to each his own

there is absolutely no reason in the world for cats to have baby bertoia-like chairs.  unless you find a pair for super cheap on craigslist.  then, you just don't have time for reasoning...

the meaning of life

the title of this post carries a lot of weight and consequently i now feel a tremendous amount of pressure to deliver.  if you've come here today seeking the answer to the age old question: what is the meaning of life?  let me first say, you've clearly been lead astray, because around here we mainly talk about things like:

1. paint colors we can't commit to
2. tasty cocktails we occasionally enjoy
3. ridiculous things our kid does and how we pretend to know what to do about it and...
4. whatever random thing happened that we find particularly notable, even if the rest of the world has failed to recognize the significance and hilarity of it...they will.  eventually.

in other words, we wouldn't normally suggest stopping by here for anything other then nonsense.  but today, if your search for the meaning of life landed you here, you might actually be in luck!  for not only do we have an answer for you, but we have 20 answers for you and they come from the unlikeliest of sources.

yesterday i mentioned that i was taking on the class project for alex's annual school fundraiser: an evening in paris.

what i failed to mention is that somewhere in between a laundry list of work demands and actual laundry, i was also out to find the meaning of life.  from a bunch of seven-year-olds.  on a random wednesday.  over my lunch hour.

no.  big.  deal.

i've already talked about how i agreed to this, then waited until the last possible second to get it done, and struggled with finding an ounce of creativity within me to come up with a money-raising idea.  the long and short of it is that eventually i had a breakthrough and the meaning of life was born.

let me back up a bit to the summer.  this might be hard, but imagine that i was shopping online and i purchased something.  it's a stretch, but try.  i purchased the holstee manifesto print because it struck a chord with me and i had every intention of framing and displaying it somewhere in our home.

basically it sat in a cardboard tube for 8 months.  now i don't want to go so far as to say i hoard things, but it was hoarded away until the right opportunity to display it came along.  and then --- the project came along.  so i thought about a few ways that i could use the print, you know pay it forward, and decided to have each of the kids translate this manifesto into their own terms.  essentially i asked each of them to paint me a picture of the meaning of life.  more specifically:

1.  what is the most important thing in life
2.  what do you love most about your life

and thus the world according to french speaking first graders, the meaning of life, was born.  below are a few pics of the process as well as the end result.  also be sure to see yesterdays post for an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of the meaning.

oh - and in case you were wondering, some of the most important and well-loved things in life are:  the earth, love, pepsi, grandmas, wii games, ku, teachers, the sun, moms, soccer, apples, the ocean, robots, brothers, the green lantern, health, k-state, friends, water, an orange dog and a cat named meatball.

now how much would you pay?!

instagram of the day: sunday

ahhh the weekend.  all curled up on the couch watching a little "finding bigfoot" on animal planet.  it's become alex's new favorite show.  the cats aren't really that impressed however.

first world problems

and now for a little installment i like to call first world problems.

i usually try not to complain about life's minor inconveniences, because let's face it, while there are certainly some annoying things in life,  we really have it pretty good.  there are much MUCH bigger issues to discuss that very few of us can begin to relate to, but every now again something stupid puts a death grip on my nerves and I feel the need to wiggle out by way of whining.

so let's jump in shall we?  i am not a smoker.  have I ever smoked?  mom/dad/alex, are you reading this?  maybe/allegedly i did it once or twice in college and during a brief identity crisis just after graduation.  you know that time in life when it makes total sense to bartend until 4 am through the grace of red bull and nicotine?  but I've never been a full blown smoker nor have i ever owned my own pack of cigarettes.

see how i justified it there?

bottom line: smokers stink and my apologies if you are in fact a smoker.  you do in fact smell.  please accept my public service announcement in making you aware of this if you didn't already know it to be true.

i have a very hyperactive sense of smell and an attitude problem in the early am.  prior to having the required dose of caffeine i wake up, shower up, dress up, communicate with husband, seven year-old  and cats who think toilets are for drinking.

so far everything is going great and it's just any other day.  smell is not an issue and attitude has not yet come into play.

but then i get to the main doors of my office where a ridiculously large crowd of people have gathered to kick-start the morning with a marlboro and suddenly cats licking toilets isn't the most disgusting thing that has happened today.

there is usually a huge debate that happens in my head at this point.  do i wait it out?  see if they all go in soon?  see if more join?  do i make a break for it?  run quickly through them hoping to somehow escape the giant cloud that now covers the entire entryway?  do I run through waving my hands in utter disgust coughing obnoxiously and hacking with gusto?  do i glare at them?  stare at them?  walk through them with stink bombs?  no seriously.... is this legal?  i would like to do this.

i'm open to suggestions and would love to get yours.  i need a way to say:  seriously people, you might not care about your impending wrinkles, stench and death, but i do happen to care about the scent of all of those things lingering in my hair and on my clothes for the remainder of the day.  i get all of your suck-y stench with none of the buzz-y benefits and it stinks.

obviously we work together so let's actually work together.  if you need a disgusting habit, let's see if we can put our smelly heads of hair together and come up with one for you.  and in the event that we can't think of something less disgusting for you to try, i know a couple of felines who might be able to weigh in...