I love flags.  Whenever I travel, I do my best to find the local flag to bring back.  Likewise when family and friends visit places, they know the only souvenir I want is a flag.  Some I have acquired by purchasing here in the States, i.e. my Jordan flag.  I was at a festival and this man had a whole display of various flags for sale.  I wanted a flag from the Middle East and was looking for Iraq.  He did not have it so I settled on Jordan.  (This is likely the only way I will obtain Middle Eastern flags as it is not on my list of desired destinations…)

One of my favorite flags is obviously the flag for the City of Chicago.  A large one hangs a wall in my house.  While I enjoy large flags, they are not as easy to display as the little handheld ones, thus I prefer those.  But for Chicago, you know I would glady make an exception.

Another favorite is my Amsterdam flag.  The reason this is a fave are twofold.  One, I love the colors and design.  Two, obtaining this flag almost did not happen.  I had looked low and high (holla!) while in Amsterdam for this flag.  I saw it flying everywhere, and on t-shirts– but no flags for purchase.  Finally, when Biggie and I finally found our tour bus after frantically trying to locate it (the time we almost missed the bus Part 1) there was a shop right there that had flags galore.  I dashed in, tossed the lady some euros, got on the bus, and happily fell asleep.

I don’t stop at flags from actual places.  For example, I have 2 sets of banner style flags that I proudly fly: Tibetan Prayer flags and Jolly Roger Pirate flags.  Obviously I fly the pirate flags to warn landlubbers what they are in for.  The Tibetan Prayer flags have set meanings which I love: “Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to ‘gods,’ a common misconception, rather the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.”

The flags I fly to let people know how I roll (i.e. my heritage) are the American flag and the flags of Germany and the U.K.:

I particularly cherish my U.K. flag because it is from my late grandmother who came over to the States from Wales.

Other flags I own that round out my collection are: Turkey (a gift from my parents), Spain, and U.S. Virgin Islands:

I enjoy all the flags I own because of their history (which I won’t go into here since you have access to Wikipedia as well), their design, and what they mean to me, whether it is a time I had visiting that place or another reason I love it (sometimes just the design!) 

Flags on my wish-list are: Australia, the State of California, Conch Republic, France and Greece.  Why I don’t have the latter 2 is curious to me, as I as well as friends and family have spent time there.  I guess that is what the internet is for!  (Note: I am not picky about my flags– they do not have to come directly from the place they represent!)  So the next time you’re on a trip (or the internet) and you need a present for me… think flags! 

Do you have a favorite flag????

Pet Peeve of the Day: Wind

Quote of the Day: “There ought to be a law against you comin’ around — you should be made to wear earphones.” –Bob Dylan

I will go into a lengthy post one day soon on the awesomeness that was the Sunday night DMB show at Alpine but for now… dig on this shit.  (P.S. when did Reuben Studdard join the band?!!  Haha I love it). 

Legendary (if you find the full length video PLEASE HOLLA!  This clip does not do Dave’s antics justice):

Yahtzee:

Classic Dave:

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If you don’t watch Tosh.0 on Comedy Central on Thursday nights, you really need to start:

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Pet Peeve of the Day: Babies in nail salons

Quote of the Day: “I saw this commercial on late night TV, it was for this thing you attach to a garden hose, it was like ‘You can water your hard-to-reach plants with this product.’  Who the fuck would make their plants hard to reach?  That seems so very mean.  ‘I know you need water, but I’m gonna make you hard to reach! I will throw water at you.  Hopefully they will invent a product before you shrivel and die! Think like a cactus!’  So it said, ‘You can have this product for four easy payments of 19.95.’  I want a product for three easy payments, and one fuckin’ complicated payment!  We can’t tell you which one, but one of those payments is gonna be a bitch.  The mailman will get shot to death, the envelope will not seal, and the stamp will be in the wrong denomination; good luck, fucker!  That last payment has to be paid in wampum!” –Mitch Hedberg

I am not a fan of fast food by any means.  I recently stumbled upon this site that shows the ads for fast food versus the reality.  While I never expected the food to look exactly like it does in the ads, I found this pretty interesting.  It also further solidified my aversion to fast food!  Maybe it will help you do the same, check it out:

McDonald’s Sausage Burrito:

Arby’s Beef ‘n’Cheddar:

Burger King Whopper:

Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande:

Those are just a few of my favorite examples.  Check the rest of them out here.

Things I Live For: Conan being on an hour earlier because there’s actually a chance I’ll be awake; the cool summer Chicago is having

Quote of the Day: “Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.” –Arthur Miller

Well, not so much a possession as an equal.  Anyway, this is my cat.  (Please leave all your “crazy cat lady” prejudices at the “door”).  I adopted Klinker about 5 years ago when she was a kitten.  My old family cat Cocoa who was living with me died of old age, and I lasted a week before I couldn’t stand a home without a cat anymore.  There was no one left to talk to anymore!

So I scoured CraigsList for kittens and found this family of calico kittens– all with beautiful markings, (I had my eye on this cute little black/white/brown kitten).  I met the lady who was fostering them at a PetsMart, but when I got there, other people were holding the 5 or so calico cats.  There was a little all-grey one in a box on the floor that no one seemed interested in.  Realizing that this was the “runt,” that no one wanted her, and that she was different, I immediately knew I had to have her.  So I scooped her up and took her home with me that night!

I was toying around with a few names– I really wanted a pirate themed name.  But then it came to me that I had to name her Klinker.  This was the name of a cat in one of my favorite books that my dad would read to me as a kid: Big Bad Bruce. (Seriously, pick up the book, it’s freakin’ awesome). 

I love Klinker because she truly is “my cat.”  She is the first animal I have had on my own and raised.  She is loyal to a fault– my friends get hissed at and bitten when they come over, but she likes me and that’s all that matters!  Having grown up with cats, I got her knowing I would be investing in her for at least 10 or 15 years (God willing).  She is full of cuteness and silliness; I have never doubted that she was the cat I was meant to have.

Pet Peeve of the Day: Drivers who don’t use turn signals

Quote of the Day: “Being crazy is the least of my worries.” –Jack Kerouac