Thank you for visiting my blog from the 2006 Blogathon.

I am no longer updating this site, but if you’re looking for information on clefts, please visit The Cleft Palate Foundation. They provide information about clefts and craniofacial anomalies, parent/patient support groups, and referrals to cleft teams in your area.

 See you next year!

Woo - another Blogathon completed!

Thank you’s:

• James - for practically staying up all night with me, being my guest blogger, my cheerleader, my gopher, and of course, loving me through all of this
• Jamie and Fred, Mary Dawn, Rachel, and Jill for checking up on me
• Jill for being a wonderful monitor
• Carilyn, James, Louise, MissMeliss, Nancy, OurJia, Pamela, Rachel, Ray, Samantha, and Susan for sponsoring me - I’m completely overwhelmed with gratitude
• And last, but not least, Nancy, Lisa, Rafael, Jeremy, and Zach at Cleft Palate Foundation/American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Foundation for their support, their enthusiasm - and for not having me commited.. yet

The blogathon has raised over $116,000 so far! You can sponsor 48 hours after the B schedule ends (that’s 48 hours after midnight tonight), so sponsor me!

Next year, cute animal pictures should be my theme, since that’s apparently what I’m good at

Sleep time. *snore*

This will be me in a little bit:

I just want to snuggle it to bits!

James got this stuck in my head again. I keep singing “Voldemort, Voldemort, oh, Voldy, voldy, voldy, Voldemort!” and “Dumbledore!”

Well that’s a constructive use of their time. At first I thought the girl was balding, then I realized.. she’s not a girl!

And it’s not showing up, so here’s the link.

I just want to smack my dog Clio upside the head - she’s laying right next to my computer chair, SNORING! The traitor.

Ctrl Alt Del is probably my FAVORITE web-comic:

This is pretty spiffy - I wonder how long it took to get it down pat?

(And now the video’s completely disappeared, so here’s thelink)

This is completely hilarious. You have to wonder if the dog’s thinking “I hate you”.

I want one!

Puppy Whistle - video powered by Metacafe

I’m currently watching a South Korean monster movie, The Host . It’s actually pretty good so far. Plus, it’s subtitled, so I can keep the sound down, since James is snoozing in the other room.

Somehow, I’ve misplaced my inhaler. My asthma’s not bad right now, I just have a little annoying whistle. I don’t know where it could be - it’s not like I’ve gone anywhere!

Maybe a little too late for this? I should’ve taken some of this advice earlier. From Wikihow:

Is there a great show you’re interested in watching, and its on at 4 AM? Are you bored of sleeping? Want some excitement? Well, maybe pulling an all-niter every now and then is a good idea!

Steps

1. Don’t ever think about sleeping! One of the worst things you can do is be up at 2:30 AM, succeeding well, and thinking about your bed. That can turn anyone from awake and energized to sleepy and sluggish. Avoid thinking it at all costs—psychological damage hurts a lot.
2. Keep yourself occupied as thinking about sleeping is one of the worst things you can do. So do something to keep yourself occupied. Work on homework, watch TV, surf the Internet. Sometimes the web has very entertaining things that will keep anyone busy.
3. Eat sugar or caffeine, but keep it to a minimum. Sometimes, it can give you a nice boost when staying up this late. But, too much will cause you to crash and fall asleep.Drink coffee with a lot of milk, or some herbal or black tea. A candy bar might help too.
4. Do something fun. If you are enjoying what you’re doing, the night won’t seem to drag along, and your experience will be a lot more fun, causing you to be more likely to stay up. For me, Runescape or CS helps a lot. It’s a fun game, and the hours fly by.
5. Avoid naps. Most of the time, they don’t refresh, and after you are left feeling sluggish, weak, and tired. If you do realize you absolutely need to sleep, I would strongly suggest to just “hit the hay” and give it up completely. Thus adding the fact that you shouldn’t think of your bed, it makes things very hard on you.
6. Listen to good, loud music. Listening to some good, loud music can help you stay focused. Hard rock, or metal, works best. Soft rock will lull you to sleep, so avoid soft, airy, and light music. Dir en Grey or Hatebreed (singing and being hopped up will definitely keep you awake) is a great example.
7. Commit to it. If you’re not sure of pulling one, you could try sleeping less each day, and train yourself up to it. In this case, a lot of times if you think you probably won’t be able to do it, you won’t be able to. So work up to it. But if you’re really confident, commit yourself to do it, and don’t let yourself fail. Make it your mission to stay awake.
8. Have a purpose. What’s the main reason you want to stay up? Is there something good on TV? Do you want to finish some homework? Staying up randomly isn’t a good idea because your mind won’t be focused. Having a purpose to do so will keep your mind on a mission, and it will help you succeed.
9. Have a friend come over. Friends are a great help in pulling all-nighters. They can nudge or hit you if you fall asleep, and you can use teamwork to stay up together. Give each other hints and tips. Remember, two heads are better than one!
10. Take a good, cold shower if you feel yourself falling asleep. Even a few seconds in the shower can make you alert again.

