Fast Fiction

I have signed up for another year of NaNoWriMo.

Actually, I think that the default is that I’m signed up, since I was a user of the forums last year. (I’m not quite sure how that works.)

I haven’t decided which participant icon to use for the year.

Is it just my imagination, or have the icons been getting smaller every year? This is the winners icon from 2002:

Yes! This is one of those perks of driving a hybrid car that I plan to take advantage of!

Starting today, drivers of hybrid cars do not have to plug the meters in the City of Los Angeles.

The pilot program will last six months and will then be re-evaluated.

Link via LAist.

LA Blogs’ topic this week is about live music. Not really something I am well versed in (hee!), but I figure they way that I’m not able to answer these questions tells you as much about me it would if I had opinions.

We Will Rock You

1. What’s the best venue in Los Angeles for live music, and why?

I’ve only seen two live music events in Los Angeles, the most recent was at the Hollywood Bowl back in July. I’m not sure I can properly evaluate the LA music scene based on such sketchy experience.

2. What’s the worst?

I have to say, the Hollywood Bowl did not impress me. Well, actually, the venue itself is great, I didn’t care much for the patrons. It was KCRW’s electronica world music show and for some reason folks seemed to think that if there were no lyrics, it wasn’t the music that we paid to hear, and plenty of people were talking. Loudly. Or on the phone.

3. Where do you go most often to catch a gig, and how often?

I don’t.

4. What L.A. band, DJ or performer would you walk over burning hot coals to hear?

I wouldn’t. I would like to see Gomez someday. I hope they come to the Bowl.

5. What’s that playing on your MP3 player/car stereo, home audio system or tinny computer speakers right now?

In the car I have Alan Parsons Project’s Ammonia Avenue. On the playlist on the computer at this very moment I’ve got a mix, which is mostly Gomez.

6. Who’s the most overrated musical act in Los Angeles?

I haven’t a clue.

7. Who’s the most brilliant?

Again, not a clue on this one.

8. Who are the three greatest Los Angeles bands/DJs/musicians of the past 50 years - and why?

I really don’t keep track of where a band is from. For all I know, I listen to lots of local music. Or maybe I don’t even listen to anything from the States.

Eight was enough on that front. I suppose if I’m going to complain about the questions, I should come up with some of my own.

Here’s a few more that I’ve been enjoying.

First, someone has utilized craigslist to enact some sort of vendetta - by posting for a free computer and putting up someone’s phone number!

Free parking spot near the 405 and the 10.

Also, regarding my earlier post, if you have any hermit crabs (with natural or engineered shells), this fellow is looking for them.

Here’s a fat guy who wants pictures taken of him.

Never forget, craigslist can be your blog. Blog. Blog.

Starting tomorrow, October first, signups begin for National Novel Writing Month.

November is National Novel Writing Month, where nutjobs try to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

Won’t you join us?

I know you’ve probably already seen this, but after watching the interview of Bill O’Reilly on 60 Minutes last night, I’m so glad I saw this today.

Comedy Central Refutes O’Reilly’s Claim
‘Daily Show’ Audience More Educated Than ‘O’Reilly Factor’ Audience, Despite O’Reilly’s Claim

Jon Stewart was a guest on O’Reilly’s show earlier this month and O’Reilly referred to The Daily Show’s viewers as “stoned slackers.” Apparently this offended Doug Herzog.

The important facts:

Viewers of Jon Stewart’s show are more likely to have completed four years of college than people who watch “The O’Reilly Factor,” according to Nielsen Media Research.

Comedy Central also touted a recent study by the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey, which said young viewers of “The Daily Show” were more likely to answer questions about politics correctly than those who don’t.

Comedy Central had no statistics on how many people watch “The Daily Show” stoned.

Perhaps part of the problem is that we don’t understand O’Reilly’s definition of slacker.

Swimming in syrup is as easy as swimming in water. The rigorous study of the issue was published in American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal. They first had their volunteers swim timed laps in a swimming pool full of water and then added 300 kg of guar gum (a thickener) to the pool and then had the swimmers repeat their laps.

I have no idea what to do with this info.

I’m still looking for an answer to my other nagging question, what happens if you put a fish in carbonated water?

You know how much I love cemeteries. And photography.

Oh, and let’s not leave out nudity.

