FeeFiFoto Blog

Did I Ever Tell You About The Time I Went To The Super Bowl?

Seriously, I had two tickets on the 50 yard line. 

Ten rows from the roof of the Superdome.

I went to college in New Orleans and my freshman year the Super Bowl (mis)matched the Dallas Cowboys (boo Dallas!) and the Denver Broncos (who had an adorable little pony mascot but not much else going for them, but, in any case, yay anyone other than Dallas!)  My friend's father worked for one of the sporting equipment manufacturers and he had handfuls of tickets to give away.  Back then the face value of Super Bowl tickets was... wait for it... $30.  Yes that's three zero, not three zero zero or three zero zero zero or anything else -- just 3 dot 0 dot.  Not only that, the halftime show in a big year might include Up With People (yeehah); the year I attended the halftime show featured the Canine Frisbee Throwing Championships.

So here I am ten rows from the top of the 70,000 seat Superdome, near the ceiling, where the aisles are narrow and the steps are steep.  And there's a vendor guy holding a vendor tray trying to make his way up the steps to reach a customer and there's a bunch of people in his way and the vendor guy is saying: "Excuse me... excuse me..." and nobody's listening or moving out of his way.  So after a few fruitless attempts to make his way through the scrum he begins shouting: "Watch out for the lady with the baby!  Watch out for the lady with the baby!"

And a lady sitting behind me exclaims with disgust: "Imagine that!  Bringing a baby to the Super Bowl!  Imagine that!"

Wordless Wednesday: Game Time

 Can you tell what it is?  The picture's not too clear.  Try this one:

Is that better?  Can you make out the representation of a football made from Cherry Coke and Mr. Pibb 12 packs, incorporated into a Coca-Cola fortress?

If I'd wanted a 12 pack of soda I definitely would have pulled over a chair so I could grab one from the very top instead of the convenient pile in front, because I'm obtuse like that.

My goodness, I find the most interesting things at the grocery store.

No Thanks -- We'll Fly Coach: The Nerve Of Those Automotive CEOs

From Consumerist, a blog I read daily:

"Yesterday, we wrote that Citigroup had decided to spend $50 million of its bailout money on a French luxury jet to ferry execs around town. The White House was not pleased about this.

According to CNN, a Treasury department official informed Citigroup that such a purchase was 'unacceptable.' According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, President Obama told Citigroup executives to 'fix it,' noting that buying a new jet was probably not 'the best use of money at this point.'

After refusing to respond to requests for comment yesterday, Citigroup released a statement saying they have 'no intent to take delivery of any new aircraft.' "

Gasp! Could this possibly mean we have a government that intends to require us to adopt a sense of personal responsibility?

This story was also confirmed by the Boston Herald.

Blogging Philosophy And Goals

Congratulations to Cromley on his three year blogging anniversary.  In his celebratory piece he harks back to his first post, where he set out some goals for blogging:

"1. Entries will be interesting to at least one person other than my self.
2. If they are not interesting to anyone besides myself, they will simply be bizarre enough to elicit a rounding chorus of “WTF?”
3. This is not a journal or diary of my private thoughts. If I wouldn't converse about the topic with actual people, it doesn't belong here.
4. Everything will be true and accurate (That one might be a tad ridiculous)."

I expected at least a giggle from the preposterous ambitions of a first time blogger (I wanna make a million dollars... convert the entire Western hemisphere to my religion... lose weight...) but instead I nodded in agreement so vigorously that my glasses fell off and I had to wrest them away from the dog.

What amazed me was that Cromley's four stated goals are exactly the same guidelines I apply to my blog, on which I've been working (along with its predecessor) for nearly two years.  I frequently include research related to my subject in the hope of making my writing interesting to someone besides my father and my daughter.  When I wrote about making the switch from incandescent to fluorescent lighting, I researched and spoke about the differences between the two types of bulbs, hoping this would make my post more universally appealing.  Furthermore, you won't find an expose of my many and varied childhood traumas here; those conversations are personal and they don't belong here.  

But while Cromley was able to formulate his philosophy from the outset, it took me more than a year to be able to identify the patterns in my blogging philosophy.  I'm just one of those people who finally gets the joke at 2:30 am, after the party is long over and everyone's gone home.

In any case, I get the joke now, and it's better late than... whatever.

Anyone Ever Been Skiing At Snowbowl In Flagstaff, Arizona?

Robey and Sweet Talker and I are taking a train trip across the country to San Diego over spring break, with a two day stop in Flagstaff, where the boys will ski and I will not ski.  Have you ever been to Flagstaff?  Have you ever skied at Snowbowl?  Have you ever stayed in the lodge there?  What's it like?

Photo Hunters: Chipped

 

Do you know how difficult it is to get your dog to lie still when she's been "chipped," that is covered in chips?

See more Photo Hunters here.

