So many possible punchlines...but I have some class so I won't use any

So I'm reading CNN on the web this morning and I see that Anna Nicole Smith's quest for her dead octogenarian husband's fortune continues, this time before the Supreme Court in the US.

That's America for you.

And it appears that it's not even her real legal name, which is Vickie Lynn Marshall. Why is Anna Nicole that much better? They both sound like, oops, I'll keep that to myself since if memory serves, I know someone who has a relative with that name. *nevermind*

But the kicker is this priceless line, courtesy, once again, of CNN:

"The Bush administration is siding with Smith as a technical matter, arguing that the justices should protect federal court jurisdiction in such disputes."

Did you read that? George Bush is siding with Anna Nicole Smith.

That's America for you.

Only thing to do is go over the moon!

Yesterday afternoon Mom and I watched Rent on DVD. I love Rent. Probably not as much as Liz, but I certainly agree that it's a great story, with great music and a wonderful message, which I've written about here earlier. I had trouble keeping Mom awake watching it...I kept hollering over to her to watch my favourite part (Santa Fe) and Liz's (La Vie Boheme), and even though she was only here and there with it for most of the movie, in the end I had to get her a kleenex box. Yes, it's sad, but in the end, and I'm sure Liz would agree, it's a good cry, man. And the good cry is always worth it. Even the fourth time around (for me at least).

So I was thinking about Rent this morning, as well as my conversation with Liz yesterday, and my mochaccino and ice cream with Nancy last night and thinking about how incredibly flipping lucky I am to have such great friends. I mean, there I was a few months back telling Liz about how I was interested in seeing a bunch of plasticized dead bodies at the Science Centre and how many people would immediately say "COOL" to that? Of course, as you can see from the previous post, we went. And how great is it to fantasize with her about how much better things would be if she and I were in charge of things. Okay, I know it's not really that simple, but it always makes me feel so much better when we go down that road. And it was so great to tell Nancy about my crazy life last night and have her laugh out loud with me at all the ridiculous things, tease me about the silly things and sympathize with me about the strange and scary things.

I guess what I'm saying is that good friends can TOTALLY keep you sane. So thanks to Liz and Nancy for finishing my sentences, gently pushing me back in line when I need it and keeping me from drowning in the deep end on a regular basis. And my sympathies to those of you out there who don't have such great people in your lives yet.

vivir para siempre

Went to see the Bodyworlds exhibit at the Science Centre with Liz on Friday. I'd wanted to go see it since it came last fall, but in true Lise fashion I put it off, and put it off...

But the good news is that it was well worth it. The more I think about having seen it, the better I feel about having gone. Bodyworlds is an exhibit of actual human bodies (or parts thereof) preserved through a process called plastination that allows them to be molded into specific shapes and viewed.

It's not gross at all, just fascinating. I guess I could see how some people might find it gross, but it's really not for those of us CSI-loving TLC kinda freaks.

So Alex asked me if I'd want my body donated to this program. Sorry, but the answer is no. I think if there's something in me that's useful to someone else, like my kidneys, or heart, or whatever, then donating my body to this guy is just as bad as burying me whole. I guess if it's not useful, or at least the leftover bits, yeah sure, this guy can have them.

Still, I think there is a lot of value in exposing people to the inner science of their bodies. I for one don't think too much about it...far less than I probably should really. By contrast, it also makes you think about how the body really isn't the thing that makes you you. In the end, it really is just a pile of extraneous stuff, isn't it?

Nature v. Nurture

I'm waiting for my clothes to dry so I can get into my pj's and snuggle in to watch some Anderson Cooper and in surfing random blogs I'm coming across a lot of people who say they are from Winnipeg. I suppose this could have something to do with 'cookies' (I wouldn't put it past "them"), but I prefer to believe that a lot of good and smart people come from Winnipeg.

We have only three living plants in this house left. Actually, two arrived for Christmas and I am desperately trying to hang on to them. I started out by typing "living things" and then I realized how complicated it could get writing that while having to account for the people who live here, the people who sometimes live here, my baby Moj, and well, lets be frank, the odd bug or vermin that I have yet to come across (thankfully?) and that squirrel who stayed for a bit back in January.

But the plants, yes. And this very thing may be my problem. You have to be some hardy foliage to survive here. I mean I killed the rubber tree plant after Mom wasn't taking care of it anymore. And now the two whatchimacallit Christmas plants, oh yeah, pointsettias, are mostly just sticks and dead leaves. Of course who's bright idea was it to make a plant that clearly is more suited to a warm desert like environment a Christmas tradition. Well, I guess it makes sense if your plan is to keep it indoors over Christmas. And desert like conditions is what I treat them to when I forget all about them for days on end.

I'm trying okay! And besides, Lisa says I won't be good at this plant stuff until I'm older. You have to grow into these things.

And I'd also like to point out that the dog is FINE and well watered and fed.

If only those fucking pointsettias could be a bit more self-sufficient and bark when then need something.

Be vewy vewy quiet, we're hunting I-wackies

Okay, Liz tipped me off to this yesterday...apparently the Veep shot someone. It would be funny if it wasn't so scary. On the other hand... ya gotta laugh man! I admit I shamelessly took the title of this post from this article. hehe.

But if I did, well really, what's it to ya?

It's Sunday, and I've had Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah on my mind, except in my mind it's sung by kd lang instead.

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Road to Nowhere?

I will not be complaining about snow anymore. Okay I will, but I'll feel guilty about it. Still, if you buy a house in a subdivision called "Road to Nowhere" perhaps you should have seen it coming?

So, Canadian politics has proven yet again that plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. There's Stephen Harper, appointing a guy to the Senate, accepting a maverick MP under his right wing and even giving a uniligual anglo the francophonie portfolio.

I think it's fair to say that I feel disappointed in the complete lack of leadership from every front. Consistency people! It's difficult, I know, but you have to get it together better.

Thank god!

Because it's been so useful since then....

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

Of course I feel quite proud of myself for getting a perfect score, but in reality I remember nothing of 8th grade science and close to 100% of anything Anderson Cooper says...

It's so last year...

Good song. Not sure it fits exactly, but it's better than some of the options.

Your 2005 Song Is

Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson "But since you've been gone I can breathe for the first time I'm so moving on" In 2005, you moved on.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

360

Heaven! Anderson Cooper has a blog. Well it's sort of his blog, it's for his show really, which means other people associated with the show also post to it. But hey, I'll take what I can get *mwah*. Shit, I missed him on Oprah yesterday. If I'd actually made it out of work early like I planned I might have seen him.

I've spent some time back with The National this week and stumbled on a doc about Dr. Ranjit Chandra, formerly associated with Memorial University and apparently quite a spectacular cheat. And there was MUN washing it's hands of the whole problem. It's the journals that published his whimsical imaginations about immunization and nutrition in infants that are responsible to prove his theory wrong. Even though there's a mountain of evidence that, according to the CBC and his former nurse assistant, are patently untrue.

So, you might think that MUN is equally lenient on academic dishonesty when it comes to students. Come one, come all, to Memorial and copy your friends papers word for word, we don't care, you'll get a degree all the same?

What? They don't condone student plagiarism? Sounds like a double standard.... Oh wait, maybe they get more $$ from the researchers than they can bleed from the students. That explains it!