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Arbitrary Thoughts

February 9th, 2012 - Arbitrary Thoughts - 36 Comments »

+ Remember the Timehop site I mentioned a few weeks ago? I love it. Every morning I get an email with a list of my tweets/updates from exactly one year ago. It’s surprisingly addicting – kind of like opening a time capsule every day.

+ Best iPhone shortcut ever: If you’re like me and get sick of typing in your email address all the time, just create a keyboard shortcut – Settings > General > Keyboard > Add New Shortcut. It kind of works the same way as autocorrect. Whenever I type in “wt”, my entire email address fills in.

+ Anyone use Goodreads?

+ 2 days ago was the 2nd day of the 2nd week of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of the 2nd decade of 2nd millennium. (via @alex_ogle)

+ I’m a sucker for political dramas. Just finished the first season of Boss and have now started (throwback alert) West Wing. Both are fantastic.

+ I’ve got some pretty exciting things lined up for next week here on the blog. Hint: you might want to sign up for The List if you haven’t already.

+ Bon Iver on SNL.

+ David Choe, Graffiti Artist, Set To Make $200 Million In Facebook IPO. Lesson learned: As a freelancer, sometimes there are better things than getting your “standard rates” up front.

+ I’ve got a pretty unique giveaway today. My brother-in-law Josh is one of the main illustrators over at petsaresuperhero.es – a site that takes pictures of YOUR pets and draws them as super heroes (see above). They want to give away a drawing to one of you. All you have to do is answer the question in the comments and I’ll pick a winner at random.

Do you have a pet? Tell us about him/her in the comments. 

The winner will get a digital copy of their custom drawing AND a 5×7 print shipped to them ($55 value). Even if you don’t win, you should still head over to the site and check out the goods.

  • Anonymous

    I have four dogs. They are (in the order in which they joined our family) Masha, a Siberian Husky whose main superpower is the ability to steal a “kiss” when you’re least expecting it; Vali, a German Shepherd Dog who is brave and protective as long as his version of kryptonite (aka water) is not around; Jared, a GSD/boxer mix who is afraid of his own shadow (and pants, oddly enough); and Donovan, a 30 lb. Terrier with Napoleon complex. I’d love to see any (or all) of them reimagined as a superhero!

  • Andrea Kirkley

    We had some nice animal lovers toss a small kitten in our yard about 3 years ago. We named the little guy Ed and kept him. He’s completely symmetrical except for one little spot on his “lip”. He climbs up a tree in our front yard and then crosses over our roof to the back side of the house and climbs into our attic through a piece of missing facial board and sneaks into our closet. 

    Not kidding. 

    When we realized we had a stalker in our closet, we fixed the facial board. No more attic kitty. 

    He also used our attic insulation as his GIANT litter box. Ugh…

  • Jody

    I have a great dog named Georgia.  A big ol’ Chow looking mutt.  Tough as nails.  She has had 2 knee replacements.  Bitten by a copperhead on the nose.  Then killed it by biting its head off. A couple of years later she was bitten by another copperhead 3 times on her leg.  I think that snake probably left the county in embarrassment after she laughed at him.   

  • David Clark

    I’ve got a 3 year old lab mix named Tina. She’s the best – literally wandered into a friends’ yard a few years ago & kept coming back – so I took her to the shelter, had her checked out, & adopted her. Great running buddy, incredibly laid back temperament, loves to sleep (thankfully), hates storms, & great with kids. We make a good pair!

  • Tjcarley

    I have a black Lab named Murdock. He is named for the crazy member of the A Team.

  • http://www.sacred-voyage.com/ John

    I have a dog named Rocky – named after Rocky Balboa. He’s a small dog – Corgi/Australian Shepherd mix, so I decided to give him a big name to make up for his size. He definitely has “little man syndrome” – goes after anything that comes near his territory – cats, birds, other dogs. All bark and no bite though - most of his teeth fell out after he spent a few days chewing on rocks. (Guess the name fits a little more than I thought.)

  • David

    I have a small shih tzu dog named MeiMei, Chinese for “little sister”, since she is the little sister of my parent’s dog.  MeiMei is now over 15 years old.  She has been with us through 4 moves in three states and from no kids to 3 kids.  While she is old and getting frail, she’s still a great pet, and we love her.

  • Jill Donnelly

    I have a one year old Golden Lab (yellow lab, golden retriever mix) He’s goofy and the tallest, longest dog I’ve ever owned. His name is Beckett for both Josh and Samuel) We also have a 13 year old shar pei/chow/pit bull who is 35 pounds of crazy. Her name is Chan, for Jackie Chan.  Let me just say that we were all relieved when age deprived her of her hearing.  

  • http://twitter.com/bethaf Beth

    I have no pets. But I logged in to Goodreads for the first time in 2 years this morning, and cannot stop clicking on books. All the books.

  • Taylorlane18

    My 30 pound dog allie turns into a block of cement if we let her on the bed. In the middle of the night last night I was pushing with ALL OF MY MIGHT to get her off the bed and she never moved an inch. Unbelievable. 

  • ryan guard

    I’ve got a boxer named Bella! She’s pretty dope.

  • Kat Hanschu

    We have a cat named Atticus who unfortunately went from “only child” status to “pet” status when our two boys came along. I’m sure he looks forward to 8:00 every night when the hooligans go to bed!