Tips

* Drinking herbal tea can help, but make sure it has strong flavor. You don’t want anything too mild-keep it strong for maximum alertness.
* Water is natural and a lot of it will keep you up, but too much can drown your cells and could be very fatal.
* Nobody can fall asleep while eating food, it wakes up your body and your digestive system.
* Reading isn’t a good idea because of the setting. Focusing your eyes for that long can make you drowsy.
* Have a snack every now and then. The carbohydrates will give you a nice boost through the night.
* Doing things that will make your mind think (i.e. math problems) will help you stay focused and more awake.
* Watching TV is always good, but don’t get too comfortable. If the seat you’re sitting in is soft and full of cushions, sit on the edge or, better yet, on the floor. Soft settings like that will tempt you into falling asleep.
* Keep as many lights as you can on. This will make sleep more difficult. If lights arent possible, try TV, computers, or anything else that can disrupt or prevent sleeping.
* Do not even lay down even if you are very tempted to do so. Do not lay down and watch a movie!

Warnings

* Not enough sleep can be bad for your health-don’t do it too often. Pull all-nighters sparingly. Don’t overdo it-sleep is natural and you need it to survive.
* Do not consume sugar or caffeine. A little is fine, but too much will give you a “crash” and most likely make you fall asleep on the spot.
* If you plan on staying awake the next day, be prepared for uncomfortable settings and lots of fatigue!
* Doing this can be quite uncomfortable-make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.
* Again, too much water can kill you.

Guest Poster: ‘Gopher’ James - Borrowed from Style Plagiarism:

1. Do you use an alarm clock to wake up?
No. I almost always wake up hours before the alarm goes off.

2. What time does your alarm go off?
Weekdays, 6:30AM. Kelly sometimes asks to sleep an extra half-hour, and I oblige her by being her snooze alarm.

3. What sound does it make?
The alarm? It plays foreverandever, etc. by David Crowder* Band.

4. Do you hit the snooze button? How many times?
As noted above, Kelly sometimes uses me as a snooze button.

5. If you have a partner, do they have a separate alarm?
Nope, just the one, since I don’t use one.

6. Does your partner get up at the same time, earlier or later?
Kelly gets up later. I generally get up between 5:00 and 6:00AM, so she sleeps anywhere from half an hour to two hours later than I do.

7. Is your clock set ahead? If so, by how much?
It’s set to “roughly standard” time. This means it could be off by as much as five minutes either way. I’m not terribly sure, since, again, I don’t use it.

8. What’s the first thing you do when you get up?
Restroom, Shower, Computer.

9. Do you eat breakfast? If so, what?
I’ve been doing slim-fast for breakfast lately, because I’m working on changing roughly two decades of very poor eating habits.

10. How long does it take you to get ready?
It doesn’t. I can be up and out of the house inside of 15 minutes if I need to be.

11. On the weekends, what time do you get up?
Same time as weekdays - I don’t descriminate. So, 5A to 6A.

12. Do you lounge or do you jump into action?
Lounge big time.

13. In an ideal world, what time would you get up?
5AM. I feel that 9PM is a good time to go to sleep, so 5A gives me a solid 8 hours of sleep.

14. How many hours of sleep do you typically get?
This is a tough one. I used to get the aforementioned 8 hours of sleep - but lately I’ve been staying up late and going to bed between 10 and 11P, so I get anywhere between 6 and 8 hours roughly.

15. How many hours of sleep do you want to get?
I’d like my 8. I don’t know why. I guess I felt that life was a little ’simpler’ when I had a set bedtime and a set out-of-bedtime.

I found this at I.am.Rhodilee:

What is a Cat?

1. Cats do what they want.
2. They rarely listen to you.
3. They are totally unpredictable.
4. When you want to play, they want to be alone.
5. When you want to be alone, they want to play.
6. They expect you to cater to their every whim.
7 They are moody.
8. They leave hair everywhere.

CONCLUSION: They are tiny little women in fur coats.

What is a Dog?

1. Dog’s spend all day sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house.
2. They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but don’t hear you when you’re in the same room.
3. They can look dumb and lovable all at the same time.
4. They growl when they are not happy.
5. When you want to play, they want to play.
6. When you want to be alone, they want to play.
7. They leave their toys everywhere.
8. They do disgusting things with their mouths and then try to give you a kiss.
9. They go right for the crotch as soon as they meet you.

CONCLUSION: They are tiny little men in fur coats.

Guest Poster: ‘Gopher’ James

So, even though I’m confined to the wee hours, Kelly’s seen fit to let me guest blog for a post or two. (Thanks Kelly!)

