The Storm Haiku





Lightning strikes the sky.

Hail falls.  Tornadoes circle.

Debris litters streets.

::snaps::

Finally at home.

Drenched, step inside to the warmth.

Watch the blustering.

-----

Short and sweet tonight.  :)

(I accentuated the pics to make the clouds darker... but that's how dark they felt as I drove into them.

It was very intense... )

Drawing and Coloring

This morning, Gary's brother came over so that they could play video games.  :)  So cute, right?

Well, after spending some time playing computer games myself, getting a bit bored, and looking for other "activities", I found my colored pencils and markers!!  Yay!  (Kid-in-candy-shop effect).  I had gotten this fashion design activity kit a few years ago that came with a pad of blank "model" outlines and a booklet of ideas.  Well, the booklet was lost, or went into hiding, not terribly long after I got it, but the pad of pages made it's way to a convenient spot.  I had made one design when I first got the kit, another about a year later, and then found it again today.  Well, I went to town, let me tell ya.  First, I drew out 4 designs, and started taking pictures (lol) but they weren't showing up because the lines were so faint... thus, the excitement of finding the colored pencils!!  I could color them, and then take pictures.  :)



"Tie" Skirt



And so I did, and I love them!  

This one is probably my favorite of the day, because it is a project that I want to start right away.  I've seen a "tie" skirt done before, and the more I think about it, the more I love it!  (If you have any ties that you would like to donate to said project, I'd love to take them off your hands!  ;))

Gary really likes that I was designing clothes (surprisingly) which was more of a I-like-the-way-this-looks-and-these-colors-are-pretty, and appreciates that this is something that I could really enjoy.

He asked if he needed to get me a pin-up modeler mannequin.

I replied... "Yes, please".  hehe.



First design (left) plus 3 from today.

So, I hope you enjoy the designs! 

And the random pictures of the colored pencils and pencil shavings... (dot dot dot)

 

The "Ing's" of My Saturday

Discovering surrealy-outlined shadows, outside my window.


Awesomely-freaky shadow outlinings.  :)


Luncheoning at Red Robin  (Red Robin... "Yummm" (just like the commercial))... the chuck-e-cheese's of restaurants.
Complete with balloons, tall, dressed-up mascots, screaming children, and bright colors.
Minus the video games, crawl spaces, and abundance of pizza.
And subbing instead, a fantastical array of interestingly-created hamburgers, among other things.
It was loud, amusing, and tasty!  And loud!  lol

Birthday girl with the Red Robin Mascot!  Yay!  :)

Crazy chillins'... in the most endearing of senses. 

Logo-d glasses.  Nice!

Grocery store date-ing with madre.

I like my Publix better... It's calmer, and happier.

Getting to sit outside on the deck, soaking up the Vitamin D.

And dreaming about a Rubbermaid container garden.

(Going to seriously look into this one...!)

Driving down Barrett Parkway.
Saturday always means "good fun" on Barrett... or at least miles of traffic.
Date-nighting at the movies.
Our "spontaneous-movie-viewing-experience" was "The Roommate".
I enjoyed it.  It was interesting and demented enough to keep my attention.
Even if it was a bit predictable...

Crashing the party at the local Borders.
And by crashing, I mean ravishing the already ravished shelves in search for a remaining gem among the chaos...  It's sad that Borders is closing. 
We were able to find a few goodies though... a few magazines (that would otherwise have been obnoxiously expensive) and even a Chess book for Gary.
And I'm sure we'll be back again, before all is said and done.

Hoping so at least!  :)

Sew-fool!

I slept embarrassingly late today... so late that I'm not even going to say what time I finally got out of bed.  It was so nice though... just sayin!  I noticed that I officially missed the rain, and that was a bummer because I was looking forward to it, but the afternoon skies were gorgeous and full of fluffy, flat-bottomed clouds that were so pretty against the true-blue sky.  I spent the majority of my day on the computer, discovering new blogs (some extremely inspiring ones) and working on a new project.  

And then I decided to break out my sewing machine.  :)

 

Sewwwwwwing!  :)



I've been dying to test it out, since before Christmas.  My old one didn't sew right, and that might have been because I wasn't threading the needle right (I didn't have an owner's manual to tell me otherwise- just my skills learned in my 7th grade home-ec class), but I figured it was close enough, and it was making stitches of some sort, that I couldn't complain.  But when I saw a great deal on one, as part of the Black Friday sales, visions of straight lines and tangle-free stitches filled my head, and I convinced Gary to let me get it as a Christmas gift from him.  And it's been sitting first in the back of the SUV for a few months, and then in the corner of the dining room for a few weeks, ever since.  Today, with my free time, the urge to break it out and start stitching got the best of me... and with a few projects waiting in the closet, I got out my sewing box, read the instructions, threaded the machine correctly (::smiles::), and got to it!

