Awesome Sighting Of The Day

This morning I spotted a gentlemen, probably in his 50's or 60's, and of some sort of middle eastern decent. His head was shaved bald and he had tied a colorful sports bandanna across his forehead. He wore running shoes and track pants and covered his slightly protruding belly with a Gold's Gym T-shirt. He also sported a well-worn backpack. The awesome part? In his right hand he carried a Trapper Keeper style folder adorned with the most adorably sad kitten face you can imagine.

I'd like to think he is some kind of fitness guru who keeps his business records in his kitten folder.

Totally makes me smile :)

David Sedaris

Just got tickets to see David Sedaris. Orchestra seats. Third row from the front and right smack dab in the middle.

So excited!

Space is AWESOME

More Images from the newly refurbished Hubble Telescope here.

Everyone's a Collector

I got my degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in Physical Anthropology. Which basically means many hours of looking at bones. That little bump on the inside of your ankle, that's your Medial Malleolus (that's probably the extent of what I remember).

Anyway, this article that ran over the weekend reminded me of when I visited the Hickam identification lab (then known as CILHI) way back when. The lab does the identification of all recovered remains of soldiers lost abroad. I'm not sure how things are setup now, but back then there was a series of about 6 tables each laid with the remains of what was thought to be a recovered soldier. Essentially, it's a big puzzle. Not only do you need to piece together the fractured remains, but once you do you need to look at the structural indicators on the bones and the overall body to help you identify (in general terms) who you are looking at. Male or Female? How old? What build/stature? etc. They also have a separate odontology department that helps more specifically identify remains when teeth are available. Pretty fascinating to see one of these labs in operation.

The one thing that really stands out in my mind though was not related to the actual identification process at all. Apparently HPD had uncovered a special little find when it had to remove an unstable older woman from her home. What they had found they turned over to the lab. The prize? Several sets of woman's pantyhose filled with patella. Patella is the proper name for your knee cap bones. There were probably between 20 or 30 patella in all. All neatly tied up and organized. Everyone assumed she unearthed them from a graveyard. But you have to wonder. I guess we all have hobbies, some more morbid than others.

Scents in the City

Really like this article from the NYT.

For me, scent is the strongest sense linked to memory. On my grandma's last trip to Japan she brought back my great grandpa's Yashica camera for my mom. It's older than I am. The first thing I did when I saw it was take a wiff. I realize, totally weird, but I had an overwehlming urge to smell it. He passed away when I was pretty young, but the camera still smells exactly like he did. I got independent confirmation from my mom (who I encouraged to sniff the camera as well) that it indeed carried his scent.

The NYT map is also a great way to determine what areas to hit in the city. Yorkville, yes. Civic Center, no.

Don't Fear the Reaper

Is it me, or is the most annoying thing about the health care debate the irrational fear of a "Death Panel"? It infuriates me that people (viz Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich) are so irresponsibly trying to equate a productive end of life discussion into some type of death tribunal. I mean come on, Grandma has a better chance of getting run over by a reindeer than being euthanized by a "Death Panel". Frankly, if having "Death Panels" means better planning for end of life care, I am completely pro Death Panel. Yeah Death Panel!!

Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, you have watched too much Logan's Run.

Courtroom Sketch Artists

I was watching NewsHour last night and they aired a piece on courtroom sketch artists, you can stream it here.

So I was thinking that this really is an awesome job, it's kind of where law, journalism and art intersect. If only I was a better artist this would be up my alley. I like that essentially you're just an observer on the sidelines who can catch the subtle facial changes and interactions between the parties. Kind of like a courtroom wallflower. I wish options like these came up in high school when I took those career guidance tests. I managed to get the strangest and the most impractical selection of job suggestions. Iron worker, Priest, Accountant, etc... If those jobs were people they would be a motley crew. Not helpful.

And on another note, sketch artist are so underutilized, we should find other ways to use their talents. I think it would be awesome if for a wedding you had one of these sketch artists chronicle your day in addition to a photographer. Or if I was like a promoter or something, I would totally have one of these guys at one of my events. It's such a unique and fascinating aesthetic.

p.s. I LOOOOVE NewsHour.

Thank you David Horowitz

So about 2 weeks ago one of my bosses brought in a Costco sized box of assorted 100 calorie snack packs for the office. About half way through the box we discovered an empty pack, a SEALED empty pack. A paid for SEALED empty pack at that. I could not let this injustice go and promptly wrote a letter to the good people at Nabisco. Well guess what I got in the mail today? That's right people, read it and weep, I got me a coupon good for no less than $4.49 worth of Nabisco goods AND an apology letter reassuring me that this will not happen again. Shout out to David Horowitz, I hope I made you proud.

Another letter may need to go out today though, seeing as how my morning cereal had far less than the 2 scoops or raisins advertised...

Coolest Quarter Evah

Who knew this even existed? I'm totally in favor of having more musicians on money. Wu-Tang Clan on the $2 Bill (you know, a dollar + dollar bill), 50 Cent on a half dollar, and Pink Floyd should definitely be on something.

