Summers in Rhode Island are usually summed up by the weather men as "three-H weather": hazy, hot, and humid. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I spend my summers in jeans. I hate shorts. I really don't like the fact that my crotch tries to inhale any sort of shorts that I wear, unless I go for the ever-so-flattering jean "shorts" that were the big thing when I was in high school, where you cut off the legs of your jeans at the knee and rolled up the hem.

With summer just around the corner here, it's been getting a bit too warm for me to run in my running pants. Fantastic as they are, they're warm. One of the running forums I read is absolutely FILLED with chicks who positively gush over how awesome it is to run in a skirt, and with the weather getting warmer Eddie told me that I could get myself one on the condition that he could pick out the color. And with that I found myself reading reviews on the skirts made by the major players in the running skirt industry to figure out which of them would be best. I didn't want anything super short because let's face it, no one wants to see a pasty fat chick running around with her ass hanging out. Let the Walmart trash do that sort of thing. Skirts usually come in two styles, the ones with shorts underneath and ones with briefs/spankies under them.

Here's a lesson in anatomy for you. If you are a woman of Rubenesque figure, then you're aware of the dreaded chub-rub. For those of you uneducated in these matters, us bigger girls are sometimes afflicted with chub-rub, which is where your thighs rub together with enough friction to be considered a fire hazard in drier climes.

After looking around to see what style skirts were available and prices, I finally settled on getting one from RunningSkirts.com, which is smaller than some of the other skirt companies out there. They offer a model called an "athletic skirt", which is a little bit longer and has a pair of compression shorts under it rather than briefs. As a bonus, they had a few on sale, so I snagged one in a black/pink combo. I was really apprehensive about sizing, since everyone has their own sizing (for example, I'm a size 6 acording to their sizes), but their charts were realistic and used measurements in addition to comparing their sizes to sizing for regular clothing, and I was pleased to find that mine fit perfectly.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from the fabric that it's made out of, maybe my head was just imagining that it would be like the Danskin stuff that I've been running in and feels like the stretch pants I wore in 1992, but OH MY LAWD is the skirt silky-smooth. It's like someone took some spandex bike shorts and cross-bred them with a satiny mini from Victoria's Secret. It's stretchy, but the skirt isn't form-fitting so it just flows around my hips and ass without making me look like a sausage. The shorts underneath are comfy and not crazy tight, and seemed to stay in place fairly well. My first run with them was no problem at all, the shorts didn't ride up or anything. The second run had me tugging a couple of times to get the shorts down, but I think that as long as the hem is pulled down all the way around your thigh they stay where they belong. There's two pockets on the skirt, one on each hip, and while they're not huge, they're big enough to throw a cell phone or an Ipod or your house key into. Unless you've got an Iphone or the Ipod Touch, because I think they're just a smidgen too big.

Unfortunately, the only complaint that I had is the fact that I had shipping issues. From what I'd read the shipping times were usually really fast - like 3-4 days from the time the order was placed until delivery- so I'm not entirely sure what happened with my order. I placed the order on a Thursday night after getting a super-fast response to a sizing question that I had emailed them. Their credit card processing is done via Paypal, which was a little surprising to me, and I immediately got the typical "We received your order and taken your money, here's your order number" email. And then I waited. And waited. I emailed them 8 days after I placed the order (July 3rd) because I wasn't sure what their procedures are, and whether or not I'd receive something letting me know when my order had shipped, and finally got a Paypal message on the 6th telling me that they'd printed out the shipping label and got the skirt on Wednesday. At the same time, a girl on the forum ordered a skirt 2 days after me and received it a week before I got mine. But I think that if shipping was the only thing wrong, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one from them.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/I3yJeGdw1Nw/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=166812

My dad is executive director of the Pine Mountain Music Festival, an exceptional summer classical music festival that takes place during 3 weeks of each summer in Upper Michigan (upper Michigan, not that area around Interlochen near the tip of the mitten). We're talking black bears and snowmobilers and ice fishing and hockey and ore freighters and little lakeside tourist towns with lighthouses and souvenir shops that sell agates. We're talking an area of the country almost famously reviled for yokelism .... "A-yup!"


