Have a Mouse? You Can Paint Like Jackson Pollock

Now you can digitally paint like Jackson Pollock. Just click here and away you go. It's kind of addicting!

And a big thanks to Jay at Lassiter Space for posting this link. Very cool!

The Land of Tattoos and Piercings

The Associated Press recently reported that about 36 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo. About 33 percent of that age group have a body piercing other than their ear lobe. And 48 percent have either a tattoo or piercing. (About 24 percent of Americans between ages 18 and 50 have at least one tattoo).

That's a lot of tattoos and piercings. When I was in high school and college, I don't think I knew anyone that had a tattoo or piercing. I'm 39, so I know it wasn't as popular back when I was growing up. I guess after thinking about it, I'm not surprised by the high percentages of young people having tattoos since I see a a lot of tattoos on the small of women's' backs or on ankles, etc. I think it used to be that most of the tattoos were predominantly on male bodies, but I'm thinking that it might be split more evenly now.

I never seriously considered getting a tattoo or piercing. I would think of it in passing, but never thought of anything worthwhile. I guess I didn't/don't want to mark my body in a permanent way because my tastes change and I might not like the tattoo later on. I'd be afraid of selecting a tattoo based on a current passion of mine and then later on be totally passionless about that passion. Then what? I'm glad I never got a tattoo when I was really into antique bottle collecting (I no longer collect). Can you imagine, I could be walking around now with a tattoo of an old sarsaparilla bottle on my arm. Yeah - that would have been pretty.

Having said that, I don't have anything against tattoos or piercings - just not on me. I think some are pretty cool.

So, do you have any tattoos or piercings that you want to share with your fellow bloggers?

I Saw John Updike Last Night and the Red Sox Won!

Last night, I saw John Updike in Portsmouth, NH. Yes, THE John Updike – winner of 2 Pulitzer Prizes for fiction.

My evening started out by leaving work just as the Phillies made a run in the 9th inning to tie the score with the Boston Red Sox – ugh! And it’s double ugh because as one point, we were ahead 0-6. So, as I got into my car, I turned to the game. 10th inning – nothing. 11th inning – nothing. Top of the 12th inning, Philly scores one run. Darn! In order for us to keep in the game, we have to score at least one at the bottom of the 12th. So, I’m on the highway, listening to the bottom of the 12th, we have a couple of guys on base and bam – we drive home a run!! I make a screeching sound – kind of like Howard Deanish, but I’m in the car alone, so it’s ok. I also raise my arm with my hand in a fist - shaking it about as a “way to go” sign. And I see that the driver of the car in front of me does the same exact thing at the same time. He looked in his rearview and we knew we were both listening to the game. I passed him and we both had big stupid open-mouth smiles on our faces and our arms were raised (actually, only one arm - I did have to continue to steer). Anyhow, David Ortiz, aka Big Papi is on the mound. Does Philly pitch to him or intentionally walk him as they did in the last inning (Note: Papi won the previous game against Philly with a walk-off home run). Philly decides to pitch to him, otherwise bases would be loaded and Manny Ramirez is up next. So, it’s a tie score, bottom of the 12th, 2 outs and what does Papi do? He drives in the winning run!!! My night was off to a good start!!

So, I got to Portsmouth (which I love!) and ate at the Portsmouth Brewery which I was able to catch some of the highlights of the game. I had a veggie burger. It was pretty uneventful. I was by myself since Dick is on a business trip. Whenever I got out to eat by myself, I always feel sorry for the waiter/waitress who gets me since my bill isn’t very big – so I end up leaving a good size tip (on a percentage basis). But, 35 or 40% of not much is still not much. Oh well, at least they’re getting more than the usual 20% which would be pretty puny on a veggie burger and diet coke.

So, I notice that it was about 6:45 and John Updike was appearing at 7:30 at The Music Hall, so I finished up so that I had time to drop into River Run Book Store . This is one of my favorite little independently-owned book stores (which was closing early so that all its employees could attend the John Updike interview/book reading – especially since the book store was one of the show’s sponsors). I entered and of course had to buy Which Brings Me To You since it is on my wishlist, Bearette24 liked it and it was autographed by the author with the inscription “Love Hard” (some of the books were inscribed “Read Naked” – but that was scary, so I picked the “Love Hard”). Also, I try to support the local independent bookstores whenever I can. You pay full price for all the books, but its worth it for the experience of these delightful places (did I just say “delightful”? Jeesh!)