Rock on U.S. Mint...Rock on

An Open Letter to Peter Frampton

Dear Peter,

First, I hope you do not mind the informality of my calling you simply by your first name. Somehow those blond tresses of yours makes me think calling you Mr. Frampton is just inappropriate. If you take offense, please let me know.

The primary purposes of my writing is to share with you a fantastic idea for the upcoming Halloween Holiday. Halloween being a favorite Holiday of mine, I've already started to think of some great costume ideas. Yes, I do realize it is still mid-summer, but when it comes to Halloween I am a real go-getter. But I digress.

Are you ready for the idea? well picture this...you as a Zombie. Yes, that's right Peter, just like in your 1976 album, you would literally "Come Alive". Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking, brilliant! You can go ahead and thank me by being the best Peter Frampton Zombie you can be. An autographed glossy 8X10 photo of you in your costume may also be nice.

Best,
Sarah

p.s. If you do not celebrate Halloween for sociopolitical reasons, would you mind terribly if I revisited the costume idea upon your passing? I hope that not too morose.

Just 4 more days until vacation, getting so excited. SF, Disneyland, good friends, new hair do!! If you're stuck at home this summer, my condolences.



And another special wish for everyone...



someecards is the best thing evah!!!

Conan the Destroyer (of bad Comedy)

I've always thought that there are 2 kinds of people in this world. People who enjoy Conan O'Brien and people who enjoy Jay Leno. I stand firmly in the O'Brien camp. I don't know if it makes me a snob, but I consider "Jaywalking" an attack on humanity.

Further reading on the subject here. The article makes me think he very much needs one or two female writers on his staff. Talk about a dream job...

Skills to Pay the Bills

I totally need to learn this guy's routine so that I can wake up later than like 5:30 every morning. I especially enjoy the pants shimmy. Although, not as much as that one lady in the audience.



Come on people, let's make the pants shimmy a cool new party trick. Or maybe they can write a song about it. It has to be better than this.

Paper Heart

Kind of excited to see this:



Although, it could run the risk of being too adorable. There is a fine line.

From A to A

Started trying to listen to the artists on my ipod in order and the band Afghan Whigs still rocks my socks after all these years.

Debonair @ Yahoo! Video

Air will likely be the soundtrack to my walk home

Air - New Music - More Music Videos

I will be very proud of myself if I can manage to get past C with this little experiment.

One Angry Man

I came across this affidavit this morning and had to laugh. It looks like a joke, but in my experience people do get this testy about jury duty, they just don't put it in writing to the Court.

Heather and I actually have a wall of shame at the office that is filled with things we've come across that made us laugh. This has been placed among the other documents, which include a rental application in which an applicant lists the reason for leaving his former address as "followed a girl" and a photo of a unit taken at the time of the tenant's move-out. The photo is of the unit's bathroom and documents all of the items that were left behind including a pair of BVDs in the center of the room. The underwear is arranged in a way that we imagine the Sheriff was pounding at the door and someone literally jumped out of their BVDs and ran. Actaully, now that I think about it that may be more sad than funny.

I'll give you something to swine about...

Quite frankly I am just plain tired of the media hysteria that has ensued over the last few days with respect to the Swine Flu. Don't get me wrong, pandemics are serious, but in this particular instance rather than fanning the paranoia flames, perhaps we should be putting this strain into perspective. Did you know each year 36,000 people in the U.S. die of complications related to the standard flu? To date, one person in the U.S. has died due to Swine Flu.

Did you also know that the World Health Organization was expecting this, apparently we were past due for a pandemic since they occur ever few years. Luckily, it was caught fairly early and it's epicenter is Mexico rather than a third world country without the means of containing the spread of the strain.

Bottom line, all y'all media peeps need to chill.

Sarah's Lesson for Today

You should not try and change your office's water cooler bottle while wearing heels.

Also, it is helpful if you work in an office where you are neither the youngest person employed nor surrounded by coworkers who are men with "bad backs".

Drink up people...

Tip your 40s to Bea Arthur

RIP

Roast of Pamela Anderson
Bea Arthur Uncensored
comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

More Hodge Podge

I caught the last 15 minutes of the AMC show Breaking Bad yesterday night. In those few minutes there was a severed head riding a turtle and a dismembering landmine explosion. Which makes me think I really ought to start watching this show consistently again.

I was in the elevator this morning and this older lady asked me if I was real. I half expected the Olivia Newton John song Magic to start playing. I told her I don't understand what you mean. Then she pointed to her hair. Oh, I responded, yes, my hair color is pretty much real. Then she replied in disbelief, but your Japanese. I did not know what to say. Luckily the door opened on the bottom floor and we went our separate ways. An odd encounter, to say the least.

I have had cable for a few weeks and the best thing I have seen is this commercial:



That's all for now...

Love This

Creative packaging will always have a place in my heart.

http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/04/01/clever-and-creative-shopping-bag-designs/

I think this is especially clever:

Update: NOT Whasian

My sister tipped me off that Whasian is actually in the Urban Dictionary. There are basically 2 definitions:

1) A White person, wanting to be, acting like, or seems: Asian; and

2) one of mixed asian and white decent. whasian = white + asian.
it can be used to categorize someone. whasian can be a negative term in the way that the person can be considered white. a whasian sometimes does not fit into either group properly. subcategories: whinese, whapanese, whietnamese, whorean, whilipino, etc.

