NPR has a sense of humor

Two funnnny things from SF's local NPR station today:

1. Around 2pm, a quick news brief from the BBC was supposed to come on. Instead of the BBC news intro music, this is what happened:

SF Announcer: "And now, here's the BBC news."

...dead radio air...

Brit #1: "FUCK! This thing's not queued up"
Brit #2: "Oh...should I call someone? Wait...hang on...."
Brit #1: "%*#* ... should be on now..."
BBC Announcer: "And in the G8 summit today . . . blah blah blah"

...more dead radio air...

Brit #2: "Oh for Chrissakes...not working again.....let me...."
Brit #1: "Oh...fuck it...we gotta get someone"

...deaaaad air ...

SF Announcer: "Well. Seems as if BBC is experiencing some difficulties in-studio. Let's move on to local area news"

The whole thing only lasted a couple of minutes...but was HILARIOUS! I do wonder, though, how much the FCC is going to fine for this?


2. NPR ALSO ran a solid 15 minute segment on the string of German bunny rabbit murders. Apparently, there's been a rash of 40+ murders of pet bunnies in Germany. Someone has been breaking into rabbit hutches, decapitating the animals and leaving them bloodless for their owners to find. WTF????
One bunny owner has constructed a hutch which she affectionately calls "Fort Knox for bunnies," due to the many locks keeping her precious pets safe. The fear of rabbit-cide is driving many German bunny owners to hide their hutches in the woods. Some officials think that the murderer or murderers might be using geothermal imaging to determine which homes have rabbit hutches in their yards.

YES, people. A 15-minute segment was spent on this story. I can't even believe it. I mean...do you KNOW how freaking difficult it is these days to get news on say . . . the Iraq war? Afghanistan? But bunnies? Hell YES - we got bunnies.
I think we should sic Bunnicula on the killers. He would retaliate by sucking all their veggies dry!

ack ack ack

I am undergoing some allergy testing later on Wednesday. Which means I haven't had any allergy medicine for almost a week now (and I have bad allergies and asthma).

I was okay for a few days...and then yesterday...I started getting itchy!! ACK. It's so weird. My back and legs and arms all itch...like, I've been through poison ivy or something (and I have not!)

NOTHING in my routine has changed except for the meds. Weird. I'm just ready to see the doc, already.

Down to the wire

This news has been floating around the blogosphere and the MSM for a while now…but it is still shocking to me.
I mean…damn…it’s one thing to work at, say, an office and feel underappreciated, or not compensated for your time, efforts, whatever.
BUT let’s say your job entails putting yourself in physical danger everyday, voluntarily going where so many people will not go, and being away from your family/friends/life for more than a year at a time...and THEN you find out you might not have a paycheck after June 15th . . . ???!!!

WTF, Congress?! Can’t make up your mind?
Got spring fever and can’t wait for that Memorial Day BBQ you have planned?

holy crap batman! a weather-related post

Perhaps Al Gore is on to something. I saw his movie and yeah, it was scary. But I haven't thought about it for a while. (Does that make me a bad Californian?)

It's supposed to be 90+ degrees here today. In san francisco. NOT in the East Bay, South Bay or Marin...in those places it's supposed to be cresting the 100s, i believe.

We sometimes get weather like this in ... Sseptember or October (our real summerime) but mid-May? ack. People are going to start melting on the street. Nobody here is used to it. I might remark upon the temp, but I'm going to do my best not to complain...because I just looked at the forecast for our friends over in the 'sandbox' and weather.com was broadcasting nothing but a BOB in the sky and several successive days of triple digits.

Maybe I'll just keep a tally of how many people I hear say "it's hot" throughout the day.

The fog will come rolling back with reinforcements shortly.

**11:00 AM PST UPDATE** I'm not the only one blogging about the weather here today. Rona's got a good description of San Francisco's Annual Menopause.

dreamy

In general, I lean towards being an insomniac. I think part of it is that I find myself keeping the schedule of both a performer (late nights rehearsing leading up to performances) as well as that of a salaried minion (read: day-job). There are some nights - many - that I just can't get to sleep. I don't wind down. To the point of panic attacks, when I'm strung out enough. My doctor and I tried many things . . . and I've found melatonin supplements to be a HUGE help in combating said insomnia. The trouble happens when I wait to take it until there's not enough time to sleep without being groggy the next morning.

In any case, I've remembered to take it on a somewhat consistent basis over the last few days. And the best - and worst - part is the dreaming. I almost never ever remember my dreams when I don't take the melatonin, probably because I'm never really reaching that deep REM cycle.

The dreaming is the best and worst part because the dreams feel so real. And if they are nice dreams . . . well, that's one thing. But when they border on the nightmare-side of things...*shiver*. I could do without those, thank you very much. I can't quite remember last night's...but it was more on the scary side, as I remember waking up and feeling relieved to find myself at home in bed.

Sunday night's dream was just surreal: I was searching high and low for my chapstick. (Which, well - that's more like reality, really.) And Sibling was, too. And then we ended up in the grocery store, looking for the chapstick aisle, to no avail. It was very frustrating. Indeed.

Hummer-sighting update

Seen: 14 + one humvee limo driving the streets of SF. In one week.

