Meeting Obama

In addition to being over the moon about our engagement, I am also thrilled to report that our friend Tyler, who works for Michelle Obama in the West Wing (!) took a group of us to the White House last Sunday for a private tour of the West Wing.

I have very few photos since you’re only allowed to photograph outside of the White House and in the press room, but here are a few things worth noting:

Thursday Lurkabout

I wish I could go into detail about some of the strange and cool things going on at work right now, but search engines being, well…search engines, I don’t want to say anything that puts this little site in front of employer eyes.

BUT.

This is crazy. And this is cool. Don’t go near the former; definitely take advantage of the latter. (All credit for the second link goes to my colleagues; I haven’t worked on that project.)

Also, I started reading this blog in the last week or so. In addition to the great photographs and stories, I admire the writer’s candidness and honesty about situations in his life. I think that’s been missing here for awhile. Anyway, check it out. And if you need a photographer for something, consider him.

The Pantsless Skier

You should know…I’ve been having a small laugh about this for days. I’m sure I’m creating loads of bad karma for our upcoming trip to Steamboat, but I can’t help myself. Poor guy.

Life in a Sublease: Part One

One of the best things about subleasing an apartment from a 60-year old who has lived in it for nearly 30 years is that there is no shortage of oddities.

I make it a point to study each of these things, from knickknacks lying around the house, to segmented catalogs and direct mail.

Today, I wish to share with you some of my favorites from a recent catalog called, Home Trends: Practical Products For Practical People. Home Trends is a division of QCL Direct and is apparently skilled at selling old people shit they don’t need under the guise of, “Buying this will actually save you money!”

I looked through the entire catalog and thought I’d share some of my favorites with you.

From the pest prevention section:

These vomit-inducing bug traps claim to rid your house and yard of flying insects. Yours for $11.99 and $15.99 respectively. I don’t even know where to start with this one, except to say that I had to put off fixing lunch until these photos were posted. Verrrrpt.

Now, where I come from, you ooh and ahh when deer wander into your yard. But I suppose if you become one of those angry shut-ins, seeing a fawn in your yard is almost as bad as seeing the neighbor kid cross that invisible property line onto your just-fertilized lawn. Which means this might be for you:

You’ll note that the deer finds this quite appalling, judging from his twisted face and gagging motion. Yours for $29.99.

Moving on to health & personal wellness:

Iowans Consume More Bevs

I heard on the radio this morning that Iowans are seeking more solace from the bottle, which I then confirmed via the Des Moines Register. Just how much did the average Iowan consume in the past year? According to the Register:

The average adult Iowan consumed 37.23 gallons of beer, 1.98 gallons of liquor, and 1.69 gallons of wine over the 12-month period.

Between the economy and the flood (buh-bye corn = buh-bye ethanol) I suppose folks have good reason. But all I can think is: Just wait ’til Iowa football season starts. All previous annual records may be shattered.

(And, in a strange twist of irony, the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division transferred about 80 percent of its $87 million in revenue to the state’s general fund, where it will be spent on education, environmental protection and public safety. About 16 percent of the money is used for substance abuse programs. So keep on drinking, Iowa!)