Missing the NFL already . . .

So, I'm mapping out this fine Sunday morning in our little corner of heaven.

Steaming cup of hot coffee?

Check.

Big fat newspaper?

Check.

Charles Osgood on the TV?

Check.

Still, something seems missing . . . .

Oh, yeah. No football.

And, there won't be any for way too long . . .

Hmmmmphhh!

Uh, oh . . . we're out of Sweet n Low . . .

You know what that means, ye socks . . .

Yours truly will be adding REAL SUGAR to ye olde coffee cup this morning . . .

Consider yourselves warned!

Night at the Museum 2

Tonight's featured entertainment in this little corner of heaven was sponsored by our good friends over at Netflix.

And, it proved that sequels can indeed be as good as the original . . . sometimes.

OK, OK, I know the original "Night at the Musuem" was hardly an Oscar contender . . . more like the non-thinking man's National Treasure . . . which, I suppose was the non-thinking man's Da Vinci Code . . . whatever that means.

Anyway, if like yours truly ye socks enjoyed the first go 'round with Ben Stiller et al, you'll like this one, too. It's got enough of the good stuff from the original without overdoing it, and also manages to introduce new stuff (including a new setting and some funny new characters) without veering from the tried-and-true formula.

Oh, and it does have Amelia Earhart in it, which kinda ties in to recent postings in the dryer.

I think they call that synthesis?

Whatever.

If you don't have anything else to do on a frigid Friday free-for-all, give this one a shot!

Psyched out by Mother Nature . . .

Just when we thought it was safe to pack away our sweaters in this little corner of heaven, the schizophrenia that has been winter around here has reared it's ugly head once again!

I'm really getting sick of this.

Guess the groundhog was right, after all . . .

Arrggggghhh!!

Remember "Faces of America" on PBS tonight

I believe this week's episode focuses on immigrant ancestors.

Should be good.

Check your local listings for time & station!

(Or, you can watch it online tomorrow at http://www.pbs.org/ . . . )

To honor "Movie Quotes Week"

The first of ye socks to email me the list of films (in correct order) where these lines were spoken wins an autographed copy of my book "Like the Cats of Kilkenny." (Make sure to put "MOVIE LINES" in the reference of your email.)

1. Aim small, miss small.

2. May I ask what you are doing sitting at my table? I'm eating your chocolate cake!

3. Every man dies. Not every man really lives.

4. Don't mind him. He used to be an Irishman . . .

5. Their bravery is worthy of a better cause.

6. It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage!

7. Ah, dessert! Chilled monkey brains!

8. I'm like a bad penny, I always turn up.

9. Nice try, kid, but it looks like you brought a knife to a gunfight . . .

10. I am what I am . . . someone has to be!

Is that Springtime we can see on the horizon?!

Methinks ye olde groundhog was mistaken!

Given the weather in this little corner of heaven today, yours truly is hopeful that winter is indeed drawing to a close!

It's been a brutal one, at least by Central Florida standards.

The egghead meteorologists with their super-dee-duper doppler thingamajigs tell us that this has in fact been the fifth coldest winter around these parts since whoever started keeping track of such stuff started keeping track.

I believe them.

Granted, we've had no snow or ice like some of ye socks.

But, when we have to turn the heat on down here, significant panic ensues . . . if for no other reason than the anticipation of the ghastly utility bills that come with taking such action.

Today, though, I can report bright sunshine, moderate temps, and nary a cloud in the sky.

Can I put in an order for a couple dozen more of this type o' day?!

Pit stop in Micanopy

Headed back to my regular stomping grounds today, but couldn't resist stopping in Micanopy for a late lunch.

Ye socks who have yet to visit this historic little town between Gainesville and Ocala are really missing out on a unique little corner of Florida.

And, I have found this is the perfect time of year to visit.

A lot of the old buildings along the main street have questionable air conditioning, if any at all . . . but, that's NO issue in late February!

Anyway, thought I was going to make it out of here having spent only a couple bucks on lunch.

Should've known better. Ended up forking over $20 for a really cool old chest of drawers. Worse things have happened . . .

Now, back to the "real world."

Take or Leave "Couples Retreat"

The reward at the end of another day of unpacking was the film "Couples Retreat."

