Abracadabra

OMG, it was so cool! I haven't been there in probably ten years. (There was a time, not too long ago when ten years was past my point of recognizance but not so any more. I was in college more than ten years ago...not too many more true, but still. Enough reminiscing.) I was a freshman in college when last I visited The Magic Castle in The Northern Jungle. I was young and stupid and broke and dating a guy who wanted to become a member. I was agog at the concept of entering the neighborhood let alone The. Magic. Castle. So I don't remember a lot about the place other than the Peller Theater and the Inner Circle Ballroom. That's where the auditions are (were) held. Last night Tarzan and I were invited by one of the teachers at his school - did I mention that it's invitation by a member only? - to go and watch his act. The teacher not Tarzan obvi. Jheff is really good. I mean, one doesn't get accepted to The Magic Castle unless one IS good but still. I hadn't really processed it completely. And he really is a teacher by day, magician by night. So we saw his act - in the Parlour of Prestidigitation - first, to make sure that we did. He does mind reading type things. Really slick. Even knowing it IS a trick, you believe it a little bit, because it is so well delivered. That was way awesome. Then we ate dinner in the restaurant, which I hadn't even known was there. It was really good. Do you know they sell a prime rib that's 56 ozs?! That is 4-1/2 pounds of meat. I couldn't finish the 10 oz-er. There is a plaque at the entrance for those that eat the entire thing by themselves. Yeah. The ambiance is way eclectic but it works. It was kinda cool to sit and hear magicians discussing techniques and tricks. It was equally amusing to listen to those who thought they were magicians 'explaining' the experience to those with them. After dinner we had tickets to see The Palace of Mystery Show which is featuring Mark Haslam, David Avadon and Mark Bennick this week. They were all fabulous. The sleight of hand was amazing, the pocket picking was highly amusing and the illusions are always cool. But the one trick that floors me every single time is the newspaper. He rips the paper in two, folds it and rips it again, folds and rips, folds and rips and then unfolds and it's whole. I know deep down it's a folding thing, but I saw him rip the paper! I did, I did, I did. He ripped it and showed us the pieces and yet it's whole at the end. Every. Single. Time. We didn't get home until midnight and I so do not feel like working today but it was worth it. So amazingly cool.

This is me, way impressed.

The Dentist Or Flying?

Gut reaction? I'd pick flying, considering the year I've had with the dentist! But I don't think that's what this week is about specifically. Or maybe it is...
Onesome: The Dentist?-- ...a bigger 'scary factor' than than flying? What do you think?

• Dunno if I would call either one "scary" per se. The dentist holds more apprehension for me because I have been in a lot more pain in connection with that establishment. (fillings, crowns and that root canal last February) I think I've been really lucky flying-wise. No real horror stories. Couple of turbulent flights but nothing requiring a barf bag. Some cute stories. Like the guy who wanted to hold my hand when we took off because he'd never flown before. I evilly teased my boyfriend at the time with that story, neglecting to tell him the "guy" was six years old and his parents were a sitting a few rows back. (Bad Jane, bad girl.)

Twosome: or-- maybe you have coping skills to handle dental visits? Would you care to share any of them?

• Coping skills? I try to think of other things. Our dentist, the Gentle Dental Center, has these lights and so you can pretend you are somewhere else. Especially when you (I) get all drugged up real good. They have issues with my mouth size and tongue strength which is a little unnerving. No pain, but a lot of stretching and pulling. And chiding. No memory of it though - when I went back to get the latest crown ground down a little more the dentist said he didn't remember the small mouth discussion, he remembered telling me about his dad who is a structural engineer and getting advice from me (!) on how to advertise better. Who knew I was so talented while high on Novocaine?

Threesome: Flying-- has received a really bad rap this year. Deserved? ...or is all sweetness and light now?

• As with all things, I'm sure some of it is deserved and some of it is hype that's been blown out of proportion by the media and our freakishly litigious society. I'm thankful I don't have to fly more often. The security is amusing. Has anyone tried the "puff" machines? Quite entertaining. Not sure how accurate it is but it breaks up the monotony of waiting in line. The not letting people board the plane while half naked is pleasing to those of us who don't like to see other people's bits, but is it within the airline's rights? I wish people were more polite and less selfish. Then we wouldn't have issues like this at all, but if wishes were horses... Tough call.

This is me, with the weekly meme. Love this group!

Appreciations

Let's pause here for all stations to identify themselves and give a HUGE shout out to Rocketgirl who frankly - ROCKS! She comments nearly almost every post and I love her for that and SO much more! Too bad we live many states apart...maybe next year I'll get to visit her in her brand new freaking awesome house! Smooches princessreva!!
As we all know, Bruno Tonioli is the most annoying of all the judges on Dancing With The Stars. Really. The man just gushes over girls and guys he thinks will sleep with him. That's all I can figure from the contestants he chooses to support. He does speak in sound bites which makes it easy to throw him in the advertisements more than the more restrained and constructive Len Goodman, who I like better on many levels. To illustrate my point I have made a list of the catchy phrase Bruno tagged each and every celebrity with during the first round of dancing.

