I miss you too

A handful of tweeps recently mentioned my sudden disappearance from the blogging world. I have to say that it was really nice to see that my rambling nonsense on this blog was something that people honestly enjoyed reading.

I want to clear out some of the cobwebs on Cusp of Normal to admit that I have been missing blogging and am hoping to get back into the swing of things. But I might need to find a new space... this blog no longer feels like my own. I no longer consider it to be the sanctuary that it was for so many years. I'm sad to think about leaving behind the posts that I've accumulated since I started this blog in 2007. (It's hard to believe it's been four years!) But a new blog might be the breath of fresh air that I need to get back into the hobby that I so adored.

I'm currently brainstorming new names/concepts for a new blog. I should just pick something and get on with it--but I kind of love coming up with names for things (especially nonexistent children and rock bands) and want a name that truly feels like me.

In the meantime, know that I miss you. I hope some of you will follow me to the new space. But I won't be posting the new address here--so you will have to do some sleuthing or direct message me on Twitter once I announce that it is up and running. Oh, and I'll probably eventually need a new Twitter handle too. Blarg.

This new blog will be my own personal fight club--or something. And you know what they say about talking about fight club...

My Resolutions for 2011

I'm keeping it simple this year:

Resolution #1: Be happy.
Resolution #2: Be active (mentally and physically).

I have been pretty down lately. Not sure if it's just the winter blues or something more. I've been trying to make some changes that will help me through to the spring. The first step is to get my blood pumping so I'm not so fatigued all the damn time. (I still am without a diagnosis to explain this constant symptom.) My in-laws gave me some Zumba workout DVDs for Christmas and I think doing a few workouts a week will help me feel a little more energetic this winter. I'm also starting back up with a very basic lifting routine to hopefully prevent any future incidence of oesteoparosis. (Something wee ones like myself must think about long before old age.)

I've also been involved in several freelance projects that are keeping my mind busy this winter. (Bonus: The extra money from these projects will help us make some much needed updates to the house this spring.)

So, that's that. What are you hoping to achieve this year?

Taking my business elsewhere

My sister made an odd request for her Christmas gift this year: a fuzzy steering wheel cover. "The fuzzier, the better," she instructed me.

Amazon.com had a disappointing selection, so after consulting my pal Google, I landed on a website called prankplace.com. The website refers to itself as "the fun and outrageous place to shop!" Well, they definitely have the outrageous covered. And not in the fun "Jem" kind of way. More on that in a second.

I was quite pleased with the level of fuzz provided by their Shag Steering Wheel Cover. I was deliberating between which color to order when the "Funny Bumper Stickers" category caught my eye on the sidebar. My sister has a silly sense of humor, so I thought I'd look for a bumper sticker to slip in her automotive-themed gift. After clicking through a few pages, I was bored. Oh, but what is this? "Embarrassing Fake Bumper Stickers" on the sidebar. What could a "fake" bumper sticker be, I wondered.

Holy. Hell.





Apparently this website considers gay pride to be "embarrassing" and "fake." This alone is a disgusting display of homophobic hatred and prejudice. But to add insult to injury, these gay pride stickers are displayed alongside these class acts:





Needless to say, this company has lost my business. Fuzzy steering wheel cover be damned!

I encourage you to join me in boycotting this company. I sent the company a message earlier today informing them that they disgust me. Won't you join me? Contact them here.

Living in fear of the synth

Confession: I really like the synth. For me, it doesn't get much better than the 2:05 mark on Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

However, there is one time of year when I live in fear of the synth. And that time is nigh, my friends. Radio stations in Pittsburgh have already started incorporating Christmas music into their rotations (some exclusively, God help us all). This means one thing: at any given moment, my ears could be assaulted with the sound of my synth nightmare... "Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul McCartney... aka Sir Paul McHatesMe.


Click at your own risk.

This song. THIS SONG. I can't come up with the words that would accurately convey to you the way the first few notes of that song make my insides recoil in disgust. I am sure there was a time when this song did not cause such a visceral reaction--but that was a very long time ago. That was before I spent three holiday seasons working retail at Toys "R" Us, where they assault their employees and customers with the same dozen "upbeat" Christmas tunes nonstop. I believe I speak for everyone, frazzled employees and disgruntled customers alike, when I say:

Go to hell, Geoffrey.

After hearing "Wonderful Christmas Time" approximately 1.47 million times throughout my collective three months at Toys "R" Us, I could frankly stab a unicorn if I have to hear that song one more time. This is why those opening synth notes are a signal to my brain to SWITCH THE STATION! TURN OFF THE RADIO! RAM THE CAR INTO THE ONCOMING SEMI! ANYTHING TO MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!

And don't worry, if I happen to be unlucky enough to hear this song while doing holiday gift shopping at the mall, I have an emergency plan in tact. It involves carrying a fog horn and very discrete cymbals...


... not unlike this little fella's...

The catch is, of course, you have to be willing to be escorted from the mall by a very huffy security guard, who has already had to stop eight goth teenagers from trying to cram HotTopic's body jewelry and Twilight paraphernalia down their skinny jeans... and that was only 45 minutes into the poor guy's shift.

I think we all have Christmas songs that rub us the wrong way. For example, my mother-in-law loves Christmas music more than any other person on this planet. I'm not sure how she feels about "Wonderful Christmas Time." However, I am VERY SURE that she hates "Christmas Shoes" with the intensity of a thousand suns. But really, who doesn't? And why is that boy so dirty? ("... his clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe...") It just doesn't add up. (Side note: Andrew, being the sweet son that he is, suggested that he and his mother dance to "Christmas Shoes" as their mother-son dance at our wedding. Not sure why she didn't go for it...)

So tell me, which songs make you want to risk being banned for life from The Gap?

Well-Fed, Well-Loved

Our little Tommy seems to be enjoying his new home. Visit Michelle's blog to see him chowing down on a tasty treat. (She's a creep... but it's totally awesome.)