The ensemble cast includes big names Vince Vaughan and Jason Bateman. (Though, imho Faizon Love was the standout.)

Anyway, I found it formulaic.

Too formulaic.

Even for an exhausted mind.

Sometimes, that's okay, though.

So, if you do find this in your inbox, just realize you'll figure out all of the "plot" resolutions within the first 10 minutes . . .

Oh, and, yes. The washer did get hooked-up today!

Moving ain't easy

Neither is road tripping after a day at work, ye socks!

This evening finds yours truly in the pathetic excuse our great state has for a capitol, a place perhaps better known for an even more pathetic state university.

But, I digress . . .

Those of you who know me well, know I wouldn't be in this particular locale without a reason.

This time, I'm here to help my cousins move into their new home.

I got a little excited when I found out they were moving, only to find out that didn't mean they were leaving Tallahassee for a more suitable clime. Instead, they only moved a couple of miles down the road from their old house.

Sigh.

Anyway, after shuffling a lot of boxes, unpacking, etc., this place is really starting to look like a home.

But, I'm exhausted.

Hooking up the clothes washer is gonna have to wait til tomorrow . . .

Amelia Earhart had nothing on Ruth Elder

There's only one thing yours truly cares to say about the recent flick "Amelia Earhart," starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere:

Unwatchable.

Ironically, the same day the DVD arrived in ye olde mailbox courtesy of our friends at Netflix, I stumbled across a kinnection to another pioneer aviatrix. (Yes, "aviatrix" is the appropriate feminine version of the word "aviator!")

Anyway, allow me to introduce you to my cousin (several times removed): Ruth Elder (1904-1977).

She left her first husband, a humble schoolteacher, to marry a member of the famous Byrd expedition to the Antarctic.

Then, inspired by Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, she left her second husband to attempt to become the first woman to cross the pond.

Good news and bad news to report on that attempt. Bad news first: It ended in a crash landing in the ocean beyond the Azores. Good news: A Dutch ship was nearby and able to rescue the intrepid Ruth and her copilot. They ended up getting a ticker tape parade in New York City.

Ruth continued flying after this setback. She placed fifth in the legendary "powderpuff derby," and was a founding member of the 99 Club. But, her good looks and charisma led her to take up a new career as an actress.

Initially, Ruth followed the vaudeville circuit, performing in towns all across America. Eventually, though, she ended up in California, where she starred in the silent film "Moran of the Marines." Her co-star Richard Dix would later be nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Cimarron."

Anyway, I'd say Ruth Elder's life would have made for a much better script. Someone should alert Hollywood to that . . .

Kick-start your spring cleaning

Just found out that our friendly neighbors over at E-PASS are sponsoring a shredding and electronics recycling event on Saturday, February 20th from 10 am to 2 pm.

It will be at the Colonial Plaza (2728 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803) near the intersection of Primrose and Colonial, in the parking lot area in front of where Circuit City was once located. Look for the orange E-PASS tent for giveaways.

This is a great way to prevent identity theft by shredding those documents you’ve accumulated and to recycle electronics you’re no longer using.

It is free and open to everyone.

Bring your obsolete documents and watch as they are shredded. It can be incredibly empowering. (Although, you will also have the option to drop off documents for shredding at a secure, off-site facility if you can't wait in line.)

In addition, bring all working and non-working electronics EXCEPT TVs for recycling. Data will be destroyed as appropriate and a certificate of destruction can even be emailed to you.


Again, NO TV's, but they will accept the following:

* desktop, tower & laptop computers
* CRT, LCD, plasma monitors/displays
* printers/plotters
* fax machines
* telephone systems, switches
* cell phones
* PDAs
* radios
* stereos
* VHS/DVDs
* video games
* projectors & cameras
* any kind of storage media

For computers and other items like cell phones and PDAs, a private company will process the item for data destruction (factory clearing cell phones and degaussing the SIM cards; three pass electronic erasure and Department of Defense level sanitization of hard drives.) All identifying marks, stickers and labels are removed. If media cannot be securely destroyed electronically, physical destruction is carried out at their facility.

For more information, please call 407-690-5000.

Cat vs. Squirrel

Allow yours truly to disabuse ye socks of any notion ye might have about just how urbane College Park might be.

