The making of Christmas Card 2006

If you want to learn how to write with light in a photo, check out this podcast that Michael found on the Make Magazine website. We took our photos in Beacon Hill Park at night. Robyn wrote the message (ho ho ho) while Michael and I held our pose for 15 seconds. Thanks again buddy! I'll never forgot the sound of your shuffling feet as we smiled at the camera in the silent park. Here are a couple of our favorite outtakes.

Five years of emailing Christmas greetings

2002:


2003:


2004:


2005:


2006:

Christmas is coming

Friends, I haven't felt like writing for a while because I'm a little tired from final essays and exams. I have a few tentative plans for upcoming posts, however, such as documenting the assembly of my emergency kit (no turbid water for me) and reflecting on air bands that I performed as a child (in front of an actual audience). Keep posted! And then there will be the pictures from Mexcio. There are good times ahead. Until then, take a minute to explore the Scared of Santa photo gallery. You won't regret it, even if you saw it last year when I got excited about it for the first time.

Pierogies 101

Pierogies are Ukrainian dumplings also know as perogi, perogy, piroghi, pirogi or pyrohy. My baba gave me her recipe a few years ago, and I've been meaning to make them ever since; I've helped her make them before, but I never made them on my own. Until now. On Friday, Lydia, Robyn, Ananda and Michael joined me in fulfilling one of my original tentative plans.

First we bought groceries and made THREE different fillings (two too many):
1) potato/basil/pinenut/parmesan
2) sweet potato/mushroom/onion/swiss
3) yam/leek/smoked gouda

Then we made TWO different kinds of dough (my baba's dough and another kind from a Rebar recipe). They were both pretty much the same. We also drank some wine because making pierogies takes a long time, and rolling the dough is hard work.

Our pieogies were too doughy (i.e. too thick) at first, but we got better at streching out the dough as we went. Baba says we'll be able to make them with our eyes closed soon enough.

We have a small kitchen, so it was a very cozy affair.

Robyn boiled all of the pierogies. She's committed!

This is the sweet potato filling. The filling was good on its own, but didn't make for a tasty pierogi - the potato/basil pierogi was the most popular.

We all ate too many pierogies and felt sick by the time the night was over. Even so, it was a success. Thanks for the inspiration Baba! We froze some of the best pierogies for your approval at Christmas.

Snow Day!

This was the view from our apartment yesterday (Sunday) morning:
This was the view this morning:The city has shut down, much like it did during the new year snow storm of 1996-97. I hear the buses are running again, but the university closed for the day. Michael and I will spend our time fighting over the computer to finish up our last assignments, but we'll also take breaks to watch cartoons. That's what you're supposed to do on a snow day, right?

I said it's a celebration

There are many celebrations today. Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! Happy birthday Dad! Happy birthday Sarah H! Happy birthday (two days from today) Jillian! I thought of all of you as I sank my teeth into the amazing cake pictured below. Sarah's mom, Wendy, bought it at Wildfire bakery - it's vegan and wheat-free - and we devoured it last night. Happy day!

Rock Club Mayor

Remember how I want to be a mayor one day? Well, my dream has come true. I am the latest mayor of Rock Club! For those of you who don't know, Rock Club is like a book club, except instead of reading one book and talking about it, each participant brings a song to share and discuss. The mayor is a rotating position and isn't decided by an election or even bribery, so don't get too excited for me. I drew an ace from a deck of cards, what can I say?

This is where you come in, friends. The mayor gets to decide if there is a theme, and I can't decide. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, such as songs from soundtracks or cover songs, but I need suggestions. Another idea that a Rock Club member suggested was asking your parents to pick your song - I'm sure my Dad is already scheming.

I was anointed mayor at the last Rock Club gathering on Tuesday, so I've got some time to decide. The event was a cereal social - everyone brought a box of cereal so we could snack while we listened to the tunes (Shannon, at one point I had a cereal combination featuring Panda Peanut Butter Puffs, Count Chocula and bananas!). The theme was Shlong (Short songs and long songs), which gave me the opportunity to bring one of my favorite Jonathan Richman songs: New Teller. It clocked in at 1:39.

