One Good Thing About a Rainy Day

Rainy days in NY are no fun, but one nice thing is seeing little girls on the subway with the most adorable rain boots, like these or these. It made me smile :)

The Stranger

I tried to find the original author but could not.

Hattip: My sister

The Stranger


A few years after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our
small Clover, South Carolina town. From the beginning, Dad was
fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live
with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from
then on.


As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young
mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary
instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.
But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound
for hours on end with adventures, mysteries, and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he
always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even
seemed able to predict the future!


He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me
laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad
didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing
each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the
kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the
stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the
stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example,
was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends or any
visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter
words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger
encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look
cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too
freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes
suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced
strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my
parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our
family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he
was at first. If you could walk into my parents' den today, you would
still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to
listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?

We just call him "TV."

He has a wife now...We call her "Computer".

* *Note: This should be required reading for every household in America!

I guess he forgot to tell her not to touch him on TV

Check out this segment from Fox Channel 5 (NY Local Fox affiliate).
Kids Baking Matzah for Jewish Troops Overseas

Animal Visitor of the Day

In the continuing series of "Sara has the most fun at work", my co-worker brought in his 8 week old puppies today. We had a good time playing with them and they even joined us at a meeting! They joined the ranks of other exciting TV Guide visitors, the tiger and the baby bear.

Globbing for Charity

I don't have a lot of time, but I just had to glob, because Diana is donating $1 for this post to Ahavas Yisrael and Shoshana is matching that! If you didn't think that Diana was a mitzvah girl before she came up with this terrific idea, she certainly is now. Tizki L'Mitzvot, Princess!

Sleep Meme

I was tagged by Diana, so here goes...

1. How much sleep do you get on an average night?
7 (in a perfect world)
2. Is that enough sleep for you?
Usually
3. At what time do you normally go to sleep and wake up?
11 PM - 5:55 AM
4. Do you usually fall asleep right away or have trouble?
Depends on what I had going on that day and how sleep deprived I am
5. What size bed do you have?
Twin

6. How many pillows do you use?

Two
7. In what position do you sleep?
Side
8. Do you need it to be quiet or dark to sleep?
As dark & quiet as possible, but if I'm really tired I can fall asleep with the light on. Noise, not so much
9. Do you use earplugs or an eye mask?
No way
10. Have you ever used a sleeping aid long-term?
No
11. Do you use headgear, a night retainer, or a biteplate?
Never, I have perfect teeth :)
12. What do you normally wear to bed?
In the winter, flannel or fleece PJs, in the summer, t-shirt and shorts
13. Do you frequently fall asleep in your clothing?
Never
14. Do you prefer a heavy or light blanket?
My down comforter
15. Do you prefer warm or cool PJs?
My apt right now is pretty cold so I wear warm PJs, but generally I will lean towards cooler PJs
16. Do you wear socks to bed?
No, unless I'm FREEZING
17. What is your bedtime routine?
Wash face, brush teeth, go to the bathroom, plug in cell phone, turn on alarm clock, say Shema. Read, if I'm not exhausted, otherwise fall into bed
18. Do you listen to music when you’re falling asleep?
No
19. Have you sucked your thumb in recent years?
No
20. Do you still sleep with your childhood blankie/teddy?
I gave up the teddy bear pretty early on, IIRC
21. Do you snore?
No
22. Do you sleeptalk or sleepwalk?
No
23. Do you wake up to use the bathroom often?
Yes
24. What things inhabit your bed aside from a blanket and pillow?
Nothing
25. What kind of alarm clock do you use?
Standard clock radio
26. Do you ever wake up before your alarm?
I'd say between 30-50% of the time
27. Do you frequently take naps?
Only on Shabbas
28. Have you ever slept ‘under the stars’?
Not that I remember, but possibly at overnight camp
29. Can you fall asleep on a bus, train, or airplane?
Not really. On a long flight I will take a sleeping pill and then I can usually get in a couple of hours
30. Have you ever fallen asleep and missed your stop?
No - I am super neurotic on the train

And last, but not least,
31. Over the course of a lifetime, the average person swallows six spiders in his/her sleep. How many do you think you're up to?
Spiders?? Ewwwww!!!!!

ipaytoomuchformyhair, consider yourself tagged :)

Terrific Oprah clip

How sweet is this couple? What an amazing story.

The Things People Do for Attention...

This is just so weird...although I guess no weirder than anything else that goes on in NYC, right?

Bride In Toilet-Paper Dress Plans To Wed In NYC Restroom

Why men should wear wedding bands

Besides the obvious reason...

Wedding Ring Deflects Robber's Bullet, Saves Mississippi Store Owner's Life, Police Say
Sunday , December 02, 2007

JACKSON, Mississippi —

Police say a Mississippi man's wedding band deflected a bullet and probably saved his life.

Two men walked into Donnie Register's shop at The Antique Market in Jackson on Saturday and asked to see a coin collection, police Sgt. Jeffery Scott said.

When Register retrieved the collection, one of the men pulled a gun and demanded money. A shot was fired as Register threw up his left hand, and his wedding ring deflected the bullet, police said.

"The bullet managed to go through two of his fingers without severing the bone," said his wife, Darlene Register. "A part of the bullet broke off and is in his middle finger. The other part is in his neck, lodged in the muscle tissue. But it's not life-threatening."

She said she gives God all the credit.

Police were searching for the robbers, who Scott said "stole a substantial amount of cash."

Words of Wisdom

Bad4shidduchim is going to love this one.

From last night's episode of Samantha Who?

Regina: You're never going to get a date if you just stay home all night. Marriage doesn't just happen. You gotta get out there and expose yourself to it; like chicken pox!







Hattip: E.A. for the impetus to post this. ABC.com for the full episode viewer so I could get the exact quote.