My dog, Jo, has decided that our king size, pillow topped, flannel sheet covered haven of rest is HER’S. Never mind that she has a wonderful elevated dog bed of her own. Oh no- Jo has declared that our bed is much more to her liking. Now if sweet, hairy, loveable old Jo was a small dog, I don’t think my husband and I would have such an issue with her taking over our supreme resting place. However, Jo is big. She is a good seventy-five pounds, and when she sprawls and stretches, she takes up a good half of the bed. We might be able to sleep around her, by being creative. Jo is after all, getting older and a very special part of our family. There is one other issue though- she snores. Loudly. All night long. Which in turn prompts me to encourage her to move off my bed, into her own. Most times however, Jo puts her pretty nose in the air, and stalks out of the room in a huff. We often find her in the morning, sprawled on the couch, snoring away. Which is fine- the couch is quite a ways away from our room, so we don’t have to hear her snore!

My favorite season is, far and away, spring. I like summer as much as the next guy – I mean, who doesn’t appreciate sunny, warm days and a vacation from school – but now, I’m getting to the point where all summer means is that I have to work in the heat instead of in the cold. Fall is pretty good. It’s really a beautiful time, and contains my birthday and Halloween and Thanksgiving, but there’s nothing really exciting about it. Winter is breathtakingly beautiful, but so, so cold. Then, after winter, there’s spring. The snow melts, the sun comes out, and plants come back to life. What could be more amazing?

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• Highlights from TransWorld Halloween show 2009 (makezine.com)

I woke up approximately forty-five minutes ago. Well, I guess I’ve been waking up for over two hours. My alarm was set for seven, which in retrospect was a good thing, because I was at the time having a rather uncomfortable and strange dream. I was too tired to get up when my alarm went off, though, so I stayed in bed until my friend came around with breakfast to rouse me. He had brought me chai tea and rice krispy bars – interesting choices, both. I chatted with him for a while, but then he left to go to class. As of now, I’m preparing for my own class.

One of the highlights of my day is when I have a few minutes to web browse at work. Why? Well, it’s because that is the time that I get to check out all of my favorite web comics. If you didn’t know, a web comic is like any other comic – but except being posted in the newspaper it’s uploaded onto a website. There are literally thousands to choose from, but once you find those precious few that speak to your heart, make you laugh, or remind you of your family, you can’t help but go back for more. Some web comics are updated daily, some only a few times a week, and others even less than that. I personally visit around ten web comics every day, then send favorites to friends or print them out and put them on my wall. Though I pity the poor artists who are stuck putting their work in the printed paper, I rejoice at the freedom the digital age has bestowed to talent around the globe to share their work with me daily.

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• Sunday Comics [Webcomics] (kotaku.com)

On the paradise-like beaches of Southern California was I born, here do I live, and here shall I stay. The vast majority of my childhood was spent on the beaches of San Diego – just spitting distance from Mexico – building sand castles, chasing sea gulls, hunting for shells, and learning to ride the waves. On the sandy shores I had my first kiss as a squirrely freshman; on the cliffs above those crashing tides I exchanged my wedding vows. My heart is tied forever to the sea – I could never think to leave her. The atmosphere of Southern Cali is a casual one, and I can’t help but believe that the people here have their priorities straight: work so you can play. When surf is up, no one is in their office – they know that being productive depends on the rightness of your soul, and the waves will set your soul straight every time.

My work environment is casual to the extreme. I suppose it’s not unusual in my field, working with computer engineers. But as a woman, I can’t quite bring myself to be so lazy that I match their thoughtless, effortless daily grunge. I love that I can wear jeans, but they can at least be cute jeans! I’m all about being comfortable, and since we are in Southern Cali it’s more than appropriate to pair flip flops with designer jeans and a cute top. The real key is the accessories. My husband rolls his eyes at me every time I bring home a new bobble for my collection, but I promise him again and again that I wear every single piece of jewelry I own. Dangly earrings, bubble necklaces, silver bracelets, funky rings – I love it all! I love having my accessories complimented, from my purse to my belts. The jingle and sparkle lifts my spirits every morning while I look in the mirror, and even if my shirt is boring or my jeans may be a little dirty, no one will notice as long as those earrings take their eyes away first.

House, M.D. is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest shows to grace the small screen in many a year. The Sherlock Holmes style doc is bitter, ingenious, and leaves my sides in stitches on a regular basis. The elements of the show come together in a seductively beautiful way: medical mysteries, strained friendships, sexual tension, rule breaking, apologetics, and even a little romance.  Dr. Gregory House is the best kind of antagonist – he’s flawed to the core and you can’t help but love him. You know, deep inside yourself, that if you ever me the man it’s quite possible you would become worst enemies, but from the safety of my couch I simply can’t wait to see him in action for another episode, mocking life itself and saving it all at once. Bravo!

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• House in a Psychiatric Hospital (psychcentral.com)

Unlock the vast majority of people I encounter on a daily basis, there is very little that I “have” to do every day. Many would say they can’t function without their coffee. Some throw a fit if they can’t find the newspaper. Others drive the same route to work each day. But me – my needs are simple: I need to brush my teeth. Truly, if I did nothing else in the morning but that, I would be happy for the rest of the day. I’m not a coffee drinker, perhaps because of the way the sludge makes my teeth feel afterwards. I try to mix up my morning routine by not driving the same way to work, and only reading the news if there is something interested to be worth the effort. But in doing so, I WILL have clean teeth. The mysterious fuzz that accumulates during the evening rest period is retched enough to make me shudder. I take great pleasure and a generous amount of time scrubbing it off each morning and each evening, and I keep two rolls of floss in my desk. With clean teeth and a bright smile, I can do anything.