Baaab the Plushy White Sheep

I finally did it. I bought the cutest stuffed animal ever! You are going to want one too when you see it. The even cooler part-- I know the amazing gal who creates these guys. Believe it or not, back in my freshman days I actually got to share a dorm room with this talented genius! Further than that we are still friends!!! I hope some of her genius rubbed off on me!!!

I introduce to you Baaab Robertson, the Plushy White Sheep:




Description (written by creator):

"Baaab has a bit of a lemming complex. Maybe it's because of his mismatched eyes, but he's always had a bit of a self esteem problem. But he's happy to tag along and do whatever you're doing.Baaab sits on his own at 6.5" tall and is 6.5" wide. He's in dire need of a shearing.He has a super soft polyester fiberfill with a few jingle bells mixed in to make him fun to throw around. His ears are as soft as, well lamb's ears. Really, it was the softest, sweetest fabric I could find to fill the role. Baaab is unsuitable for children under three because of his button eyes. If you prefer, I can ship a different Baaab with child-proof safety eyes instead that is safe for children of all ages."



If you too want a super cool Flaky Friend, head on over to the Etsy Store. Even if just to check out the cool animals my friend comes up with! I promise you'll love it!

Belief-o-Matic

In the search for truth and meaning people have used various methods for choosing their ultimate religion. Prayer has been a major component for some. Following the religious traditions of one's parents is also a common path. Others spend years going from congregation to congregation looking for truth. Reading books of scripture is yet another path. Missionaries from various faith bring religion to other seekers.

It is no secret that the quest for truth has never been an easy one. Never until now, that is.


I introduce to you Belief-o-Matic. ("o-Matic" of course is from the Irish for "ridiculously simple and easy"). This computer based quiz can give you a list of the best religion for you, and your percentage of compatibility with each.

Has finding religion ever been so easy?! No more spending years going from congregation to congregation. No more expensive trips to Asian countries to understand the essence of a particular sect. Just 20 simple questions and you can be on your way to the new religion that is right for you!

In addition to giving you the top choice for you, Belief-o-Matic will also give you the next 26 religions that you might want to consider! I was relieved to find that although I chose my religion before the benefits of Belief-o-Matic were available, I chose correctly.

So, go ahead, give it try! See if you are currently in the right religion or if you should consider moving on! ;)

Thanks Brett for introducing me to this new wonder in the field of religion!


For those interested, here were my results:
1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (100%)
2. Jehovah's Witness (82%)
3. Orthodox Judaism (79%)
4. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (71%)
5. Bahá'í Faith (71%)
6. Islam (68%)
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (65%)
8. Sikhism (65%)
9. Reform Judaism (58%)
10. Eastern Orthodox (53%)
11. Roman Catholic (53%)
12. Orthodox Quaker (49%)
13. Seventh Day Adventist (45%)
14. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (44%)
15. Liberal Quakers (43%)
16. Jainism (40%)
17. Hinduism (37%)
18. Unitarian Universalism (35%)
19. Mahayana Buddhism (32%)
20. Theravada Buddhism (31%)
21. Neo-Pagan (27%)
22. New Thought (27%)
23. Scientology (24%)
24. New Age (23%)
25. Nontheist (17%)
26. Secular Humanism (17%)
27. Taoism (15%)

Warning: Belief-O-Matic™ assumes no legal liability for the ultimate fate of your soul.

Fun Food!

Leave it to the Japanese to make a lunch box meal (obento) look this cool! I bet your peanut butter and jelly is looking a little under decorated right about now!

Thanks Sienna for the great forward!!

Die Hard, or Breakup

Racing down the busy road, clinging to the top of the car for his life, Will sent a powerful punch through the driver's side window. The driver swerved to throw him off. As they grazed passing cars he got another good punch in the side. The airbag had deployed, but the driver continued down the road swerving this way and that. This was no ordinary fight. This time it was personal. Will punched again and again, clinging to the car with one hand before they came to a sudden halt. The driver got out, armed with the now deflated air-bag and proceeded to use it as a weapon against him.

* * *

Unfortunately, "Will" isn't a cute nickname for Bruce Willis. Nor is it a pseudonym for Harrison Ford or Vin Diesel. "Will," in this story, refers to New York state resident William Kremer.

The police were soon on the scene in Haverstraw, NY where they arrested both William Kremer and the driver; the driver who also just happened to be Will's girlfriend, Stacey Sperrazza.

In what could be called an unusual domestic dispute, Kremer jumped onto Sperrazza's car and punched her through the window while she drove more than a mile down Route 202 with the airbag inflated, hitting multiple cars along the way.

Kremer was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of assault, while girlfriend Sperrazza was booked with a felony charge of reckless endangerment.

Somehow the action hero persona is lost--no matter what you do clinging to the top of a moving vehicle--when the person in that vehicle is your girlfriend. Better luck next time Will.

How Many Art Historians Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb?

When you live in an apartment cared for by a management company, you often get management company quality appliances and apparatus. The Aspen Ridge company has the honor of managing our apartment, and they have installed some "high quality" light fixtures in our place. When a light bulb went out recently I undertook to replace it. This proved no easy task.

The first problem came when my attempt to save money by buying the "Great Value" brand proved a poor idea. My great value will probably cost me more in gas to return the box of light bulbs than I saved in the first place.

