here are a few classic maru videos.

zeke also likes to hop into the recycling container

or any empty box

and hide under the covers.

he’s not as cute as maru though

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yes, that’s right – they’re implying that you jump through basketball hoops. which makes no sense whatsoever. and then you realise that in a nation which knows less about basketball than probably any other american sport, it’s probably not so weird that it went unnoticed.

i think what they meant was something more along the lines of this:

some days i feel like a stranger in a strange land.

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i did, in fact, slip on a banana peel.

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We see ya girls checkin’ out our trunks. We see you girls checkin’ out the front of our trunks. We see you girls lookin’ at our junk, then checkin’ out our rumps, then back to our sugar lumps.

sadly, “my humps” is still more ridiculous than this parody! but the homage to the beastie boys is priceless…

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life has meaning once again.

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first up:  the speedfit treadmobil.  a treadmill which you use outdoors.  instead of… running.

and following close behind:  the snuggie.  a blanket…with arms. (thanks amy!)

consider the gift of comedy my early christmas present to you!

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The rules:

1. List the last 10 commenters* on your blog.

2. If you’re on the list, you’re tagged.

The list:

1. thomas foolery – cat: cannot open food in tins

2. strawberry – potential and expectations

3. tabitha – gramercy riff

4. nikoline – grand crossing

5. the vol abroad

6. amity – noble savage

7. charlotte – charlotte’s web

8. sarah – verisimilitude

9. nicole – nicole in london

10. erin – undefeated army of one

Now for the questions:

1. What’s your favourite post from number 3’s blog?

i love all the travel posts from tabitha’s blog – i’m so envious!

2. Has number 10 taken any pictures that moved you?

this pic is absolutely gorgeous and really captures a child’s spirit.

3. Does number 6 reply to comments on his/her blog?

yes, amity is very good about that – which is prolly why she gets way more comments than me

4. Which part of blogland is number 2 from?

strawberry is both a mommy blogger, and a fellow expat, and writes eloquently about both.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to number 7, what would it be?

share more of your novel!

6. Have you ever tried something from number 9’s blog?

nicole knows all the best pubs, and her cooking posts always sound so yummy – i must try one of her recipes soon!

7. Has number 1 blogged something that inspired you?

tf and i share the same passionate stance against the invasions of personal privacy that seem to crop up nearly daily.

8. How often do you comment on number 4’s blog?

pretty frequently. i love her contemplative outlook.

9. Do you wait for number 8 to post excitedly?

sarah is a staple on my rss reader, so i’m really glad she’s doing nablopomo again this year!

10. How did number 5’s blog change your life?

the vol abroad has opened my eyes to the hidden gems in our shared neighbourhood – including the cemetaries and good polish food

*excepting those who commented and don’t have a blog or were already mentioned above

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US rock band the Foo Fighters have told John McCain to stop using song My Hero in his presidential campaign, saying it “tarnishes” the track.

The band said it had been “appropriated without our knowledge”.

…

The band said in a statement: “The saddest thing about this is that My Hero was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential.

“To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song.”

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RULES:

* Post at least five current addictions (with some details, please).
* Mention the person who started this meme (Being Brazen) and also the person who just tagged you – amity.
* Type your post with the heading “Current addictions”.
* Tag at least two people and pass on the above rules.

1. baked potatoes (or, to be very british, “jacket potatoes”).

they’re hot, hearty, easy and have limitless possibilities. my current fave topping is smoked salmon and greek yogurt. my second topping of choice is a bit of cream cheese and some capers. my favourite part of the entire thing though, is the delectable crispy skin, with a melted bit of butter and a generous sprinkling of sea salt. i love making baked potatoes for an easy dinner, particularly because j *doesn’t eat his skins*, and lets me snag the empty leftovers off his plate. mmmm, twice the skins. he doesn’t realise what he’s missing.

2. sweats

there’s nothing better than coming in from the cold, wet outdoors, and getting into a pair of dry cozy sweats to lounge. nothing. i come home, and the first thing i do is change clothes. yes, i know it’s terribly sad. but damn, it’s comfortable.

3. my beloved red sox

they’re back in the playoffs, made it through the first round of the alds, going up against tampa bay for the american league championship and a ticket back to the world series as defending champions. i am preparing for my well-worn expat playoff routine: come home, eat, go to bed as early as possible, wake up for 1 am, chug red bull and watch baseball until 4am, head back to bed until 6 am. that’s more than simple dedication – that’s addiction.

4. running

okay, maybe not addicted to it, but definitely preoccupied by it. i do enjoy running a lot, but there comes a time during any training schedule when you’re just sick and tired of it. i’m at that point. yet still, i have to run, and so i run. my race is on sunday, and it should be fun – but i’ll be glad when i can slack off a bit.

5. yoga

this i *am* addicted to. to the point where i’m annoyed that my running is getting in the way of my yoga, because there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do both (except on weekends). i’ve been doing this for at least an hour a day, 5 days a week, for seven months now, and am still excited by it. i never could have predicted just how much i enjoy it, but i have no intention of stopping any time soon.

i’m tagging nikoline and sarah - but no pressure…

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(i must be hanging around him way too much, as i actually recognise some of these!)

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cake wrecks.

grossly inappropriate cake themes? check.
misspellings and wildly random quotation marks? check.
haphazard use of icing and airbrushes? check.

here’s a teaser:

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Where is your cell phone? bag
Your significant other? smokin’
Your hair? tired
Your mother? missed
Your father? crazy
Your favorite time of day? evening
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your favourite drink? fizzy
Your dream goal? doctorate
The room you’re in? sunlit
Your ex? kind
Your fear? sharks
Where do you want to be in six years? elsewhere
What are you not? patient
Your favourite meal? delicious
One of your wish list items? sunshine
The last thing you did? yoga
Where you grew up? burbs
What are you wearing? sweats
Your TV is? ugly
Your pets? cute
Your computer? essential
Your life? full
Your mood? quiet
Missing someone? definitely
Your car? imaginary
Something you’re not wearing? shoes
Favorite store? none
Your summer? dreary
Your favourite colour? orange
When is the last time you laughed? today
When is the last time you cried? unknown
Your health? lucky
Your children? furry
Your future? expansive
Your beliefs? immutable
Young or old? youthful
Your image? dependable
Your appearance? quirky
Would you live your life over again knowing what you know? definitively

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right now, i’m eating turkish mentos… and they are without a doubt one of the strangest tasting things i’ve ever encountered.

imagine regular minty mentos. only smoked. yes, they taste like smoke flavoured mints. like eating a mento (is the singular of mentos, “mento”?) and licking an ashtray at the same time.

my first reaction was complete befuddlement, followed quickly by repulsion. never one to admit defeat, they’re growing on me though – i’m almost finished with the pack.

googling “turkish mentos” hasn’t helped determine what the flavour is actually *called*, but it did bring up two very strange videos.

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