRichardKelly: Happy birthday to @headgeek666! #
• 00:04 RT @scifiwire: Robot dinosaur at large in Mexico! Thieves make off with robot dinosaur from Guadalajara museum. bit.ly/4QkLao #robots #
• 00:20 RT @denofgeek: Nicolas Cage is Nicolas Cage in the trailer for "The Sorceror's Apprentice" bit.ly/65JzEG #
• 00:36 RT @NathanFillion: Science meets arts and #crafts. moby.to/tmlwmm #

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"Dat-gummit!"

Yes. Yes, this is definitely the child of his parents, no question about it.

Posted via email from Wondering If You'd Come Along

OMG I can't believe it- Michigan passed a smoking ban!! It just has to be signed by the govenor!

Wow no more post-gig detox and losing my voice from smoke... and stinky equipment... and apologizing to out of state bands that visit here. This is awesome news!

I worked Monday & Tuesday nights so I haven't had a chance to blog about our Branson trip yet!

We woke up early on Friday morning to drive to Branson. Well, we could've woken up later & still gotten there in plenty of time, but we wanted to eat Giant Pancakes at the cafe in Hardy. We did, except for the giant pancake part; Bryan had french toast & I had the Saltiest Ham in the World with redeye gravy. Redeye gravy is essentially grease+coffee. :D

We drove. La la la la, driving. Very boring. I plugged my head into my phone & listened to a lot of Jeff Coffin, DMB, and Christmas music. Bryan sat behind me (I was in the front seat); at one point he shook my shoulder urgently & pointed out the window. That's when I snapped the "Tom Riddle Trucking" picture. :) We all got lottery scratch cards when we stopped somewhere at a gas station. Nobody won. But I had also gotten dark Reese's Cups so I wasn't too disappointed.

Our condo was quite awesome. We had neighboring condominiums looking out across Lake Tannecomo (don't know if I spelled that right), complete with giant hot tub-style bath. I was disappointed; if I'd known we were going to have a giant, amazing bathtub, I would have brought something to put in it. Oh well. Then we went off to Branson Landing, which is apparently a large outdoor mall.

I have to say, Branson Landing was pretty cool. The whole mall is done in a "port" theme, and it has all the same junk you'd find in a regular shopping mall, except it's outdoors. For those of you who've seen the "Crossings" type malls (there's in in Memphis called Carriage Crossing), it was a lot like that. Best of all, there was a Bath Junkie in it! Our Bath Junkie in Jonesboro closed this year, much to mine & Q's disappointment. I bought a bottle of Olive Me skin oil in "Ice Storm" (herb, hyacinth, citrus/snowstorm) and an oatmeal/honey/milk bath bomb for the condo! YAAAAAAAAAY! I asked about the Jonesboro store, and the gentleman was the man who'd actually owned it. Evidently the folks he'd had running it just weren't ready to run their own business (they were quite young) and it didn't work out. Quite a shame, BUT he told me that I could always email or call him and he'd ship me my favorite stuff. Also snagged at the mall: a very cute pair of Sketchers mary janes in brown with a slight wedge shape to them.

That night I broke my bath bomb in half & sat in near-boiling, delightfully oatmeal-milk-honey scented water until I literally fell asleep. BLISS, I TELL YOU. And if you've got super-dry skin that only gets worse in the winter, might I recommend this skin oil? It's olive oil based, absorbs quickly & doesn't feel nasty, but when lotion isn't cutting it, this stuff is the BEST.

The next morning we went outlet mall shopping. It's the thing to do in Branson, evidently, because HOLY CRAP THE CROWDS. I'm just as extroverted as the next person...actually, I'm far & away more extroverted than the vast majority of the next people. BUT THIS WAS TOO MANY PEOPLE. You couldn't move without someone being in your face. It was suffocating. There was no Lane Bryant at this outlet mall, and I was disappointed. However, there as a Le Gourmet Chef outlet, and I got a large coffee press in red & black. There was also an Old Navy. Bryan almost didn't want to go in (it was crowded like you wouldn't believe) but I talked him into it. I thought we'd just look for HIM some stuff, but I ended up aimlessly wandering to the women's section. There are NEVER size XXL things left in outlets, but evidently I had perfect timing. There was a whole ton of graphic t-shirts on sale for $3 each...and there was an XXL in every single design. o_O Whaaaaaaat? So I bought one in each design I liked. They still don't carry plus sizes in stores, so we will never be BFFs, but I suppose I don't have to hate Old Navy as much as I have. I've about decided against my boycott anyway; it's so hard to find clothes that I like that also fit me--I don't need to limit my options voluntarily.