Some pretty primal stuff is going on around this little corner of heaven! All you have to do is keep an eye out for it.

For example, today I was at the stop sign at New Hampshire and Gerda when I noticed a grey blur streak across one of the carefully manicured lawns.

This was closely followed by a slightly larger blur.

Both ended up in a nearby hedge, and a brief flurry of leaves and twigs erupted.

Then, nothing, just a return to a peaceful late winter scene.

That was until a cat trotted out of the hedge bearing a big ol' Cheshire grin. And, dangling from said grin were the limp remains of one of the neighborhood squirrels.

Struck me as a miniature re-enactment of one of those old episodes of Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom" . . .

I am in sooooo much trouble . . .

It's that time of year, again.

Everywhere I turn, it seems a box of Girl Scout cookies is calling my name!

I suppose there are worse afflictions . . .

Anyway, I'd like to encourage ye socks to get out there and support Scouting by buying a couple of boxes yourselves . . . then, invite me over to help empty them!!

Chaucer wrote about VD

By "VD," of course, I refer to Valentine's Day. What did you think I meant?!

Previous posts in the dryer have noted that there were no fewer than 11 saints named Valentine, none of whom seem to receive much recognition in modern celebrations of the day. Odd, no?

Anyway, I recently came across a passage in Chaucer's medieval story "Parliament of Fools" that would indicate the holiday lost its connection to sainthood and became more about romance a LONG time ago. He wrote:

"For this was sent on St. Valentine's Day,
When every fool comes there to choose his mate!"

So, the next time some cynic tries to dismiss this as a day created by the candymakers or Hallmark, you can justifiably declare PHOOEY on them!

Enjoy your VD, y'all!

I can't believe I stayed up late for that . . .

Yep, I was one of the millions that ended up sitting in front of a TV watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games up in Vancouver last night.

Really, I don't know why I do this to myself, especially since the highlights are generally covered the next day on the regular newscasts.

But, there I was.

I have to admit that I quite literally dozed-off during the artsy little "cultural" portion of the ceremonies.

I did, however, wake up in time to see the Canadians trot out their national icons as they raised the Olympic flag and prepared to ignite the cauldron: Anne Murray, Donald Sutherland, and Wayne Gretzky (among others).

Speaking of the cauldron, there was a technical glitch. It almost made staying up past ye olde bedtime worthwhile to see "The Great One" looking right and left for some direction when one of the 4 legs of the cauldron failed to emerge from the stadium grounds. "What do I do, now?!?"

Bottom line, last night's festivities paled in comparison to Beijing's hoopla. But, what wouldn't, right?!

Anyway, at least around this little corner of heaven, the Olympics aren't about all the theatrics. It's about the games. Let 'em begin, eh?!

Reunited, and it feels so . . . whatever

In recounting the trauma endured last night, yours truly forgot to mention the SECOND mobile phone incident to occur this week.

This time, said contraption was left sitting on my desk at work overnight.

Although this was a strangely liberating feeling, I did at least have sense enough to bring my charger into the office this morning so we don't have a THIRD incident!!

I thought these devices were supposed to make our lives easier?!

Not so much . . .

Surviving Survivor . . .

Must-see TV around this little corner of heaven tonight centered on the 20th season premiere of Survivor.

In case ye socks don't follow the series, this time around they're reuniting former contestants and dividing them into two rival camps of "heroes" and "villains."

I was actually looking forward to seeing how Russell from last season would stack-up against Richard from the first season.

Evidently, though, Mr. Hatch was too busy serving a sentence for tax evasion to take part?!

Well, that turned out to be the least of my concerns.

With both eyes focused on the TV screen, yours truly failed to realize a certain scrumptious morsel was still sizzling hot and ended up scalding his lower lip.

@*()!&*%)#&*@($)&*)&*!!! That hurts! Imagine it's gonna leave a nasty blister, too . . .

Faces of America

Allow yours truly to encourage ye socks out there with any interest in genealogy and genetics to tune in to tonight's premiere of Dr. Henry Louis Gates' new PBS series "Faces of America."

While most of you probably only know Dr. Gates for his participation in that ridiculous White House beer summit last year, he previously produced two great seasons of "African American Lives." That series explored roots, too, just focused solely on African Americans. But, this series examines the family trees of a dozen notable people of diverse backgrounds.