I've been on a real Jonathan Richman kick lately, and that is how I found the flip book animation featured below. I was searching for footage of Jonathan Richman dancing (I'm brain dead after writing many essays and I needed a break...). Sadly, he doesn't dance in this clip, but his guitar provides the accompaniment. I love flip books, and I love this artist's simple sketching style - maybe because it makes me think that I could make my own flip book one day. My favorite part is when the water bottle fills the great lakes. I also love that after viewing this sketch, I discovered that there's a whole world of flip book animation that I never knew about before. Oh, Internet.

Blog club

Lydia and Brie already posted this picture, but I'm posting it too because it's so cute. I understand that Robyn is burned that she wasn't invited out for blogger tea in Vancouver last week, but the fact is the whole get-together was quite tentative and we didn't realize it was a mini blogher conference until were all in the same car together. The best part was Lydia and Sarah R had never met Brie in person, even though they read each other's blogs. It's great how blogs bring people together - especially for tea and cake at Sweet Revenge. If we do it again, you're all invited!

If you're wondering, and I assume you are, my chocolate pudding cake was divine. The icing-pudding dilemma was fierce, but I think I picked the winner; the fact that the pudding cake was served warm helped me make my decision - it was a comfort on a cold, wet day in Vancouver.

Don't play with your food

I love nature, but one thing that I don't love about nature is animals that torture their prey. Is it really necessary? I guess I'm referring to cats and killer whales. This has been on my mind since I woke up at 3:30 am at Lydia's house to her frantic calls for help. No one was breaking into her house, which is the thought that got my heart racing; rather, Lydia's cat Neko was killing a mouse - slowly - under her bed. I ran to her room to find her standing on said bed. I didn't carry her out of the room, but I'm sure she wanted me to - she was that upset. You can read about the episode and the final outcome here and here.

While wasting some time on the internet looking for pictures of killer whales torturing seals (an activity I've seen on numerous documentaries), I came upon this clip from the BBC documentary Planet Earth. I'm posting it today because I used to have a problem with sharks, but now that I think about it, I might like them - more than cats and transient killer whales anyway (BC's resident killer whales don't eat seals or other whales, so I like them ok). The fact that sharks are killing machines means they don't make their prey suffer (more than necessary), and I'm onside with that.

I think it's one of the scariest clips I've ever seen in a nature documentary, probably because of the use of slow motion, so be forewarned. Everyone has time to watch it because it's only twenty seconds long.

The forecast calls for lightning

I'm taking an essay break to recommend that you read Rick Mercer's blog (see link on right). I'm not a huge fan of the Mercer Report, which can be seen on CBC TV, but I love the blog. And if I'm not mistaken, there's a bit of overlap between the two, which leads me to believe that the best bits from the show are captured in the blog. Here is an excerpt to whet your appetite:

Politicians love to make promises directly to seniors because they know seniors deserve a society’s respect, plus seniors have nothing to do all day so they actually vote. Election day and a slice of lemon meringue is a big day out for the blue rinse set.

Ceci n'est pas une bicyclette

This picture was taken a few years back, when Michael and I visited San Francisco for the first and only time. I'm posting it to draw attention to the bunny hugs (i.e. hoodies) that Shannon and I are wearing (click on the photo to see them a bit better). Shannon bought hers first, and I loved it so much that I bought my own (but it's not copying because mines navy). It features a skeleton on a bike, with no featured brand name. The problem is, I felt some sort of pressure to be an actual cyclist to justify wearing the hoody. I guess I felt that it made some sort of statement about biking and I didn't want to be a poser. I had a bike at the time, but it was an old beater that I rode around Main Street and that's about it.

Now that I live in Victoria I have a real bike, and I would venture to say that I ride it enough to feel comfortable in the hoody. I have fulfilled a tentative plan that I made years ago! Yesterday I rode my bike to see my grandma and I was proud that I ventured out in the rain. The trip was smooth, and I mused about the victorious blog post I would write about the experience. But then it came time to leave my grandma's, and the rain had gained momentum. I thought I could make it to my knitting date without getting too wet, but after one minute on the bike it became clear that I needed to go home. My shoes, pants, hands and hair were sopping wet, as you can see. If I really want to be a committed cyclist, I think I have to invest in some rain pants.

Sadly, the bad weather prevented me from seeing Sarah, but because we're so dedicated, we both knit a few stitches on our own. Good show.

Four things that are making me happy

I'm pretty busy with school right now (I'm just finishing up a report on government policy regarding the CBC) and I'm not accomplishing a whole lot as far as tentative plans go (although solving CBC's problems has long been on my list of things to do). However, I am excited about a few (four) things and I thought I should take a minute (a half hour) to share them with you.

