I am the Holli Lama

Startdate 081610 - 299

2010-08-16T18:49:00.000-04:00

Back on the wagon. With exercise. I have done 20 minutes on the Wii. And had 2 walks with Sophie. Does it count more if it is like a sauna out there. M is having a bad day but I am cranky and not having it. I have a whole list of things to do tomorrow. I am trying to work on my portfolio website today.

Stardate 072410 302

2010-07-24T13:04:00.001-04:00

Work sux. The economy has hit my niche and my big boss doesn't get it. I am hustling but they don't see it. I feel tortured but so does most everyone else. Looking to move on. I want to get into the Smithsonian sooooo bad.

I have been sick (again) most of the week. Summer cold on top of the bronchitis I have, I definitely do things backwards. I had a little cheat this week because I wasn't eating much... chocolate zebra cake. And guess what - we are officially broken up now. All I could taste was preservatives and blech... I guess eating cleaner has more consequences then expected. I am hoping to convince the boys into Japanese tonight. I have been craving sushi for so so long. It is still good for me. Maybe I can do Sashimi with brown rice and be completely on track!

So far today I have had a slice of bread with a table spoon of PB and J. And now I am eating vanilla greek yogurt with organic granola. Look at me! I am baking some farm fresh eggplant for homemade babaganoush. I even had some chocolate custard from rita's last night, small cup and I didn't even finish! I gave the rest to M. Kinda liberating not caring what the boys are eating. I am working my way through my horse pill vitamins. Once I watch the first ep of Memphis Beat on on demand I am setting up the Wii Fit to get a move on.

Stardate 071910 - 307.2

2010-07-19T17:33:00.000-04:00

Apparently I have not known what the hell day it is for a few days.
Back to work today. Work work work. SO much to do. Richmond and all the stress and anxiety that entails tomorrow. The 2nd job "operation birdhouse" begins soon too. Sooner than later. Little baby steps.
I have taken most of the vitamins today. I still need to take the Omega, the yummy one.
Made a great protein shake today. Forgot to put the spinach in until the end but still managed to get it in - I can see it, so it would not pass M's inspection but you can't really taste it, plus I used light chocolate soy milk too. It was good. It made a LOT.

Choc Whey Protein (2 scoops 40 g protein)
Ice
Dark Cherries
Slim Soy Milk (Choc)
Spinach

Eggs and veggies for lunch. I am stuffed. Dinner soon.
I need to drink another big glass of water but then I am good. I will have to plan for tomorrows trek to Richmond so I don't get crap - or sugar! I thought it would be a lot harder to get off the white horse (sugar, refined flour, pasta) but I am doing rather well so far. KOW.

Stardate 071610 309

2010-07-18T20:38:00.000-04:00

Multi vitamin - check
Cal-Mag-Zinc (2 horse pills) - check
Complete Amino (1 HP) - check
Trimspa (2 HP) - check
Ester-C (1 HP) - check
Omega Complete (1 yummy shot - who knew?) - check

8 glasses of water
2 glasses of tea
Protein Shake with Cherries
Lettuce Wrap
- Chicken Salad
- Chicken, Mayo/AppleSauce, Green Onion, Parsley, Avocado
SBD - Fiber Bar
Veggie Chips

And I am still missing a meal! EFF.

Doctor on Wednesday - full week of driving and working and worrying about work and driving. Gotta get more exercise in. I did clean house and sweat a lot. I am on the right path.

Stardate 071510-309

2010-07-17T18:18:00.000-04:00

Read the new South Beach Diet book and Jackie Warner's This Is Why You Are Fat (and how to get thin for life)on vacation. I bought lots of veggies and getting my water ready and my tea and my food. I am ready. Now I need to get the wii ready and we'll be good to go!!! It is so hot outside it is like going into a sauna, just going outside should count as exercise. I have my dvd's too. Gotta get the booty moving. Doctor on Wednesday!

Pee Wee Hockey Drama PT 1

2010-04-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

Ohhhh the drama. Adult drama. At the expense of the children of course. But do they see the forest through the trees..... nooooooooo.
So there is a dad that used to be a coach in the area league. He took last year off, his kid exceled and so did the team (Mites 99). He has had a history of a temper, arguing with refs, being thrown out of games, etc. This year he wanted to coach again, so he made his plea to the board of the area league. He got other parents to vouch for him, said his apologies, yadda yadda yadda and it was looking positive but it didn't turn out in his favor. He is pissed. He has a grudge. He has pulled his kid from the team. He is manipulating J's mom to get J to switch teams, he is doing all he can do to wreck havoc on this team. No thought to the boys, or the lessons they are learning or NOT learning from this. He has not really thanked M for his letter of support, and in his adult tantrum to get his way has gone around M knowing that M will be the beacon of reason.
M is very thoughtful in his actions. He rarely has knee jerk actions. His goal is to teach his child loyalty and to honor your commitment and respect your team - rain or shine, up or down, winning or losing(still working on that losing part but it will come with maturity). J has grown leaps and bounds in the year I have known him as a hockey player. His conscientious now. He has gone from a baal/puck hog to someone who would rather assist in getting the goal to get more goals, for the team to play as one... well... team. And he is just 11. Think of him in 2 or 3 more years.
I am worried about what will happen - I mean I know everything will work out one way or another, it always does doesn't. For the bullshi*t ego trip temper tantrum of an ADULT to screw with so many kids opportunities is beyond me. It is ridiculous. If he just put the time and energy he is using to manipulate and cajole to get his way, for him, towards supporting his son and the team that has really in es sense, in the long term served him so well, think of all the good that could come of that. We are crazy silly adults. We are still the 10 year who got pick last for kick ball, or hit in the head with the dodgeball or worse aimed for the head in dodge ball.

To be continued....

Soccer Momish

2010-04-22T21:05:00.000-04:00

I learned something today as I watched the goalie of the losing team walk dejectedly off the field with his capri sun and bag of chips.... I just wanted to hug him, I felt so bad for him. His team, our team, lost 1-2. M said he was ok - he had his capri sun and chips and everything was going to be ok. While I imagined him sitting in a corner comforting himself by sucking the crumbs out of the bottom of that chip bag, M said you know when a kid is really taking it hard when they don't care about the snack. At that moment, J, our kid on the team (M's kid, my bonus kid), stormed pass, threw his water bottle at his dad and kept moving towards the car. No chips, no capri sun. I was in shock. M said, "Case and point." I was shocked, and wanted to laugh. He is 11, I mean he turned 11 last Tuesday. He plays 3 sports every season, he lives on carbs, sugar and sports. If I could bottle his energy and/or metabolism I would be a gazillionaire!
We had brought separate cars. I drove home worrying about the horrible mood was going to be hanging over the house. I stayed in the car for a bit when I got home talking to a friend while my phone charged. I finally went in the house. J was running around, waiting for the pizza to be done, wondering where I had been, fine and dandy. He told me all about how his friend D got his haircut at the new barber they tried out today and now they would always go there. No more thought of the loss. No more bad mood. Ahhh water proof back of a duck.

I have found Mr. Middle of the Road

2010-01-06T11:43:00.003-05:00

I am back and it is 2010!
Which I intend to be a VERY good year!
I am no longer Single, I am still LIBERAL and I have found a man. He is a good man with a manic son!
I also have my Sophie! My rescue 3 yr old Siberian Husky! Love her!
I am setting out on a journey this year. Health and weight loss on my own terms, which includes good nutrition (which may rub off on my boys), exercise and sleep!
Packing and purging my current house and moving to Bowie MD to combine households. And doing well at work and earning more clients and more jobs and thus more money!!!! Money isn't the end all in life but I don't want to worry about debt and bills any more.

Today is a good day. I am working hard at work (from home), my dog is sleeping by my side, I may see my BF today, and I am on my way!

I am also going to use this blog as way to track food and exercise. SO if you aren't interested in those posts, don't read em! :) I believe I am write just for me anyway.