So, I get to the Music Hall, sit down and notice it’s packed. I think it was sold out, but there was an empty chair here and there. Tickets were quite reasonable - $12. I must embarrassingly admit that prior to last week, I had not read anything by John Updike. I started reading his new book, Terrorist, which is what he is currently promoting. I’m about 1/3 of the way through and am enjoying it. This event was sponsored by several organizations including the River Run Bookstore and NH Public Radio. John Updike was pretty interesting. He started off saying that he felt honored standing there in the footsteps of Mark Twain and Dan Brown. Everyone laughed as he was being a little sarcastic (Dan Brown had an even at the same music hall a few months back). He read from his book and then answered questions from the moderator and the audience questions that were on note cards. He had a lot of pithy comments on writing such as “Fiction is a product of ignorance as much as knowing.” – but there was so much wisdom from his mouth that it’s hard to remember it all verbatim. He really had the audience’s attention. And I picked up a signed first edition of Terrorist. BTW, his signature is rather small and messy - not what I expected from him.

All in all it was a very enjoyable evening.

Who Do You Want Over for Your Dinner Party?

Esquire just recently had a survey of 1,083 men age 25 and older. One of the questions asked who you would invite to a dinner party you are hosting. Actually, there were 2 questions - one one, you could invite 3 men and the other, you could invite 3 women. The Esquire respondents broke down as follows on the women:

Condoleezza Rice - 35%
Oprah Winfrey - 33%
Angelina Jolie - 30%
Julia Roberts - 28%
Faith Hill - 27%
Jennifer Aniston - 26%
Hillary Clinton - 21%
Katie Couric - 21%
Rachael Ray - 20%
Ellen DeGeneres - 19%
Jessica Simpson - 17%
Madonna - 11%
Dr. Laura Schlessinger - 9%
Maureen Dowd - 5%

I was surprised by Rice and Winfrey being 1 and 2. I thought Jolie and Aniston might have been 1 and 2.

Well, I have the following poll you can take. "Rock the vote" and all that stuff.

BTW, I'm not sure who I would invite. I've narrowed it down to Rice, Winfrey, Jolie, Clinton and DeGeneres. I'm not a Bush administration fan (actually, FAR from it), but I think Rice would be interesting to talk policy. I'm also not a big lover of Winfrey, but she has been so successful, she would be interesting, too. Jolie I admire because of what she is attempting to do in third world countries. Clinton...hmmmm...the more I think about it, the less I can think why I would want her at my dinner party. Maybe I'll scratch her off the list. And DeGeneres - I like her humor and she just seems nice.

So, who are you or who did you vote for? Like Diebold, voting is confidential and extremely accurate (cough, cough), so if you want to vote and not comment, that's absolutely fine. But if you want to share who you voted for, then please comment. (Oooooo, the suspense is killing me. I hope we don't have to do a recount - "Is that really a check or a dot or a chad...even though this is on the computer?)

You're hosting a dinner party and you can invite 3 women from the following list. Who's coming to dinner?
	Jennifer Aniston
	Hillary Clinton
	Katie Couric
	Ellen DeGeneres
	Maureen Dowd
	Faith Hill
	Angelina Jolie
	Madonna
	Rachel Ray
	Condoleezza Rice
	Julia Roberts
	Dr. Laura Schlessinger
	Jessica Simpson
	Oprah Winfrey
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Who knew you could have so much fun with some mints and soda?

Kids - don't try this at home.

And keep the Mentos as far away as possible to your Diet Coke!

