on my honor, i will try.

...to serve God and my country,
to help people at all times,
and to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Apparently, not all Girl Scout Cookies are created equal. Last year, upon being presented with my first Girl Scout Cookie purchasing opportunity in a very very long time, I found myself in unfamiliar territory... Cookies with names like "Peanut Butter Patties", "Lemon Pastries", "Peanut Butter Sandwiches", "Shortbread" and "Caramel deLites".

Pardon me... I said, But where can I purchase a box of Samoas??

The Girl Scout's mother replied, What is a Samoa?

GASP! What is a Samoa?? What alternate Girl Scout Universe had I landed in?? Begrudgingly, I ordered one box each of the so-called "Caramel deLites", "Peanut Butter Patties", and "Shortbread". Upon delivery, I found that the boxes were still the same... the names were still wrong. Had my beloved Cookies gone PC?? I had to investigate.

Apparently there are TWO licensed bakeries that make the Official Girl Scout Cookies - Little Brownie Bakers of Louisville, KY (Yay!) and ABC Bakers of Richmond, VA (Boo.) - and each bakery is allowed to name their cookies whatever they want. (With the exception of Thin Mints. A Thin Mint is apparently a Thin Mint, no matter where you get it.) It is up to each Girl Scout Council to choose which bakery they will purchase their cookies from each year. So look out! Not only are these cookies called something different, but they are made from separate (albeit similar) recipes too. I knew I wasn't crazy when I said those "Caramel deLites" tasted fishy.

By now, I think you can imagine how relieved and excited I was when an order form was passed around at work last month and I was greeted by familiar friends: Tagalongs, Lemon Chalets, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils and... Samoas. Brought to you by the craftsmen (and women) at Little Brownie Bakers.

Ahh... The world is right again.

follow that bird.

I did not want to come to work today. I am fighting off a cold, don't like any clothes I own, am in desperate need of a haircut... just generally unhappy with my appearance today. We all have those days. But when I came into work and settled down into my chair with my burnt toast (yes, I burned my toast this morning too...) and resigned myself to the tasks of the day, I opened my browser and was greeted with the single greatest Google Doodle I have ever seen:

Today, Google is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street.

Happy Anniversary Big Bird, Snuffy, Barkley, Oscar, Cookie Monster, Grover, Count, Bert and Ernie, Frank Oz, Jim Henson and the rest of the Sesame Street muppets and "muppeteers"!