Lake Superior

But it's also incredibly beautiful and incredibly unspoiled, is home to several outstanding universities, including Finlandia and Michigan Tech, and supports this extraordinary music festival along with lots of other arts, crafts, environmental awareness, and historical preservation activities. So it's a remote, diverse, complex area, and everyone there, whether a summer visitor or a year-round resident, shares a profound sense of place.

Anyway, that's all a bit of background to the following report I got from my Dad overnight:

"The. Most. Amazing. Thing. happened this evening (Friday July 10). At the opera, “The Secret Marriage,” at Kaufman Auditorium, Marquette. Midway through the second act the power went out. Dark stage, no light in the pit. The orchestra could not see the music. Everything stopped. Artistic director, stage director and conductor huddled. Artistic Director Joshua Major came to the edge of stage (there was a bit of light from over the emergency exits) and announced that the show would go on, but skipping a bit of action, and it *could* go on because the final scene is set in a garden at night, and (get this!) was already planned to be played with flashlights, PLUS, there was already a piano on stage as part of the props, PLUS, Julia Levin, rehearsal pianist and vocal coach, was at the piano as part of the cast and knew the score intimately. Then stage director Nick Olcott, his face illuminated by flashlight, described to the audience the action they would be missing. And then they went into the last scene, each singer shining a flashlight on his/her own face and the supernumeraries holding other flashlights on the side, and Julia at the piano providing faultless piano accompaniment, her music lit by flashlight held by Joshua Major. The audience was enthralled and totally supportive of the amazing effort to finish the show in style. At the end, there was an explosive cheer. The sort of cheer that greets a home run in the bottom of the ninth at the World Series. It was an incredible theater experience. Nobody panicked, everybody worked together. A huge thank you to ALL, on-stage, backstage, in the pit. It was amazing. I bet the Marquette patrons will be talking about this for a long time.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/Tryf1wlmNxk/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165472

Sanchez just got someone to chase a bad pitch for a strikeout and Kruk said "Oh, Sanchez, that was dirty."

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/HL3E-AAbicg/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165846

I can't believe we made all of this~~ but indeed we did!

We ate from the garden last night for the first time: 3 perfect young zucchini, a single carnival squash, and on j_is_worth8's recommendation, a handful of sauteed squash blossoms.

( Previously )

Well, *this* was an interesting and varied click trail.

It started with a Puck Daddy roundup item about the Iowa Chops. The Chops were (the AHL BoG suspended the team for violation of league rules) an AHL team that reinvented themselves last year when they changed their parent club affiliation from the Dallas Stars to the Anaheim Ducks: "We really feel this name perfectly represents our vision of the new team [...] It illustrates Iowa's agricultural heritage while also playing into the definition of 'chops', having nerve, resilience and staying power. The word 'chops' can mean continually defeating someone, and that is the reputation we expect Iowa’s new team to gain in the league."

The Fanhouse link also mentions a futile attempt to recruit Brett Favre. You read that right, Brett Favre: "Brett is one of the greatest American athletes of the past 50 years and deserves a place to play, so we are extending an offer to him to become the newest member of the Iowa Chops Hockey team of the American Hockey League [...] We can offer him plenty of bone-crushing hits, read-and-react plays, and thousands of fans cheering for him, so what's not to like about that? [...] All we have to do is sharpen his skating skills and after that his athletic instincts will take over and he'll be one heck of a hockey player." WTF? As marketing stunts go, that's even more bizarre than the semi-pro offer Barry Bonds received back in November 2007.

But let's jump back to that Puck Daddy item, which calls the Chops "the greatest team ever to be named after meat with an unintentional reference to an anti-gay activist organization." There is apparently an organization called C.H.O.P.S.: "Changing Homosexuals Into Ordinary People."

This is a bit of a stretch, but only slightly -- look at the two logos here and look at the dots between the letters. (The guy silhouetted in the anti-gay organization's logo looks like a tasty piece of beefcake. Just sayin'. NTTAWWT.)

The C.H.O.P.S. site is so hilarious I can't tell if it's unintentionally self-parodying, like most things of this ilk tend to be, or if it is a meticulously-constructed ruse like the Landover Baptist Church.

The page on Gay Bands is well worth reading for comedic purposes (boldfacing present in the original):



The list of bands ranges from "yeah, I can totally see that" to "they think that band's music leads to homosexuality!?"

