Mysticalkitty's Rants and Raves!

Site Redirect

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:50:00 +0000

This site is no longer being updated. Please visit my new site at Megan's Musings - http://www.meganbuttita.com/musings/.

Thanks!

Corn Cob Cupcakes!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:17:00 +0000

LOVE these! These would be so cute for a BBQ! You can find the recipe on the Peabody website (via CakeSpy).

What you talkin' bout, Willis?

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Today marks a new day in Chicago history - the renaming of the Sears Tower to Willis Tower. I refuse to call it Willis Tower just as I refuse to call Comisky Park U.S. Cellular Field. While I understand that the new owners want to make their mark on Chicago, this is certainly no way to garner the love and support of Chicagoans. To all of us, for now and forever, the tower will remain the Sears.

Cupcake Pops

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:23:00 +0000

I have to make these cupcake pops for an upcoming occassion! A co-worker brought some in the other day and they are delicious! They are also really, really, really cute and there are so many ways to decorate them!

Michael Jackson Has Left the Building

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:26:00 +0000

The news outlets were flooded with reports of Michael Jackson's cardiac arrest, coma, hospitalization, and death today. We were all a part of history as we watched the events unfold before our eyes via Twitter, Facebook, and other online sources. A new era of news has arrived and we all must be very aware that although we are getting more news in record time, we still have to look at what we read with a little skepticism and not take everything at face value. There were false reports among the credible updates.

MJ shaped pop music as we know it today. Icon. Genius. Freak. Artist. He left this world a little more colorful and a lot more interesting than it was before he arrived on the scene. My most vivid memory of him was back in 1984 when they were selling red studded jackets at a record store that I was at in Edmond, Oklahoma. I wanted one so bad, but for reasons unknown to me, my parents refused to get me one (thank you mom and dad).

Thank you, Michael Jackson.

iPhone Fimo Clay Earrings!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:22:00 +0000

I would totally get these:

Hulu Commercial!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:15:00 +0000

This is seriously the funnest commercial ever! Alec Baldwin is really funny - great comedic timing!

The Meaning of Iridescence - by Linda Kennedy

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Another fabulous piece of work by Linda...this was part of my beautiful Christmas gift!

It is possible to trace the steps of a person’s life by delving into documents and diaries. We can read the birth certificates. We can memorize the accomplishments and quote the passages. These artifacts are useful, but they do not tell us about a person’s soul or about what really mattered to them during a lifetime. These words on paper are like nails that construct a framework for a life, but they do not fill the structure. They do not put the “life” into the lifetime.

Many people will say that they cannot identify what draws them to a person, whether the attraction is professional, political, or personal. They can only say that some unnamed property of speech or dress pulls them there. I believe that I have identified the quality that engages me. I know what my spirit looks for in another person.

It is iridescence.

The dictionary defines iridescence very simply: displaying a play of lustrous colors, like those of the rainbow. There is greater texture and meaning to the word. It sings through otherwise monotonous tasks. It paints with a vivid palette across the context of time. It knows, instinctively, when a phrase can motivate others.

I remember a fifth grade student who I taught years ago. She was of Indian descent and her hair was so black that in the sunlight it looked a shade of blue. I asked her once what her name meant in Indian. She told me it was Hindi for “snow.” I laughed because I didn’t imagine that there would be a word for snow in India. Her essence had iridescence. She could see things that others couldn’t see in music, in science, and in nature.

Certain concepts in science are like the drone of a bagpipe, played underneath all of science like a single note. Iridescence, that property that turns an otherwise ordinary ray of sunlight into a symphony, is present in many of the people that surround me. Children and young adults seem to be more willing to accept the brilliance and texture of iridescence in their lives. It is why they pick up foreign languages and musical instruments more readily than older adults. Even so, adults who have committed themselves to growth, art, progress, and education live more lustrous lives than those who have not.

That is not to say I haven’t worked with educators who lack iridescence. I see them in the teacher’s lounge all the time. Their lives are flat and one-dimensional. Often they go into administration because they have forgotten how to see the intense fire that colors young peoples’ lives. They interpret dimension and variety as an assault on organization.