AFI Top 100 Most Inspirational Movies

AFI just recently came out with its top 100 most inspirational movies as follows:

1. It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
3. Schindler's List, 1993
4. Rocky, 1976
5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939
6. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
7. The Grapes of Wrath, 1940
8. Breaking Away, 1979
9. Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
10. Saving Private Ryan, 1998
11. The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946
12. Apollo 13, 1995
13. Hoosiers, 1986
14. The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957
15. The Miracle Worker, 1962
16. Norma Rae, 1979
17. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975
18. The Diary of Anne Frank, 1959
19. The Right Stuff, 1983
20. Philadelphia, 1993
21. In the Heat of the Night, 1967
22. The Pride of the Yankees, 1942
23. The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
24. National Velvet, 1944
25. Sullivan's Travels, 1941
26. The Wizard of Oz, 1939
27. High Noon, 1952
28. Field of Dreams, 1989
29. Gandhi, 1982
30. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
31. Glory, 1989
32. Casablanca, 1942
33. City Lights, 1931
34. All the President's Men, 1976
35. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, 1967
36. On the Waterfront, 1954
37. Forrest Gump, 1994
38. Pinocchio, 1940
39. Star Wars, 1977
40. Mrs. Miniver, 1942
41. The Sound of Music, 1965
42. 12 Angry Men, 1957
43. Gone With the Wind, 1939
44. Spartacus, 1960
45. On Golden Pond, 1981
46. Lilies of the Field, 1963
47. 2001: a Space Odyssey, 1968
48. The African Queen, 1951
49. Meet John Doe, 1941
50. Seabiscuit, 2003
51. The Color Purple, 1985
52. Dead Poet's Society, 1989
53. Shane, 1953
54. Rudy, 1993
55. The Defiant Ones, 1958
56. Ben-Hur, 1959
57. Sergeant York, 1941
58. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977
59. Dances With Wolves, 1990
60. The Killing Fields, 1984
61. Sounder, 1972
62. Braveheart, 1995
63. Rain Man, 1988
64. The Black Stallion, 1979
65. A Raisin in the Sun, 1961
66. Silkwood, 1983
67. The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951
68. An Officer and a Gentleman, 1982
69. The Spirit of St. Louis, 1957
70. Coal Miner's Daughter, 1980
71. Cool Hand Luke, 1967
72. Dark Victory, 1939
73. Erin Brockovich, 2000
74. Gunga Din, 1939
75. The Verdict, 1982
76. Birdman of Alcatraz, 1962
77. Driving Miss Daisy, 1989
78. Thelma & Louise, 1991
79. The Ten Commandments, 1956
80. Babe, 1995
81. Boys Town, 1938
82. Fiddler on the Roof, 1971
83. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, 1936
84. Serpico, 1973
85. What's Love Got to Do With It, 1993
86. Stand and Deliver, 1988
87. Working Girl, 1988
88. Yankee Doodle Dandy, 1942
89. Harold and Maude, 1972
90. Hotel Rwanda, 2004
91. The Paper Chase, 1973
92. Fame, 1980
93. A Beautiful Mind, 2001
94. Captains Courageous, 1937
95. Places in the Heart, 1984
96. Searching for Bobby Fischer, 1993
97. Madame Curie, 1943
98. The Karate Kid, 1984
99. Ray, 2004
100. Chariots of Fire, 1981

I haven't seen all of these movies, but I agree with most of the ones I have seen that are on the list, BUT I can't believe It's A Wonderful Life is no. 1 on the list. I know that I'm probably in the minority on this, but I really didn't care for this movie. I think it's long (at least it feels that way) and boring. I didn't find it charming, inspirational or even cute.

I really don't know what movie would be my #1 most inspirational. I'll think about it and get back to you if I think of an all-time favorite. Oh, I just thought of one - Fever Pitch...well, ok, it wasn't a great movie, but the Red Sox win the World Series at the end of it. Now THAT is very inspirational!! :-)

Do you have any inspirational movies that are your favorites?

And thanks to Kvatch for the inspiration for this post.

Favorite and Least Favorite Subjects in High School

My favorite subject in high school was Math. I've always been good at math. I'm not sure which came first, my liking math which made me good at it OR being good at it, and therefore, liking it because I was good at it. Either way, math was my favorite subject. I especially loved algebra, although I didn't care for geometry much. I think I like the process of figuring out problems and the logic behind it. I'm sure that my love of math was definitely a reason for going into the accounting/finance field.

