This Summer in Facebook Status Updates

Just thought it would be fun to do a Summer recap based on some of my Facebook status updates from the past few months. And so, here it is...

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John Magee and Monique went shopping for plants today: heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers, thyme, basil, mint, rosemary, blackberry, zinnias, impatiens, gerber daisies, petunias, and scarlet begonias. The real coup? A hops vine, which will one day contribute to a batch of homebrew. Now I reckon I'd better get off Facebook and get to plantin'. May 30 at 6:30pm
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John Magee sez:
Let's go Red Wings! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Let's go Red Wings! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP CLAP CLAP!
LET'S GO RED WINGS! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP CLAP CLAP!!"
June 12 at 10:14am
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Damn. ... Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the good run, Wings. June 12 at 10:40pm
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John Magee napped away some of this cool, cloudy day with the help of my accomplice, Katie the Beagle. That's one snoozin' pooch! June 13 at 11:29pm
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John Magee just sat on his pontoon boat, watched the sunset, and listened to a great Jerry Garcia Band concert I had never heard before. Good way to end the weekend. June 14 at 9:45pm
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John Magee really enjoyed working at home this morning, but must admit that this afternoon it's easier to concentrate here in his cluttered cubicle, where his neighbor isn't asking if he can go wakeboarding. June 15 at 3:24pm
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John Magee was going to laze about on the couch watching the Tigers game, but it was such a nice evening that I took a little sunset cruise on the lake, instead. June 18 at 10:54pm
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Lunch in the cube: leftover fish soup. June 19 at 12:43pm
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John Magee is drinkin' a foh-tie on the porch. Must be Friday evening. Too bad more storms are rolling in, or I'd be fishin' and drinkin'. June 19 at 7:10pm
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John Magee is flopped on the couch with the Sunday paper and a Tiger game on the tube. I may eventually summon enough energy to go lay in the hammock later in the afternoon. We shall see. June 21 at 1:46pm
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John Magee worked at home this morning, but I'm now packing up to go in to the office to confine myself to my cubicle, so that I don't have to resist the temptation of this beautiful day on the lake any longer. June 22 at 1:41pm
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The wearing-shorts-to-work scorecard:
Jason Cornett, 3,814
John Magee, 1/2 (this afternoon, 'cause it was just too damn nice to put on a pair of full-length pants.)
June 22 at 2:33pm
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John Magee is enjoying the heat. Thank you for finally stopping by, Summertime. June 24 at 10:34am

Raymond Brace - Excellent, but where do you stand on the "wearing-shorts-to-work" scorecard? June 24 at 1:58pm

John Magee - Hey, wasn't a 1/2-day in 14 years good enough for everybody? June 24 at 2:32pm

Raymond Brace - Was looking more for Jason's updated score (lol). June 24 at 2:34pm

John Magee - Let's see, three work days have passed since the last update, so that makes it:
Jason Cornett, 3,817
John Magee, 1/2

I'm beginning to think that he's running up the score on me! June 24 at 4:02pm
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John Magee has become increasingly concerned that the celebrity-obsession of our media reminds me more and more of parts of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Edward Gibbon. Am I just turning into a cranky old man? Or did I catch a preview of coming attractions when I read that tome? June 26 at 12:27pm
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John Magee and Katie the Beagle are lazing about the house, enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning. (Though Katie seems to be mostly wondering if Monique is back yet.) June 27 at 11:37am
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Another beautiful summertime morning on the lake. This site just doesn't have enough thumbs up for me to express how much I like it. June 28 at 9:51am
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John Magee very much enjoyed Andy Meisner's swearing-in as Oakland County Treasurer. It was great to see (almost) everybody who worked on the campaign again, and even better to see Andy finally become our county treasurer. Congratulations, Andy! July 1 at 2:03pm
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Katie the Beagle, meet Mr. Skunk. Mr. Skunk, meet Katie the Beagle. I'm especially thrilled that you two met up at 1 am. That made it extra special. July 2 at 1:54am
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John Magee and Monique couldn't figure out why the bathroom still stunk of skunk. Until Monique realized that Katie the Beagle's unwashed collar was still sitting on the sink. One lucky beagle's getting a new collar today! July 2 at 11:12am
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John Magee is party prep, party prep, party prep. July 3 at 10:50am
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Happy Birthday, America! Great fireworks last night on Wolverine Lake! Now we're cleaning up the party debris and getting ready to watch the US Eagles v. Canada in a Rugby World Cup qualifying match. (4 pm, ESPN.) Go, USA! July 4 at 1:53pm
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John Magee was killing time waiting for the USA v. Canada Rugby World Cup qualifier on ESPN, and I can't believe I just lost an hour of my life watching the Frankie & Annette beach movie "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini", which barely even has Frankie & Annette in it. July 4 at 4:01pm
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Hammock + Baseball Game on the Radio = Summertime July 5 at 2:40pm
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Monday morning already? I disbelieve! July 6 at 9:52am
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John Magee is lunchin' in the cube: a salad and a cup of lime jell-o. (Methinks my status updates could occasionally use a bit more glamour.) July 7 at 12:48pm
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John Magee and Monique gave in to today's Jackson-mania and downloaded a few classic Michael Jackson videos via our DirecTV video-on-demand. That, of course, led to a trip to YouTube to pull up "Weird" Al Yankovic's "Beat It" and "Fat". July 8 at 12:29am
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John Magee is baking a cherry pie and then headed off to the Dems of West Oakland summer picnic. Kinda handy that we can get there by boat. July 12 at 1:23pm
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amºbig'eºnal, a. [ambi-, and L. genus, born.] of two kinds: used only in the Newtonian phrase 'ambigenal hyperbola', one of the triple hyperbolas of the third order, having one of its infinite legs falling within an angle formed by the asymptotes, and the other without. July 12 at 9:57pm