So much to blog about so little time

2008-04-29T12:27:00.002-04:00

I am tired... between work chaos, commute suckage and just trying to have a life, I don't write much anymore. I have lots to talk about - some things I shouldn't talk about (like the BS at work, or my plans to just take care of me), some things political - Barack or Hillary, To Boycott or not to Boycott the Olympics because of the duplicity of China and there hipocracies and atrocities against the civil rights of their people, or people in their "control", my new photography bug, my addiction to facebook poking.... so many things......

MORE PHOTOS

2008-04-23T20:37:00.010-04:00

New Photos

2008-04-21T20:40:00.005-04:00

Camo Cell Tower

2008-03-16T14:48:00.005-04:00

** This cell tower is in a richer neighborhood off of 5100 Fairfax County Parkway, VA... I have never seen another cell tower so deftly disquised.

Spring Buds

2008-03-16T14:42:00.001-04:00

Truth In Advertising?

2008-03-16T14:40:00.003-04:00

The truck graphic says "All I want is a company that's on the move" and the truck is broken down.... HA.

Mormons!

2008-03-16T14:24:00.002-04:00

My Best Hour This Week....

2008-03-15T21:04:00.002-04:00

This week was a decent week all things considered. But today, today my bestest friend ever called. She is my sistah from another mother, my other half of my brain.... and no matter how much time goes by we just pick up where we left off. We talked for an hour. The best hour this week. I miss her very much. I am very blessed, I have such good friends... not many but such very special ones. I love you all.

Dirty is dirty in any language....

2008-03-13T19:10:00.004-04:00

Lavame Por Favor = Wash Me Please!

I'm Baaaaaack

2008-02-19T13:59:00.003-05:00

Hopefully I still have readers.... all 3 of them. (Love them all too!)

OK so I am finally over the ick that took me out over the holidays. And I am finally in a sort of routine with the new job, long commute and my continued diet. I lost 7 more lbs over the last 2.5 months, bringing my grand total to 44lbs so far and I have lost another size... almost. The scale hasn't really moved much in the last 4 weeks so now that I am in a routine I am hitting it hard again. Protein, protein, protein & water. And hopefully soon, some extra exercise.

Work is going well, I am well into the learning curve and not wanting to quit anymore, but I will tell you - I still play the lotto... gotta get my tickets for tonight!

I have been spending a lot of time working on my family's reunion website. CoreyReunion2008.com - there is a great pic of me in a bikini on there... look on the George & Emily page.

I have listened to quite a few books on ipod on the commute... "Cross" - James Patterson, "Double Cross" - James Patterson, and finally "Son of a Witch" - Gregory McGuire - this is the sequel to "Wicked"... it was pretty good... "Wicked" was better... but it was a nice story to have read to me. Between the commute, the new job and the website building I haven't had much time or energy for an actual page turner. Maybe on the treadmill....

I am starting to look for a new apartment on the other side of the Potomac so my commute isn't so mind numbing. I mean, really, 2o mph on the tollroad every morning can drive a person mad... why so slow? On a road you have to pay to get on? Shoot me!

Airport Time is Blog Time

2007-12-20T08:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays Everyone!

It has been a rough couple weeks, finishing up my job offer, finishing my job contracts, getting a hellacious viral infection - which the doctor told me yesterday that most people have it for about 4 weeks (I haven't had it for a week yet!).

So here I sit, over-medicated, in the Detroit Airport. Fun times. Looking enviously at the sleeping travelers scrunched into uncomfortable positions on airport furniture. Remember when you could sleep anywhere? I could in college... but I had less stuff then - I didn't even have a laptop... these things... cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, mp3 players were definitely not staples then. We were lucky to have a working walkman - all 5lbs of it, that you used as a pillow while you catched some sleep on the hallway floor while you waited for a computer in the computer lab in Angell Hall. One of the 500 Mac Classics so you could finish that paper on Las Vegas as the Corrupted American Dream as depicted in Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Norman Mailer's Army's of the Night.... you had to be there I guess.

Lots of people are traveling alone and plugged in one way or another.... which I like... I don't like the people who travel together and actually carry on conversations that I have to overhear. Just shut up.... but that's me and my tolerant self.

You know, I never noticed how MIDWEST the Michigan accent really was. I used to be able to do a mean Minnesotan/Wisconsin accent ala Coen Bros. Fargo.... but I never realized how thick it really is in Michigan as well - donchaknow. Ya ya you betcha. I know that when I return from travels home my friends mention the accent is a bit thicker than usual - peppered with "oh wow"s and "anywhoo"s and lots of "OK now" and "ohmygad".

I think that with my diverse family - full of cheese heads and east coast bostonian/fall riverian inflections plus a transpanted midwesterner now southerner with some y'alls thrown in for good measure - I have a pretty messed up accent. But it doesn't matter... as long as I remember to say please and THANK YOU... I get a pretty good reception.

The Return

2007-12-03T19:28:00.000-05:00

Hello All who read my blog, all 3 of you.
I hope you are still with me.

I haven't blogged in a long time, I have been in a fury of contracts, interviews, job offers and just general getting life back on track.

So - the news.

I have a job, I start January 2.
It is a great new job, supervisor position. WOOHOO.
As much as I still dislike my former employer - they did me a favor. I am making more money, with a company with better benefits and opportunities.

I will probably have to end up moving to cut down on the commute - but in the meantime that is the only bad thing about the job.

Other updates:
I am finishing up my 2 contracts in the next 3 weeks and then I will be on a plane home for the holidays.

My weight loss has stalled and I have not hit the 40 mark yet but hopefully now that I have the job and supporting myself concern out of the way I can refocus on that.

Christmas shopping is done, I am working on the cards now.

Thats about it... I am looking forward to a great 2008!!!

It DIDN'T take another 86 years!!!!!

2007-10-29T00:07:00.000-04:00

THE RED SOX WIN THE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The American Lexicon

2007-09-26T20:05:00.000-04:00

Every year new words are added to the American Lexicon which usually reflect on the current pop culture. I mean you have to add words - we are still inventing stuff.... internet, cell phones, ... blog!

I have been noticing some new words floating out there in the blogoshpere. Blogosphere being one of them. Celebutaunte explains those famous divas who are famous for no reason. And the best word I have heard in a long time, the one that sums up a lot of our current culture.

CELEBRETARDED.

Brilliant.

Duct Tape and Bungee Cords

2007-09-26T19:48:00.000-04:00

So I am losing weight. Slowly and surely. (still at 31-32 lbs. lost)
Of course I have lost in the weirdest places first... boobs and ankles. Not in my belly - although friends swear I have, not in my hips... but boobs and ankles. dammit!
I will always have boobs but I think I need to start a "boob lift" fund for after the weight loss. Just to give the girls a lift.

I have always dreaded bra shopping. I distinctly remember that talk my my had with me when she said I had to get a bra - I was sooooo upset. And I never had a training bra - I went straight to bra. I also remember the bra lady at Knapp's department store. The woman that helps you get fitted. This perfect stranger that joins you and your mom in the dressing room for this humiliating/greatly anticipated (depending who you were) right of passage for a girl. Ala "Are You There God It's Me, Margaret" there is this person measuring and turning you and commenting on your "ohgodjustshootmenow" bright red blush.
But, what I would give for a trip to the bra lady now. Especially now that I am losing a bra size every month! I finally got a new bra that fit, and now it is too big and not supporting much these days.... I need a lift. I saw on "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" (he is the style god, by the way!!) he had a bra lady! She is in New York somewhere! I gotta go!!!!

So, needless to say, I have been frustrated with the bra shopping, online or in person, it just sucks. I ended up telling my mom I had given up - I am going to just strap them up with duct tape and bungee cords. I think she is still laughing....

Walmart makes me hate....