Okay, to be crass, both definitions totally suck. Whapanese? Hell to the No.

There is a also another term listed in the Urban dictionary for someone of mixed Asian and Caucasian heritage: Aite. Strangely, I find this A'ight.

I feel compelled to find my Aite brother and set him straight!

What's Up My Whasian

I went shopping last night and was stopped by a gentleman manning the check out register at one of the stores. He apologized and said he just had to ask if I was "Whasian", he paused and added "you know, White-Asian". When I said yes, he offered up a high-five indicated that he was also of the Whasian persuasion. This was weird, but since he was not unattractive I paid it no mind.

I was thinking about the encounter today though and there are 2 things that bother me. First, for some reason the terms "Whasian" is not sitting well with me. Yes, it is just as generic a term as Hapa, but Whasian comes across as almost offensive to me and I can't pinpoint why. If someone asks me if I am Hapa, I happily reply yes! But if someone now asks me if I am Whasian, I will have to begrudgingly offer up a yeah, I guess so. Perhaps this is because in my mind the term Hapa infers a Hawaii connection? Curious...

The second thing that bothers me about the encounter is that this gentleman felt it necessary to define Whasian for me. What did he think I would mistake the term for? Welsh-Asian? Which I guess would still make me White-Asian. Wealthy-Asian? This was obviously not the case. Although, I was dressed in my best jeans and kicks. Wiccan-Asian? Sorry, but Hawaii's weather is not conducive to the darkly colored Wiccan garb, so I am prevented from subscribing to that particular theology. The movie The Craft was wicked cool though ;)

And just as a technicality, if I'm doing the whole Tiger Woods combine your ethnicity into a new term thing: I am Germaswedirijapanglish.

Germaswedirijapanglish. pride!

Oops, My Bad

Heather said something to me awhile ago that keeps proving more and more true. Awhile back she made some type of mistake and said "Oops, my bad". Then she stopped herself and said, that's something only old people say now, huh? I thought it funny at first, now I realize what a dead on analysis that was.

I attended oral arguments before the Supreme Court a few months ago and the case being beard before ours dealt with sentencing terms. The case also noted a procedural error by the prosecutor wherein he neglected to get evidence properly introduced at trial. After being questioned by the 5 Judge panel, the prosecutor came clean and said, "your honors, that was my bad". Whoa, never thought I would see the day. Which makes me wonder at what point the phrase became both dated and acceptable work place language? Just the other day in fact I was cc'd on an email from an attorney apologizing for not getting an agreement over to us, it was indeed "his bad".

When did this happen and does all language fall into this pattern. Was "Et tu, Brute" once a hip/popular saying, then eventually someone came along and said hey that is something only old people say, like Shakespeare.

Who knows.

In any case I hope everyone is having a good week. Perhaps you are even getting down with your bad selves by getting jiggy wit it?

That didn't date me, did it?

Bunch O' Stuffs

1) In case anyone was curious about what Heather and I wore for St. Patrick's Day, we opted to retire the Irish Spring soap on a rope from last year and instead wore shirts that read "Irish You A Happy St. Patty's Day". And no, the shirts are not commercially available, we made them ourselves with puffy paint. We keep the puffy paint factory in business. We also sported ol' school crocheted Primo beer can hats. It was pretty sweet.

2) We got the results from the Swamp Romp this past week and although we were not last, we were close. As I always say, if you can't be number 1, then try and be number 313 (of 323 teams). As Heather pointed out, we even lost at losing. We will have to try harder next year.

3) So guess where Heather and I spent our lunch hour on Monday? That's right, watching Korean superstar Rain testify. We were able to use our super fantastic knowledge of the legal system to find out when, where and before which Judge the matter was being heard. I was also able to find out who was representing him and called in a favor to find out exactly when he was being put on the stand. Might I just say that his hair was fantastic, the sheen was almost blinding. Heather was so excited, it was all I could do to keep her from shouting out objections from the gallery. So awesome.



One last thing, sorry about the mishmash of topics here, I was not clever enough to think up a title that encompassed everything. I realize that Potpourri was the crappiest category on Jeopardy. Kala mai.

Sarah's Quick Tip Of The Week

People starting to find you predictable? Friends starting to guess your every move? Well here is what you're gonna want to do; start sending out emails like this to your friends and loved ones:

Hi Bob,

I was hoping you could help me with a favor. You know this city like the back of your hand. Do you know where I can get any of the following:

- A stained glass unicorn
- Vegemite
- An owl
- A Spanish Doubloon
- A plush manatee

Don't ask.

Thanks in advance,
Sarah

The important thing here is to include no less than 5 unrelated items. Try not to include more than 5 because then you seem more crazy than mysterious. Including "Don't Ask" at the end is the clincher. People will be intrigued, but generally respectful of your privacy.

Try it, and you are welcome in advance.

One last thing, does anyone know where I can get a snake wrangler costume(woman's)?