  

I'd had this shirt for a long time, and although I love it, the particular style (trumpet style) looked albeit a bit weird on me.  So I had the idea of cutting it straight down the middle, finishing the edges with a simple stitch, and making it into a cardigan.  I have a thing for cardigans...  And then today, while I was trying it on and noticing that it does flop about quite a bit, I decided that I could even try adding a button - a task that I had never before attempted or thought about attempting, but was inspired by the instructions in my owner's manual.

And voila, a new, upcycled cardigan!  

Complete with a finished button hole and everything!  :)



After repurposing the shirt, I even hemmed some jeans, and searched the apartment for other things to play with...  Mmmm.  ::Light bulbs going on::  I have a stack of random fabrics in my closet, and other random things that would be great as book purses, shirts, or pillows.  Or maybe a quilt!  I wonder if I would have to patience to complete a quilt...

 

And then it was time to head over to Madre's.  We were cooking tonight, and after stopping to get the ingredients to make BBQ chicken, Homestyle Mac-n-cheese, fresh steamed broccoli, sugared strawberries, and loaf bread, we arrived and got to work.  And while skithering about, I stumbled upon this.

   

Through the glass.

In all of the time I've spent there, I've never seen the sun come through the stained glass window like this before.  Twas weird.  So I snapped a few pictures with my camera phone, and kept skithering.

 

The Stained Glass.

 I skither well...  :)

And now, it's late.  I'm ready to kick it with Gary, and gear up for tomorrow.

(Dinner was fabulous by the way.)

TGIT(hursday)! :)

Today was good! Work was lovely! Production was stress-free, Marketing and Promo were very quiet, and traffic to and from was "going", which is ten times better than the usual "not-going". It was slightly weird though... having Monday off has messed with my days, and with every day this week feeling like it should be one day behind, I am delighted that tomorrow is ::actually:: Friday, and I've nothing to do all day but just "be".


:)


I hear it's supposed to rain tomorrow, storm even.  And it's on a Friday.  So I can enjoy it to the fullest!  And when it comes to storms, and rain, I find that being at home is the best way to enjoy it, as it were.
Maybe I will crawl up on the sofa, in my new NoLa hoodie, with a book in hand, and allow myself to be distracted by the steady patter of rain drops on the screens and windows. 
Or maybe I'll park myself at the kitchen table, my ipod gently relaying lyrics and melodies through song, and work on some projects... goodness knows I have a few to choose from. 
Or maybe I'll scrounge through our recipe books and choose a few that sound really interesting, and then high-tail it to the grocery store (probably in my obnoxiously loud and floral-y rain boots), get all of the ingredients, and cook... all day... until the sink is full of dirty dishes, and the home smells of delicious confections and tempting treats!

Mmmm... decisions, decisions.

Chinese buffet window, from the inside.

his eyes.

She unlocked the door and walked inside.  She had been on the phone all the way home, and fumbling with her keys with one hand, and continuing the conversation with her phone in the other, she was delighted when the lock finally gave, the door opened and she was home.  Her cats greeted her.  He was sitting on the floor, leaning on the over-sized ottoman.  His eyes were fixed on the television, a necessary distraction and daily ritual, in a manner of speaking.  She motioned "hello" once she caught his eyes, and proceeded to the kitchen where she dropped off her bags.

After finishing her conversation on the phone, she said her "goodbyes" and put it down.  She was laying on the bed, resting off the day and relaxing to the sound of a cat's purr.  She still had not ::seen:: him.

After a few moments, she heard him.
"Come here!" he said playfully, slightly baby-talkish, and cheery from the other room.

Smiling, she got up. 
She was in a good mood after all...
She got up from the bed, grabbed her camera, and walked towards him.  She crouched down to his level, looked him in the eyes, and gave him a kiss.
And then, she snapped a picture.

Decaying Nicely

About two weeks ago I had taken all of the rose petals off of my red roses, and put them in the apothecary jar in the bathroom.  I loved the bright red color, and thought that they looked nice in the jar - they provided a good contrast against the white shelf, and they went with the color scheme of reds, browns, tans, and greens.  I was pleased.

