Oh My Goddess!

While I don't ascribe myself to any particular religion, I grew up observing the superstitions and cultural traditions surrounding Daoism and Buddhism, to a lesser degree.

Our family didn't go to temple or burn incense to honor our ancestors or patron deities, except on very rare special occasions. We didn't observe a strict vegetarian diet. But we did have a few figures in our household--laughing Buddha, those three guys that represent prosperity, war and...er...something....(Larry, Curly and Moe?) And, of course, the gender-bending Guan Yin.

I have a particular fondness for Guan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Our family owns one of the most beautiful ceramic statues of her I have ever seen--one that I've yet to see reproduced anywhere in the world.

Now that I own my own house, I felt it was time to bring my own Kuan Yin home to act as a kind of patron and reminder of my cultural roots.

I found this resin reproduction at a store in Fairview Mall, of all places. I've rarely seen her in this state of repose--usually she is standing or sitting with her hand in that Ohm position (forgive my ignorance on the Buddhist term for it), holding a little bottle. I was captivated by her serenity and the way she seemed to be getting ready to rise and take action.

At the lovely discounted price of $30, I couldn't say no. Now my office is a sanctuary.

Power Up!

Haim Saban buys back the Might Morphin Power Rangers in the hopes of revamping the franchise.

Do I smell a reboot in the works? One can only hope...well, not really. But one of the crappiest shows of my childhood deserves a second look and a facelift.

So here are my wishes for a new Power Rangers series:

1. Bring Tommy the Green Ranger back. Jason David Frank has not only aged nicely (haawwwt, even if he does have his kid's baby photo tattooed to his chest), but he's now taking on professional MMA fighting. Adult Tommy could bring a whole new martial arts dynamic into the kids' show, and a dark side element that they just didn't delve deep enough into. (Wasn't he a bad guy to start with? Was he like Smurfette, and made to do evil but was then turned to good?)

2. DESTROY ALPHA. I hated this robot with a fiery passion. I'd much rather he be replaced by an iPhone. They do about the same thing, except you can shut an iPhone off. Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!

3. Replace floating head Zordon with a hunk of sculpted Cheez Whiz. He was about as useful and informative as imitation processed cheese spread anyhow.

4. If there have to be Pink and Yellow Rangers, make them both guys. Because it takes a real man to wear pink. And I want a woman in the Red Ranger role, dammit.

Things we absolutely must keep from the original series:

1. Rubber suits. Because nothing beats awkward battles between monsters and robots in tiny foam towns.

2. Rita Repulsa: She was awesome, and strangely compelling to watch. For some reason, I really enjoyed her horribly dubbed scenes and ill-times lip-synchs. Also, Lady Gaga could get fashion tips from her.

3. Those awesome wrist communicators. Because they're still way ahead of us on that technology...plus, we wouldn't want to accidentally slip Alpha Ai-yi-yiPhone into our back pockets.

New layout...?

Gonna play with new layouts and the like for a while until I get something I like, but for now, enjoy this cobbled-together display.

You've Got Mail

When John and I bought our home, the address was suspicious to us. Without telling the Interwebs exactly where we live, suffice to say it sounds like a fake address.

As such, we've been receiving a crapload of fake mail. Residents at our house apparently include:

Bonita Chiquita (can't remember what she got, but it was pretty hilarious)

Bily Joe, who gets a bi-monthly LEGO magazine (which I thoroughly enjoy reading)

Julia Childs, who is getting a request for renewal (or some such) from Money Sense magazine

There've been assorted other pieces of junk mailings--cruise magazines, one-off mailings, etc.-- addressed to people who don't live here, and who probably never have. I suspect this anyhow: the previous owner lived her for 44 years before passing on, and the place doesn't look like it ever had tenants. It was way too clean when we got in.

More mail to fake people to come, I'm sure. I look forward to the next issue of LEGO magazine.

Mega post

1. Belated Happy Luke Skywalker Day! May the Fourth Be With You!

2. Running toilet=Repairs=Not quite repaired=Water everywhere, leaking through the floor and into the kitchen through the ceiling=Repairs v.2=Fixed. Thanks, Dad. You're the best!

3. Got a bike! Haven't had a chance to ride it yet, but I'm excited to! Came with a free helmet, plus the added incentive of looming HST, plus it was on sale. Couldn't resist.

4. Breaking in wedding shoes at work. Not knowing how to walk in heels, I've gotten advice that's all over the map, from "suck in your gut, stick your chest out and pull your shoulders back" to "pretend you're wearing antlers" to "walk toe first." I tried to do all these things. And now I've forgotten how to walk like a normal person.

5. Twenty-four days left before I lurch down the aisle. Halp.

6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I would like to be there now pleaze ok thx bye.

7. Also, this: