canopycandy

Mr. Show is the best! I rented the first and second seasons and stayed up all night watching them. They're brilliant.

Oh, whatever. I've been a fan of theirs since their first album (in 1992, I believe). They're amazing. I always marvel at how they can sound totally different on every album. And lead singer Damon? His side projects are genius. Pure genius. Gorillaz, anyone?

Yup, that's the book. Excellent read, by the way.

Here are the main things my whuffo friends can't understand about my skydiving: 1. How I can be scared and still do it. 2. The spiritual and personal satisfaction I get from it. 3. Why I feel like the luckiest person on earth ... er, in the sky ... every time I jump.

Snow days in Athens were always so much fun. I was there when they canceled classes for the first time in 20 years. The dining halls had a tray shortage, because the students stole them all to go sledding down Jeff hill. The bad side is, we couldn't get our cars to the grocery, so we had to rely on Nelson Hall grub or snacks from the Oasis. Mmm ... OU, I miss you.

Ah, but have you ever tried Quorn? It's an amazing substitute for meat ... and so much more nutritious! http://www.quorn.com I'm mostly vegetarian -- no meat, but I eat fish about once a week. However, years ago when I was a carnivore, I made burgers like this: Instead of making a regular hamburger patty, divide the meat into two thin patties. (Flavor the meat beforehand to your liking.) In the center of one thin patty, make a little pile of blue cheese and chopped onions. Place the other patty on top and smoosh all the edges together. Grill or throw on the Foreman. For some reason, I like having the cheese INSIDE the burger better.

He's like a furious Furbee.

Nice that he's open pretty much to ANYONE. At least he's not picky. I have a personal ad from the local paper that I keep on my fridge. It's my favorite, and it never fails to crack me up. It says something like: Lady Amputee Wanted SWM in search of SF, age 18 to 100. Your charm, style and grace make me swoon. No baggage please. Arm or leg amputee preferred.

Here's my story about my brush with skydiving greatness: My first night in Z-hills, I saw Tony Hathaway at the Chinese buffet. He recognized my boyfriend and waved, so I all casually waved back. And then I was like, "Ohmigod. I totally just waved at Tony Hathaway like I knew him." I was so excited to see him in person, I called one of my friends from the bathroom at the restaurant. She was like, "Tony ... who?" And duck ... I also met Tony (as in "Suits") when I was there. I blushed and stammered and couldn't even talk to him. Interestingly, I was just fine chatting it up with another legendary character -- Scotty Carbone.

Wow. Mad props for that answer.

Maybe you should consider Adena. It means gentle.

Whenever my boyfriend calls me "Princess." A big glass of water when I wake up in the morning. French movies. Blueberry candles. Finally nailing my sit. Photos that make me look pretty. Writing something that really flows. A big stack of good books I haven't read yet. New magazines. Watching "Joe Average." (Shut up! It's a guilty pleasure.) My new Twilight Singers CD.

Two faves: 1. When Homer is on the run from PBS for pledging too much money, he is sent to a remote island to become a missionary. Instead, he starts a casino. (Homer: "You don't understand. I don't even believe in Jeebus." Then as his plane is about to crash, he screams, "Save me, Jeebus!!!" ... I still say that on the jump plane sometimes.) 2. When Lisa visits the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks. But I'm a David Lynch geek.

Other suggestions: Eleanor Esther Aubrey Gretchen Alice C'mon ... you have to like something sooner or later.

Someday I want little baby girls -- Sophie and Isabella and Madeline ... I'm going to fill a whole minivan with my babies. Good thing I'm German and have some breeding hips on me.

I'm one of those liberal skydiving media types.

But don't waste your money on Freefly Millennium 1. Sweet Jesus. Someone who watched it with me said, "I want those 26 minutes of my life back."

