Attack of the bed head

Robyn double-dog-dared me to post a picture of my morning bead head because I claimed mine was way worse than hers. I think the pictures here speak for themselves. Also, they're proof of my deep, abiding love for y'all. I wouldn't reveal myself in all my puffy, pasty, unmadeup glory if I didn't adore you (and you, especially).

******

I drove Hilda the Honda to Curve$ yesterday, and I'm adjusting to an automatic fairly well, even though my left foot still tries to hit the clutch at times. One feature I haven't tried yet is cruise control. Does anyone actually use it? I hear it's supposed to be handy on long highway trips, but it seems a little silly to me. Is pressing the gas pedal that much work? I think it's my Amish streak that's objecting . . .

Speaking of Curve$, I solved all the word puzzles yesterday and got five Curve$ bucks! They're fake money used as a sort of motivational strategy; for example, you get a buck for each workout, another one each time you work out three times in one week, and so on. The thing is, I'm not quite sure what I can use them for. The manager said something vague about buying special merchandise, but when I asked whether she meant the T-shirts on display, she looked confused and said "Well, not really." Whatever. I'm still collecting them because . . . well, I might amass a huge pile of them and then take over the world! Mwah-ha-ha-ha. Yeah, I'm an easy mark.

Here are the word puzzle questions I answered; each answer phrase includes the word "cow." You can leave your answers in the comments.

• Bart's advice to chill out
• Symbol of Hinduism
• A long time
• A money-making endeavor

Uh, I can't remember the last one. I get no points for memory skills. Good thing I can do the daily USA Today crossword puzzle again to exercise my brain. Jane had mentioned doing this puzzle online every day, so a few months ago, I decided to give it a try as part of my efforts to ward off early senility. I got addicted quickly. Last week, I couldn't get the page to display, though--it kept showing up blank! I tried substituting paper crosswords, but I missed the "Ta-da!" sound USA Today's puzzle plays when you finish solving it. And it gives you a grade, which my nerdy little soul delights in. Daniel updated Flash on my computer last weekend, and I think that fixed the display problem. My only quibble is that there are no new puzzles on the weekends, but I have my logic puzzle magazine as an alternative. I'm puffy, pasty, AND a geek! Could I make myself sound more attractive? I think not.