1. Elephant Island

Some of our Victoria buddies are in this fabulous band, and we just went to see the last show of their cross-Canada tour last night. It was superb. For those of you who know Zoe, her brother Galen is one of the two lovely troubadours. I love Elephant Island's music, so I suggest you check out their website instantly and listen to some of the sample mp3s - my favorite is Nighttime. I find it goes down especially well with an ameretto and cola.

2. Fuzz Away

A couple of weeks ago I splurged and bought myself a fabric shaver for $15. It has changed my life - well, my wardrobe anyway. Aside from the fact that it uses up my rechargeable batteries without remorse, it has proven to be more useful than I thought possible. I've made many shirts, scarves and jackets look like new thanks to this little wonder of an invention. Forget razor blades - this baby is worth the investment because it makes upkeep easy, and it even comes with a two year warranty - especially important if you plan to use it a lot (e.g. you buy a lot of second hand clothes that you need to fix up).

3. Amy Sedaris

I really want to buy Amy's new book (pictured above), but I'm holding out until I'm done with school; it'll be a reward for my hard work. So while I can't go on about how amazing the book is, I can share a clip from her days on the David Letterman show. I especially want my dad to check out this link, because her character work is astounding (do you all know that my dad is a drama teacher?). So if you are interested and/or you are my dad, go to Brie's blog and watch this clip that she posted last month. Easy.

4. Knitting

This is my knitting buddy Sarah H. We met at a knitting class earlier this year and now we are fast friends. Also, we still knit! I'm not much better than I was then, but at least I can pearl with confidence. Sarah and I are actually meeting up at Bean Around the World for some knitting on Saturday - it'll provide me much needed respite from the CBC. If you want to come knit with us, say the word. I'll post my latest project when it's a little further along.

Boo

Happy Halloween! Robyn, Alex (Robyn's honey who is visiting from London) and I carved pumpkins on Saturday night while Michael roasted pumpkin seeds. Sure, it wasn't Halloween, but everyone else was celebrating this weekend, so we did too. We also went to the corn maze after dark and a haunted house that was cleverly named Carnevil. The only thing scary about the corn maze was the wind rustling through tall stalks, but the haunted house didn't disappoint. However, I'm still confused about why people pay other people to jump out at them with scary costumes on. Why do we like it? Is the adrenaline rush that good? I have no plans for the real Halloween day, mostly because I have a big essay to finish and I don't really like dressing up (unless I have a really smart costume planned in advance). So there you have it. I hope you all eat some good candy, because that's really what it's all about.

Still eating left-overs

I'm posting another picture of the cake, since you asked (you didn't). At least Lydia noted the nature of the cake in her previous comment, though. It is indeed an angel food cake, made from scratch - Michael's favourite. I actually enjoy making this type of cake because it is so particular. Oh, and it smells divine as it's cooking. Oh, and it tastes divine too - we're talking melt-in-your-mouth action. However, I have yet to find a delicious and easy icing to make for this cake. This last attempt produced a beautiful classic butter cream icing (with a dash of kahlua) that took an hour to make and two sets of hands. That's not cool, especially when the second pair of hands belong to the birthday boy himself. No matter, the finished product was a success, with thanks to Ananda for help with the finishing touches. Sprinkles don't sprinkle themselves, friends.

So begins his last year of youth

Catch-all

I'm not one for writing catch-up posts on my blog. I always wrote them in my journals when I was young (speaking of which, my paper journal has become really lonely since I started this thing) and they inevitably turned into a dull list of all of the things I had meant to write about. Sadly, I'm about to write one such post now, but hopefully it won't be as boring as those others.


First off, my grandma turned 90 years old last Sunday. Isn't she a fox? We had celebrations over the Thanksgiving weekend, but all the guests were gone by the time the actual birthday came around, so grandma and I ate A&W Teen Burgers (her choice) together for a muted version of earlier festivities. I'm so happy that we live in the same city right now; I know many people wish they could eat A&W with their grandparents, and I thought of them as I ate my burger.


