Dance, Dance, Dance! (And Update from the Groundcover Wars)

I missed my Wednesday posting because of work, I have a stack of books ready to be reviewed, and I want to write about dance. For this, I blame/credit  my friend Dana. But more on that below.

First, last spring I wrote about  planting several groundcovers in hopes they would overtake the useless grass, which I hate mowing. Well, folks, we have a winner: Creeping Jenny. In my back yard, it’s more like Galloping Jenny. A tiny plant in a 2-inch by 2-inch pot took over a space that is roughly 8 square feet. I love it! It can be invasive, which is fine. I’ll kill it where I want to plant other plants, and keep it everywhere else. I have the Golden variety, which is less invasive and, to my mind, more interesting. I’ve planted four of these in my tiny front yard, hoping that by next summer, my grass can be handled with mere weed-whacking.

Now, on to dancing! It’s a cold, cruel world, filled with wars and the military troops we use to fight those wars. The best soldiers are trained in a variety of skills. For example, from Pundit Kitchen:

Okay, so that’s pretty silly. But is it sillier than dancing scientists? As I mentioned, in another context, my friend Dana linked to the AAAS annual “Dance Your PhD Thesis” competition. This was the best, or so I thought. I especially like the guy who’s supposed to be the free cell or random particle or whatever:

Finally, from my friend Terri, we have Frosty, a dancing bird. There are several Frosty videos, but I chose this one because he seems happiest and most spontaneous here:

The Dreamer vs the Cynics

I am slammed with work and I am normally on a Wednesday and Saturday posting schedule for this blog, but I had to put this up ASAP.

This is the most amazing thing I’ve seen in a long time, and everyone says it brings tears to their eyes. This 47-year-old woman who didn’t look like anything special went on Britain’s Got Talent and was possibly the most amazing undiscovered singer ever. And the reaction to her is  fantastic. This is a must-see. Enjoy.

P.S. Embedding is apparently not allowed. So here is the URL for you to follow.

Happy Link Day — And I Do Mean “Happy”

If these do not make you smile, you are dead.

This is the new hot video on YouTube. Extreme sheep indeed! Let’s give credit to the gentlemen from Wales and, especially, their border collies.

Next, we have the pinnacle of cute. There is nothing cuter than this.

Remember the original Hamster Dance? It’s back!

And, finally, there is Owl Cam. A pair of owls hatched an egg in a planter outside an office building in Viera, Florida, and the baby can be seen during daylight hours. Late in the afternoon, one of the adults brings her a small, fuzzy, dead thing to nibble on, and she is so delighted with it.

Enjoy!

Reality TV: Top Chef, The Bachelor, and American Idol

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I have a predilection towards so-called “reality TV.” I think “unscripted” is a better term, although even that term is too kind for some shows.

The fifth season of Top Chef ended this week, and although I love the show, I was disappointed with the season overall. I thought this was a relatively weak group of chefs compared to previous seasons, and many of the stronger chefs fizzled, burnt out, or otherwise had issues. My two favorites from the cast were Carla Hall, who came in third, and Fabio Viviani, who came in fourth. Both had strong, vivid personalities and distinctive cooking styles. In a more realistic environment, where they can think about menus, test recipes before serving them, and work out the kinks if something isn’t perfect, I imagine them to be beyond excellent. I would love to eat their cooking! So a “hootie-hoo” to Carla and a “grazie” to Fabio for making the season more entertaining and giving me someone to care about. I’m already looking forward to the next iteration of Top Chef.

By contrast, we have the complete and utter mess known as The Bachelor. One would expect that a so-called reality TV show would keep to its premise about 90% of the time, but in this case, one would be wrong. The level of manipulation on this show is so deep, it makes you wonder why they don’t just hire actors — except they have done that, with mixed results. Anyway, this latest season has sunk to new depths. Fortunately, Reality Steve explains it all to you. If you want to see the sordid underside of “reality” TV, Steve will lift up the rock and show you all the dirty, squirming vermin. This show is as much about romance as a kitten is about quantum physics.

Then there’s American Idol. I don’t care what is or isn’t manipulated on that show. I keep it on mute most of the time, except when there’s singing by someone who’s competent or better. Then I wait for them to release their music after the show. One former contestant with a new CD is Melinda Doolittle. Remember her? Back-up singer with a big voice and an overly-humble attitude? I don’t know about the attitude, but she’s still got the big voice. Her soul and R&B CD, Coming Back to You, is great! I’m listening to it right now, and I love it. I took the chance and bought the whole CD instead of doing individual downloads, and I’m glad I did because I would choose to download 11 of the 13 selections. If you want to download some sample cuts, my favorites are Walkin’ Blues, If I’m Not in Love, and Dust My Broom. Enjoy!

Two Dogs and A Cat

How can you not love Stump, the winner of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show? Like my cat Eddie, he’s old-ish and he’s been through a medical crisis. Here is a YouTube video I dug up this morning, showing highlights of the Best in Show competition:

I also like this piece from MSNBC  that I can’t upload as a video for some reason. But there’s a video.