What? Legend has it that St. Patrick banished snakes from Ireland, I want to be festive for tomorrow. ;)

Lucky You Live Hawaii

That article I recently posted about Hawaii being one of the happiest states got me to thinking about some not-so-obvious reasons why we are "lucky to live Hawaii". This one is my favorite:

Do you realize that Hawaii is the only state whose postal abbreviation is also a salutation?

Take that Idaho, with your fancy pants Freudian terminology. You and your just as self-centered counterpart, Maine.

And will you make up your mind Oregon?

I must admit though, I do appreciate the constant state of wonder and awe of Ohio...

Consider yourselves lucky.

ps: South Carolina, you got yourself some pretty sweet initials ;)

Yay Us, So Sorry West Virginia

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29633972/

The Rain Came Down Berserk

First, let me apologize for all of the lyrics infused post titles. My mind has been thinking in song lyrics lately.

So anyway, I went running again yesterday evening and the weather turned absolutely horrid. It was only a slight drizzle of rain when I left my apartment but quickly turned into a downpour that left me completely drenched. I could have been mistaken for someone who went swimming in her running clothes. At first I was kind of disappointed after the high I was on following the prior day's moment of clarity. I did not think that the rain and wind's incessant pounding in my face and the bleak weather would get me into the proper spirit, but I ran on anyway.

Then a funny thing happened, I had another one of those moments. Marjorie Fair's Empty Room started playing from my shuffle and made everything alright. Better than alright, it made things magical again. I held out my hands and could feel the cold drops of rain gently prickling my palms. The puddles of water that were forming on the sidewalks happen to catch the light just right and made me feel like I was jogging down a perfectly lit runway. And Marjorie Fair put it all into perspective, all those silly things we worry about, well "This doesn't matter like it did before, this doesn't matter much anymore".

Does anyone remember the scene in The Shawshank Redemption when Tim Robbin's emerges from that sewer pipe? It felt like I should have gotten an aerial photo just like that in that exaxt moment.

Both of these experiences made me figure this playlist thing out. There are some songs that help keep your pace while running (Q-Tip's Breathe and Stop), there are some songs that make you feel like you running away from something (Joy Division's Digital) and there are some songs that make you feel like you are running toward something. Something better in fact. Don't Stop Believin' and Empty Room both made me feel like I was running for a reason.

I need more of that.

Marjorie Fair - New Music - More Music Videos

Hold On To That Feeling aka Best Run Evah

Broke in my new running shoes (tossed my old ones after February's Swamp Romp) and a new running playlist on my shuffle last night. It all amounted to the best run ever.

The most surprisingly awesome song to run to is Journey's Don't Stop Believin'. I thought it would be too slow to run to but added it to the playlist anyway. The song came on about halfway through my run, during my return trip along the Ala Wai and probably at the exact moment I needed it.

Man, if I could only bottle that feeling, endorphins pumping, sun setting and leaving a yellow glow on the mirrored buildings near Ala Moana, Steve Perry singing "It goes on and on and on and on...", I would know exactly what to give everyone for Christmas this year. It was sooo FAN-flipping-TASTIC in fact that I was ever so close to pounding my fist into the air in triumph :) Sometimes things just intersect perfectly and give you a sense of wonder. Luckily I was able to recognize that the moment was fleeting and savored every second of it. I think a lot of times these little moments spring up on us and we are too foolish to recognize them.

So excited to go running again tonight...

Free Fallin'

According the Feng Shui calendar that I keep on my desk at work, today is the day to perform the "Petty Person Ritual". Apparently, the ritual involves luring a petty person into a vast open area or under a bridge and proceeding to beat the petty out of them. It is helpful if the petty person volunteers for the ritual.

After reading this, it kind of makes me think whether all those documentaries I've seen on gang violence and gang initiation rituals were just a big misunderstanding. Perhaps those youths were just overly concerned about their chi and trying to keep their yin and their yang in balance?

In any case, I'm not really a violent person so instead I decided I would just listen to a Tom Petty album later on tonight. I hope this has the same effect.

"...and I'll keep this world from draggin' me down, gonna stand my ground and I won't back down"

Jammin' On The One or I Just Called to Say Stevie Wonder is the Shiznit

I read an article once about how musical leanings are often formed by what you are exposed to as a child. The theory makes perfect sense to me and explains why both my sister and I have a predilection for 70's folk music, my mom being a huge fan of Neil Young and the like. So it has kind of always puzzled me as to how I became such a huge fan of Stevie Wonder. I can remember liking Stevie Wonder for many years, but couldn't really place why or how I was exposed to little Stevie.

Enter the Cosby Show. I've been watching season 2 of The Cosby Show lately and came across the episode featuring Mr. Wonder, you know the episode when Stevie's limo hits Denise's car and he invites the family to a recording session to make it up to them. And then each member of the family sings a phrase or note which is compiled into a song. It's probably the most memorable episode for me (actually it might be a toss up between this episode, the Theo shirt episode and the one where Theo explains how he is gonna live off of baloney and cereal).

This realization is actually kind of startling to me, to think the Cosby Show had as much influence on me as my mom! Television is powerful medium, isn't it? In this case it was a real benefit, Stevie Wonder being the Shiznit and all.

