This video makes me really, really, really happy

I needed this today -- a day when people are acting like weirdo jackasses. I watched this, and it made everything okay. Good, even.

You can read the dancing guy (Matt)'s story here.

Although we live far, far away from civilization

It's cool to see things like this as an everyday occurrence:

(e-mailed to me by my dad, shot this morning from his yard)

Miscellany

I just found out that they're making a movie of The Secret Life of Bees (check out the trailer here).  I'm kind of excited, but know with absolute certainty that it will be nowhere near as good as the book.

Watching 30 Days, with Morgan Spurlock (the Supersize Me guy).  Awesome show.  My favorite episode is "Off the Grid."  Naturally.  I've looked into going to The Dancing Rabbit (from the episode), but it will most certainly have to wait until next year.  Think of all I could learn from a place like that, and it's only 12 hours away!

United Airlines suck donkey penis.  The Godmother had 18 different kinds of trouble on her flight out, and I called the "lady" behind the counter Forrest Gump (which, really, was too nice).  In my defense, this was AFTER she threatened to call airport security on me.  I might rant about it in a different post, but really, what could I say that everyone doesn't already know?  Airlines suck.  United in particular.  Word.

We went to the lake again this weekend, and it was the awesomest.  That lake is so beautiful, and the kids were swimming feet away from a couple of mallards.  If it weren't such a pain in my butt to get the boat loaded and unloaded I would want to go every single day.

I made myself a pair of shorts from the Built By Wendy pattern (Simplicity 3850).  First zip fly ever.  They rock my world.  I'm fer shure going to be making more, and the way Marissa is growing the pattern will probably fit her, too.  When the Godmother was here we made shirts from this BBW pattern, I just love them.  So easy, yet cute.  Pictures soon, probably.

You liked all my links in this entry, didn't you? 

HopeREVO

Inspired by Jen and Odette, we went to Marissa's class today for the kids to write hope notes to the girls in Rwanda.  Read the story here, and learn more about participating here. 

Get a group of kids together, family and friends, or just yourself to spread some hope, won't you?

from Daphne on Vimeo.

I've gone and done it again.

I've bought a huge, HUGE pile of books within the past two months.  I've read them all.  All of them.  Every single last one.  Okay, so maybe there weren't that many.  Maybe there were only 7 or 8*.  I still expect you to be impressed.

Anyway, I'm adrift and bookless, wandering around aimlessly with nothing to read.  Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to fall asleep without a book to read?  I sit there and twiddle my thumbs, and then roam around the house for something, anything, to read.  I won't read a book twice, but I'll dig around the kids' magazines for something interesting.  My priorities are whacked.

You guys gave me some awesome suggestions last time I asked, so here I am again, asking for book recommendations.  Please, would you give me some?  I'll give you a list of what I've read recently so you don't suggest something I've already read (and thereby commit a terrible faux pas -- see how nice I am to spare you that?)

Lullaby -- Chuck Palahniuk
Peony in Love -- Lisa See
Son of a Witch -- Gregory Maguire
Three Cups of Tea -- Mortenson/Relin
The Doctor's Wife -- Elizabeth Brundage
Bodysurfing -- Anita Shreve
In Search of Eden -- Linda Nichols
The Double Bind -- Chris Bohjalian
Red River -- Lalita Tademy
You Suck -- Christopher Moore
Best Friends -- Martha Moody

*or eleven.  But the Chuck Palahniuk book doesn't count, because it's from the library.