My dad often says that I should open a toy shop, and sometimes I think that that would be cool. But then I remember that not only would I have to deal with people I loathe on a regular basis: I'd essentially have to become one of those people just for my business to remain competitive. And that would not be cool at all.

Wes... is eating triple chocolate oat cereal with habanero chipotle sauce.

So Uncle Ben's is running a commercial about how a grain of rice can "fly" -- a reference to how quickly it can go from the microwave to the table. Neat idea, Uncle Ben's, but now I associate your rice with maggots.

Wes... just saw a vampire policewoman on the news -- with extremely prominent fangs and the last name "Innocenti," no less. If vampires want to remain hidden, they should try harder.

Yep! Google searches keep leading me to some outdated plugin -- I need something more recent! Or maybe I should just give in to Twitter ( ), since it seems like people have an easier time getting it to post to WP and Facebook.

{{{A PLUGIN THAT TOTALLY DIDN'T WORK RIGHT WAS HERE}}}

EDIT 1: Never mind. Let's see if I can't find another plugin for this...

EDIT 2: Second time's a charm?

Best wishes to y'all until next time!

The sickest thing? This isn't even all of the ponies I bought last week.

Of course, all of the ponies but Rarity at the top were B1G1 free. I haven't completely lost my mind, you know.

Also -- BONUS VALUE! -- they came with DVDs. Granted, every pony came with the same episode, but hey. If you're among the folks I send packages, you know what'll be included in your next one.

I shampooed and conditioned Fluttershy's hair! And then I curled her hair at the ends by way of a straw set (or at least that's what my sister says the technique is called).

Stop judging me.

I've been watching a lot of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" lately. I don't think I like it nearly as much as a lot of the nerd set -- you won't catch me declaring myself a "brony" or joining MLP fan communities -- but it is a cute show and the characters are endearing enough that I've picked up a couple of the toys and plan to grab a few more. I've also bought a couple cheaper not-MLP toys, as seen above! Lanard's Pony Tails Collection offerings may not have the MLP name, but -- unlike some other Lanard me-too lines (compare Lanard's The Corps figures to Hasbro's G.I. Joes) -- they're largely on par with the Hasbro toys in terms of quality. Brand names and character backgrounds notwithstanding, an adorable soft plastic pony with rooted hair and a swivel neck is an adorable soft plastic pony with rooted hair and a swivel neck.

But I googled it upon returning home, and apparently it's got pretty decent reviews! So now I kinda want to go there -- once.

Which is fitting since it might be the kind of place one can only visit once.

BECAUSE AFTER THAT YOU DIE.

Unless you post a favorable review online, in which case maybe they'll give you the antidote.

(That was a hint!)

What is kinda new, though, is my buying DVDs solely because the films in question have particular actresses in them. I don't generally tend to get attached to performers -- I'll like them in one thing, but in very few cases does that mean I'll go out of my way to view them in something else. This is even more likely to obtain with respect to actors appearing in films, since I don't often see movies in theaters and buy DVDs more for their premises (and their bargain bin prices) than for their casts. Or at least that's how it was until recently.

To be sure, I was intrigued by the premise of The Deaths of Ian Stone even before I realized Jaime Murray was in it -- but it was her inclusion in the cast that ultimately motivated the purchase. And, going back a bit, I mostly fixed on Hostel 2 in the DVD bin because a friend recommended it -- but I don't know that I would have bought it had I not spied Heather Matarazzo's name on the back of the box. But I wouldn't have bought Lost Souls if not for Winona Ryder, and I definitely would not have gotten Skinwalkers if it hadn't featured Sarah Carter. (That Skinwalkers also has Natassia Malthe and Rhona Mitra didn't hurt, but Carter was easily its trump card. My ongoing attraction to her is kinda weird -- at present, I've even got a picture of her as my wallpaper image -- since it largely stems from this really strange dream I had about her. I'll have to write about that sometime.)

Anyway, not a whole lot more to add -- but I should probably stop buying movies just because actresses I like are in them. With the exception of Lost Souls (which was just kinda bland), the above movies were pretty terrible... and Skinwalkers, which had three actresses I like, was easily the worst of the lot. (In fairness, I don't think I've ever seen Natassia Malthe in any movies that were genuinely good. Vampire Wars: Battle for the Universe and DOA: Dead or Alive -- which also had Sarah Carter! -- were a lot of fun, though.) But I guess I shouldn't find it too surprising that these films were bad; even the supremely lovely Lena Headey couldn't save The Boring. And, admittedly, most of the movies I buy aren't great anyway.

Maybe I should just be attracted to better movies.

(Of course, that would probably mean missing out on films like Vampire Wars: Battle for the Universe... so maybe not. )