John Magee - Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence AS YOUR STATUS. AND POST these instructions in a comment to this status.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST book.
July 12 at 9:58pm

John Magee - Not quite a sentence, I suppose, but I did the best I could with the big, giant Webster's Unabridged that sits on our reference stand right behind my head.

John Magee - "Vimes remembered late-night patrols when he could practically see by the glow coming from some of the windows," was only four inches further away, and would've at least been a real sentence. July 12 at 10:00pm

Rachel Skousen Herr - That is great you have a dictionary close by! I grabbed the closest book to me, opened to page 56, and found page 56 in The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer is blank. July 13 at 7:59am
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Brandon Inge ... *zero* HRs in the Home-Run Derby?!! C'mon, man, you hit two yesterday against real pitchers. July 13 at 9:54pm
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John Magee is headed home, where two newly imported French nephews should've arrived from the airport by now. Monique and I are hosting a couple of loaner boys for the next month! July 14 at 5:51pm
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So far today there's been swimming, fishing, and one big water fight ... all before I got out of bed. I'd say that my newphews Malcolm and Henry are off to a good start on their summertime visit to Michigan. Tonight's activity? Harry Potter, d'accord! July 15 at 10:56am
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John Magee woke to find a nephew standing at the foot of his bed, holding up a bloody hand . That's much more effective than an alarm clock for waking instantly! It turned out to be just a scrape, albeit a good one, and was soon expertly bandanged by Moniq...ue. Although Malcolm might not be able to go swimming for a couple of days, the fishing continued unabated by the time I left for work. July 16 at 10:52am
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John Magee Lunch in the cube: a bowl of beans. I've resisted the temptation to run errands at lunchtime today, 'cause it's so nice outside that I might not have the willpower to go back to work afterwards. July 17 at 12:42pm
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John Magee is hanging out with Monique, Henry, and Malcolm over at Arsen & Brigitte's. Katie the Carsick Beagle made the crosstown trip with us, too, though I think we all now agree she might've been happier to be left home. July 18 at 3:49pm
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Wondering what Monique, Henry, Malcolm, Arsen, Brigitte, Katie the Beagle, and I were up to this weekend? The answers can't be found on Facebook. You'll have to go check out the blog. July 20 at 12:51am

Susan Magee Riordan - The internet's number two source of beagle haiku! Do you think the folks at Google have noticed a surprising spike in the number of folks looking for beagle haiku? July 20 at 8:11am

John Magee - According to Google Trends, "Your terms - beagle haiku - do not have enough search volume to show graphs." I suppose that if I had really wanted to see a spike in traffic, I shoulda gone with today's #1 Hot Topic: "erin andrews peephole video link."

