Happy Festivus, Everyone!

December 23rd is the day to celebrate Festivus!

My favorite holiday. In case you don't remember here are the four main elements of Festivus as seein on Seinfeld:

The Festivus Pole: The Costanzas' tradition begins with an aluminum pole, which Frank praises for its "very high strength-to-weight ratio." During Festivus, the unadorned Festivus Pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is "very low-maintenance," and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting."

The Airing of Grievances: At the beginning of the Festivus dinner, each participant tells friends and family of all the instances where they disappointed him or her that year. As quoted from Frank Costanza: "I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!"

Festivus dinner: In "The Strike," a celebratory dinner is shown on the evening of Festivus prior to the Feats of Strength. The on-air meal appeared to be meat loaf or spaghetti in a red sauce. In Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin, drinking is encouraged with hearty beer, rum, bourbon, or wine. In the episode, no alcohol was served, but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drank from a flask.

The Feats of Strength: After the dinner, the head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.

You can give your donation to the Human Fund to me.

I DID IT!

I passed! I got my letter from IAAP yesterday saying I had passed all the parts of the CPS exam and have achieved the Certified Professional Secretary rating!

Yay me!

So here was my score:

Part 1 - Office Systems Technolgy - passed - score: 898
Part 2 - Office Administration - passed - score: 816
Part 3 - Management - passed - score: 814

The score for each part was based on a scaled score of 450, so scoring 450 or higher is a pass.

You may now address me as Kristine Leibrand, CPS!

Thank You

We had a passel of firemen doing interviews in the conference room by my desk today. It was kind of fun to see these guys and listen to their stories. Boy, did they have some doozies.

Anyway, it made me realize what an extraordinary job these people have. I know I couldn't do it, so thank you to those of you that can!

I Licked a Slug

My friend Happy Papaya has a traveller that you can only get if you lick a slug. Up until recently, I hadn't earned that traveller. But now I can say, with much pride, that I have. At the ABCs of Halloween letterboxing gathering I went to back in October, while hunting for a box in the wrong place, I ran across a little slug. Egged on by my sick letterboxing buddies, I licked it. Here's my proof:





Have you guys heard that song called "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry? (Check out this link at lala.com to listen for free) Yeah, well, every time I think about licking this slug this song pops into my head only re-titled "I Licked a Slug." Here are my new lyrics:

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, logbook in hand
Lost my discretion
It's not what I'm used to
Just want the stamp
I'm curious about the stamp
Caught my attention

I licked a slug and I liked it
The taste of dirt and branches
I licked a slug just to try it
I hope the slug don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Now my tongue’s numb tonight
I licked a slug and I liked it
I liked it

No, I don't even know his name
It doesn't matter,
He was my experimental game
Just letterboxing nature,
It's what,
Good letterboxers do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

I licked a slug and I liked it
Just for a traveler
I licked a slug just to try it
I hope the slug don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Now my tongue’s numb tonight
I licked a slug and I liked it
I liked it

Those slugs are so magical
Slimy skin, brown lips, so lickable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

I licked a slug and I liked it
The taste of dirt and branches
I licked a slug just to try it
I hope the slug don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Now my tongue’s numb tonight
I licked a slug and I liked it
I liked it

A songwriter I am not.

This Is So Me

Except I don't have the energy to even to that.