Next, I want to write about my Thanksgiving weekend, even though it seems like distant memory (maybe I should throw out that left-over mashed turnip already). I did mention that my dad and I went to Navy Days when my parents were here, but I also wanted to say that it was wonderful to have them kicking around for a few days, along with my Auntie Mavis (from Ireland) and my Uncle John (from New Westminster). We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house and it was a smash hit: simple (stovetop stuffing and turkey breasts instead of a whole turkey) and delicious (pumpkin pie and spiced honey wine). I took this photo of my mom and Mavis after dinner. The mirror is a new addition that my Mom picked up while shopping with Michael. I know taking pictures of people's reflections isn't a new concept, but I love the effect it creates in this photo. They look surreal and it reminds me of Alice through the Looking Glass.


Finally, I wanted to show the world this beautiful picture of Norman that my Mom recently finished painting. For those of you who didn't know him, Norman was our family dog for 13 years, and even though it's been several months since my parents had to put him to sleep, I still can't bring myself to write about it. I'm just so impressed with how she totally captured him in this painting, and I've asked for a print of it for Christmas. I'm getting choked up just writing this post, so I'll just leave it at that.

On a happier, sexier note, Michael and I are going to see Shortbus in the theatre tonight. If it lives up to the hype, I won't be writing a review of it here - I'm too shy.

Erin for Mayor

As some of you may know, I have plans to become a municipal politician at some point in my life. The seed was planted when I attended my first city council meeting in Vancouver as a requirement for a journalism school assignment, and it continued to grow as I covered Tofino district council meetings for the Westerly News. When one of my female journalism instructors was elected to Vancouver council (right on, Anne Roberts!), I was inspired to follow in her footsteps, though she told me that I need not wait for my hair to turn grey to get involved. And then there was that dream I had where I was the mayor of Sechelt. More recently the inspiration has come from Sonya Chandler (left), the 30 year old Victoria city councillor. She's a hip nurse, just like my Mom and my sister, and she works on many wonderful initiatives here in Victoria. I saw her in action at a council meeting last month that I attended for an urban politics class (funnily enough, I'm writing this post whilst avoiding an assignment for said class). Isn't it wonderful that she's so young? Part of my report highlights the fact that the youngest councillor, Sonya, is 30 and the oldest is in her 70s (I'm waiting to see if Helen Hughes (right) feels comfortable emailing me her exact age - and don't be fooled by the picture; it was surely taken a few years back). I guess I'm inspired by the fact that five out of nine Victoria city councillors are women, and their various ages prove I have at least a few years to pick a city, develop a platform, run for mayor and perfect my studio smile.

In the navy

While my parents were in town for Thanksgiving weekend, my dad and I biked on down to Navy Days at Ogden Point. We went to see the F18 fighter jets that were scheduled to fly past at 5 (my dad's a pilot in his spare time), but the planes were late, so we checked out a mine sweeper ship while we waited (I'm not sure it's a good sign when the army isn't punctual). As you can see, my dad was not impressed with what we saw (click on the photo for a close-up of the aptly chosen facial expression). More accurately, he was interested in the equipment (unlike myself), but he wasn't happy about the blatant recruitment that came along with it. Both of us left convinced that we did not want to join up - and we don't want you to join up either. Most of all, we hope that this dog (who my dad named Tank), should go AWOL as soon as possible:

He's tired because he was mauled for hours by babies with army paint on their faces. I'd be tired too.

Dear Erin

We are very appreciative that you have taken the time to contact us regarding your recent flight. WestJet strives at providing the best traveling experience for our guests and takes their concerns very seriously.

First of all let me assure you that you were in no danger during your flight. Although uncomfortable the turbulence was well within the capabilities of the aircraft. I did speak to your Captain who indicated that the descent into the airport was very rough due to a fast moving weather system that had affected the weather in Saskatoon.

The decision to divert to Regina was well founded and was made after much discussion with WestJet Flight Operations in Calgary. Even though your flight had enough fuel to wait around Saskatoon for approximately 20 minutes, the Captain and dispatcher decided that holding for that period of time would not guarantee that conditions would allow safe landing. As a result the flight proceeded to Regina to refuel and wait for the weather to improve.

As per regulation the alternate airport weather always has to be better that the destination thus leaving an out should the flight not be able to land at destination. Your flight back to Saskatoon was dispatched with Calgary as the alternate airport and carried extra fuel to allow for the poor weather. Should the flight not be able to land, continuing on to Calgary would have provided the best options for the guests to get back to Saskatoon.

I did however discuss your comments with the Captain over the lack of information provided to our guests. It is our policy to make frequent announcements to reassure guests whenever abnormal conditions are encountered.