Hopefully, the show will live up to the hype!

Routine disruption

Being a creature of many habits, yours truly discovered today that a disruption of one can have a cascading effect on the rest of the day . . . and, that's not necessarily a bad thing!

Case in point: today. As I was rushing out the door to work, I realized that I hadn't plugged ye olde mobile phone into the charger last night.

Hmmm . . .

New phone. Haven't tested it before. Maybe, it'll hold yesterday's charge for another day . . . or, at least thru work hours?

Unfortunately, no.

That was the down side.

The up side has been that dead cell phones don't ring, so it's been an unusually quiet afternoon around this little corner of heaven. Even had time to whip up some homemade quesadillas!

But, fear not, said mobile phone is back on its charger as I type this . . .

Who, indeed?

Congressional candidate Bruce O'Donoghue picked up two key endorsements this fine Monday morning at Four Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Park.

The first came from former U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, who has known Mr. O'Donoghue since he was in the sixth grade.

The other was made by former Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings, whose brothers went to the University of Florida with O'Donoghue.

And, yet, the guy he's campaigning to replace is pretending like he will have no real competition. When asked what he thinks of the new candidate, Alan Grayson's supporters dutifully respond, "O'Donogh-who?!"

A regular laugh riot they are, no?

I suspect, however, the joke is going to be on them come November.

That they profess not to know who O'Donoghue is only highlights how very shallow Grayson's roots are in this community.

His potential successor summarized the situation rather well. "I think that Mr. Grayson is passionate about what he believes, and his style is unique," said Mr. O'Donoghue. "But, he is somebody who doesn't represent the values of the people of Central Florida."

True.

Brees v Manning

A lot of statisticians have been flinging comparative numbers about these last few weeks, in anticipation of the "Big Game" to be played down in Miami this evening.

Everyone is interested in seeing how New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is going to stack up against his counterpart in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning.

Yours truly thought it would be interesting to add a genealogical twist to the conjecture. Here's what I've been able to dig up on the roots of the rival qb's in ahnentafel format, with a coupla notes:

• To find the father of any person, double their reference number. To find their mother, double their reference number and add one to the result.


• I've only traced back 5 generations. Any further, and you're on your own!


• Abbreviations: * born; + died; bur buried; = married.

DREW BREEES

1. Andrew Christopher "Drew" BREES, *15 Jan 1979, Dallas, TX; 2. Eugene Wilson BREES, Jr., *AL; 3. Mina Ruth AKINS, *12 June 1950, San Marcos, TX, +7 Aug 2009, Ganby, CO; 4. Eugene Wilson BREES, Sr., *22 July 1914, Smyrna, IN, +2 May 1994, Phoenix, AZ; 5. Betty Jo JOHNSTON; 6. Robert Ray AKINS; 7. Dorothy Virginia SCHULTZ; 8. Perry Samuel BREES, 28 March 1878, Lenawee Co, MI, +5 July 1948, Logan Co, OH, = 23 April 1902, Spencerville, OH; 9. Maude Mae DOYLE, *15 Oct 1885, Auglaize Co, OH, +31 May 1954, Liberty, IN; 10. Rollen Alexander JOHNSTON, Sr., *10 May 1893, +4 Jan 1965, Wood Co, WV, = 14 Sept 1913; 11. Mildred LeRoss HENDERSON, *18 Oct 1894, +6 Dec 1979, Wood Co, WV; 12. Lester Thomas AKINS; 13. Rosa Mae MURPHY, *16 June 1904, Burnet, TX, +26 Nov 1985, bur New Baden, TX; 14. Hans Paul SCHULTZ, Sr., *21 March 1905, +6 April 1979, bur New Baden, TX; 15. Mattie Adell THOMPSON, *11 Sept 1907, Wheelock, TX, +16 Jan 1994, bur New Baden, TX; 16. Abraham Bennett BREES, *30 Dec 1842, Lenawee Co, MI, +5 Oct 1911, Spencerville, OH, = 9 Oct 1874, Marion Co, OH; 17. Harriet WILSON, *3 July 1836, Marion Co, OH, +24 Feb 1920, Spencerville, OH; 18. Franklin Augustus DOYLE, *22 Jan 1862, Lancaster, OH, = 27 Nov 1884, Washington Co, OH; 19. Delila COIL, *2 Feb 1868, Washington Co, OH, +31 March 1887, Washington Co, OH; 20. Joseph Monroe JOHNSTON, *13 Dec 1860, = 11 Sept 1890; 21. Virginia DOTSON; 22. Littleton HENDERSON, *9 Dec 1849, +29 Jan 1929, Wood Co, WV; 23. Frances Olive SEEVERS; 26. Herbert Benton MURPHY, *1878, Burnet, TX, = 2 June 1901; 27. Lillian TRUSSELL; 28. Paul Charles SCHULTZ, Sr., *20 July 1876, Germany, +22 April 1948, bur New Baden, TX; 29. Minnie HILTBOLD, *10 Aug 1878, Switzerland, +12 March 1948, New Baden, TX; 30. Will E. THOMPSON, *4 Feb 1872, = 6 Feb 1895; 31. Catherine Ann FULLERTON.

