Loose Leaf Notes

1. When I posed the idea of writing a story on the new Floyd-based Natural Awakenings magazine to the publisher, she said, “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” I answered, “Sure, as long as it’s tea.”

2. I knew we were speaking the same language when during the interview I asked her how she found Floyd and she answered, “I don’t think you find Floyd. I think Floyd finds you.”

3. It boggles the mind: My sister Trish’s brother-in-law, Stephen Bowen, who is probably eating turkey in outer space with his crew mates right now, emailed the family some photos from inside the space shuttle on Saturday (some of which I posted HERE). It got me wondering, if Stephen can get online to email while out in space could he be reading my blog posts about the mission, and if so, where would my Statcounter say his visit was from.

4. Not only do I not shop on the day after Thanksgiving, I try to stay away from malls entirely this time of year. But I need a haircut. I want a fruitcake. Am I really too old to sit on Santa’s lap? Do I have enough butter for Christmas Eve cookies? Is it too soon to put up a tree? Read more from last year’s Mock Mincemeat Pie Hangover HERE.

5. I googled gobble and got THIS

6. I think THIS one is even funnier.

7. People are fun! The Google Gobble Soundtrack is HERE.

8. My friend, local blues musician Scott Perry is one of the few men I know who always wears a hat and isn’t even bald.

9. I have another Floyd friend named Phil who plays the harmonica. I call him the Philharmonic.

10. I’m a sucker for unnecessary knowledge. I recently learned from Pearl that the average person spends 12 weeks a year ‘looking for things.’ I then got sucked into the link she provided and learned that Steven King sleeps with the light on to calm his fear of the dark, Pinocchio was made of pine, the sand from Pacific beaches is generally 250,000 years older than Atlantic beach sand, ostriches can run 50 miles per hour, Napoleon constructed his battle plans in a sandbox, and India has a Bill of Rights for cow. The list goes on HERE.

11. My friend Doug is always pointing out that one of the downsides to living in a rural county is that you can’t get Chinese take-out here. I recently discovered that you can’t get a long arm stapler either, which I needed to staple my new TEAPOET chapbook. I eventually found one to borrow at a local church, which uses it for stapling their church bulletins.

12. Not long after we moved into this house in 1991 our closest neighbor asked to borrow a cup of sugar. But I have never bought sugar and so we offered him honey. He hasn’t tried to borrow anything since.

13. My take on church: I’d rather watch the birds and ponder Quantum Physics.

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