I dashed off a draft of a new 1,000-word short-short today. It was very fun.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/yKCFVSFCqUU/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=166384

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/TLxOFeYDrTI/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=166258

I have a ton of little things to blog about, so I've decided to just empty them out in this post. :)

1) I still can't believe I placed in Albany. Honestly, the system stinks. I didn't think Opens would work well, but the DO worked great; most of my games were competitive. When I got too high, the pairings knocked me right back down. Stupid system, seriously. What's going to determine formats in NASPA? Just director's choice? We should systematically collect data about what people want. I hope it's not this. I used to be the biggest opponent of Opens or moving money up, but this is silly. I'm pretty sure I didn't outplay Sherman and Wapnick and Rod and the rest this weekend (well, maybe Bihlmeyer, and definitely Englehardt, but not the rest. :)). I don't think $425 is all that much money, but if it's going to be there, it should go to the better players, and they should have a better chance of recouping their trip expenses. Blah blah blah this has been rehashed a bunch, but it's lame.

2) I'm playing this one day in 2 weeks, and I'm excited that I could win my first D1. I realize it's a sad little field, and it's only a one day, but hey, I've got a good shot.

http://cross-tables.com/entrants.php?u=544&flyer=%2Fdownload%2F2009%2F07%2Fftlauderdale.doc

The reason I bring this up is this: I just called the director yesterday to join. Today he calls me to tell me that Dennis Taylor, rating 1580 wants to play, but Dennis wants the top division to be JUST ME AND HIM. I told the director that was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard.

3) I never wrote about my travel nightmares after Albany. I got to the Amtrak station at 5, only to learn that all the trains were sold out! There were like 3 more that day, but then I heard vague rumblings about a delay out of Montreal. Anyway, I had to take a cab across town to Greyhound, and that took off at 6:30 instead of 5:30. Of course, the bus got stuck in traffic. Then I had to drag my crap from the Port Authority to Penn State to catch the LIRR and get a train to Amityville. I was supposed to get to Amityville at 11:40pm, which was very annoying, as my plane was scheduled for 8:45 the next morning. Of course, I fell asleep on the train and missed my stop, so my bro had to come get me from Babylon. I got to my cousin's house, and set the alarm for 5:30. But I forgot to turn it on!!! Good thing our dad called to make sure we were up. So I get to the airport, and they ask for volunteers to get bumped. I volunteer because the 12 is a non-stop and my parents are flying on it, and I don't have a ride home from the airport in FTL. The woman tells me that if I don't hear my name, I should get on the flight. So, I start simming my games and miss my flight. I get on with my parents, but no travel voucher.

So, as you can tell, from my Scrabble play and my travel nightmare, I'm a little retarded. The thing is, I can't function without sleep, and I don't know how people do it. Especially doctors. Eek my patients would be DEAD.

4) I think we should do a depression/meds/therapy/treatments meme. :).

5) My brain is not nearly as sharp as when I was younger, and I am very troubled by it. Does anyone else have this problem? I notice 2 things: 1: I can't rap my head around complex issues as well as I used to. 2: I find it painful to try to recall things. When I was younger, I could easily rattle off all the Super Bowl winners and Oscar movies, but now, I really have to rack my brain, and I don't have the energy to do it. Of course, the same thing happens in Scrabble; I find it painful to try to find even easy bingos, and I actually like getting FHVWY because I can usually score without finding bingos. Does anyone else have this recall problem? I worry that it's a lack of exercise and/or meds? I'd hate to think this is normal; I won't even be 40 for a few more months.

6) I’m going to be 40!!! AHHHH!!!!

More later...

I have a ton of little things to blog about, so I've decided to just empty them out in this post. :)

1) I still can't believe I placed in Albany. Honestly, the system stinks. I didn't think Opens would work well, but the DO worked great; most of my games were competitive. When I got too high, the pairings knocked me right back down. Stupid system, seriously. What's going to determine formats in NASPA? Just director's choice? We should systematically collect data about what people want. I hope it's not this. I used to be the biggest opponent of Opens or moving money up, but this is silly. I'm pretty sure I didn't outplay Sherman and Wapnick and Rod and the rest this weekend (well, maybe Bihlmeyer, and definitely Englehardt, but not the rest. :)). I don't think $425 is all that much money, but if it's going to be there, it should go to the better players, and they should have a better chance of recouping their trip expenses. Blah blah blah this has been rehashed a bunch, but it's lame.