2007-09-14T16:52:00.000-04:00

What happened to the smiley, happy drones that were supposed to work at Walmart??? I went there today and encountered one a**hole after another which, of course, turned me into a raging a**hole. I will admit it. I was in such a foul mood after that I just wanted to sit in the middle of the parking lot and cry. And it wasn't just any major thing that happened - just the overall attitude. It wasn't that busy but as always everyone was in the middle of the aisle and in the way. Hardly anyone was polite - "excuse me" works people! I use it. Ugh, and to top it all off, I left the place bleeding - I scraped my arm on something... I know not what....

So I am home now, decompressing after vacuuming and cleaning the living room with scooby doo band aids on my damaged arm.

BLAH!

You gotta be kidding me....

2007-09-11T19:44:00.000-04:00

ok I am into week 6 of the job search - yup 6. And because I am still friends with most of my former co-workers I know they have been drowning in graphics.... So now they wanna know if I will come back for a couple of weeks to help them out.... ^$!&^@! What the f***!! Shouldn't they have thought of the work load BEFORE they laid me off??? On one hand I have the upper hand now and can work via contract but on the other hand F*** THEM!!!

For those that want to know I have 3 major job opportunities in the works and lots more irons in the fire.

Maize and Boo????

2007-09-08T19:43:00.000-04:00

...said the si.com headline.... what the hell? For the second week in a row the Wolverines have had their a....ahhh...hats handed to them in the Big House. You can read about here. I am one of those weird Big 10 hybrids... which means I grew up a Spartan Fan and then went to the Big Blue for University. So even though the boys in blue fell down in the big house.... those Spartans kicked Bowling Green butt in a really good game that ended 28 - 17. So if you can't Go Blue... Go Green.

Hiatus

2007-09-05T13:58:00.000-04:00

Well - I had to go in search of a wifi hub today - 5 days (and counting) without internet and I am in major withdrawl. I got through the DT's OK (just kidding!!!) but it is a bit of a pain in the ass, especially when you are online ALL DAY looking for a job, or working on your portfolio website, or blah, blah, blah....

Anywhoo.... I have a lot to blog about (including jury duty, diet hell pt. 86 7/8, My Love of Foster (the dog), wifi fun at starbucks, etc.)... however for the moment I just have to lament about the fact I have no home internet and the comcastic service I am getting from the provider. I upgraded because the upgrade was cheaper than the original plan I had from the service provider they bought out... silly me. BAH.

humbug.

hopefully we will see you soon.

Pre - Fall Fall Preview

2007-08-21T21:54:00.000-04:00

Being the TV junkie I am and being that I have a few extra hours on my hands a day... I decided to do a bit of research on the upcoming fall season. There are quite a few new shows coming... CBS is taking the least amount of chances with new shows (although one of their shows may already have them in hot water), and NBC has the most midseason replacement options and ABC has the most new shows coming up.

There are a few duplicated efforts - both Fox and CBS have immortal detectives searching for life, love and bad guys in the 21st century after having already "having seen it all". "New Amsterdam" is Fox's version - and because I saw ads for it way before CBS' "Moonlight" I consider it in the lead for my attention.

On NBC there is also "Journeyman" newspaper reporter who inexplicably begins to travel through time to change peoples lives. And ABC has "Pushing Daisies" which has a guy who can touch a dead person to ask them who killed them to help a PI crack their cases. It is directed by Barry Sonnefeld.

ABC is also bringing us a look in the ATL caveman scene beyond the GIECO commericals - aptly called "Cavemen". There are a few shows about people trying to figure out life, or how life was, or how to get beyond how life was.... ABC has:

"Samantha Who" - A retrograde amnesiac digging for clues about her former not so nice self.
"Carpoolers" - Four guys try to figure out life together in the carpool lane.
"Eli Stone" - a show that asks if we can change our lives midstream.
"MisGuided" - A girl goes back to her former HS to be the guidence counselor only to find her childhood nemesis is also a teacher there.... can you hide from who you were in HS?
"Big Shots" 4 dysfunctional CEOs who will do anything to stay on top
"Cashmere Mafia" Strong women dealing with life.
"Dirty, Sexy, Money" - Power, privilege and family

Lots of issues on ABC this year - there is also the return of "Ugly Betty", "Grey's Anatomy", it's spin off "Family Practice", and a show based on James Patterson's books "Women's Murder Club" - and of course LOST returns in FEBRUARY!

NBC has promised the return of the Law & Order series (yahoo!) L&O:CI will start with epi's on USA and then on NBC and the other two will return with "Medium" midseason. The new "Bionic Woman" will be on Wednesdays, "Chuck" is about a computer geek by day and a government agent by night, Along with "Life" a based-on-a-true-story show about a cop who was wrongfully sent to prison trying to rebuild his life after being exonerated and given back his old police position back. . There is also "Lipstick Jungle" - women CEO's kicking a**, "The Baby Borrowers" young couples 'borrow' babies to learn the true lessons of parenthood, and a comedy called "The IT Crowd". The Thursday line up of "My Name is Earl", "The Office" et al. will return... along with "Heroes" which will have an arc that will include, the actress formerly known as Veronica Mars, Kristen Bell.

CBS has the aforementioned "Moonlight", but also Jimmy Smits back on the small screen as the head of a Sugarcane empire... drama and bitter rivalry ensues with the younger brother. This one looks good. Hot and steamy. KidNation is the controversy show of the season - CBS put 40 unsupervised kids together in a AZ ghost town a la 'Lord of the Flies'. "The Big Bang Theory" is also a new comedy where geeks try and figure out women - Beauty and the Geek except in a sitcom.

Fox has "K-Ville" - cops in post-Katrina New Orleans, "Back to You" the new Kelsey Grammer sitcom - snarky tv anchors. "'Til Death" returns as its counterpart. "The Next American Band" will be Fox's Americal Idol of the moment. Fox also brings "Nashville" which is a country version of MTVs "The Hills", like we need more of that. There is also a midseason replacement called "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" which is about the time between Terminator I and II. This has the potential to be awesome or just crap. Fox of course is returning with House, 24, and Prison Break.

The CW canceled my favorite show "Veronica Mars" so I am trying to boycott them but unfortunately it looks like the funniest NEW show will be here. The most promising would be "Reaper" - in order to save his own life a father sold his son's soul to the devil - it becomes due on his 20th birthday and now the son is a soul bounty hunter for the devil - hilarity ensues. The CW also has "Aliens in America", no - ALF is not back, it's about a Wisconsin family and their exchange student, a Muslim Pakistani. There is "Gossip Girl", which will be narrated by Kristen Bell, about privileged prep school teens on Manhattan's upper west side (something we can all relate to). "Life is Wild" a California family goes to South Africa to live on a wildlife preserve. Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, Girlfriends, One Tree Hill, and Smallville will all be returning.

I am sure I missed a few (lots) of shows other people normally watch - like I do know that "The Ghost Whisperer" is returning, so is CSI in some form or another, "Desperate Housewives", etc. They may still be out there - I am just not watching.

My picks are "Reaper", "New Amsterdam", "K-Ville", "Cane", "Pushing Daisies", perhaps "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"... and then I may just have to rely on my fav returning shows and the history channels.

I Love Pickles

2007-08-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

Clausen Kosher Dill Spears to be exact. I buy 2 jars each time I go to the grocery store.
They are great on the diet as well.... only 5 calories a spear and it gives you that crunch you need when you just gotta have something - and the tang usually controls the appetite.

** Pic is of Clausen's Bread & Butter Slices which I am sure are good but are not my obsession and all I could find in the picture department.

It takes a village....

2007-08-17T18:23:00.000-04:00

and I need a prayer from all my "peeps". I need all the cosmic karma I can get. I found a job I want. I am not going to disclose what it is yet because I don't want to jinx it...but it is perfect for me, and the location brings me closer to home and to other friends as well.... so I need a village of crossed fingers.....

love you all
thank you much
namaste

hol

Ipod Withdrawl

2007-08-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

I haven't been able to get my ipod to turn on.
Not a good thing when you have time on your hands.
Here is a hint to those that have an ipod - if all else fails.... try charging it with someone else's charger. It was my charger not the ipod (whew!).

