IMDB's Top 250 Movies

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
5. Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
6. Casablanca (1942)
7. Schindler's List (1993)
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
9. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
10. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
11. Star Wars (1977)
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
13. Rear Window (1954)
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
15. 12 Angry Men (1957)
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
18. Cidade de Deus (2002)
19. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
20. Goodfellas (1990)
21. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
22. Psycho (1960)
23. Citizen Kane (1941)
24. C'era una volta il West (1968)
25. North by Northwest (1959)
26. Memento (2000)
27. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
28. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
29. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
30. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
31. Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) We just called it Amelie
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. American Beauty (1999)
34. The Matrix (1999)
35. Vertigo (1958)
36. Apocalypse Now (1979)
37. Taxi Driver (1976)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. Se7en (1995)
40. Paths of Glory (1957)
41. Léon (1994) (the org. version: The Professional not the same movie)
42. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
43. Chinatown (1974)
44. American History X (1998)
45. The Third Man (1949)
46. Untergang, Der (2004)
47. The Pianist (2002)
48. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
49. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
50. M (1931)
51. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) AKA Sprited Away
52. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
53. Boot, Das (1981)
54. Alien (1979)
55. L.A. Confidential (1997)
56. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
57. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
58. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
59. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
60. The Shining (1980)
61. Double Indemnity (1944)
62. Metropolis (1927)
63. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
64. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
65. Rashômon (1950)
66. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
67. Sin City (2005)
68. Raging Bull (1980)
69. Modern Times (1936)
70. Aliens (1986)
71. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
72. Rebecca (1940)
73. Some Like It Hot (1959)
74. The Great Escape (1963)
75. All About Eve (1950)
76. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
77. Touch of Evil (1958)
78. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
79. Amadeus (1984)
80. The Departed (2006)
81. Vita è bella, La (1997) (Life is Beautiful?)
82. Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
83. Forrest Gump (1994)
84. Jaws (1975)
85. The Sting (1973)
86. Strangers on a Train (1951)
87. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
88. Batman Begins (2005)
89. On the Waterfront (1954)
90. Braveheart (1995)
91. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
92. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
93. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. The Elephant Man (1980)
96. Blade Runner (1982)
97. The Apartment (1960)
98. The Incredibles (2004)
99. City Lights (1931)
100. High Noon (1952)
101. Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988)
102. The Big Sleep (1946)
103. Notorious (1946)
104. Donnie Darko (2001)
105. Fargo (1996)
106. Ran (1985)
107. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
108. Crash (2004)
109. The Great Dictator (1940)
110. Finding Nemo (2003)
111. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
112. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
113. Mononoke-hime (1997) (Princess Mononoke)
114. The Sixth Sense (1999)
115. V for Vendetta (2005)
116. Unforgiven (1992)
117. Salaire de la peur, Le (1953)
118. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
119. Ben-Hur (1959)
120. Oldboy (2003)
121. Back to the Future (1985)
122. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
123. Annie Hall (1977)
124. Yojimbo (1961)
125. Wo hu cang long (2000)
126. The Killing (1956)
127. The Green Mile (1999)
128. Life of Brian (1979)
129. The Princess Bride (1987)
130. Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) (Pan's Labryinth in english)
131. The Deer Hunter (1978)
132. Platoon (1986)
133. The Graduate (1967)
134. It Happened One Night (1934)
135. Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
136. Gladiator (2000)
137. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
138. Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957)
139. Gandhi (1982)
140. The African Queen (1951)
141. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
142. Ladri di biciclette (1948) (The Bicyle Theif)
143. Amores perros (2000)
144. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
145. Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966)
146. Toy Story 2 (1999)
147. Diaboliques, Les (1955)
148. 8½ (1963)
149. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
150. Brief Encounter (1945)
151. Stand by Me (1986)
152. Lola Rennt (1998) (Run Lola Run)
153. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
154. The Wild Bunch (1969)
155. Die Hard (1988)
156. Harvey (1950)
157. The Conversation (1974)
158. The General (1927)
159. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
160. Smultronstället (1957)
161. Patton (1970)
162. Duck Soup (1933)
163. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
164. Glory (1989)
165. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
166. Gone with the Wind (1939)
167. Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920)
168. Groundhog Day (1993)
169. Ying xiong (2002)
170. Spartacus (1960)
171. Children of Men (2006)
172. The Gold Rush (1925)
173. Finding Neverland (2004)
174. Toy Story (1995)
175. Trainspotting (1996)
176. The Exorcist (1973)
177. Magnolia (1999)
178. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
179. A Christmas Story (1983)
180. Heat (1995)
181. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
182. The Big Lebowski (1998)
183. Mystic River (2003)
184. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
185. Belle et la bête, La (1946) (Beauty and the Beast)
186. Shrek (2001)
187. King Kong (1933) (the original people)
188. Cinderella Man (2005)
189. Big Fish (2003)
190. Before Sunset (2004)
191. Ed Wood (1994)
192. The Hustler (1961)
193. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
194. The Terminator (1984)
195. Snatch (2000)
196. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
197. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
198. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
199. The Prestige (2006)
200. Walk the Line (2005)
201. Hotaru no haka (1988)
202. Out of the Past (1947)
203. Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
204. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
205. Stalag 17 (1953)
206. Sleuth (1972)
207. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
208. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
209. The Thing (1982)
210. Young Frankenstein (1974)
211. Hable con ella (2002) (Speak to Her)
212. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
213. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
214. Manhattan (1979)
215. Frankenstein (1931)
216. Scarface (1983)
217. Sling Blade (1996)
218. The Straight Story (1999)
219. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
220. Tengoku to jigoku (1963)
221. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
222. Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)
223. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
224. Kumonosu jô (1957)
225. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
226. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
227. Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)
228. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
229. Roman Holiday (1953)
230. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
231. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
232. The Lost Weekend (1945)
233. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
234. The Searchers (1956)
235. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
236. Planet of the Apes (1968)
237. United 93 (2006)
238. Haine, La (1995)
239. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
240. Brazil (1985)
241. Hauru no ugoku shiro (2004)
242. Mou gaan dou (2002)
243. Great Expectations (1946)
244. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
245. Idi i smotri (1985)
246. Inherit the Wind (1960)
247. To Have and Have Not (1944)
248. Dial M for Murder (1954)
249. In Cold Blood (1967)
250. Umberto D. (1952)

This is me having seen the bolded ones.