  • Anonymous

    We have two cats and a dog, and I’m slightly ashamed to say that they all have full names…

    Older cat – Margaret Louise Robinson (Maggie)
    Dog – Penelope Anne Robinson (Penny)
    Younger cat – Pete-icus Maximus Robinson (Pete)

    Surprisingly (or maybe not), all three names suit their personalities remarkably well.

  • http://iamjakz.com/ Jaklyn Larsen

    I’ve got a Boston Terrier named Mojo. He chases shadows, and if you mention the word “Squid” in any conversation when he’s present, he runs outside. Squirrel/squid, same thing, right?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Abby-Johnson/524700860 Abby Johnson

    Good call on The West Wing. Probably my all time favorite. And that’s saying a lot because I watch an incredible amount of TV. Some (my mother) would say too much, but you know what they say about haters…

    Anyway, I have a black lab/husky mix named Lucielle 2. Or Lucy for short. Best dog ever.

  • Ashley MacKirdy

    West Wing will change your life.

  • Anonymous

    i have a dog named juno that pisses when she meets new people.

    • Anonymous

      and she was on tosh.o

      • Anonymous

        but mostly she just pees

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen-Moret-Harrison/1553906570 Karen Moret Harrison

          This has nothing to do with pets, but once I called Tosh.O Josh.2 in front of my daughter’s friends, thus ruining her chances of……well, pretty much everything.

  • Kelsey Nowell

    I have an orange cat named Waffles who likes to eat plants (and subsequently get sick). 

    Is this technically the 2nd millenium or the 3rd?

  • http://www.facebook.com/nate.farrow Nathan Farrow

    I have a beagle/blue healer mix named little foot

  • Marc Buwalda

    Oliver, a golden retriever.  Best canine friend I could imagine.

  • http://abluesicanwhistle.blogspot.com Tim Rhodes

    I use Goodreads and I love it. It’s so great at keeping up with what I read but also finding new books to read. I’ve set a goal of reading 40 books this year. I don’t think I can pull it off, but the site is great at helping keep up with it.

    How amazing was Bon Iver??

  • http://chrystalmurphy.com/ Chrystal

    Have not tried Goodreads but will be signing up as soon as I finish this comment.

    Also, I have a great dog. Emma. She’s a yellow lab mix. Easily the best dog ever. By that I mean she is just as lazy as I am and therefore requires little effort to care for. :) Seriously, she is great – only barks when something needs to be barked at, doesn’t poop in the house, doesn’t bite our 3 year old although sometimes she would be justified in doing so, and she sleeps on my feet at night to keep them warm. Best dog ever.

  • Sara Johnson

    I have an adorable lab/something big mix named Winston.  He’s already a superhero of sorts.  And by superhero I mean he NEVER sits still. Also,  I’m pretty sure he’s a depression baby because he hoards toys and food.  He could certainly carry his own on an episode of hoarders.  Not that I’ve actually seen more that 3 minutes of said television delightfulness.  I love talking about my dog; thanks for asking!

  • Lroglesby

    My cat Biscuit is the best cat who ever catted. She wakes me up in the morning with a cold nose, greets me at the door when I get home at night, enjoys playing fetch, and is terrific lap warmer.

    I have an acct at Goodreads that I consistently fail to update. Oops!

  • http://www.evanforester.com Evan Forester

    I have a pet hamster named Jack. Last night I had a dream that he could talk. I think this deserves at least double the odds.

  • http://macbethany.com/ Beth McLennan

    I have a cat named Alyssa Melissa. She loves to cuddle and comes when called. Weird for a cat, but I love her dearly for it.

  • Jessi Whitt

    I have a golden retriever named Marley & a Savannah cat named India. They’re both pretty awesome, except when they get into mischief, which seems to be a recurring theme. The dog ate some cake pops my husband brought home the other night. They were in my hubby’s laptop bag so the dog must’ve gotten help from the cat to get them out. I had no idea my hubby brought home cake pops until I found the evidence (plastic wrapper & sucker sticks) during my dogs morning routine!!! So yeah, did I mention they get into mischief?!

  • Jenny

    Tinsley is our dog and the picture in the blog above strangely resembles her. Could it be?

  • http://theadventuresofgabriella.blogspot.com/ gabriella

    My family has a cat! (Does that count?)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Karen-Moret-Harrison/1553906570 Karen Moret Harrison

    I have a dog named Mattie, and 3 cats – Julian, Charlotte and Smudge.

    Mattie is the sheriff of the pet world (at least the one consisting of our four walls). Whenever the cats get into a scuffle, she instantly jumps up from wherever she is dozing and breaks up the fight.  She stands watch until both cats leave the vicinity (sheriff word).  Then we say “Move along.  Nothing to see here.”

    She also stands guard over my daughter’s guinea pig, Zoe.  If one of the cats exhibits suspicious behavior – for instance, entering my daughter’s room – Mattie stands by the pig’s cage and softly issues a warning growl.  She’s like a ventriloquist – her lips (?) don’t even move.  If the cat doesn’t get the message, she shows her teeth.  Third step into the room and she springs into action, nipping at them.  They run like hell.  Shoulda listened to the soft growl.

  • http://www.ramblingbarba.com Ken Hagerman

    My wife is a Goodreads girl. She does a good bit of book reviews for publishing houses and posts there as well as several other outlets. She has had the opportunity to connect with many of the authors there. She likes it.

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  • Orange

    Our dog is named “Norm!”.  Yes, the exclamation point is included.  He is a not-quite-two-year-old beagle and he is awesome.  He likes long walks on the beach.  He doesn’t know that last part yet, though.