The Red River didn't flood nearly as much as projections expected, thankfully. Even so, you can still see a major shift in the water levels as Fargo (finally) thawed out this spring. Many thanks to The Forum's (inforum.com) flood cam, where I took screen shots.
Who says advertising doesn't work anymore? This ad makes me want to run out and buy an Audi right now.
A little something I made this morning.
Instead of being a productive citizen of Earth today, I invested too much time in this piece of work. The idea was generated during last night's recording of To the Journey, a podcast that discusses Star Trek: Voyager. In a discussion of the episode "Darkling," I described the Doctor's actions in that episode as "shock for shock's sake, like Marilyn Manson." Once I envisioned the mashup, I knew what I had to do. Enjoy?
Grumpy Cat is loving your misery.
By all means, repost if you agree.
Forget April Fool's Day this year. You.have.one.job. If you fail, the consequence is that you must wait until Halloween, and that's more than six months away. Your blood sugar can't wait that long. Now snap to it.
In a nutshell, this has been my experience with my first full winter in Fargo, ND.
Those of you who know me already know how much I've enjoyed the over-exuberance of this past winter season. For those of you who can't read between the lines, let me spell it out for you:
...and I'm no slouch when it comes to surviving winter weather. I grew up in Casper, WY, and winter is no joy there, either. Winter in Casper has its cold snaps of temperatures dipping into the negatives; it has a steady stream of wind gusts; and on average, it receives more snow than Fargo.
So why am I bitching?
More often than not, a break in between storms was just long enough to recover until the next storm hit in Casper. In Fargo, the temperatures don't swing with as much variance as Casper, which means that winter in Fargo is damn cold. It gets cold and it stays cold. We're talking negative temperatures for highs and lows during the worst of it. And unlike last year, where we saw a beautiful thaw in early March, this year has been more winter than my brain can handle. I can accept the nasty weather in December, January, and February, but by March, I am done. I want some semblance of sunny days and outside temps that don't necessitate a jacket. The official term for this mentality, as I've learned, is called winter fatigue. I'd rather call it GODDAMNIT I'M SICK OF THIS CRAP GETMEOUTOFHERE AND LET'S GO SOME PLACE THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I'M ALWAYS FREEZING TO DEATH Syndrome. And I'm not alone.
I realize that when you're as seasonal affective as I am, living in a place like Fargo isn't the smartest choice. Had it not been for an irresistible job for my husband, the truth is that we wouldn't be here. We'd be somewhere else, most likely in warmer climes, laughing at Fargo for defending its title in The Weather Channel's "Toughest Weather City" tournament. This is the universe's way of having its fun and laughing at you as you squirm in misery. Despite this, the truth is, I love quite a few things about Fargo -- the winters just not being one of them, of course. We'll probably be here for a few more winters, depending on how things shape in our lives, so I know I'll just have to put on my big girl (thermal) undies and deal with it until -- and if -- we leave for warmer pastures.
It's possible that next year won't be as bad as this year. This March in Fargo has been consistently cooler than average, so as we exit this harsh winter for better days, I'm currently willing to look at this winter as an aberration. Maybe we'll experience a "typical" winter next year and it will seem downright bearable compared to this year. We'll see. :)
Oh, and in case you're wondering, we are currently at the "we can see grass!" stage of the graph.
Well, we're getting there.
What it is: Zoya Nail Polish is a, salon-quality nail polish that gives you a long-lasting coat without icky, toxic chemicals. It is formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate and camphore free.
Why is this important? Less is more when it comes to putting harsh chemicals in or on our bodies, and in this respect, Zoya is as friendly as nail polish gets. Zoya is also kind to animals -- Zoya is vegan-friendly and doesn't conduct tests on innocent four-legged creatures.
What is the PixieDust Collection? Have a look at the image above. Two coats gives you thick, sparkly, textured nail color that is insanely resistant to chipping. Trust me, I downright abuse my nails with how much I use my hands every day, so if I can keep nail polish on my fingers for a few days without needing a touch up, it's a miracle. Zoya PixieDust actually does this. I also find that PixieDust nail polish dries fast, which is handy for occasions when I like to glam up but don't have much time. No base or top coat required, either.