Lunch time

Do I really want to live in London? My sister does and she says it's cold and wet and does not have great variety of foods...

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock.A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything.No wonder you and London will get along so well.

http://ynr.blogthings.com/whatcitydoyoubelonginquiz/">What City Do You Belong In?

This is me living in the wrong city apparently.

Retraction

On the other hand, I will take the root canal over the "prep and build-up" any day! Wow. That was a REALLY long and not painless procedure. My appointment was at 10:00am. Because I live between the office and the dentist I totally lazed out and didn't go in to work beforehand. The assistant (Mike) guessed it'd be about two hours of work - they had to remove the temporary filling, shape the tooth, take the impression for the permanent crown and then install the temporary crown. I've had a crown put in before. I figured I'd be to the office just after lunch. Then the poking and the drilling and the grinding and the stretching and the "open bigger, bigger, really big now" started. I glanced at my watch at noon and hoped we were almost done. Then the desk staff asked when they could have the room as there were patients out front who'd been waiting an hour! That was at 1:15 and I knew I wasn't going anywhere soon. The dentist said I was a "really tough case" with my "really small mouth" (they had to use the kid sized mouth plate to take the crown impression - great.) and my "big tongue." Lovely. Just what a girl wants to hear from a cute guy. (Dentist: totally cute. Assistant: not too bad either. How did I notice this being nearly upside down? Well, lets say that I had very little else to do the entire time.) The dentist totally earned his fee on that exercise. At 3:00(!) I finally got to sit up again, and then nearly fainted when all the blood rushed from my head. Five hours in the chair - the anesthetic had worn off before I left the place! Call me a wimp or whatever but I called the office and told them I wasn't coming in. My head hurt, my mouth hurt, I was exhausted... Really the whole day was a blur of pokey metal objects and throbbing.
And guess what? In two weeks I get to go back while they pry this silver one off and try to wedge the porcelain crown in under the gum tissue. Oh yay. Can you tell how excited I am for that experience?

This is me a newly anointed oral hygiene fanatic. Floss anyone?

Boob Tube

Do I watch too much TV? Probably. Tarzan thinks so. But I think he plays too many computer games. It's one of those agree-to-disagree things. (Isn't marriage great?) The Matheson Clan posted a link to one of their favorite television shows and it spurred me to do the same. I like to think I watch only quality stuff. No sex or violence, good writing, thought provoking topics...well mostly anyway:

• Sunday night we watch Brothers & Sisters. We started watching because of David Annable who used to be on Reunion before it was cancelled IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON WITHOUT TELLING US WHO MURDERED SAM!!!!!!! But that's all in the past now. ;) Now we like B&S because it's good. Sally Field really is phenomenal. Rob Lowe is too cute! I hope he stays. Does anyone else think this thing with Holly is a little over the top?
• Also on Sunday is Iron Chef America. Not that I would make, or even like, most of the stuff they make on the show (clam flan anyone?) but Alton and Kevin are very entertaining and the Chairman looks like he's secretly amused by the whole situation. All the chefs are fabulous, no big egos getting in the way of a civilized competition. Most of the judges are great too - the right mix of funny and critical. I think the only one who's annoying in Jeffrey.
• Monday has Heroes which we started watching because of Milo Ventimiglia (who used to be on Gilmore Girls) but we continued watching because it's very intriguing. Who's really the good guy? They saved the cheerleader thus far...Will they save the world?
• Following that on Monday night is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Despite the long name it's well worth the time. In one word: fabulous! [said like Jim Carrey does in The Grinch] I think it might have been Matthew Perry (hands down the best Friends character) that caused us to start watching but after the first episode that wasn't an issue at all. All the characters are great. The cast is great. It's all great. Aaron Sorkin sure can hire people to write good! :D I've read criticism that the show may not be renewed because the higher-educated audience watching isn't large enough. What does that say people? Do we want to be labeled as a stupid viewing market? I say NO! Watch more Studio 60! :)
• Tuesday nights are the reason we ended up getting a DVR box. First there's the aforementioned Gilmore Girls. I've been watching since the very first episode. Seasons 1-5 I own - because I like(d) it so much. It's still good. Not loving it as much this season since ASP quit and left us hanging as to what the last lines between Lorilei and Rory will be. Lorilei married?!! And what is with Christopher being a stand-up guy?
• Also on Tuesday is Dancing With The Stars. (Season 4 starts on March 19!) As an opponent of reality TV this is the one exception. I watch for the dancing, obvi, not the judges silliness, and not the sob stories that they tell before each couple performs. In fact the professional exhibitions are the best part of the whole show. Those and Tom Bergeron. :)
• Rounding out the Tuesday evening is Law & Order:Special Victims Unit. A little forced these days...like they're trying to hard to have a "shocking, surprise" ending but the character stories are fascinating. I like seeing "Fin's" son every now and then. B.D.Wong is so cute! (Can you see him as Linus on stage? Check this out.) Richard has the driest humor ever seen, it's like he's British or something! I still REALLY want Elliot to work things out with Kathy, but that doesn't seem like it's gonna happen. Totally love Mariska!
• Wednesday is a bit of a break after Tuesday's madness - with only Knights of Prosperity and the results show for DWTS. KoP is such a silly show, but the actors do a good job of making it not stupid. It's hard to explain...The celebrity cameos are fun too.
• Thursday starts up with The O.C. (our only Fox show) and I can't believe they're cancelling it!! After all the drama of Seasons 2 and 3 they finally write a funny show again (Season 1 was hilarious!) and then it gets cancelled. There ain't no justice. Again, we started watching it for Adam Brody who left Gilmore Girls for the O.C. and we stayed to see how it would go. We're still here so it must have had something going for it...I've always been a Peter Gallagher fan, and I'm loving Rachel Bilson and Autumn Reeser both.
• Then there's the staple of all prime time television: E.R. This show has been on forever but it's still hanging in there. Kinda sad with Laura Innes moving to directing, and what is up with Pratt? Will Mekhi Phifer be back or is he leaving the show too? Love Maura Tierney. And Goran Visnjic has always been my favorite guy on this show.
• Friday night has/had our last regularly scheduled show: Battlestar Galactica. Not only are they making me wait FOREVER (Feb. 11th) for the return, they're ALSO changing the night. So Fridays will be free and there will be one more show on Sundays. It was not my decision to watch this show, but I'm hooked and can't miss an episode. Baltar is soooooooo icky but you kinda feel for the guy once in a while which I guess is the genius of James Callis. I used to like Apollo and Starbuck but now that they're committing adultery I don't know...Love Edward James Olmos!
• Saturdays have USC Football as long as that runs and then I actually DO stuff on the weekend!

