thinking way outside the box

SOPA (Stop Internet Piracy Act) is in the news. A much feared piece of possible legislation to allow the government to censor the interwebz on the flimsiest of grounds.
A group of concerned computer compatriots is considering launching their own satellites to move the interwebz beyond terrestrial control.
kewl :-)
Full story here.

Abby's skunk has 13 squeakers

It is noisy around here...

Abby has moved all the new toys to the bed

Tar claims the dragon. He's brave like that.

Abby haz had enough fun for now...

Found her, and her new baby, on the bed, crashed. Has been very exciting with Eldest home, people stopping by, presents, goodies and so much to be supervised.

Decorating the Dogs

Tar has brown and gold which disappear on him and Abby is loverly in red.

merry, merry, merry!

Eldest is home for three days :-) Doggies have new tennis balls to chase. The rest of us are healthy and whole. All is right with the world. xoxoxo to bloggie friends!

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree Update.3

So when the city saw the picture in the paper they were horrified!
The *tree* (actually a noxious and poisonous weed) was in a very dangerous
place - no parking, six lanes of traffic, it was an accident waiting to happen.
Watch out, Santa!
So the city removed it and the people haz a sad. Was the most commented story
in a long time on the paper's website.
But the city is not full of Grinches. Someone at the city potted the poisonous weed
up and presented it to the woman who originally added the first red ball (thus designating
it a Charlie Brown WeedTree).
The lady was grateful and placed the Charlie Brown WeedTree, with new decorations in a safer place.

Where it was stolen....

Abby tattles on the cats...

(Really she's just jealous!)

It is the law, Santa!

Local speed limit sign decked out for the holidays.

update on Charlie Brown tree

:-)

Felony Barbie Theft!!

Right here in Three River City!!
Two ladies loaded up a cart with purloined Barbies and booked it out of the store right in front of the employees. Employees took down the lisc. plate, called the fuzz and the Barbie-nappers were cornered! One woman is on the lam and the other in the slammer.
Barbies are in the evidence locker and are making a Lady Gaga video as we type.
Full story here

Warning! Do not stand still...

or The Light-nator will get you!

Charlie Brown, we've got your tree!

Photographer from the paper spotted this 'tree' here locally. It is actually a weed that grew up in the crack of the roadway and someone gave it the Charlie Brown treatment.

There is a dog there...

Tar looking out the window at the Christmas lights.

Top Chef Texas

For the tequila quickfire - somebody just should have used the worm for the protein. (Okay, now The Engineer sez there are no worms in tequila. Well, now we know who didn't pay attention in college...)

It was a particularly evil twist for the chefs to pick the bottom three teams. Surprised they hadn't thought of that before.

two heads, two tails and

eight legs are better than one.
Dogs on Alert.

The Mad Scientists are at it again

We have a lot of power producing potential in the PNW. Wind turbines abound, lots of hydro dams and The Engineer's glow-in-the-dark hamsters.
The wind turbines have to be shut down in the spring as the dams take first priority - they must run to keep optimum conditions for the fish. The power grid can't handle all the output if you added in wind power.
So one of the Mad Scientists out here is looking into storing wind power energy as compressed gas, below ground, in the very numerous basalt caverns that abound in our very volcanic formed land. A rock battery so to speak.
When needed the compressed gas is released (a number of different ways under study) to power turbines and produce energy.
Kewl.
Though I can foresee a good SyFy movie of the week with stuffed caverns seeking a release of pressure and popping off ALL the volcanoes around here, molten lava flowing down the rivers and Seattle sinking into Puget Sound.
Full story here.

It freezes your toes

Freezing fog is a staple around here in the winter. It will fall likes snow with big crystals. Abby finds it hard to keep up her patrol schedule. You won't see Tar here as he is szonked out on the bed.

Abby asks, 'why are you surprised?'

Squirrel pulls fire alarm -
and they have it on video.
The school was evacuated, the firetrucks arrived and the school was searched. No fire.
To the video tape! There in the kitchen is the squirrel scampering around, got bored, climbed up and pulled the fire alarm. Now, that's more like it!!
Once discovered 'a pest control unit was dispatched to the school kitchen to trap it. "He was released but he was given a stern talking to not to do it again," Henson joked.'

Abby sez, 'SEE! what have I been telling you?!!'

Full story here.

Are you old enough to know the question?

Had to go back a bit. Never watched the show but we sure knew who JR was. Had to look up who shot him...
Going to Southfork, as Padma said, was a given. I would have liked more information about the sauces. I was surprised they messed up so badly on the steaks.

When Mythbusters attack

Being a Mythbusters Geek I follow several cast members on Twitter. Grant and Tory were having a good time tweeting about the myth they were filming this week - cannonballs - you can imagine....
But all went wrong when one of the cannonballs left the Alameda County bomb range and went zooming thru a house, bounced off a roof, bounced across a roadway and into a minivan. Thankfully no-one was hurt!!
The tweets have been taken down, the show put on hold - tonight's episode removed from Discovery channel - the incident will be studied, the insurance company will descend and the lawyers will pow-wow.
Considering the amount of mayhem the show has filmed over the years it is amazing that they lasted this long without such an incident.
Full story here.

Any of you left handed?

Niece, brother and GB (youngest son and most dyslexic of Ponder children) are left handed. All very creative, outside the box thinkers and interestingly unique in their pursuits.
This article details recent studies about left handed-ism and the many routes it is acquired.
I'm not buying all of it, or at least, I think it is a little alarmist. But has some interesting stuff
for the lefties we love (or are).

(Loves this t-shirt - I'm Left Handed. What's Your Super Power?)

Tar has discovered static electricity

and yelps every time he gets zapped. Poor baby! He is very worried and will stand still forever after he gets zapped. I've put a pot of water on to boil. Abby thinks it is just another communication tool from her Master.

So many snails will be out of work!

Do any of you still pay bills via snail mail?
Raising hand.... I do.
But I may be dragged, kicking and screaming, to the interwebz by the post office.
(Economy boost - how many millions in late fees will this generate because folks don't catch the change...?)

"WASHINGTON—Facing bankruptcy, the U.S. Postal Service is pushing ahead with unprecedented cuts to first-class mail next spring that will slow delivery and, for the first time in 40 years, eliminate the chance for stamped letters to arrive the next day."

Full story here.

Abby's Christmas List

She wants Dress Up Squirrels.

24 Hour Catwalk

Starting January 10 on Lifetime.
From the website:

"Hosted by Alexa Chung, each episode gives four talented designers the chance to compete to create their own collection ... in just one day. After a first cut challenge and elimination that will test their innovation and aesthetic, the competition whittles down to two, each tasked with creating a themed collection for their own star-studded runway show.

Contestants will be on pins and needles when they, along with help of a talented and opinionated sewing team, must prepare to showcase their three-piece collection to the program’s judges, including Cynthia Rowley, Derek Blasberg and James LaForce. As the clock ticks down, "24 Hour Catwalk" will find out who has the vision, the talent and the endurance to put it all on the line in hopes of winning a cash prize and the chance to become the next "it" name in fashion."

Another Project Runway knock-off. All Stars starts the week before, on the 5th. How smart is that? Will give it a whirl.

Lifetime's page here.