Papercuts, Music and Pandas, oh my...

I learned something important already this morning, something I'm going to share with you. Here it is: If you have a paper cut between your fingers, using antibacterial hand sanitizer hurts a lot. In fact for about 20 seconds, it sort of feels like your fingers are going to fall off.

You're welcome.

So starts my Tuesday morning. It's a cold one again. Last week, our nights were somewhat mild- about 33 degrees. I had this enormous down comforter on my bed. It's the type that rustles when you move it, one you can wrap around you so that it moulds to your body. It's very warm. So warm that I ended up sleeping on top of it one night, using my fuzzy panda blanket instead. So, this weekend I changed my bedding and put some lighter covers on. Naturally, it got really cold again. My fuzzy panda blanket comes in rather useful as an extra layer of warmth.

Just for the record, the fuzzy panda blanket was a gift. It's one of those giant ones you see people selling at flea markets and things. There were no monkey blankets available otherwise I'm sure I'd have that instead. However, I do enjoy my pandas. It's misleadingly thin; you can snuggle up in it and it provides as much warmth as a real live panda.

Not that I've been that close to a real live panda. Though I do vaguely remember seeing them at the London Zoo as a child. I was so excited to be going to zoo the night before, I remember not sleeping. That was a mistake. London Zoo is very hilly and for a little kid like me, it's an awful lot of walking. I think by the time I got to the pandas, I was so tired that I did the equivalent of "yay, pandas" only, you know, the little kid version which was probably more like "great. Can we eat now?" However, I have seen the baby panda sneeze video on youtube.com a few times to which I have provided a handy link so you, too, can see the adorableness of a baby panda sneezing. Also, I have seen "Kung Fu Panda" which I thoroughly enjoyed because Jack Black as a tubby panda ninja is just funny.

So, you wonder, why am I rambling about pandas? Well, the answer is....I have no idea. As usual, I had no thoughts about what to blog about today so I'm just going with the rambly incontinence that is leaking from my brain. I did consider blogging about morning radio shows and why it's so hard to find a balance between dry humour and bathroom humour. I've only found one show that's ever done that, the Kevin and Bean show on KROQ (106.7) in Los Angeles. Oh, how I miss my Kevin and Bean. The local Cincinnati rock station is very subpar. The station is 96 Rock and the morning hosts are terrible. They think they're funny which I believe might be the problem. Whereas Kevin and Bean were a little sexist, Gamble and Fin in the mornings on 96Rock are downright misogynistic. They also think nothing is funnier than talking about the cracks in their bottom or how fat people should not be allowed to live. Of course, given that Tom Gamble admits to being overweight, this is slightly hypocritical, obviously. Now, Kevin and Bean also make fun of overweight people but somehow they manage not to sound cruel, just, rather that they're both complete jerks and they know it. There's a difference. They have no superiority complex the way so many morning radio show hosts do. They're willing to bash themselves and mock one another in a way that is familiar and comfortable.

I never did get why so many radio hosts are so mean. I once had an email war with a DJ from 98.9 The Bear in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Now I look back, it was a little ridiculous but it was fun and it proved to me that some people are just too ignorant to be allowed a public forum. He was supposed to give away Green Day tickets to a concert in Indianapolis. Rather than promoting the band as he was supposed to, he basically told anyone who won the tickets something along the lines that they were idiots and slightly unpatriotic. Now, if you've ever listened to the album "American Idiot" by Green Day, you would know that it has nothing to do with being unpatriotic. Yes, the title song was a dig at the former Bush administration but it was a political statement, not a command to burn the flag. So, I emailed him and told him that I thought he probably should read the lyrics before he made such an ignorant statement. He didn't like that and eventually resorted to calling me a California Tree Hugger. I have to admit, it was fun. I still can't listen to his show when I visit my parents in Fort Wayne because he's one of those sexist pigs who doesn't seem to understand that people with a brain find him offensive.

However, while I usually don't care for the DJ's, I do like to listen to new music on the radio. You never know when you'll find a song that changes your life just a little. I do think music can do that; the right song can mean so much, it can inspire you, add a soundtrack to your life. I haven't found a station here that suits me yet but I do have my iPod, the new one that works well, not the old one that started to have a mind of its own. I'm looking into satellite radio but I'm actually not sure how it works. If I put it in my car and subscribe, can I get it in my apartment too? I'm clueless about it. I'm sure a little research would be beneficial but if anyone knows, it'd save me a teensy bit of time.

However, I'm now officially rambling. I can tell this is going to be an odd day. Our company is officially sold as of midnight so though I will come into the same office, do almost the exact same job, I will be working for someone else. At this point in time, provided that the someone else gives me a paycheck, I say bring it on. I'm a simple creature, most of the time.

On that note, I shall stop my ramblings. I will tell you that as an addendum to the paper cut advice I gave you above, try not to get papercuts at all. They hurt. Just thought I'd share that information with you even if it is rather obvious. Sometimes a reminder doesn't hurt.

Happy Tuesday.