Mini Brain Dump

Which is to say that I don't actually have much to say, and it's too much trouble to write a narrative, so I present you with a list.

1.  The reason being, I feel awful.  My throat and ears ache.  My lungs feel "chunky".  And my sinuses don't want to miss the party, and are getting involved.  A trifecta of misery.  And yes, I'd like some cheese with that whine.

2.  Gunnar just tore his thumb-nail, trying to pry two Lego bricks apart.  So he's not having a fabulous morning, either.

3.  The boys are being very sweet.  Probably because they know my patience is stretched pretty thin and I *ahem* have trouble being very godly when I would rather be curled up in bed.

4.  What is it about orange candles?  And why can't I remember not to buy them?  I love citrus, and I get seduced by the yummy orange-creamsicle aroma when I smell the candle in the store.  And then I light it and I smell... a kerosene lamp.  Why???

5.  I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear from Kimberly.  Because she's going to have her baby any day now.  And she's going to be such an awesome mom :D

6.  Gunnar and I are studying cephalopods.  We're both intrigued, especially by octopuses.  Who wouldn't be?  No skeleton at all, eight legs, suckers, blue blood, three hearts, jet propulsion... I mean, they sound like science fiction!  And they're really smart, too.  So I checked out some supplemental books from the library and stayed up late last night reading one, because I couldn't put it down.  It's called Super Suckers: The Giant Pacific Octopus, by James A. Cosgrove and Neil McDaniel (in case you too are fascinated by giant mollusks.)  Here's the money quote.

The suckers of an octopus are able to taste what they touch... (chemotaxis)... In encounters between divers and giant Pacific octopuses, divers often fail to realize that when the giant Pacific octopus reaches out to touch them, it is also tasting them to see if they are edible.  Given the strength of a giant Pacific octopus, divers should not allow octopuses to contact them unless they're prepared to deal with a potential confrontation.

You've been warned.

7.  Only 47 hours until our annual LOTR endurance event marathon commences.  And there is much rejoicing, on the part of the boys.  Not sure if they are more excited to watch the movies (probably) or because the fiesta includes snacks we don't normally have on hand.  Doritos, cookies, and even Cadbury Mini-Eggs.  Yes, the legends are true.  I hoarded some from last year, in case they weren't on sale in time.

TTFN*,

Julie

(That's Tigger-speak, Ta Ta For Now)


An addendum:   Regarding octopuses and octopi, this is what I've read.  Octopus is not Latin, but Greek.  (If it were Latin, the proper plural would indeed be octopi.)  With Greek, octopus is the family (or genus?) name and the proper singular is otcopod to which the proper plural is not octopods, but octoposes, commonly (mis)spelled octopuses.

But octopi sounds cool.