"But rather because I don’t know if she did, and neither do any of you."

I realize that this post should have been a few days ago, but for some reason it hasn't materialized until now.

The passing of Anna Nicole Smith on Thursday was, admittedly, surprising. Shocking even. I mean, the woman was 39 for crying out loud. Following in Steve Irwin's footsteps, hundreds of Facebook groups have sprung up since then in tribute, both real and mock, to this former Playmate golddigger. In one such group created specifically at Belmont, there was a heated wall post exchange between several individuals, most of which is of no consequence. Someone did make the following statement, in response to someone else, regarding her life:

...Not once did I say that she led a moral and good life, not because I don’t think she did, but rather because I don’t know if she did, and neither do any of you.

While I guess I would agree with the underlying principle of this statement, there is just too much contrary evidence in this case. I'll even just focus on the last six months:

On September 7, 2006 (my birthday, no less), Anna gave birth to her second child, Dannielynn, in the Bahamas. A few days later, her 20 year-old son died in her hospital room of yet unknown causes, which speaks nothing to her morality but is more to further frame the tragedy of her life. In the following months, her attorney, Howard Stern (not that Howard Stern), announced that he was the father of Dannielynn. Her former boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, later claimed that he was the father, resulting in a paternity battle that still rages to this day.

Fast forward 5 months to Thursday, when she died of yet undetermined causes in her hotel room. This turn of events led Prince Frederic von Anhalt, 90 year-old Zsa Zsa Gabor's 59 year-old husband, to reveal that he had been having an affair with Smith for the last decade, and was claiming that the child could be his. He further revealed that Anna had always desired to be made a princess, and he didn't want to divorce Zsa Zsa, so he had written up adoption papers for he and Gabor to adopt Anna, which Zsa Zsa refused to sign.

Does this sound like the type of situation that someone who leads a "moral and good" life would get themselves into? When three different men can make paternity claims on one child, that should be kind of a red flag that all is not necessarily right in paradise.

Such a sad life.

Phylis and Bob's wedding: February 8, 7:30 PM CST

So I went into the Super Bowl not thinking I cared about who won, and fully intended to cheer for whoever everyone else wasn't cheering for. But, when push came to shove, I found myself rooting for the Colts. It was a great game, very entertaining, and if the Bears had figured out how to win somehow, I would've been pissed. They were so outplayed it's not even funny.

Yesterday was very interesting. I got up and ran (I'm up to 5.25-ish miles!), during which I got a call from Aunt Bev saying that we can use their cabin for Spring Break. So I am, for sure, coming home for Spring Break, and I'm bringing at least two cars full of people with me. and all this happens in less than 4 weeks. Craziness.

I then was going to attend a convocation, because I need to polish those off before May, but my two options were "Careers in the Transportation Industry" and "Careers in Healthcare", which, as exciting as their names make them sound, just weren't going to hit the spot. So I watched an hour of Father of the Bride 2 with Ryan and then went to Showdown until 3:30. I'm not going to go into detail on the rest of the day, except to say I had class and watched 24. And all was right in the world.

I now realize how wrong the first line of that story was.

Two tests coming up on Thursday, and I'm not really worried about either of them. I am definitely experiencing senioritis; it comes and goes in waves, but it's always kind of lurking there in the shadows.

In case you forgot, there are only 7 more shopping days until Valentines Day. Plan accordingly.

And, finally, this is how I look after my recent haircut:


Scary, I know.

Peripheral Constipation and the Rainbow Bridge

The first half of the above is the result of a well-timed game of charades that took place this evening at the Beech House. Seeing Doug act this out was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

My mom sent me this poem earlier this week, and I think it's one of the funniest/most ridiculous things ever. For those of you that don't know, I am not a huge animal person. If you want to have a pet, I am cool with that, but don't expect me to play with it. Especially if it's a cat. And I really don't understand why people would have pet birds either. ANYWAY, this poem was sent to the owners of Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby-winning horse that they finally put to sleep earlier this week, on an internet message board. I am so happy that horse is gone; I don't see the point of CNN, or SportsCenter for that matter, wasting my time with updates on the health of a horse that won one race. It is people who write crap like this that make me wonder about the sanity of man. Enjoy.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

I pray that this poem by an unknown author will help you in your time of loss. As a member of the veterinary profession I can assure you that you did the right thing and that he passed without pain. He will be waiting for you in Heaven.