• Melanie Brown - her cha-cha got her the "feisty kitten" comment. As mentioned, she's not bad - and not as obnoxious as I suspected her to be. Only time will tell.
• Sabrina Bryan - after her cha-cha Bruno only pulled his tongue up off the floor long enough to call her a "bewitching blond bombshell" and then he passed out. My opinion: it was fast, but not so much in the actual step department.
• Helio Castroneves - his foxtrot was good. He has a better attitude about the show than I imagined. I could like him - I'd also vote for him if the stupid website would work properly. Come on ABC - get it together! Bruno's label: "king of speed becomes the king of charm"
• Mark Cuban - not as annoying as he seemed he would be and he freely admits he can't dance but he's doing it for his daughter and that's adorable. We found out that he had his hip replaced a few weeks ago, which may explain the lack of hip action, so Bruno came out with "bouncing bionic billionaire" for his cha-cha.
• Jennie Garth's cha-cha got her labeled the "yummy mummy" Of course since he's said it, so has everyone else but they say "yummy mommy" and that's not nearly as clever since it doesn't rhyme.
• Poor Josie Maran. Really - she was not bad. Or her dance was only as bad as other foxtrots, but it certainly seems as if she'll be the first to go home tonight. Poo. If only the WEBSITE WORKED so I could have voted. I would have voted for her. This was possibly the only not funny or positive tag line "beautiful sailing ship stranded on a sand bag" (did he mean bar?) That's so not cool Bruno.
• Cameron Mathison - not outstanding in the foxtrot - his smooth was not so, and Bruno might have been right, if I was not sick of him already, when he said "not quite a Rolls Royce, but not a Buick either"
• Floyd Mayweather - ehn. The cha-cha had some good parts and some not so. He's younger than I expected and could do reasonably well. Karina annoys me and she's so pouty. She throws temper tantrums like she's four. But this is about Bruno "changing your name from Mayweather to September Storm" Little bit of a reach there Bruno yeah?
• Wayne Newton - what's to say about Mr. Las Vegas? He's been there longer than most of the casinos. He's got class but not a lot of flexibility. He does have Cheryl who's the best teacher of the group, hands down, but he won't go far. His cha-cha was great for the older set "sizzler from sin city" but I don't think the man has hips anymore...
• I was not thrilled about Marie Osmond's foxtrot. Bruno called it "classy yet sassy" but I was ehn. She's fun and funny. Dunno about the skill so much. Whatevs.
• Albert Reed's cha-cha - whoa Bruno. Hold it together man. Just because the he's an Abercrombie & Fitch model "...crotch action at warp drive"? I mean ick-y. The dance was not bad though - needs more hips, and it's so nice to have Anna back.
• And Jane Seymour - her foxtrot was lovely and she is elegant and it's a little over the top but I can see Bruno's description of "breezy and fragrant like an British garden"

This is me, trying to avoid the real issues of timing and scheduling and office crap by posting about TV instead! Stay tuned.

Comments

In my continued effort to not whine and complain about people in the office - who knew there would come a day when MC was not the most annoying person I've ever known?! - let's talk about something else instead.
Over the weekend we were able to see both Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory AND Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Highly unusual for me to like a remake over the original but the musical version was a little bit weird - even for Roald Dahl. Consider - Charlie is supposed to be the good kid, yet he drinks the gassy soda that Willy explicitly warns them against. He should be blown out the top like the other four kids. And Grandpa Joe is a scary old man. Johnny Depp's version is much closer to the book. The bit about Willy and his dad is kinda superfluous, makes him seem more childish and less authoritative. But still.
-->Favorite Quote "...even *I'm* eatable! But that is called "cannibalism," my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies."
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Oh! And Dancing With The Stars premiered last night and it was good. Tiny bit frustrating as it seems the judges have already decided who will be progressing further in the competition. What's that all about? They LOVED Sabrina Bryan and, as predicted, I did not. It seems the judges have a thing against the super models. Josie Maran did an adequate job but the judges were all over her. Did not think she was hopeless. All the other women were surprisingly good. Even Melanie Brown who I was definitely predisposed to find blech-y. Maybe it's the accent. A British accent always makes a person sound classier. Jane Seymour was phenomenal! I'm glad the judges liked her - I hope she goes far. Of course next week is the Mambo and that always trips up a bunch who were great with the smooth dances. Only the girls danced last night so the boys will have to wait until tomorrow for my final verdict. I'm almost certain Mark Cuban is going to be annoying though...we'll see. Floyd Mayweather's a little iffy too - too much attitude, not enough substance. But...we'll see.