PEYTON MANNING

1. Petyon Williams MANNING, *24 March 1976, New Orleans, LA; 2. Elisha Archibald MANNING, III, *19 May 1949, Drew, MS, = May 1971; 3. Olivia WILLIAMS, * Philadelphia, MS; 4. Elisha Archibald MANNING, Jr., *10 March 1900, +Aug 1969, Drew, MS; 5. Jane Elizabeth NELSON, *14 March 1919, +30 Dec 2000, Drew, MS; 6. Amzie Cooper WILLIAMS, *6 June 1919, +18 April 2002, Philadelphia, MS; 7. Frances THOMAS, *20 July 1920, +9 Oct 2006, Philadelphia, MS; 8. Elisha Archibald MANNING, Sr., *23 Aug 1873, MS, +1952, = 1896; 9. Annie Sophia GADDY, *1878, AL, +1944; 12. Amzie Jackson WILLIAMS, * 3 Feb 1887, MS, +16 May 1964, Philadelphia, MS, = 27 March 1916, Newshoba Co, MS; 13. Nannie Mae STRIBLING, *11 Nov 1893, MS, +19 April 1983, Philadelphia, MS; 14. John S. THOMAS, *30 Sept 1882, MS, +5 July 1941, Neshoba Co, MS; 15. Mary B. WARREN, *21 Sept 1892, MS, +19 Sept 1962; 16. Richard Elam MANNING, *10 May 1830, Marion Co, SC, +3 March 1916, Crystal Springs, MS, =1852; 17. Elizabeth Ann PEVEY, *1834, MS, +1913; 18. John GADDY, *1852, AL; 19. Jennie JOHNSON, *1858, AL; 26. Nathaniel STRIBLING, Sr.; 27. Virginia Lee LANG; 30. William Moses WARREN; 31. Clara Swan HAMILTON.

A Painted House

While yours truly awaits the arrival of the books mentioned in last weekend's post, the page turner in our humble abode these last few days has been John Grisham's 2001 novel "A Painted House."

I bought it when it was new and read a couple of chapters before the events of that year got me off my reading routine.

Anyway, I rediscovered it this week, retrieving it from the attic bookshelf to find it was not hard to get re-immersed in the narrative.

This book represented a departure for Grisham, in that it is NOT a formulaic legal "thriller."

Still, he doesn't exactly stretch himself. The book is set in the rural South of his childhood, and seems at times like a very thinly veiled autobiography.

It tells the story of struggling cotton farmers in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas, from the point of view of a 7-year-old boy; and was later adapted as a made-for-TV movie. (No, I didn't watch it.)

It would appear from this (and more recent writings) that Mr. Grisham has some Faulknerian aspirations--at the very least. He also makes an outright reference to an even earlier icon of Southern literature, Tom Sawyer's white-washed fence. It must be frustrating for such a talented writer to be (forever?) pigeon-holed in the legal thriller genre. At least he can be frustrated and rich, no?!?

Anyway, it made for a quick and entertaining read, a good "filler" until those other books arrive . . .

Meet the candidate

This morning, our regular breakfast bunch was honored to welcome a special guest to the table: Bruce O'Donoghue.

As noted in a couple of posts earlier this week, Mr. O'Donoghue recently announced his candidacy for Congress.

