I’ve been in a funk for a while now.  I wouldn’t say I’ve been depressed, I just haven’t been enjoying things the way I used to and my frustration level has been high.  A funk, a funk I say.  So when I saw Zombie Slayer’s recent post about the things he likes, I thought, “That’s what I need to do, a list of things I’m diggin’ on.” Let’s see how many I can actually come up with.

1. Warehouse 13 — Secret Service agents searching for dangerous, supernatural relics? Check. The chick from Drake and Josh? Check. Elements of Steampunk? Check. Saul Rubinek? Aww yeah, check!

2. Super Cute Kawaii — Make sure you get a super-sized dose of insulin before checking in with Monsieur Le Bun. When you’re done there, check out Cuteable.com.

3. Leverage — I know, it’s another television show, but I dearly love it. Clever cons, great one-liners and a fabulous cast.

4. Nancy Drew games by Her Interactive — I have all but one of the games, and I play them over and over. I like both the Original Adventure series and the new Dossier series. There’s brain stimulating puzzles and fun characters. Well, the newest game, Ransom of the Seven Ships, was a little low on puzzles and characters, but the rest are great.

5. Penpals — The old school kind. Where you actually have to use a pen and paper. Whoa, I know, what a concept!

6. The Northwest Montana Fair — I don’t usually have a good time at the fair, but this year I was really looking forward to it. Dan gets sick on rides, so this year I decided I’d just go on them by myself. I’m glad I did; I’d forgotten how much fun they can be. Fair food isn’t quite as good up here as it is back east, but I was able to enjoy my pulled pork sandwich in spite of it.

7. Cow Pooling — Anyone wanna share a side of beef with me?

8. My dog, Bella — I’ve had dogs in my life, but Bella is THE dog. The best dog I’ve ever had, and I love her to bits!

9. Bento Boxes — I just got my first one and I can’t wait to pack my lunch! I also got six egg molds so I can shape hard-boiled eggs.

And I guess nine is all I’ve got.

What are some things you’re lovin’ right now?

Well, I started this list when I started my blog in February of 2005 and I’ve finally finished. I was going to let it sit for a few more years so I could conveniently edit things out, but I figured, “Aw, what the hell, I’ll just post it anyway.” If you feel the urge to say something snarky, sit down and wait for it to pass. I didn’t say it was 100 interesting things about me. (And yes, there’s someone in particular who I expect to be a rather vicious commentator — but that’s OK, ’cause I can be pretty vicious, too.)

1. I don’t swim, won’t swim and I’m terrified of deep water. Really, I’m so terrified of water, I might have rabies. (Not really, I bathe and stuff.)

2. I religiously watched Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. I’m so ashamed.

3. I have an insane magazine habit. I love magazines!

4. I pun. I’ve also been known to quip.

5. I wear contacts. My vision is the suck. Oh, and I hate wearing my glasses!

6. My three deserted island foods are beef tenderloin, avocados and raspberries.

7. I rule at the game of Risk. World domination is my thing. However, I lose my ass at chess.

8. I know it’s cliché, but I’m a shoe girl.

9. I put salt on almost everything. I only put pepper on fried eggs and popcorn. Also, ketchup must have ample amounts of Tabasco.

10. My all-time favourite actors are Kevin Spacey and Kathy Bates.

11. If I believed in past-lives, I would have been: an ancient Egyptian, a Ninja, an Old-West outlaw and a southern not-so-belle. But I don’t believe in past lives, so only this one counts.

12. I should be studying for an upcoming Philosophy quiz. (Wow! How long ago did I start this list?)

13. I can watch old episodes of Roseanne, Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer over and over (…and over).

14. I have freakishly long fingers.

15. David Copperfield is my favourite book.

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This guy was spotted at Woodland Park here in Kalispell. It appears to be a gull type, but has a somewhat straighter, pointed beak and thinner legs with webbed feet. I thought it might be a tern, but I couldn’t find one that looks like this guy. We’ve never seen this bird before, so we have no idea what it is. It also had a high pitched, short call that was nothing like a seagull. Any ideas?

Click the photos to get a larger version.

