- As you have done unto the least of these…
- We should all memorize this
- Cool art
- A neat way to wax trivial; kind of like an interactive Sergeant Pepper’s LHCB cover
- A ton of work for something that tastes so awful. Mavis and I were just talking about this the other day. Have you seen shows like Cake Boss? Do you notice how much human-hand contact there is on those cakes? *shudder* A bit too much for my liking. I mean, I know lots of people don’t eat fondant — it’s basically for looks, and the creations do look gorgeous with it. I just prefer cake without a rind.
- As much as we hate to admit it, Google can do just about anything
- Anyone else feel uncomfortable (or indicted) after reading this? Ouch. Favorite quote: “Balanced people don’t change the world.” That’s encouraging news, personally.

Mother always said…
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” So I will be very good and refrain from commenting on how I feel this morning about the coming week.
Instead, I’ll ask YOU about how your weekend went! Did you get everything done? Are you happy it’s Monkday? Are you filled with dread?
Last night, we celebrated Bob’s birthday. It was a fantastic party, with great food (and the cakes went over well, whew what a relief), and fun people (about 20 or so). I actually got to spend time with my own children — how about that? The Js were there too, which was a highlight for me. And I must comment on their wonderful behavior, given that they were in an enclosed space for two hours without being able to go out and play (it was raining). Jake didn’t hit what Hannah calls “the silly wall” until just before it was time to leave. So proud of both boys, yay.
The birthday boy had a grand time, I think. Don’t you think the mug bears a striking resemblance?
Once again, hope you had a good weekend. I’m late for the showers and the road. Where’d that weekend go anyhow?
FO
Nonstop to Monday
Gonna be one crazy weekend, fiends.
Today
- Take Mavis to the doctor
- Meet BFF Kay at Bux
- Shop for various & sundry items
- Wedding at 4
- Pick up Mavis, bake all evening
- Plant 50+ fall bulbs (thanks for the planting tool loaner, RD!)
- Wrap birthday gifts
- Bob’s birthday feast
- Write instrumental parts for one Dinner Theatre number (or die trying)
- Boardwalk Empire and Breaking Bad (DVR Pan Am for later consumption)
Aaaaaand scene. It’s Monday. How about you? What’s on your to-do list this weekend?
Stumbly
Up at 3 a.m. and don’t feel like working? Why, that’s the best time to hit StumbleUpon. (Also classified as a catch-all portal to “Do NOT Go Here” sites.)
Ever wonder what happened to “Uh-Oh” Oreos, Keebler Magic Middles, or black Mountain Dew, or Butterfinger BBs? They all went to that junk food pantry in the sky. Bummer. I loved Keebler Magic Middles.
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Now this. This is a hobby, by crackie.
Someone posted in the comments that they’d like to see a video of this process. It’s fascinating to me; I’d like to see one, too.
Are they still legal tender if they’re all hoboed up?
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How many times did you watch this before the coolness factor wore off?
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I have to buy this book. Wow.
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Martha Stewart’s Apple Pie Cake for Christmas Eve? I think so.
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History buffs, I’m warning you: Do NOT go here.
There are hundreds of pictures in categories like:
~ “Construction of…” (in this case, the Eiffel Tower)
~ “Evolution of…”
~ “Through the Lens of…”
~ “Things That Time Forgot”
Plan on spending some quality time being a Retronaut.
And speaking of quality time, mine’s almost over. It is Finkday, however, so there’s some consolation in that. Big weekend planned around these parts.
PS — OMG. I SO READ THIS AS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT! They passed them out in school, when I was maybe in the 2nd or 3rd grade. Scared me to death. All I could think of for the next few days (weeks, decades) was the picture of the kid under the train, and “Bill lost an eye, and Joe lost a leg.” Horrifying.
BTTH XVI

Aaaaand here we go again.
Wrap your brain around this little drama:
Back in August, I wrote an arrangement of a beautiful song, as I could not find an existing arrangement of it. Through one miracle or another, the chart sounds pretty good. So, I figured I’d better get permission to use it on a concert before I got too heavy into rehearsals.
Located the two composers, contacted their people for permission to perform. It took me a week of bothering them to get them to tell me who owned the print rights. It’s like it was classified information on a national security scale. (???) Once I jimmied that info out of them, I appealed to the Daddy of All School Publishing Companies for permission to arrange the song and for it to be (hopefully) published for sale for school and church use.
Two weeks later, they issue me a Permission to Arrange contract. Wait a minute, though…it’s not for print publishing. It’s just so I can make copies of my own arrangement to use for my choir alone. And to use my own chart, I get to pay $40 upfront, then pay these people $1 for every copy I make for rehearsal.
*blink*
OK, that’s not what I asked. So I emailed the gal back, and asked her to give me the what-what on the printing rights. She wrote back and told me exactly what was on the contract she just sent me. Ooo, hey, guess what? I CAN READ. So I wrote her back and clarified — calmly and politely, but to the letter, and as if I had to make a 10-year-old understand it — exactly what information I was after.
No response.
BOOT.
I have no idea why the doors slam shut when I get to this one issue. I mean, almost nobody takes unsolicited works anyway, so I’m likely screwed regardless, but I honestly want to get to the bottom of this.
I emailed my friend Jerry in Georgia, who is a published arranger (many, many times over), and he wrote back and said he has over 30 of these kinds of things in print, and has never run into this.
I’m beginning to think I’m cursed.
So, I’m putting a call into the Great White School Music Throne today. Any wagers on how many desk droids I’ll have to wade through to be connected with someone who knows jack about this? Cripes.
Oh, and Honorable Mention today goes to CitiMortgage, for sending me a statement with the wrong amount on it for the fourth time. Thumbs up, yeah!


