A Few Good Memes

Ian’s 6th Birthday

Originally uploaded by Jason Dufair.

My little rockstar turned 6 this week. He’s so exuberant and wonderful and beautiful. He’s all about his friends. He has a true heart of gold. Happy birthday my sweet Ian-bird.

Guitar courtesy of Christine. He is nuts about it! I’m thrilled it stays in tune, unlike his last one.

…also, watch this space. big announcement coming soon

I realized “Hot are you?” is more fitting than I realized, if read as “Hot.  Are you?”  Global Warming.  Hybrid.  Better-than-thou.  Love me for my sexy hybrid while I save the fecking planet.

We got to go roller skating with our next president last night - Barack Obama. Pretty cool. He came by our skating rink and hung out with us for a couple hours - took a lap around the rink with his kids (he walked). I got him to sign my copy of his book (”The Audacity of Hope”) and was able to get some pics of him with my kids. Alyssa and her friend got autographs too. It was a bit of a media frenzy, but definitely a good time. The local news interviewed us afterward and played a clip with me in it - about 40 seconds into the video on the right (click to start the video - sorry for the commercial). Christine is on my right and Emma is in my arms. A number of my friends were there and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Alyssa and I were also out knocking on doors for Senator Obama yesterday. It was a cool experience. Met at headquarters, got an inspirational speech from Illinois’ senior Senator Dick Durbin, took a packet of names and addresses, and went out to rock the vote in south Lafayette. It was pretty fun and pretty damn cold! Alyssa forgot her jacket, so she wore mine. We talked to a few folks, mostly supporters. Most weren’t home. A couple were even Republicans! I was glad Alyssa got to experience democracy first hand.

Now all you Hoosiers, get out and vote for Barack Obama. He’s one of the few that has opposed this wasteful war from the beginning. I do like a lot of things about Hilary, but the whole “Oops, I voted for the war. Sorry!” spiel doesn’t work for me.

I’ll post some more photos from campaigning and skating soon.

(oh, I’m on skates - I’m not actually that much taller than Chris)

Pick One

Originally uploaded by Jason Dufair.

Guess they’re not exactly losing their religion. They’re probably too busy exhuming McCarthy.

Almost a year later, my custom “Hotaru” plate came in (yep, that’s the bureaucracy of the Indiana BMV for ya). Thanks to Bine for the name! Of course, one of my co-workers came in this morning and said “Hot are you?” She thought perhaps it was a gift.  Oh well. Maybe I’ll get a bumper sticker that says “It means firefly” or something.

Dear readers -

I’ve put up a front long enough, writing carefully crafted posts and comments on your blogs making you think I care about you and that I’m a sensitive person with a need and skill for human connection.  Wrong.  So please go sign up at Arsebook and accept my enemy requests so I can gossip about, slander, libel, and insult you like I’ve wanted to do all along.

Thanks, jerks.

I love Wal-Mart. Yep, I said it. I love going there. There are few other places for better people-watching. Few other places where so many different species of us come together in one place.

Today’s trip to Wal-Mart was downright transcendental. I saw the van above in the parking lot on the way in to pick up some groceries and storage bins to finally pack up some of Anna’s clothes in my room and put them in storage. There was writing on the window, faded but still legible in grease marker (the same ones that normally say “Go Brandi! Take State This Year!” or “#43 Jake - Go Spartans”). This one just says “I Love Every One”. I saw the people get out and go into the store. I was jamming to some Billie Holiday on my portable and am not super-extroverted, so I had neither the courage nor the right rhythm today, but I wanted to look at them and say “Me too!” I did say “I like your slogan” when I saw them on the way out.

I spent the entire visit trying to make eye contact with every single stranger there. Man, woman, child. I mean, eyes are such a gift, aren’t they? When you look someone right in the eyes, you realize their eyeballs are never fat, old, droopy, the wrong color, too big, too small. I’m talking about just the eyeballs themselves. Eyeballs are basically like exposed parts of your brain sticking out of holes in your skull. So I looked at every stranger’s eyes. I made it a point not to avert my gaze. Saw myself. Few people made contact, but the ones that did were a delicious moment. Especially when it lingered just that tad bit long. A smile or two. It’s easy, at least in the right mood, to recognize the beauty in every person of every size and color and age, isn’t it? Especially when the universe reminds you, via grease marker on an aging Pontiac mini-van that you love every one.