PhotoHunt

Giving It Away For Valentine's Day

"Give Romance A Chance" Giveaway #2:  That's me.  Stroll on over to A Blog of Goodies and leave a comment to win a watch with your photo on the face.  It might look like this:

that is, if your kids look like these kids, but I'm sure your kids are way cuter.

We've recently added some items that would make perfect Valentine gifts; my favorites are wooden jewelry boxes that display your photo on a ceramic tile on the lid.  You can choose mahogany finish, or pecan, rosewood, maple or cherry.

Meme Update

The Misanthrope is first out of the gate with a modified response: 13 random facts, no nominations, and a bone fide first name: The.  Thanks, The.

Tired Mama is next with 10 random facts, including the fact that she doesn't often get to sleep until she wakes up on her own, which probably explains why she's tired.  Thanks Mama.

Lynn, who has a vivid Imagination, is third, claiming she attended boarding school in Texas, to which I respond: "Texas?  They have boarding schools in Texas?"  Thanks Lynn.

Next we hear from Hannah Fanna, aka Cleopatra-Queen-of-the-Nile, who claims to be the favorite grandchild in the family but I'm not taking sides.

Next out of the gate is Monica at The Peapod Squad, who claims she and her husband appear on numerous New York Philharmonic recordings, to which I say: "Wow!" as I wonder what she plays and hope hope HOPE the answer is cowbell.

Thursday Thirteen: Eight Things About Myself Plus Five

Lydia at On The Verge tagged me for a meme.  If you haven't been over to her blog go over and take a look at it.  The idea is to provide 8 random facts about yourself but since it's Thursday I'm throwing in a few extras to make it a Thursday Thirteen.

1. I am a semi professional potter:

but evidently my skills as a photographer are lacking.

2. I've never been at all interested in the Kennedys but I had a major crush on Princess Diana.  I bought and saved every book and magazine, memorized every dress and hat she ever wore.  I even dressed up as her once for a Halloween party, complete with a tiara and a replica of her engagement ring.

3. I am constitutionally incapable of packing light for any trip.  Even for one night I have to pack something in case I get cold and something else in case I get warm, and a couple extra pairs of shoes because you never know what you're going to need plus a few outfit variations just to fend off boredom.  I would have been a big bust on the Oregon Trail.

4. I'm a chocoholic and...

5. I was the first person in my family to own a passport, which leads me to one of my chocolate stories...

6. I went to France with a group from high school when I was 15.  On the way home the flight attendants handed out customs forms; at that time you could bring $300 worth of goods into the U.S. duty free.  I worried I might be arrested trying to bring in more than $300 worth of stuff, when actually I simply would have had to pay taxes on the excess. Of course, I was too shy and worried to ask for help.

It just so happened that I'd bought about $300 worth of gifts; most of them I'd shipped home anyway so they wouldn't have figured into my total, but I didn't know that either. 

Frantically calculating what I'd spent and terrified of being caught and sent to Leavenworth, I resolved to dispense with the one item that took me over my imagined limit: a box of Swiss chocolates.  I ate most of them, offered some to the people I was traveling with, and when I got off the plane I handed my mother a stack of chocolate wrappers and announced: "I bought you some chocolates but I had to eat them on the plane."

Even though I've replaced the chocolates many times over, my mother's never let me forget it.

7. I don't know about you, but whenever I see or hear Mariah Carey I feel like I have to wash my hands.

8. I've worn glasses since I was ten.  Two years ago I gave up on contact lenses and went back to glasses full time.  My dog ate them.

9. I run a retail web site but I prefer blogging.

10.  I've taught myself to compensate for ADD by implementing all kinds of little tricks intended to keep me from losing or forgetting things.  For example, I pick up everything I can in bright colors so I can find it; in addition to the orange MP3 player and the blue phone, I usually buy red cars.

11.  I would love to watch a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony from the middle of the violin section.

12.  I regret never having met or seen Leonard Bernstein.

13.  As you can see from the way I've formatted this post, I don't always follow rules.

Now here are the RULES for this tag:

1. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.

5. For the recipients, leave a comment for the person who tagged you, so they can go and read your answers. Let the fun begin. Tell me more about yourselves so I can get to know you better...

And here are the tagees:

Lynn from It's My Imagination

The Misanthrope (Do I know your first name?  Have I forgotten it?  Is this my ADD talking?)

Fisher, the smart kitty

Monica, Captain of the Peapod Squad, who has so much time on her hands

Hannah Fanna, my cupcake

Leanne, the Tired Mama (aren't we all?)

Carol, who's enjoying A Second Cup

Finally: YOU!

Now get to work everybody!

Wordless Wednesday: Sex And The City Meets Beer In The Burbs

Thanks Sam.

Speechless Wednesday

Still Trying To Conquer The Drop Down Menus

First they worked, then they didn't work, then they REALLY didn't work.  At the moment they're useful only as paperweights, which makes them completely pointless as my blog is paperless; I'm keeping them around only to preserve the links in case I ever figure out how to get them working again.  I really like the Flooble menus like the one I put on Cleo's blog because they can be color coordinated, but those won't work here either.