Wow, that's a lot of time we used to spend in front of the TV...no wonder my DVR is 78% full. But I can't stop watching them [whiny singsong voice] they're so good. :)

This is me loving the boob tube!

Relativism

There's good news and not so good news. The good news is that the root canal is over! Yay.

The not so good news is that my jaw is soooo sore. It's a good thing blogging is done by typing and not by talking because I won't be doing much of that today. Gah. I have a REALLY small mouth. (Just ask Tarzan!) Though it doesn't feel all that small to me the poor dentist couldn't even get his mirror into the back of my mouth without smacking my upper teeth. And of course the to-be-canaled tooth was the very last one on the left side. Everything that went in my mouth hit my upper teeth, the drill vibrated my upper jaw more than the lower. For about two hours it was all "stretch really wide now" and "big, big for me" and "don't close, keep your mouth open." Little did he know I had a cramp in my jaw and that was as wide as my jaw could go. At one point I had tears in my eyes from the stretching business. All for a nerve that's about the size of two human hairs. (Do you know how small that is? Yeah!) Cavities which seem so big in the x-rays are smaller than a drop of water. The 'files' they use are the size of Barbie toothpicks, and teeth, which seem so big when felt by the tongue are about the size of peas - smaller even.

The other good news is that the actual drilling did not hurt at all (The Gentle Dental Center is very good with the pain management) and my tooth does not hurt at all today. Just the right side of my jaw. Ooochie. Only two more appointments, one for the molding and one for the installation of the crown. That oughta be interesting. The last time I had a crown the dentist almost dislocated my jaw trying to get the mold in there. And that was for a tooth further up than this one is.

This is me glad when this is all over.

So sad

I have exactly zero (that's 000000) connections with the horse racing world (other than watching National Velvet and Seabiscuit) but I love all animals and when a horse gets hurt running I always hope that they get better. Perhaps because of the rest of the world was caring too I followed the story of Barbaro, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby and then broke his leg in the Preakness. Things seemed to be going well for a long time after the injury and it looked good that the horse would recover. It was a shocker to see the news item today that Barbaro had to be put down. Poor Barbaro.It reminds me of a high school History class discussion in which we talked about some war and the casualties. Some jock-type guy thought it was "stupid" the girls cared more about the number of horses that died than the men. Mr.Stone (one of my favorite teachers ever, precisely for discussions like this one) said something that was very profound: The humans had a choice about whether to participate in the war, the horses did not. Being innocent of the decision to wage war made them more sympathetic figures.
I've always appreciated that discussion and it reminds me of my stewardship to care for this earth, the animals and the plants on it.

This is animal-loving me.

Twisted all over (Weird#8)

Oooooo-kay....It started out with me going to church, except I went to the church building of my youth (in The Frozen North). I sat in the lobby with a bunch of little, white, paper cups, listening to a family (from this congregation) in an adjacent room; their kids came out and climbed in my lap and we walked to the gymnasium and there was a movie showing on the wall of a parade with a marching band (they were wearing navy blue so it was NOT the Trojan marching band) the drum major was walking backwards leading the band and behind him was a line of police officers keeping the crowd back until the drum major pulled a gun and started threatening the band. The police tried to grab him but he dropped the gun and ran away, so all the police followed him and the band disappeared and then I was walking in a large group of people from church including the family from earlier, the father was walking right next to me with one of his kids on his shoulders and we were talking and Tarzan came up to talk to us but I was tired of walking so I sat down to rest (we were following a dirt road through a large field of flowers) thinking I could catch up to everyone in a few minutes. When I started walking again they were far ahead of me but I hurried and followed them down the path and into a tunnel but then they all disappeared and I was trying to catch up and every tunnel we went in was smaller and narrower until I couldn't get out the end of the last one, so I started digging through the dirt. My legs, arms and head popped out the side of an airship that was flying low over a city with water running through it. (I want to think it was Seattle, but I can't say for sure) We landed on a concrete pad and I was running to see girl who was on a corner in downtown LA selling T-shirts, (which had a saying that I remembered when I woke up but I can't think of now) and she hugged me (I think I was a guy for this part though I had been me all along) and I remembered that this was just a TV show called "Witchcraft" and then I woke up...

