[wikiChick]

Mind Habits

2007-03-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

Give this little game from Mind Habits a try. It's not as easy as you might think to pick out the smiling face from among all the frowning faces. The theory is that we need to train ourselves to look for positive responses instead of negative ones to protect our self esteem.

I found this at LisaBarger.com - some interesting reading.

Got Blinker?

2007-03-12T23:30:00.001-05:00

This wikiChick is steamed about blinkers. Or their lack of use. I realize that moving a small lever a sixteenth of an inch is taxing, but I would think most drivers would be up to the task. If not, perhaps a finger-strength training program is in order.

Other drivers possess adequate finger-strength but completely lack timing. These geniuses favor engaging the blinker after the lane change or when the lane divider is straddled by the car. This is NOT recommended blinker procedure.

wikiChick wants to assist in driver education by arming her car with a small sign reading "Got Blinker?" to be waved at the blinkerless, with or without an accompanying finger, as the situation warrants.

Mixed Breed Dreams

2007-03-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

My friends Scott & Berni's adorable dog Whitley in a pensive moment emerging director Scott caught on film. Bravo!

Week's Wacky Headline

2007-03-06T23:36:00.000-06:00

Spiders: Chastity belts stop cuckolding in the nest.

Yeah, you got my attention, Science Blog. It's been a long time since this wikiChick has encountered the word cuckolding. Ah, the memories.

Read the article for some scintillating revelations about creepy Wasp spiders getting it on and the male, um, breaking it off.* Yikes.

*I chuckled at the Google ads appearing with this post...."painful intercourse." No doubt!

The 411 on Free 411

2007-03-06T07:22:00.000-06:00

It's worth dialing the extra digits to avoid those pesky 411 charges. 1-800-411 - Booyah!

Wheel of Lunch

2007-03-03T10:07:00.000-06:00

Can't decide where to go for lunch? Take a chance and let the Wheel of Lunch choose a local eatery for you. Enter your zip code and a query (breakfast, dinner, lunch, pizza, etc.) and spin. I discovered this on Pop Culture Junk Mail. Yummy fun.

Live from Her Minivan

2007-03-02T21:52:00.000-06:00

This is so flippin' funny. My latest favorite find on YouTube - sketch comedy shorts by headintheoven.

Slippery Sloth

2007-03-02T07:37:00.000-06:00

The sloth is adorable. And Jeff Corwin is hands-down the hottest naturalist roaming the jungle. He could catch and release this wikiChick any time.

Say What?

2007-03-02T00:06:00.000-06:00

Excerpt from the Kangaroo entry in Conservapedia, the Christian-conservative alternative to Wikipedia's allegedly "anti-American" and "anti-Christian" bias:

Origins
Like all modern animals, modern kangaroos originated in the Middle East^[1] and are the descendants of the two founding members of the modern kangaroo baramin that were taken aboard Noah's Ark prior to the Great Flood. It has not yet been determined whether kangaroos form a holobaramin with the wallaby, tree-kangaroo, wallaroo, pademelon and quokka, or if all these species are in fact apobaraminic or polybaraminic.

After the Flood, kangaroos bred from the Ark passengers migrated to Australia. There is debate whether this migration happened over land^[2] -- as Australia was still for a time connected to the Middle East before the supercontinent of Pangea broke apart -- or if they rafted on mats of vegetation torn up by the receding flood waters^[2].

Say what?

After laughing out loud, reading this ultimately made me very sad. I will never comprehend why otherwise intelligent, perceptive people put blinders on their brains when it comes to religion. Understanding that Noah and the Ark is a STORY does not detract from its deep spiritual meaning.

In younger years during my brief stint as a theology student at a Catholic university, I had an entire class on story and its role in spirituality. I learned then and believe now that scripture need not be literally true to be spiritually true. Some truths are so profound, so multifaceted, that they simply can't be contained in facts. Their richness demands the layers of meaning that only allegory, symbolism, and metaphor can hold. Insisting that these stories be taken as historical fact actually cheapens them and builds faith on a very shaky foundation.

Science is the best tool we humans have to discover what is. In the stories we tell about this what, together we discover the why.

Okay, wickiChick is stepping down from the pulpit before she falls off. Carry on.

wikiWhy?

2007-02-28T22:05:00.001-06:00

So, why name this space "wikiChick?" I dig the alliteration, the beat of the word....it's just fun to say. wikiChick sounds hip; it's easy to remember.

All those reasons influenced the name of my blog, yes. But, there is some substance beneath the style. I just love the concept of "wiki." This word with origins in the Hawaiian term wiki (meaning "fast") was first used by Ward Cunningham to describe a web page anyone, regardless of standing, can contribute to or edit. It's a beautifully democratic and egalitarian idea. Deeper still, this process speaks to the nature of ontology: meaning is not created in isolation. It is relational, organic, messy. We birth truth together, and it's not for the faint of heart.