From what you have shared, I also understand you were disappointed with the Captains conduct when you and other guests had decided to deplane in Regina. I can respect your decision to do so especially since you had a wedding to attend in Saskatoon the following day and you did not want to take the chance of being stuck in Calgary. At WestJet, we are known for our friendly and approachable attitude and I am disappointed to hear this was not demonstrated to you. We appreciate this feedback as it allows us to see where we can improve to better serve our guests.

I hope I have addressed your concerns and do apologize for the lack of information provided. Let me assure you however that none of our pilots would ever risk exposing our guests or themselves to an unsafe condition.

If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to call or write.

Sincerely, Kevin Hollands
Director Operations
WestJet

I love beautiful girls too

I just read the interview with Amy Poehler, of Saturday Night Live fame, and I feel a little emotional. It's very funny, inspiring and all around wonderful, just like Bust (most of the time). Here is a little quote that addresses a particular issue that I have mused about with friends recently: the softcore porn that American Apparel uses as advertising.

We were just talking about those American Apparel ads. They're fucking gross, man. Look, I love beautiful girls too. I think everyone should be free to have their knee socks and their sweaty shorts, but I'm over it. I'm over this weird, exhausted girl. I'm over the girl that's tired and freezing and hungry. I like bossy girls, I always have. I like people filled with life. I'm over this weird media thing with all this, like, hollow-eyed, empty, party crap. I don't know, it seems worse than ever, but maybe it's just because we're getting old.

Borscht first, then perogies

Michael and I made borscht last night! While I've promised my Baba that I'll make perogies one day, I decided to start with borscht (an easier project) to get the ball rolling. Also, we had some of Baba's borscht when we were home this summer and it was so good we needed to have it again. I got the recipe for this deli-style borscht out of the Joy of Cooking and it tasted just like Baba's. And it was easy to make - the only thing that took a long time was cutting up the beets.
Ananda brought us flowers in exchange for soup. A good deal all around.


I also got a wonderful new haircut from a wonderful new hairdresser. Robyn said it may be the best haircut I've ever had and I think I may agree - I feel like a new woman.


Here's a shot from the back, because that's the most significant change:


All in all, a successful weekend thanks to satisfying food and less hair. Honourable mentions go to excellent fall weather, improving health, hot toddies and fun times with gracious hosts Sarah and Galen.

Crazy dream world fantasy

I'm currently wrapped up in a blanket on my couch - feeling sorry for myself and thinking of all the wonderful things I could do if I wasn't sick. One thing I would do is go to St. Louis, Missouri. I just read this article about City Museum and I really want to go RIGHT now, just like the article tells me to. It sounds like a crazy dream world fantasy museum. I am officially starting a new list called tentative trips, and a trip to this museum is currently tentative trip number two. Number one is a trip to San Francisco in the spring, but maybe I can convince Shannon to meet me in St. Louis instead. I want to climb around on recycled industrial rebar! Who doesn't?

Don't know

While recovering from a cold and a weekend trip to Vancouver, I found myself drinking tea and staring intently at this picture on our fridge:


The choices offered by David Shrigley have me stumped, but I think I like the wolfman best.

Flower? Jellyfish? Spacecraft?

Many of the pictures that I've posted on this site were taken by Michael, but as you know I've been trying to take more photos too. I took this one on Sunday.

Stress is the word

Lately I have been living up to my blogger profile description: some people think I'm laid back but other people know better. It's becoming more and more apparent that I might have a little problem with anxiety. My life isn't that stressful, but hey, I'm a Taurus and I like stability. Changing my life around every four months, which is what I've done for the last couple of years, isn't exactly my kind of stable. The fact that I'm in school for another two years makes me a little nervous, so I figure I need to be proactive in handling the resulting stress. Are you with me? I'm going to outline my tentative plans for coping with the upcomging school-related stress, mostly so I remember them, but feel free to comment and tell me your tactics too.

Live in Victoria
Easy. This city is very peaceful, as is the UVic campus (even with the construction right outside the library window, where I'm currently hanging out), and it has already done wonders for my peace of mind. I just have to make time for walks by the sea and a frolic or two with the campus bunnies (I'm talking about real rabbits here).

Exercise three times a week
Sounds easy, but isn't. Do you exercise three times a week? Do you really? I have plans to go to yoga on Sundays (yes, I went yesterday) and to the gym on Tuesdays and Fridays. The yoga is especially good because it includes a half hour of meditation and I plan to start running at the gym so I can burn off nervous energy.