Seriously, that psychologist had better have really good grades.

This is me kinda scared of my own dreams.

Options

Well THAT was interesting. I went to the dentist yesterday afternoon, dreading and yet prepared for my root canal. Turns out that the receptionist had written a date in her calendar different from the one she put on my reminder card. So they weren't scheduled to root canal me. Instead, they replaced my older fillings (which they had said they would do at a later date) with newer prettier ones and sent me home. 30 minutes. The anesthetic barely started working before I was out the door. AND they rescheduled my root canal for NEXT Tuesday so I get to think about it for another week. Yay.

I thank everyone for their suggestions regarding MC and my retaliatory options. (When suggestions were being tossed around for lunch today I threw out Daphne's and his reaction was "anywhere but that Greek place." Why, why, why, why, why?) The consensus seems to be to tell him off the next time he says anything...that and stop showering so he goes away. :D

This is me about to get stinky!

Irksome (Weird#7)

Not entirely sure how we got there, but Tarzan was playing the organ and I was leading the music in church. We sang the first verse but it wasn't the right song so we had to switch to another hymn. We sang the second verse but then we ran out of music so we sang a cappella and then people were sitting on folding chairs instead of pews and then we were in the gym instead of the chapel and then some of the kids were coming up to the stand and then we were singing the SEVENTH verse of some song and finally we got it right and were all back in our correct places except I didn't have a music stand for my hymnbook...

My subconscious is a mighty weird place!

*********************************************************************************************

Short day for me today because I "get" to leave early for my root canal...oh goody. At least I won't have to come back to the office when it's all over. I'm kind of mad at the office right now. This guy (let's call him MC) was making fun of me all day yesterday. Not like "hey, four-eyes!" thankfully, but he made snide remarks when the HVAC guys redirected the vents so as not to blow down on my hands (because yes we have the A/C on in middle of winter - don't get me started on that!) And then someone wanted a "simplistic, repetitive task" done and he said that it sounded like a job I would be good at. And not in a nice way. He only works two days a week, why do his needs for new equipment and table space take precedence over mine, when I work all five days? I don't know! And now I will stop whining now before I make you all throw up. Tarzan thinks I should fight fire with fire, but I don't know if I should stoop to his level and insult him or just gaze longingly at my count down marker and wish for the days to go faster...

This is me irritated.

Days of the Week

Friday! Today is Friday! I love Fridays. Fridays are perhaps the best day of the week. The whole weekend is stretches out before me - the possibilities are endless. The office is calmer since nothing can be due before Monday, it's casual clothes day so the boss wears his track suit and leaves at lunchtime for the desert, I get to clean up a bit, file some stuff, ahhhh.
Saturdays are good, but by the time I sleep in a little (8am), take my sister to work, do the grocery shopping, the laundry and three loads of dishes, strip and remake the bed and prepare talks/lessons/songs etc. for Sunday and then pick my sister up from work there's not much left of the day. And Saturday evening leads right into...
Sundays where I wake up earlier (6am) than I have to for work (7am) go to meetings and then come back to pick up people for church and still be there in time to set up Primary by 9am. The afternoons could be calm but the threat of Monday hangs over my head so I feel the need to do something so as not to waste a single second and everything feels like it's wasting time. It's so stressful to choose something to do!
Mondays are just not nice. 'Nuff said
Tuesdays aren't much better because I can't even remember the last weekend anymore and the next one is so far away I can't even plan for it.
Wednesdays are better than Tuesdays, but it's still the middle of the week and the piles of paper around my desk are getting higher and higher.
Thursdays can be okay - depending on what is due that day or the next - Friday is right around the corner and the weekend is in sight.
And then it's lovely lovely Friday again. Ahhhh. I am so ready for the weekend.

This is me preparing.

Ups & Downs

As expected I guess, Life is full of the good, the bad and the ugly. Here's an abbreviated list:
GOOD:

• Flowers from Tarzan (see last post) He's so good for me and to me. I'm a lucky girl.
• Heard from Marcus and Lara (USC alumni) They want me to help them design their house. How awesome is that? Designing homes for individual families is the reason I got into architecture. I can't wait to get going on it!
• My best friend from college - Juliann the opera star! - just started her own blog and I'm totally excited to see her posts and keep track of her career. SHE and her hubby live far away from me too (all the cool people do!) so this will totally rock for keeping in touch!
• Got a new flat screen monitor (very schnazzy) at work AND a new laptop at home so I can play and post and design whenever I want! Optical mouse, new carrying case...yes I AM a nerd. :)

BAD:

• Saw the dentist yesterday and I have to have a root canal...I try so hard to floss and brush all the time - I wanted to get through life without a root canal. I had my wisdom teeth out. Twice. I'd hoped I'd appeased the teeth gods. Apparently not...Icky.
• My windshield wipers are dry on the car and while I can check the oil and change a tire by myself, I don't know where the windshield wiper fluid goes. :(
• The weather's been very dry lately and my hair is not amused. It seems the Bounce sheets don't work with the wind blowing either so my clothes are sticking to me and my hair is sticking out from my head.

UGLY:

• This young punk at a developer's office that I have to deal with. The dude is SO insincere and even though he's younger than me he talks down to me like I don't know what I am doing. All too often it's clear that he DEFINITELY doesn't understand what I'm doing for him OR what HE's supposed to be doing. Grr.