Reading the paper, googling, and watching campaign ads on TV are the ways most of us have to learn more about the candidates whose names eventually pop-up on our ballots. But, getting to look them in the eye and ask them direct questions are rare opportunities. And, I'm glad I had both this morning.

Mr. O'Donoghue reassured me that my initial impressions of him as a serious candidate were accurate. This guy can beat Alan Grayson in the general election this fall.

Quantum of Solace

Thanks to our friends at Netflix, an otherwise dull Thursday evening was salvaged with the DVD version of the latest James Bond flick: Quantum of Solace.

I'm not sure how all of ye socks feel about the whole franchise that spy novelist Ian Fleming's most famous character spawned.

Bond freaks are just that. Freaks. And, they all have very firm opinions on which actor has best portrayed the legendary 007. It makes the whole Trek debate on Kirk or Picard seem even more childish than it is.

For the record, Daniel Craig is no Roger Moore.

Anyway, even if you cannot buy into everything that goes along with the series, yours truly gives two thumbs up to the latest edition.

If nothing else, it stays true to the formula. And, if you can suspend reality for a bit, you can find yourselves on a globe-spanning whirlwind.

Not bad for a Thursday night.

Primary field narrows

Further to my post on Monday, it would appear that the crowded field of candidates who are eager to unseat our insane congressman Alan Grayson has gotten a little smaller.

Armando Gutierrez, the youthful developer and recent Harvard grad who moved to this little corner of heaven last year, decided to bow-out yesterday.

This decision came despite his great fundraising successes.

Apparently, he is putting his political ambitions on the backburner--at least temporarily--to focus his efforts on bringing a major league baseball franchise to Orlando.

I wish him luck in that endeavor.

The departure of Gutierrez leaves Bruce O'Donoghue and Kurt Kelly as the two most serious contenders in this primary . . . at least in my not-so-humble opinion.

Ground Hog Day

Whenever yours truly sees this "holiday" pop up on ye olde calendar, thoughts turn to a handful of old movies rather than speculations as to the end of winter.

That's because the film "Ground Hog Day," starring Bill Murray, was one of the select few that seemed to fascinate my late father.

He could watch it over and over and over and over again . . . and, often did, much to the chagrin of the rest of our none-too-patient nuclear family.

The other "classics according to Dad" were, in no particular order: Evil Roy Slade, Continental Divide, and Forrest Gump.

It always struck me as odd that someone who tended to take him self way too seriously was attracted to such a ridiculous bunch of movies.

To each his own, I guess.

And, there's very little that's better for waiting-out winter than to curl up on an overstuffed couch and popping in a DVD. Might just do that tonight, as there's really nothing good on TV til NCIS comes on . . . .

Pass the popcorn!

A crowded field gets more crowded

Is it ever sickening to see Alan Grayson's image pop up on a national broadcast, letting the whole world know that this little corner of heaven is represented in Congress by a complete nut case . . .

Ye out-of-town socks may be unaware of this goofball, though that's increasingly hard to believe given his penchant for outrageous utterances and outlandish behavior.

If you don't believe me, check out a site that chronicles our shame: http://www.mycongressmanisnuts.com/

Anyway, this guy only managed to buy his seat in Congress due to the very poor record of his predecessor and by riding the ObamaNation wave in '08.

Now, folks are chomping at the bit to unseat him in 2010 and bring this embarassment to an end. Indeed, the field of hopefuls has gotten crowded. There's state rep Kurt Kelly of Ocala; talk show host and personal injury lawyer Todd Long; developer Armando Gutierrez; and Winter Park anesthesiologist Ken Miller, just to name a few!

Today, though, that field got even more crowded with this announcement by local businessman Bruce O'Donoghue: "Over the past year, politicians in Washington have managed to jeopardize the futures of both our parents and our children. We cannot afford to allow this trend to continue unchecked."

With statements like that and his long standing in the community, Mr. O'Donoghue immediately finds himself at the top of the proverbial heap of candidates. To stay there he will have to beat Rep. Kelly in racking-up endorsements and Mr. Gutierrez in collecting campaign contributions. Yours truly will be looking forward to seeing if he can do that before the August primary.

Oh, yeah, and "white rabbit" to ye socks who know what that means!