My least favorite subject in high school was Biology - basically any science was not my cup of tea. I disliked science so much that I ended up (and got away with) taking only one science course in all of high school - which was the required biology. The high school I went to made chemistry a required course, too, but I was lucky enough that this occurred the year I graduated. I just know I would have HATED chemistry. What's funny is that I now enjoy certain forms of science. I'm interested in neuroscience - how the brain works especially as to how it effects behavior and learning, etc.

I just thought of something. I took geometry and biology in my Sophomore year. Maybe it wasn't so much the classes that I didn't like, but the year. My Sophomore year was definitely my least favorite - although it could have been BECAUSE of taking those classes. Which came first?? Too much to think about...my head hurts...must get sleep :)

So, what were your favorite and least favorite subjects?

Too Much Pot Smoking, Maybe?

I just read the following incredible story on News of the Weird :

"In St. Paul, Minn., in May, an unnamed man, working out a community-service sentence by cleaning up for the next day's "graduation" at the St. Paul Police Department's dog training school, was caught with drugs by the senior canine "instructor," Buster. According to a report in the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune, the worker had brought six small bags of marijuana with him, even though assigned to the dog school. "I was going to smoke it when I was done working," he said. [Star Tribune, 5-26-06]"

Now, do you think he may have smoked too much pot in his day to think that it would be a good idea to bring marijuana to a police dog training school!!? These are dogs that are trained to sniff out drugs. Duh!

Self-Serve Gas Stations Are Illegal in New Jersey!?

I was watching The Daily show with Jon Stewart last week and they had a piece on someone trying to pass a bill so that NJ could have self-serve gas stations. Apparently, self-serve gas stations are banned in NJ (1 of 2 states in the US to not allow self-serve). It's pretty funny - especially when Ed Helms (the "news correspondent") interviews the gas stations' lobbyist. Watch it - you'll laugh at the absurdity of the lobbyist's reasons why NJ should not be allowed to have Self Serve Gas Stations.

Here is the link: No Self Serve Gas Stations in NJ

Ann Coulter and George Carlin on Leno

Well, I just read that Jay Leno will be hosting George Carlin and Ann Coulter on Wednesday night. Now THIS should be interesting. I don't think they quite see "eye to eye" on most things.

In case you're not familiar with Ann Coulter, she is an extremely conservative right-winger who is out promoting her newest book "Godless: The Church of Liberalism". Much to my amazement, her book is in the top 5 on Amazon.

She is known for here "notable" quotes. Here are some of them:

"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity."

"We need to execute people like (John Walker Lindh) in order to physically intimidate liberals."

"The swing voters -- I like to refer to them as the idiot voters because they don't have set philosophical principles. You're either a liberal or you're a conservative if you have an IQ above a toaster."

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

“Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.”

I will definitely be recording Leno and looking forward to the "discussion" between Coulter and Carlin.

BTW, in case you weren't sure - I can't stand Coulter. I like George Carlin and have seen him 3 times doing his stand-up comedy. "Go George!"

Wentworth by the Sea

Dick and I took his parents to Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle, NH (next to Portsmouth, NH) yesterday. It was a beautiful day since it was no longer raining - which seems to be the latest here in New England.

The Wentworth is right near the water and is an old hotel that was refurbished a couple of years ago.

We went there for lunch. It is such a nice dining room - very bright. You can see the painted dome of the restaurant below. I had the lobster roll (see pic) - with LOTS of big chunks of lobster. It was even more lobster than the picture shows (you should click on the picture to enlarge it - you'll salivate over it) - it was delicious! This is what I had the last time I came here and I was going to try something else, but I just loved the LB so much, I couldnt' resist getting it again. It is one of my favorite places for a lobster roll. I've also had the lobster bisque here, too and I highly recommend it. Dick's mom had the lobster and scallop stuffed sole and she liked that a lot.

We then drove around the bay and went to Portsmouth where we walked near the water and saw lots of beautiful greenery and flowers in and around Prescott Park. We then did a little shopping in Portsmouth. There were lots of people out and about - probably had cabin fever with all the rain we've been having.

