056. “Let’s Call Him Sue”

[In which our heroine observes odd names of places.]

Ah, a subtle reference to Johnny Cash. Sweet.

Anyway, I was perusing Google Maps (as I often do) and found a few hilariously named locations in the United States. Specifically Truth or Consequences, New Mexico; Cut and Shoot, Texas; and Spread Eagle, Wisconsin.

Where do people get these ideas!? Who thinks it is a good idea to call their town Cut and Shoot!? Well, maybe Texas can get a by with that one, but that would not fly in Connecticut. I will give some leeway for cultural influences and all that, but seriously, Truth or Consequences? Do residents choose which address they’ll have? Or is it a school district delineation? “This Friday, the Truth Tigers take on the Consequence Conquistadors in the battle of the week…”

055. Fail on Me

[In which our heroine admits defeat, but has good excuses.]

I know, I know. I said I’d post twice a week, and… I failed. Whoops. I mean, this has been a busy month! I’ve been keeping a list of things I’ve done, mostly because I’m trying to get myself to understand that there are things to do out here in the boonies (which often requires “making your own fun” but I’m getting used to that, too).

A few things that are on the “recently experienced” list…

Craft Nights: Don’t get down on the craft night, it is an excellent time for chatting, learning how to do that freakin’ stitch, and enjoying a friend’s iPhone (which I still don’t have and, yes, I’m bitter). And BONUS if you have a friend who’s an excellent cook (like I do; she’s amazing).

054. Holy Photoshop, Batman!

[In which our heroine is a little freaked out.]

I am all for the wonders of Photoshop; a little digital nip/tuck never hurt anyone. And, as shown in this Dove commercial, everyone and their mom in the ad industry uses it to tweak the way models look.

053. Here Comes Santa Claus

[In which our heroine bemoans the early onslaught of Christmas cheer.]

I know I’m not the first to say it, but Thanksgiving gets a bum wrap. It’s arguably the most patriotic holiday, marking the successful journey of the Pilgrims and the happy co-existence they achieved with Native Americans (later to be royally jacked up, but at the time it was chill) and the pre-official beginnings of the United States.

Then this thing called “capitalism” was put in play and Thanksgiving was relegated to the near-bottom of the “awesome holidays” list. This was accelerated, IMHO, by the combination of school-aged baby boomers and Christmas Coke.

052. A Bit o’ Humble Pie

[In which our heroine thanks the peeps.]

Just a quick duck in to the blogosphere to say a big THANK YOU to my friends (and any random people who have stumbled here unaware) who have checked out this blog and for the encouraging comments and emails. Thanks, peeps, I love ya tons. And I have more writing where that came from… I think… if I can think of more things to say…

051. 11:11

[In which our heroine brings Rufus Wainwright into your life.]

He’s dreamy and funny and flamboyant and incredibly talented. He recreated Judy Garland’s Carnegie Hall concert. He has a famous mom, famous dad, and famous sister. Oh, and he’s pretty famous, too.

One of the songs off Rufus’s 2003 album Want One is titled 11:11. I thought it was appropriate to share given today’s date. He also explains what the song is about (it’s not a happy subject, but it’s beautiful music); lyrics here.

And now you know Rufus and should go see him in person at the your next available chance. He is amazingly good live and tells good stories (instead of those “I dunno what I’m doing in front of people” performers; it’s clearly in his blood to be good at this). I won tickets to see him in Michigan and went by myself and had the best time, no lie.

050. Attack Ads… for Cell Phones..?

[In which our heroine discusses iPhone vs. iDon't.]

You’ve probably seen the following commercial for Verizon’s new cell phone, Droid, a would-be competitor to Apple’s iPhone.

But have you seen this Apple fanboy ad against the Droid commercial? Basically, these guys are using the internet to call Verizon on their monkey business and point out, IMHO, that we should leave the attack ads to the politicians.