This is me, seeing.

In Lieu Of Monday Complaints

Apparently you weren't paying attention when I told you to watch Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip because it's been cancelled and will not be returning for the fall lineup. I blame you Minnesota. Thankfully, the station learned their lesson from Reunion (yes, I AM still bitter) and wound up all the story lines - unbelievably to be sure - but complete before they took it off the air. Not to worry however, there are PLENTY of other shows to take the place. We will not be scanning the 1,000 channels available desperately searching for something to watch. Let me lay it out for you:

• Monday brings back Heroes which is all sci-fi-y but not too geeky for those of us who didn't live in comic books when we were younger. And I still love the Milo Ventimiglia. Also on Monday is Dancing With The Stars. Pretty much says it all. In addition I have to check out the Monday Night Football game just to have something to discuss with the boys next day in the office. We'll also be previewing The Journeyman tonight to see if it's worth keeping up with - maybe the 2007 version of Quantum Leap?
• Tuesday is the Dancing With The Stars Results Show and we have managed to reduce our Law & Order consumption to just Special Victims Unit. We will also be viewing Cane this fall. (It's our diversity attempt - the only CBS show on the list.)
• Wednesday has a new show - Back To You - with Patrica Heaton and Kelsey Grammer. The jury is still out on this one but it could be cute.
• Thursdays bring the indefatigable ER and a new show about men - Big Shots.
• Friday will be used to catch up on all the recorded shows until January when the new season of Battlestar Galactica premieres. (What are THEY thinking making me wait so long?)
• Saturday is Trojan Football of course. Fight On! TOTALLY dominated the Washington State "Cougs" (I hate, hate, HATE that moniker - who is responsible for that? If I were a Cougar I would be offended) on Saturday 47-14. It was excellent. Even had a rainbow over the Coliseum.
• Sunday has Iron Chef which never really stopped, but doesn't have a continuous storyline anyway, so missing one episode isn't too devastating. Brothers and Sisters has been renewed but we have to find the DVD of last season to see the five episodes we managed to delete from the DVR before we can watch the new season. Oopsies.

And lest you think we will strain our eyeball muscles going from zero to sixty shows a week let me reassure you; we tried to stay in shape over the summer by watching Greek and Burn Notice and the final episodes of Knights of Prosperity. (I understand WHY it was cancelled, but I'm still sad. It was cute.)

This is me sharing my guilty TV fascination with y'all.

My Two Cents

This is probably as unbiased a piece as there is to be found in the nation right now about the whole Jena 6 thing. So much is wrong with that situation. So. Much. On so many levels. Jeepers. First, why is there even a division such that there's a tree only white kids sit under?! Heeelllloooo? Does anyone else see a problem with this? So a black kid asks permission to sit under the tree? Asks permission? Are you kidding me? Seems like something should have been done loooong ago at this school. Then there's retaliation from the the white kids, which was yet another wrong action. What did they THINK was going to happen in Louisiana with nooses in a tree? And then some white kid gets beat up by six black kids. Yeah, six-to-one odds seems fair to me. Then there's party crashers and broken bottles and someone pulls a gun and it just keeps getting worse. Anger, anger and more anger. Sure, I don't live there. I have no idea what the environment is like. Yes, it's the stereotypical uneducated deep south. But it's 2007 people! Does is always have to be one group mad to the point of violence towards another? Haven't we learned ANYthing from the last 7,000 years? Apparently not. No one forgives, no one lets it go, no one turns the other cheek. How do we live with ourselves as a species? I sure don't know.

This is me, disgusted.

Details, Details, Details

This week's discussion will enlighten you in one of the major tenets of my personality:
Onesome: "Details--are everything!", or so it is said. Are you a details person? ...or a big picture person?

• I am a big picture person. Except for the details...Seriously, I am a big advocate for moderation in all things. So it's mostly big picture stuff - the dishes got done, who cares if there was some plastic on the the bottom rack? But sometimes the details make the difference - when folding the corner of the baby book, you don't want the stuffing to show. It's a matter of moderation. Not too lackadaisical, not too anal retentive.

Twosome: Details-- (in the military definition) can be a royal pain: what routine detail at your job/school/home would you cheerfully off-load to someone else?

• What constitutes a "detail?" At home, I'd love to palm off the dishes, cleaning the litter box, and tying up the newspapers for recycling (and frequently do). At the office, I'd love for the boss and vice-boss to be able to fill out their own time cards.

Threesome: Details-- and devils: what are you willing to work on nearly endlessly until you "get it right"?

