July 21, 2007

letting go



Going to the pool in the summer has long been my ritual for peace of mind, or some semblance thereof. For lots of reasons, this summer has been on the lacking side of peaceful. But today I made it to the pool with jenna and friends and it was really really nice and really really needed.

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RIP Max/Marshmallow.


max in his younger days.

"I sure hope she's pregnant."

An odd thing for George to be saying when he walked into the bedroom at about 1 a.m.

"Who? Huh?"

"The hamster--I hope she's pregnant."

"Why?"

"'Cause he's dead. Dead dead dead."

That's how I came to learn that our elderhamster Max, AKA Marshmallow, loving husband to Cupcake and the longest living hamster in show business, had been Promoted to Glory as they are known say in The Salvation Army.

It was bound to happen. He had far surpassed the average hamster lifespan of 2-3 years, survived innumerable stupid hamster tricks and a lengthy marriage to his first wife, Coco, who ate their 13 babies back in 2005 after I mistakenly separated mom from babies. He was also the sweetest hamster we've ever had, and father of all hamsters we've ever had, except for his two wives.

I think of Coco, who died last year on Halloween, and the birth of their first litter of babies, spitting like popcorn from the hamster wheel. I think back on when I tried to figure out what to tell Jenna and opted for the truth.

She heard us talking tonight and already knows about Max. She's glad it's not the cat. A story for another day.

Recently we could tell that Max was aging fast, and that's when George came up with the idea to get him a new mate in Cupcake. We did a trial run with them in the same cage a month ago, but no babies. We put them back together a couple of weeks ago, so we're really hoping for some offspring to remember Max by.

Babies or not, Max you were a gentleman among hamsters. I'll miss you.


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July 20, 2007

the be all end all of the weinberger v keen thang

Madame Levy summarizes it better than anyone i've seen. i LOLed five times. "mustard is a no go area for most people. trust me." oh man.

i hadn't been reading this stuff and now i don't have to. she's like the cliff notes for blogosphere dust ups. and she cleans fish tanks too.

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what you need to know 2



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July 19, 2007

behavioral science

This chat is off the record Learn more Cancel

me: what if a nut falls on my head?
madame: just act crazier than them. this always works.
me: ok thx

July 17, 2007

What a Wonderful Surprise!!

So Steve, a valued reader from the UK, did the nicest thing since my new mac, which you are not going to believe.

Steve saw my writing and wanting for the new Prince CD, Planet Earth, which is available so far only in the UK given the stroke of anti-establishment marketing genius from The Artist himself, and decided to send me a copy -- w00t!

In case you think he's trying to pull the wool over our eyes, dear friends, I give you exhibits A and B. HOW COOL IS THIS:





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On the Radio

Oh, I was so surprised and shocked, and I wondered too
if by chance you heard it for yourself
I never told a soul just how I've been feeling about you
but they said it really loud
they said it on the air
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh now, now
--donna summers, on the radio


Tonight I join Social Media Diva Toby Bloomberg on her new BlogTalk Radio Show. Toby, Wayne Hurlburt and I will be talking about social media ethics (yeah, i know!) trying to define what it mens, how and if bloggers differ from journalists in complying to rules/mores/norms, how much any of this matters and to whom, and more. A half hour isn't very long, but let's get the party started. Show notes are here. Wish me luck.

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July 16, 2007

The decisions we make in our 20s...

i love that Betsy and Ronni keep taking us back in time. SO many of us spend our time online predicting things to come--it's nice to see the past join us, remember us. That's what makes this picture of Betsy in her 20s -- Pregnant and adorable -- so special.

July 15, 2007

always love to listen

as.

with a little of this.

bonus link, shhh.

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