Fifteen Minutes of Scrawl

In November of 2023, I wrote "15 museum exhibits I would love to see" --but now I have more ideas! Will ICE Melt?: A history of immigration policies and their enforcement in the US Sick Chic: How being ill has be "in" from consumption to addiction and back again Let's Eat Babies: An examination of the history and relevance of satirical publications Me at the Zoo: YouTube's history from its first video onward Poisonous, Venomous, or Somehow Both?: You bite it, you die vs it bites you, you die vs any bite'll do the trick What's in a Name?: Naming regulations then and now for babies born in the US Hoarding vs Collecting: When is the accumulation of items a hoard and when is it a collection--and why does that distinction matter? Seven Bobcats? Yes! Six Rabbits? No!: Why and how exotic pet laws vary by US state--and why that matters A Raccoon Named Rebecca: The oddest and most loved US presidential pets If You Can't Make Your Own Serotonin, Store Boug...

For this piece, I had 15 minutes to write something including the five words firefighter, station, fuss, dictate, and think (which were selected by a  Random Word Generator  I found). Firefighter Max was not having a good day. First off, there was a fire. Yes, yes, yes, it was his literal job to fight fires, but usually he just got to hang around the station with his firefighter pals. They'd workout, joke, talk about weird things they'd found in wreckage, and even take turns cooking. His job was usually no fuss--even though he was a first responder. But today was not a usual day. The alarm had rung at exactly 3:33am, which Max knew because he had jolted awake and immediately checked his watch.  Trouble always comes in threes, Mike said to himself. That's what his mother used to think anyways. Not that Max let his mother dictate his thoughts. Well, not anymore. Back to the fire. It was a roaring blaze, completely engulfing what used to be a quaint green house. It wasn't ...

I have been rewatching a lot of Top Chef  lately, so here are some challenges I would give the chefs. Many of these challenges assume I am somehow the famous guest who gets to make demands on the show (hey, a girl can dream). Bulls & Cows vs. Hatchlings & Juveniles : My favorite animal is an alligator. But, I don't want you to cook me one. Instead, you will divide into two teams. One team will base their four course progressive menu on the diet of bull and cow alligators (the adults), which typically includes larger fish, turtles, snakes, birds, and deer. The other team will base their menu on the diet of hatchling and juvenile alligators, which typically includes insects, spiders, crawfish, shrimp, small fish, and frogs But Can My Dog Have Some? : As a devoted dog mom who too easily gives in to her pup's adorable begging eyes, I love to have meals that my dog can have a bite (or two) of. Your challenge today is to create a dish that both my dog and I can eat. Your budg...

Time for some meetings and people being jerks! Hey, Natalie's daughter whose name I missed, blame your mom for this...she could've said no to Gino coming Gino...did you say "leopard skin carpet"? Villa...Liz is propositioning you...and your response is "I guess"? I get why Vanya's cousin is suspicious Okay, I would like get jewelry as a gift too, but, Vanya, those gifts are like from Claire's Tony...do you know Vanya? Like this is a big part of her life I do think Vanya bringing up her boundaries is very good! Ah Kim is back to dating! Okay, if Wayne has kids and lives in the UK...what are the chances of him coming to the US? Kim comparing her height to the camera person's was quite funny Sophie...your plan is pretty wild I don't get why Natalie is taking Gino to a strip club? I'm glad Natalie asked about the dancer's boundaries before the lap dance started So, I do get that if I was Tony, I'd be a bit awkward or embarrassed, but ...

At C2E2, I had the wild realization that I can commission art of fandoms, animals, and bands I don't see represented. Here are some ideas of items I am thinking of commissioning (with artists in mind!): Leverage logo mug probably with a sand blasted design by  GinGee Girls Art on their blue mug Leverage  logo  black beanie with blue thread from Pixel That The main Leverage  trio candle by  Pop Art Saints Leverage  crew (including the Leverage: Redemption  additions) print in the style of the She/He Series by Karen Hallion Set of Leverage themed coasters from Arcanic Artistry "The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. We provide leverage"-- Leverage  quote mug likely by Pawley Studios in their 'Starry Night' color palette "It's a very distinctive mug"--parodied Leverage  quote mug likely by  Pawley Studios  in their 'Sedona' color palette "Age of the geek, b...

Time to really start the wrap-ups. Elise, you shouldn't have done that... As someone with a huge fear of heights, I do feel bad for Elise (also, like, these folks must have a plan for this--Elise can't be the first person to freak out) That said, Elise, I don't think you're getting hypothermia and you really should've read the description for this adventure BEFOREHAND OMG Joshua cares 0% I mean, Molly, obviously Forrest will live with Sheena Also, Molly, you do have to give them a chance to answer That said, I'm not sure Sheena's math is mathing But, again, Molly is being a huge jerk and doesn't seem to see that Forrest's math for bringing Sheena over also doesn't math Also, Molly, how come you get to raise your voice, swear, and pound the table, but Sheena can't cry? Jovon, why is it weird that your wife wants your vows to mean something? Laura, you're paying for that apartment...and that's your stuff...go get it! It's wild to me...