I guess it's not as bad as I was thinking. It's only the root canal that really sucks...Yet another reason to love the blog, it reminds me how truly blessed my life is!

This is me up-per than I was.

Lucky me

Yesterday: Just a normal Friday afternoon at the office when what should come to the door?

A delivery guy.

From the florist.

With a dozen roses.

For me.

From Tarzan.

Why you ask? I asked why. My colleagues asked why...was it our anniversary? No, that's November...Not my birthday...One guy asked what Tarzan had done. (Nice)

So I called Tarzan at work to say thank you and find out what the occasion was. He said it had been too long since he had a chance to send me flowers, and today seemed like a good day...

....................................................................................................

My lovely vase of roses:The family version of thank you (I swear we're prettier in real life):

This is me misty.

Dreams and music (Weird#6)

The youth of our church in this region were performing an "international" dance (I don't know what was so international about it as the flags we were carrying were all solid colors, but whatever) in large groups with flags on, not flag poles exactly, but more like long sticks. I was in charge of our group and we were doing very well, until we dropped our flags. The other groups - still in formation - walked over our flag and kicked our sticks all over the gym floor. As we gathered all our stuff up we realized that the flags had been folded rather complexly so that they would both wave and twirl and also stay connected to the adjacent one. As we sorted it all out a speaker came to talk to us all and as we listened two of the teenagers from our group decided they wanted to braid my hair, so they took my elastic out and started to comb it. When they got to the end of the braid they realized they only had one elastic and it was at the top of the ponytail...they debated what to do until I woke up this morning.

Where do I come up with this stuff?

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In other news, I have been deeply immersed in my new Josh Groban CD - Awake - and I love it. I have discovered that the artists I like best have an orchestra to back them up. Josh, of course, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Diamond, Chicago, Reba McEntire, Frank, Dean, Anne Murray, even Yanni. Does that mean I have taste or that I can't pick an instrument so I choose them all...

This is me listening.

Nonsense (Weird#5)

I was dreaming that Tarzan and I were out with his family (they didn't look like anyone in his family, nuclear or extended) on a boat, a sailboat. At first we had lots of wind and the boat was big and there were only a few of us. As the wind died down, the boat seemed to get smaller and there were more people. We docked at an island that had a large restaurant and settled in the "back room" to eat. That's all I remember before I woke up...

Now what does that mean? I don't have issues with Tarzan's family. We get along rather well I think. They don't live close enough to drop in unannounced so it's not like I feel pressure from them or worry that they are intruding in our life... If anything I wish his family lived closER so that I could see them more, especially his siblings.

This is me wondering what's in my head.

Tarzan love

This cold is not as bad as some I have had, but my ears are popping constantly and it's really doing a number on my throat. Tarzan spent ALL day Saturday and most of Sunday mocking my raspy, cracking voice. He kept calling me his little turkey vulture with a broken wing (he was studying for a class, photographs of Africa or something)...I'm sure there was a term of endearment in there somewhere but I was too tired to look for it.
My voice did not improve after leading the Primary children and then the entire congregation in song at church. I really hope no one could hear me because I could hear me and I missed 95% of the notes, and at least half of the words. "L..d, I ....d fo...w thee..."

Happy news: For those that requested it I republished the entry from a few weeks ago (Picture This (#2)) with larger images. Not that I see why people need large pictures of me looking weird - the small ones are more than enough, but there you go, you crazy peeps you.

This is me mending.

Timing is not my thing

I think I'm allergic to work. How could I go through an entire holiday season, everyone around me sniffling and coughing their heads off (my parents, my sisters and brothers, Tarzan - who I sleep with, even my opthamologist), germs whizzing everywhere, two whole weeks with not even a hint of sickness and the day I have to back to work I get a sore throat?
In the two hour meeting I was in last night that sore throat blossomed into a lovely head cold. Yes. Thank you everyone who sneezed on me - now I am sick. Gah. All those pills and vitamins don't mean a thing if a germ has your name on it.

And I have three projects that need to go out this week and the clients are calling me with changes two hours before they want the final renderings. Don't they understand that being a genius takes time!?

Sorry, I am not in an agreeable mood right now. My head hurts and my nose hurts and my throat hurts and I want to go home to bed. Sniff. Sniff...Ah-choooo! Erg.

This is me sick.

Jungle Living - Part 3

I must have a sieve for a brain...that's all it can be. (Two posts today - I know! - don't faint.) I did not mention my encounters with live tapings of TV shows and therefore celebrities. What could I have been thinking? I'm sure I don't know. Okay so where was I? These must be before Dustin Hoffman, but after Cillian Murphy so we're at

• 9a. For my birthday (I'm a Libra too!) Tarzan said we had to go one place before we could go to where the actual present was. (He was full of surprises this year - sneaky little devil.) So Wednesday night we went to what turned out to be a taping of a TV show - Show Me The Money and the host was none other than William Shatner. This excited Tarzan far more than myself BUT it was really cool to see how the taping of shows happens and what goes on when a show goes to commercial. This was a prototype show and as predicted on the IMDB page it didn't go very far. (That comment was not mine) As payment for going to that taping however, we received two tickets to be in the audience the next night for...
• 9b. Dancing With The Stars! It was on a results show night (Week 6 - the week that no one got eliminated!) so we got to see all the performers, though not see all of them dance. It was really fun. Tom Bergeron is taller than I thought and it seems the judges bickering is all made up. (I know!) Again, it was really fun to see how a show goes together, especially a live show. Very exciting! Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff encored that night, Nick was back to dance an exhibition routine with his wife. Elena, Maxim, Edyta and Tony also did an exhibition dance. The musical guest that night was Lionel Ritchie - which was extremely cool.
• 9c. When we were leaving the studio we passed Tony, with his wife and little daughter and Elena on the sidewalk. Interesting and also a little weird to see them out of their sparkly shirts acting normal.