Sadly, I don’t have anything really profound to say - after all, it’s early! But, as I sit here and listen to my favorite band, I pick the music apart and I am swallowed by pure joy. I hear every nuance, every beat, every note - or at least I feel like I do, although I continually discover new aspects - and it is ambrosia to my being. I often wonder how, given a literally blank piece of paper, they came up with this composition.

I would love to learn more about the technical side of making music. What drives you?

I found this over at Kitty Kuddles:

You Would Be a Pet Dog

You’re friendly, loyal, and an all around good sport. People love to be near you.You are very open with your feelings, and you’re quite vocal in expressing them.You are sincere and kind. You love many people - without any sort of agenda.Why you would make a great pet: You’re content to chill out with your friendsWhy you would make a bad pet: You always find yourself getting into troubleWhat you would love about being a dog: Running around and playing What you would hate about being a dog: Being left home alone while everyone else is out having fun

What Kind of Pet Would You Be?

Ok, I have to post some pictures of my “foster” kids, Pepper and Clio. We’re taking care of Clio for my brother, who’s off partying at college, and Pepper for my parents, since he’s much happier with company.

Wow - I’m posting ALOT about pets tonight. How weird is that?

I LOVE this - it started out as viral marketing for the new NIN album and it became a whole movement.

I found this over at A Tense Teacher:

What color is your soul painted?OrangeYour soul is painted the color orange, which embodies the characteristics of balance, heat, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness, aggression, over-emotion, danger, desire, strengthens the ability to concentrate, attraction, adaptability, and stimulation. Orange falls under the element of Fire, and symbolizes glory and fruits of the earth.Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

Wha? Orange?!

Absolutely hilarious, but that may just be because I’m a geek:

Luckily, James is out getting me some pick me up snacks

The rules:

1. Set your i-Pod/MP3 player/wherever-you-keep-your-music to shuffle.
2. Press play.
3. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
4. When you get to a new question, press next.

• Opening credits: No, You Don’t by Nine Inch Nails
• Waking up: Talula by Tori Amos
• Falling in love: Mysterious Ways by tobyMac & Sarah Kelly
• Fight song: Not Big by Lily Allen
• Breaking up: Strange Wind by Poe
• Making up: There She Goes by Sixpence None the Richer
• Life’s okay: Stand Still, Look Pretty by the Wreckers
• Mental breakdown: Lemon Meringue by Poe
• Driving: You Look So Fine by Garbage
• Flashbacks: How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin
• Happy dance: Friday Night by Lily Allen
• Regret: Gravity by Shawn McDonald
• Final Battle: Chasing After You by Inhabited
• Death scene: Strong Enough by Sheryl Crow
• Final credits: Amazed by Poe

Ok, most of those songs don’t make sense, but whatever, hehe.

Chapel Hill has an incredible local music scene. According to wikipedia:

“Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro is often rated as one of the best clubs in the country for live music, and Local 506 and other Chapel Hill bars (such as the Cave, and Reservoir) often host local, national, and international acts in all genres. Valient Thorr, U.S. Maple, The Squirrel Nut Zippers, Superchunk, Archers of Loaf, James Taylor, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Ben Folds Five are among the notable musical acts whose careers began in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill has also been a center for the modern revival of old-time music with such bands as the Hollow Rock String band, the Fuzzy Mountain String band and the acclaimed Red Clay Ramblers^[3]. Chapel Hill was also the founding home of now defunct indie label, Mammoth Records and is also the founding home of another top indie label, Yep Roc Records, which is owned by Redeye Distribution. Bruce Springsteen has also made a point to visit the town on several tours. His most recent appearance was on September 14, 2003, at Kenan Stadium with the E Street Band, and his fourth appearance overall. U2 also played at Kenan on the first date of their 1983 “War Tour” where Bono infamously climbed up to the top of the stage, during pouring rain and lightening, holding up a white flag for peace.”

Here are a few of the bands that we enjoy:

Barbarella

Invaison

A Rooster for the Masses

And of course, I can’t leave out the talented musicians who work for the <a href=”http://www.cleftline.org”>Cleft Palate Foundation</a>:

The Showteens

Zach Terry

James started playing Everquest years ago. He played CONSTANTLY and irritated the crap out of me. I HATED the game. My (now) brother-in-law even made me a t-shirt! He got quite a bit better once he started playing Everquest II.

Earlier this year, I was craving a new pc to play Sims II (It was kind of sucky on my little Mac Mini), so I offered to TRY Everquest II (I told myself I’d hate it, so no harm). Welp, that was in May and I’m still playing. It’s been nice when James and I can actually play together. I know a very nice couple that use that as their entertainment, instead of going out to movies and stuff, they play together

So, here are my characters (Pay no attention to the time played.. that’s er, game time, yeah, that’s it… game time)

• Brighid
• Glamorgan
• Morrighan
• Eiru
• Bryg

And my LOVELY guild: Eternity of Light

How am I doing?

