Dear Loyal Fans,

Please accept my sincerest apologies for my absence. I have been caught up in the whirlwind that is the second semester of a three semester master program. Whew! Glad it is over. Since I have been "tagged" by one of my fellow "bloggers" JJ, http://traumathedrama.blogspot.com/, I am required to "divulge" no less than eight random items about myself, then provide links to no less than eight more bloggers that will have officially been tagged. So,

1. There is currently a spider that looks like this living by my recycling bin. Although nothing can stop me from recycling, this spider sure comes close. According to the Spiders of Australia website: “These are the common garden spiders that make that familiar vertical orb-web usually at face level. During the day the spiders remain in hiding nearby.



2. Ben's mom and her friend came to visit a few weeks ago, and we had a great time. That is her, Ben's brother, and I. This is not what they always look like.



3. A few weeks ago, I was riding my bike home, when I noticed a magpie on a wire, looking at me. I rode under the wire, and could hear it coming at me from behind. So, I quickly turned around to face it (if you remember from previous posts, they never attack if you are facing them), and it stopped mid-air. Thinking I had avoided attack, I kept riding. But, when I turned back around, it was coming at me again. So, I had to ride for half of a block, turned around. Luckily, I lived to tell the tale.

4. One time Jeff Gianola asked me what time it was on the MAX. It was 9:46.

5. I share a birthday with Joey Lawrence, of Blossom fame.

6. I really enjoy pulling weeds.

7. I can make my mouth look like Beaker from the Muppets’ mouth.



8. I can parallell park like a champ.

Whew. That was almost as hard as my exam last week.

These are the only other bloggers I know personally:

1. http://381broadst.blogspot.com/
2. http://extendedadventure.blogspot.com/

Bye for now!

Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady

Three exiting things have happened recently:

1. Beer. On tap. In the house.
2. Ben turned into a giant.
3. It's raining! All those containers (except the one with the yellow lid) are filled with life-giving water!

When Birds Attack: Round Three

0900 hours: Attacked by butcher bird.

Modus Operandi: Same as attack #1. See previous post, "More Bird News" (Not to be confused with the swooping Magpie in "Even More Bird News".)

Even More Bird News

I got swooped by a magpie today. Swooping is a very common practice during breeding season, where a bird will rush at you from behind, as if it is going to attack. Usually they just get close enough to scare you, but the really agro ones will actually attack. The creepiest part is the clicking noise they make by smacking their beak. It sounds like doom. They won't attack if you are looking at them, so people have been known to put sunglasses on the back of their head to fool the birds. This reminds me of that underground world in Mario Brothers where the ghost won't attack you if you are facing him. Da na na na na na.

Can Openers

Can openers in Australia are strange and difficult to function.

Also, you can't get Kraft mac and cheese in spirals, or Dr. Pepper.

More Bird News

I was attacked by a bird yesterday! I was riding my bike, when something hit my helmet from behind. I thought someone had thrown something at me, but then I saw the bird, flying away! Luckily, my helmet protected me. Sometimes people get gashes from bird attacks during mating season. The best part was that guy on another bike saw it, and was trying not to laugh.

Don't Forget

Wednesday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Please access these resources if you need help getting into the spirit:
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Talk_Like_a_Pirate_Day