Two Monkeys

So. Much. Juuuuuice!

Well, dear readers, I am exhausted today. I was up a little past my bedtime last night at the Chancellor's Late Night Breakfast... I was one of the people running around with apple or orange juice, refilling glasses. Who would have realized students love the juice? Crave the juice? Cannot. Get. Enough. Juice? It was pretty cool, I must say. What a neat tradition to have to kick off finals week. I enjoyed talking to a lot of our students, and I hope they're rockin' their finals today after their filling late-night breakfast and gallons of juice to fuel their studies. I was there with my fellow bloggers Design Monkey, Ms. Moneypenny and Ranger Bear. I've heard Moneypenny might have photos of the event to post today. I'll link her up here if she does.

Update: Hello Moneypenny. Your photos are mahvelous, dahlink.

Lasagna and Pus

So the great thing about going to conferences is getting to know new people, their medical histories, their giant abscesses that need to be drained... And all over a fine dinner of Italian cuisine. It took Code Monkey, Rick from Baraboo (on my left), and I quite by surprise. I honestly thought one of us would choke on our dinner from laughing. Rick turned to me and said he was a bit squeamish as the threesome across from us went into great detail about medical procedures. As I stared at my plate of fettuccine and lasagna, I know I was making weird faces. I thought I was going to lose it. I could tell Code Monkey and Rick were too. It was all we could do to get out of the room. As we made our way from the table Code Monkey remarked that as a child she had been taught that there were some conversations not fit for the dinner table to which I replied, "You mean like draining pus?"

Remind me to eat out at the next conference.

My Personal Ring of Hell

So Miss Subliminal **cough Code Monkey cough** has been after me to blog. I have been a very bad monkey. So here I am in Green Lake, Wisconsin, for the CWCW conference and I have a moment to share. 

I have come to the conclusion that I must have died some time back and am currently in my own little ring of hell, so is Code Monkey. Our personal ring of hell involves people pulling out in front of my car, driving like they're high, and traveling at about 2 m.p.h. Weaving across the yellow line, abruptly slamming on brakes, and making left hand turns in front of me has become my form of punishment. I used to think it was just me, but Code Monkey has been there to witness this insanity. I just have to groan when "Grandpa's Hauler" pulls out in front of me...

So last night I had the opportunity to watch a real grown-up movie, something that didn't involve furry talking mammals, animation, or people bursting into song. It was delightful. So to escape the world of children's movies what do I get? No Country for Old Men. Horrifying blood and gore. It was awesome. It was intense and well acted and didn't have a single teenager trying to break into show business. I was really happy about that.

So Code Monkey and I are at a System conference for web people. It's great to get out and see what other schools are doing. It always gives me a creative boost. I'll fill you in later with the details.

Luckily I don't have to drive through my own ring of hell until tomorrow. I'll just have Code Monkey to weave drunkenly in front of me...

Saturday March 29: First ride of '08

I couldn't wait any longer. Saturday seemed so sunny. So, I wrestled my Townie down from the wall of my garage where it has been waiting for spring (just as much as I have, probably) and went for a ride.

Guess what: it wasn't warm. Not at all. But still, it was SO worth it. Whoever had the idea to add bike paths to Inner Loop, you have my grateful thanks. Can we have them on outer loop and the other new roads too?

A Monkey Sabbatical

Ms. Moneypenny, in her inimitable way, asked me today if the Monkeys were on sabbatical. Well, sort of. I wanted to give up. I wanted to lay my blogging responsibilities solely on the capable shoulders of Design Monkey and go back to being the semi-anonymous Monkey I like to be.

So what happened?

The lights in my office went out. Again. And it got me to thinking....

See, what happens is I sit here, quietly working, minding my own business, and the little gizmo in my ceiling that registers movement in the room thinks I've left, and shuts the lights off. This happens pretty much daily. So I have to stand up, wave my arms, roll my chair around... whatever. It's like a little five-second dance party in here to get the lights to come back on. I realized today, when the lights clicked off just now, how much I like that--I like that there's a little something in my day that forces me to stand up, move around a little, look away from the monitor. This blog could be like that--a little five second dance party for my brain, when the lights have shut off in there. Maybe five seconds isn't enough...