On our way back, we stopped for ice cream in Stratham, NH (The Wright Place). HUGE ice creams!! I had the Coffee Cookies & Cream - yum!

All in all it was a fun, rain-free day! And it was topped of by watching the Tony Awards - life is good (even if The Drowsy Chaperone didn't win Best Musical)! :-)

Pictures of the United Nations

Here are some pictures of the UN. I was in NYC last month and toured the UN. It was pretty neat to see the General Council and Security Council meeting halls.

My Height

I just came across this question:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being your height?

Here are the disadvantages:

• I always get carded (this actually might be an advantage).
• Kids think you're one of them.
• Getting pedal extenders for the car.
• Not meeting the height requirement to ride the roller coaster.

And here are the advantages:

• I get half-price tickets to movies.
• I can kick people in the shins.
• If I trip and fall, I don't have very far to go.
• I can order from the kiddie menu.
• I'm the last one to get wet when it rains.

Oh yeah...nothing beats being 4'11" - except 5'0" - but I can always round up!

Sunday Morning Shows and The 2008 Presidential Election

Every Sunday morning, my DVR records the following news programs:

• This Week with George Stephanopoulos
• Meet the Press with Tim Russert
• Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer
• The Chris Matthews Show

I don't always watch every show - sometimes just parts of shows depending on topic and who is on.

This past Sunday, I ended up watching everything. On This Week, George S. interviewed Al Gore (Al Gore is promoting his new movie and book about Global Warming - The Inconvenient Truth) and he was asked about running for the presidency. Gore responded that he doesn't plan on it - but in my opinion, he left the door open.

On Meet The Press, Joe Biden was on discussing the usual current events (Iraq, politics, etc). Joe Biden has already announced his candidacy for President in 2008.

And on The Chris Matthews Show, there was talk about the 2008 Presidency - will she or won't she.

Then I logged on to Lassiter Space and Jay asked the following on his June 4th Post:

Who do you think will be the democratic candidate in '08? And who would you like to see the candidate be? (i guess that's two questions, if you'll allow....) Is it gonna be Hillary? Al? How about Joe Biden or Wes Clark? Who are you liking?

I responded as follows:

I think predicting presidential candidates 2 years before the election is a dangerous business - almost impossible. So many things can occur in the meantime - look at Bush's approval rating a year and a half after winning the election. Also, look at the last Democratic presidential race - there was a time there that everyone would have said Dean was going to win and thought that Kerry was definitely going to lose. Things change very quickly.

Having said that, I'm interested in Gore, Biden and Clark - and when I say interested, I mean hearing more of what they have to say and saying that so far I like what I hear. The problem I'm having with Clinton right now is that she appears to be bending...kind of like McCain going to Liberty University. The one thing I used to admire about McCain (and still do about Biden) is that he told it like it is - he was blunt and appeared an independent thinker. Also, I don't care for Clinton's vote for the war and what she has said since about it (I know Biden voted for it, but I have more respect for what he has said since and what he has proposed since.)Also, at this point, I don't know if Clinton could win in the general election - but who knows...so much can happen in 2 years.

What are your thoughts? Is anyone even thinking about 2008 except for the political pundits? It is early - but it seems that people start talking about, analyzing and predicting the next election as soon as the old one ends. It reminds me of how early Christmas decorations go up in stores - every year it seems to be earlier and earlier.

The Muppet Personality Test

Ok, this one is especially for Kvatch since he wants to be Dr. Bunsen Honeydew so badly. Good luck!

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

I'm Ernie - Who Are You?

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times. You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun. How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I saw this on Lisa's blog and thought it was cute - Thanks, Lisa!

Remote Controls - How many do you have?

“Nearly half of all US households have three or more remote controls, according to JupiterReserch. Only a 10th of the households have universal remotes, which can control many different devices.” - New York Times as reported in The Week May 12, 2006

I'm surprised that it is only half of US households that have 3 or more remote controls. We have 5:

• TV
• Cable/DVR
• DVD
• VCR
• Stereo