And here they are, all rolled up into one pretty picture.

Yes, here’s a group doing a fundraiser by shooting photos of prominent citizens in the local cemetery to raise money and awareness for the respectful upkeep of the graveyard. The idea, taken from the feature “Calendar Girls” instead uses the cemetery as its backdrop. Oh, and all the people in the photos aren’t actually nude, just appear to be.

Looks like a nice cemetery. (Link found via ObscureStore.)

This week’s topic on LABlogs is about getting out of the city.

So here it is, Leaving LA

1. When you can only get out of LA for a weekend, where do you like to go?

I like Morro Bay. I like the view, I like the slower pace, I like the good food (the Man and I have been there enough that we actually have favorite restaurants).

2. Where do you stay when you go there? (lodging and/or region)

The Inn at Morro Bay. It’s freakin’ expensive, but for a weekend getaway, it’s a real treat. We get one of the deluxe rooms on the second floor in the building that is right on the bay. There’s a hot tub on the balcony and the view just kicks ass.

3. Where do you go on vacation to get as far out of the LA lifestyle?

I like going up to Morro Bay, though we’ve never been there for more than three days. Earlier this summer we went to Monterey (actually the town of Marina and stayed right on the beach at the Marina Dunes). I like beach vacations. I would love to go back up to northern California and spend some time up at the mouth of the Klamath river or hiking in the redwoods.

4. For longer vacations, 1-2 weeks, where have you been that you would go back to?

I’d definitely like to go up to the Pacific northwest. The Man and I went to a wedding up in the Cascades years ago and would like to go back there. Better yet, Seattle and Vancouver.

5. Where do you dream of going, but haven’t been?

I’d love to cruise the Inside Passage on one of those little ships (not a cruise ship). One of those boats where you can get really close to the glaciers and where it’s quiet enough to hear the whales spout.

6. Where have you been on vacation where you thought “I could settle here”?

The Man and I definitely feel that way about Morro Bay. I’d love to have a place out by the entrance to the Montana de Oro State Park. It’s high up on the hillside and overlooks Morro Bay and you can wind your way down to the strand beach there that goes on for miles. That’d be a great retirement place.

7. What place in Los Angeles makes you feel like you’re already on vacation?

I like going up to Pt. Dume and just watching the water. A little picnic lunch, my camera and binoculars and I’d go home feeling pretty refreshed.

8. Where in Los Angeles would you warn tourists to stay away from, even though a lot of them end up there?

I think Hollywood Blvd. is kind of silly, but I’ve never had anyone who comes to visit tell me they were disappointed with it, so who am I to argue with them. Will brought up a good one, Universal City Walk. I haven’t been there since they made the decision to not show Poetic Justice years ago because it “attracted the wrong demographic”. Not only that, it’s not terribly convenient, the parking sucks and it felt very confined. Gimme Hollywood and the Arclight any day.

Humans have been tinkering with nature for a long time. Farming and ranching have changed the planet.

But shouldn’t we just leave well enough alone? Should we really try to improve upon creatures in the wild? I know that where humans have interfered with wild animals we try to bring balance back to the situation. They give deer birth control shots instead of culling the heards. They move animals away from inhabited areas to more remote ones.

This one really got me though. An artist/designer has figured out how to fabricate better shells for hermit crabs.

Yes, hermit crabs. Those little crabs that take cast off shells in the ocean and on the beach and recycle them for their own protection. Apparently there is a scarcity of reusable shells on the beaches these days (yes, someone did a study). These fake shells are lighter and better fitting than those natural ones.

Here’s my problem. It’s one thing to try to help out a species with things like birdhouses, but another to give them an advantage. What of the poor hermit crab who prefers a real shell, is he to suffer because suddenly the fake shell crew has an advantage. And what of the offspring of these fake shells, what if they can’t find a fake shell, what if they’re no longer able to tote around those heavy real shells that they evolved for? What if we make them so dependent on us that they’re no longer able to fend for themselves?

