Do You Do Voodoo?

The Witch Doctor has worked his magic.

Greg and I were on our way to our romantic evening of router shopping (or "router hunting" as Joseph put it). I wanted to demonstrate Greg that Alvin and the Chipmunks were saving our sanity by keeping the clock running and giving the CD motor a break. So, I pulled the CD all the way out. And nothing happened. Silence. The clock continued to display the time. No motor started. I put the CD in to see what would happen. Track 1 ("Bad Day"), the only one I remotely like, began playing. I hit "eject". The player obeyed, with normal results. I put it in again. Track 1 again began playing. We listened to the whole thing. Track 2 (original "Christmas Don't Be Late") started. We quickly hit "eject". Normal results. Weird. I'm thinking it has something to do with tracks 5 and 15- two different versions of "Witch Doctor". Maybe there's some magic in the music.

We thought about heading home and just laying the CD on top of the router for awhile. Would lightening strike twice? We were practically to our first stop and opted for reality over superstition. We did find a router at an ok price and the laptop is now back in business. The DS still won't connect, but neither parent is going to lose sleep over that one. Still, if your electronics are out of whack, let us know. You're welcome to borrow Alvin. You just never know...

Observations

I sometimes notice the strangest things. Like, have you ever noticed that the hours between 8:30 and 2:30 go by much more quickly from, oh, say mid August to the end of May? Then again, maybe it's just a phenomenon that occurs in our city or house. I always have this list of things to do and never quite seem to cross everything off. Weird.

Also, I think someone is coming in and stealing my hours from 3:00-5:30. I keep looking up at the clock and they are just gone. Another great mystery. If you happen to see my hours laying around would you call me or wrap them up and mail them back? I could really use them. Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Debbie (Wherever You Are)

My mental calendar is telling me it is Debbie DeBoer's birthday. Who is Debbie DeBoer, you ask? She was my neighbor and friend in Michigan from 4th-8th grade. She was the youngest of two, which was worlds away from my being the oldest of eight. We used to have sleepovers at her house- because it was less congested there. Her mom and dad would let us set up shop in the room under the stairs,which was cool even way before Harry Potter lived in a cupboard under the stairs. I remember Debbie and I listening to Weird Al Yankovich and "doing" the Rubiks Cube by taking off all the stickers and putting them back on in order. She got to wear make-up way before I could. We ran on the track team together in Jr. High. She ran very low to the ground and was faster than I ever was. She had a "Xanadu" album and even got a little black and white tv in her very own room right before I moved away. Every time I see a box of Little Debbie's snack cakes I think of her. She was obviously one of my coolest friends!

This is one of those times I wish my mental calendar wasn't so on top of random dates. The last time I even talked to Debbie was 1984-ish. I have absolutely no idea where she is now. I tried looking her up on Facebook, but I couldn't find her. As far as I know, there is no need to remember Debbie's birthday any longer. If I had her email I would send her a note. If I had her address I would send a card, a phone number and I'd totally give her a call. I've heard that we're only six steps/links away from knowing every person in the world. So, if you know Debbie, or know someone who knows someone who knows someone, etc, who knows Debbie, tell her "Hi" for me and have her leave a comment here so I can find a better use for remembering her every April 9th. What good is remembering a friends birthday, if you don't have the friend to go along with it?!

While We're on the Subject of Science...

...I have an interesting situation. Hopefully someone can explain why. For the past several months, the reception on my clock radio gets clearer when I sit up out of bed- really, it does. I figure it has something to do with the antenna. This morning I discovered that if I just stuck my arm in the air the radio goes from totally static to perfectly clear. Too bad it only works if my whole arm is straight up- doesn't work with a bent elbow or just a finger. Otherwise I could sleep a little longer. The static is too annoying. I don't understand why this works. My clock radio and I are in opposite corners of the room, so it's not like I bump it or anything when I move. I can't even fix the reception to begin with because when I stand up and move over to the clock the reception is perfect. Any physics or electrical wizzes (I don't know how to spell this for sure and the spell check wants to change it to "wheezes"!) out there that know why this happens? I'm sure I learned this at one point but my brain didn't hold on to the information very well. Thanks!