Noises not of our own making

We had a delightful Mother's Day lunch with Mike's family yesterday. They're a wonderful crew. Cassandra joined in the time-honored tradition of pulling pens from my shirt pocket.

Our town has published a book that shows not only the names of people at each address, but also the birthdates and occupation. Our copy of the book is nearly 10 years old. I was listed as a consultant at that time. The book is both handy and a bit creepy. I've been somewhat secretive about my birthday, particularly at work, because I've not wanted to draw too much attention to myself. (He says while writing a public blog accessible to countless millions.) I like my birthday and want to have a lot of them.

For a while now, we've been hearing a 'thump' in the house. At first we thought it was a bird hitting a window, but it's happened too often and at too many times of the day and night.

Speaking of ghosts, a minister noted that many churches started using the name Holy Spirit, rather than Holy Ghost, when referring to the Trinity. Most kids, and many adults, heard the name Holy Ghost and thought of Casper.

Why would there be a billboard on the side of a laundromat in downtown South Gardner advertising Rolex watches?

From The Copy Editor's on Vacation Dept., I saw this sign in a local business:

Ring"s and Pendant"s at Price"s you can afford

And, on a website selling premium trash cans:

20 Liter (5.5 gal.) "Slime Line" Step-On Trash Can

This group of Extreme Ironing enthusiasts was featured in yesterday's Parade Magazine. I'll let you decide if they're nuts or, well, that's probably the only choice.

Today's automated search for a technical documentation position brings a listing of junior marketing job for Kay Guitars. In addition to some college courses and experience with office software, the requirements include "[m]ust have a better than average attendance record and job tenure (we do check)." My first guitar was from Sears, but I had a Kay for a while.

Students in England can get an extra two percent on their exam grades if their pet dies. If I was a hamster, I think I'd want to hide under the sawdust during exam time.