I feel lucky

Ok, I have now seen one of Mother Nature's more amazing sights. Yesterday there was a HUGE thunderstorm here. And I do mean huge, think 7 inches of rain, accumulating on Lakeshore Drive... in 15 minutes. Anyway, I was just sitting around surfing the 'net (on an un-plugged laptop - no frying computers for me!) and I heard three very loud cracks of thunder in very quick succession. I made it out to the living room in time to see lightning hit the lake. In the Harbor. I. Saw. Where. The. Lightning. Terminated.... Twice. It was a scarey sight. The best I can figure is that the three cracks of thunder was actually lightning jumping from and hitting several buildings. Not mine thank god.
Funnily enough, when I got up to go to the farmers market yesterday it felt like rain. The sun was shining, it was swelteringly hot, but it was gonna rain. And rain it did. It rained for hours. Most of that being heavy downpour. And more is expected today. Fun, fun, fun!
Oh, I also found a web-site dedicated to one of my favorite authors, Melanie Rawn. The site is called Exiles, also the title of the first instalment of a series. If I knew how to make that a link I would have.

--Little Bird has seen the light(ning)

Facial Recognition

For all those wondering (all two of you) the movie I was watching was Amityville Horror. The newer one. Not as scarey as the first, but few movies are better in the re-make, or sequel.
Tonight it's "The Man In The Iron Mask". I've been having fun recognizing actors. It should be said that due to the NF and the NLD that came with it, I'm really really bad at facial recognition. But I've done quite well. I was looking at the Three Muskateers, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis and said to myself "that looks like Girard Depairdiu (apologies for the spelling), and... John Malkovich! And Jeremy Irons!!! ". And then later I saw the Kings Advisors and looked harder, lo and behold it was Hugh Laurie!! Of course I had to google it all to find out if I was correct, but I was!! Score for the girl with NLD!!! Maybe it sounds stupid, but it's kind of a big deal to me. I'm REALLY bad at facial recognition, always have been. This really is a feat of, of, of... well of recognition. I know, lame end to that one, but it is true. To give a frame of reference, I once claimed it was Sandra Bullock in a movie that starred Uma Thurman. Yeah, it's that bad.

--Little Bird is feeling pretty good about herself right now.

Suspense

Ok, this is not something I like to admit, but I am terrified of scarey movies. But they have to be scarey, not slasher types. And the new (2005) qualifies as scarey. There must be suspense, the type that keeps you peeking from between your fingers. I am terrified, but I love it. Now if I could only watch them during daylight, all would be fine. But no, the gods of cable insist on showwing these movies at such a time that it will be dark before it's over. And now I'm totally creeped out. I just saw the coffins in the basement scene. And they're off and running, being chased by the REALLY scarey guy holding a rifle. Trying to type this is keeping me from watching to closely and therefore keeping me from throwing up. And for some sick reason I absolutely LOVE horror movies. I like my adreniline rushes to be safe, and without physical harm. To me. What's that old line? Tragedy is when I cut myself shaving, comedy is when you fall down a a pit and die. That or it's all fun and games 'till some one gets hurt, then it's just fun.

--Little Bird is feeling a little sick and twisted right now

Prostitutes and Cheez-puffs

A long time ago, in a city far away, I grew up. When I was around five years old I asked my mother what a prostitute was. I should point out that A, we lived in a not so nice neighborhood with prostitutes around the corner, and B, my mother is famous for giving WAY too much backstory. Apparently it's an hereditary trait. So, here I am five years old, sitting in the kitchen and asking my mother about prostitutes. My mother thinking that in order to tell me what a prostitute IS, she must first tell me what a prostitute DOES. And to do that she felt she would need to first explain sex. Remember, I was five. She launched into this incredibly detailed explanation of what sex is and why people do it. And then how prostitutes figure in the mix. About an hour later (or more) she finishes up by asking if I had any other questions. I looked around the room thinking that this was my last chance to ask anything, my eyes lit on the fridge. Rather on the bag of cheez-puffs on top of the fridge. And I asked "Yeah, how do they make cheez-puffs?". That one she couldn't answer, she didn't know.
Well I have wondered that for years. I have always loved cheez-puffs, for reasons that are beyond explanation. So imagine my excitement when a few days ago "How It's Made" a TV show on the Discovery Channel told us how cheez-puffs are made!!I called my mom at work and told her I now knew everything as I just found out the answer to that long ago question. Yes, she was amused.

Little Bird learns something everyday

Sick

Blargg. I feel yicky. I have a cold. I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep. Or die. At this point I don't really care which. All this means is I have a large amount of time to watch lots and lots of really bad TV. And "Date Movie" totally counts as really bad TV.
Sorry if this isn't much of a post, my brain is not up to it's usual standards. I haven't yet taken any meds for the cold and the clogged quality of my head is keeping me from thinking straight. I want to go sleep now. I must go find some Tylenol Cold and Flu.

Back of My neck Feelin' Dirty and Gritty

Summer has arrived. It is hot and humid as only Chicago can be. This of course is subject to change, as only Chicago can be. I will be going to an even more humid place next week. St. Louis, where I grew up. So, much of today was spent running around to achive this trip. Train station, the need for a shirt (which some how turned into three of 'em) and a guest gift for the ones putting me up for the weekend. Oh, and lunch with my mother. Chicken salad, in the courtyard at the Art Institute. Did I mention it's hot here right now? I was sweating before I got five blocks. I was positivley wilted by the time I got home. And I still have to bake a cake for my step-father. It's his birthday. I am told that he doesn't want the world to know how old he is.


--Little Bird is sorely tempted