2) I'm playing this one day in 2 weeks, and I'm excited that I could win my first D1. I realize it's a sad little field, and it's only a one day, but hey, I've got a good shot.

http://cross-tables.com/entrants.php?u=544&flyer=%2Fdownload%2F2009%2F07%2Fftlauderdale.doc

The reason I bring this up is this: I just called the director yesterday to join. Today he calls me to tell me that Dennis Taylor, rating 1580 wants to play, but Dennis wants the top division to be JUST ME AND HIM. I told the director that was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard.

3) I never wrote about my travel nightmares after Albany. I got to the Amtrak station at 5, only to learn that all the trains were sold out! There were like 3 more that day, but then I heard vague rumblings about a delay out of Montreal. Anyway, I had to take a cab across town to Greyhound, and that took off at 6:30 instead of 5:30. Of course, the bus got stuck in traffic. Then I had to drag my crap from the Port Authority to Penn State to catch the LIRR and get a train to Amityville. I was supposed to get to Amityville at 11:40pm, which was very annoying, as my plane was scheduled for 8:45 the next morning. Of course, I fell asleep on the train and missed my stop, so my bro had to come get me from Babylon. I got to my cousin's house, and set the alarm for 5:30. But I forgot to turn it on!!! Good thing our dad called to make sure we were up. So I get to the airport, and they ask for volunteers to get bumped. I volunteer because the 12 is a non-stop and my parents are flying on it, and I don't have a ride home from the airport in FTL. The woman tells me that if I don't hear my name, I should get on the flight. So, I start simming my games and miss my flight. I get on with my parents, but no travel voucher.

So, as you can tell, from my Scrabble play and my travel nightmare, I'm a little retarded. The thing is, I can't function without sleep, and I don't know how people do it. Especially doctors. Eek my patients would be DEAD.

4) I think we should do a depression/meds/therapy/treatments meme. :).

5) My brain is not nearly as sharp as when I was younger, and I am very troubled by it. Does anyone else have this problem? I notice 2 things: 1: I can't rap my head around complex issues as well as I used to. 2: I find it painful to try to recall things. When I was younger, I could easily rattle off all the Super Bowl winners and Oscar movies, but now, I really have to rack my brain, and I don't have the energy to do it. Of course, the same thing happens in Scrabble; I find it painful to try to find even easy bingos, and I actually like getting FHVWY because I can usually score without finding bingos. Does anyone else have this recall problem? I worry that it's a lack of exercise and/or meds? I'd hate to think this is normal; I won't even be 40 for a few more months. \\\\\\\][]\
';lkijuhygtrewq

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/kweKeFgnt7o/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165464

(based on input from etcet in his personal LJ)

Instructions: Reply to this meme by yelling 'Words!' and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.

The five words given to me by etcet:

Tits - Yes, please. Like martinis, one is not enough and three are too many. How well you know me, sir. The bigger the better, although I believe I have found my upper limit. And real, if you please. No cyborgs, they turn me right off. I prefer a modestly-endowed woman with her original factory equipment than a surgically-enhanced monster. Fake breasts may look good under clothing, but they are useless for anything else. Also note that the word "boobs," although somewhat childish, is more acceptable in polite company. But then, I have no polite company.

Texas - It's all good. Strangely, I like east Texas the least. My interest increases the farther west I go (with the exception of El Paso, which is, putting it nicely, not a resort town). But the trans-Pecos region is beautiful and stark. If I had the money and could vacation anywhere, I'd go to west Texas. And then continue on to New Mexico.

Writing - I have 150 pages of a novel somewhere. I should finish the damn thing. If Stephen King can write ten pages a day, I should be able to manage three.

Reclamation - ¿Que? I have no idea what you mean here, so I have none of my usual sass. Personally, my life is in need of reclamation. I need renewal: financial, social, and spiritual. I should call my cousins in Dallas: my near-relatives here are useless for moral support. And I need my moral support.