I am awaiting a new one from apple.com (because I am lazy and don't leave the house much). But I managed to charge it a bit the other day in the car. So my withdrawl has had a reprieve. And I got to listen to my playlist de jour.*

Me & Mr. Jones - Amy Winehouse
Suddenly I See - KT Turnstall
Just One of Those Things (Brazilian Girls Remix)- Blossom Dearie
Papa Was A Rolling Stone (David Elizado Mix) - The Temptations
Sign, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) (DJ Smash Essential Funk Mix) - Stevie Wonder
ABC (Salaam Remi Krunk-A-Delic Party Mix) - The Jackson Five
I Heard It Through the Grapevine (The Randy Watson Experience Sympathy For the Grapes Mix) - Gladys Knight and the Pips

"As God as my witness... I thought turkeys could fly."

2007-08-14T00:27:00.000-04:00

One of the best sitcom episodes ever, with one of the best sitcom lines ever is from the show "WKRP in Cincinnati".

Season 1, Episode 7: Turkeys Away

Original Air Date: 30 October 1978
Mr. Carlson is beginning to feel useless at the new formatted rock station so he decides to create a big Thanksgiving Day promotion. His idea? Get a helicopter, with a banner attached to it saying "Happy Thanksgiving From WKRP", and drop live turkeys from the helicopter.

It was on tonight - one of the benefits of my night owl internal clock. Brilliant stuff, just as funny as the first time. Laugh out loud funny - just the whole delivery of the whole episode.

It's the little things you have to revel in.
Those laugh out loud moments.

Internal Clock

2007-08-08T12:11:00.000-04:00

I have let my internal clock take over.... that means to bed by 3am and up by 11ish. Crazy. Plus I have been exercising and feeling overall better. More stable sleep. Awesome.

I am still struggling with that damn scale... but what else do I have to obsess over these days. Other than finding a job or hoping to win the lotto that is....

Knee-Jerk Reactionary Governments

2007-08-04T18:17:00.000-04:00

OK - so the collapse of the bridge in MN is truly a tragic event. And it is good that it prompted the federal mandate of checking all similar bridges around the country, although shouldn't we be checking up on these things periodically on our own anyway??
So now we are on top of the bridges.... ok, check.
We are on top of the possibility of nutcases lighting their shoes on fire on airplanes, ok, check.
Levees in New Orleans? We'll get to that.
Rebuilding the city? We'll get to it.
Finding Osama Bin Laden? We'll get to it.
Equal education for all Americans? We'll get to it.
Health care? Ditto.
Poverty? Ditto.
Ugh.

The Interview.... complete

2007-08-01T10:59:00.001-04:00

Well, Monday was the interview... and it went well I think, but between the commute (1.5 hr each way) and the possibility of jumping into the fire yet again... I don't really think it is for me. Although I told everyone involved I could do that job. I really don't want to.

Besides its a whole new month, time for a whole new plan.

The Interview - the hours before

2007-07-30T11:43:00.000-04:00

I guess I am ready for my interview, I had managed to squeeze myself into my interview suit... which fit but I was so uncomfortable with the panty hose, heels and all that crap that I threw up, so now I am comfy in some stretchy pants and slip on shoes I am almost good to go.

I am taking my time to peruse career builder before I go. blech. Gotta keep those options open.

I think i am ready for aol and booz - i dont want to jump into the fire (the recruiter said compensation may be at 60K - a lot dif than 90K... 90K may be worth the stress and crap for a couple years.... ) so we'll see. I have lots of options, this is not the end all, right?

The Lay Off.. day 4

2007-07-29T12:48:00.000-04:00

I haven't gotten so much done in 4 days in years!! Including naps, sushi, dentist, chiro, cleaning... kinda scary. I got through the WHOLE Turbo Jam 20 min workout yesterday... I am about to do it again in a few moments. I am in the process of cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry right now and still working on cleaning out storage.
I got 10 pages of my portfolio completed last night (when I finish it I will post it for all to see.) I have my interview tomorrow at 2 in MD.

Crazy busy but its all good.

The Lay Off

2007-07-27T19:22:00.000-04:00

Yup. I was laid off*, and I haven't felt better! I have been feeling impending doom for weeks. Just an underlying blah.... a big gray cloud and now it is gone.

Here is the cool thing. I had plans with my friend Lyndsay (before the layoff) for Wednesday. So when I packed up my box(es) and went, I called her and she said "well, now you have no excuse but to go out because you don't have to get up in the morning." Fair enough. Anyway, while I was waiting for the time to meet her I perused CareerBuilder and was saving jobs I thought had potential that I would go back to on Thursday. I came across one listing that I totally fit the requirements but the base pay was listed as 90K to 100K(!) (totally deserved but never acquired thus far in my career track) so I said what the hell, and sent my resume out right then and there. It was the last thing I did before I went out.

Thursday morning I had a call back!

Friday morning I had an interview scheduled.

Ain't that some shit.

Gotta love those blessings in disguise.

Even if it doesn't work out - I have another headhunter contact - which is always good.

*I wasn't the only one laid off, and I will, with pleasure, continue the rumor that the company is in trouble and it is not looking good. There are some good people there, but you know - I gave them my loyalty - even after they threw me under the bus more than once. Silly me.

Hit 30!

2007-07-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

I managed to get rid of pounds 27, 28, 29 AND 30! I am still moving along. I have a lot more time on my hands but more on that in the next post. But I definately have time to exercise now whether it is cleaning the car, or my Turbo Jam DVD.

Diet Hell

2007-07-23T11:14:00.000-04:00

I am on a diet. I have lost 26 pounds since April.
Yea me. But I have been stuggling with 27, 28 and 29 for the last 3 weeks.
I know I shouldn't obsess with the scale, but I fear if I don't I will find pound 26, 25 and 24 again... and you know where that will go.
So I am trying a new strategy, I have a new protien shake for the AM. Last week I tried protien shakes for breakfast and dinner and just have regular (well balanced - as they say) lunch. But that didn't work so well, I was so hungry by dinner, I was usually bad. I would eat too much and then not feel so good.
So this week I am trying protien shakes for breakfast and lunch and have those 100 cal snacks when I need them. And then have the "well balanced" dinner. That may end up being cereal.
I am keeping track of calories and fat grams and carbs in a composition book as well. I have tried dailyplate.com - which is awesome at tracking but I don't log on at night and that is when I get myself in trouble.

Next addition will be more exercise. I was doing ok for awhile with walking but that has tapered off.

Fifty Questions

2007-07-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

I stole this from Bernie's Blog.
Please answer these questions on your blog and let me know where and when.

1) What holiday is your birthday closest to?
I was born on Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday - the actual day - not just the federal holiday, and I was born before it WAS a fed holiday.

2) Favorite song?
Oh, so many, The Summer Wind-Sinatra, I Believe - Ray Charles, I've Got Dreams To Remember - Otis Redding, etc.

3) Favorite fruits?
Honeydew Melon, Raspberries, Blueberries, White Peaches.

4) Does it bother you when someone says they’ll call you and they don’t?
Depends on who it is.

5) Are you allergic to anything?
Pollen.

6) Is there someone/something you want?
A house all my own, a little cottage bungalow.

7) When was the last time you went swimming?
Last year.

8) How many states have you been to?
26– Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, California, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota

9) How many of the states have you lived in?
3 – Michigan, Massachusetts, Virginia

10) Have you ever lived outside of the US?
No.

11) How many countries have you visited?
2 – Canada, England

12) What’s your favorite kind of drink?
Water

13) Does anyone like you?
Sometimes I wonder.

14) Do you have any strange pets?
Not at the moment.

15) What is your dream car?
1946 Chevy Truck or a 1962 Corvette

16) What’d you do yesterday?
Not much.

