Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

Rain Rain Go Away

Seattle has had a record amount of rain – the second largest amount in one day in the entire history of measuring rainfall. Roads are flooded, traffic is gridlocked, and my sister is continuously sloshing out her flooded lower story, a grinding, thankless job. It’s a mess.

Funny Pictures
moar funny pictures (photo from I Can Has Cheezburger)

December 4, 2007 Posted by | Humor, Living Conditions, Seattle, Statistics, Weather | , , | 2 Comments

Not Your Kuwait Parking Lot

When I first arrived in Kuwait, two very kind Kuwaiti ladies helped me take care of an important errand, showing me exactly where to go, who to trust, etc. Their kindness to me moved me greatly. As we left, I said “you have been SO kind, I insist on paying for parking” and they totally cracked up, almost limp and helpless with laughter, and then they explained to me that parking would cost 150 or 200 fils (around 50 – 80 cents).

In contrast, here is where we parked to go to the Pike Place Market:

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December 1, 2007 Posted by | Bureaucracy, Community, Humor, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Seattle, Shopping, Social Issues | 9 Comments

Signs, Signs

I love signs. The very first sign I remember photographing was in Kenya, where it said “Elephants have the right of way.” This is a couple signs we came upon while walking along the waterfront, and it occurred to me that in this very law-abiding community, there were all kinds of signs telling you what you can’t do . . . LOTS of them!

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And because we ate at the Rock Tavern, I keep hearing this song going through my head and thinking my sign says “Thank you very much, Lord!”

December 1, 2007 Posted by | Arts & Handicrafts, Communication, Community, Cultural, ExPat Life, Generational, Humor, Living Conditions, Seattle, Social Issues, Spiritual, Travel | 2 Comments

Seattle Holiday Humor

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(A coho is a kind of salmon.)

November 29, 2007 Posted by | Arts & Handicrafts, Eating Out, Holiday, Humor, Local Lore | 9 Comments

Mom, Please Don’t Leave Me!

I am taking care of my sister’s cats while she and her husband are on a short vacation trip. As they were leaving, Wally, the diabetic cat, begged her not to leave him with me:

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He is one of the easiest cats in the world to take care of. He knows when he needs his shot and he doesn’t run and hide like my own sweet little cat used to do when it was time for her shot. Wally hangs out around the refrigerator, where his insulin is kept, around time for his shot, and purrs when you give it to him. What a sweetheart.

Once my sister was gone, he got along with me just fine. 🙂

November 24, 2007 Posted by | Diet / Weight Loss, Family Issues, Health Issues, Humor, Pets, Seattle | 9 Comments

Macy’s Parade Cat

*dying laughing*

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

From, of course, I Can Has Cheezburgers.

November 22, 2007 Posted by | Humor, Pets, Thanksgiving | 4 Comments

Thankgiving Invitation

Adventure Man and I will be attending different Thanksgiving Events this year, the first time ever. Here is the invitation to the event he will attend:

Thanksgiving!

•HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
•A THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION IS AT HAND
•A TIME TO GET TOGETHER TO GIVE THANKSGIVING, TO VISIT, TO CELEBRATE AND OF COURSE, TO EAT
•COME ONE AND ALL, COME EARLY TO THE THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION (usually the gathering starts around 9:00am)
•EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND BRING ANYONE YOU CAN GET TO COME ALONG
•COME EARLY, STAY LATE
•WE’LL HAVE THANKSGIVING LUNCH BETWEEN
1:00-1:30 PM
•THERE WILL BE ENOUGH FOOD PREPARED EARLY, IN CASE THE CHILDREN NEED TO EAT
•HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO SNACK ON BEFORE THE MEALTIME
•KIDS BRING YOUR BATS, SOFTBALLS, KICKBALLS, FOOTBALLS, ROLLER SKATES, BIKES, SCOOTERS, ROPES OR WHATEVER
•Stay and Enjoy the leftovers for supper!!

WHEN: THANKSGIVING DAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2007

(Oh what fun!)

November 16, 2007 Posted by | Adventure, Cooking, Cultural, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Florida, Friends & Friendship, Generational, Holiday, Humor, Kuwait, Thanksgiving, Travel | 7 Comments

Everybody Needs Somebody

funny pictures
moar funny pictures

How amazing. How adorable. From today’s visit to I Can Has Cheezburger.com

November 14, 2007 Posted by | Humor, Living Conditions, Pets, Photos | 11 Comments

Study Finds Working at Work Improves Productivity

My friends, remember as you read this that it is from The Onion and it is SATIRE.

Study Finds Working At Work Improves Productivity

WASHINGTON, DC—According to a groundbreaking new study by the Department of Labor, working—the physical act of engaging in a productive job-related activity—may greatly increase the amount of work accomplished during the workday, especially when compared with the more common practices of wasting time and not working.

“Our findings are astounding: By simply sitting down and doing work, employees can dramatically increase their output of goods and services,” said Deputy Undersecretary of Labor Charlotte Ponticelli, who authored the report. “In fact, ‘working’ may revolutionize the way people work.”

Perhaps even more shocking, the study reveals that not working significantly decreases worker productivity, sometimes even resulting in no work getting done at all. Similar findings were reported in the areas of avoiding work, putting off work, complaining about work instead of actually working, pretending to work, and ****ing around.

You can read the entire article HERE.

November 11, 2007 Posted by | Bureaucracy, Community, Financial Issues, Humor, Social Issues | , , , | 7 Comments

St Anthony, St Anthony, Please look around

I am in a muddle. I have put something in “a safe place” which at the time it seemed a very logical, very clever place, and now I can’t find it.

There is an old verse that keeps running through my head.

St. Anthony, St Anthony, please look around,
Something is lost and must be found.

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So this morning, I looked up who St. Anthony was, after all, I need his help. St. Anthony was a contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi, and was sometimes called the “hammer of heritics.” He is reputed to be the patron saint of lost things because a valuable book went missing and he prayed for it’s return. As he was praying, the person who had the book saw an apparition of St. Anthony, and quickly returned the missing book, or so the legend goes.

I found this on a Catholic Education Page by Fr. William Saunders where you can find more information on St. Anthony.

November 11, 2007 Posted by | Family Issues, Humor, Spiritual | 12 Comments