Fact of the Day: Ticks

Ticks have been kept in captivity under starvation for over three years without any negative effects.

Also, for all of you out there(well, those in St. Louis) who are worried about the diseases ticks can carry, there has not been a single reported case of Lyme Disease in Missouri. Phew!

Fact of the Day: Turtle

I am taking a zoology course that involves memorizing a shit ton of facts and being tested on those facts within two days. We also get to go out in the wilderness and watch the teacher orgasm over Fowler's toads and aromatic sumac. Instead of having a mental overload, I have decided to write a fact I have learned from this class each day.

Fact: Turtles breathe through their anus. Talk about never getting any fresh air!

So it goes

On Sunday I went to The Decemberists concert and noticed a woman who was wearing a dress that revealed a tattoo on her back. The tattoo was simple. It was a phrase I was familiar with from the novel Slaughter House-Five. It simply said, "So it goes." I thought that was a rather unique and fun tattoo to have and if she were at a coffee house I would have asked her about it. Unfortunately, I was stuck listening to a whiny rhapsody. So it goes...

A few days later I had dinner with a friend and tattoos were brought into conversation. I told my friend about the Vonnegut tattoo and he casually replied "Oh, that was Langen." We went to the same high school but I was three years ahead and we never really knew one another. Every so often I run into her at the most adventitious moments and to add to the randomness, my friend happens to know Langen. The logical side of me thinks that St.Louis is just so darn small; I know a lot of people and run into someone weekly but there is a difference between them and Langen. I run into her at places far from where I usually go and the times I run into her are completely unconnected to anyone else I know. So, I have decided that I have a karrass. She is in it.

Busy, busy, busy.

Zombies in the Storm

This afternoon a big storm came through and I experienced something new-oblong hail. I have never seen hail that resembled Lego blocks and perhaps if the rain did not hurt upon hitting my skin I would have built an ice castle.

A few hours after the storm passed and the ice melted, my brother asked me to tag along with him to Target in search of Xbox gear. Due to the storm, the power had been knocked out along Lindbergh but Ryan bravely fought the congested and crazy road. The path leading up to Target was dark and all the stores had lost power. The entire area was deserted and calm. Remarkably, the automatic doors at Target were still operating which was a sure sign that Target was still open for business. Ryan and I walked into Target which was being backed by generators. The lighting was dim making it difficult to see anything and the atmosphere was eerie. The speakers were out and dead silence filled the atmosphere. Briefly, I stood in wonderment of how peaceful Target had become when it hit me-the zombie apocolypse may have just begun. I was waiting for the zombies to come from behind, perhaps out of the vitamin isle. My only weapon was a pack of gum but fortunately I didn't need to use it. I scanned the room and didn't see anyone vomiting or reak of death so I felt I was in the clear. It was bit curious that a handful of people continued to shop- in the dark-acting like this wasn't unusual. The zombies were not in the vitamin isle,no, they were in every isle and I was surrounded! Ryan and I escaped without a scratch but there are zombies still out there. Beware.

May showers brings...?

This weather is getting me bummed. I heard there was a possible tornado headed my way. I should go tornado hunting. Or maybe I should stay in my basement where it's safe. Adventure, possible death or basement bore? It's a toss-up.

I love Twitter. No, not really

Update: While Twitter had the potential to ruin my day, and did make me miffed for a few hours, it in fact made my week. Maybe even month. After reading Augusten Burrough's Twitter, I found out he was here in St. Louis. Even more exciting, he was at the library across from my house. I was irked that I had a class at the same time he was doing a lecture and book signing and moped about class. After class, I decided I was going to take my chances and head to the library. To my amazement, the doors were not locked and I was able to get in line. Since the line was nearly diminished and I was the last, I only waited a few minutes before I got to meet the somewhat flamboyant and hilarious author. This put a smile on my face. According to Augusten( we are now on a first name basis), I have Roman features he would kill for. He settled for a photo with me instead.

Even though it was Twitter that announced Augusten's arrival I still dislike it, on principle, and nothing will change my mind on that.

Twitter Dee, Twitter D'oh!

Whenever I turn on the news or get my daily fix of TV shows, I keep hearing the word "Twitter". What is Twitter? Over the weekend, I set to find this out. As my in-the-know boyfriend explained, it is a micro-blog, allowing only a hundred or so words. It appears that people are using it for constant, by the minute updates on news or celebrity gossip. This idea is bizarre to me and I was easily able to dismiss all the Twitter nonsense and go on with my weekend.

Until today.

Today, I logged onto Myspace to see if one of my favorite authors, Augusten Burroughs, has put out a new book yet. As I browsed through his update page I found a link. It said "Twitter Updates." Since I could not find the answer to my question, I boldly clicked on his Twitter. Lo' and behold, my answer was there. His new book comes out in October. In the meantime, he is still touring to promote his latest book, Wolf at the Table. The kicker: he will be at the St. Louis Public Library Headquarters, right across from my house, today at 6pm. I have always wanted to meet the guy that makes me laugh page after page, but alas I have a class that meets once a week on Monday nights. All I can say is that Twitter has ruined my day. I would have rather not known that I was missing an awesome event.

So, beware of the dangerous perils that lie ahead before you innocently click on a link that directs you to the evil Twitter.