• Hmmm, like a cross-stitch kind of thing? Most things I do don't have to be done to that level of detail to require such attention. The baby books need to be done "just right."

This is me, more of a big picture person than I realized.

Ode To A Block

This is harder to compose than I thought it would be - not because I don't have anything to say - but because I don't want to be labeled as 'just another' obsessive fan. I AM a fan of course, and probably obsessive to boot, but I don't want to appear as such when I say:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE J. BLOCK!!

It's kinda weird to feel a familiarity with a person I've never met and only seen live once (at a performance no less). Weird in that I know quite a bit about her (insert obsessive part here) while she wouldn't know me from Eve. (Well, I don't wear fig leaves, but you get the point...) And yet I have come to admire her a great deal. Since it is unlikely that I will ever get to meet Stephanie - and therefore not get to embarrass myself by spouting incoherent nonsense and sounding exactly like the previously mentioned obsessive fan - I want to post the things I would tell her (at my imaginary lunch with Stephanie J. Block) in a setting where I can think about my words before I utter them...and then self edit. I would refrain from asking the stereotypical questions about how she got started in acting and which role she prefers and how the wedding plans are going because all those answers can be found by Google-ing her. No, I would tell her that she seems to have a particular empathy for every role she plays. I believe her more than another actor(ess) in the same role. She isn't just playing a part, or even portraying a person really well. She IS Elphaba, she IS Grainne Ni Mhaille, she IS Liza and I love that. I've written tons about her and I really can't say enough how much I like her as a performer and as a person. I admit that I have only seen clips of interviews or comcast videos where she surely knows people are watching, but I love that she never says anything bad about another person, professional or not. Despite having reasons and opportunities aplenty where one might dig at a colleague or a producer/director or especially the media (gah, those guys give ME the willys) she is always diplomatic and light-hearted. She's so positive and supportive of others. And she's funny. She's so sweet to the audiences and fans. (Who has an entire fan club named for them? Yes, I am a BLOCKHEAD.) Some performers would get a swelled head about the fame and attention but Stephanie is always willing to meet a fan, take a picture, accept a present. (I'm sure she has tons of 'swag') She's not fake-ly modest - she knows what she can do (and she does it WELL) but she hasn't developed an attitude about it. She appears to be really...happy. Again, I don't want to be a gushing fan who just drools on her shoes. I wanted to say something perfect and appropriate for Stephanie's birthday. Stephanie, thank you. You are a gorgeous mix of poise and confidence, modesty and humor, beauty and a whole freaking lot of talent! Much joy!

This is me, wishing Stephanie J. Block a very happy birthday.

Not-So Local News

This is awesome. Yet another reason to love Nebraska. An atheist Senator suing God. So. Many. Jokes. My favorite is the U.S. District Judge who "expressed doubts about whether Bowen's lawsuit "has any legal basis whatsoever" " Expressed doubts. I'd be on the floor laughing. Seriously, who is going to take that case? For either side.
It makes me think of this joke:
An engineer dies and reports to the pearly gates. St. Peter checks his dossier and says, "Ah, you're an engineer — you're in the wrong place." So the engineer reports to the gates of hell and is let in. Pretty soon, the engineer gets dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell, and starts designing and building improvements. After a while, they've got air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators, and the engineer is becoming a pretty popular guy.
One day God calls Satan up on the telephone and asks with a sneer, "So, how's it going down there in hell?"
Satan replies, "Hey, things are going great. We've got air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators, and there's no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next."
God replies, "What??? You've got an engineer? That's a mistake — he should never have gotten down there; send him up here."
Satan says, "No way! I like having an engineer on the staff, and I'm keeping him."
God says, "Send him back up here or I'll sue."
Satan laughs uproariously and answers, "Yeah right. And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"
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Yes, I'd like to prosecute the master of the universe please! You. Dude who was sleeping in the last staff meeting - you get to deliver the subpoena. How do you get there? Do YOU know where God lives? And if you eventually DO get there, how do you get back? And then there's the unlucky greenie bailiff who has to compel the Almighty to show up in the court room...

This is me, rolling on the floor laughing.

All Time High

Was perusing the Statcounter report for the blog - had an all time high of 23 "new" visitors last week! Sweet! I wonder what I did differently? Or was it people reading from a different computer? Whatevs. Thanks peeps!
(And yes, I AM such an attention whore that I have joined BlogRush just to get MORE people to visit this site.)