Apologies to The Fray…

Verse 1:
Step one your brother buys a Vette
He always wanted to buy a new Corvette
You press the clutch, the throaty roar
You let it out and off you go
You reach the stoplight, signal right
You grip the wheel and gun it right
The tail kicks out, you point and aim
Four hundred horses are why you came

Chorus:
And now we hit the on-ramp, thirty five
Then hit the gun, point nine one gs
And I could have stayed up at the red line
In sixth gear, saving a mid-life

(Given the fact that it’s 12:27am, I’ll leave the rest of the verses as an exercise for the reader)

I just wanted to put a plug in for Etymotic Research, the maker of my beloved ER-6i earphones. I’ve had these for a couple of years now. I use them nearly daily. These are in-canal earphones and when you listen to music with them, you instantly orgasm. Or maybe that’s eargasm. Either way, music sounds staggeringly good with these headphones. Anyway, I had one of the phones go out on me, and they were out of warranty. I sent them in for repair and they sent me a brand new pair, no charge. Great customer service on the phone, free replacement. Well worth the $100 I spent. Use your birthday/christmas/channukah/kwanzaa/samhain money next time and get some.

Despite my blog’s title, I don’t actually do memes very often. Or perhaps, in keeping with the title. Depends on how you look at it. But it’s Saturday night in a hotel in Chicago and the kids are all trying to nod off. I don’t have much on my mind, so here goes.

Oh, wait. Go visit my friend Bine (she named my car). She needs a name for her spiffy new black iPod.

1. What do you wish your name was?
Hapford Grinkus Rustafson, III, esq.

2. What is your favorite thing to wear?
My Birkenstocks

3. Last thing you ate….
A small handful of almonds

4. Favorite quote?
Those who know don’t have the words to tell and the ones with the words don’t know too well. (Bruce Cockburn)

5. I say Shotgun, you say?
Wedding. Shotgun. Wedding. Boys will be boys.

6. Last person you hugged?
Alyssa. About 10 seconds ago.

7. Africa or Mexico?
Africa for the music, Mexico for the food.

8. How many U.S states have you been to?
Couple dozen. Maybe 3.

9. How many of the U.S states have you lived in?
4 - IL, IN, MA, WI

10. Does anyone you know wanna date you?
Hope so.

11. Name something you like physically about yourself:
My quads are strong and well-formed.

12. Something you don’t?
My big ole gut.

13. Who is your best friend?
Several. My friends have been very good to me.

14.Why are you still up?
Because it’s only 10:19 and I don’t quite feel tired.

15. Who/What made you angry today?
The fucking bitch who came out of her condo just to give me a hard time about changing Emma on my front seat, 3 hours from home, telling me “You know, there are public restrooms. Which there weren’t in any reasonable distance. I didn’t have my mental “fighting ready stance” on, so she caught me off guard. Otherwise, I would have said something simultaneously witty and dryly offensive. Like “Oh, good! I was looking for someone to manage my every decision for me. Can you fill that position?” Instead I just got cranky and swore at her to stay out of my business.

16. Favorite type of Food?
Tie. Thai and Indian.

17. Favorite holidays?
Both the solstices. Halloween is pretty fun, for sure.

18. Do you download music?
Yes. Legally. I subscribe to Rhapsody.

19. Do you care if your socks are dirty?
Socks? See #2 above.

20. What are you wearing right now?
Flannel pajama pants, purple tie dye. Tidy whities. Band-aid on left big toe.

21. Would you date the person who posted this?
Got it via several places. Yes to all of them. They’re all taken.

22. Has anyone ever sang or played for you personally?
Sure. I hang around a lot of musicians. In the spirit of the question, we had various friends sing at our wedding. Some of the finest music ever performed. I’m still waiting for a personal serenade from Missy Higgins or Erin McKeown.

23. Do you love anyone?
Yep. My kids. All of my immediate family. All of my immediate in-laws. Many of my friends.

24. Do you like George W. Bush?
He’s an embarrasment to all Americans. He’s set us back decades in the international arena with his foreign policies. He’s made life worse for most Americans with his abominable domestic policies. What’s to like? Demonstrably the worst president we’ve had. I’m very proud to be an American, terribly sad about many of the people who represent us.

25. Have you ever bungee jumped?
Nope.

26. Have you ever gone white-water rafting?
Yep. Hell of a good time.

27. Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you?
I think so. I’ve never been super in tune with hitting on and flirting, sadly. You kind of have to hit me over the head with a 2×4 if you like me.

28. How much money ya got in ya pocket?
None. I’m in my flannel jammies.

29. Have you met a real redneck?
Does being friends count as meeting one?

30. How is the weather right now?
Mid 50s with a 100% chance of dark.

31. What are you listening to right now?
Linda Hicks - The Woodthrush’s song. Not on Rhapsody yet, so no link.

32. What is your current fave song?
9 Crimes - Damien Rice. Several Mary J. Blige are right up there too.

33. What was the last movie you watched?
Geez. In its entirety? I can’t even rememeber. Good chunk of the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Half of Annie. 3/4 of Hoot.