17) Who is the last person you fell asleep and woke up next to?
My mom when I was in the hospital. Her in chair, me in bed all drugged up.

18) Do you and your last ex have a good relationship?
Haven’t seen my ex for a few years.

19) Where would you want to go on a first date?

20) When’s the last time you were kissed?
Non-platonic - over 2 years ago.

21) Has anyone ever sang or played a song for you personally?
Yes.

22) Ever been kissed under fireworks?
No.

23) Have you ever bungee jumped?
No.

24) Have you ever kayaked?
No.

25) Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you?
Yes and ten years younger.

26) What sound are you listening to right now?
Eric Clapton - From the Cradle.

27) What’s your favorite song of the moment?
You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse, just at this moment right this instant

28) What was the last movie you watched?
In theaters – Shrek 3. On DVD – Chinatown.

29) Where is the last place you went besides home?
Bestbuy.

30) Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property?
No, why would I?

31) Have you ever been punched?
No. But when I was little, when my father was teaching me to box, I punched him squarely in the nose, that was the end of the lesson.

32) Did you participate in any sports in high school?
I was an artsy person in HS. I played Volleyball in Jr. High.

33) What do you usually order from Olive Garden?
Since I so rarely go there it would be an indulgence of Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken. My Marsala is better than theirs.

34) Say something totally random about yourself.
I am more self conscious and paranoid than most people would think.

35) Do you have an iPod?
Yup, a huge 60 GB one that is FULL FULL FULL.

36) Has anyone said you look like a celebrity?
Ricky Lake and Carnie Wilson - you know heavy set dark haired girls all look alike.

37) Are you comfortable with your height?
Yes.

38) How tall are you?
5’ 6”

39) Do you speak any other languages besides English?
No, but I wish I did. I can read Spanish pretty well, and say a few words in Arabic

40) Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Not yet.

41) Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Family, yes; close friends, yes.

42) Do you watch MTV?
Not in a long time.

43) What’s something that really annoys you?
Drivers who flick their cigarettes out the window.

44) Do you have a crush?
No.

45) Do you drive when you go on long trips?
Yes.

46) What’s the longest time you ever stayed out?
Around 6 or 7am.

47) Have you ever thought you were honestly going to die?
Yes, once, I had a high fever on a flight and was hallucinating that the plane was crashing. We were just turning at Toledo.

48) Were you ever rushed by an ambulance to the emergency room?
Yes. A car accident when I was 20.

49) Who is the best roommate you ever had?
My jr and sr college year roommate, Athena - she was never there. My mom, but I know I would drive her nuts but she makes awesome pot roast. SO living alone is best.

50) Who was the last person to text message you?
Lisa.

New Trees

2007-07-10T11:50:00.001-04:00

Why not Paris?

2007-07-03T15:49:00.000-04:00

OK, since we have no regard to the "rules", since, apparently, you can run ripshod all over DC and the country and if you have friends in the "right places" you can get away with it. A pardon is still on the horizon (this random rant is in honor of Scooter Libby if you didn't know), and I think if "W" is passing out the pardons he should give one to Paris Hilton first- at least she actually set foot in a prison, she had to go through the humiliation of a strip search, she ate the bologna sandwiches (which frightened her). I think if Scooter is up for a pardon he should be way behind Paris in line.

And I thought reading the article on Paris in People magazine was a waste of my time.

01.20.09

2007-06-27T14:01:00.000-04:00

01.20.09. What is that?
A magic number. Popping up on bumper stickers around town.
It makes me smile everytime I see it.
And it is like a secret password, you smile and know that person is in the club as well.

01.20.09

The day Bush leaves office.

Beautiful.

Are we too connected?

2007-06-03T20:21:00.000-04:00

Some of my college wonderful college friends came to visit this weekend. It was a very nice weekend. We went into the city to check out some museums, since my friend M brought her son we decided to forgo the Art Museums this time (not that he doesn't know Art - both M and I graduated from Art school and Art is a part of his life).

We ended up going to the Air and Space Museum and the National American Indian Museum. We managed to time ourselves very well and avoided a lot of the crowds. We got through most of the A&S Museum before it started getting really crowded. We saw one of the planetarium shows - it was awesome. I wish it wasn't so expensive or I would go into the city all the time just to go to that! We broke for lunch and went to one of the most amazing McDonald queues I have ever seen. If that doesn't make it to the history channel or the food channels "How Does That Work", it really should!

I enjoyed a lot more people watching more than museum looking. I love museums, but working in the museum industry I tend to look a little too closely to the graphic panels, exhibit spaces, 3D letters, etc. It kind takes away from the actual exhibit purpose. No one else is look at the stuff... now if we could only get that fact through the designers heads... but I digress. My friends hit the gift shop, I was more than a little overwhelmed so I excused myself to wait outside. I popped a squat on the floor since the waiting seating was all full up. I enjoyed watching the people and listening to the languages, all so diverse. There were lots of student groups, all in their matching shirts to keep them all together. Lots of families of all types. There was this elderly couple and their son who had down syndrom, they had a great system of keeping together. There was a Indian Sihk family, the little children we so cute! There was a group of preteens from Knoxville TN with accents so thick you could cut them with a knife.

One thing flowed throughout, everyone was connected. Everyone had cell phones. Now cell phones are great when you lose your group. Very handy. (Provided no one forgot theirs (me) or have theirs off (J)). But a lot of the teens were texting. Annoying were you're walking behind the pausing person texting (The new joke should be can you walk and text at the same time instead of chew gum.)

So I wonder... does our constant connection reduce the quality of family time, even on vacation?

Hello Pot - You're Black....

2007-05-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

I have not been posting at all lately - I have been tired with all that is going on (or not going on) in my life.... but I had to comment on the White House's response to President Carter's rightful opinion. It is just like the current administration to not only to not respect an American's right to an opinion but resort to name calling to "get the upper hand". It is embarrassing and disheartening. I am disgusted more than ever before.

Music Quiz - 30 April 2007

2007-04-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

#1 Name this song - by lyrics:

Gunter glieben glauchen globen

#2 Name this song - by lyrics:

I ain't tellin' no lie.
Mine's a tale that can't be told,
My freedom I hold dear;
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air,
T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor
I met a girl so fair,
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up
And slipped away with her.
Her, her....yea.
Ain't nothing I can do, no.

Music Quiz Answers

2007-04-30T16:24:00.000-04:00

Not exactly sure when I should post answers, I should probably wait for the 2nd of the 2 people I know reads my blog to put her 2 cents in, but I want to do a new quiz so I will answer.

#1 Not Ready To Make Nice - The Dixie Chicks
#2 RESPECT - Aretha Franklin

Music Quiz - 27 April 2007

2007-04-27T15:38:00.000-04:00

# 1. Name this song - by lyrics:

" I know you said
Why can't you just get over it,
It turned my whole world around
and i kind of like it

I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
With no regrets and I don't mind saying..."

# 2. Name this song - by lyrics:

" Ooo, your kisses
Sweeter than honey
And guess what'
So is my money
All I want you to do for me
Is give it to me when you get home
Yeah baby
Whip it to me
When you get home, now (just a little bit)"

New Stuff

2007-04-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

Since I haven't been posting much, blogblock y'know... I have been thinking of what to do. Plus I want to keep it light - I can't seem to type a story as well and I can tell one. So since I love lists of Music, I am going to a little twist on that. I am going to share awesome lyrics of obsure or not so obscure music (and maybe comment on them). Also - I am going to do a little music lyric quiz - I will try and use less obscure music - but make you think. I am also trying to get back into my art and photography so look for posts of that stuff too!

I hope you enjoy!!!!!

One Monkey (Don't Stop No Show)

2007-04-27T15:32:00.000-04:00

A better precursor to "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé

Francine Reed - Essential Women In Blues

My baby jumped up this morning,
'n' sat on the side of the bed.
He said, "I'm leaving you, baby."
And this is just what I said.
I said, "I can't make you stay if you want to go,
but it's high time, baby, that you should know,

one monkey don't stop no show.
One monkey don't stop no show.
So, if you still wanna go, go ahead."
And I mean every word I said.