#1 USC beat #14 Nebraska all over the place on Saturday. Woot! It was a little surreal with the pre-game show. Since when does college football have pre-game shows? Seriously. There was a music video and a history of both teams and recaps of all previous games between the two. And the stats of the teams on home games and away games and when Nebraska last hosted a Top Ten ranked team at home. How USC had a bye week last week and because of the showing by other teams maybe they shouldn't be ranked #1 and [Saturday] would be the test. Saturday could have been The! Day! When! A! Team! Beats! USC! Then all the sob stories about how the QB for Nebraska gets his second chance to beat the #1 ranked team in the country. Blah blah blah. It could be a huge upset in a day when there was plenty of upset-ness going around. (Arkansas went down to unranked Alabama, Luisville lost to unranked Kentucky) AND #11 UCLA lost hard to an unranked team - the Utes from the University of Utah. Ah...hahahahahahahaha!! I know I'm supposed to want the Pac-10 to do well and for UCLA to win every game but the one we play against them, but I just can't do it. I can't pull the sympathy and support out for them. Any other team in the PAC-10 sure. I can love the Beavers, the Ducks, the Huskies, the Sun Devils, even the Golden Bears. But I just can't find the love for the Bruins. Nope. Not gonna happen. So it COULD have been a huge upset in the College football world IF Nebraska had beaten USC. But they didn't. The Cornhusker fans (what kind of repsect does one expect with that as a mascot?) were all pumped up when the game started - sure that [Saturday] was their day to make history. They were really screaming and yelling and apparently the stadium in Lincoln has weird acoustical issues so it gets really loud...Nebraska had possession first (though they won the toss and should have deferred to the second half, which they did. It was weird that they had the ball to begin BOTH halves of the game...explain that one to me someone, please?) and they did nothing with it. Sure, sure, getting the feel of the other team. We sacked their QB on third down and they punted. The punt return lined us up on our own 4 yard line. And then. Andthenandthenandthen. Four plays, two runs of 40 and 50 yards respectively and we scored. 7 points. Ha! THAT shut up the fans in the stadium. Then they scored a touchdown and a field goal so they were up by 3! WHOLE! POINTS! Ack. It's all going downhill for the Trojans (sayeth the commentators. Why are the commentators always willing to believe that USC will lose - what is that about? We haven't been out of the Top Ten in the last 6 years. We're probably going to do well dudes. Cope.) Anyway, so we figure out a strategy and come back with 35 unanswered points. Yes, that's correct, 5, FIVE! touchdowns. So USC is up 42 to 10 as we proceed into the 4th quarter. Then Pete puts in the second string and back up QB and Nebraska scores and we score and the final tally is 49-31 for USC. Hee hee hee. Put that in your pipe and smoke it LSU.

This is me, Fighting On!!

P.S. Oh dude, totally hilarious - just right for Monday.

Time To Get Serious

It's so weird how one day we can be literally dying of heat exhaustion and the next day need blankets and slippers because it's - not cold - but not hot anymore. The very next day. Weird. I blame global warming.

