Cheesy

"In France, the cheese is alive. You never put the cheese in the refrigerator because you don't put your cat in the refrigerator. It's the same. It's alive. If I know that in America the cheese is dead – and I have been studying cheese in almost 50 states in America I can tell you, the cheese is dead everywhere – then I have to put that up front. I have to say, 'This cheese is safe, is pasteurized, is wrapped up in plastic.' I know the plastic is a body bag. 'You can put it in the fridge.' I know the fridge is the morgue. That's where you put the dead bodies, eh? And so once you know that, this is the way you market cheese in America." -market researcher Clotaire Rapaille (I'm going to keep searching for the video, but for now, the interview transcript is here). I'll never look at cheese the same way again.
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Where's My Walker?

"Happy 66th Birthday! Lucky you, this should come around twice :) Have fun." -birthday wishes from my awesome roomie (who apparently believes my theory that an old lady lives inside of me).
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Meet Me in St. Louis

"It's our last dance in St. Louis. I feel like I'm going to cry." -Esther Smith, as played by Judy Garland.

Actually this is my first dance in St. Louis ... spending the day with the Mulcahy family (yes, even baby Ethan!) and exploring the city.  What more could a girl want for her 25th birthday when she's 1,000 miles away from home?  Can't wait to see some familiar faces!

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Room With A View

"I booked the hotel before I booked the woman." -Buzz explains the happy coincidence that his new lady friend likes their accommodation in Berlin (she's joining him last minute to watch him run the marathon there on Sunday).
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Rocking the Vote in Cville

"The smartest kids in the state go there, so it's leaning a little bit towards Obama." -Luke Russert jumps to conclusions about political activity at the University of Virginia. Video below, story here. Oops.

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Buckin' Bronco

"On the plains of hesitation lie the blackend bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died." -Adlai Stevenson quote in the back of my new 'Rodeo King' idea book.

Quite possibly the coolest notebook ever, not to mention the quote makes me feel a little better about my current lack of sleep...
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The Trouble With Women

(Mom, please don't flip out when you read this ... he is in college, you know)

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Slow & Steady

"I made sure to run extra fast today so that I can run Whitney pace tomorrow." -I haven't decided if this means I'm slow or not, but either way, at least I have some good company for my 9+ miler :) Next big question: when to break in my new shoes?!
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Birthday Boy

"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply." -Jane Austen (Mansfield Park).

Happy 22nd to my oldest younger brother :)
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My Main Squeeze

"After all these years of keeping track of them, it's hard to imagine letting them go." -from a WaPo article about a mother's attachment to her kids' stuffed animals. My mom sent me the article (via real mail - she hasn't yet mastered the click & send method) because it made her think of Monkey Do, my faithful companion of 24+ years...
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Brotherly Love

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Be Present

"The world is a wonderful place. All you have to do is show up and there's so much to learn." -another memorable moment from Journalism & Conflict (this was not long after the professor dressed up like the Lone Ranger and presented me with a silver bullet ... guess you had to be there?).

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Look

How many areas of life can this be applied to???

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Political Persuasion

Pretty funny email from a pretty funny guy ... mostly since I wasn't aware we were married.

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Show Me The Money

Well, if they're teaching it at VT then in must be true :P

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Dog of the Day

Last week I had an absolutely delicious cake batter cone at Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream in downtown Columbia. These little guys were waiting patiently outside the shop. Guess which one is real?!
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Brangelina

"I was thinking of becoming Brad Pitt, but he has too many children. That would really slow me down. But on the other hand he also has Angelina Jolie. What a pistol." -Can you see why I love going to my Journalism & Conflict class? The professor couldn't be more entertaining :)
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Freestylin'

"Young lady, lane one is cheap ... if you're interested in buying." -a little old man who gave me a wink as he climbed out of the out pool and offered me his lap lane. He was incredibly cute (despite the Speedo), and I told him I couldn't pass up such a great bargain.

On a different note, I'm running the Heart of Africa 5k this morning. I paid $25 to run 3.2 miles and get the ugliest, brown cotton t-shirt ever made. Why do I do these things?
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Mizzou Alums Speak Out

Amusing quotes from J-School Centennial speakers:

* "The J-School opens doors. What you do when you get past those doors is up to you." - Prof. William Taft ... he will be 93 this month!

* "In heaven, do the angels go around and talk about each other?" -Prof. Gail Baker, wondering about why people are all up in each other's business.

* "Apparently you don't have to be sexy to anchor the news." -Jann Carl, Entertainment Tonight, on how she got her start as a hard news reporter.

* "If this was the Renaissance, the web would be Florence." -Jack Bamberger, Meredith Corporation

* "Change is a bitch." -theme from the "Future of Magazine Journalism" session
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World's First J-School

"A man who has the advantage, honor and pleasure of addressing the public every day as a writer or thinker is a professional man." -Joseph Pulitzer, on university education as legitimization for journalists. Must've worked ... Mizzou's J-School Centennial is this week and we have all kinds of notable alums coming to town!
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Red Headed Stranger

"Willie Nelson looks like Mother Nature." -some random chick on the sidewalk. Well, I guess now we know what Mother Nature looks like.
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Confusion

Mayor Hindman (Mayor of Columbia): May I speak to Whitney?
Whitney: This is she.
Mayor Hindman: She?! You're a girl?


Uh, yeah.
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Sound Advice

"Be steady and well-ordered in your life so you can be fierce and original in your work." -a Gustave Flaubert on the board in one of my classrooms.
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Carrots, etc.

"Vegans eat what rabbits eat." -an astute observation by a fellow J-schooler at yesterday's pre-game tailgate. I wonder what she thought of my veggie burger?
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Real Age

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" -just a thought. Given my old-lady lifestyle and aching knees, I figure I would be about 65.
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Funny Ladies

"How many of you watched Sarah Palin last night? How many of you thought you were watching Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live?" -an observation by a professor. Accurate or not?!
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Make Me Stronger

"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you goingto be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'" - Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner.

5:30 am run with the Columbia Track Club this morning. Over an hour. In the dark. And the rain. Am I going crazy?
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Skinny Thoughts

"Thinking hard is not a good way to lose weight." -NYT Q&A about whether extra mental effort burns more calories. Too bad.
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Get Smart

"Political licentiousness is one of the worst features of modern journalism, and it is directly traceable to lack of education ... the more a man is educated, the less inclined will he be to leave the broad pathway of honorable argument for the foul slums of invective and personal abuse." -George F. Parsons, 1869. Good thing I'm going to J-School - wouldn't want to end up in a foul slum of personal abuse!
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Straight Talk

"She's cute ... and she's in the NRA." -a little old man at yesterday's Republican Rally in O'Fallon, Missouri, when asked why he likes Sarah Palin (what other qualifications could you possibly need to be vice president?!).
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