You're a class act, searchers of the world. July 20 at 11:51am
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John Magee has two sleeping French boys on his couch. July 20 at 10:51pm
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John Magee just suffered a small paper cut while catching up on some reading from this week's council packet. I hope the voters appreciate how we elected officials suffer on their behalf! July 21 at 9:55pm

Monica Lesnau - Indubitably a sign signifying that it’s time to dispense with your pedestrian packet perusal and take up the pen or keyboard, which are definitely mightier than the sword, not to mention much safer, although running with them is still not a good idea. Check out: http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/ and not just because it’s a “dark and stormy night.” July 21 at 11:40pm

John Magee - Alas, with this fierce paper cut taking my right index finger out of action, all I can type is, "It was a dark a d stor y ig t. S dde l a s ot ra g o t. T e aid screa ed!" July 22 at 1:34am
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John Magee just finished a tasty leftover lunch in his cube, and can't help but think, "Is that all there was?" July 22 at 1:33pm

Holly Hereau - Why are you always commenting about your cube? I feel depressed picturing you in it :) July 22 at 2:35pm

John Magee - Why do I comment on my cube, Holly? 'Cause for 40 or 50 hours a week, that's where me and my computer can usually be found. (Especially at lunchtime, which is usually when I check in on FB during the day.)

It's not all bad, though ... I have a few plants, some cool comic art up on the walls, and a big stack of contracts and invoices to give the joint some atmosphere. If I had a litter box and one of those exercise wheels they give caged rats, the place would be downright homey. July 22 at 10:32pm

Phil Gaven - Sweet Jesus - I want to see the exercise wheel they give to dudes like you. I thought the one in the kids' gerbil cage made a racket. What an image. July 22 at 10:38pm
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John Magee just watched three episodes of "Star Blazers" with Malcolm and Henry. Sometimes you gotta love that 1970s Japanese animé. July 22 at 10:51pm
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John Magee appreciates that Holly Hereau expressed her preference for a free-range Magee in her comment on yesterday's status update. Ahhh, to live in a world in which props roamed freely about the countryside during the summertime.... July 23 at 1:49pm

Holly Hereau - I think I can dig up some good pictures of "free-range Magee" July 23 at 1:59pm

Steve Mace - Isn't that what we fought against in the cold war? July 23 at 2:05pm

Ray Abruzzi - Makes you wonder how much actual "range" would be left for the rest of us, if Magees were allowed the freedom to roam and graze at will. July 23 at 2:59pm

Phil Gaven - Free range? I knew John when he was feral. July 23 at 4:25pm

Michael Magee - This Magee moved to Wyoming where there is more than enough room to roam and graze at will. I will also deny that there is any correlation between my moving here and declining Elk populations. July 23 at 4:51pm

John Magee - I would write something in my defense, but ... well, it's 6:41 pm and I'm still in my cube. So I think I'll shut down the computer and go home, where a feral pack of free-range nieces and nephews has taken over the house. July 23 at 6:42pm

Phil Gaven - Ooh. Fine line between free-range and feral, and you always want to keep 'em on the right side of the line. July 23 at 7:22pm
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John Magee is getting ready to go to the Detroit Zoo with the pack of free-range nephews and nieces. I suspect that instead of signs saying, "Beware of Animals" the zoo will soon wish they had signs saying, "Beware of nephews and nieces." (...Just kiddin'. In truth they've all been extremely well behaved and a joy to have around the house.) July 27 at 11:19am
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John Magee is back from the Zoo. Too bad the animals ate all the children. Shea was swallowed by a python, a Siberian tiger noshed on Henry, Atlee fell in the penguin tank and was nibbled by carnivorous penguins, Greeley was barely a snack for a polar bear, and Malcolm was sucked up the snout by a giant anteater. July 27 at 6:49pm

Kelly Gibson Franklin - Hope you were able to get a refund, or does that count as a donation/tax credit? July 28 at 12:50pm
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John Magee This clip forces me to break out all my favorite Internet acronyms: OMG, LOL, ROTFLMAO. William Shatner Reads Sarah Palin Farewell Speech: It's not quite "Rocketman," but "Rocketman" didn't have bongos...
July 29 at 5:44pm
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John Magee just walked by the kitchenette and mistakenly glanced at the TV with CNN on. Not only did it make me want to hurry back to working on my monthly report, but it confirmed my general opinion that the phrase "cable-TV news" is at best an oxymoron. July 30 at 5:55pm
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John Magee is callin' it a day at work. Viva the weekend! July 31 at 5:45pm