I’ve run out of things to blog about and this chair is getting a little uncomfy - I may have to go steal my Mom’s nice cushy computer chair

On the bright side, we’re half way there, I’m not tired and my tummy is full!

Harry Potter Meme!

The Books in Order from Favorite to Least Favorite:

1. Deathly Hallows
2. Half Blood Prince
3. Order of the Phoenix
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Prisoner of Azkaban
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Sorcerer’s Stone

I can’t help it! I’ve loved each one more than the last!

Number of Times You Have Read the Series:

1. One my second time
2. 3 or 4
3. 5
4. 5
5. 5
6. 5
7. 5

I’m planning on reading the entire series again asap
Favorite Chapter from Your Favorite Book:
That’s a tough one - I think it depends on which book I’m currently reading. Right now, it’s “The Battle of Hogwarts” in Deathly Hallows.

Five Favorite Characters:
Main Characters: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Snape

Secondary Characters: Mrs. Weasley, McGonagall, Fred, George, and Bellatrix

Three Least Favorite Characters:
Umbridge, Percy, Draco Malfoy (he was just an annoying little snot)

Favorite Member of the Trio:
Ron

Three Favorite Magical Creatures:
Thestrals, Hippogriffs, Crumple-Horned Snorkack

Favorite Family:
How can it be anyone but the Weasleys? I mean honestly!

Favorite Villain:
Bellatrix - that girl is PSYCHO

Favorite Death Eater:
Bellatrix again

Favorite Non-Hogwarts Magical Building:
The Burrow

Favorite Diagon Alley Location:
The Three Broomsticks

Three Favorite Spells:
Cheering Charm, Animagus (if that’s considered a spell), Summoning Charm

Three Favorite Potions:
Calming Draught, Felix Felicis, Polyjuice Potion

Favorite Unforgivable Curse:
Imperious Curse

Favorite Department of Mysteries Room:
Planet Room

Biggest Surprise:
Not to give anything away to anyone who has read book 7, but the erm details behind Dumbledore’s death

Biggest Letdown:
I wish the epilogue hadn’t been so vague

Favorite Mode of Transportation:
Apparation

Favorite Weasley:
Tie between Fred & George, Rawr!

Favorite Order Member:
Tonks

Favorite pet:
Crookshanks

One Character You’d Bring Back to Life:
Can’t say without giving it away, unfortunately, but it’s 2 people *sniffle*

Moment That Will Always Make You Cry:
In Deathly Hallows, pages 697 - 704

Favorite Hogwarts Room:
Room of Requirement!

Favorite Class:
Transfiguration

Favorite Teacher:
Professor McGonagall

Favorite DADA teacher:
Lupin, altho Gilderoy Lockhart was certainly amusing

Least Favorite Teacher:
Sybill Trelawney

Favorite Non-Human Hogwarts Resident:
Peeves

Favorite Hogsmeade Location:
Honeyduke

Favorite Triwizard Champion:
Viktor Krum

Favorite Triwizard Task:
The lake task

Which Character You’d Ask to the Yule Ball:
Fred or George

Which Character You’d Like to Use a Love Potion On:
Fred or George

Which Character You’d Like to Use Veritaserum On:
Snape

How Long You Have Been a HP Fan:
6 years, I think

Favorite Wizard Rock Band:
Weird Sisters

Number of Midnight Releases You Have Attended:
A big old 0

Favorite HP Website:
Mugglenet

Most Ridiculous Potter Theory You’ve Heard:
Dumbledore is really Ron or Harry from the future. That’s just silly.

Character You’re Most Like:
Probably Tonks

House You Think You’d Be Sorted Into:
Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.

Your Patronus Would Be A:
A Tiger

To You, Amortentia Would Smell Like:
Rain or coffee

You’d Use Felix Felicis To:
Get a job, win the lottery, selfish stuff, heh

The Job You Would Most Like to Try:
Teaching at Hogwarts

Which You Would Rather See — a Sequel or a Prequel:
I think a prequel would be cool - about Harry’s parents!

The Movies in Order from Favorite to Least Favorite:

1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Chamber of Secrets
5. Sorcerer’s Stone

