Thanks for the help on the acushla thing. I also heard that it is a Russian word. Huh. But good to know that it is from a different language and so I shouldn't expect to see it in an English dictionary. Whew! My faith in the system is restored.

I'm in my office right now, although not on the clock yet, and I have to say that there is a very odd occurrence that I've noticed in the office plant trends. I'm guessing the point of having plastic plants in the office is that they are less trouble and mess than real plants - no water or dirt required - but why do they make fake plants that do not correctly represent real plants? I mean, why make fake grapes grow on a fake ivy vine? I know that it looks decent from far away, but when you stop and think about it, it's just plain strange. I shouldn't walk into work and think that Dr. Seuss was let loose overnight and created this fantastical false foliage. Don't the creators of plastic plants ever look at the real thing? Shouldn't they have a degree in some sort of botany so that they can understand how a plant works and then reproduce its likeness in a fairly realistic way? I just find it odd to have such confused fake plants. Although, being that I live in a country where people can't decide what gender, hair color, breast size, race, or religion they are, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that fake plants are having an identity crisis as well.

Maybe I'll just bring in a real ivy plant for my desk on of these days . . . that would be nice. Well, back on the clock.