Well, you know what they say about out of sight, out of mind...?

Today, I happened to glance over towards the apothecary jar, and noticed that the rose petals were fuzzy looking and had this weird muted tan color that definitely wasn't there when I had put them in there.  Oh, and towards the bottom, you could see moisture...

My rose petals had molded.  :-/

And so, for future reference, if you are going to create a potpourri of sorts to put into an apothecary jar, so that it will look good on a shelf, don't leave it covered unless it is ::completely:: dry.

Rose petals, even if they are beginning to die, still have moisture in them.  And when the moisture in the rose petals doesn't have anywhere to evaporate into (i.e. the air), mold forms, and a science project soon follows, quite possibly unbeknownst to the person creating the potpourri in the first place...

And now, as I'm wondering how to dispose of said rose petals, and also wondering just how hazardous this 'toxic waste' I've created is, I think I will stick to drying my flowers up-side-down, preferably hanging from the shower rod, where they can breathe and decay nicely.  :)

Not that mold isn't nice decay or anything...

The end of this journey...

We began the last leg of our trip from Abbeville, AL.

We made our way through Alabama, across the state line at Eufaula, and on until we reached Lumpkin, GA and the Providence Canyon State Park.  I had stumbled across the "little grand canyon" that we had in Georgia when doing some research for things to do in GA, but outside of that, I had never heard mention of it.  Needlesstosay, I was intrigued.  Intrigued enough to make it a stop of our way back, and I am glad we did!  I really didn't know what to expect... mostly a tree covered fizzure in the ground, but to my surprise, it actually looked mostly like a little... grand canyon.  :)

 

The Little Grand Canyon!



So picturesque!



Checking out the long-range views.



Sitting on the fence.

After snapping some pictures, and taking in the beauty of the canyons, we got back on the road and headed on towards Lumpkin, GA for the Habitat for Humanity Global Village.  First of all, let me just say that we passed through some of the cutest little towns and some of the most scenic roads in Ga, that I'd encountered.  It was neat to see the good 'ole Southern cities.  And right in the middle of Americus is the Global Village.  They call it the "Slum Theme Park" and have literally built a slum, as well as 15 or so other dwellings representative of the houses they build around the world, in order to raise awareness, as well as put into perspective what poverty lives like, and what they are doing to help.  It was very humbling walking through the structures.  It made me happy to know that I have a place to come home to every night with walls and windows and furniture. 

 

The "slums".





The Haiti house.



Some of the other houses.







The next stop on our trip was the Lunchbox Museum in Columbus, GA.  I was really looking forward to this one, because it was so kitsch and random, but also interesting and colorful (I just imagined lots of colors whenever I would think about it...).  And we made it all the way to Columbus, found the joint - which from the outside didn't look like much.  It's at the back of an old receiving dock looking area, in the middle of an industrial park, and looking pretty deserted.  But we decided to give it a try... our curiosity was too much to just drive away.  So, I got out of the car, walked up, looked in the window, and tried the door and it was open.  So I went and got Gary and we walked in.  Sadly however, we didn't get far before an old man informed us that they were closed on Monday and Tuesday for inventory, but would be open Wednesday through Sunday.  We acknowledged, told him we would return, and walked away.



And when I said we would return, I was not lying.  The place looked so cool on the inside, full of treasures and interesting things that would probably take hours to sort through.  And the lunchbox museum is somewhere in the midst of it all.  Mmmm!!  And the man, older yet assertive, reminded me of a character from some sort of superhero movie... the owner of a treasure trove of weird and out-of-place things, like a magical cape that will turn the destined soul into a super crime fighter... yea, something like that.  But anyways, we're hoping to be able to go back sometime soon and check it out.  Shouldn't be longer than a day trip, and I have a feeling, it would totally be worth it!

And now, we're back.  Home.

:)

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

http://www.gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon

http://www.habitat.org/gvdc/default.aspx

NoLa Part Troix

Day 3 in New Orleans and it's time to say goodbye, sadly.

We would have loved to have some more time to explore, but I guess that means we'll just have to come back. :)

We headed out for breakfast at the "Gumbo Pot', walking down Decatur Street.