Sad to say, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. Well I don't know if it's sad to say or not, but it's true. And sometimes it's annoying. It comes from being a diabetic I suspect. I don't post very often about being a diabetic for a number of reasons - the first being I have Type I diabetes which is TOTALLY different from having Type II. Most people do not know, or care, about the difference so I get a lot of well meaning suggestions like - "there's a new pill out that cures diabetes"..."fish oil cures diabetes"..."acupuncture cured my [insert mother, grandmother, second cousin twice removed who lives in Uzbekistan] with diabetes, you should try it"...Well maybe, but not really. What those things might do is control and remove the factors that cause non-insulin dependant diabetes where the lifestyle of the patient keeps their pancreas from working correctly or completely. My pancreas is kaput. It has been kaput since I was 5 years old, before I HAD a lifestyle. My immune system decided that my pancreas was bad news and took it out before it tried to subjugate the entire body. (Thank you OH so much immune system! Nothing like an overactive imagination in an immune system to do you in.) So. Nothing you suggest to me will "cure" it. Another reason I don't talk/post about it a lot is because when people know they look at me differently. And not in a good way. Everything I eat is questioned. "Are you allowed to eat that?" "Are you eating [that] because you're in insulin shock?" "[randomly related persons] can't have "x" so why are you eating it?" My moods are subjected to scrutiny. If I'm grouchy it's because my "sugars" are too low, or too high. If I'm happy it's the same. Everything is because I am diabetic, and while on some level this is true, it's also not. I am more than the disease. I can be grouchy because the office sucked or because I'm tired or because nosey people won't let me alone! What also bugs me are the horror stories of the [randomly related person] who lost a finger, toe, foot, leg, kidney, eye, hand, whatever to diabetes and is that why I wear glasses? What do I say to that? I'm sorry, that's tough, now go away? I don't say that, but I think it. Sure, amputation is a possibility but these people they tell me about are usually 70+ years of age (often Type II which we already discussed), back when insulin was made from cows and pigs, if they even HAD insulin. (Discovered in 1921-22, in Canada interestingly enough.) Medical technology has come a long way since 1922. In fact there is a serious chance for a cure being worked on with islet cells being coated and transplanted. It's fascinating stuff. In the meantime however I am seeing my doctor(s) regularly, I am doing everything they suggest, I am at peace with it and I can't give it to you. So leave me the freak alone about it! No really, what I do is try to be understanding and try to not yell and I don't tell a lot of people.
Why am I breaking the silence now you ask? Interesting question. I don't really know except that lately I have noticed my susceptibility to blogs and that prompted today's opening statement about being a hypochondriac. Which started the explanation of why I might be one. Part of it is that I am a diabetic and we are at risk for EVERYthing. Seriously. Heart disease, kidney disease, gum disease, stroke, foot problems, eye problems, depression, colds, hangnails - I'm more likely to have any of those than Tarzan is. And it's extra more bad for me if I do. So this makes me more paranoid about things. When my foot falls asleep after my sitting on it for an hour at the office I wonder "is this the start of foot problems." This tooth thing has been driving me crazy on multiple levels because of the gum disease issue. And Tarzan, bless his heart, totally freaked me out the other night. An eyelash dropped into my eye when we were watching TV and it hurt so I jumped and had to work it out. He asked if sugar was building up in my eye that would lead to eventual blindness. Um. What am I supposed to do with that honey? First, why would he think of that as the first reason my eye hurt? And then why mention that to me - knowing that could be a real consequence someday? And thirdly, does he not remember that I just went to the opthamologist who said that my eyes "were great. Nothing to worry about?" Give me one more thing to freak out over, okay?!
Anyway, so I am a bit paranoid about things to begin with. Lately, my interest in blogs has led me into some interesting places and subjects. If the person writes compellingly I will read it, no matter the subject. Dooce, I don't always agree with, most often I don't, but she's SO funny. Julie is very practical, which I like, and I read three or four blogs at Redbook. As I started to read and become 'involved' in these lives I started to wonder and then perceive their experiences onto myself. Suddenly I wonder if I'm infertile? What kind of treatment will we need? How far will we go to have kids? Will I have multiple babies? Preclampsia, breach, a C-section? What will we do about selective reduction? What will we name the kids? Stuff I totally don't need to worry about right now. No reason to think any of it will happen to us, no history of it.
I found Snickollet recently and now I'm all about the cancer, wondering if I have it? Does Tarzan? Will we get it? Are we at risk? What is that bump? A pimple or skin cancer? Was that mole here or over there yesterday? Is that my cold hanging on still or should I have it checked out? What if it's pneumonia?
I hadn't noticed how susceptible I am to the power of suggestion. I should probably never be hypnotized.
My, that was a long winded way of saying I'm a freak.

This is me, a little too blog-centric.

Right On Target

And today's topic is:
Onesome: Right-- around the corner from where I live (or work) there's this neat little..... (Go ahead, add your own ending to that sentence!)

• ...bakery that has the best macaroons EVER. There's really nothing around the corner from where I live - except the Masonic Lodge with the biker gang. But I'm not invited to their parties.

Twosome: on-- the other hand, I'll travel clear across town to..... (Same deal: fill in the blank so we'll know what will get you traveling!)

• ...get Tarzan the olives/cheese/bread/chocolate that he likes. There's a deli on the west side that sells it all. And I love to watch him twitch as he eats. (Not in a freaky way but he's very physical and so when anything tastes good there's a little shiver that starts at his toes and works it's way up to his head. It's adorable if you're into that sort of thing. Which I am.)

Threesome: Target-- or Walmart? Nah, no contest. How about Target or Mervyn's? Hmmm... That would limit us to clothes, but that's okay, go for it! (No, Macy's isn't eligible...)

• I choose Target for most things like casual clothes, cards, Christmas decorations, etc. Mervyn's is alright for professional clothes - haven't been there too often - I should probably check it out again. I boycott the Walmart. No likey them at all.

This is me - not a compulsive shopper.

P.S. I am a practical lover.

Multiplicity

I went to the dentist this morning.
Yes, again.
This was more a preventative thing than a necessity as I scheduled the appointment because the gum below my root-canaled-and-crowned tooth from February's adventure was a little puffy and hurting. All sorts of horrific thoughts have been going through my brain since Monday when I first noticed the problem, and is likely the reason I ran the yellow light last night at an intersection with a camera which I saw flash, twice, and will undoubtedly get a ticket from it. Poo. Turns out it was mostly unfounded fears as the dentist just pulled out his sander and ground some more off the top. I'm sure this crown is a micrometer thick by this point, it's not like there is a lot of material to work with and this one has been ground a bunch. Seems to have done the trick for the moment - we shall see how it works out over the next 2-3 days. Hopefully it is not the "worst-case" option the dentist mentioned where they have to go back and re-root canal the tooth. Yeah. THAT sounds like A LOT of fun.
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I am fairly certain that the reason AutoCAD is used so exclusively in the architecture profession is because of it's penchant for connecting things. Dimensions have the ticks, the text, the extension lines. It's all one piece that can be adjusted as needed. Another example: the leader arrows. You get the arrow head, the text AND the connecting line all in one entity so it can be moved, edited and repositioned with very little effort. So, why...why, why, why, why, why, would some 'genius-type' person explode the leader arrow so I have to move each item individually? Why would someone DO that? I'm sure I don't know. It's very frustrating because I either have to take the time to recreate the leader arrow or make sure I have moved all the pieces. Which takes more time? I am not sure but it sucks either way. Bleah.