This is me with holes in my head.

2007 - Bring it on!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

everybody!

2007 - such potential. I almost don't want to start the year yet, so I can plan it out and do it right. Goodness knows there wasn't enough time what with Christmas and family and New Year parties and football (Fight On! USC) to participate in. However "time, tide and trolley wait for no man" (name the movie and get my undying awe) and here we are, Day 2 of the new year. People are talking about three weeks from now and next month and this summer and I feel 2007 slipping away from me already. (Of course that's not necessarily a bad thing - see my new ticker above.)

It was a good holiday, albeit short. Got to hang with Rocketgirl, Socialist Man and baby Sunshine. So sad they're back in Brazil already! (I do have to take back most of my rant against the post office as the package DID arrive - just 15 days after it was supposed to...) The Christmas program at church was awesome! Got so many compliments (which I found amusing as I didn't do anything really - it was all the talent of others) The violining was superb - one lady said it was like a little piece of heaven. Another asked when they were moving into the ward. Here are some loverly pictures of us having a good time together.

Also spent some quality time with M2, PIT and almost-baby "Squishy." (That'll be a nickname to live down poor kid.) They've gone back to England now. Boo. Got to get to work on my passport and whole lotta dough for flying this year! Spent some days out in The Desert with my family. (We aren't a picture-taking people, but now that I have a digital camera (from Tarzan) maybe I'll take more - and I can post them!)

New Year's Eve was quiet, it being a Sunday and all. Kind of funny - we were watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve Show, (He has made an amazing come back.) and the power goes out at 11:40pm. Gah! It came back on at 11:56 so we saw the ball drop in Times Square but panic ensued for those 16 minutes! And then yesterday the USC vs Michigan game was beautiful! The first half was a little tense, defense battling it out, but since USC is a second half team we triumphed in the end. 32-18. Lovely way to ring in the new year.

It was SOOOOOOO hard to get up this morning for work with Tarzan laying there all warm and snuggly. He doesn't have to go back to school until next Monday. So rather than do actual work here I am blogging - notice the snazzy updates! I wonder if the counter was a tad premature what with only 2 visitors a day...(Lest you think I am a slacker I do do work, it just take a few minutes to get into the groove in the mornings.) Well...this entry is long enough already, so rest assured I am ready to take on the new year and all the groovy stuff that it has in store! 2006 was not bad, busy but productive - this year can be even better!

This is me starting 2007.

Grrrr

I take it all back...all of it! Remember when I praised the United States Postal System? Well it's all a lie. I checked online and I checked in person and I asked random people and I got registered mail and everything and did the package arrive on time? No. It did not. 8-10 days was the promise. That was 18 days ago people...Grrrr. So now there is a box with macaroni and cheese, American baby diapers and LipSmackers floating around somewhere between The Jungle and Brazil. Will there be anyone to accept the package at the house? No. Will it be returned to me? Probably not. I hope the Portugese like A-1 sauce!!!!

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Well that was a depressing post so here's a happy P.S.
I neglected to include a picture of me IN the USC Santa hat, so here you go. These are two of my five cats and they did not want to sit for the entire picture session. This was the sixth or seventh shot we tried so if they look like they are trying to escape...they are! Mikey is in my right arm and Train Wreck in in my left.

This is me trying not to be annoyed.

Something in the water (Weird#4)

Again with the weird dreams.
Last night I was in my elementary school library. Except this was for a community college. There were lots of flyers and announcements about dances and dating games and "get toegthers." Tarzan moved the ENTIRE orchestra from the room across the hall into the librarian's office one instrument at a time - just wandered on through the library with a tuba or kettle drum... I was just watching (again - I wonder what that means?) and then there was another announcement listing the adjacent states boys were "allowed" to take girls homes to. Montana, Michigan, Illinois and Larger Turtle something. Strange. So strange.

This is me, strange.

Picture This (#2) - Anniversary #6

At long last - the pictures from the trip we took last month for our sixth anniversary are posted! (Most people would go on a trip for the 5th or 10th but last year Tarzan's bachelor uncle got married and it was a HUGE event! Relatives we hadn't even met before came out for this thing.) But that was last year and this was this year. So we flew to Swampland and picked out our rental car:

Say what you will about the PT Cruiser this was the first convertible we had driven more than once and it was glorious! We spent two days in one city playing around at the Flamingo Gardens (I forgot the camera - duh) and sleeping a lot ;) Then we caught the Carnival Cruise Ship: Fascination:

From the Port we sailed to Tiny Island, Swampland (not that long of a trip true, but not a place we were likely to drive too - have you seen those causeways?) No, that is not my photo. Fooled you huh? Those boat people take a lot of pictures though - every time we left the cabin there were flashes going off. This was as we disembarked the first day:

This is Tarzan in the Blond Giraffe where we ordered fresh key lime pie and ice cream. Mmm, yummy!:We also took a glass bottomed boat tour - me on the way out into the Gulf:

Us on the way back in - tres windblown:Then it was all aboard for Playa del Carmen, Mexico:There were many options for shore excursions, but we chose to tour the Mayan ruins of Tulum. On our way to the gate of the city we saw these guys climbing up a pole. Apparently they sit up there until their compatriot on the ground collects enough money and then they jump off. It's like spiral bungee jumping. They didn't jump while we were watching though: Once inside, there were iguanas everywhere and they were huge!:This is the main temple - at the solstices the sun comes through the opening in the building in the rear and shines directly in the "back door" of the temple - special times for sacrifices and all that:Tulum is special in that it is the only Mayan city built on the ocean. The threat of hurricanes kept all the others inland. It made Tulum one of the easiest cities to defend and is partially why it's in such good condition still. This is us standing in the Atlantic Ocean. (We haven't mastered the art of self photography obvi.) : A really nice French family were visiting also and in exchange for us taking a picture of them together the dad took one of us:Then it was on board for the cruise back to Swampland. So relaxing....I could get very used to having someone make up my room twice a day. When we go to breakfast they make up the bed and when we went to dinner they'd turn down the covers, give us chocolates and make towel animals. It seems we were greatly amused by the towel animals as there are as many pictures of them as there are of us. I give you Tarzan:This is probably the best picture of me from the whole trip (I am NOT photogenic as you can tell from all the other pictures) after laying out by the pool all day: And Tarzan again before we go to the Captain's cocktail party:More flash-flash, this is one of the seven (yes 7!) they took in a single night:

Back on shore we stayed one night in another city, saw the Arabian Nights show - cheesey story line but it was all about the horses anyway and they were very pretty. Again with the cameras:This is the best picture of the arena, and the animal handlers were really impressive:We had a really good time! Despite teasing beforehand the office only called once. The Mayan ruins were awesome, I have like 50 pictures from all angles that I didn't post here, and I can now say I've been out of the country!

This is me and Tarzan crusin'.

Weekend update

So you see, all the worry was for nothing. Except...that if I hadn't obsessed and worried maybe the Christmas party wouldn't have been so good...perhaps my neurosises (what is the plural of neurosis?) are all for a purpose in the end. As you may have guessed, the church party was a success. Plenty of food (thank you!), people came (also very necessary), no one got bored, the teenagers were great in their Nativity performance, the younger kids behaved. (I've noticed that it isn't usually the child that is the 'problem'.) and there were some faboo creations at the gingerbread house table. So glad it's over though... and then on Sunday they called someone else to be the Activities Chairperson. That was a welcome surprise.
Now all that's left to do (other than finishing personal shopping and cards and baking and all that) is the program next Sunday on Christmas Eve and then a week off! Yay! Rocketgirl comes in on Friday! Double yay!!
My sister and her husband arrived from London Friday night and we delivered them to The Desert where my parents were deliriously happy to see them. M2's so cute at 6 months pregnant with her little basketball tummy. Awww. I am so going to blow up like a balloon when/if it's my turn.

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Confession time: I am ashamed to say that I watched Mean Girls on TV a couple of weeks ago. (I know, I know, I'm sorry - I came in the middle and by the time I figured out what it was it was too late...) I admit to it only because early Sunday morning I had a dream in which my imagination was making up completely new scenes for the movie. Same cast and scenes...and I wasn't even in the dream, it's like I was watching the 'director's cut' or something. Totally weird. These dreams will be a supplemental volume to the thesis book my brother-in-law PIT (Psycholigist In Training) will be writing, "My Wife's Psycho Family."

This is me finally able to look forward to Christmas.

Food for later thought

Maybe I am really nice...
The phone rang last night and, as to be expected, it was a telemarketer trying to get me to accept another credit card. (I already have two from your company people, what is the deal?) Rather than interrupt and/or hang up on her I listened to the whole spiel and then tried to explain; I already have two cards from your company and I don't use credit cards much anyway, just to keep my credit score active and yes, I have been satisfied with the company and no I really don't care how low the interest rate is, it can't be lower than nothing and finally she hung up on me. Now, when Tarzan answers the phone 1 of 2 things happens. Either he interrupts them with "no, thank you" and hangs up, OR, if he's in a particularly good mood, he sings to them. Seriously; show tunes, or Christmas carols, (which is more peculiar, in, say...April than right now) or hymns. Whatever comes into his head. I always feel bad for the people calling when he answers the phone, and it's worse when they're probably calling from India or something and don't even know what "Mem-ries, all alone in the moonlight..." even means.
And with the homeless people Tarzan says "no" and carries on. I feel like I ought to have a story so it makes sense why I can't help them. I don't carry cash anymore so that I can legitimately say I don't have any.
Maybe it's just a guilt complex...

This is me wondering

Jungle Living - Part 2

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I totally forgot to post two other celebrity encounters! (Thanks for reminding me Rocketgirl!) These are like 8a and 8b because they come before the Cillian Murphy encounter but after Christie Brinkley...

• 8a. I was called for jury duty the first December Tarzan and I were married. I had never been called before and since my boss was paying for ten days I was not as stressed as most other people in the jury selection room. (Nice boss BTW, I didn't appreciate how rare he was at the time; no other employer I have ever had has paid for jury duty.) So I got to talking to this really nice old(er) guy next to me. (Old guys like me, I have a few theories about why, but that's for another day.) He sounded really familiar but I couldn't place him until he told me he was a radio DJ. He was Johnny Hayes! From the oldies station KRTH 101 which I loved. So we fulfilled our jury duty together. It was so much fun. He had a million stories about famous music artists he had interviewed and hung out with. He bought me lunch and then kissed me goodbye at the end of the day. (On the top of my head but still...)
• 8b. Same day both Johnny and I were called as part of a panel. Up the elevator and into the courtroom, and who should be presiding but Judge Lance Ito of O.J. Simpson trial fame! It was going to be a long case so we had to tell Judge Ito our name, our juror number and how many days our employer was paying for. Johnny and I only had ten days so Judge Ito thanked and excused us.