Many members of my family are iridescent. They don’t just play music; they are music. They don’t just tell a joke; they are joy. They don’t just plant a seed; they create an environment for growth. Some embraced the flavor and spice of luxurious textures when they were young, but when they grew older they preferred a life less challenging. Because iridescence demands something in return from those who linger in its embrace: that you search out the fire in others. It requires you to help others develop and grow into the multi-dimensional beings that they are.

It asks you to inspire.

Some people can put on a veneer of iridescence, but it is not the same. You can tell the difference between a person who wears brilliant colors, and yet shines from within, and one who does not. It is like a blue snow cone—artificial and unnatural. But if you see real glaciers, you can see that ice is not colorless. It can be the color of a baby’s blanket or the tones of teal or aquamarine.

Iridescence can be demonstrated in a voice, in movement, in a laugh. Iridescent people pull the best from others. They sparkle, but they also reflect, and it is that reflection that shows the real essence of a life. Like a prism filling a room full of rainbows, iridescence fills the frame of a lifetime.

That is why I bought the gift that I chose for you for Christmas. I believe that you are iridescent. I believe that your light is not artificial, nor is it superficial. And it is probably true that I have spent two pages saying what could be said in two sentences. You are unique. You are talented, and beautiful.

Levar Burton Rocks!!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:14:00 +0000

This seriously made my day!

Jib Jab 2008 Year in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:04:00 +0000

I think 2007 was much funnier, but here is the 2008 Jib Jab year in review!

iCaved for an iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I received an iPhone for Christmas!!! It is really cool, but I have had some problems this past week with getting the phone and getting it to work. I still have my Nokia E70, and plan on keeping it as my backup. In the end, the iPhone is really cool and the technology is super fun!

1. First, there were all sorts of problems with getting the phone since you must have the service and an upgraded plan to walk out of the store with the phone. So, I received the iPhone gift cert and set up an appointment at the Apple store last week.

2. Once I got to the store, all the systems were down and they couldn't help me, so I had to go back later in the day.

3. Then, I started to download some apps, but little did I know that you have to synch your iPhone with your computer and iTunes before the apps will work. I had to restore all factory settings and start all over again.

4. Tom's b-day is tomorrow, so I got Tom an iPhone gift cert. We went to pick it up yesterday only to find out that he is not eligible for the free AT&T upgrade, so now we have to try to schmooze our way with AT&T, or wait until he is eligible for the free upgrade (to not pay the $200 fee).

What a pain!!! They sure do make it hard to get an iPhone...

The Coolest Physicist EVER!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:04:00 +0000

Here's a poem that my fabulous aunt Linda wrote. It's totally awesome - she teaches physics and I love talking with her about this kind of stuff. Thanks, Linda!

Truth:
Cats comprehend
Quantum Physics better than we humans
ever will.

Quantum gives us
alternative universes,
parallel lives,
infinite possibilities.
Unimaginable options,
until we imagine them.
An endless array of places to look
until we venture to take a peek at what's there.

Schroedinger's cat was famous to physicists.
A feline whose life was suspended by belief.
His fortunes limitless in his box
until we looked
and assigned him his fate.

My cat,
Artemis,
jumps on the counter everyday.
oblivious to the scolding the day before.
The previous day's life has no connection to the present.
His quantum leap onto the forbidden Formica
is just one of many directions for his paws
and his purpose.

Schroedinger abandoned Quantum Theory
in the end-
and its relentless and eternal options.
It gave us permission
to blast apart atoms and blast away
lives,
offering an apology for our brutality
while we sifted through the shards
to look for God's secrets.

Quantum made war
a surreal sculptress:
Athena leaving behind interpretations of buildings
and bodies.

I embrace Quantum because
I know that in another version of this life
I am sepia-toned
or a girl named Leslie
or a jazz guitarist
in a French cafe.

I visit these places in my dreams.
Who is to say they
aren't the true me?
In one my father,
the truck driver,
doesn't die alone in an Atlanta truck stop
when his heart bursts like
a semi tire
on the day that was supposed to be my sister's birthday.

Artemis plays with the same toys
every day.
They are new to him
every day.
He wakes up in another of his nine lives
ready to pounce upon the catnip
or the counter.