EITHER/OR…

Animagus or Metamorphmagus: a Meamorphmagus
Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans or Chocolate Frogs: Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans - the pepper ones are my favorite.
Black or Lupin: Black all the way
CAPSLOCK HARRY or Emo!Harry: Neither?
Death Eaters or Dumbledore’s Army: Dumbledore’s Army!!
Draco or Lucius: Draco probably
Durmstrang or Beaubaxtons: Beaubaxtons
Floo powder or Broom: Broom
Fred or George: I don’t wanna choose! Can’t I have them both?
Grimmauld Place or The Burrow: Grimmauld - no chance of people stopping by to sell you stuff
Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures: Herbology
Hippogriffs or Thestrals: Hippogriffs
Invisibility cloak or Pensieve: Invisibility Cloak
Mermish or Parselmouth: Mermish
Occlumency or Legilimency: Occlumency.
Peeves or Nearly Headless Nick: Peeves is good for a laugh
Peter Pettigrew or Mundungus Fletcher: Mundungus, I’d have to hurt Peter
Professor Binns or Professor Umbridge: Binns!
S.P.E.W or the Inquisitorial Squad: S.P.E.W.
The Ministry of Magic or Gringotts: Ministry of Magic
Three Broomsticks or The Leaky Cauldron: Three Broomsticks
Werewolf or Inferus: Werewolf
Whomping Willow or Flying Ford Anglia: Weird question - I guess the Ford Anglina?
Yule Ball or Quidditch Championship: Quidditch all the way

You Are a Cappuccino

You’re fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new.However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You’re the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Wha? It says I got that rating because of the words suicide (x4), crack (x2), and crap (x1)?

Side note: it’s REALLY hard to eat chicken wings and blog without messing up your keyboard.

So it’s time to figure out what to cook first. I have yummy easy to eat finger foods:

• Spanikopita
• Teriyaki Chicken Wings
• and Fried Mushrooms

These are hilarious, erm, but I don’t think they’re meant for kids

Potter Puppet Pals in “The Mysterious Ticking Noise”
Potter Puppet Pals in “Wizard Angst”

I’m working on a MASSIVE Harry Potter meme, coming soon!

From Oddee.com:

1. James Dean’s car curse

In September 1955, James Dean was killed in a horrific car accident whilst he was driving his Porsche sports car. After the crash the car was seen as very unlucky.
a) When the car was towed away from accident scene and taken to a garage, the engine slipped out and fell onto a mechanic, shattering both of his legs.
b) Eventually the engine was bought by a doctor, who put it into his racing car and was killed shortly afterwards, during a race. Another racing driver, in the same race, was killed in his car, which had James Dean’s driveshaft fitted to it.
c) When James Dean’s Porsche was later repaired, the garage it was in was destroyed by fire.
d) Later the car was displayed in Sacramento, but it fell off it’s mount and broke a teenager’s hip.
e) In Oregon, the trailer that the car was mounted on slipped from it’s towbar and smashed through the front of a shop.
f) Finally, in 1959, the car mysteriously broke into 11 pieces while it was sitting on steel supports.

2. A falling baby, saved twice by the same man
In Detroit sometime in the 1930s, a young (if incredibly careless) mother must have been eternally grateful to a man named Joseph Figlock. As Figlock was walking down the street, the mother’s baby fell from a high window onto Figlock. The baby’s fall was broken and both man and baby were unharmed. A stroke of luck on its own, but a year later, the very same baby fell from the very same window onto poor, unsuspecting Joseph Figlock as he was again passing beneath. And again, they both survived the event. (Source: Mysteries of the Unexplained)

3. A bullet that reached its destiny years later
Henry Ziegland thought he had dodged fate. In 1883, he broke off a relationship with his girlfriend who, out of distress, committed suicide. The girl’s brother was so enraged that he hunted down Ziegland and shot him. The brother, believing he had killed Ziegland, then turned his gun on himself and took his own life. But Ziegland had not been killed. The bullet, in fact, had only grazed his face and then lodged in a tree. Ziegland surely thought himself a lucky man. Some years later, however, Ziegland decided to cut down the large tree, which still had the bullet in it. The task seemed so formidable that he decided to blow it up with a few sticks of dynamite. The explosion propelled the bullet into Ziegland’s head, killing him. (Source: Ripley’s Believe It or Not!)

4. Twin Boys, twin lives
The stories of identical twins’ nearly identical lives are often astonishing, but perhaps none more so than those of identical twins born in Ohio. The twin boys were separated at birth, being adopted by different families. Unknown to each other, both families named the boys James. And here the coincidences just begin. Both James grew up not even knowing of the other, yet both sought law-enforcement training, both had abilities in mechanical drawing and carpentry, and each had married women named Linda. They both had sons whom one named James Alan and the other named James Allan. The twin brothers also divorced their wives and married other women - both named Betty. And they both owned dogs which they named Toy. Forty years after their childhood separation, the two men were reunited to share their amazingly similar lives. (Source: Reader’s Digest, January 1980)

5. Just like Edgar Allan Poe’s book
In the 19th century, the famous horror writer, Egdar Allan Poe, wrote a book called ‘The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym’. It was about four survivors of a shipwreck who were in an open boat for many days before they decided to kill and eat the cabin boy whose name was Richard Parker. Some years later, in 1884, the yawl, Mignonette, foundered, with only four survivors, who were in an open boat for many days. Eventully the three senior members of the crew, killed and ate the cabin boy. The name of the cabin boy was Richard Parker.