This is me, not all happy-like today.

If Only I Was

This Monday is SO much cooler and pleasant than last Monday that I wish today was Labor Day. I almost called in sick this morning because it's so nice outside and I only have a little hacking cough left from the cold and my bedroom is clean and I could have stayed in bed for anther three hours I think. But. That would have been a lie and so here I am at the office piddling around not doing anything but dreaming about what I would have done if I had stayed home. Conscience: friend or foe? Discuss.
So I'm reading this book, "GRANIA: She-King of the Irish Sea" about Grainne Ni Mhaille, Grania, or Grace, O'Malley of Ireland. It is a good book, very compelling in that I don't want to stop reading to sleep or work. Grania was the daughter of an Irish clan chieftain. Having been indulged by her father, she grew up on his ship, learning to lead the men and being accepted as one of them. When her father died he named her as successor, making her the first female chieftain and sea captain. She lived roughly the same years as Elizabeth I and they were adversaries as Grania was a pirate as well as sea captain. The meetings between the two women were detailed and part of English and Irish history alike. If this sounds in any way familiar it's because my latest obsession, The Pirate Queen, was based on the Irish legend. (The Pirate Queen, starring Stephanie J. Block, Hadley Fraser and Marcus Chait, that opened and closed on Broadway before I got to see it. But I'm not bitter, no sir.) I like the musical for many reasons, not the least of which is that my heritage is Irish on my dad's side and all the fabulous talent that was in the show. Also, I like entertainment taken from real life.
So. I'm reading the book that the musical was quasi-based on and I am really impressed at the talent and vision of other people. How anyone could read this book and decide, 'hey - this would make a really great musical!' - I'm sure I don't know. It's a rough, dirty and brutal kind of story. Granted, it was a rough, dirty and brutal time in the world's history too, but to read the book and see in it a glorious, romantic, musical play takes a brilliance that I just do not have. I felt the same way when I read "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West". Surely you know how much I love that musical. But the book is not at all pretty, romantic or inclined to musical accompaniment. Yet someone read the book and thought it would make a great Broadway show. And it did! How does one make that sort of jump? I do not begrudge the screenwriters or stage playwrights ANY money that they get from the shows and the royalties that come afterwards from soundtracks or swag or whatever. These peeps are talented.

This is me, in awe.

Drooling

Does it not just figure that the one time I don't check the news clips and websites for all my favorite people that something happens? Seriously. EVERY day I check in to Stephanie J. Block's website to see if there's any news. It hadn't been updated since June 10th, so I got lax (I know, I know, never again) and then today (well, Saturday) there's THIS bombshell! She's coming back! How awesome is that?! Knowing what I have read about how Stephanie studied with Stephen Schwartz, developing and basically creating the role of Elphaba for the Broadway debut and then to be passed over for the leading role...that had to be a heart breaker. I'm so glad for Stephanie. Now I REALLY wish I lived in The Big Apple. (It's interesting how I can be so excited and supportive of someone I have never met.) Further, while Annaleigh Ashford was an understudy for Glinda while on tour I never had the opportunity to see her. I hope she will be a Glinda who can stand up to Stephanie's Elphaba.
Sheesh, everything happened in the last week. Note to self: never disregard the last week of summer.
Scott Alan (who, I must admit, I had never heard of before I started haunting SJB sites) is releasing a CD in October. A CD of his music, that Stephanie, among others, will be singing. Awesome!
She just freaking rocks!


This is me. I wanna go to Birdland too...

The T3

For those faithful readers, all two of you, will have noticed; I posted about Labor Day weekend long after yesterday's mention of my deformities went up. Much as I would like to take credit for figuring out the space/time continuum thing and being able to time travel, it's merely the weird way blogspot dates things. Apologies and thanks for sticking with it! We're back to posting today's post um...today.
Onesome: The-- best things in life are free? What's your favorite freebie? I'm thinking of some annual event you partake in...

