Sweeter Lemon

I have no idea what kind of paint we have in our apartment, but I swear it’s the most durable paint I’ve ever seen. This weekend I went on a cleaning frenzy, and scrubbed practically every solid surface in our apartment. And while our apartment is not outfitted with high end items by any means (no stainless steel backsplash or appliances for us) I can say that the surfaces clean up like a dream. I must have scrubbed down three different walls, and nothing happened to the paint or finish to make it look like they’d been scrubbed.

I was highly impressed. Who knew paint could be so indestructable?

The sneaky people that run the cafeteria downstairs have put a small basket of Miniature Peppermint Patties right next to the chashier’s station, and they’re selling them for 10 cents each. So when you check out, it’s practically impossible to pass up grabbing one or two to eat after your lunch to, you know, freshen your breath.

I’ve been on a kick with them lately, and now my taste buds are convinced I have to have one (or two) after every lunch. What are the chances they’re laced with fat burners? Because my waistline is going to be adversely affected if I keep this habit up.

Some people daydream about climbing mountains, or kayaking down rapids. Some people daydream about inventing the newest mousetrap or starting an at home business. Some people daydream about getting in the Guinness Book of World Records for Frisbee throwing or juggling or having the longest hair.

I daydream about riding in a helicopter, preferably over a gorgeous scenic landscape. I’ve just always wanted to do that.

My favorite shoes when I lived in Chicago were my Dansko womens shoes, and more specifically,the “Professional” style. I lived in these shoes during the fall, winter and spring, only giving them up when summer rolled around and I could wear my Dansko sandals or Reef flip-flops.

What I loved most about these shoes were how they were designed for walking – everything from the way your heels moved within the shoe to the contour of the soles and footbeds made them the most comfortable walking shoes I ever owned. They may have felt heavy if you picked them up in your hand, but when I was wearing them, they didn’t feel heavy at all. In fact, when I would wear them, I never really noticed them – I just walked my many miles without thinking of my feet. And that was bliss.

I lost them in the move, and I really, really miss them. We’re right in the middle of our Louisville summer, so I don’t need any right now. But this fall? I bet I’ll be getting a new pair.

Speaking of the cats, do your cats love the TV? Our Zelda is always trying to jump up on the TV stand and stares at the pictures. It’s cute until she looks too closely and gets little kitty noseprints all over the screen. Then it’s just annoying.

I haven’t figured out if she’s just that fascinated by the ads for Mesothelioma lawyers and various pharmaceuticals, or if she’s trying to warm up in the glow of the pixels. I guess we’ll never know for sure.

I don’t know what it is about these Feather Flips toys, but my cats LOVE them. OK, really it’s just Ruby that loves them, Zelda can take them or leave them.

Ruby, though. Ruby goes crazy with these toys. There is something about the way they are weighted that, when they’re tossed,� makes them arc in a very organic way, which always captures Ruby’s attention. She’ll bat at one with her paw, grab it in her mouth, and then flip it up in the air and chase after it.

When she’s done playing with one, you never know where it will end up – usually under a table or in a corner somewhere, but one time we found one under one of the area rugs (I’m still not sure how that happened!).

They’re not too expensive, they last a good long while. We usually try to watch Ruby when she plays with them, as she tends to chew the feathers off and tries to eat them. I’m not sure if that’s dangerous, but we don’t want to take any chances.

Flickr just announced a new feature for their “Blog This!” application – the ability to send your photos to Twitter easily and quickly. Basically, you link your Flickr account to your Twitter account, and when you choose Twitter from the “Blog This!” options, it adds the photos info plus Tiny URL, along with the ability to write the rest of the “tweet” right from Flickr.

Pretty cool! So now if you want to share with your Twitter followers those photos of the amazing porcelain tile you just installed in your bathroom, or a really cute shot of you child eating birthday cake, or just want to show the world the amazing flowers you saw on your walk home, there’s a simple way to do it. Nice one, Flickr!

I’ve had the Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred DVD for a few months, and while I don’t use it as consistently as I should, I love it.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I hate it when I’m halfway through the workout. But I love it when it’s done.

When I’m actually able to do the routine consistently for more than just a day here and there, I can really feel a difference in my body. I can see myself get stronger after just a few days of consistent exercising, which amazes me. Even more so, that’s just on the first level. I can only imagine that if I finally accepted the fact that ice cream isn’t filled with fat burner pills, and focused on exercising consistently, that this program would be a great way to get in better shape.

Now if only Jillian Michaels could change my brain chemistry to keep my out of the ice cream. I’d buy that DVD in a heartbeat.

It hit me today that I’ve been using eBay for ten years. TEN YEARS. That’s incredible to me. I think the only online store I’ve known about longer than eBay is Amazon, back when they just sold books.

I think my first eBay purchase was while I was in grad school, and I was trying to hunt down an out of print videotape of the movie “Noises Off.” I found someone selling it on eBay, but since this was the days before Paypal, I had to snail mail them a money order as payment before they’d send it to me. At the time I remember thinking how cool it was to use this particular service.

Wow, times have changed. Now you can get anything on eBay (celebrity’s clothes, any kind of natural appetite suppressant, electronics, even cars) and pay for it with your credit card or directly from your bank account from Paypal. So, so different than it once was.

Anyone who thinks that teen literature is nothing more than long missives discussing acne treatment and the senior prom needs to read this book: The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon.

In the first chapter, the author attempts suicide by dousing a bathrobe in gasoline, and then setting himself on fire. The rest of the book chronicles the aftermath of the attempt, from his hospitalization to rehabilitation.

I was riveted by the author’s voice, and how vividly he described his internal struggle with the decision he made and how he had to cope with what came after it. Nothing was sugar-coated, and his internal struggle was frustratingly realistic. A great, great read.