What's Wrong With Me If . . .

the first thing I think upon opening an email with a coupon and the following instructions from the friend who sent it to me is, "Don't tell me what to do!"

Print this out and take to your Origins store for free mini facial and sample products.

Oh, and I didn't do it, either. Yeah, suck it!

Today's Childhood Rediscovery

I recently remembered a favorite treat from my childhood, Iced Circus Animal cookies, which are animal crackers dipped in pink or white icing and covered with tiny rainbow-colored candy sprinkle balls. After listening to me go on and on about them (but not having ever heard of or tasted them herself), a friend of mine saw them on display at the supermarket and picked up a bag for me. And I've been stuffing my face with them nonstop since. Isn't it amazing to rediscover something you loved as a kid and find that it's still as wonderful as you remember it? Now THIS is a happy moment.

The Very Mysterious Mystery of the Milk Cartons in NYC

I've wondered since becoming independent in New York City (and by extension purchasing milk on a regular basis) why there are two sell-by dates on milk cartons sold in the area. There is the standard sell-by date and then there is the NYC sell-by date, which is typically two to three days earlier than the standard sell-by date. Well, mystery solved. Not surprisingly, it has to do with city regulations on how long a grocer can sell milk after 6:00 a.m. on the day of pasteurization. Thank you, Gothamist, for enlightening me. I'm glad to see there are others curious about this (one of very, very many) New York City quirk.

Don't Get Me Started

My friend Pam recently blogged about her English-language pet peeve, which got me to thinking about my own. There are undoubtedly several, but the one that really jumped out at me is this (I'll demonstrate with an example): "A recent study demonstrated that more women ride the bus." This was in today's paper.

More women ride the bus than WHAT? More women than men ride the bus? More women ride the bus in 2008 than rode the bus in 1998? More women ride the bus than ride the subway? More women ride the bus than ride in cars? More women ride the bus than ride horses (or cowboys)?

You simply canNOT make that statement. You MUST elaborate.

It absolutely infuriates me when people try to make a comparative statement but leave off the most important part. Have we become that lazy?

I Want One!

I realize this video has been around for awhile and gets a lot of attention, but I couldn't resist posting it. Watching it for the first time, I'm ashamed to say, my eyes welled up and I felt a sudden and powerful urge to nuzzle my own (if much, much smaller) feline.

I have two questions:

1. Is it possible my own Stanley would recognize and embrace me after a long separation? I'd like to think so, though I hope never to have to test it.

2. Um, where can I get a baby lion? I was at Harrod's a couple years ago and they didn't have any.

Here, Stanley demonstrates his best stand-n-hug.

Yes, I'm That Interesting

It still amazes me when I turn on the TV hoping to find something, anything, other than the same episode of "Ugly Betty" I saw last time I turned on the TV hoping to find something, anything, other than the same episode of "Ugly Betty" . . .

Which also happens to be one of only two or three episodes of "Ugly Betty" I've ever seen.