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Daenel of LivingOutsideTheStacks.com is a reference librarian, university archivist, blogger and the gorgeous girl wearing our "Seeking Tall, Dark, Rich cup of coffee" tee below.  Thanks for the tweet Daenel!  Give her blog a visit!

Cougar Town

So instead of working this morning I was watching Cougar Town episodes online.  Go ahead, you can, too.  Click here. 

I blame Regis.  Courteney Cox was on Live and he insulted women of my age and she had a pretty good comeback that received an appreciative roar from the audience.  I didn't want to commit to a primetime show (it's the only time I can catch up with my kids about their day), especially one about being a cougar (so yesterday, and no, we won't ever do a cougar shirt).  But the clip they showed was awfully funny, so I figured I'd watch just one online.

I got through three before I remembered I still have to make some Halloween costumes by tomorrow.  So I'll make this endorsement quick.

Being a mom, I'm consumed with the well being of my children and paying bills and losing my mind worrying about, well, everything, and getting that upstairs bathroom renovated already (it's been eight years since we moved into this house and that mustard colored tile looks more revolting every time I see it).  Don't even start with me about being a woman of a certain age, knowing you've absolutely still got it, if only you had the time to enjoy it.

After I got the kids on the bus but before 10 a.m. and still in my pjs while devouring a cookie chased by some herbal tea, I laughed my ass off.  Tears streaming down my face.  Cougar Town is less about that and more about being nurturing and taking charge and smart and mouthy and sexy thanks to killer banter and a religious commitment to maintenance.  The bit about the Evils of the Magnifying Mirror could have been an entire episode.   

I so needed that.

A girl can dream, can't she?

It's Disco tonight on Idol.  To see Adam perform this would be beyond exquisite.

I love Beets

I was going to post about the Business of Blogging.  Because I was talking to someone this morning and his company is eager to promote their products utilizing mom bloggers.  I'm a former brand marketer for a Fortune 500 company;  our research department espoused that advertising dollars were better spent on young adults, particularly young adult males.  So it just tickles me that brands are clamoring for the mom blogger seal of approval.  A delicious turn of events.

Anyway, delicious, yes, BEETS.  I'm from a large family and the only one of all my sisters and brothers to like beets is me.  We had a sizable garden out in the way back, and besides the usual carrots, corn, cucumbers, even rhubarb, we had beets.  And I was the only kid that ate them.  I like to categorize people, not to exclude, but because it makes them more interesting.  First we start off with all Girls, then narrow the group to Girls who Sewed Their Prom Dress, then further still:  Girls who can Throw a Baseball but not like a Girl.  Toss in Girls who Can Launch a Mom-centric, Irreverent Apparel Business with a College Friend and Girls who Like Beets, and now I'm the only girl standing.

Turns out they're awfully good for you, too.

In my 20s and 30s, my beet consumption was limited to store bought, in cans - sometimes whole, sometimes sliced, but never salted - until this year.

There's a 200 year old, 23 acre farm in our town.  It was a working farm but in 1999 had become protected open space with historical buildings.  Then, last year, the trust that manages the farm hired a farmer.  What used to be sheep pastures turned out a glorious harvest of beans, kale, heirloom tomatoes.  And beets.   The farm stand is open on Thursdays and Sundays, and I bike nine miles round trip to buy those beets.  Just enjoyed the most recent batch before I typed this post.

And guess what?  My daughter is the only one who will devour them with me.

Hey! Look at that!She's Nanny Deprived, too!

We're big fans of SV Moms Blog.  What started off as moms blogging from Silicon Valley two years ago has grown into nine collaborative blogging communities from Silicon Valley (still), plus Chicago, DC Metro, New York City, 50-Something, New Jersey, Deep South, Los Angeles and Rocky Mountain.

So I was delighted to see - after clicking on their About Us page - that co-founder Jill Asher (left) is sporting our Nanny Deprived hat in her bio picture.

Ponyta #077

Christoph Niemann's The Boys and the Subway captures childhood hobbies.  The Bliss.  The Smugness.  The Complete Devotion to knowing all things (insert Obsession here).

Just when I think Pokemon is done in this household, it makes a triumphant return.  I lost track how many Pokemon-themed birthday parties we threw.  Or how many NYC Pokemon Center pilgrimages we made.  My mother-in-law once questioned why I would use my valuable brain space to know over 200 Pokemon character names.  But when your children are talking, trading, drawing, playing Pokemon, that becomes your world, too.  Transporting me to a mortgage-free time, when an entire summer afternoon could be spent daydreaming.

The Bronx Zoo's Butterfly Gardenis absolutely magical

Maybe it's the amount of rain we've had lately, but the trees, bushes, grasses and flowers that line the Zoo paths are more delightfully overgrown than I've ever remembered them.  Huge canopies of foliage keeping the street noise out and the shared discoveries intimate ("Look!  We almost walked right past...the lion's up!").

We were there to get a sneak peek at the brand new Madagascar exhibit before it opened to the public. 

Even more thrilling (from BronxZoo.com):  "The Wildlife Conservation Society worked with the Malagasy government to establish the protected areas of Masoala and Makira. WCS now co-manages these areas. The parks together span 1.6 million acres and provide a safe haven for half of Madagascar’s species, including rare and endangered animals found nowhere else on Earth."

Then we enjoyed all of our favorite Bronx Zoo places.  This and this and this, too.  Oh, and much more.  Go as soon as you can and then treat yourself to something on Arthur Avenue afterwards.

Zappos Rocks

Today I shouted at the zappos customer service rep, "I LOVE ZAPPOS!"  Really loud.  And she laughed, because she must hear it all the time.  Why?  I had ordered a strapless Calvin Klein number and Guess shoes for a party this Saturday and zappos delivered it in 2 days even though I paid nothing for ground shipping.  But that's not why.  It's Thursday, it's dinnertime, that Calvin Klein dress is too big and I still need an outfit so I head back to zappos and find this and, wowza, these!  And in my excitement, put through the order and forget to check overnight shipping.  So I call and the rep says she'll get the stuff to me tomorrow and not charge me.  Say WHAT??!!  Then it was the aforementioned proclamation of love, and too many thank yous, and I am beyond, just thrilled, to get that delivery tomorrow.

Word

My morning ritual includes logging on, and like a familiar friend, UrbanDictionary.com is always hanging in my inbox.  Register for their word of the day and you'll be treated to gems like Shituation, rut ro, wikidemia, bear stearned, bluetool, breastaurant and the now old school client number nine and milf.  For me, it's all about a well-told story.  Pepper your next gossip session with a little something special from what the Daytona Beach News Journal hails as "an epic online slang dictionary."