World Going to Hell In A Handbasket? Blame Ohio.

I was in Ohio this weekend for my cousin's baby shower. While there, my cousin walked my sister and me to Comfest, a festival taking place a few blocks from her house. In high humidity, the parks and streets were jammed with people, street vendors, bands, and boobs.

That's right. Boobs.

Apparently in Ohio (or at least in Columbus), it's legal for women to walk around topless. And so a number of women at this festival did just that. It was hard not to gawk, especially at the ones with henna paintings around their nipples. And not trying to be mean, but the rule of the day was that the people who maybe should have kept their tops on were the ones walking around with it all hanging out.

"This would blow my little Southern-gentleman husband's mind," I told my cousin. 

And sure enough, tonight when I told him about it, he was aghast. 

"Well, no wonder we've got the oil spill and wars and suffering," he said in his best slow Southern drawl. "It's because people in Ohio are walking around showing their boobies. My Lord, why not just wear a sign that says, 'Take that, Jesus!'"

Oh my God, the dude just cracks me up. 

Kirk To Enterprise... Come In. Over.

Well look at me and my big, bad, high-tech self with my Mac laptop, iPhone, and iPad. My shoulder bag now beeps and vibrates as I walk. I feel so sci-fi I can't stand it. 

I owe a debt of eternal gratitude to my friend Christopher Laney for sitting down with me for almost two hours today and getting all the Apple doo-dads in sync and showing me shortcuts and how everything works. I am having MUCH more fun with these devices now that I have some small clue what to do with them.

In fact, I think I'm getting too comfortable with them. At one point, I had all three devices spread out and was tapping on the iPhone then tapping on the iPad and when I turned to my laptop, I started tapping on the screen and wondering why it wasn't responding. Oh yeah... keyboard. How quaint. 

I've also made the quantum leap and given up my paper calendar. (GULP.) I break into a bit of a flop sweat thinking about it. But I'm sure within a month I'll be engaged in mocking those who are, like, sooooooo lame and behind the times with their little paper calendars. ☺

The trust is not yet entirely there though. I leave tomorrow for Ohio for my cousin's baby shower and while I'll be using the GPS app in my iPhone, I've already printed out the directions from MapQuest.

You know, just in case this Star Trek stuff isn't all it's cut out to be. 

A Day of Errands

Today is just a matter of working my way down the checklist. I left the house a little before nine in order to... 

• Go by the Post Office and mail a package
• Drop by the Madison vet and pick up Lucy's prescription. (Hold quick inner debate with self over whether to kidnap adorable silky puppy in the front display cage who gave me kisses.)
• Drive to my regular BP station to fill up then remember I'm mad at them and decide to fill up somewhere else later in the day
• Get allergy shot
• Drive to Greensboro vet and pick up prescription for Olivia. (These cats are going to bankrupt us.)
• Drive to bank and sign signature card for some account--I don't really pay attention--that Blair opened last week
• Pop into Aveda for the hair-straightening shampoo I ran out of last week
• Debate going by Apple store to check out cases for my new iPad (blog post coming soon!) but remember scanning e-mail from in-the-know-Apple-friend earlier today who recommended I get a certain case that has to be pre-ordered. Don't feel like dealing with techie people anyway, so just as happy to skip this errand.
• Swing by Barnes & Noble and pick up a journal as a gift for a budding pre-teen writer of my acquaintance
• Settle into coffeeshop and realize I forgot to get gas AND pick up a card for my cousin's baby shower. Vow to remember to run by Hallmark this afternoon. Decide to also buy cute pen and chocolate kisses and make a complete gift package for young writer friend. 

Still left in the day are lunch with a friend, annual ob-gyn appointment (or have I shared too much?), and trail run with marimba master Nathan Daughtrey at 5:30.

The forecast today was for clear skies but there have been a few clouds. Every time Nathan and I plan to run, there's either heavy rain or the chance of rain. Today on our run we will have to decide whether to use our newfound powers for good or evil. 

After the run, home to shower, heat up leftovers, and go through finances to more than likely discover that my day of errands means we can no longer afford groceries next week.

A pretty damn good day. 

Cheers,

Dena