It is my responsibility and my right to define myself. But, I can't define myself alone. Only in opening myself to the world outside me will I fully know the world inside me. Breathe in, breathe out, change and be changed. Blog and comments, comments and blog. It's a wiki good world.

Blog Bling

2007-02-27T00:12:00.000-06:00

Read an article today in the NY Times about the proliferation of widgets on blogs. Cool toys for your blog.

Trying a few in wikiChick's sidebar. Enjoy!

She's Baaaaaack

2007-02-25T23:19:00.000-06:00

wikiChick is back from a very loooooooong hiatus. New and improved look; new and improved chick? Maybe a little. New interest...playing with stop-motion animation. Stay tuned for that sillness from the very easily-amused wikiChick.

Hello, Dolly!

2007-02-24T12:46:00.000-06:00

Dolly and a freaky friend get busy.

Girls will be girls

2007-02-24T08:37:00.000-06:00

Pole dancing parties....move over, Partylite! The ladies are getting their freak on.

Dolly Busta Move

2007-02-21T04:18:00.000-06:00

You go, girl.

MIA?

2007-02-04T15:02:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking......I'll be back.

Dog Speak

2006-04-22T12:11:00.000-05:00

wikiChick's pals Polly & Hugo share their
favorite haiku: (authors unknown)

I lie belly-up
In the sun, happier than
You will ever be.

- Polly

The cat is not all
Bad - she fills the litter box
With her Tootsie Rolls.

- Hugo

Blue Balls

2006-04-21T07:40:00.000-05:00

No, not that, silly! This - Blue Ball Machine

Natalie Portman Has a Huge Head

2006-03-24T21:22:00.000-06:00

Despite my new-found respect for Natalie Portman since watching her gangsta rapping video, I must post this disturbing picture. Not to be dissin' ya Nat, but what the hell is up with your head? Is it just me, or does girlfriend's noggin look hugely disproportionate to her body?? (click on the pic for the full effect).

The site I swiped the pic from makes fun of her dress, which is horrifying, yes. But that HEAD!! There's the real story. OK, it's probably just the camera angle, but it frightens me.

Cousin Kermit

2006-03-23T22:27:00.000-06:00

According to the deceptively-named anti-evolution site www.scienceprovesit.com "Modern science shows that evolution's so-called power to turn a frog into a man is as irrational to believe in as the fairy-tale kiss from the princess turning the frog into a prince."

Huh? Well, I don't know about the folks who put out this site, but nowhere in my science education did I learn that frogs directly evolved into humans. Um, I'm no expert, but I think they are, like, two different species?

Here's a thought, from a site with an excellent primer on evolution theory:

"The central idea of biological evolution is that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor, just as you and your cousins share a common grandmother.

Through the process of descent with modification, the common ancestor of life on Earth gave rise to the fantastic diversity that we see documented in the fossil record and around us today. Evolution means that we're all distant cousins: humans and oak trees, hummingbirds and whales."

Oh, my - what a perfectly scandalous idea! We are all distant cousins.....the trees, the mountains, the whales, the monkeys, the frogs - all are part of our family. Actually sounds a whole lot like the spirit of Genesis, doesn't it?

Hmmmmm.

Monday, Monday

2006-03-20T07:25:00.000-06:00

Monday morning quote:

The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware -
joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.

- Henry Miller

Wake up, sleepy head!

Tell Me Why I Don't Like Thursdays

2006-03-16T07:46:00.000-06:00

What's up with Thursdays? I know, without doubt, that traffic on my drive to work today will completely suck. Mondays aren't even this bad. Fridays are smooth sailing. Do hoards of people suddenly wake up Thursday morning thinking, "damn, I didn't do jack so far this week, better hop to it and motor?"

*Watch this - you'll notice it too. And please just get the #$@! out of my way!

*wikiChick is a little grumpy this morning.

Isaac Hayes Takes Off Chef Hat

2006-03-15T07:32:00.000-06:00

Aw, Chef! I thought you had a thicker skin than that. What will the children without you?

Nothing is sacred in South Park. Lighten up, Isaac!

Where's Marvin?

2006-03-13T06:51:00.000-06:00

Surfing the red planet on my eMac as I drink my morning coffee. Kudos to you, Google. Way cool.

A Rose by Any Other Name, Sucka

2006-03-12T19:38:00.000-06:00

My Pimp Name has been revealed to me. From this day forward, please address me only as Delicious wiki Slick.