The second problem came when I realised that hold your arms up long enough to turn the glass part of the light fixture off required the preparation of carrying 25lbs over your head for 30 minutes everyday. As I had not made this preparation, I'm not sure I'll be able to raise my arms tomorrow.

If you look closely at the picture you can see the "great value" the management company got when they replaced this fixture, and the care they took to cover the paint circle created when the old fixture was removed. A great deal of dexterity, endurance and patience was needed to get the glass part over the long metal part hanging from the ceiling and then to match the little screw part to fit through the glass and onto the metal part. This was where my non-existent arm strength came into play. I dropped the little screw part at least three times.

I was afraid I would have to wait for my art historian roommate to get home to help me finish this job. I gave it a few more tries and actually got all the parts to match up. I stretched the endurance of my arms to the limit and turned the glass portion approximately 97.3 times and voila! I had changed the light bulb.

And so, it has been proved that the answer, after all, is that one, weak-armed art historian can indeed change a light bulb by herself, no matter the cheapness of her management company.

Pear Budget!

"'My other piece of advice, Copperfield,' said Mr. Micawber, 'you know. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought six, result misery.'"

-Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Chapter XII.

Budgeting is not my strong point. Don't get me wrong I'm not a spendthrift. I think out most of my purchases and have no problem shopping at the dollar store or Big Lots if I know I can find what I need for a better price without losing out on too much value. But writing numbers down, trying to make Excel spreadsheets, trying to actually account for money-- the bottom line here is that I hate it. I'm not sure I've ever lasted longer than a month. Until now I've just been following the budgeting plan of not spending more than is in my bank account and trying to transfer something into savings.

But no more. I've found what may very well be my new all-time budgeting solution. Pear Budget. This simple on-line budgeting plan is so easy that it was almost fun to me! It was developed by a husband and wife team who themselves were working with budgeting. It is in its beta form now and so it is free! When the beta testing is over, it will only cost $3/mo. Your money situation will be so good by that time, you'll already have it planned in! How much more affordable can you get?!

So head on over to Pear Budget and check it out, I think you're gonna like it! :)

(Thanks Vanessa for introducing this to me!!)

The Utah Flash Game!

Last Friday I got to participate in a fabulous activity! A generous donor, whom I am connected with, gave a sum of money and another donor comped 100 plus tickets and the Boys and Girls Club of Utah County got to go to a Utah Flash game! The Utah Flash are a D-League basketball team that play at UVSC. It was so much fun!

In addition to the game, each kid got a food voucher for a hot dog, a soda and a candy. They also got to go early and watch the players warm up, they got to help out at half-time and form the "fan tunnel" (the line of people the players run through, high-fiving, as they are announced before the game).

Just imagine 100 kids with thunder sticks in one sections. then give each kid a 32oz. Coke and a bag of candy. Ha! It was a blast. I have so much respect for the great people who run the Boys and Girls Club-- they have so much patience! I love the Boys and Girls Club because it gives any kid a chance to have a great place to go after school. There are all types of activities and great volunteers and staff members who provide examples to get them going in the right direction. Kids from all walks of life come in and there really is a club-like atmosphere of taking care of each other that you can feel. Really great stuff.

My favorite part of the event was watching my brother bond with a cute little guy named Carlos. Carlos kept taking Tim's phone to check the time. It was funny. Tim was so patient with him.

All in all there were alot of happy kids last Friday night, and it warmed my heart to no end. I hope I can do more with this great organization!

Doubting Thomas

Caravaggio, Doubting Thomas, 1597


Thomas Kincade, Everett's Cottage, 1998

Ben Steele, Doubting Thomas, 2007

One Sheet

What can you make with one sheet of paper?
Peter Callesen can do alot! Check out his site. This stuff is really cool!!

The Perfect Dress?

The Twisted Baloon Dress is the answer for your next formal occassion! This dress is as light as air with a beautiful pattern. This dress says delicate, but fun too. (Just make sure your date doesn't bring a pin!)




So, the next time you're at a restaurant where a balloon twisting clown is making the rounds, ask him to whip you up one of these babies!

You Can't Wear That on This Flight

You may remember back in September the complaints lodged against Southwest Airlines by a young woman who was told by a stewdard that her outfit was too skimpy, and that she must deboard the plane. Embarrassed, this woman readjusted her shirt and skirt to more "appropriately" cover herself, and was permitted back on the plane. She wore the same outfit on her return flight and no one stopped her. Southwest did nothing until she took her story to the Today show, and wore the same outift that got her kicked off the plane.

Since Southwest has no dresscode, I think that this woman was treated rather poorly. How can someone follow a non-existant code? As long as she wasn't breaking the law, I think she was fine.

But if you've felt the claws of dress codes holding you back as you travel from place to place, there is now new light for you in Germany. Warnings of "you can't wear that on this flight" will soon take on a whole differnt meaning. The travel agency OssiUrlaub.de will soon begin offering nudist flights. That's right--you can enjoy sailing through the air in a plane sans your itchy, irritating garb, and enjoy the freedom that only nudity can bring.

Now before you run down to the nearest airport in this state of comfort, be forewarned that you must enter and exit the plane clothed. The durration of the trip, however, may be spent in whatever state of dress you like best. I think that maybe, if they got some slightly less prudish flight attendants, Southwest might be able to tap into this niche market themselves here in America.

Long Live the Right to Fly Nude!