As an aside, that crazy Huxtable Family totally cracks me up. Except for Vanessa.

Nothing's Ever Gonna Keep You Down, You're The Best Around

So, as some of you may know, yesterday was the annual Swamp Romp put on be the Marine Corp. I was totally scared this year because I have not been keeping up with my running (work has been crazy and staying at the office til midnight is not really conducive to being able to run after work) and the course last year was completely challenging. Additionally, about 3 days ago I totally jacked up one of my toes. I have no idea how I did it, but it started turning red and swelling and looking like a cartoon toe that got hit by an anvil (I'm pretty sure this is not what actually injured my toe). I cared for the toe as best I could and luckily by race day I was back to non-hobbling form.

So now to the race day itself. I got up at about 5:00 yesterday morning, had a banana and some coffee and donned my team shirt. This year's team name was Swamp Bobbys. The name is hard to explain unless you are a fan of trashy MTV reality television, so take my word for it, it is a brilliant name. Concerned I would fall way behind my team I decided to go with the vibrant yellow construction worker OSHA requirement t-shirt, with my "Bobbie Bobby" nickname puffy painted on the back. Along with my bright teal duct taped shoes, I was a complete eyesore, but confident I would not get lost.

When we got to the Kaneohoe Marine Base the scene was complete chaos. Apparently a new group had taken over organizing the event this year and was not doing a very good job. There were lines everywhere and for everything. There was a line to register and pick up your race packet, a line to pick up your timing chip, a line for the bathroom and a line to start the race. Since there was no real way to tell the lines apart, you very well could have ended up relieving yourself at the packet pick-up booth.

When we finally picked up all of the components that we needed to start the race and signed all the necessary waivers, it turned out they had already passed our number. Luckily, they feed us into the line and we were able to start immediately rather than having to wait until all the other 300-some teams had begun.

The race started out the same as last year, a series of mud pits, several waste high barriers that you needed to jump over and a wooden ladder-like structure with an incline down the back. Sliding down the incline caused you to create a huge splash that sent mud up your nose and all over your face. Yes, this was all seeming very familiar.

After running through a few other pits we arrived at what must have been a 9 foot wall comprised of wooden logs that you had to pull yourself up and over. Everyone got themselves up and over successfully and we headed toward the long stretch of quicksand-like mud. The distance this year was substantially less than last year, probably a quarter mile or less. After traversing the mud we took off on the long stretch of pathway leading us around the base. I was completely proud of myself at this point because I was keeping up with the team and feeling pretty good about the pace we were keeping.

As we passed one of the race officials who was leisurely lounging in her beach chair, she taunted us all with her shout of "half-way to the half-way point". As if on cue, Heather steps on a rock which had no business in the middle of the road and goes down. The fall resulted in a sprained ankle. Being the trooper that she is, Heather decides to push on by walking the course to the little medical checkpoint that ended up being about a mile or so away. When we get to the checkpoint, the medics tell us that they can either treat the injury or transport her back to the starting point. Heather decides to think about it and treat the injury in the meantime. After pulling off the ace bandage that we re-purposed for her ankle, Heather's puffy swollen ankle was revealed. That rock was not messing around. Once she is treated they give her one last chance to be taken back to the start, apparently one of the other race participant had a few blisters and could not hack the remainder of the race. Heather notifies everyone that she is going to finish. which resulted in cheers all around and high fives from the medics. It was pretty much equivalent to that scene in Karate Kid when they announce Daniel Laruso is going to fight!

So we started back on the course walking the rest of the way, though a few more mud pits, a beach run, low crawl and final stretch of mud. Making it to the finish line in a respectable 2 hours or so. Teams without injuries were still trickling in behind us.

The core group of us who finished the race for the second year decided that this year's race was drastically easier than last year. Where was the giant A-frame, the monkey bars, the huge mud pit that was so dense you could only crawl on top of it, or the stretch of sewer pipe that you needed to crawl through? Why was this years race so much shorter? Oh well, there is always next year.

Before the race I was expecting to wake up this morning feeling like 7 different kinds of awful. But my minor bruises, small scrapes and sore thighs only really total up to 2 kinds of awful. I guess I'll need to come up with 5 more kinds of awful so that I can feel accomplished. It is still early so leptospirosis and/or pneumonia can't be ruled out yet. Pray for me...

A Riddle...

If on a random Thursday afternoon while at work you receive a humongous box from a friend who has recently moved to Japan, what is the best thing you could possible find inside of it???

Answer: An assortment of like 50 different kinds of super yummy snacks and a fantastically cute and uber Japanesie wrapped birthday gift!!! I am being good and waiting til next week to open the gift, but boy am I enjoying the snacks!!!

Thank you Maggie-chan. A million times thank you!!

Deko Boko Friends

I LOOOOOOVEEEEE this so hard, Deko Boko Friends is the cutest thing ever! Check out these characters:

Acorn Tots (どんぐりん Dongurin from 団栗 donguri meaning acorn. Adding an 'n' makes the name not only cute sounding, but more personal.)
The Acorn Tots are five small acorn-children who hold one large acorn in both hands. They are best friend and rivals. Each tries to be better than all the rest.