Lizards and Rabbids... These are a few of my favorite things

I realize my last post was before Christmas when I wrote about my awesome gifts from Code Monkey. I got some other pretty amazing gifts, which of course I will now inflict on you. From my nine year old, I got a lizard in blue goo. Mom likes lizards. Lizards in goo are that much better. Thank you, you are your mother's son. From both the boys and my husband I received one of the best video games I have ever played:

RAVING RABBIDS 2  for Wii

Rabbids (read socially obnoxious, demented bunny) is a HOOT! It's so not PC. One game has you  screwing around at the office trying not to get caught by the boss, another has you shooting paper balls at the teacher and blaming the other players. Are We There Yet has you smacking out-of-control little rabbids in the back seat of the car while you sit in traffic. You get to spit in other rabbid's coffee... Who can't love a game like this? You also get to play instruments in a band of rabbids and do songs like the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction. Mick Jagger has nothing on insane rabbids.

I dressed my rabbid as Cossack. My son dressed one of his as a skeleton in a pink tutu and football helmet.

I think I have to talk to Ranger Bear about what a Wii is all about and invite him over for a round of Raving Rabbids.

Red stripes

You know how sometimes you just need a little change? Something to shake up the monotony a little? When I need a change, my thoughts always turn to my hair. (I know, I'm *SO* deep.) Since I've been masquerading as an adult working in a professional job for over 10 years now,  I can't make much of a change--no blues, greens, etc. for me, unfortunately. I'd love a little blue streak or two--I used to dye it so blonde it was practically white, but that's not so grown-up now either.

But, red is still in the palette. So, I have a few red streaks in the otherwise brownish-blonde mix right now. I'm not sure what I think of them, and so far, reviews have been mixed. Maybe I'll see if I can get a pic on here sometime soon and open it for voting. Should I keep them or let them fade out, never to be thought of again?

Woolly Kidneys and Victims

So the holidays are once again upon us and it is time to inflict each other with gifts. From my partner-in- crime I have received not one, but nine "Horrified B-Movie Victims."

Sweet.

They go perfectly with my nine "Glow-in-the-Dark Flesh Eating Zombies."

I can also shoot them with my "Monkey Catapult Gun" then look over at my "Despair!" pennant and smile.

I love Christmas!  Code Monkey knows me well.

And our infliction of gifts is not limited to the two of us. We rounded up the entire bizarre gang to present Administrative Monkey with gifts as well. We of course made him sing to us to receive them. It went something like this:

On the 12th day of Christmas my employees gave to me:
Twelve Halloween Erasers
Eleven Plastic Eggs
Ten Commencement Programs
Nine Condiment Packets
Eight Sticks of Gum
Seven Plastic Frogs
Six Cookie Cutters
Five Antacid Tablets
Four Nasty Coasters
Three Purple Grapes
Two Giant Pinecones
And a woolly Kidney

Brings a tear to your eye, our level of compassion and caring, doesn't it? The woolly kidney was a hand-knitted extravaganza by Code Monkey.

So let us reflect on another year gone... (sigh) Okay, let's not.  Let us look forward to the coming year... (sigh) Well, tomorrow is the Friday before the holiday. We have that to look forward to...

Have a good one and let us know about your truly twisted gifts!

Speechless

So, Design Monkey and I exchanged gifts today. I thought I had just about the funniest gifts possible (I'll let her tell you about them), and have had a really hard time not bringing them in long before now for her to open. But then I opened her gifts to me... I can't even describe it, really, other than to say she has created the funniest thing I believe I have ever seen, and I am so lucky to be the recipient of her creation. My face hurts from laughing so hard this morning. I'm like Cartman blowing my funny fuse in Season 5...will anything ever be funny again? (Probably. :) ) That Design Monkey is one hilariously twisted soul. If you see me around and I am randomly giggling for no reason, this is why.

This is probably my last post for '07. Good times. For those of you who might be traveling over the holidays, be safe. See you all back here next year!

For Your Consideration

"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too."
~Voltaire

"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."
~Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan

"I fear more harm from everybody thinking alike than from some people thinking otherwise."
~Charles G. Bolte, former executive vice president of the Viking Press in New York and vice president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
~Voltaire

Your Friends,
Design Monkey and Code Monkey