My baby thought I was jivin'
and he went right out the door.
He left me about three in the morning.
I got me a man at four.
Some women cry when their men bleed 'em
dry, long and slow,
but I found out somethin' a long time ago.

One monkey don't stop no show.
One monkey don't stop no show.
So if he gets too big for his pants
you better spring that new one and give him a chance.

I used to be chicken hearted;
cry when he'd walk out the door,
'cause I was just young and stupid.
Ha! Ain't like that no more.
'Cause I had a hard way to go,
but I learned the score.
And I'm here to tell you,
and I should know,

one monkey don't stop no show.
One monkey don't stop no show.
Let him do anything he choose.
There's a million men who can fill his shoes.

One monkey don't stop no show.
One monkey don't stop no show.
One monkey don't stop no show.
You can tell him I told you so.

Spring and Allergies

2007-04-20T12:39:00.000-04:00

The feel of spring is so nice. To shed the sweaters and heavy layers. To feel the sunshine on your skin and take in a deep breath...... ahhhh choooo. Those pesky allegies. The blossoms are just floating around, speading pollon everywhere... just like it is supposed to... ahhh chooo. Itchy eyes, runny nose and walking around feeling like you have a wet paper bag over your head. Happy Spring!

Cherry Blossoms

2007-04-15T10:55:00.000-04:00

Not my photos, the weather has been dreadful.

My Photos

2007-04-03T10:26:00.000-04:00

Photo Manipulation

2007-04-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

Hall of Justice

2007-04-03T10:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of the Hall of Justice in Lansing, MI.
You know, where the superfriends live.

Tigers Opener

2007-04-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

Awwww.... damn....
the first one is a hard loss in the 10th. 5 to 3 Toronto. Too bad.
Next is BOS - they already have one run in the 1st.

Music Meme

2007-04-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

Haven't done one of these in a while: I've been tagged to do a meme of 7 songs that I'm listening to right now...so here we go!!

1. Rehab - Amy Winehouse (Black to Black) - this was a "can't get the song otta my head, must buy album" purchase. Well worth the $, the whole album is great. Her voice is awesome. Plus she pulls from 50s and 60s girl group hooks and harmonies.

2. Blessed - Robert Randolph & the Family Band (Colorblind) - Its got a great summer feel - both albums (Colorblind & Unclassified) have a lay in the hamock, feel the breeze and soak up the soul vibe.

3. Staple It Together & Flake - Jack Johnson (In Between Dreams & Bushfire Fairytales) - I could list all his songs.

4. Trynna Find a Way - Nelly Furtado (Whoa, Nelly!) - Because I am Trynna Find a Way

5. Ghetto - Leela James (A Change is Gonna Come) - I like the hook, the whole album is awesome - her voice is so full and strong.

6. The Way You Are - 46bliss (Veronica Mars Soundtrack) - It has a haunting vibe to it, but its mellow and calming.

7. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (Some Hearts) - Because I know all the words and its fun to sing in the car.

Bonus:

8. Golden - Jill Scott (Beautifully Human Music and Words V.II) - not because they keep repeating it over and over on Lifetime as a hook for one of their new movies (but Go Jill! Hope you are getting PAID!) But because - I am living my life like it is Golden - or at least trying to now!

Tag, you're it Velvet and Jan

The Boys of Summer are Out and About

2007-04-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

Baseball opening day!
I love listening to baseball on the radio. I love the memories it brings flooding back. My teams (Red Sox and Tigers) are both in the top 5. This should be a good season. The weather is a balmy 75 today in VA, perfect baseball weather. But I can get the game on my computer. I will have to try at home.

Happy First Day of Spring

2007-03-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

It's a little chilly this first day of Spring, but it smells like spring. You can see the flowers pushing up through the soil. The next few days will be in the 60s and 70s. Woohoo! Happy crocus weather everyone!

BLOG TIME

2007-03-13T16:10:00.000-04:00

I haven't been honing my blogging skills lately. I have been slaying some inner demons. I am working on a transformation - perhaps a pre-midlife crisis... as my friend Velvet is encountering the full fledged version. The revelations, epiphanies and outcomes of this transformation will become apparent as the months go by. I feel like I am holding in a secret... but I think I am just in the cocoon...

more to come....

namaste

All Time Favorite Albums

2007-03-13T10:38:00.000-04:00

I have been listening to my ipod a lot these days. And there are definately a lot of random albums that I love. The WHOLE album. Here are a few.

Rattle and Hum - U2

Diva - Annie Lennox

Abbey Road - Beatles

Shake Your Money Maker - The Black Crowes

Legend - Bob Marley & The Wailers

Blue Bell Knoll - Cocteau Twins

Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club

The Commitments - The Commitments

Like Water For Chocolate - Common

Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae

Little Man Tate - Mark Isham

Rush - Eric Clapton

In a Sentimental Mood - Dr. John

All The Rage - General Public

Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses

Sports - Huey Lewis and the News

Some Greatest Hits:
The Eagles I and II
Aretha Franklin
Frank Sinatra
The Allman Brothers
James Taylor
Blondie
Steve Miller Band

Yup - just some of them....

Hypocrite

2007-03-09T08:18:00.000-05:00

He says he's not. But he is. Link.

Is it wrong...

2007-03-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

that even though I have never had an interest in the show "Dancing with the Stars", I want to watch it this season because Heather Mills will be on it. Heather Mills is the much publicised Ex or soon-to-be Ex-Wife of Paul McCartney and she has an artificial leg. If that doesn't have "TRAIN WRECK" written all over it I don't know what does.

Also - Billy Ray Cyrus will be participating.

Random Story Man.

2007-02-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

This goes with the post Why Do I Know Your Children’s Names?

I went to get new eye glasses. I was there for over two hours. In that time I listen to one of the sale people tell random stories. Did you know that there is a Faith No More (his fav band by the way) song that was composed entirely of Fortune Cookie Fortunes? He has gotten some of those fortunes so that is so cool. Did you know that he really likes cars and motors and he hopes to start working on them again? Did you know that a friend from when he was young (he knew her when they were 15) found him on my space out of the blue and he is so psyched to see her again - because she is one of those people you don't forget - some people you want to forget but not her. Did you know that he went into Best Buy and yelled at the service team for holding his computer hostage for 2 months to just fix the on/off button - his computer that cost $2700 - and as soon as he yelled at them they call the next day to tell him it would be ready this week?

The last 2 conversations were directed at me. It was a oneway convo. There is at least one random topic that I forgot... perhaps blocked out.

Name That Tune

2007-02-20T14:13:00.000-05:00

If you have ever perused the Cartoon Network you may have come across Ed, Edd and Eddie. Their theme song was always a hip little tune that sounded oh so familiar. Now that I am into my Jazz stage... I can identify it! It is the hook from Tilt-A-Whirl ... a hip instramental staple in the jazz world.

Happy Happy

2007-02-14T09:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day...whatever. More importantly... happy snow day. Although I am at work. The only one at work. The. Only. One. What does that say about me? I love work? no. I am a glutton for punishment? well... maybe. I know how to drive in the snow? Dingdingding. Although most everyone else doesn't. And the smart ones stayed home. So let's go with I am a glutton for punishment.

The Jump from Blues to Jazz

2007-02-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

I have made the jump from Blues to Jazz. Everyone who knows me knows I have an eclectic taste in music. I love almost anything... but I never thought I really got into jazz (that I knew). My ecelectic and expansive collection of music is heavy on the blues and rock and roll. I am listening to Buddy Guy right now... I mean, who can't love a song called "Saturday Night Fish Fry"? But lately I have been scrounging itunes for music I always loved but never knew it. I love scat (the music - the other kind we will leave for another post). I love Cab Calloway (a scat/jazz legend) - so much so when he passed away my dad called to check on me. (!#@ - he did the same thing when Jackie Gleason died) I love swing and big band... all forms of jazz.

