A few of my favorite things from 2007? Where to begin. So many wonderful, terrific, funny and fascinating things to recall and I didn’t write any of them down. Well, some of them I did, so here’s a look back at a few of my favorite things a virtual compendium of vital information to help you remember the year that was for you and me. In case you forgot, your life improved exponentially in 2007 because of one little device that changed everything (except maybe your underwear.) This was the year of the iPhone, and just because you didn’t get one didn’t mean you weren’t impacted somehow. In fact, the beauty of the iPhone is that it made all of our lives better. Really annoying people, we found, weren’t out on the road, crowding stores or making us wish hogtying complete strangers with duct tape was legal. Instead, they were home on the sofa muttering to no one in particular, “Whoa, check this out!”
Meatfest: It’s the Most Meatiest Time of the Year
Of all the holiday traditions, this one might be the most special, the most glorious, the most magical and memorable. It also might just be the most artery-clogging of all. But as they say, if it doesn’t strain or pain your heart, it isn’t worth doing. And this one sure did strain the heart. To the holiday season, I present you Meatfest, a celebration of all that is grizzled and beefy. Meatfest was born last year by my brother and a few friends who, for some reason, determined that their intake of beef, or really anything that fit in the walked-crawled-or-swam category, had dropped to dangerous levels. These are people who brush their teeth with turkey-flavored toothpaste and, with Eagle-like eyes, can spot a breakfast sausage from two miles away.
The joy of Christmas, toddler-style
Boy is it easy to get into the Christmas spirit when you have kids. Shoot, I wouldn’t even mind wrapping a present or two, and normally I would choose dengue fever over such a chore. But there’s something magical in the air. Something wonderful and festive. Something like I haven’t experienced since, well, since I was a kid. Back then Christmas was always magical and exciting. It was pop-the-elastic-in-your-waist-band exciting, and everything about it was a thrill, from the Christmas music to the wall-to-wall decorations to the 98-degree weather we would get in Tampa. Now I’m getting to experience it as an adult through the joy of my little 2-year-old daughter, who is suddenly old enough to take it all in and really appreciate the wonder.
Are the Chimps Really Smarter? Guess so, Bubbles
Why is anyone surprised that a chimpanzee might be smarter than a human? I wasn’t. We think so highly of our own intellects, yet, as far as I know, we’re the only species on the planet who leaves our keys hanging in the door while running around the house screaming, “Where are my keys? Who stole my keys? Heavens, the world is over, I might as well end it all.” They’re right there in the door! Do you think a chimp would do that? A chimp would have those keys out, be in the car and half way to Vegas, baby. The news this week was that researchers in Japan tested not only chimpanzees’ mental abilities, but also pitted one 5-year-old chimp against college students in a cognitive test of wits. It involved numerals (something most college students have never seen) and flashing white blocks on a computer screen. The chimp smoked them.