Belly Boing A.K.A The fat kid (くいしんボン Kuishinbon from 食いしん坊 kuishinbou meaning glutton.)
Belly Boing is constantly thinking of food. He likes eating sweets, and he can create a drum sound by pounding on his large stomach.

Big Oggo & Mu Mu (オオガーラとムクムク Ōgāra to Mukumuku literally Ōgāra and Mukumuku from 大柄 ōgara meaning large build and 尨犬 mukuinu meaning shaggy dog)
Despite his image as a lumbering giant, Big Oggo is very sweet and lovable with an affinity to anything cute.

Mu Mu is his friend, a pink toy poodle who curiously moo's instead of barking.

Disabear (あなくま Anakuma from 穴 ana meaning hole and 熊 kuma meaning bear)
Disabear uses plates he tosses on the ground to make holes. He whistles while he walks and uses an accent.

Grandma Fuji (ふじおばば Fuji Obaba from 富士 fuji meaning Mount Fuji and お祖母さん obāsan meaning grandmother)
Grandma Fuji is the epitome of Japanese tradition. She enjoys singing enka, writing haiku, calligraphy, and hosting tea ceremonies.

Kaki Kaki (サボサボ Sabosabo from サボテン saboten meaning cactus)
Kaki Kaki is a cactus like boy. He is extremely nervous and timid, his spines fall off whenever he is surprised or scared.

Ken Bahn (ケン・バーン Ken Bān from 鍵盤 kenban meaning keyboard)
Ken has a keyboard for teeth and he plays them whenever he is in a good mood. He likes to wobble and lean as he walks.

Klinki Klunki (カランコロン Karankoron from カラン コロン karan koron meaning an onomatopoeia for the reverberating sounds of tinkling bells or a glass tapped by ice)
Klinki is very laid back and hates when juice falls out of his glass, because his face shrinks. He likes to see everyone as laid back as he is.

Melodina (メロディーヌ Merodīnu from メロディー merodī meaning melody)
Melodina is very musical. She even makes her speech resemble a melody. She likes to skip and when she does she makes sounds like a toy piano.

Nut'n Nose (はなはなマロン Hanahana Maron from 鼻 hana meaning nose and マロン maron meaning chestnut)
Nut'n Nose resembles a chestnut. Quite possibly from his love of Mont Blanc, an Italian dessert cake made with the nut. His nose can be inflated like a balloon, and when he tries hard to do something, his tail swings.

The Prince Egg (たまごおうじ Tamago Ōji literally Egg Prince from 卵 (also 玉子) tamago meaning egg and 王子 ōji meaning prince)
The Prince Egg is a prince of an unknown kingdom. His egg hat boils and cracks when he gets angry. When the pieces fall to the floor, he picks them all up, using tiny brisk steps.

Water Chap (じょうろう Jourō from じょうろ jouro meaing watering can)
Water Chap has a head like a watering can, which he uses like one to grow flowers and give them as gifts.

The creator also designed the Qoo mascot. I soooo want the group photo as another tattoo.

And in case you don't speak Japanese, Deko Boko is a kind of slang for being uneven or lop-sided (kind of like a Japanese version of Kapakahi).

An Open Letter to Will Shortz, Editor of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

Dear Mr. Shortz,

As I am sure both our time is valuable, I'm not going to mince words. What is your problem? Why, pray tell, was this week's Sunday Crossword so simple, its caliber was at a Monday level. Yes, yes, you threw in a reference to Emile Durkheim, but that is Wednesday material, at best.

If this is your idea of a sick joke or some plot to give me a false sense of confidence, I do not appreciate your sense of humor. I suspect your plan is to lure me into doing the Crossword in pen, only to devastate me with clues regarding opera and archaic English vocabulary that has fallen out of use. Thank you Mr. Shortz, but no thank you. This pencil and trusty eraser will stay firmly in hand!

Good day sir. I said Good day!
Sarah

p.s. By the by, if you so happen to have the phone numbers of fellow Wordplay commentators, Jon Stewart or Mike Mussina (Go Yankees!), feel free to hook a girl up.

Julia Roberts is Wrong

You know in the movie Steel Magnolia's where Julia Roberts tells her mom that she would rather have a few minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special? Well, Shelby was completely wrong. Sometimes nothing special is fine and dandy.

Take today for instance, perhaps this is what they term the calm before the storm, but today has been perfectly ordinary (aside from me walking to work with a wooden baseball bat slung over my shoulder -don't ask). The day is so strangely ordinary in fact I can't really think of a suitable adjective to describe it. So I guess I will describe it with things that it has no business at all being compared to:

If today were a food it would be a casserole made with Campbell's soup.

If today were a TV show it would be Family Ties or maybe M.A.S.H.

If today were a kitchen utensil it would be a turkey baster. Perfectly utilitarian in nature and supremely content sitting in your drawer until needed. It has none of the excitement of say a pizza cutter nor does it bring about the same enthusiasm of an ice cream scoop. But that's okay.

If today were a musician it would be Billy Joel. Don't get me wrong, everyone likes Billy Joel, but I've never seen anyone passionate about Billy Joel.