Tag, I'm It

2006-03-11T22:56:00.000-06:00

wikiChick has been tagged by Soul Mama for "Four Things Meme." Groovy. Thanks, Ms. Mama. Here goes:

1. Four Jobs
- Supervisor and customer service quality assurance flunky
- Computer trainer for new employees
- Medical Transcriptionist
- Medical Records clerk

2. Four Movies I could watch over and over
- The SNL digital short "A Day in the Life of Natalie Portman"
- Erin Brokovich
- This Is Spinal Tap
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

3. Four Places I lived
- Ozark, MO
- Springfield, MO
- St. Louis, MO
- Two months in Laurel, Maryland outside D.C.

4. Four TV Shows I love
- My Name is Earl
- Medium
- X-Files
- Chapelle's Show

5. Four Places I Have Vacationed
- Padre Island, TX
- My Mind
- Fort Meyers, FL
- Phoenix, AZ

6. Four of My Favorite Dishes
- Sea Bass
- Oso Buco
- Flourless chocolate cake
- Gnocchi

7. Four Site I Visit Daily
- The Superficial
- Yahoo News
- The Onion
- BBC news

8. Four Places I Rather Be Right Now
- Oprah's guest house
- On any beach
- On stage singing
- On a movie set

9. Four Books I Love
- Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- A Prayer for Owen Meany
- The Velveteen Rabbit

10. Four Video Games I Could Play Over and Over
- Galaga
- Frogger
- Ms. Pacman
- Pole Position

wikiChick tags Dear Leader.

Love Hurts

2006-03-10T19:28:00.000-06:00

Bizarro quote of the day, courtesy of BBC News.com: "In February, Lt Col Martin, chief military spokesman at the US detention facility [in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba], said force-feeding was administered 'in a humane and compassionate manner' and only when necessary to keep the prisoners alive." How do you force-feed compassionately? Do you say, "Ok, I'm shoving this tube up your nose, but I LOVE you. Don't mind the restraints - it's our way of showing we care." What the bloody hell is that about? These people are not body-image challenged anorexics refusing food. They are choosing, in sound mind, to hunger-strike as a political protest. That's their choice, grim as it may be.

According to the BBC, "more than 250 medical experts have signed a letter condemning the US for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike..." I've read more and more in the past few days about this disturbing situation in Guantanomo Bay. These prisoners are being held without trial. We'll imprison you, without any due process, for suspected terrorist activity but we suddenly care about you if you don't eat. Huh?? Perhaps the real motivation is revealed in the words of the detainees: "Detainees at the camp have said hunger-strikers were strapped into chairs and force-fed through tubes inserted in their noses. Former inmate Mundah Habib told the BBC he stopped eating because drugs were put in his food. 'As soon as I had the food I found I was a different person,' he said. He said the hunger strike was the only way to 'send a message to the public outside to know what's going on.'" Hmmm.....

Apparently, the U.S. has gotten quite creative in spinning the definition of "torture" employed at Guantanamo. Dr. Nicholl, the British neurologist who initiated the letter to Lancet condeming U.S. practices at Guantanamo, remarked that "The definition of torture issued at the camp in 2002 as actions that caused only death or major organ failure is not a definition anyone on the planet is using."

Oh, dear. wickiChick needs a drink.

Moon River

2006-03-09T23:48:00.000-06:00

Amazing. The Cassini space probe has revealed signs of liquid water on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons. According to a New York Times article, "life requires at least three ingredients — water, heat and carbon-based molecules — and Enceladus may possess all three." Hopefully, that life has evolved beyond the amoebic stage and can carry on a decent conversation over a glass of good Shiraz.

Right on. Go Cassini! The truth is out there.

Bushitler

2006-03-08T20:37:00.000-06:00

Outrageous. A Colorado teacher dares to suggest some similarities exist between the rhetoric of Hitler and that of George W. You know, we're right and good, those who oppose us are wrong and evil - that kind of thing.

Before this story broke, I was not aware of the proliferation of Bush-Hitler comparisons. Some are simply fodder for the lunatic-fringe; others make legitimate observations regarding the visceral, unthinking response provoked by the politics of fear. Consider this quote from Hitler: "Propaganda must not serve the truth especially insofar as it might bring out something favorable for the opponent." It's no leap in logic to recognize parallels between these words and the misinformation fed to our nation regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The motivations may be dissimilar; the political mechanics are not.

Listen to the recording of Jay Bennish's lecture to his highschool class and decide for yourself. Please THINK. It's the truest act of patriotism in the "land of the free." Because Hitler also said "What luck for rulers that men do not think."

Coffee Loves Me

2006-03-07T06:54:00.000-06:00

Finally, my love is reciprocated. How I've longed for this day, Joe. I've held you close to me every morning since 1980. You've made my heart beat faster, my hands shake, my eyes twitch, and my thoughts clearer. But I never dared believe you loved me, too. Right down to my tingling molecules.

Pink is Not Stupid

2006-03-06T22:40:00.000-06:00

If you haven't seen Pink's video for Stupid Girls it's required viewing, kids. Friends don't let friends do Botox. Or collagen injections. So apparently, Meg Ryan has no friends. Or is having one badass allergic reaction. Yikes.