Fog 'n' Sniffles

It's either a really depressing English pub, or it's what's happening in Seattle right now. We have an inversion layer over the city that has all circulation stopped. As much as I love the usually clean air and breezes coming in off the Puget Sound, there are times when Seattle becomes a really gross carbon layer cake. During these times - usually in the winter - the air quality approximates what I grew up with in San Jose, CA in the early 1970s. Cut-it-with-a-knife grossness.

And it seems everyone I know got (or currently has) The Bug. I've had a throat tickle and sinus congestion since my return from the wilds of West Virginia, and last night I felt like absolute crap, but I'm well on the other side of it now.

A few random blurbs:

Raechelle and Kayleigh packed away the Christmas ornaments last night. Today I will break down the tree and put it away until November 27th, 2009. I'm always sad to pack away the holiday trappings. But that just means we have next year to look forward to.

After months of very spotty checking-in over at the Deep7 forums, I finally announced my engagement to the fans and contributors. Huzzah!

The Stimson-Green Mansion was lovely, and they had an excellent showcase for various wedding vendors. We joked that we could just stay engaged forever and eat catered dinners for free at various wedding venues. However the facility is a bit too small for a wedding of the size we're thinking. Not huge by any stretch, but not tiny either.

Oh and apparently I am Ceiling Cat. Lydia Bruno pointed at the Which Lolcat Are You? quiz, and I took it. Silly me.

Behind the Hilarity

And now, dear readers, you get a peek behind the curtain of TDRae humor. Some of you "in the know" probably recognized the "juggling geese" quote in TBGE's post this morning as originating from the character Wash in the TV show Firefly.

[Wash and Zoe discuss Saffron's oddities.]

WASH

Every planet has its own weird customs. About a year before we met, I spent six weeks on a moon where the principal form of recreation was juggling geese. My hand to God. Baby geese. Goslings. They were juggled.

So there's the context. And later...

ZOE

If she can fly this thing, why just take the shuttle?

WASH
Maybe she likes shuttles.

[Everyone stares at him.]

WASH (CONT'D)
Some people juggle geese!

I know there's nothing like explaining a joke to ruin the funny, but when your frame of reference is so obscure, sometimes a small primer is in order.

Enjoy the day!

P.S. Thanks to wikiquote.org for the lovely Firefly quotes.

I Can See Russia...

This is too good not to share...

Busy Day

I've got to run to a school meeting for Tyler today, so a more lengthy post will have to wait. But do not despair, for there are great things happening at I Can Has Cheezburger.

Like this...

Which reminds me. I promise to make a doctor appointment this afternoon, Rae. So there.

Yes, I've Always Been Hilarious

I had a nice phone call with my mom today. It's a good way to get grounded without it meaning that I can't go out with my friends for the weekend. I was discussing the birthday gift I'd purchased for Milo (gee, I hope he's not reading this - he might find out what it is), and she reminded me of an early incident in which I proved how wry was my wit.

I was an early reader, solo by age 4 but well into the basics before that. The incident in question occurred at age 2, according to my mother. Remember those magnetic letters made out of colored plastic that you learned how to fling at your little brother like a ninja shurken spell your first words with (usually across the fridge door)? Yeah, those. I took one of them, the letter T, and inserted it into a little cup. Then I triumphantly approached my mom and offered her... "a cup of T." I believe there were witnesses - I always loved performing for an audience.

That episode of course leads me to one afternoon a decade later, about age 14. I was heading out with some friends and my mom asked me to "flip off the light switch on [your] way out." So of course, I approached the light switch in question, gracefully extended my middle finger in the gesture I'd been practicing since 5th grade, flashed a cheeky grin and held for applause. She may have thrown a pillow (well, what are "throw pillows" for, if not for throwing?). I don't remember much after that, so heady was my sense of superior comic timing. Or maybe she really nailed me with a pillow and gave me amnesia.

And I wonder where my kids get their seemingly innate sense of wry sarcasm and irony. Must be all that Simpsons and Family Guy they watch.

I'm On a Roll (and It's Not Even 10AM)