Gigantic Hamburgers - For some reason, at first I only saw the word "gigantic" and thought you were being redundant. (For those of you who came late to Camp Crystal Lake, etcet is referring to our one and only face-to-face meeting, at Port of Call in New Orleans, where gigantic hamburgers are served.) And now, you've just made me hungry. I'll have to have one for lunch. And a Dite-Rite cola, because I'm watching the weight. Har.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/VqULtjKsK8I/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=164609

My parachute didn't open
and when my back up failed
the pixie dust prevailed
and i woke up next to you
all i wanted was to hold you

i was born in a city
however small
it held a hospital
for location where i came into being
it was all down hill from there

what do you do
when your lifes a disaster
and your moving faster
and its getting harder to breathe

what do you say
if some is right but
you disagree
even if its the truth

i was told you are depressed
by a little bird
that was severly hurt
as it did not notice my window
it just flew wherever the wind blows
as it convulsed on the pavement
it whispered i am hated
your genetic flaws
i said say it all
you cant decipher reflections form reality
but neither can i

i noticed neither can i
i noticed neither can i
i noticed neither can i

you are the circle
i am the square
i have the none cut
you have the cool hair
we both take showers
for almost an hour
but only once a week or two

what do you do
when your lifes a disater
and your moving faster
and its getting harder to breathe

what do you say
if someone is right but
you disagree even if its the truth

do i make it look easy? because it isn't.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/OlQ4knNQPak/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165666

This week's questions were suggested by awstuff4friends.

1. What is your favorite vegetable?
2. What is your favorite salad dressing, sauce, gravy, or condiment?
3. What is your favorite culture's food (American, Chinese, Creole, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Soul Food, Southern U.S., etc.)?
4. What is your favorite beverage?
5. What is your favorite food?


Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers.

If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so here: http://www.livejournal.com/community/thefridayfive/1466.html

Old sets that were used have been deleted, so please feel free to suggest some more! Remember that we rely on you, our members, to help keep the community going.

vs. ultrapower on Facebook:

    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o
    -----------------------------
 1 |W U D '     M O N Y   '     =| 1
 2 |  S O N A T I N E "       -  | 2
 3 |    - E     ' E E L     -    | 3
 4 |'     V       '       -     '| 4
 5 |    K I -           -        | 5
 6 |  Q I     "       "       "  | 6
 7 |  U '       ' C '       '    | 7
 8 |P I U '     A I       '     =| 8
 9 |U T '       A G '       '    | 9
10 |R " P     " L     "       "  | 10
11 |L O R R I E S       -        | 11
12 |'   E -       '       -     '| 12
13 |  O X O     '   '       -    | 13
14 |  -       "       "       -  | 14
15 |=     '       =       '     =| 15
    -----------------------------
    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o

Score: 226-141
Opp last move: 3H EEL 11
My rack: ??AERTZ

Nothing spectacular by expert standards, but I liked it.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/ITYmA82NSZQ/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165682

Pulling on the skin of a new book, a new author -- I adore that feeling, but right now, with the pile of things I have on my desk and life, I am relying on the safety of familiar books instead.  Sometimes it's better to know how the story ends, especially when you have a ton of dangling threads in real life.  (Why do I sound defensive??  I reread books.  Why else would one own them?)

So a few, in no particular order -- heh, speaking of no particular order, I picked up Harry Potter 5, in anticipation of the movie coming out, to lead up to 6.  I got about a chapter in and grabbed the wrong volume when dashing out to do some chauffeuring and car waiting.  So I read 7 instead.  Of course, then I was at the "beginning" of reading the series backwards and decided to go ahead with that.

What a different look at a well-known (to me) series.  For one thing, the flaws JUMP out at me.  Especially the time-turner.  Mainly the time-turner.  Ugh, the time-turner.  Little detail things like calling the dementors guards until partway through volume 3 and then not really again.  For another, it doesn't matter.  They are familiar to me because I have read them multiple times, and this is because I enjoy them.  But I do recommend sometime reading a series backwards for a different take on the author's plotting.  It's very instructive.  I am going to do this with GRRM's next, in anticipation of the upcoming release, whenever the heck that will be.