Eye tink dis mah favrit lol evar!

see more crazy cat pics

I didn’t get tagged for this, but I’m doing it anyway; five, non-blog sites I visit daily:

1. At first I didn’t get it, but I’ve become obsessed (or is it possessed?) with LOL Cats. Sure, some of them just aren’t funny, and it’s absolute murder to read the comments, but the funny ones? Ohmigosh are they funny!

see more crazy cat pics

2. Postcrossing helps feed my urge to see the world, without having to go any farther than my mailbox. I’m up 109 110 postcards from around the world. It’s also a relatively cheap hobby.

3. I know, I know, who needs to register for yet another social networking site? But Livemocha is a little different. It’s entirely geared towards language instruction. You can take courses that are similar to Rosetta Stone, and converse with native speakers of the language you’re learning. I’m still hoping that they add Irish language instruction to their list of available languages, though.

4. I like to cook, right? Actually, it’s more accurate to say that I like good food. Sometimes I just throw stuff together, and sometimes I try what others have just thrown together. That’s why I spend way too much time on All Recipes. I also found the BEST Colcannon recipe on All Recipes. Wanna try it?

Colcannon
INGREDIENTS
  * 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
  * 4 slices bacon (I like to add a bit more)
  * 1/2 small head cabbage, chopped
  * 1 large onion, chopped
  * 1/2 cup milk
  * salt and pepper to taste
  * 1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
*Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.
*Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside. In the reserved drippings, sauté the cabbage and onion until soft and translucent. Putting a lid on the pan helps the vegetables cook faster.
*Drain the cooked potatoes, mash with milk and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions, then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the melted butter. Serve immediately.

5. Even though I haven’t updated my reading list in a long while, I do still read, and I’m cheap, so I peruse the listed books on Paperback Swap. I really wish I hadn’t wasted a credit on Flowers for Algernon, but hey, I can re-list it, and send it to someone else!

So there it is. Five places where I enjoy wasting time. No, I’m not going to tag anyone, but I’d love to know what five, non-blog sites you visit frequently.

PET RULES

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door – nose height.

Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack.
Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same doo r I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years –canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That’s why they call it “fur”niture.)
3. To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

1. Eat less
2. Don’t ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don’t hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don’t smoke or drink
8. Don’t have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don’t want to wear your clothes
10. Don’t need a gazillion dollars for college, and…
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

So, I haven’t put up a significant post in a while, some would say ever, and I really haven’t posted any photos in a while.

I’m currently trudging through a pile of magazines that seems endless. Maybe I should seek help for my magazine addiction. I’m about two chapters into The Golden Compass, and I’m finding that I really like it, but then another magazine says, “No, read ME!”

Christmas was alright, and I slept through New Years. New Years has just never been that exciting to me. Dan and I each received a ten dollar gift card to Borders, which I used online to get Wordpress for Dummies and DragonArt. I am sorely unimpressed with DHL’s delivery service. I ordered both books separately (which is a whole ‘nother story), and the first book arrived about 10 days late, while the second book came two days before the first one was due to arrive. Why one book needed to go from Arizona to Ohio to Utah to Montana, while the other only went from Arizona to Montana, I’ll never know.

I had the distinct pleasure of restoring our computer to factory settings. The sfc /scannow command yielded a lovely corrupt file it couldn’t repair which was causing software to stop running. I tried every possible fix I could find online, which included a system restore to a point saved on December 29. That was a mistake which caused I-don’t-know-how-many registry errors. If I try to look on the bright side, it’s almost like getting a new computer all over again. Wait, there’s all that advertising to remove, Windows Vista security to turn off, patches to install, yada yada. There is no bright side. None at’all.

Ah well, it’s done now. And I always have cats to entertain me.

This cartoon perfectly illustrates the reason cat lovers can be glad that our feline companions don’t have opposable thumbs!

Stolen

The Weebit [Jazz] here, is a horrible junkie. I have a small basket to keep cat toys, treats and drugs [catnip] in. The little thief will dig to the bottom of the basket, throwing out toys and treats, just to grab this container by the lip on the bottom and steal it. Between her and the other five fiends, they have bitten so many holes in the plastic bucket that it’s not even necessary to have the catnip itself. Jazz is also talented enough to pack the bucket around to where ever she wants to get her frenzy on. She will eventually end up getting the munchies before passing out on the bed. If she does ever get the craving for more I’m sure she’ll quickly learn to get the lid off the container. For her sake, and mine, let’s hope that never happens.

Forgive me for the lame post, the FVCC is a hot-bed of influenza.

Must. Have. It.