Along the way, we took some pictures with Bubba. We kept seeing these little black figures spray painted onto the side of the road in various places. Some had umbrellas, some were just walking, and one was even being beamed up by a spaceship. They were random, which we loved, and relatively unrecognizable apparently - the 3 people we asked had no clue about them, and they worked there... lol.

Breakfast was pretty good. We've established that food is expensive already, but we should have looked at a menu before we sat down. At any rate, we decided to go ahead and have some food. Everything on the menu sounded great, and we were going to be on the road for the rest of the day, so we figured this could be our "big meal". I had the Eggs Jonathan (which is basically eggs benedict with tomatoes and oysters) and Gary had the Creole omelet (which had shrimp, onions, green peppers, etc.) and both were good. Nothing overtly special except for the fact that it included particularly New Orleans-ish ingredients.

After breakfast, we took a walk along the river. I was much happier to see that the heavy fog from the previous morning was not a daily occurrence. It was nice to be able to see the water, and the land across the river, without looking into a deep fog. After a bit, it was time to head back to the hotel and check out.

One thing that I really wanted to do was go to a cemetery. All of the pictures I've seen of New Orleans cemeteries have left me in awe and I was looking forward to seeing one in person. Luckily, yesterday we talked to one of the New Orleans tourist attendants and she was able to point us in the right direction. The St. Louis cemetery is walking distance of the French Quarter, however, it is in a less-than-safe part of town and she said that we would basically want to go there, and come right back! With an emphasis on the come right back part. :) We didn't make it to that one. She had also mentioned the Metiarie Cemetery which is about 5 miles from the Quarter. It's not as long at the St. Louis, but she assured us it was the prettiest, and it was going to be on our way out of the city anyways, so we decided to give in a whirl.

We found the cemetery easily enough. It was very easy to get to off the highway, and was truly amazing! The catacombs and tombs lining rows of streets, the ornate statues and meaningful tributes to the deceased defining the space and creating an air of remembrance... it was breathtaking, just as I had imagined. And the Metiarie really was so beautiful, and large. We drove through for a long time, stopping to take pictures and marvel. It was just as we were about to head out that we saw it... well, Gary saw it really. One relatively ordinary tomb, perched on the corner of the cemetery has unknowingly become one of the more photographed sites. And when we first saw it, we had noticed an older man and woman going up to the gated front, looking in. We thought that they may have been relatives. But as we were passing it, Gary was able to see inside and see the cradled angel. We stopped, got out, and took some pictures. I still cannot believe that we found her! The front gate is just barely opened enough to stick your hand in and take a picture, the blueish-tinted glass and iron on the door hindering a good photograph through the door, and there is a window broken out of the right side of the building, which is where the majority of the pictures of her had been taken. Thinking about it now, it's sad that the tomb was vandalized, and the very personal image made very public, was available to all who wanted it. But the power of the image had overcome me to the point that I was driving around the cemetery just hoping that it was the right one. And it was. Amazingly, Gary caught a glimpse of it.
Side note: While we were walking though the various markets, we had stumbled upon local photographers would had taken some amazing pictures, including photos within cemeteries. One such image that stuck out in my mind was of an angel cradling over a bench, mourning. You can't see her face, but the emotion is so apparent, and sad. At the time, I had failed to get the name of the cemetery that she was at, but I had hopes of seeing her again. Various photographers had captured her, and the image was burned into my mind. Such majesty, such pain...

It's amazing how excited I am that we found that angel... :)

Once we left the cemetery, we had to make our way back to 10. I think I mentioned this before. Driving around New Orleans is comparable to driving around New York, Miami, just with worse roads. We thought we were going to right way, and all of the sudden, we were going West on 90. We've no idea how it happened, but after crossing a lot of bridges, and driving miles out of the way, we knew we had to turn around. So we did, and we met a toll that we didn't know we were coming upon, and Gary had to scrounge around in my change bag trying to find exact change... we got up to the toll booth and I'm just about dying laughing because the 100 cents in various coins that Gary had found happened to contain a foreign coin that wouldn't (obviously) suffice for the toll. The attendant smiled, my glee and Gary's frustration apparent, laughed, and said "well we'd have to have 'em huh" (meaning about Louisiana having to have tools?). I smiled, handed her the change, and drove away, laughing. Gary then informed me that we only gave her $.95 cents... lol. Oh well, at least she was smiling.