This is me loving The Jungle

Jungle Living

There's this preconception that people who live in The Jungle must run into movie stars all the time. I didn't believe it until yesterday when I met Dustin Hoffman (funny story - I'll tell all in a bit) and my sister started tallying up all the celebrities that I've met/seen in my eleven (11...wow) years in The Jungle:

1. Saw Jerry Seinfeld across the aisle when eating at Jerry's Famous Deli (that's ironic what?)
2. Crossed paths with Mayim Bialik (of Blossom) - she was coming in and we were going out - at The Stinking Rose (too bad it wasn't Joey Lawrence too! :D)
3. At a benefit for Tarzan's aunt (who was a Rockette and played in the all-girl band from Some Like It Hot) Tarzan nearly fainted when he stepped up to the bar next to Patrick Stewart.
4. At the same benefit Gregory Peck spoke and we almost got to touch his sleeve as the famous aunt sat at his table.
5. Bill Cosby spoke at commencement the year before Tarzan graduated and we were inside the library right behind him the whole time.
6. Rosa Parks spoke the year Tarzan graduated.
7. The year I graduated Michael Eisner spoke at commencement, Frank O. Gehry spoke at the architecture satellite ceremony and also awarded the diplomas. I have my picture with him.
8. We passed Christie Brinkely in first class when we left for our honeymoon in Hawaii.
9. Tarzan almost stepped on Cillian Murphy at the Arclight Theater in Hollywood.
10. Okay, funny story time: My boss and I had a client meeting in The Upper Jungle at The Coral Tree Cafe. Dustin Hoffman was sitting down the bench from us with an associate. When he got up to get his valet ticket validated (even stars get their tickets valdiated!) he passed our table. On his way back he stopped and offered John (my boss) his hand and said "Richard Meier, right?" (like it was a joke) "Funny that I should remember you but you not remember me..." He gave a general nod at the client and I; John laughed, said "How are you Dustin?", shook his hand and then Dustin went on his way. The client turned to John and asked how he knew Dustin Hoffman. John answered "I don't." Hahahahahaha!! This is even more funny because my boss does NOT like Richard Meier's work at all.

This is me star struck.

Coolness To The Nth Degree

I feel a little guilty whining so much about what *I* have to do. Other people have more stuff to do than me. It's not as if I design my own Christmas cards or anything like RHM. (Who also sent me this fun exercise to try out.)

Hmm, don't know about the niceness factor there. Am I really nice? Food for later thoughts.
But I digress...

Tarzan is just as busy as I - busier even because he cares more than I do about all the hats he wears - yet he always has time to kiss me and rub my feet. When I came home last night I saw Tarzan had bought a wreath for the front door before he blew back out to go to Boy Scouts. (He's a Scout Master.) And he traded cars with me today so he could get the little red light on my dashboard fixed even though it means he has to take the bus home tonight. In the dark. In the heart of The Jungle.
And then I found out that my super talented rock star sister-in-law (talk about busy people, she has a new baby and lives in Brazil!) has volunteered to play Mannheim Steamroller's Silent Night in our Christmas Eve church program. How cool is she? I LOVE Mannheim Steamroller first of all and second of all she rocks out on the violin! This will be the coolest program ever! Tarzan's brother is going to solo too and his mom wants to do Carol of the Bells. (The whole family's freakishly talented in the music department. Why they associate with me I do not know.)

This is me proud of my super cool relatives.

20 days and counting

It's officially the Christmas season, and the mayhem has begun. The USC Santa Hat is on baby!
I was gonna be SO prepared this year. My sister and I started gathering lists and looking for presents in OCTOBER. I do have a few gifts already (though 4 of 20 is a lousy percentage) but there's all the other stuff to do too. My fridge is covered in lists of people to call, things to buy, make and do before the month is out. Here's a sampling:
As the activities chairperson at church I'm in charge of the Christmas party and I just realized that I haven't made the sign up sheets for the pot-luck dinner yet. There's two weeks (mostly) before the party there's only one more Sunday. People like to be eased into volunteering. I hope we have enough food. (Don't get me started on another of my rants; people who come to a pot-luck dinner and don't bring anything. What gives you the right to eat like a hog if you come empty handed? But I digress...) Beyond the food, there are the costumes to arrange for the group performing the nativity, collecting the music and words for the carolling, getting someone to play for the carolling, and getting the timing right for Santa Claus... Did I mention that this party is on the SAME day - at nearly the same time - as the wedding for a friend of mine? Yeah. How does one choose between events like that? And this is just one day of the month.
Next Saturday I have three (3!!) parties to attend. First I herd the kids into decorating the tree at church (because they just made me Primary President!!! That's the director type person over the children younger than 12), then it's on to lunch with the grown ups and lastly Tarzan's cousin has a performance that night. (When can a girl shop?)
There's the special program on Christmas Eve at church. Yes I also lead the music in sacrament meeting. (One would think I was musically talented from all the time I spend with songs and lyrics and pianists.) Solos and guest artists and speakers to line up.
Aaaaaand there's family stuff. I have GOT to mail my cards. Local cards shouldn't take too long but the ones to England and Canada and Brazil? I don't think I thank the United States Postal Service as often as I should. Thank you USPS!!
It's a pity that I spend so many of the daylight hours inside. Businesses other than retail should be closed after Thanksgiving. Who actually works during December? We pretend to in my office, but there's the holiday lunches for each of the clients and trading cards and bottles of wine (oooh goodie (sarcasm there)) back and forth. Nearly everyone takes days off and/or leaves early for "Christmas Shopping." I know I spend most of my time thinking/planning/dreaming of all the stuff to do after 5:30.
Yet...despite all the craziness, I loooove Christmas. If it all comes off and I don't mess up somewhere (please let there be enough food!) I have no regrets about the whole thing.

This is me getting merry!