From last year, since it is so very popular on this site, I’ll repeat Uno’s win from last year.

Finally, talking about old dogs and their medical conditions,  my cat Eddie has a lot in common with Stump, in that he almost died. I do get a lot of hits on this site looking for tube-feeding information. So here’s an update: Eddie is thriving! He’s even engaging in some architecture, which is a little weird. He likes to arrange his toys in lines and circles. He recently made a line of his non-catnip toys, and a circle of his catnip toys. He then slept in the circle. Here are some pictures:

Craziness

I have a new magic formula for getting work: I complain about not having enough work. Seriously, today I called another friend who’s a writer, complained, hung up, and the phone rang before I set it down. I’ve been busy ever since. Sort of messes up my blogging schedule, though.

And that means I’m taking the easy way out today. Yes, it’s another YouTube-filled post.

This video of David Hasselhoff is amazing. Simply amazing. Plus it’s lots of fun and incredibly silly.

This was my favorite SuperBowl ad:

And of course there has to be something animal-oriented. How about this construction worker and his duck? What kind of a name is Frankie for a duck?

Friday Fun

I will admit, I’m slightly blue today. The economy, the cold weather, etc., etc. So I’m going to skip the book review I’d planned for today and go for the kind of post that should cheer me up. Maybe something here will brighten your day as well.

Let’s start with something funny from YouTube. It makes me appreciate my cat, Eddie, that much more.

Next, I recently shared the URL for this blog with some writers on LinkedIn. This is for you, fellow writers, or for anyone who has to write for work or school. Because we all know, accurate citations are important.

And in case you, too, are bummed out by the economy and other things, here is an Armageddon Flow Chart .

Special pre-Inauguration bonus: Arlington County, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington DC, sent out an e-mail alert to residents yesterday. An excerpt:

To prepare for this event, pretend a hurricane is coming during that weekend and expect large crowds, congestion, traffic and many delays. 

I thought the part I bolded was pretty funny. But maybe that’s just me

The Christmas Post

First, don’t feed the reindeer or they’ll follow you around forever:

 

Second, some folks say “Jesus is the reason for the season.” I like Jack Black’s portrayal of Jesus in this little sketch about Proposition 8.

Finally, may you have as much fun as this dog.

I’ll catch back up in a few days.

Random Thoughts on a Sunday

I only have about 10 book reviews ready to post, but I felt like doing something else today. So here goes!

Political yard signs. People, the election is over. Pick up your yard signs and put them away. If you still have yard signs out, you are either gloating or whining. Neither is pretty. Please, go outside, gather up your yard signs, and rake or plant tulip bulbs or something. The election is over. If you want to have Obama-Biden signs out for the inauguration, you can put them back out in mid-January. If you keep them out until then, they will fade and look pathetic, and you don’t want that. Furthermore, Santa doesn’t visit people with political yard signs still out from a November 4 election. He’s making his list right now, and I am helping him. So please, I’m begging you, for yourselves, your neighbors, and especially me: pull up your yard signs and put them away. Unless you are in an area with a run-off election, it is too late for anyone to vote for your candidates. Your yard signs have served their purpose. Let’s all move along now, and put the yard signs away. Thank you!

And who am I to be telling you what to do? I’m me, and this is my blog. If you disagree with me, go get your own blog. It’s easy. I’ll even tell you how to do it. Or, just leave your yard sign up in defiance of my decree. I don’t really care.

Here is something that will make you laugh. Who knew that Star Trek, Monty Python, and YouTube could blend so hilariously? Well, someone figured it out. Here is the proof:

 

My mom’s pumpkin cookie recipe. Need something to take to Thanksgiving? Will there be kids there? Make these, and everyone will love you. This recipe is weirdly pulled over from my recipe software.

                           Soft Pumpkin Cookies

     1/2     cup            butter – softened
  1 1/2     cups          sugar
  1            cup           pumpkin – solid pack
  1                             egg
  1            teaspoon   vanilla
  2 1/2     cups          flour
  1            teaspoon   baking soda
  1            teaspoon   baking powder
  1            teaspoon   cinnamon
     1/2     teaspoon   nutmeg
     1/2     teaspoon   salt

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl.  Add egg and vanilla, beat until fluffy.  Combine flour and dry ingredients.  Add to butter mixture alternating with pumpkin.  Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets.  Smooth tops.  Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool and ice with buttercream icing.

Another Saturday Miscellaney Post

After a great run of interesting books, I am bogged down in one that is terminally boring. So this will take the place of a book review. Also, I think we may need a few laughs.

I am very selective about the television that I watch, but I tune in religiously for my selected shows. One show I never watched was America’s Got Talent. However, this YouTube clip of an unusual dance act from the British equivalent is definitely worth watching. Simon Cowell is one of the judges, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him smile so broadly. YouTube has more from this act in case you like them as much as I do.

Okay, back to the economy. The correct answer is C.

Oh, and the election. I wasn’t going to put anything political in my blog. Then I saw this commentary by a little old lady and changed my mind. Helen, I love you!