We finally got on the right track and have reached our night's destination- Abbeville, AL.
We drove into Gulf Port, MS to see the ocean, but it was too foggy/hazy to see anything but a little bit of the beach.
We did get to see Beau Rivage and some of the other casinos, but we didn't really get to see across the wide-blue ocean until we reached Mobile.
It was neat though because we got to see a Navy Battleship! And that's sufficient for us. :)
We are looking forward to tomorrow's activities!

Bon nuit!

NoLa Part Deux

The fog!

The day began eerily, a thick fog covering the entire city and making visibility low, to say the least.


We woke up slow and walked through the streets towards Cafe Du Monde.

It was probably 8:30 or so when we got there and already the place was busy, but not quite packed. After having our beignets and cafe au lait, we skithered about and decided to walk towards the river and maybe towards the ferry.

However, with the thick fog still very much so apparent, we decided to forego the ferry ride and instead spent some time sitting by the water just talking. It was nice! Chilled, quiet, and serene looking out into the nothing. My kind of way to get lost in a conversation. :)

The French market/ flea market was finally in full swing around 10:00. We delighted in the different vendors and variety of goodies. I even got to try my hand and "negotiating" prices and succeeded, which was fun. However, one guy told me that he didn't speak English after I asked if he would take $10 for a shirt, instead of $20. He declined and walked away. We laughed. Well, I guess I didn't have to give him any of my English money either... lol.

We walked up to Bourbon street and back down Royal, around the back side of the St. Louis cathedral, and kept going until we found a spot for lunch. We did, and it was fabulous. A restaurant on the corner called "Pere Antoines". The walls were lined with tall doors that stood open on the fine afternoon. Every table was filled with parties and couples lost deep in close conversation. The food almost seemed like a side-dish to their lives... accentuating the atmosphere and quality of the restaurant, but not overtaking the main point of fellowship. That's one thing I've noticed... the food is amazing here, and it just seems to make the quality of the conversation, the atmosphere, the city that much better.

We spent the afternoon on the St. Charles streetcar, traveling through the Garden District and back to the Central Business District. That was a cool experience! It was good to get out of the French corner and see some of the awesome houses, churches, and schools that lined the famous street.

And then it was time for the parade. It was the first official parade of the Mardi Gras season, and it was scheduled to begin at 6:30pm. So, around 5:30pm we decided to head over to Jackson Square, grab a Lucky Dog for dinner, stake our claims for our viewing spot and then wait.

Two hours later... the parade was finally progressing towards us. Apparently, they are notorious for starting late. lol.

It was a parade all-in-all. Nothing too extravagant, not quite what we had imagined, but a parade nonetheless.
And there was plenty of people drinking and enough scandalous outfits to justify the spirit of Mardi Gras, even if it is a few weeks early.

It was a busy day, but a really good one, and as we settle down for the night, we smile. :)

NoLa Part Une



Jackson Square, from across the street.

We've arrived!
New Orleans!

It's nothing like I remembered, and not quite what Gary expected, well at least not at first.
Our hotel is in the "French Quarter" but it's close enough to the business district to be surrounded by tall buildings, tiny streets, and little charm...

We knew we were going to have to go find the "New Orleans" of our mental images.
So we set out, venturing, determined.
And luckily, we didn't have to go far.
As soon as we started seeing wrought-iron, scroll work on the balconies, and Mardi Gras beads EVERYWHERE, we knew we were heading in the right direction. And sure enough, within steps, we were there. The mental image came alive and all of the pieces fit!
Jazz music on every corner.
Souvenir shops busting out into the sidewalks.
The smell of steamed oysters and beignets wafting into the humid air.
And a string of streetcorner prophets and tarot card readers parked in front of the museums off Jackson Square.
The open-air markets, quaintly hidden courtyards, and allure of the old cemeteries...
THIS is the New Orleans we came for!

Looking back towards Decatur Street.



Mmmmm... wrought iron...  :)

Tonight, we were window shopping... and there were lots of windows. lol.

We had dinner on a balcony: alligator po-boy for Gary, and shrimp po-boy for me.

Both we're delicious, and it was so nice to eat dinner outside.

Looking up towards a balcony.  I love the contrast with the clouds!

We're looking forward to tomorrow!

There's going to be a lot to squeeze into one day... but we'll manage. :)

Gladly!

Lifesaver(s)!

Today was the perfect way to end my week.
I got to spend hours sitting at my desk sticking pieces of lifesaver candy to postcards (and it's not nearly as bad as it sounds...) and chatting with my friends.