The Following Routine Will Become Effective Forthwith

1. Swimming Pool attendants will telephone and ask the Officer of the Watch for permission to fill the swimming pool

2. The Officer of the Watch will inform the Engineer of the Watch that permission has, or has not, been granted to fill the swimming pools

3. Swimming Pool attendants will contact the Engineer of the Watch that they are standing-by their pool

Only when the Engineer of the Watch has received two reports (2 and 3) will he commence filling the swimming pool

Swimming Pool attendants are not to ask the Officer of the Watch for permission to fill the pool until they have sighted their pool

(from the Queen Mary)

You know, I think half the problems in the world are from an imbalance, an excess here and a need way over there. Maybe craigslist goes a little way to helping put those things together.

I like to hang out in the free section of the Los Angeles subsite.

Here are some of my favorites:

Don’t you want a little pat on the back every once in a while? Maybe a high five? (There are photos, too!)

Do you need a HIGH FIVE?

Date: 2004-09-19, 3:45PM PDT

FREE HIGH FIVE’S FOR FREE

Whatís Going ON?

What we have here are freeÖ Thatís right free HIGH FIVES! NO COST TO YOU!

I’m sorry you missed out on this one:

1/2 gallon of milk - must drink by the end of the day

Date: 2004-09-17, 4:02PM PDT

It expires today and I’d hate to waist it.

I wonder if anyone claimed it. Maybe it’ll go with this:

FREE Chili

Date: 2004-09-14, 11:44AM PDT

This chili will knock your socks off…I have 5 cans left! Going…going…gone? I’ll even throw in a bag of cheerios if you respond in time.

After you’ve eaten your fill, you might want to spruce up your look:

Free Graduated Bob Haircut Today 6:00PM at High End Salon

Date: 2004-09-08, 4:19PM PDT

Need a female hair model who wants a graduated bob haircut like the one pictured for hair demonstration tonight at 6PM. Please respond with contact info only if you make it today and want the haircut. You will be getting a great cut at a very upscale high end salon. Thanks and hope to hear from you shortly.

Not everything is free, of course. I like the General postings too.

I’m not sure, but this person might be confusing a philanthropist with a sugar daddy:

philanthropist wanted

Date: 2004-09-16, 10:36AM PDT

Extremely beautiful and talented artist with a business plan iso a sponsor.
Write for more info.

LA Blogs posted this weeks LA Insight: Baby You Can Drive my Car.

(beep, beep.)

1. How many hours a week are you stuck in your car?

Hmm, first of all, I never feel stuck in my car. I love my car. I love being in my car. But to answer the question, at the moment, I’m spending about 3 hours a week in my car. But hey, I’m on medical leave. Once I go back to work, I expect to be back to the usual 4 or 5.

2. What music is in your car, right now?

I’ve got the new Gomez - Split the Difference in the CD player. I’ve been listening to it for several weeks.

3. What do you do while stuck in traffic? Eat? Sing? Primal scream?

I never feel stuck, because of the overwhelming smugness that comes with driving a Prius. However, when I drive I sing. Sometimes to the stereo, sometimes I turn it off and just sing for myself.

4. If you could give citations to other drivers for bad behavior, who/ what
would you ticket?

I don’t care for changing lanes without signaling. I don’t like it when people tailgate. I can’t stand people who slot or people who will come to a stoplight and sit in the far right lane (the turn lane) and then shoot out when the light turns green just so they can pass everyone else at the light. I would also ticket for bad parking. I mean, parking lots have lines, how hard is it to get your damn car inside the lines?

5. What’s your favorite place/freeway to drive in LA?

I don’t think I have a favorite place. I don’t really see driving as pleasurable. I like to get where I’m going but I try not to resent the journey.

I enjoy the big boulevards like Santa Monica and Sunset and Hollywood because when you’re in stop and go traffic there’s lots to look at.

As for freeways, I love driving the 126 from the 5 through Fillmore to Santa Paula.

6. What’s your least favorite?

I don’t care for the four level downtown. I think the 5 is more potholes than road.

7. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen another driver do?

Hmm, there have been so many, I’m not sure I can classify one as crazier than another.

8. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen left on the side of the road?

When I first arrived in LA I was a bit mystified by all the furniture I would see on the freeways. Especially mattresses. Now, I don’t think any of it is crazy.

Just in case you’re not paying attention, September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Unfortunately, this year Talk Like a Pirate Day falls on a Sunday. I know you all like talking like a pirate at work! Of course for those church-going types that could make for an interesting sermon.

I have come up with a title for my fourth novel. I know they can’t be copyrighted or anything, so let me officially just call dibs on it.