The current top of the stack in the bathroom is Bisson's Bears Discover Fire.  I can't remember which story I brought along to Odyssey as my "favorite", but this story (the title story) would be really high on my list, and there are several in this collection that are recommendable, as well.  I feel, dimly, that old stirring of inspiration.  Those bears can do that for me.  So can Atwood and Oates.  They make me want to add to the world, something, something new and different and dangerous, something that someone will want to call familiar.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/QDYLeuyO5qE/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165394

(I resisted the temptation of the obligatory rule that all articles involving Philadephia should spell things such as "phlap")

Here are some followups to yesterday's entry about possible discrimination and a "whites-only" pool at a Philadelphia club. At first glance it seems at least somewhat possible this was just a horribly managed situation compounded with a poorly-worded statement (particularly the use of the word "complexion" -- it's not clear whether that word was in original club statements or was used by news reports). But in the end it still looks pretty bad for the club if you ask me.

( Various news excerpts, cut for length )

The 8th game in a tournament day is exhausting enough. Working on very little sleep and being under an overactive air conditioner vent makes it even more trying.

Before this encounter, I had only played Carolyn Easter at the Meijers club. Nice person, excitable character, proficient optometrist. (We also got to hang at an extended dinner that evening. More fun and libations ensued.)

So here's our match from Day 1 of Michigan Madness. Going in, I had just lost two straight (at 4-3), including one by 1 point. It's funny how karma sometimes shows up unexpectedly.

It's raining tiles, hallelujah!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/ljTBqAdY3ME/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165350

Despite my personal hosing, my team is still doing good:

    Jim Geary                    Ryan Hughes
    ---------                    -----------
 1) Ivey             346200      Isaac Baron          70000
 2) Vitaly Lunkin    132000      ZeeJustin           223300
 3) Allen Cunningham      0      Scott Hall               0
 4) Gus Hansen            0      Steven Gross             0
 5) Erick Lindgren        0      Faraz Jaka               0
 6) JC Tran          284600      Shaun Deeb               0
 7) Kenny Tran       273000      Patrik Antonius          0
 8) Elky             207900      Kathy Liebert            0
 9) Carlos            53000      Vanessa Selbst           0
10) Brock Parker          0      Kenny Hixx               0
11) Jason Mercier         0      Ilarii Sahamies          0
12) Scott Freeman         0      Yevgeny Timo.            0
13) Erik Sagstrom         0      John Hennigan            0
14) Jon Turner            0      Jhonny Lodden            0
15) Matt Hawrilenko   65700      Eric Liu                 0
16) Gavin Griffin         0      Daniel Negreanu          0
17) Phil Hellmuth    142900      Alex Kamberis            0
18) George Lind III  107700      Toto Leonidas       112500
19) Sandra Naujoks        0      David Pham               0
20) JJ Liu                0      Sorel Mizzi         120000
21) Jim Geary             0      Ryan Hughes              0
    -----------------------      --------------------------
                    1613000                          525800

Complete chipcounts here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=t2aQtviGA4cMsfQeK4bD4jQ

And props to me for hitting the Bellagio last night to get my money back instead of sitting around moping. But I'm sure that's not a sign of a problem...

I may have asked this before, but why are the bagels sold "pre-sliced"? Says so, right on the package. Why not just "sliced"?

This is about the upper limit of my very rough estimations after Reno.

The best case scenario, as it were.

I didn't actually expect it.

Wow.  I can say honestly that I am once again overrated.  But damn what a rush.

ETA: The link to July 2009 cross-tables is here.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/rheDIiPUyUw/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165825

...for when things ease up a bit*:

1. Haircuts more than twice a year.

2. New underwear more than twice a decade.

3. New shoes more than twice a decade.

4. Dinner out. Ever.

5. A vacation trip that isn't also for a funeral, a family crisis, or transporting a child to college.

6. The ability to say yes without qualms to some little impromptu luxury like a Starbucks latte.

7. The ability to offer a bit of money, from time to time, when one of the kids is tight.

8. Maybe own our own home?

...

Apparently money is not that important to me. I can't come up with 10 things.

---

*No idea when this might be. Maybe never.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/LGQUBUBQI_4/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=165873

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/Od2Tlv5CtL0/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=169530

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~3/TmlVWjMKEJY/

http://icanhascheezburger.com/?p=169216

i cannot believe i almost bailed on this.

Bingos abound behind the cut.

( Stanza the First: Wherein I Outbag and Outbingo )

( Stanza the Second: The Hero Falls (and finally gets double-blanked) )

( Stanza the Third: In Which the Hero Encapsulates His Entire Scrabble Career in Four Days -- The Good, The Bad, and The Ludicrous )