A Passing Case of the Stupids

I think I inadvertantly came up with the title to the perfect break-up album:

The Soundscape of My Stupidity

Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? This was the phrase I used to describe the various and sundry exasperated sounds coming from my mouth today at work as I "accomplished" many stupid things. I couldn't get through one task today without some sort of stupid being infused into it. Lack of sleep, perhaps.

In any case, the evening - and the soundscape - ended with two blond-haired, blue-eyed girls singing the chorus of "Achy Breaky Heart" at the top of our lungs, much to the bemused horror of three speechless Brazilians rounding out the carpool in the backseat. And yes, we knew ALL of the words.

hilarious

Sibling *just* walked in the door with the best blog fodder. EVER.

My own personal DEVO HAT. That's right. The MacWorld party band was none other than the one and only DEVO. And my sweet brother fought off tens of drunken computer genii to bring me a hat.

I am so wearing it to work tomorrow. *Sweet*

motley crew, indeed

The last 10 keyword searches leading to this blog (in random - natch - order):

1. late night laundromat san francisco
2. marrakech whores [oh yeah - that's my favorite one hahahah]
3. The song where the chicken clucks all thru it, and no other singer
4. how do you spell rose in Greek
5. yanni chole
6. "Mr FdC"
7. katharos meaning
8. poems about laundry [Hey AZ, maybe you can help me out with this one...lol]
9. random point of view
10. nicholas sparks random facts

hilarious, the lot.

Proust's madeleine ain't got nothing on me . . .

I found out this evening that the mother of my closest friend from childhood (until about 6th grade) passed away very suddenly from a stroke.

Even though it has been many years since we've seen each other or even spoken . . . I have several years of memories inextricably linked to her and her family. For various and sundry reasons, ALL of these things have the ability to bring me immediately back to that time - that lifetime - so many years ago:
David Bowie, Labyrinth, Ouija boards, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Lip-syncing, pet pigs, parakeets and cockatils, Afghans, wicker rattan floor mats, red clay kitchen tiles, false eyelashes, castanets, flamenco dancing, guitar music, tying fly fish flies, hammocks, sprinklers, weeping willows, Barbie dolls, seances, the B-52's, "One Night in Bankok", Girl Scouts and Scout camp, 5th grade talent show, backyard chicken coops, sleepovers, jumping on the bed, cats sleeping on my head, hanukkah gifts, lighting a menorah and turning on the Christmas tree together, long braids, picking apples, supernatural stories, fortune-telling, a small scar on my ankle, Bethesda, overdoses, gothic art, Caddyshack, Mel Brooks, R-ratings, The Temp, Sea Monkeys, Shaving my legs for the first time, jumping into leaf piles, record players, Beetlejuice, roller skating in the basement, playing dress-up . . . and on and on.

My heart goes out to C, her siblings and her father. I wish I could be there to mourn with you this Friday - but I will send my prayers and love from here.

I know I'm stubborn, but . . .

I'm the woman with the volvo.

Tuesday was rough . . . I'm glad it's over.
Praising the Lord for:
His Mercy
My Volvo automatic locking doors
My Volvo strong-ass windows
My sibling, coworkers and friends for their support and prayers!
(Sibling and I haven't yet told the parents . . . they are under a lot of other stress at the moment. I guess if I end up testifying in court, I'll have to tell them at some point...hmmm.)

when worlds collide

seriously. my mind is blown. it's really funny.

i had lunch today with like...14 other people - about half of whom i knew previous to our lunching together. it was fun and we had a good time eating, laughing, getting to know one another.

fast foward to tonight. a few friends and i are self-described 'social experimenters'; ie: social network site users/chatters/etc which now and then provide the occasional date.

so, one of the 'social experiment' sites i hadn't checked in about...3 months or so. but i had a reminder email, so i thought i'd check it out. why not? bored, doing laundry, sure!

turns out i had a message in my box from someone, from back in July (when I was crazy). well, i recognized the person who sent me the message. from lunch today. WILD.

Seriously, part the second

Seriously:
We now have rules for our making of popcorn. The folks upstairs seem to not like the smell, so they bought us a new microwave, which we shall keep in our spare office and use under the following conditions ONLY:

1) Under no circumstances may anyone use the microwave in the spare office to cook or heat other food;

2) The microwave may be used no more than once a day for popcorn;

3) The window in the spare office must be left open to air the room in order to lessen the absorption of popcorn odor in the fabric walls;

4) The door to the spare office must be closed when making popcorn.

Steamin' hot cup of Hoffee

Watch this and laugh your arse off . . . !!!! Small print I have to include: That's right, it's Hofficial... your favourite cult icon wants to take you home! The one and only David Hasselhoff of "Bay Watch" and "Knight Rider" fame returns with a cover of the 1975 classic 'Jump In My Car' and its a doozy. Recorded in Sydney last year with the legendary Harry Vanda (AC/DC, The Angels), the Ted Mulry Gang tune has been re-vamped with full Hoff gusto and this music video promises to rock the socks off all his Hofficial fans. Watch it, enjoy it, share it on Google Video, courtesy of Sony BMG Australia. Want more? Buy the buy the track on iTunes Australia by clicking here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=155871591&s=143460

Sign of the apocalypse

(I meant to post this two days ago, but was interrupted by The Rant)

Heard on the radio Monday Morning:

"Kelsey Grammer to appear as THE ANGEL OF DEATH on Nbc's show The Medium."


wha...?


Does that strike anyone else as just being hilariously wrong??!