If today were a body part it would be a kind and considerate pair of eyes, but the kind that don't make a big deal of themselves.

Yes, that perfectly describes what today is. Perhaps when nothing bad happens the day is a good one by default?

I'm guessing this is what Sean Lennon meant when he sang "nothing feels better than okay".



PS: I was at the above concert in Boston in 2007.

Under Pressure....

It's 9:20 at night and I am still at the office trying to finish the neverending jury instructions from hell. Under Pressure is playing on the radio...so apt. It's like some higher force gave me a shout out. Just waiting for Delilah to come on and say...and that one went out to Sarah (I imagine she would over emphasize the h so that I knew she meant me).

No one has ever dedicated a song to me, so I will take what I can get...

Looks like and another statue kind of week. Sigh. Hoping to be the pigeon soon.

One Love, Lama Surya Das, One Love

I subscribe to the Dzogchen Center's Weekly Words of Wisdom, which are sent out weekly (duh) via email. I'm not terribly religious, so the quotes that are mainly just some interesting things to ponder or some secular words of advice are a bright spot to my week. Some past favorites are as follows:

Compassion is an attitude,
Love is an action.
~ H.H. the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa

The time to be happy is now,
The place to be happy is here,
The way to be happy is to make others so.
~ Robert Ingersoll

Ring the bells that still can ring
forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything
that's how the light gets in.
~ Leonard Cohen

If you want to win the war with your mind, you'll be at war forever.
~ Adyashanti

We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.
~ Carlos Castaneda

If you haven't got any charity in your heart,
you have the worst kind of heart trouble.
~ Bob Hope

Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.
~ Theodore Isaac Rubin

This is the one I received today, which totally made my smile because of the eclecticism of the selection:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
~ Bob Marley


I have also been thinking about this quote a lot lately:

Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and other days you’re the statue.
-Roger C. Anderson

I've had a statue kind of week. Hope things will start looking up soon :)

Dear Diary, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The last 2 books I completed were The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers and Deary Diary by Lesley Arfin. Here is a little about each:

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is possibly the best thing ever written, or at least the best thing I have ever read. Keep in mind, I am a complete sucker for a story about a group of lonely misfits so perhaps my opinion is slightly swayed. In any case, Carson McCullers is a phenomenon. I can hardly believe she wrote this at the age of 23 and the book was originally published in 1940, it is timeless. McCullers writes with such compassion for her characters and without even a bit or pretension. She's the kind of person I could not imagine uttering a word like "exquisite", let alone forcing her characters to. This is basically my favorite kind of author. If reading is not your thing, check out the film. The story is too wonderfully sad and sweet to miss.

The other book I just completed was Dear Diary by Lesly Arfin. This was published in conjunction with Vice, so I kind of thought from the get go that it would be lame. Turned out to be okay, slightly better than meh. Meh plus. It's basically Arfin's memoir, chronicling her adolescence and early twenties complete with heroin addiction and rehab. What I primarily enjoyed about it were the pop culture references. Reminded me a lot of high school, and how I liked punk and my favorite band was ALL. Or that time I cut my shoulder length "girl, you'll be a woman soon" hair off by grabbing a pair of scissors and half-hazardly snipping off chunks of it. Turned out kind of cute. Or how many of you had a JanSport backpack that you wrote all over with a Sharpie? I remember having an SST records sticker on mine.

Wow, I wish I was even half as cool as all that now sounds. Really, I was just a silly geek who was lucky enough to find some really good friends. Some things change and some things stay exactly the same.

Obama's Muffin Top is all That

1) Totally crushing on Obama even more (if that is possible) after this article from the New York Times. My favorite part:

Mr. Obama has also brought a more relaxed sensibility to his public appearances. David Gergen, an adviser to both Republican and Democratic presidents, said Mr. Obama seemed to exude an “Aloha Zen,” a kind of comfortable calm that, Mr. Gergen said, reflects a man who “seems easygoing, not so full of himself.”

2) I ate a banana muffin for breakfast this morning and all I could think was "my muffin top is all that, whole-grain, low fat. I know you want a piece of that, but I just want to dance". Which caused me to giggle uncontrollably at my muffin and computer screen. Luckily it was early and I was the first one at the office. And who cares what people think anyway? I'm independent lady... so do not try and play me.

Sorry if I am weirding you out.

Random Notes On Shopping

Here are some random shopping related observations:

Re Ala Moana:

-Note to kiosk owners, if you are selling a straightener and your kiosk smells like burning hair, I do not "want to try". This will likely not change so please stop asking.

-Is it just me, or is Abercrombie & Fitch a vapid wasteland of excess? Seriously, what is it with the inappropriately loud music, excessive perfume and shirtless sales people at the door. It's almost cartoonish. It would almost be cool or like an SNL skit if they had a hot dog vendor up front so all the senses could be covered.

Re Sam's Club:

-So I was at Sam's Club the other day and was near the prepared food section. They sell sushi there in assorted varieties. All of the little containers of sushi are clearly marked in bold black lettering. There was California Roll, Furikake and one that read Tuna of the Sea. I saw this and thought to myself, yeah, what other kind of tuna is there? Then I thought, oh well there is *that* kind. And finally I thought, Sam's Club, you are sooooo seventh grade.