I have the soundtrack from The Whole Nine Yards and what made my buy it were the songs I Don't Worry About a Thing - by Mose Allison and They All Laughed by the Charles Biddle Trio and Stephanie Biddle. Now, Charles and Co. do not have an album - but Mose Allison has many (I recommend The Best of Mose Allison as a starter). His voice and the music is so smooth and mellow it instantly puts me at ease. I feel transported to some 60s lounge where I am wearing all black (I know, I know, when don't I wear all black) and am just grooving and snapping my fingers along with the music. His voice is this low register that just melts as the piano tickles over you... he almost sounds like a woman with his husky smokey voice. My favorite songs are I don't Worry About a Thing and Your Mind Is On Vacation with lyrics that just make you laugh:

"If this life is driving you to drink,
you sitting around wondering what to think,
well I got some consolation,
I'll give it to you if I might,
you know I don't worry about a thing because
I know nothing is gonna be alright"

and

"If silence was golden,
you couldn't raise a dime,
your mind is on vacation,
and your mouth is working overtime."

To get the best of both worlds, blues and Jazz, with some cajun spice - I find Dr. John to hit the spot. I have seen him twice in concert and he is just a mellow dude. I started listening to him in high school. I got his In A Sentimental Mood cassette (yes, a cassette!) and was hooked. Makin' Whoopee! is a Dr. John staple and his rendition of Iko Iko is always fun. His command of the piano is awesome and his gravelly, unique voice is just so damn cool.

War Not Education

2007-02-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

So says Bush and his recent kazillion dollar budget proposal.... see his proposed cut against education loans here. Rat bastard.

Celebrity Weight Loss

2007-01-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

Ok - This has been a rant of mine for awhile. Ask my mom, she has heard it more than once. Kirstie Alley - good for you, you lost 75 pounds, but lets be real - if your supposed starting weight was 210 and you lost 75 (210 - 75 = 135) that would be 135 lbs. Plus you are a tall woman - 5'8". Uhhhh No. You didn't start out at 210. Let's be honest already. I mean - you obviously used your fat to your advantage (Fat Actress), why not be honest about it.

And if to prove my point. Tyra - who should not be getting blasted for gaining weight! - has gained 30 lbs and is now 161lbs, and she is a tall woman - 5'8". And she is much leaner than you Kirstie. So let's be real.

Three things I have learned.

2007-01-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

Don't sit in the front row of the movie theater. It's too close, you get a neck ache and the movie is distorted. Get there early.

Go to the bathroom when you get the urge and have access to a bathroom, if you wait you may regret it later.

If you are listening to NPR or Talk Radio the majority of your radio listening time - you are officially an adult.

On the Spot

2007-01-24T18:20:00.000-05:00

Janet has challenged me to post five things about myself that most people would not know. I've been thinking about it for a couple of days and I think I am ready.

1.) I stayed living in Ann Arbor after I graduated because I was scared to death that I failed my non-art "I want to read!" classes. I took 2 classes that had lots of books to read and report on. I read some awesome books like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Painted Bird (not in the same class) but for an art student who was used to the rigors of 3 hour studios and all night projects I had a big adjustment to the rigors of reading a book a week and writing a well written paper about them. (I now can read that fast when I have time.) By the end of the semester I struggled through but passing both classes depended on a decent grade on the "big" paper in each class and the all essay exams. I didn't know if I had passed until grades came 3-4 weeks after graduation. Whew.... I must have learned something in that semester.... I passed both!

2.) I watch and like the show "Hannah Montana" on the Disney channel. It stars Miley Cyrus and costars her real life dad - the one and only Billy Ray "Achy Breaky Heart" Cyrus. And I think he is kinda hot (he has since lost the mega-mullet.)

3.) From 4th grade to junior year in high school I wanted to be an orthodontist.

4.) When I was in 7th grade I was on a mock debate of the 1980 Reagan/Carter election - on the Republican side! By choice!

5.) I don't like the new girl at work. I should, there are only a few of us women there (12 women to 60+ men). I have tried a few times to be friendly with her. She doesn't respond, when she could have carried on a conversation during the xmas party, she chose to talk only to the men at the table. She is about my age, married, smart, but carries herself like she is better than me or at least that is the vibe I get. I don't like her.

Now I can pass on this task to Velvet and Bernie.

Boycott Giselle

2007-01-21T18:10:00.001-05:00

This will be a rant.

Giselle Bundchen, Supermodel, has stated families are to blame for eating disorders not the fashion industry. Not all people are blessed with good genes, so says Giselle. Well. What constitutes "good genes"? 5'10 and 98lbs? Ummm. Nope. And it isn't about parents not paying attention to their children, even in our crazy busy society, parents may not see what is going on with their children until it is too late and then they can just combat the problem. Both males and females fall prey to the media frenzy about body size. It is not just the fashion industry but television, movies, even the news. Obsession about the size of women is everywhere. How small has Nicole Richie gotten? Has Mary Kate relapsed? Yea! for bigger girls, America Ferrera and Jennifer Hudson, who both, by the way, have lost considerable weight in the last year. Hopefully to be healthy and not to fit into those Hollywood expectations. Even Playboy, who does "embrace" the curves of women... provides an unrealistic image of what women "should be". Not only for women but for men. Men think women should look like that. Ummm, no. Unrealistic. Most women don't look like that. The average size of women is 13/14. And just so you know... most men don't look like George Clooney - but do we expect them to look like that? Noooooo.

The Race To '08

2007-01-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

Barack O'Bama has set up a committee to explore the option of the run for Presidency. Hillary Clinton has thrown her hat in the ring. And as much as I think both are qualified, there has been no better time for a person of color or a woman to run, not because I think Americans have become more enlightened but because they have finally become disillusioned with the conservative right. Because our current administration is a bunch of bumbling idiots. More so 5 year old bumbling idiots with their eyes closed and their fingers in their ears running around yelling "LALALALALALA I can't hear you...LALALALALALA". I hope that either one of the new potential candidates do get a fair run, and if the current confederacy of dunces is able to give them a leg up, all the better.

Be sure to VOTE.

On this day.... January 15

2007-01-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD OF BOSTON

Newspaper accounts report that January 15, 1919 - the day of the Great Molasses Flood of Boston, Massachusetts - began like any other winter day in that city, except for one thing. The weather was unusually warm, reaching 40°F by midmorning. This was probably a welcome event for Bostonians, who had suffered through rigid 2°F temperatures the day before. But little did anyone guess what havoc this extreme temperature swing would soon wreak.

The sudden rise in temperature compromised the structural integrity of a 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2,320,000 gallons of molasses. Owned and maintained by the U.S. Alcohol Company, the tank had been filled to capacity in order to make as much hooch as possible before the alcohol prohibition law kicked in. Just after noon on the 15th, the lunchtime crowd in the vicinity of the tank (located on the waterfront in Boston’s densely populated North End) heard a thunderous explosion, immediately followed by what must have been the weirdest thing they had ever seen in their lives: a 25-foot-high wall of syrup washing toward them through the streets at 30 miles per hour. For 21 of these unfortunate witnesses, it would be the last thing they would ever see. Some were engulfed and smothered in the dark goo like pre-historic insect trapped in amber. Others were killed when the molasses ripped buildings from their foundations, or simply reduced them to rubble. Another 150 people were injured.

The New York Times of January 16, 1919, reported that a section of the tank wall fell on a nearby firehouse, crushing the building and three firemen inside. Freight cars were smashed; a warehouse yard was leveled. Horses became hopelessly mired in the goo and were shot. Rescue teams had a difficult time slogging through the thick syrup, which rose several feet high throughout the neighborhood.