My new novel I will write in November will be called An Alphabetical Order.

This is the first time I have come up with a title before an actual idea for a novel, or an entire novel first.

We’ll see if this works any better than the previous ventures.

This entry is my 203rd post. I probably should have put up sometime when I hit the more notable milestone post of 200, but in reality, 203 is more impressive because, well, it’s three more.

Take all of that for whatever it’s worth. Which ain’t much.

First of all, why isn’t there a cent sign on the standard keyboard? Was inflation so high when the computer came out that they just dumped it, leaving it in alt-shift nowhere land?

But I digress.

Robert Daeley at Celsius 1414 has a cool post. Go read it.

I’m a day late but I wasn’t feeling exactly inspired to answer this week’s LA Blog’s LA Insight. This weeks edition calls attention to the heat and what we do to escape it. Maybe the heat is making me cranky, but it seems that my answers are a bit contentious.

1. What is your favorite beach to cool off on? When do you go to beat the crowds?

I don’t go to the beach to cool off. Seems whenever it’s hot, that’s where people go. I think I’d prefer going up to the mountains, but I never have.

2. If not the beach, where is your favorite cooling-off spot outdoors? indoors?

I have no favorite cooling off spot. I find that not moving around much makes heat bearable.

3. Where is your favorite spot for ice cream/sorbet/gelato?

I like Mashti Malone’s over in Hollywood on La Brea.

4. What is your favorite flavor?

Sometimes they do a wonderful cardamom, but most of the time I get orange blossom with pistachios. I also like popsicles. I really miss pudding pops. I hated the commercials, but the pops were really good.

5. Stuck at home? What are you making in your blender?

I don’t make blender drinks. I drink water for the most part, I don’t care much for flavored drinks. Alcoholic drinks, on the other hand, are flavored and there I prefer things with gin in them. Gin and Tonic with lots of fresh lime. I like most things made with lime too, margaritas (on the rocks) and

6. Got any original concoctions you want to share?

I’ve tried making up drinks but they don’t turn out very well. I sometimes make a gin gimlet without the sugar. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s damn sassy. Is there a name for grapefruit juice, gran marnier and gin?

7. Favorite winter-themed video or book?

I like A Charlie Brown Christmas.

8. What was your favorite water-themed activity as a kid?

This one I can answer! Swimming. And tubing. I don’t see river or creek tubing too much here in California, I think because there just aren’t the right kinds of rivers. Sometimes we’d go tubing on the river, which is fun because you just drift downstream. But creek tubing is better because there are usually rapids.

The NY Times has published a look at those who have died. Photos of the first 1,000 American troops to die in Iraq.

Sadly, they won’t be the last.

“On average, the service members who died were about 26. The youngest was 18; the oldest, 59.”

It’s all names and photos, no ranks. Just the faces of men and women.

I got up this morning to watch the Genesis reentry on the Nasa Channel. Since it was only nine when I came downstairs, I went ahead and set the PVR to bring it in while I walked the dog.

Then I came back and started from the beginning. It was only because I was browsing the internet at the same time that I found out that Genesis had crashed. The chute failed to deploy.

That just sucks.

I hope that the samples it took (“recover science” as the Nasa fellows call it) are still viable.

I know, I usually don’t cross post. But I really wanted to spread the word about this. I haven’t seen much talk in the news (okay, I don’t actually watch the news, but I haven’t seen it in the online newspapers) about the Genesis mission.

The Genesis spacecraft, which went to the sun and collected samples is returning to Earth, will put on a show tomorrow. Any readers from Elko, Nevada to Bend, Oregon may be able to catch a glimpse of it starting at 8:53 AM. Here’s an even better map with freeways on it from Spaceweather.com.

Check this map to see if you’re on the path - you should be able to view it if you’re within 100 miles of the path of reentry, it will be between 10-100 times brighter than Venus.

Won’t someone go out tomorrow morning and take some photos of it?

Russ and I were visiting Forest Lawn again and found this tribute plaque. I lost interest in reading the text once it started quoting Bible verse, but Russ continued to find this as the bottom:

How many times do you think someone went over this text before committing it to the casting? Do you think the family realizes that they’ve confused “your” and “you’re”? Or were they paying by the letter?