Holly Hereau - Way to escape the cube! July 31 at 6:14pm

John Magee - I know you were rootin' for me. August 1 at 12:45am
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John Magee and Monique had a really fun day today with Malcolm and Henry: carp fishing in the morning, Highland Games in Livonia all afternoon, and then tonight -- in a flashback to the early 80s -- we all played Dungeons and Dragons. (The carp seem to be safer from us than the orcs. Quite a few orcs died tonight, while the carp continue to swim safely in Wolverine Lake. August 1 at 11:45pm
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John Magee played another round of Dungeons & Dragons with Monique, Henry, and Malcolm. It's given me an excellent opportunity to practice at my evil-goblin cackle. I think I'll break it out at the next village council meeting. August 3 at 11:46pm
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John Magee thinks that if Holly Hereau finds my usual "lunching in the cube" status update to be a bit of a downer, my "Monday Morning Shower" poem will leave her in deep, dark depression. August 4 at 12:16pm
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John Magee and Katie the Beagle think it's pretty quiet around here tonight with Monique, Malcolm, and Henry off at Arsen & Brigitte's for the evening. August 5 at 9:07pm
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John Magee isn't much of a fan of being in his cubicle at work on a beautiful Summer day. But I am a big fan of my lovely drive into work on a beautiful Summer day, so I reckon I'll take what I can get. August 7 at 12:17pm
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John Magee , Monique, Malcolm, and Henry are all watching an old Star Trek episode ("The Tholian Web") on a rainy day. Katie the Beagle would also be watching, but she's too busy napping. August 8 at 12:40pm
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Hey, what's that outside? Oh, it's summertime weather. I almost didn't recognize it, it's been so long. August 9 at 1:05pm
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John Magee is getting ready to read Henry & Malcolm to bed with another chapter of "Treasure Island." August 10 at 9:38pm
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John Magee was watching the Tigers v. White Sox game on TV with Monique, Malcolm & Henry until the rain delay struck. Now Monique and I are watching the end of the game while Malcolm & Henry snooze after a long, full day of fishing, batting cages, and more fishing. August 11 at 10:55pm
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John Magee and Monique are off in the morning for the enormous-Magee family reunion in the Adirondacks. Hurrah! (Yes, grammarians, it's a reunion of enormous Magees.) August 14 at 12:21am
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John Magee and Monique watched shooting stars and satellites on a dark Adirondack night with Tom, Nadine, Mike, Krista, Mark, Caleb, Cooper, Matthew, and Jenny. What a great way to wrap up the family reunion weekend. August 17 at 11:53pm
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John Magee got harassed on the road while I was driving in to work by a Republican who was mad about my Obama bumper sticker. Relax, GOP-ers, it's gonna be a long four years for you. (Well, eight years, really, if you're serious about nominating Palin....) Heck, I didn't even start to get irked about Dubya until after he'd already lost the South end of Manhattan and invaded the wrong country, and he had 6-1/2 more years to go. August 19 at 10:12am
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John Magee drove in to work on 13-Mile Rd. instead of 12-Mile today: prettier trees and less raging political debate at 45 mph. August 20 at 10:35am
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John Magee is prepping for his first fantasy football draft of the year tonight. With the fourth and sixth overall picks in the FPDL rookie draft, the Basking Beagles pick ... ? We shall see. August 21 at 6:39pm

Phil Gaven - Oh, jeez. I just peed myself from excitement. August 21 at 6:42pm

John Magee - Surprisingly, Phil, you weren't the only one to pee yourself over our draft. We had to stop the draft for a few minutes because somebody's two-year-old had a potty-training accident. August 21 at 11:31pm
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Alas, the Basking Beagles didn't get Mike Vick in our fantasy football draft. (Katie the Beagle wanted us to draft him, cage him, and poke him with a cattle prod.) August 21 at 11:30pm
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Down 20-0 after one quarter? Multiple turnovers? Dumb penalties? Getting their asses kicked on the offensive *and*defensive lines? Giving up kick returns for touchdowns? The Lions don't need preseason. I say they're already in mid-season form! August 22 at 9:27pm
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John Magee and Monique just dined on tomato sandwiches and sliced tomatoes with heirloom tomatoes fresh from our garden. Forget sixty-three and drizzling outside, it tastes like Summertime at the Magee house this afternoon. Sun at 3:13pm
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John Magee and Monique took a great sunset cruise this evening. Mon at 9:29pm
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John Magee received 68 work e-mails yesterday. No wonder it felt as if I spent most of my day just trying to keep up. Yesterday at 10:58am
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Another evening, another lovely cruise -- this time with guest cruiser Justine Carson and Thai take-out onboard for dinner. (Gotta keep cruisng while the weather's still good!) Yesterday at 11:14pm