• Hmmm...free events. There's the Health Fair at USC every spring. Get your BMI and blood pressure taken. And the Book Fair at the "other school." Sometimes famous authors come and sell their books. Baskin Robbin's gives free ice cream on your birthday...so does Coldstone. We live in The Jungle people, nothing is free. Oooooo! Got it. The Picnic Day in The Northern Jungle every April. My sister goes to school there so we go up to visit her every year. There's lots of free stuff; liquid nitrogen ice cream, balloons, grapevines, tomato, pepper and flower plants. Petting zoo and a parade. It's awesome.

Twosome: T---buckets, Model T's, maybe even Thunderbirds? Do you have any ties to classic cars or modified roadsters?

• No ties to cars really at all. We grew up without a car because public transportation was so effective back East. Of course I have one now but it's not a classic by any means. I like convertibles, so if I had to pick, maybe a '60-something Corvette. Rode in my best friend from high school dad's T-bird. It was a convertible so that was cool.

Threesome: 3-- days until Sunday, but the NFL season begins tonight! Who's your team this year? Not a football fan? Post your rant on why not.

• No reason to like them over any other professional team - there's not even a Trojan on the roster - but I choose the San Diego Chargers. I'm not as obsessive over watching the NFL as I am college ball. Maybe it's the money aspect, or the attitudes, or there's soooooo many teams and it's a lot less...fun than college football statistics. I went to USC so I have a vested interest in the school and I had football players in some of my classes. It seems more personal I guess. But still, if the Chargers win than yay!

This is me, tres thought provoking questions today.

Information

One would think with the cat (boss) away the mice (us, me) would play, but no. There were eight orders, with transmittals naturally, that had to go out this morning alone. Les sighs. We can't be brilliant always I guess...
So, in lieu of more brain powered blogging:
Thanks, RHM...once you've gotten tagged, post a blog with 10 random facts or goals about yourself, then tag 10 more people and put them here in your blog including the reason you've tagged them. Don't forget to comment on their page; "tag!" Also, you can't tag whoever tagged you.
1: My right foot is a half size larger than my left foot - guess that's why I don't have a shoe fetish.
2: My index fingers twist in towards my middle fingers. (How did this get to be a list of my deformities?)
3: I don't say a lot of what is in my head
4: I think I would have preferred psychology
5: I have a cold
6: My thumb is most certainly not green
7: I don't breathe right and therefore hiccup at random moments
8: I don't like mint. Anything mint.
9: I worry a lot about what others think of me
10: I demand nothing of others that I don't ask of myself.

Now, here's who I'm tagging and why:
1: Rocketgirl because she's awesome and she got me into blogging
2: Julianne because she's awesome and rocked the opera
3: Kathy because she's awesome and has nothing to do now that the kids are back in school
4: Karen because she's awesome and has already put her bed and dining room table together
5: Keah because she's awesome and Mike's back in school
6: Fleighund because he's awesome, he won't do this and may never know I tagged him
7: Quinn because he's awesome and doesn't blog enough
8: RHM because she's awesome and even though SHE tagged ME, I don't have 10 friends who blog.
9: That's all because I'm too chicken to blog people I read but don't know...
10: ...

This is me tagging people who can't catch my germs.

Whew

And just like that it's September.

Fight On! The USC Trojans defeated the Idaho Vandals 38-10 on Saturday in the season opener. Did not beat the spread (we were favored by 46 points) but some new guys got to play and we did not trail at any point. The commentators were criticizing our lack of urgency - the commentators are ALWAYS bagging on USC, unless it's the Trojan Radio network guys, they're totally supportive - but helllllooooo, we were playing Idaho. The Idaho Vandals. What's there to get all hot and bothered about? Now the Michigan loss to Appalachian State!? THAT is something to get worked up over. Niiiiice.
Took my family down south on Saturday to see the Angels play. They lost! Lost to the Texas Rangers. So sad. Then we went to dinner at a real fun Italian place and they had the game on so that awesome.
Sunday was usual and then yesterday we tackled the cleaning of the master bedroom. That was a job. We save everything and we pile it everywhere. Tarzan was amazing moving stuff and trowing a LOT out. I ran the chair over my big toe when vacuuming and ripped the nail off half way down. So that looks pretty right now. Our room is all nice and clean though. Organized and everything. I expect it to last about a day.
And then there's the weather. Saturday was HOT. Sunday was HOT! and Monday was REALLY HOT. I don't know how my parents stand it in The Desert. It's like 250 degrees out there. At 10:00 at night. It's much better here in The Jungle, only 150 degrees. And I have a cold. Yeah. Where's the logic? I don't know. My head hurts and my eyes are watering. I sneeze all the time and it's frying eggs on the sidewalk weather. This better mean I don't get sick in two months when the rest of the world does.
How was your Labor Day weekend?

This is me at an inopportune moment.