6. Twin brothers, killed on the same road, two hours apart
On 2002, Seventy-year-old twin brothers have died within hours of one another after separate accidents on the same road in northern Finland. The first of the twins died when he was hit by a lorry while riding his bike in Raahe, 600 kilometres north of the capital, Helsinki. He died just 1.5km from the spot where his brother was killed. “This is simply a historic coincidence. Although the road is a busy one, accidents don’t occur every day,” police officer Marja-Leena Huhtala told Reuters. “It made my hair stand on end when I heard the two were brothers, and identical twins at that. It came to mind that perhaps someone from upstairs had a say in this,” she said. (Source: BBC News)

7. Three suicide attempts, all stopped by the same Monk
Joseph Aigner was a fairlly well-known portrait painter in 19th century Austria who, apparently, was quite an unhappy fellow: he several times attempted suicide. His first attempt was at the young age of 18 when he tried to hang himself, but was interrupted by the mysterious appearance of a Capuchin monk. At age 22 he again tried to hang himself, but was again saved from the act by the very same monk. Eight years later, his death was ordained by others who sentenced him to the gallows for his political activities. Once again, his life was saved by the intervention of the same monk. At age 68, Aiger finally succeeded in suicide, a pistol doing the trick. His funeral ceremony was conducted by the same Capuchin monk - a man whose name Aiger never even knew. (Source: Ripley’s Giant Book of Believe It or Not!)

8. Poker winnings, to the unsuspected son
In 1858, Robert Fallon was shot dead, an act of vengeance by those with whom he was playing poker. Fallon, they claimed, had won the $600 pot through cheating. With Fallon’s seat empty and none of the other players willing to take the now-unlucky $600, they found a new player to take Fallon’s place and staked him with the dead man’s $600. By the time the police had arrived to investigate the killing, the new player had turned the $600 into $2,200 in winnings. The police demanded the original $600 to pass on to Fallon’s next of kin - only to discover that the new player turned out to be Fallon’s son, who had not seen his father in seven years! (Source: Ripley’s Giant Book of Believe It or Not!)

9. A novel that unsuspectedly described the spy next door
When Norman Mailer began his novel Barbary Shore, there was no plan to have a Russian spy as a character. As he worked on it, he introduced a Russian spy in the U.S. as a minor character. As the work progressed, the spy became the dominant character in the novel. After the novel was completed, the U.S. Immigration Service arrested a man who lived just one floor above Mailer in the same apartment building. He was Colonel Rudolf Abel, alleged to be the top Russian spy working in the U.S. at that time. (Source: Science Digest)

10. Mark Twain and Halley’s Comet
Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley’s Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.”

11. Three strangers on a Train, with complementary last names
In the 1920s, three Englishman were traveling separately by train through Peru. At the time of their introduction, they were the only three men in the railroad car. Their introductions were more surprising than they could have imagined. One man’s last name was Bingham, and the second man’s last name was Powell. The third man announced that his last name was Bingham-Powell. None were related in any way. (Source: Mysteries of the Unexplained)

12. Two brothers killed by the same taxi driver, one year apart
In 1975, while riding a moped in Bermuda, a man was accidentally struck and killed by a taxi. One year later, this man’s bother was killed in the very same way. In fact, he was riding the very same moped. And to stretch the odds even further, he was struck by the very same taxi driven by the same driver - and even carrying the very same passenger! (Source: Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell and Robert J. M. Rickard)

13. Swapped Hotel Findings
In 1953, television reporter Irv Kupcinet was in London to cover the coronation of Ellizabeth II. In one of the drawers in his room at the Savoy he found found some items that, by their identification, belonged to a man named Harry Hannin. Coincidentally, Harry Hannin - a basketball star with the famed Harlem Globetrotters - was a good friend of Kupcinet’s. But the story has yet another twist. Just two days later, and before he could tell Hannin of his lucky discovery, Kupcinet received a letter from Hannin. In the letter, Hannin told Kucinet that while staying at the Hotel Meurice in Paris, he found in a drawer a tie - with Kupcinet’s name on it! (Source: Mysteries of the Unexplained)

14. Two Mr. Brysons, same hotel room
While on a business trip sometime in the late 1950s, Mr. George D. Bryson stopped and registered at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. After signing the register and being given his key to room 307, he stopped by the mail desk to see if any letters had arrived for him. Indeed there was a letter, the mail girl told him, and handed him an envelope addressed to Mr. George D. Bryson, room 307. This wouldn’t be so odd, except the letter was not for him, but for room 307’s just-previous occupant - another man named George D. Bryson. (Source: Incredible Coincidence, Alan Vaughan)