LA Blogs is at it again, like clockwork. Or maybe it’s calendarwork. Los Angeles Insight - Fire Up the BBQ

I’m alone this weekend and not invited anywhere, so this is an exercise in well, exercising. But hey, it keeps my entry total up!

Labor Day is upon us, thanks to those who put out the effort for last week?s Los Angeles Insight, terrific ideas to fill out this holiday weekend.

Since this is one of the standard BBQ holidays, let?s get to it. The drill is, copy these questions to your blog, complete your answers on your own site and post a link here in the comments so that we can find them.

1. When you do fire up the grill, what do you put on it?
Chicken. Marinated, boneless chicken breasts.

2. Where do you buy your goods (any secret meat markets)?

Usually Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. We go for the hormone free ones, because we know what too many hormones do to me. Sometimes we do turkey sausages, Bristol Farms has a really good selection of turkey and chicken sausages that are wonderfully spicy.

3. Besides your house, where do you/would you BBQ around your area?

No. I like grilling at home.

4. Gas or charcoal?

Gas. Better for the environment. Compact and certainly less cleanup. I like the taste of charcoal (as long as the fire starter has burned off).

5. What is your favorite drink to accompany the grill?

I like water. And gin and tonics.

6. When you bring a side dish, what is it?

Salad is nice. I also like this grill dish that we do where you skewer the baby mozzarella balls on bamboo skewers and alternate it with tomatoes and basil leaves. Then baste it in olive oil with a little salt, pressed garlic and pepper in it. Put on the grill just until the cheese starts getting gooey and pull off and eat immediately. Yummers!

7. If the host burns the main dish, where do you go out to eat instead?

We’d call for delivery I think. Probably Hard Times Pizza.

8. Post BBQ games: dominoes, croquet, bocci or badminton?

Um, we’ve played croquet a few times, though I think usually before. I just got a bocci set that I’m itching to use. Maybe after the next time the lawn is mowed.

Here’s a little question I have for other bloggers.

Do you live your life so that you can blog about it?

In your everyday life, do things happen and the first thing that comes to your mind is, “Oh, I’ve got to blog about that!”

I’m recovering from my surgery and have had romantic ideas about what a recovery would be like. And some of my notions of activities revolve around things that I would like to tell people I did while recovering.

Witness: Russ has been coming over to keep me company. He reads to me. Our primary book at the moment is The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh. It’s a satiric novel about the Los Angeles funeral industry (Forest Lawn) that includes a few biting indictments of the entertainment industry and perhaps how we regard our pets. Anyway, not satisfied with just reading this novel, I’ve decided he should read to me on the grounds of Forest Lawn in Glendale.

Do I do that because I actually enjoy it, or because I want you to read that I did it and have you think something in particular about me and what kind of person would engage in such an activity?

I think I do it because I enjoy it. I’m not one for doing things I regard as a chore. I guess I blog about it to try to create that sort of persona that I’d like you think I actually am. Part of creating the essential things to know about Cybele.

According to a study published in the journal Tobacco Control (okay, with a name like that, you’d expect this from them), cigarette smoke is more polluting than diesel exhuast. Not just more polluting, ten times worse.

I guess my big question is, could we slow global warming if we got rid of smoking? ... hmm, I think not.

Found via syaffolee.

For the record, I have been watching some of the Olympics. Just the stuff in the evenings and rarely a team sport.

I have no idea where the medal counts by country stand. Nor do I care.

I saw a report about a new study that just came out linking the lack of a key protein to the formation of keloid scars and fibroid tumors.

It was a study conducted by Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health and published in July 2004 in the journal Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer. You can read an article about it here at the National Institutes of Health. (The actual study bears the name “Involvement of fumarate hydratase in nonsyndromic uterine leiomyomas.”)

Anyway, it basically states that in women with fibroids they found that they were missing a key protein that helps to bind tissues. This protein controls the way that collagen arranges itself. In normal people collagen arranges itself in structured, regular strands that help form a lattice and support for the rest of the tissue. In women lacking the protein the collagen is disorganized in disjointed and irregular strings that don’t had discrete patterns of growth. So in a this uterine tissue, something starts growing wrong and it just doesn’t know where or when to stop. In a scar, the tissue tries to bind back together but just ends up making a puddle of tissue that goes out of the bounds of the original wound.