We were supposed to go to Silver Dollar City in the afternoon. We had to drive past it to get to our condo, and as we did we noticed the parking lot. Guys, you couldn't even imagine. "Crowded" is not the word for this. I don't even HAVE a word for this. Bryan & I talked it over back at the condo and offered to keep Molly & Jagger while everyone else checked out Silver Dollar City. We were people'd out. Between the giant ordeal that is moving my family from place to place (please recall there were SEVENTEEN of us on this vacation together, in 3 cars, and 3 of those people were under the age of 4) and the crowds at the outlet mall that morning, Bryan & I were not keen on wading into another massive crowd. So we stayed at the apartment, played with the nephew & niece, and watched Star Trek. YAY!

Olive Garden for supper that night. Have you guys had the shrimp manicotti? TRY IT.

The next day was off to Springfield to go to the Bass Pro Shop. My whole family loves it, of course, but neither Bryan & I have any fondness for hunting, fishing, or any outdoor sport that involves the death of anything else. Not judging you if you are; just not into it ourselves. So once I'd photographed most of the interior and all the live critters, it was quite boring for us. We parked our butts in chairs near the fireplace, me with an eggnog latte. Yes indeed, now I feel there is a Starbucks EVERYWHERE, since there's one in the Bass Pro Shop. Still no free-standing ones in Jonesboro, though. We sat there discussing how Bass Pro Shop is sort of a giant monument to violence & commercialism. I'm sure anyone wandering by wondered what 2 raging liberals were doing in Bass Pro Shop. In true moderate style, however, we did come to the conclusion that hunting organizations like Ducks Unlimited have been very valuable to the ecology/conservation movement because of their emphasis on habitat preservation & reconstruction.

Harley Shop afterward. I have been bitten by the Harley bug, honestly. There's nothing I can do about it right now, because I have a 3-year-old and there's no room for a car seat on a motorcycle. :) But seriously. I want an electric orange Road King with matching saddlebags, and I want the pinstripe to be an EKG. Uncle Aaron suggested I go all out & have a red+white one with the EKG pinstripe & a red cross on it somewhere so it's a special edition nurse's bike. :D

Then we came home. I have been coughing like a madwoman ever since Saturday, and I think it has finally caught up with me. My throat is raging sore and I feel crappy. Time to sleep all day to wake up tonight and figure out if I feel okay enough to go to work.

Well THIS pissed me off. From this article, "6 absurd gadget gifts your girlfriend will dump you over":

Bad idea: Ostensibly for Her but Really for You. Just as buying her Giants tickets ("One for each of us!") is usually a non-gift gift, so, too, is that souped-up VooDoo laptop, slightly updated Onkyo receiver, Sony five-disc changer and digital-camera-binoculars you saw at Sharper Image. Of course, gals can be into tech and gaming (and sports) the same as us guys, but you'll know if she is — and you'll know who that new surround sound system is really for.

When it's okay: Stick to a slick netbook, an HTiB you can set up, or a point-and-shoot digital camera, and she'll love you for it.

Good point: Do not get your significant other a gift that is really something YOU would enjoy. Bryan would not buy the newest Xbox 360 game for me; I would not buy VIP Dave Matthews Band tickets for Bryan. See how that works?

Bad point: Writing an entire paragraph about how a fancypants high end gaming PC or an A/V component or a "souped-up laptop" aren't gifts for your girlfriend, with the blatant understood "because girls aren't into those really high tech things". We get a tossed off "of course some girls like that stuff" but then we're back to "stick to a slick netbook" because of course girls do nothing but use Facebook and Livejournal and Twitter. o_O And an "HTiB you can set up" because HEAVEN KNOWS the woman won't be able to set it up!

I know several women who would appreciate a high-powered fancypants gaming PC with the latest graphics chip--because they're heavily into PC gaming. I know several women who are programmers and would dearly love a laptop that could kick your desktop's butt. I know personally I would be THRILLED with a couple of new AV components: a receiver, a new TV that'll handle component input & not just S-video, and a switcher with a remote for the game systems (we somehow lost the remote to our current one). And Bryan & I BOTH set up my parents' home-theater-in-a-box, thanks ever so much. Bryan seems rather keen on having a wife who knows a great deal about our entertainment system.

The part that kills me most is a POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA. What, now PHOTOGRAPHY geekdom is specifically the domain of men? Seriously. SERIOUSLY. *punches male writer in the testicles*