15. Twins brothers, same heart attack
John and Arthur Mowforth were twins who lived about 80 miles apart in Great Britain. On the evening of May 22, 1975, both fell severely ill from chest pains. The families of both men were completely unaware of the other’s illness. Both men were rushed to separate hospitals at approximately the same time. And both died of heart attacks shortly after arrival. (Source: Chronogenetics: The Inheretance of Biological Time, Luigi Gedda and Gianni Brenci)

16. A novel that predicted the Titanic’s destiny, and another ship that almost followed
Morgan Robertson, in 1898, wrote “Futility”. It described the maiden voyage of a transatlantic luxury liner named the Titan. Although it was touted as being unsinkable, it strikes an iceberg and sinks with much loss of life. In 1912 the Titanic, a transatlantic luxury liner widely touted as unsinkable strikes an iceberg and sinks with great loss of life on her maiden voyage. In the Book, the Month of the Wreck was April, same as in the real event. There were 3,000 passengers on the book; in reality, 2,207. In the Book, there were 24 Lifeboats; in reality, 20.
Months after the Titanic sank, a tramp steamer was traveling through the foggy Atlantic with only a young boy on watch. It came into his head that it had been thereabouts that the Titanic had sunk, and he was suddenly terrified by the thought of the name of his ship - the Titanian. Panic-stricken, he sounded the warning. The ship stopped, just in time: a huge iceberg loomed out of the fog directly in their path. The Titanian was saved.

17. A writer, found the book of her childhood
While American novelist Anne Parrish was browsing bookstores in Paris in the 1920s, she came upon a book that was one of her childhood favorites - Jack Frost and Other Stories. She picked up the old book and showed it to her husband, telling him of the book she fondly remembered as a child. Her husband took the book, opened it, and on the flyleaf found the inscription: “Anne Parrish, 209 N. Weber Street, Colorado Springs.” It was Anne’s very own book. (Source: While Rome Burns, Alexander Wollcott)

18. A writer’s plum pudding
In 1805, French writer Émile Deschamps was treated to some plum pudding by the stranger Monsieur de Fortgibu. Ten years later, he encountered plum pudding on the menu of a Paris restaurant, and wanted to order some, but the waiter told him the last dish had already been served to another customer, who turned out to be de Fortgibu. Many years later in 1832 Émile Deschamps was at a diner, and was once again offered plum pudding. He recalled the earlier incident and told his friends that only de Fortgibu was missing to make the setting complete — and in the same instant the now senile de Fortgibu entered the room.

19. King Umberto I’ double
In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I, went to a small restaurant for dinner, accompanied by his aide-de-camp, General Emilio Ponzia- Vaglia. When the owner took King Umberto’s order, the King noticed that he and the restaurant owner were virtual doubles, in face and in build. Both men began discussing the striking resemblances between each other and found many more similarities.
a) Both men were born on the same day, of the same year, (March 14th, 1844).
b) Both men had been born in the same town.
c) Both men married a woman with same name, Margherita.
d) The restauranteur opened his restaurant on the same day that King Umberto was crowned King of Italy.
e) On the 29th July 1900, King Umberto was informed that the restauranteur had died that day in a mysterious shooting accident, and as he expressed his regret, he was then assassinated by an anarchist in the crowd.

20. The 21st, a bad day for King Louis XVI
When King Louis XVI of France was a child, he was warned by an astrologer to always be on his guard on the 21st day of each month. Louis ws so terrified by this that he never did business on this day. Unfortunately Louis was not always on his guard. On June 21st 1791, following the French revolution, Louis and his queen were arrested in Varennes, whist trying to escape France. On September 21st 1791, France abolished the institution of Royalty and proclaimed itself a republic. Finally on January 21st 1793, King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine.

Your Score: Rosalind Russell

You scored 19% grit, 42% wit, 28% flair, and 19% class!

You are one wise-cracking lady, always quick with a clever remark and easily able to keep up with the quips and puns that come along with the nutty situations you find yourself in. You’re usually able to talk your way out of any jam, and even if you can’t, you at least make it more interesting with your biting wit. You can match the smartest guy around line for line, and you’ve got an open mind that allows you to get what you want, even if you don’t recognize it at first. Your leading men include Cary Grant and Clark Gable, men who can keep up with you.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you’d make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.

* Tom Brokaw
* Carmit Bachar
* E. Charlton Fortune
* Jürgen Habermas
* Wendy Harmer
* Doc Holliday
* Jesse Jackson
* Stacy Keach (Honorary Chairman of the Cleft Palate Foundation)
* Thomas Malthus
* Cheech Marin
* Rita MacNeil
* Blaise Winter
* Jason Robards
* Chris Fry
* Nikki Payne
* Eric Edgar Cooke
* Mark Hamill
* Research reported that pharaoh Tutankhamun had cleft palate
* President Abraham Lincoln’s son Thomas Lincoln had cleft palateOf course, I don’t know if ALL of these are true. I haven’t been able to find anything reputable online that says Tom Brokaw or Jesse Jackson have clefts.

