And because this is the most fun video I’ve found in a while…

Take a break from returning gifts and putting away your holiday decorations to watch this very short clip.

Cute animals? Check!
Catchy soundtrack? Check!

And laughing/singing along burns calories so – way to get a head start on your New Year’s Resolutions!

More fun stuff, serious stuff, and giveaways to follow in 2011!

Nevermind the fact that I haven’t been getting much of a head start on my holiday shopping.  Or wrapping.  Or decorating.

*sigh*

But there are lots of friends from the interwebs and Twitter who are more than making up for my slack-tastic self in the holiday department.

1.) The Bloggess. If you haven’t yet read her post on the Christmas Miracle that her readers helped create,  you are missing out on a big piece of holiday spirit.  Go! Read it now!

2.) Domestic, But Not Martha.

Crystal has only been blogging for a (relatively) short time, but is already making an impact.  Check out  her Handmade Holiday series for lots of gifting ideas.  Especially companies – and Etsy sites – where your purchases make a difference.  (I’m looking at you, Sara from  Happy Brown House)

Go and check out the links above.  In the meantime, I’m going to work at getting my Christmas on.

Quite a dapper gentleman I must say!

No, I am not the kind of person who normally dresses her pets. But who doesn’t find it amusing every once in a while to see how much you can annoy a creature by throwing something on them?

Spike, my foster dog, seemed to not only not mind it – but actually kind of enjoyed wearing the hat. I think he may be posing a little for me in this pic.

On another awesome note: Spike and Sarah have a “meet & greet” at a potential “forever home” this Sunday night! Yay!!

Bossy & I on my 29th (cough!) birthday

But it was my birthday.  And it was a party.  And it was fabulous!

There was laughter, hummus, good beer, and even better company:

Mommy’s Martini, MomZombie, Unmitigated (the artist formerly known as Middle Aged Woman), Deb, Suzan (aka: swirly fabulous), Elizabeth, and GrandeMocha.  Silly me, only took out my camera at the end of the night to take a few blurry photos.   Scrapbook FAIL.  But check out Bossy’s post on the night, as well as some of the other great bloggers above for actual pics.

And then, on the way home, I got my first (actual) birthday present….. A lovely ticket from the State Police.  Ha!

Actually, it was kind of a gift.  I only got written up for not having my new registration on me.  (New tabs were on the license plate – but the actual copy of the registration form was on my kitchen table.  Fail)

I can only hope that next year (when, surprisingly enough I will be turning 29! again!) is just as good.

edited note:  That was disappointing.

won’t you work for more than just

thirty seconds? ugh…..

Tomorrow we hope to return with your regularly scheduled blog.

(edited to add:  the above haiku took me 45 freakin’ minutes to post…)

The catchy tune by the Black Eyed Peas has been running through my head for a little while now.

Why?  Because tonight BOSSY is coming to Detroit!   She s did a road trip across the U.S. back in 2008 and a group of us local bloggers got together for a night of fun, wine, and a late-night White Castle trip.  Not to mention, the world’s yummiest salmon dish. (recipe is halfway down the post)

Now she’s doing it again, this time for her (No) Book Tour.  Because, well, she forgot to write a book.   But she did manage to organize a trip criss-crossing the country covering 12,000 miles in 6 weeks.  Yikes!  Check out Bossy’s website to see the latest stories of leggings, support hose, the best fast-food breakfast sandwiches, and living out of a car for one and a half months.  Also, her romance with John Cusak. (see below)

And a group of us are getting together at a local(ish) brew pup – Liberty Street Brewing Co. in Plymouth, MI.  I’m hoping to reunite with a few of the great women I met last time – and meet a few more.  Maybe even a guy will show up this time.

A few other reasons why today is going to be good:  It’s also my birthday. (woo-hoo!)  So before making the trek to Plymouth, my good friend Brad & I are going to catch an afternoon showing of Iron Man 2.  It’s also a sunny day – perfect for walking my foster dogs.  I also went to the chiropractor this morning and feel very relaxed and stretched out after my post-adjustment rolling treatment.  Also: the office staff at Dr Buller’s sang “Happy Birthday” to me when I walked in.  How sweet!

I hope you’ve got a feeling that today is going to be great for you as well.  And I hope that there is some sunshine in your life, wherever you are.

Just Juli, self-portrait. May, 2010 (courtesy of necksolutions.com)

As I sit here recovering (still!) from my whiplash, I am reminded of a phrase that I read in the Bible referring to the Israelites as “a stiff-necked people“.   When I looked up this passage, I was surprised to find that this description is found 7 times in the scriptures.

If God says something once, it has meaning.  Twice – you should take more notice of it.  But seven times?  He is really trying to get your attention!

That’s me.  And not just right now when I am working just to get my head to comfortably face forward.  (And, oh! To dream of being able to look to my left! Or up! Or down!!)

I am stubborn.  I can be hard hearted, and slow to change my ways.  I am guilty of sometimes falling into bad habits of apathy and laziness.  Even though my heart has been broken for so many marginalized people.  Why is it that I spend more time on facebook than keeping up with world events?  The ignorance of the masses is what keeps the cycle of evil in the world continually spinning.

Edmund Burke is oft misquoted as saying

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”

Burke’s actual statement from his ‘Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents’ reads:

“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitited sacrifice in a contemptible struggle”

Today I am pondering why it is that I can so often get stuck in a cycle of selfishness and be so myopic in my worldview.

More importantly: What steps can I take to become more of an active participant in this world?  What do I need to do to look beyond myself and meet the needs of others?  How do I “soften my neck”?

It’s about time. Seven goals

to San Jose’s one.

Photo credit to AP via Yahoo!sports

Johan Franzen set a franchise record with 6 points in a playoff game.  He had 4 goals and 2 assists tonight.