I now have less than 100 days until graduation (97 to be exact). 14 weeks.

Oscar Challenge is back

It's back! To join in the Oscar contest for 2007, click here. You can enter anytime up until the show starts.

The tortoise and the hair

I got a haircut. Quinn was handing them out at our place, so I decided to go for it. I ended up having it cut shorter than it's been since I was in 4th grade. Amazingly, it didn't turn out too bad. I'll try and get a picture up soon.

In other news, I hate weathermen. Every last one of them. The chance of snow last night/this morning? 90%. The amount of snow we actually received: 0". Nothing. I so wanted a snow day today. And, much like the countless times I anticipated such an event in my years of public education, we got nothing.

Last night was my first adventure into the video production world. We shot the anti-piracy PSA over at Kurt and Tyler's place, and it turned out better than I could have hoped. Seriously, the lighting was great, the clothes were great, the actors we great, and we shot the whole thing in HD, which looked amazing! I'm so glad that we got that done, and I owe Kurt and Tyler so ridiculously much after this is all finished. I'll make sure anyone who wants to see can do so when it's edited together.

I've decided one of the most annoying things in the world, in my opinion, is girls sitting around talking about how there's no good guys in whatever town they happen to be in. And trust me girls, you may think that your town is different, and that the guys there are really just undateable, but your guys are the same. You just haven't figured out who the right one is for you. That guy may be in your town. He may be someplace else. Just please don't whine about it in public. It gets old, and you'll never get any of the good guys in your town because they'll avoid you like the plague.

I applied for the receptionist/office manager/online marketing position at Gotee on Monday. However, they need someone who can work full time right now, and I have class Tues/Thurs afternoons. Thus, I was shot down on first attempt at a real job. Never fear, I knew this was a long shot, so I'll keep trying.

Today is the first weekday of the New Year that I didn't run or play racquetball. I feel a little bad about it, but I'll get over it. Back at it tomorrow.

If you want to see a really sweet video, check out this one:


This was just finished by Tyler's brother, Toben Seymour, for The Willowz, and it's so dang sweet. They did the whole thing in stop motion with flashlights: none of the lines and drawings were added in post production. Seriously, play this video, you won't be sorry.

Because there's nothing else

Back at Reverb, once again.

I'm not exactly sure what I've done this week. And yet, it doesn't feel like I've wasted it or anything, so it must have been something.

Tonight is canoli and game night, both of which I'm looking forward to. Definitely think we'll be rocking some Rummikub, Nertz, maybe even spades or pinochle. And even if that never materializes, there will be food, and that always makes for a good party.

I'm pretty excited for the new Norah Jones album on Tuesday. I haven't had any new music in a month, and this is just the thing.

This is hardly even a post, but I've sat here for long enough that it would be a waste not to do it.

Spinning out in circles

I need something to happen. Not sure what, but It'd be nice if it just happened. Something fun. Something new. Anything.

Kurt, Tyler, and I worked for a couple hours last night trying to figure out how to make our anti-piracy public service announcement stand out. I want it to look beautiful, and I know they can do that, but I also want it to have something specific that makes it more. We watched the winners from last year, and they, particularly the winner, had something unique. We need to get this all figured out soon too, because we're shooting one week from tomorrow.

So I have that on my plate. I'm also going to start doing some administrative work for Just Kidding Productions as Kurt is looking to move into an actual office in March. I think this will be freelance, part-time at best, and I'm not really expecting much (if anything) as payment. But it's a beginning anyway, and it will begin in the next couple of weeks.

My classes are all, thus far, easy. I've had very little homework, a bit of reading, and it doesn't look like things will get much worse as the semester moves forward. For this, I am thankful.

And now, I'm off to play ultimate Frisbee on the soccer field. It's right around freezing. If only I were in MN, this would be shorts weather.