OMG

thanks to my big sister, who just sent me the link to this:

that's right, bacon lollipops. i am speechless.

apparently, the store is new, and they only offer two flavors: maple-bacon and absinthe. yup, absinthe. they sound like an interesting company.

the SD barbie email

this is a forward that's been making the rounds, and it's pretty entertaining, so instead of forwarding this to you people, i thought that i would just post it for all to see. enjoy!

*Sioux Falls Barbie*
This queen Barbie is sold only at Macy's. She comes with an assortment of Chanel Handbags, a Volvo, a French poodle named Charisse, and a Lincoln County McMansion. Plastic surgery available upon request. Hey, she has to look beautiful when she works at KELOland TV. CitiBank Ken sold separately.

* Rapid City Barbie*
This tough little sport comes with optional hiking boots or mountain bike.When she's not selling magnets at Mount Rushmore,
she can be spotted off-roading in her Land Rover or running on the bike path.
Inhaler included to give relief during forest fires.
Buy her while you can because Ken works at Ellsworth and might begetting transferred!

*Spearfish Barbie*
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Ocean . She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Spearfish Barbies and the optional Hybrid Toyota, you get a "Free Tibet" bumper sticker for free.

*Aberdeen Barbie*
This "Frost Queen" comes with an entire winter wardrobe! Her parka is reversible and can be used as an emergency igloo whenever needed. Package includes a shrink for seasonal depression.

*Vermillion Barbie*
This young, hip girl actually comes with her own pepper spray. Her USD sweater is made of real wool and her Cavalier gets great mileage between the Empire Mall and Vermillion. Available keg with purchase of makeup. Ken doll sold separately with broken cell phone... he never seems to calls back.

*Mitchell Barbie*
This brassy, tobacco-chewing gal comes with camouflage overalls, Cabela's Credit Card, and a rifle. She can be found just north of town shooting pheasants and drinking an ice cold 40. Cabela Ken available with purchase of Chevy Silverado.

*Brookings Barbie*
This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan or Honda Odyssey Minivan with matching Wal*Mart sweats. She gets lost easily while taking Stacy to her soccer games and has no full-time occupation other than the PTA. Ken doll sold with matching Daktronics company car.

*Sturgis Barbie*
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, leather chaps, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) ...unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about. Harley sold separately along with deadbeat Ken. Jail uniform available with purchase of Mobile Home.

*Belle Fourche Barbie*
This model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans, a NASCAR t-shirt and Care Bears tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Johnny Cash CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her Mega Ton Dodge Dually pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

*Deadwood Barbie*
She may be a 75 year-old, Brandy drinking, Virginia Slim smoking cuss, but she has more audacity than Calamity Jane. She just got out from Gambler's Anonymous and needs to get rid of some spare change. Deadwood Barbie can be found at the Monday night "Kevin Costner Fanclub" meeting just down the street from Cadillac Jack's Prime Rib Buffet. Ken comes free, but is usually working two jobs to keep a roof over their head.

*Pierre Barbie*
She comes with scooter and a state employee ID card, bowling ball, pool stick and dart case. Khakis can be rolled into capris. Ken available with purchase of fishing boat.

random thoughts for a random day

+ = a great day!

today was einstein's birthday and pi day.
seems to be a good day to celebrate! (i'm a nerd, i'll admit it).
einstein is one of my favorite people ever. i found a book filled with his letters to and from children. it's awesome. plus it has a picture on the cover of him wearing blue fuzzy slippers. like i said... awesome!

as another showcase for my nerdyness, i would like to inform you that i saw previews for 'john adams,' and the history geek in me is way excited to see it, but i don't get hbo, so i may never got too.

speaking of tv, i have been seeing ads for the new bachelor series, and apparently the guy is english. as i contemplated why they would choose an englishman (there are many reasons both bad and good), he proceeded to say, 'i'm here to steal your women!' now i see. he's shagged and left every woman in england, and is now attempting to take america.

anywho, in different tv news, i have stumbled across a new show called pop fiction. even though i think many celebrities are idiots, i have to give them props for this show. it makes the evil wench in me a little giddy. the only things dumber than celebrities like paris hilton are the paparazzi that follow her around. beautiful!

so, i've been thinking lately, and i have realized that i will be done with school in may. that means, my friends, that i will be able to read books that i don't HAVE to read. :) the only trouble is, i have trouble deciding what i want to read. so, i am asking for your input. i'll be adding a list to the side of my blog, and i will be filling it in with books that you suggest (if i want to read them and/or haven't read them already). feel free to comment on any blog post with a book suggestion. it would be helpful to me.
thanks!

wool gathering etc

hello again, i have a feeling that this will be a long post, so hang in there.

first, here are some photos from the trip to the Brown Sheep yarn factory and outlet store. the roads were a bit crappy, but we made it! i bought a lot of wool to continue in my bag making schemes, and anna, sam and christine also did some major yarn shopping. look at those happy faces!

in addition to all of the felt-able wool (mostly Lamb's Pride) yarn, i bought some sock yarn. i have decided to make some crocheted socks. most patterns i've found are for things that closely resemble slipper socks, but thicker, since crocheting ends up thicker than knitting anyway, and people think that crocheting a pair of socks with bulky fuzzy fugly yarn makes neat projects. however, after much searching, i have found a pattern for socks that actually look like wearable socks. it calls for some tricky stitches, and i'm not that great at reading patterns (i mostly just wing it), but i have the first toe done! it is taking me quite a while to get the patter figured out, especially now that i'm into the crazy stitched, but so far, so good. here's a picture of my pretty sock so far:

now for non-fiber news:

the week after the wool gathering expedition, i bought raffle tickets, thinking that i was simply donating money to the alternative spring break group, as i almost never win raffles. well, it turns out that it was my lucky day! i won! the prize that i got was from corale west, and contained an ariat polar fleece vest (size small - hopefully i can exchange it, as its rather nice), a horse figurine (also by ariat), and a justin boots rodeo bag. it's a figgin nice bag! it's a good sized duffel bag, with pockets on each side for your cowboy boots, which is fortunate, since i purchased a pair of justin boots at the stock show and rodeo for riding this summer. and they even fit in the pockets! sweet! here's a picture of the bag:

the next week was anna's birthday, so we celebrated on monday night by going out to eat and then we had ice cream cake at my house. i bought a plain one so i could decorate it, and it turned out pretty cool, in a way that says that i should definitely not become a professional cake decorator. :) here are some photos from a flattering angle:

for her birthday, i gave anna HIV from thinkgeek.com. she loved it! there are also several other awesome giant plush microbes, and i can think of so many people who need one of them. so much fun. think geek has now become one of my favorite websites. :)

*oh! and, on the trip, we stopped at the local winery, did some tasting, and bought some wine. i'm saving my bottle (a semi-sweet called 'neighbor's choice') for when jessica comes to visit for easter. :)