Suggestions, anyone?

Photo Hunters: Hat

What do you mean a lampshade doesn't qualify as a hat? Haven't you ever been to a New Year's Eve party?!

See more Photo Hunters here.

PhotoHunt

A Letter To The Dog

Dear Miss Puppy:

Remember that time I said I was afraid of the high energy of pit bulls and preferred couch potatoey dogs that would just wait patiently to be patted?  And remember how your contract clearly stated that your breed, Tibetan Terrier, would exactly fit the couch potato job description, and therefore you wouldn't require an excessive amount of activity?  Remember all that?

Well, what happened yesterday when I had that cookie in my hand and asked you to lie down and you rocketed into the air and grabbed the cookie, biting my finger in your excitement?

I was just wondering.

PS: if you have a moment, click on the first link in this post.  It's funny.

Wordless (Nearly) Wednesday: Look! I Made A Favicon.

I'm disproportionately proud of myself.  See it up in the address bar?  It'll follow you just about anywhere you roam on my blog.  Here it is:

 

Isn't it just as cute as a button?  Well, actually it is a button.  And it only took me somewhere between ten minutes and four hours to implement, with intermittent breaks for sending whiny notes to TypePad and attending Robespierre's wrestling match.

Now if I could just get that drop down menu to work...

What, Again? Do I Look Gullible? Phishing

Some questionable grammatical errors highlighted in RED, since I can't resist nitpicking the phishermen.

Dear valued PayPal® Customer,

Due to recent fraudulent transactions, we have issued the following security requirements.

It has come to our attention that 98% of all fraudulent transactions are caused by members using stolen credit cards to purchase or sell non existant items. Thus we require our members to add a Debit/Check card to their billing records as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. Your Debit/Check card will only be used to identify you. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and renew your records you will not run into any future problems with the PayPal® service. However, failure to confirm your records will result in your account suspension.

We are requesting this information to verify and protect your identity. Federal regulations require all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record identification from all persons opening new accounts or obtaining ongoing payment services. This is in order to prevent the use of the U.S. banking system in terrorist and other illegal activity. For these reasons, PayPal® will utilize services provided by various credit reporting agencies to verify the information you submit to us.

Once you have updated your account records your pending PayPal® account transactions will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

To update your billing records please proceed to our secure webform by clicking here.

Thank you for your time,
PayPal® Billing Department.

I feel terribly holy when I manage to see through one of these.

Photo Hunters: Aftermath

Here's the aftermath of today's visit to the library:

Think these will last her through the weekend?  I don't.

See more Photo Hunters here.

PhotoHunt

Uh Oh -- Wait, I Don't Have A Visa Card: Phishing

Dear client,
The VISA company informs you that in result of a failure in the Verified by Visa system, the sum of 484.95 euro was taken from your card.
If you haven't made any purchases during the week, then please register in the Verified by Visa system so that the money can be recovered.
This system fully protects you from unauthorized use of your card.
If you are already registered in the Verified by Visa system, then you have to register one more time to activate your account.
Follow the link to continue the registration process.

Link removed because, duh.

Can Someone Explain To Me...

why Cleopatra can work her way through a book store and end up with a pile of books that could approximately fill a dump truck, but shrug at the school and public libraries and assert they have nothing interesting to read?

Who You Callin' A Heifer? Raising Money For The Heifer Project

Last month my mother offered to send a $10 contribution to Heifer International in the name of each grandchild, to help sponsor an animal of their choice.

What's Heifer International?  I'm so glad you asked.

"Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. For more than 60 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income...

Every gift of an animal provides direct benefits such as milk, eggs, wool, fertilizer, as well as indirect benefits that increase family incomes for better housing, nutrition, health care and school fees for children. Recipients “pass on the gift” of offspring of their cows, goats and other livestock to others in an ever-widening circle of hope.

Heifer currently works in more than 57 countries, including the U.S."

Cleo's school collects aluminum cans to raise money for Heifer.  Every year they raise enough to pay for a goat or a few rabbits; cans go for about thirty cents a pound and a goat costs $120, so those kids retrieve and crush about 400 pounds of cans a year. A flock of chicks or ducks or geese costs $20.  A trio of rabbits will run you $60.  You can buy shares in sheep, llamas, honey bees, pigs, water buffalo, and yes, heifers. 

Cleo tried to charm her way to an entire water buffalo, which costs $250; when her heavy-handed application of puppy eyes had no impact she resolved to conduct her own fund raiser.  She's collected a garbage bag full of crushed cans (five pounds = $1.50 -- woo hoo!) and she posted a fund raising widget on her blog.  So far she's received seven donations for a total of $44.

Feel like your life won't be complete until you can say you helped buy a water buffalo?  Here's your chance.  Click on over to Cleo's blog and tell her Fee sent you -- she'll understand.