Of course this is of particular interest to me because I had fibroids and make keloid scars. This missing protein also explains the genetic component to both of these problems - keloids and fibroids have been shown statistically to run in families and in certain racial groups (three times more likely to occur in African-Americans). I hope since they’re able to isolate this protein deficiency that someday they’ll be able to easily treat these conditions with injections. (Keloids can be especially difficult in burn patients, as if a burn victim doesn’t have enough to worry about with the painful burns, it’s the scars that cause the disfigurement. It’d be very comforting to know that this could be the step to curing that.)

LA Blog’s LA Insight for week three is the Labor Day Itinerary, this one is about how to show a visitor a good time. Pick up these mythical guests on Friday night at LAX and return them on Monday evening.

Friday Night - since I’m picking them up at the airport, I figure we’ll catch the sunset over in Santa Monica. We’ll park by the Promenade and then take a little walk along the beach. They’l snap some photos and the waning sunshine will help them adjust to the time difference. Then a little walk up to the pier and we’ll play some skee ball and head over to the Broadway Deli for some comfort food for dinner.

Saturday Morning - a lazy morning as they adjust to the time difference. I set up the coffee maker the night before to make a fresh pot at 6:30 AM and left my laptop out for them to browse the Internet (since I don’t get a paper). There’s a bowl of fruit and some cereal there too. Help yourself. Go sit in the yard with the dog while you’re at it and have some fresh figs.

Saturday Day - well, since there’s still a little morning left we head downtown for some shopping. We go to the flower mart first and pick up some amazing bouquets for next to nothing. Then head over either to the jewelry mart for some cheap silver goods as gifts or the fabric stores in the fashion district. We’ll pick up some lunch over at Senor Fish downtown or get adventerous and just some roach coach or hole in the wall.

Saturday Night - a relaxing evening with a few drinks up on the deck with a view of Downtown (because we were just there!) and then off for dinner at either Cafe Beaujolais in Eagle Rock or Edendale Grill.

Sunday Morning - a walk down to Sunset Blvd. for breakfast somewhere, maybe Millies or Eat Well or Cafe Mattise.

Sunday Day - back at the house we don our hiking outfits and head out - either to the Devil’s Punchbowl or Point Dume. We’ll stop at Trader Joe’s for some munchies for the trip and of course take plenty of water and memory chips for the digital cameras.

Sunday Night - Maybe a little shower or at least a change of clothes and off to the Long Beach Blues Festival (we might swap Saturday and Sunday, depending on what the guests want to see at the Fest).

Monday Morning - it’s supposed to be a vacation for my guests, so they sleep in and we hang out on the deck or in the back yard for a while. Maybe we look at the photos they’ve taken so far on the computer or ones they’ve brought of their house & family.

Monday Day/Afternoon - they’re all packed up and we take a little tour through the deader parts of Los Angeles. Using an out of print book I have as a guide, Permanent Californians, that lists resting places of people of note in LA. We start in Glendale at the Forest Lawn there, zip over to the Forest Lawn in Burbank, over the hill to Hollywood Forever and then down to Angelus Rosedale. Maybe head a little out of our way for a late/light bite at Rita Flora before heading to the airport.

Yay! The new Buzznet launched!

What’s super cool is that you can go there and read this blog and I can post photos from there here!

Here’s an example of one of my fab photos found there!

I haven’t finished playing there to see all the other new stuff, but I really enjoy the fact that I can cross post the photos without having to host them twice.

Congrats to Marc Brown and the Buzznet team. They’ve added lots of features to the free service and it looks like the premium service could make for a very richly-featured, no-ad, image-heavy blog at a kick-ass price ($36/year). Probably one of the best deals out there!

Makes me wanna go out and take some photos now.

Of course I’ll have to shower and dress first. Ah, the life of a girl in recovery mode.

My dear friend Russ gave me some phone wire. Not just some. 20 yards. Yes, 60 feet of 25 pair phone wire. That’s 50 pieces of wire 60 feet long - 3,000 feet of multi-colored plastic sheathed copper wire. Have you ever had a more wonderful gift?

Baffled?

Are you wondering what I’m going to do with 3,000 feet of wire? I’m wondering that too, but I know I’m gonna have a good time. Hell, I’ve got little else I’m allowed to do since surgery, so maybe I’m going to go into business selling wire bracelets. Expect photos in the coming weeks!