So I’m sure you’re wondering about my username in my meebo widget, angrypsychokel. If you know me, you know I’m not really angry and not THAT psycho (only in a good way). Here’s the story:

One of my alltime favorite singers is Poe, whose fans are called Angry Psychos. “Angry” is from the song Angry Johnny off of her debut album Hello. “Psycho” is from the song “Trigger Happy Jack” from the first line in the chorus “Can’t talk to a psycho like a normal human being”.

So there you go, Angrypsychokel. I just threw my nickname onto the end of it, because it sounded cool

Wordpress is not liking embedded videos. Does anyone else have trouble with that?

I WAS going to embed this video. But it broke my template.

I posted this to last year’s blogathon, but it still really irks me, so I’m posting it again. Everytime I hear anyone refer to a cleft lip as a “hare lip”, I cringe.

“One of the things that drives me absolutely mad is when people refer to a Cleft lip as a “hare lip”. It’s a very derogatory, insensitive thing to say.

Wide Smiles has a very interesting article on where the phrase comes from, and why it’s so inappropriate.

“Harelip” - The Dark History of an Unfortunate Word

I really, really respect the fact that CPF and other cleft/craniofacial organizations not only help with the physical aspects, but the psychological, as well. I’ve heard horror stories on how kids have been teased and the affects it’s had on their self-esteem.”

I can’t remember how I found it, but I found this blog entry the other day. Too incredibly cute! I MUST have one!

This flickr group almost makes it out to be an artform!

Maybe I’ll bid on one once I get paid again

I found this sweet bit of inspiration from CleftAdvocate:

“A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.” The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?

That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house”

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

Author Unknown”

61% GeekMingle² - Free Online Dating

Woot! I didn’t think I’d actually get that much, heh - altho, I consider myself a much bigger geek than I really am.

James is off to get me some yummy lunch. YAY!

Reposting my 12:00, because I accidentally deleted it:

The following states have laws regarding health insurance coverage for cleft lip/palate:

• California: Section 10128.3, Section 10123.88
• Colorado: CRS 10-16-104
• Connecticut: Public Act 03-37
• Florida: FL Statute 627.64193, FL Statute 641.428 FL Statute 641.31094
• Indiana: IC 27-8-5.6-2
• Louisiana: RS §215.8
• Maryland: 31.10.15.03, 31.11.06.03
• Minnesota:62A.042, 62A.304
• North Carolina: Statute §58-51-30
• South Carolina:38-71-240
• Texas: 1367.153
• Vermont : § 4089g
• Virginia: §38.2-3411
• Wisconsin: Statute 632-895 Par. 5

I’ve been messing around with the Way Back Machine and I found one of my old blogathon pages!

Blogathon 2003

Look: it’s the Cleft Palate Foundation website circa December 2000

Found some random place:

Step 1: Put your MP3 player or whatever on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 15 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.
Step 5: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!
Step 6: World domination!

1. I beat my machine its a part of me its inside of me
2. Your words they make just a whisper
3. You mister wearing a crown, push me around
4. You make light from dark, illuminate my heart
5. I’m living without you, I know all about you
6. Yesterday i went outside with my momma’s mason jar
7. To my mother, to my father
8. You say that you’re in love with me, listen to what I say
9. Must be your skin that I’m sinkin in
10. I hitched a ride with a vending machine repair man

Sheryl Crow - Every day is a winding road - Thanks MD!

11. I was a sailor, I was lost at sea
12. I’m becoming less defined, as days go by
13. All that I’m living for, all that I’m dying for
14. Yeah, I trust in you, I remember times you let me
15. I waited for you today, but you didn’t show

Have at it! It’s a very eclectic mix

Side note: For some strange reason, last.fm keeps putting the songs I’m listening to on my widget twice. Weird. So, no, I’m not really repeating all those songs

It’s bad enough that I came down with a massive head cold this week, so I’m not in any shape to do karaoke for the blogathon, but NOW my allergies are acting up and anything I take will make me sleepy! ARG!

My friend Jamie’s Blogathon account got deleted and no one’s answering her emails, so she’s going to be the underground ‘thonner, blogging for the Epilepsy Foundation. Go sponsor her!

CPF stresses the importance of interdisciplinary team care, since these children frequently need a variety of services. Teams may include:

• A surgeon (plastic, oral/maxillofacial, craniofacial, neurosurgeon, etc.)
• Pediatric dentist or other dental specialist
• Orthodontist
• Speech-Language Pathologist
• Audiologist
• Geneticist
• Nurse
• Otolaryngologist (Say that 5 times fast)
• Pediatrician
• Psychologist, social worker, or other mental health specialist
• Ophthamologist
• Other craniofacial specilists

Team care helps coordinate all these services and together help to get the best possible outcome for these kids.