We had 2,000 postcards to make into a gift.  Which means 2 lifesavers per card, which means 4,000 lifesavers.  In one day.  In less than a day actually.  :)

I like it though, because you get to alternate colors, and count to 20, and then stack them in a box, so that they are snug and stable.
It's a great mindless activity!
And like I said, it was the perfect way to end the week.

Of course, I had to get my camera out, and document some of the fun.

We had strings, upon strands, upon rows of lifesavers.


And this looks like cupcakes... a mini army of them.



I like this... it looks like corn rows, or a sowed field, or Friday afternoon traffic.

...

 We were diligently working, focused on our task!



Hey!  Only 1,734 left!  (Or something like that...)

...
We took a break to make a face... just one or two.

Ah-HA!  The row-maker shows her face!  :)

...
We thought about the possibility of making a lifesaver skirt... but then decided it might be too heavy for comfort.

Next year's fashion statement??

...
We stacked them up, to the ceiling, and hoped they didn't fall over...  And then we knocked on wood when they did start falling over.

Trippy!

...
We left crumbs, and decided they were like clouds.
You can see whatever you want in them, and then again, they manifest themselves in different ways.



So we can all find our way back to work!  :)

 All in all, the lifesavers were quite a lifesaver today.
And I had a blast!  :)

The Gnomes

Dick, Tom, Bubba, Harry



Meet Dick, Tom, Bubba, and Harry.

They live at work, on the top of the shelf, of the middle table, in the middle of the room, staring at their keeper.  They are safe there.  And they tend to behave ::pretty:: well there also.  There's less for them to mess with I suppose... Or maybe they are just messing around while everyone is home for the night.  Gnomes do that, right?  Don't all toys?

Anywho,

Dick waters the plants.  He's rather obsessive about it... always carrying around his blue watering pail and sloshing water about.  He has the best of intentions though, and that's endearing.

Tom (#2, mind you) is very well read, and is always carrying a book.  His grammar is impeccable, and he is rather "smart".

Bubba, the manliest of the group, yeilds an ax, and uses it in chores, chopping down wood, and warding off evil spirits.

Harry, well Harry just likes to pick flowers and sing.  He likes to twirl around, with the flowers in his basket, and sing.

They're actually quite the mischevious little gnomes.

Even before I got there, stories had been long established about their mischeif, pranks, and fun-loving good times.  They would turn over buckets of rubberbands, switch things around, and even go walking around themselves... trying to escape no doubt.

And boy do they like to travel!  Traveling gnomes, you may ask?  But of course!

They are the originals!

And it is in this instance of a fondness to traveling, that i have decided to invite one of them along on a journey.

And I chose Bubba!

I think we can use his mad skills, and ax-yeilding machoness, to ward off all evil spirits that we may encounter.

And where we're going, that may be more important than we realize.

:)

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Attack of the machines!

This week, Jeopardy is hosting the IBM challenge where a computer (Watson) plays as a competitor against Brad and Ken - both record-setters and million dollar winners in the game of Jeopardy.
I sadly missed it yesterday, but today, remembered it was on, and am watching it now.

It's interesting, to say the least.
They had a short synopsis about the power of IBM "projects" over the past 100 years or so, and are including random interjections about the problems with trying to create a machine that could extract knowledge and then analyze that data into something useful. 

The amount of "brains" (in a manner of speaking) necessary to create such a machine - and then let that machine free, and basically give that machine the ability to think and create answers to these questions, is awe-inspiring and mind-boggling all at once.

I am amused at watching the spinning ball icon behind Watson's station - it is effective in giving an appearance of a head and ::thinking::... We likely use our own set of mind clues to decipher these clues...
But anyways, the look on Brad and Ken's faces as Watson is getting the answers right is amusing.  There's almost a sense of forfeit, or failure.  Every now and then, however, they will step up and will their fingers to react faster than the computer can think, and answer first.  And get it right.  :) 

There's no need to lose all hope folks.

And then, the fact that Watson can speak, is funny.  It sounds like a computer sounds, which is a relief.
But then Watson also has a sense of humor...  On the Daily Double, "He" wagered an amount something to the sound of 1,274.  It even made Alex chuckle.
I had an all out laughing burst.
It's cute really.

Similarly (maybe not quite so similarly), we had a machine attacking our sanity tonight as well.
Pickles, and Cornbread especially, just were not going to stand for it.

Gidget  :)

Analysis...

Solicitation...

Pwn-age!!