“I would like to dedicate a picture of two blond little girls in matching watermelon dresses to Childhood. Childhood, you’ve given me so many special memories. I will never forget the good times we had. Thank you for making me into the person I am today. Stay playful, stay innocent. Much Love, joanna :)”

I’d like to add my own dedication: To long friendships that change with the seasons of our lives, but remain fresh, strong, and true forever.

:)

Speaking of cute things, I met a dude last night who does NOT LIKE PANDA BEARS. Yes, you read that correctly. This person, I can only assume, is an evil robot in a human’s body, and I told him as much, although I had only just met him. Hey, he needed to know. And speaking of pandas, Eric sent me this video, and Wan put it on her blog that same day, and if you haven’t seen it you need to. Now. Do it. You won’t be sorry.

Fall in the City of Angels (all the stuff that didn’t fit in its own category).

I keep uploading my Chicago album but half of it keeps disappearing… grrr. I’ll figure it out soon.

If you click on “All sizes” above each photo, you can view and/or download the original larger size (or a smaller one).

Enjoy!

My British friend Virginia came to celebrate our country’s victory over hers, and pointed out how amazing it is that we’ve built all this in 230 years. (”We” including me, of course, because I have built a great deal of this country with my bare hands)!

In other news, Missy has moved to New York, which is sad for us, but happy because she booked a 3-year contract role on All My Children. She’s been in town this week packing up. On Sunday we all drank mimosas and talked while she packed. Here’s Jeremy and Missy doing a coreographed scene from a musical about packing. Good times.

In one last piece of news, This Just In: Working in an office sucks.

P.S.  Eric is sending me photos from his camera, many of which I took after my battery died.  They are pure awesomeness, so be sure to check the photo album later for some new additions.

Update: Check out Eric’s blog to see his photo diary of the weekend, and go visit his Flickr page for “deleted scenes.” Just be warned, some of the pictures of me in both locales will give you a good laugh at my expense!  

I recently went back to Ikea and decided I had better get a second set for the other window. But I couldn't, because they didn't have them! They've discontinued them! NOW what am I supposed to do!?

As Annie would say, "Well, Shoot a Monkey."

Here is my cute window:

And Here is the ugly one:

Notice how the ugly one is so ugly that day becomes night!  Next time I'll be sure to get two sets of curtains.

P.S. That calendar in the first picture is a miniature pinscher calendar I got at the 99-cent store.  It's a 2005 calendar.  The fact that it will probably hang there through 2006 and possibly well into 2007 is further evidence of my olympic-level procrastination skills.  Yesss!

P.P.S. I do not live deep in a forest, despite photographic evidence to the contrary.

 First, I present to you Exhibit A:  Willie.  Willie is Jeff's little sister Sage's dog, and… well, I think the evidence speaks for itself:

OK. Pretty cute, right?  That's one for the puppies.  But… and I have to say, this next picture is going to put babies in a clear lead.  Here it comes… May I present: Gareth!

On cue now: "Awwwwwwww!" Gareth is my co-workers Julie & Cliff's baby — the one I bought an adorable dress for when I thought he was going to be a girl.  Julie brings him around every morning when she leaves work and Cliff arrives, and each day I try to trick her into leaving without him so I can play with him all day. "Quick! Julie, Fire Alarm! Save yourself; I'll take the baby.  You don't hear anything?  Weird.  Anyway, RUN! RUN!" or "Gareth?  Um, Nooooo, this is my baby.  I brought him today.  What's that?  Looks a lot like Gareth?  Yes, that is quite a coincidence, isn't it?  Oh, I think I may have seen your baby out in your car, or at your house.  Maybe you should go look there.  You really shouldn't leave a baby alone — you should know that, Julie.  Hurry up, now, Go!"

It has yet to work, but I am far from giving up.

So: It's one to one.  Puppies and babies are neck and neck. 

Ladies and Gentlemen: Professor Chips. 

P. Chips is the English Bulldog puppy Jeff had for two days before the breeder called crying, wanting him back because she had fallen in love with him.  Because he is the cutest creature ever to have walked the earth.  Damn.  Looking back, I realize it was probably a good thing Jeff gave him back, for both of us.  Not only was Prof. Chips the biggest cock-blocker ever ("Jeff who?  GIIIIVVE MEEEEE PUUUPPPPYYYYYYY"), he was so soft and cute he literally gave me a headache.  So… Puppies again take the lead.  But…. wait until you get a load of this:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!  My ovaries are exploding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I must begin procreating NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The world needs more cute things like this!  I must gobble her up!  I must consume this baby at once, with butter and a glass of milk! 

Ah… pant, pant, leaning against wall for support, catching breath…. ahem… OK, this is Elanor, the daughter of my lovely friend Joanna.  Elanor is one baby who can give Professor Chips a damn good run for his money.  Can you even picture this baby and that puppy in the same room together?  I can't.  I think Earth would be sucked into a black hole, there would be such a concentration of cuteness in one area, and the imbalance would cause the end of the universe and all matter.  So basically we have concluded… nothing.  Babies and puppies are still tied.  They're two for two. 

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLENTRY TO BRING YOU BREAKING NEWS.  BABIES PULL AHEAD, TAKING  CLEAR LEAD. 

It looks as though for the time being, at least, babies outshine puppies.  Click on this link here and crank up the sound.  And don't say I didn't warn you.

Case closed…. for now.

Anyway, if you're cool you're going to Japan right now.  Eric did, and Jeff and his family are going on Friday for ten days.  I guess I'd better start saving my pennies and planning a trip!

Speaking of both Japan and cute animals, I saw on Animal Planet a blurb about a Tokyo family's pet penguin.  Every morning they would put a little backpack on him (the backpack looked like a penguin, too), and he would waddle, by himself, several blocks to the fish market.  At the market, the fish monger would feed him a fish, then put a fish in the backpack and I guess maybe take some money from the backpack (I don't remember the form of payment), and the penguin would waddle back home with the fish for the family.

Cute Overload is right. The Japanese really do know their cute.