Does is surprise anyone that I've started a new folder of just pictures of Spike?
www.picasaweb.google.com/spikeandi

Doug suggested I try the black and white. I think that's the pciture he was talking about. Anyway, I like it - thanks Doug!

I got my invite to the new Picasa Web Album thing Google has so I just set up my first album. Go check it out: http://picasaweb.google.com/spikeandi

I also downloaded and used the Picasa software for the first time too. And it was fun. Probably too much fun. So here's the process:

• Import your pictures into the Picasa software (on your computer)
• Edit your photos, add captions and tags, save in folders
• Click on the "Web Albums" button to upload your pictures to Picasa Web Albums
• Send the link to other people so they can all look at your pics and tell you how fantastic they are

So what are you waiting for? Go! (and yes, tell me how fantastic my pictures are ;) )

I have a couple issues with the Web Albums part of it though. You can add tags to pictures in Picasa, but they don't seem to be used for anything in the Web Albums. 250 mb is pretty small for total storage space. and hello - there's no search function. Come on - no search? you're Google, of all people. how am I supposed to find pictures of other people's cats without searching and tags? And most importantly, how are other people going to find pictures of Spike?!?

I guess the pot of gold is at Kwik Trip!

You know Sven Sundgaard, the weekend weather guy on channel 11? I'm not exactly sure what it is about him - his size? tiny! his enthusiasm? huge and infectious! his youthful looks? he'd pass for a teenager! - but he's just so darn cute. (I know grown men don't appreciate being called cute, especially when it's puppy cute and not, say, Brad Pitt cute. But he is cute. My mom thinks so too.) Well, Sven has his own blog. An extremely cute blog. He posts pictures of his pet goat, talks about his grandma and shares his grocery lists with us (he likes blueberry waffles and salsa!). He even uses multiple punctuation marks - how cute is that?!? Go check it out. It made my morning.

I'm thinking about sending Sven some fan mail. (you know I would, too! ;)

For all you garden gnome fans -

The rain gauge in action. See that little half inch of rain there at the bottom?


You guys know I like coupons, right? I had two B&N membership coupons to use today - a free Frappachino drink and an extra 15% off any item in the store. I love those frappachino things - and it was free! (and it lasted about 30 seconds after I took that picture. and it was good.) I used the 15% off coupon on a British music magazine. I used to love reading these things back when I had money. This one had one of my favorite bands on the cover (Oasis) and the free cd included the band Travis (also one of my old favorites) covering Hit Me Baby One More Time, which I've been trying to get on cd for a long time. People kept telling me that they'd make me a copy of it and then they'd never do it. grrrr. so I got it today - cheap!

This just happens to be free coffee week. I had the free drink coupon I used today and I got a flyer in the mail on Thursday that included an any drink/any size coupon at Caribou. They're passing out free cooler drinks on June 21st 2 - 3 pm too! I know a couple of you will be interested in that! I'll see you there. ;)

Cats can be supermodels, too.

I. am. so. bored.

and probably you are too after reading this. Don't worry - I took 75+ pictures of Spike the other night, so soon I'll have a whole slew of cat pics to bore you with. At least he's a very handsome cat. (yes, I tell him that all the time. He just looks at me like 'yes, I already know that. Open some Whiskas for me. Now.') Oooo - an old but good picture. This is Spike caught in the act of shredding half a roll of tp.

I just noticed that I dripped coffee on my t-shirt. It was already half dry, so it may very well never come out. This is really disappointing - I only have like 7 shirts that fit that I can wear to work as it is. If I have to put this shirt into the sitting-around-at-home pile and pull it from the wear-to-work rotation I'll have to replace it with something else so I actually have enough stuff to wear to work without doing laundry every five minutes.

If you catch me wearing a skull t-shirt at work, well, you'll know I didn't get around to doing the laundry. again.

Turkeys and Iris Garden

I could write all kinds of interesting and funny stories to put up on my blog. They'd be so fantastic, I swear. I have whole folders of them hidden on my hard drive and I have about 50 more running through my head at any given time. (I can be interesting and funny. Other people have told me I am. Just so you know I'm not making this stuff up.)

I can't actually post any of them here though because the chance that you, yes, YOU, dear reader would be featured in a story in a possibly unflattering light at some point is pretty high.

Then you'd be all mad at me and would never ever come back. Or even email me. And while I love my daily enlightening and entertaining conversation with Spike, sometimes even crazy-cat-ladies-in-training like me need to communicate with other human people. Just don't tell Spike that.

I could tell you stories about me, but all the most entertaining ones are about how stupid I am sometimes. And I already worry that you all think I'm super stupid all the time anyway, so why would I want to encourage that kind of thinking in all of you? (Yes, I have pictures of me being stupid even. And you're never, ever going to

Here's what's going to happen: You guys will get lots and lots of pictures of my cat and a knitting picture once in a while. I'll get the occasional email from you people and a daily discussion with Spike about why he can't have 5 packets of Whiskas' Choice Cuts (Turkey Giblets flavor) every night, even though he says it's the best cat food ever. (I can't really argue with him about that since I absolutely refuse to taste it. It smells horrible though. Especially when he's breathing on me three hours later in bed while he's attempting to find the most comfortable position for sleeping on my face.)

Does that work for you? Seriously, who doesn't want to look at pictures of someone else's cat online when they're bored at work? I know I do.

Most days I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy but there are times when I wonder if, just maybe, I am.

I've been busy knitting. This is actually an old photo - this sleeve was finished a while ago. BUT the cables look great in this shot. :)



Car accident (don't worry - no one was hurt in the making of this photo)



I got a postcard from Finland. It's pretending to be a tourist.



This is how Spike likes to spend his Saturday mornings -- literally sleeping like a baby in my arms. My left arm is actually stronger than my right from holding/carrying him around like this.



Just made me laugh...