I think that's the liberating thing about skydiving -- you are conscious of the fact it could be your time to go, but you stand in the door anyway and say, "C'mon. Let's do it." On a slight tangent, I've been wondering if the act of skydiving is inherently selfish. For example, I know my family doesn't support my participation in the sport. I know they need me around to take care of other family members. I know there are a lot of people who care about me and don't want me to do anything to endanger my health. And I skydive anyway. I'm realistic about the odds that skydiving could potentially hurt or kill me, but I do it anyway. Am I selfish for doing that? Am I thinking only of myself each time I jump? And do you think it's because I'm the baby of the family, and that makes me a little selfish and spoiled anyway?

I heard the Greater St. Louis Parachute Club does demo jumps frequently off the arch. I'm sure they would know more about it.

I pretty much hate any phrase that catches on from movies, because everyone uses them to death -- particularly if that movie happens to star Mike Myers. Catchphrases from Wayne's World was bad enough, but then he had to go and make Austin Powers. Every time somebody says, "Do I make you horny?" or "Yeah, baby!" I want to stab them in the eye.

Speaking of "fo' shizzle my nizzle," have you ever read urbandictionary.com? It's actually a good idea -- the whole "define your world" kind of thing. It's gotten a little cluttered lately. But if you take time to wade through some of the words, the slang can be informative and interesting. A lot of it is funny, too.

Eh. "Metrosexual" isn't bad, but I prefer the term "stray." (A combo of straight and gay.) I'd like to add "think outside the box" to that list of irritating phrases. Also, my boyfriend typically breaks awkward silences by saying, "Good clean fun for everyone." It's the only thing about him that drives me absolutely nuts. (Well, that and the fact that he misuses the word "irony" almost constantly.) However, no phrase could ever irritate me as much as reading poor grammar and punctuation. In fact, I've thought about starting a grammar thread on this Web site. My biggest pet peeves are: * Accept/except -- "Except" excludes things, but "accept" doesn't. For example, I would gladly accept that free jump ticket, except if it's for a hop-and-pop. * Advice/advise -- "Advice" is the noun, "advise" is the verb. I can give you advice on hook turns, but I would advise you to be careful. * Affect/effect -- When you affect something, you have an effect on it. Tunnel time can affect my belly skills. That will have a huge effect on my skydiving. * Alot -- This word doesn't exist. You don't skydive "alittle," do you? You don't do it "alot" either. It's two words. A lot. * Everyday/every day -- "Everyday" should only be used as an adjective. For example, I wish my freefly pants were part of my everyday clothes. And if I could, I would skydive every day. * Expresso -- You drink "espresso" before you skydive, not "expresso." It's not fast coffee. * Literally -- Use it only to distinguish between the literal and figurative meaning. For example, you didn't literally explode into the relative work scene ... unless you threw a stick of dynamite at some skydivers. * Then/than -- "Then" is used for time, "than" is for comparisons. For example, I told him I can sit dive better than him. Then I kicked ass and took names. * They're/their/there -- "They're" is always a contraction of "they are." (They're going to swoop the pond today.) "Their" is a possessive pronoun. (That's their sweet new rig.) Every other occasion calls for "there." (There goes the bad skydiver. Oops. He didn't pull. He will bounce right there.) And my top pet peeve: * You're/your -- "You're" is always a contraction of "you are." You're going skydiving with your rig. I understand how some mistakes are common for those who have learned English as a second language, but for native tongues, shame on you. I can't help it that I am this way. Being Conan the Grammarian is my cross to bear.

Ah ... my new Spectre is the most wonderful thing in the whole world. The opening is so nice. It responds well to the toggles. It flares well. And it's beautiful. The whole thing is soft and fluffy and amazing, really. Also, my boyfriend broke his back last year, so he's always concerned about hard openings. But he test-flew my Spectre before I bought it, and he loved it too.

Poop. I was stuck in Fairborn with my family. I had my rig with me and everything. * sigh * So close, yet so far away.

Shoot. I just left Zhills about a week ago. I'll be back in late January. Does that count? Kramer, maybe you just shouldn't leave.