WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO NOW?

This is a bit of a continuation of my “What the hell did I just do?” post. Yes, I canceled the cable. My husband and I are sitting around in the dark now trying to figure out what to do at night. After sex of course. We can’t even tell the time in the living room because the only clock was the one on the cable box. Yes, we are that sad. Plus, my temporary job will be ending in just 17 more days! Then I’ll be sitting around at home with no cable and my husband and I will probably drive each other insane. So I am going to make a to do list to keep myself busy and productive.

1. Clean out my closet and bedroom and either throw stuff away I haven’t looked at in years, sell it, or donate it.
2. Look for work.
3. Write more letters.
4. Finish my sketches for the Sketchbook Project.
5. Eat healthy.
6. Exercise.
7. Spend quality time with my kitties.
8. Work on my pottery projects.
9. Work on my sewing projects.
10. Finish crocheting the scarf I started 2 years ago.
11. Organize all the photos on my computer.
12. Rewrite my book and try to get it published.
13. Read more. I’ve had the same books up on my widget for what I’m reading now for a month.

That should be good. 13 is a good number for me. And then every once in a while I can update everyone on how I’m not getting anything done. Hurray!

 

WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?

I am noticing that other blogs, like Living Dilbert and You Are What You Eat and Reheat, have themed days. So since I like to do what cool people do in the hopes of one day becoming cool myself, I will do the same. Welcome to “What the hell were they thinking” Thursday. I shall begin with J. Crew’s sequin harem pant. It costs $650. Behold and be blinded by its sparkling horribleness:

The scary thing is that the website says it is sold out! People actually paid a lot of money for this crap, and are presumably wearing it in public!! If I spot someone in these pants, which shouldn’t be hard to find, I’ll have to take a picture.

 

PITCHER PLANT OR TOILET?

I just read this cool article about a pitcher plant in Borneo that survives not only on insects but on the poo of shrews. It has evolved into a toilet! Darwin would be so proud. Here is a picture with the acompanying article.

Pitcher plants are carnivorous and usually eat insects for nutrients and nitrogen. But in the highlands of Borneo there are not enough for it to survive on insects alone, so the pitcher plant evolved into a toilet plant, complete with standing lid that serves an unusual purpose.

Dr. Jonathan Moran, Assistant Professor at the School of Environment and Sustainability at Royal Road University in Victoria, described it to Bob McDonald of Quirks and Quarks, a Canadian science radio show. It is really quite amazing.

The plant is big, almost the size of a football, The lid is covered in nectar, which attracts the tree shrew with a yummy snack; the bowl is shaped precisely to catch the shrew’s poop. There is even some thought that the nectar might have laxative properties, because it certainly collects a lot of the stuff, which provides needed nitrogen for the plant.

McDonald calls it “an unusual example of mutualization.” The shrew is common at all altitudes, but the adapted plant is found only at the high altitudes, so all of the adaptation has been by the plant.