Linda Lee Kennedy

Veteran's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I heard this song on the radio this morning and it made me cry and think of all the veterans that have served for our country, and those fighting for us now. I would definitely suggest taking a moment to read the lyrics or listen to the song below.

Billy Joel - Goodnight Saigon

We met as soul mates
On Parris Island
We left as inmates
From an asylum
And we were sharp
As sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho
To lay down our lives
We came in spastic
Like tameless horses
We left in plastic
As numbered corpses
And we learned fast
To travel light
Our arms were heavy
But our bellies were tight
We had no home front
We had no soft soap
They sent us playboy
They gave us bob hope
We dug in deep
And shot on sight
And prayed to Jesus Christ
With all our might
We had no cameras
To shoot the landscape
We passed the hash pipe
And played our doors tapes
And it was dark
So dark at night
And we held on to each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together
Remember charlie
Remember baker
They left their childhood
On every acre
And who was wrong?
And who was right?
It didn’t matter in the thick of the fight
We held the day
In the palm
Of our hand
They ruled the night
And the night
Seemed to last as long as six weeks
On Parris Island
We held the coastline
They held the highlands
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of our motors
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive
And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together

GrubHub!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:19:00 +0000

I can't resist alerting my friends and family, etc., to the most intelligent, innovative tool of this time! GrubHub allows you to order anything, anytime, and anyhow you would like. It's not all inclusive - McDonalds isn't part of the network yet - but you will never be disappointed by the quality and quantity of GrubHub options.

I'm a Skeptic and a Realist, but...

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:38:00 +0000

WTF?

My Phone Really IS Cool!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:31:00 +0000

See - I always knew I had an awesome phone!!! I got the Nokia E70 in November 2006 and it's still alive and kicking - and I've dropped it, thrown it, spilled stuff on it, etc. Marvelous!

Others agree!!!

My Latest Obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:07:00 +0000

MICKEY AVALON!!!! The first glimpse I had of Mickey was on the Boost Mobile commercial, and he has haunted me ever since. I didn't know who he was, but I figured it out and now I am obsessed! I love his music, I love him, and I can't wait to see him at a show!!! Thank you, Mickey, for making my life highly unproductive as I pour over your videos and interviews:)

I Love...

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:35:00 +0000

JibJab!!!

And I especially love their 2007 jab:

In 2007 | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Natalie Dee!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Thanks to our great intern at work, I've learned about Natalie Dee! Her work is funny, sarcastic, and creative. Thanks, Natalie Dee!

Naked Short Selling

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:52:00 +0000

I've always been intriguiged by economics and policy, but this new podcast I have been listening to, Deep Capture, does a fabulous job of explaining what is going on right now with the American and world economy. There is SO MUCH happening with our savings, mortgages, stocks, etc., it's really very overwhelming. Naked short selling is complicated and scary, and I need to learn more for the sake of my well-being and future.

In some way, Bear Sterns' demise was in part because of naked short selling. At first the SEC did not believe that short selling was a problem, then they decided it could be a problem, and now it is definitely a problem and they are investigating traders and hedge funds for these practices. Hedge funds rely on journalists to spread lies about companies in order to make their stocks go down...all very confusing, but not surprising in the least bit.

I can't explain this as well as the experts, so please read the following blogs and listen to the following podcasts. Do yourself a favor and get informed!

Max Keiser Radio: Follow the Money
Deep Capture
Karmabanque
The Faulking Truth

Jolene's Wedding!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:16:00 +0000

My great friend for 18 years just got married on the 4th of July and we had a great time at the wedding! Congratulations to Pete and Jolene - may there be many wonderful years to come!

Love ya, Nitz!

Movie Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:46:00 +0000

Yesterday was movie day (my most favorite of days). We watched Rambo IV, 10,000 B.C., Teeth, and Crossworlds. Surprisingly, I really liked all of them and don't really have anything critical to say. They all gave me the strangest dreams last night...all those movies mixed together!

I Heart Coldplay

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:59:00 +0000

So what if everyone likes them? I love them!!!! They rule my music world right now, and I'm not afraid to say it. Keep doing what you're doing!!!!

VIVA LA VIDA!

Dean's 70th Birthday Video

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Rainbow Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Megan) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:10:00 +0000

And that's all I have to say for now...

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...