So, Last day of April. For some reason, my years always naturally separate into thirds. I can’t think of a year in terms of quarters or halves, for some reason. It’s the first third, then the summer third, then the autumn-and-holidays third. Not sure if that makes sense in anyone’s head but mine. If you cut it into quarters, then June gets separated from July and August, and clearly that can’t be right. Obviously.

Anyway, May Day is tomorrow, and coincidentally I’m thinking about my own rescue. I’ve been doing really well with my 2008 goal list— I’m right on target to have it all squared away by the end of the year. But for all the success, there’s little sense of accomplishment, or fulfillment. The only completed goal I think I’ll feel remotely positive about soon is having bought an air conditioner, but seeing as summer seems to have postponed itself, I haven’t had the chance to test that theory yet.

So tomorrow, to mark the middle third of the year, I think I’m going to do some tree-huggy new-agey stuff and maybe start a detox or something. I keep having these not-serious-but-annoying health issues, most of which I think have to do with my eating habits and my stress level. I already use meditation and yoga as part of my daily routine, but I think it’s time to stir both those up a little, maybe kick them up a notch, and do something about my food intake. More vegetables wouldn’t hurt. Less junk wouldn’t hurt, either. I’m not necessarily talking about drastic changes, because I’m realistic like that, but I would like to start feeling better and being healthier. Summer third is a good time to do that, I think.

Anybody else got any special plans for summer? Four months is a long time, we could make some significant progress on a few things. What do you say?

Well, you can’t argue with the quality if it’s sauthentic, can you?

The Turks are obsessed with rose gardening, and they’re good at it. A friend told me yesterday that it makes sense they would choose roses because there’s a lot of history there, that roses were first cultivated in the area that is now Turkey. I can’t seem to find anything online that confirms or denies this (though admittedly I didn’t spend much time looking). Can anyone fill us in?

In any case, I went out and took some photos of local roses a couple of days ago (small flickr set here), and it’s a good thing I did it when I did— last night we had the mother of all hail storms. It was the first time in four years of living here that I’d ever experienced hail in this country, and it was pretty violent. The streets were flowing with ice pellets. I’m afraid if I go down and look at the roses today, it’s going to be a sad sight.

Considering it’s almost May, we’re having weather more consistent with early March. After having packed away the duvet and the winter clothes a couple of weeks ago, I had to dig it all back out yesterday so that we wouldn’t freeze, and I had to bring the plants inside to protect them. I’m not particularly a global warming conspirator, but something is certainly going on, whether it be global warming, or a strange series of coincidences, or, from the looks of it, a coming ice age.

Like wishing John would just open the friggin gate already, for example.

Cocaine or the stock market, take your pick:

Ye olde hyghschool nyckname:

I’m in a bit of a weird mood today, so here’s a strange one I’ve been saving:

Now, normally I would concentrate on making fun of the (admittedly nonsense) text, but the reason I was interested in this one was the creepy artwork, if you can call it that.

Check out the girl. Look closely at her hands. The fingers. The right foot. The left foot. Also, check out the difference between where the bend in the skirt indicates the left hip is, versus where the position of her leg suggests the left hip should be. Oh, and the resultant hunch. Don’t forget the hunch. I’m pretty sure gravity wouldn’t actually allow her to stay up in that position given that her right hip wouldn’t even be on the chair and she’s leaning so far forward.

I’m going to have nightmares for weeks. I to fear 73 girl.

Well, in my experience, bottom girl enjoy also:

And yes, it is a kids shirt, natch.

09: square of the number of vowels the Akdmks need to buy.

God, I don’t even know where to start with this one:

First of all, isn’t that an grandpa vest? For a baby? Well, maybe mini-Grandpa loves his dedy… we can’t know for sure.