I love wearing this nail polish. Every time I'm wearing it while I'm out and about, someone inevitably says "cool nails!" or asks what nail polish I'm wearing. People will notice it.
Drawbacks: The one thing I don't enjoy about this nail polish is that removing it is a little more difficult due to its texture. Instead of rubbing harder, have patience and let the remover soak on your nail for a moment before rubbing the polish off. That way, you don't rub your cotton square to bits after one nail.
Where do I buy it? Head over to Zoya.com, and hurry! Zoya is offering $1 standard shipping on any order from now through March 22, 2013 (11:59 EDT). Use the code QQQ during checkout. You can also find Zoya nail polish at fine salons, as well as Ulta stores.
Grumpy Cat has something to say for all of you eating pie as a way of celebrating Pi Day:
I tried quinoa for the first time tonight. That's right, kids, I expanded my horizons and tried a food that results in one of two reactions: 1) Eww! 2) 'Bout damn time! What took you so long?
My reaction is mostly the latter, but let's delve into some quinoa details first.
What it is: Quinoa is an edible seed that is classified as a grain. It's a rich source of calcium, iron, phosphorus and protein; therefore, it's nutritious!
How you cook it: Don't let the tiny seeds fool you. Quinoa cooks similarly to rice, so the process is pretty easy. For my experiment, I cooked a cup of quinoa and added a cup and a half of water. Bring the water to a boil, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
What you do with it: Quinoa is incredibly versatile. It will take on whatever flavors you mix with it, similar in fashion to tofu. However, with a seemingly infinite array of options leads to fuckup-ability. Do be careful when adding spices to quinoa; I noticed in my sampling that the quinoa took on the flavor of the spices I added more strongly than rice. Less is more.
You can eat quinoa in just as many ways as you can flavor it. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination. Make a salad of it; eat it with veggies; cook it into a pudding, or do what I did and eat it with black beans, spice it up, and call it good. Or, better yet, JFGI yourself and find a recipe you like.
My creation looked like this:
I know, I made it look so irresistably appetizing. Taste-wise, I was impressed. My expectation going into this taste-test was that it wouldn't taste good. Fortunately, I was wrong, because it reflected the yummy spices I added (McCormick mediterranean blend, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried cilantro).
The verdict: I wasn't expecting to like quinoa, but it's convinced me that we should be friends and hang out more. I appreciate its adaptable nature and I'm looking forward to trying it in a complete array of things. That said, I didn't fall head-over-heels in love -- I'm just in the "like" stage. But I really do like it.
I truly am sorry for letting this site sit and collect dust for so long. I finally gave it a bath, and look! It's got a squeaky-clean new layout! What do you think?
This is a fresh start for Oh, the Profanity! As you may have noticed, the place is bare now, but that'll change as I rebuild and shift the site's focus. The site's (new) main purpose boils down to this: rants and raves. Each week, I'll pick something I've recently encountered and give it a rating from 0-10, with 0 being "eff no!" and 10 being "eff yeah!" -- hence the title, "Oh, the Profanity!" What I pick each week could be anything: People, places, and things are all eligible. Suggestions are also welcome, and if I am familiar enough with the suggestion or can access it easily enough to try it, I might use it.
Other things you might find here: Screencaps of horribleness on the Interwebs so we can all laugh and cry at it; memes poking fun at just about everything; and I'm also thinking of launching a YouTube vlog, but haven't fully developed that idea just yet.
This site started off as more of a personal website in 2009, but I'm relegating that sort of content to my Tumblr blog. There you'll find random thoughts that fit nowhere else, my photos, and reblogs of ALL THE GIFS!
So sit back, enjoy the ride, and let's launch this baby in style, shall we? Let's rock and roll!
I review people, places, and things and give them a rating of "hell no" or "eff yeah!" Readers can also chime in with their vote. Along with reviews, I post memes for everyone's consumption.