Have a massage once a month
Easy. The UVic health plan covers this, so I obviously need to take advantage. I just need to find a good massage therapist now. Any suggestions, Victoria friends?

Try not to eat things that end up in a trip to the ER
Not so easy when your body changes its mind every five days. I have many minor problems with my body, most of which are probably a result of my stressful state. I've mentioned my stomach issues in this blog before now, and Michael and I have come to the conclusion that they result from anxiety. Until this particular issue clears up, I can't eat raw veggies or pistachios (damn you pistachios!) unless I want to feel like I'm dying. According to one web source, my sensitivity to these foods should go away after a few days of giving my stomach a break, but I'm not sure I want to test this theory out. I'm not sure Michael wants me to test it out either. I also have plans to read the book When the Body Says No to help me understand my body a little more. Shannon and I are reading it together as a long-distance sisterly book club activity. Feel free to join, if you like - I've been told that this book will change your life.

Take weekends off
Sounds easy, but isn't. I only have school three days a week, so I am going to try my best to get my school work done on my free days so I can take weekends off. I need two days off to do many important things. For instance, this weekend Michael and I are going to Vancouver for an adventure (Lydia, we need to make some plans!), but other important plans include reading books that aren't related to political science, listening to Saturday radio on CBC, updating my blog and staring blankly into space.

That's what I've come up with so far. Give me your thoughts.

I took four of these photos

As you can see, Raissa, Imti, Michael and I got up to many adventures last week. The only pictures that might need explaining are those two of Imti: He was riding on this weird playground toy that spins you around. After you get out of it you try and walk around and you fall down. Genius.

Visiting hours are over

The last of our summer guests left today and I'm trying to adjust to university once again. I feel drained. My stomach is still on the fritz and I miss all of my buddies who came to visit over the summer. Shannon! Jillian! Mom! Dad! Stephen! Averil! Brie! Imti! Raissa! Lydia! Why don't you all live here? Don't you like Victoria? Don't you want to come over for some apple crisp tonight? Don't plan on sleeping over, though, because Michael and I are excited to sleep with our door open tonight.

P.S. Thanks for loaning us your futon, Jillian. It's been well used.

P.P.S. West Jet tried to call me regarding the letter I sent, but I wasn't home and they haven't tried again. I'll keep you posted.

Laughing and crying are the same thing

While Michael and I were waiting for Raissa and Imti to arrive on Tuesday, we were looking at videos on this website. We couldn't resist watching the one called Panda Sneeze, and since then I've watched it twenty times. I laughed so hard I cried, and I can't really explain why. I told Raissa and Imti about it yesterday, and while they agreed that a panda sneezing and scaring his panda mom might be funny, I wasn't impressed with their level of interest. I knew their ambivalence might have something to do with my inability to describe the comedic quality of the video, so I sat them down in front of the computer when we got home. I was nervous that I had hyped it up - that maybe we found it funny the other night because we were tired and would have laughed and cried at anything, but they confirmed our initial reaction and more tears were shed. Then Raissa and Imti upped the ante and started acting out the sneeze reflex. That's worth videotaping itself.

Rabbits disapprove of everything

I'm wrapping up my position at the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with only four more days to go. The job has served me well in terms of pay, resumé value and closeness to home (here's to being a part of the six percent of Canadians who walk to work!), but it's been a little boring at the same time. I was too qualified for this job - a fact my boss and I both acknowledged from the get-go - so I ended up with a lot of spare time on my hands. I spent many hours browsing the Internet, and I have found many mindless forms of entertainment as a result. And when I say mindless, I mean it. The above picture is from one of my latest finds: the famous disapproving rabbits. The rabbits have brought me a lot of joy, even though they look unnaturally large and I'm pretty sure they've all had heart attacks since their pictures were posted. I discovered them on the website where I receive daily cute therapy: Cute Overload. I'm especially fond of the site's Rules of Cuteness, such as rule 7: A thing, accompanied by a smaller version of that thing, is always cute. Then there's rule 24: Have suction cups on your hands. Who can argue with these kinds of rules? I figure looking at puppies and kittens has to be good for one's mental health. Even if it doesn't have any measurable impact, it sure does make the time fly (especially because the site adds new pictures multiple times a day), and that's what I've been looking for.