34. Do you wear contacts?
Yep.

35. Where was the last place you went besides your house?
This hotel room?

36. What are you afraid of?
Entropy.

37. How many piercings have you had?
Two. Same ear, same spot. All gone now.

38. How many pets do you have?
Two cats. Which is two too many.

39. What’s one thing you’ve learned?
Those who know don’t have the words to tell and the ones with the words don’t know too well.

40. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
Coffee. Whatever the “bold” brew is. Black.

42. Have you ever fired a gun?
Yep. Rifle range at summer camp.

43. Are you missing someone?
Yep. Bigtime.

44. Fav. TV show?
Good Eats.

45. Do you have an iPod?
Yeah. A dead one. And a stolen one. I guess you could call that one mine still.

46. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celeb?
I don’t think so. Though I do think I overheard several fine ladies at the restaurant tonight looking my way and saying something about a resemblance to Leo DiCaprio.

48. Who would you like to see right now?
Anna.

49. Favorite movie of all time?
Memento.

50. Do you find yourself loved?
Yep. By my kids, family, in-laws, friends. I’m pretty damn lucky that way.

51. Have you ever been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to?
Nope. No way. Never.

52. Favorite flower?
Uhm. Flowers are pretty.

53. Butter, plain, or salted popcorn?
Unpopped. Mmm. Crunchy.

54. What Magazines are you reading?
None. Who needs magazines when you have a massive blogroll?

55. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yep. Prom. And to the airport once.

56. Has anyone you were really close to passed away recently?
Yes. My wife.

58. What’s something that really bugs you?
Ants. All over my kitchen right now.

60. Do you like Michael Jackson?
His music.

61. What’s your favorite smell?
The scent of my lover.

62. Favorite baseball team?
That’s the one with the stick and the white ball, right?

63. Favorite cereal?
Oatmeal. Steel cut. With fresh fruit cut up in it.

65. What’s the longest time you’ve gone without sleep?
Oh, probably 36 hours in college.

66. Last time you went bowling?
Maybe a month ago with the kids and friends. Even Emma beat me.

67. Where is the weirdest place you have slept?
Jail. With a dude getting himself off in the next bunk and not being very discreet about it.

68. Who was your last phone call?
My brother on the way up to Chicago.

69. Last time you were at work?
Yesterday.

70. What’s the closest orange object to you?
It’s pitch dark. Does the Firefox icon in the taskbar count?

Here’s a blank one:
1. What do you wish your name was?
2. What is your favorite thing to wear?
3. Last thing you ate….
4. Favorite quote?
5. I say Shotgun, you say?
6. Last person you hugged?
7. Africa or Mexico?
8. How many U.S states have you been to?
9. How many of the U.S states have you lived in?
10. Does anyone you know wanna date you?
11. Name something you like physically about yourself:
12. Something you don’t?
13. Who is your best friend?
14.Why are you still up?
15. Who/What made you angry today?
16. Favorite type of Food?
17. Favorite holidays?
18. Do you download music?
19. Do you care if your socks are dirty?
20. What are you wearing right now?
21. Would you date the person who posted this?
22. Has anyone ever sang or played for you personally?
23. Do you love anyone?
24. Do you like George W. Bush?
25. Have you ever bungee jumped?
26. Have you ever gone white-water rafting?
27. Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you?
28. How much money ya got in ya pocket?
29. Have you met a real redneck?
30. How is the weather right now?
31. What are you listening to right now?
32. What is your current fave song?
33. What was the last movie you watched?
34. Do you wear contacts?
35. Where was the last place you went besides your house?
36. What are you afraid of?
37. How many piercings have you had?
38. How many pets do you have?
39. What’s one thing you’ve learned?
40. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
42. Have you ever fired a gun?
43. Are you missing someone?
44. Fav. TV show?
45. Do you have an iPod?
46. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celeb?
48. Who would you like to see right now?
49. Favorite movie of all time?
50. Do you find yourself loved?
51. Have you ever been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to?
52. Favorite flower?
53. Butter, plain, or salted popcorn?
54. What Magazines are you reading?
55. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
56. Has anyone you were really close to passed away recently?
58. What’s something that really bugs you?
60. Do you like Michael Jackson?
61. What’s your favorite smell?
62. Favorite baseball team?
63. Favorite cereal?
65. What’s the longest time you’ve gone without sleep?
66. Last time you went bowling?
67. Where is the weirdest place you have slept?
68. Who was your last phone call?
69. Last time you were at work?
70. What’s the closest orange object to you?