-Also, Sam's Club, I received your letter re the product I recently purchased from you. Thank you for the notice of possible salmonella poisoning, and for validating my paranoia about basically everything.

And one last note, Starbuck's Apple Chai is the most fantastic thing to drink when your office feels like you are working in a meat locker and you begin to lose feeling in your hands. It's like winter in liquid form.

Laid Back

Seems as though many people had a bad day today. It's especially bad when your client calls you to vent about their co-workers. Yikes.

So, I thought I would share my surefire way to cheer yourself up. Heather tipped me off to this a while ago. The absolutely perfect way to start having a great day is to watch this video.

Snoop Dogg - New Music - More Music Videos

It's just too ridiculous for words. How can you take anything seriously after watching it?!? Snoop Dogg, you crack me up. You also make me want to have a name with 2 Gs in it. Sigh.

Cheer up people,
Sara(silent double gizzle)h

Week 2, Book 2

I am proud to say I am back on track with my reading project and finished book number 2 the other night (that's right new year's resolution, consider it brought!).

My second read of the year was Rock On, An Office Power Ballad by McSweeny's contributor Dan Kennedy. The jacket describes the book as a cross between This Is Spinal Tap and The Office, but really it's only like Spinal Tap in that the cover is a pastel black and the only similarity it seems to share with The Office is their setting. But it was a good read nonetheless.

Basically, the books chronicles Kennedy's experience working at a flailing record company, which is for the most part pretty humorous. I've noticed that for whatever reason people who tend to be really into music also tend to like lists. Rock On contains many lists. It also has some surprisingly insightful observations. Kennedy makes the point that Starbucks may eventually be the last venue for music in actual CD format, the reason being that people there are accustomed to paying too much for something they can get for a lot cheaper. I thought a lot about what a witty observation Kennedy made this morning, but then my grande iced nonfat caramel machiato was up and I had to get back to work...

Horse With No Name

This past year Heather and I received books about our Chinese zodiac sign and ways of cultivating our Feng Shui in 2009. I'm kind of dubious of the whole thing, but we've decided to go all out and Feng Shui the crap out of our lives for 2009. If despite our efforts 2009 proves to be unlucky, then we know to swear off the method forever.

If anyone is interested, the books tell you which zodiac sign is your mortal enemy (for us Horse people it is the Rat), and which zodiac signs are your allies. There is even something called your zodiac secret friend. Apparently, it's the equivalent to your zodiac BFF, but I just keep thinking about three pigtailed Margaret Farquhar from The Wonder Years. You know, Kevin Arnold's secret friend.

Anyway, aside from bejeweling ourselves with amulets, bracelets, golden deities and things, we must also pay close attention the the direction we face in most of our daily activities (note to self: purchase compass). When you think about it, Feng Shui kind of seems like an Amway scheme, doesn't it. Oh well, it's worth a try.

One last thing, according to the book Horse people should go by a nickname in 2009 to trick the bad spirits. So beginning on January 26th, Heather, Maggie and I will all be going by nicknames. I'm not going to give them away before then in case the bad spirits are reading this (in which case-wassup spirits, holla!). And I'm actually open to suggestions for a nickname so if you got some ideas, send em' my way (secretly of course, we don't want the spirits to get wind of it).

Crap!

Last night I realized that it was just about the end of the first week of 2009. Which also meant that if I wanted to keep up with the reading goal I had set for myself I should have had a book read. Crap! So I kind of cheated. I pulled one of the 33 1/3 books I had not read yet off my shelf and tore through it. I opted for the one covering Belle and Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister. It turned out to be one of the better reads in the series. My favorites (so far) being Joe Pernice's story inspired by The Smith's Meat is Murder and the volume covering Doolittle by The Pixies.

I was completely disappointed by Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love, A Journey to the Ends of Taste. It was actually kind of like the book of love, long and boring (but with music in it).

I've decided I should probably stock up on the 33 1/3 series for those weeks where I don't have much time to read. I feel kind of guilty though, the books in the series are all so short. It's like I read a brochure about an album and called it a day.

Say you want a resolution...

Generally, I don't like to make resolutions because I always feel like I'm setting myself up for disappointment. But this year, I've convinced myself to post a few resolutions here to keep me motivated to stick with them. The shame of not sticking with a goal that you've publicly set for yourself is a strong motivator. And besides, they aren't really anything life changing, just little things I think I can do to get myself closer to the kind of person I want to be.

So, here goes nothing. In 2009 I would like to:

1. Read 52 books. The bookswim gift certificate Heather got me for Christmas was fantastic and will be put to good use here;

2. Be the kind of person how talks to people in elevators. But not in the really annoying and creepy kind of way. More like the "wow, it was nice we did not completely ignore each other and pretend we were alone in the elevator" kind of way;

3. Smile at people who look like they need it;

4. After all of my bills are paid and I have a little extra cash, think about donating to charity rather than that new pair of jeans;

and finally

5. Live every week like it is shark week!

Happy New Year Erbody!!