Bye Bye Beard...Bye Bye Fuzziness

My husband is a wonderful, wonderful man. Last year we raised $400 for 826 Seattle as a "farmer" and "grower" team. He worked on the mustache and I worked on getting donations.

After 6 weeks, he had the most wonderful, luxurious, salt-and pepper chin and lip hair you can imagine. Alas, he had to shave all but the 'stache for the cause. No beards allowed at the wrap-party.

Once last-year's 'thon was over, I begged and pleaded for him to grow it back. It wasn't hard...he hates shaving. So, Jon-with-a-Mustache became just Jon and the beard and mustache were just part of the package....

Until August 26. That morning we got up and he shaved his face. Naked. Back to Jon-Before-the-Mustache. Whoa.

The rules this year are going to keep him from growing the beard during the mustache-growing-season. I am not sure how I feel about this, but hey! It's my paycheck! I gotta jump all the way on board here. So Viva la Mustache! Give until it hurts! Go here to donate.

Death by Caffeine

If you ever wondered how many cans of Red Bull it would take to kill you, then there is an internet tool that might help.

The website Energy Fiend has a Death by Caffeine Calculator which will answer your every musing on the topic of weight vs. caffeine overdose. It includes everything with caffeine in it, from Sprite to No-Doz to Starbucks.

It would take 2,340 Penguin Mints to kill me. Neat.

Required Reading

Today in the NY Times there is an op-ed by seven soldiers stationed in Iraq. It should be required reading for every senator and congressperson.

The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework...

We are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day...

Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise...

What hits me the hardest in this piece is that these military "grunts" (their word, not mine) speak more eloquently, truthfully, and factually and realistically than anyone I have heard yet.

They close the letter with a line that I think is most important of their message:

We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.

Translation: All you assholes saying that telling the TRUTH about where we are in this quagmire is bad for troop morale are full of shit and you offend us with your condescension.

The question is, will anyone listen?

Elijah vs. Baseball, Bond and Steroids

My eight-year-old god son (of "I don't have any trouble with the word vagina" fame) is obsessed with baseball. I wondered the other day how he was feeling about Barry Bonds breaking the home run record. Yesterday, I got this email which he sent to the editor of the Seattle PI and it answered my question.

Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2007 8:00 AM
To: Opinion
Subject: Letter to the Editor re: Barry Bonds from Elijah, 8 years old

Dear Editor,

I really think Barry Bonds has been cheating when he broke the home run record. Why is Barry Bonds getting all of this attention? He was definitely on steroids. Why are you letting all of this crud get past you? Alex Rodriguez is not on drugs, he isn't using a corked bat. He's a nice guy and I don't know if Barry Bonds is but I'd much rather Alex Rodriguez break the home run record than Barry Bonds. Hank Aaron didn't use steroids to break Babe Ruth's record and I think it's very nice for Hank Aaron to call Barry Bonds on the phone. But Barry Bonds didn't break the home run record because he was most likely on drugs.

Sincerely,

Elijah Gold Newman
8 years old

I have no opinion whatsoever about Bonds. But Elijah's ire is hard to resist. Well put, 'Lij. Why are they letting all that crud get past them?

Pictures in Sqaures

This is a fun tool -- Mosaic Maker -- I've been playing around with it and putting some stuff on Flickr. You can do it by URL or tag or set.

Here's a mosaic of our wedding and celebration:

That settles it...

...we need a bigger fridge.

The only problem I see here (besides the fact that we will have to work very hard to eat all this by next week) is that the vino verde is burried somewhere down under the three heads of lettuce.This represents ONE WEEK of Jon's free produce take home from work. We'll never have to buy veg or fruit again.

Locally Grown Pie

Jon's new job has provided us with a gorgeous box of fresh organic produce each week. Right now blueberries are plentiful and have great texture and taste with just the right amount of tart and sweet. The last batch came from Many Hands in Rockport, Washington. Our apple trees in the back yard are also yielding a fantastic crop of super-crispy tart apples right now. I have been working hard and getting creative to find ways to use everything. The result last night was this:

Apple Blueberry Pie
Served warm with vanilla ice cream on top. Can I get an amen?

Georgetown Lunches

I wasn't expecting too much, but I was pleasantly surprised with the lunch Jon and I had at Kurry King today (5503 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA). The proprietress doesn't know much English except numbers and "You want taste?" but whatever she offers you, say yes and you will be happy. They offer a globe-trotting variety of curries (and some non-curry items) that are not super spicy or unique, but for the price are really quite a deal. We tried everything and then settled on masman and panang, both with chicken. Lunch for two (two kinds of curry, rice, iced teas and a spring roll) came to $15.00 with tax and tip. Ever since Jon got hired at Pioneer Organics we have been exploring Georgetown with really great results. Today: SmartyPants!

Effin' Awesome Magnets

As Part II of my "Effin' Awesome" series (which wasn't a series until today), I give you handmade magnets by my very best friend, Krista! Seriously, check these out:
They are so pretty and come four to a tin. Krista runs a small studio called Gallimaufry Arts in Amador City, California. She is a self-described "mostly stay-at-home-mom" who has worked really hard to get her art out there. I opened her e- newsletter (subscribe here) this morning and knew I needed a set (or two!). Support independent art! Check out her shop, it's effin' awesome.