Because the molasses stuck to everything it touched, the cleanup took several years and millions of dollars. Even so, residents reported that molasses would seep up from the ground on hot days as many as 30 years afer the flood. And to this day, sharp-nosed Bostonians swear that they can smell the stuff when the temperature rises.

The article above was taken from The World’s Worst: A Guide to the Most Disgusting, Hideous, Inept, and Dangerous People, Places, and Things on Earth by Mark Frauenfelder, the co-founder of the popular blog Boing Boing .

Guilty Music Pleasures

2007-01-15T15:24:00.000-05:00

I pride myself on my eclectic tastes in music. I love music and all types, unfortunately I like to collect it and it can be an expensive habit, but nonetheless I love it. I have been listening to my ipod (a 60 GB ipod not completely full... yet) and I have been listening to it on random. I really do have some odd tastes. I found some songs I bet my friends would not guess make me want to get up and dance, or headbang or the very least toe tap. Here are a few that I found today...

I love the Stray Cats and the Brian Setzer Orchestrea. I have loved them since they first hit the scene way back in the early 80s. I loved that rockabilly sound. Probably because my early music listening was my folks music, Elvis, Beatles, 50s rock and roll... so this was a blend of 80s and that rockin beat I grew up dancing to in the living room with my dad. As I grew up and my tastes expanded I still love this stuff. Probably continued on with Brian Setzer because he not only prolongs a musical taste I love but because on his "Guitar Slinger" album he revives a song I absolutely love... A Town Without Pity (originally written and sang by Gene Pitney).

Kid Rock is white trash... but he is white trash from my home state. And you gotta support your homeboys right? I can almost admit I like some Eminem too. Ugh. I love Kid Rock's Bawitdaba. Bette Midler had a sitcom in 2000-2001 and there is a scene with her singing that song "her" way. It was awesome.

I saw the Romantics open up for Adam Ant. I was in 7th grade. I was hooked. The album at the time was "In Heat". The popular songs were "One In A Million" and "Talking in Your Sleep". I was going to a Catholic School by then and we were planning a dance. We had to submit our tapes (yup CASSETTE TAPES) to be listened to before we were allowed to play them at the dance. My tape had a blip in it, a quiet spot in the middle of a lyric. It accentuated a not so nice word and the Romantics were banned from the dance. Censorship pissed me off even then.

Once upon a time I looked at my music collection and realized I had every Van Halen record since "1984". I didn't think I was a Van Halen fan. I liked certain songs, but I didn't think I was an "I must own all their albums" kind of fan. Apparently so. And I just want to get up and dance when I hear "Jump" or "Panama". I have to turn the radio/ipod/itunes/stereo up every time they come and OHMYGOD... I know the words. All of them.

Beastie Boys. I was just young enough to want to "fight for my right to party!" I love "Sabatoge" and "Brass Monkey". I think these songs are a surprise to ME that I like them so much, but I do.

OK these are really a guilty pleasure. Bon Jovi. Yup, really. "Blaze of Glory" and "Wanted Dead or Alive". It may be the "Desperado" feel to them.

Lastly (for today) my fav headbanging song. So lovingly dubbed the "Sonofabitch Song". Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog." An absolute must to be played loud. The cow bell is classic... "Now your messing with a son of a bitch....."

Happy Birthday to ME!

2007-01-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

It's a good day today. Despite the fact that it is a Federal Holiday and I still have to work. Actually I don't mind the working part (any more than any other day)... but there are some cool Martin Luther King Jr. rememberance things going on in DC that I would like to check out sometime. Next year I will have to take this day off so I can go down there. They play his "I have a Dream" speech at the Lincolm Memorial. That would be nice to hear, there.

So I am 28H as my mom says. She put that on the card that came with the most beautiful roses. That would equal 36. 3 dozen years. I am good with that. Still lots of things to do, and today is just one day closer!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Jumping into my late 30's

2007-01-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

So Monday I will be 36. I still only admit to 28 as that is what most people guess. They know I am too smart to be younger than that but I look and sound young. I think I am OK with this Birthday, so far. That is because I have some new goals I am working on, new plans in the works that are making me happily look toward the future.

The Negative Nellie in my head can stop and ponder, but only for a second, on those things I have not accomplished yet. But I have better ways to look at it.

Negative Nellie's Thought:
1.) I am not married yet.
2.) I haven't bought a house yet.
3.) I don't have kids.

My Positive Take:
1.) I am single. :) It's all my stuff (the good and the bad).
2.) No mortgage payment or lawn to mow.
3.) I can spend all my money on me.

Actually the house/condo is on my agenda now that prices are moving downward. I am perfectly fine on my own - I have rarely had a problem being single. In fact just the other night I was thinking how nice it was that I didn't have to share my space with anyone.

The Trough

2007-01-09T17:27:00.000-05:00

I went out to dinner with my dad and his wife. It was my "birthday" dinner but he chose. "The Trough" he called it. It was an all you can eat buffet. I don't like buffets as a rule, for a number of reasons - 1) I don't really eat all the much anymore 2) I like leftovers 3) germ-sharing... etc. There is a sushi buffet I love, but that is something completely different. So off we went to "The Trough". We went at 1 pm on a Friday. And it was PACKED. It was a people watchers smorgesborg! There was the Senior Citizen set, I swear they pulled up the old folks home bus and shuffeled them in. There were cute old couples. There were groups of old people. There were families celebrating birthdays, there were families with 8 kids! Lots to see.

The most interesting was how my own family dealt with their time at the trough. Dad and wife LOVE the burgers there. (My dad has boycotted McDonalds for over 2 years now... so he has burger withdrawl from time to time.) Wife was complaining about the speed of the refreshing of the burgers. "They know the burgers are popular, why do they only bring out 6 at a time?" I don't know how good the burgers were - I had soup.

On to the dessert. Dad loves soft serve ice cream. The trough has good soft serve ice cream. Some times better than others. Apparently the last time they had gone to the trough - the ice cream mix was different and it wasn't as creamy. So dad proceeds to go up for his ice cream. I think he goes up 4 times. It was like an ice cream feeding frenzy. Wife and dad both like the "Old Fashioned Bread Pudding". And guess what, they were out. So we proceeded to stalk the "dessert girl" as she refilled the dessert trough. Stalk is a hard word, we watched he like a hawk. "Why is she bringing out cheesecake - the Bread Pudding bin is completely empty!" "She hasn't even noticed that it is empty!" "OO, there she comes with a whole cart, does she have it?" Yes, she did indeed have a whole new tray of piping hot, straight out of the oven "Old Fashioned Bread Pudding". At that point I said " GO GO GO Team Bread Pudding!!!" Wife either didn't get or didn't like what I said. But eventually she got up to go get the bread pudding. She went and got a soup bowl (insider knowledge at the trough - soup bowls are bigger than the dessert bowls and therefore hold more!) and got her bread pudding and ice cream. So did dad, thus pushing him over the edge from full to miserable - although still encouraging me to try some. I tried a bit in a small sized dessert bowl. It was good. But nothing to go ape about.

It will be a long time before I go to "The Trough" again. Damn.

Home Sick

2007-01-04T12:02:00.000-05:00

This is not a mental health day. I can't stop coughing. There are 2 suspects for this illness.
#1 A surprise bug from traveling the (not so) friendly skies.
#2 The surprise gassing from my ex-roommate. I think she tried to clean the oven for me when she was visiting, but didn't tell me. Last night I pre-heated the oven to do some baking and the room was filled with fumes. I couldn't bake anything and it took me forever to clear out the fumes. I ended up going upstairs for some relief from it all. I woke up coughing uncontrollably during the night. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of sleep. My lungs are still wheezing. But again not sure what has cause my downfall... but what the hell do I do to fix the oven?

The Joys Of (TV) Past.

2007-01-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

I sent my best friend in Boston a present for Christmas. We don't usually exchange gifts but I hadn't seen her in so long and I found the perfect gift. The first season of Remington Steele. She had told me long ago that Remington Steele had been her favorite show when she was growing up. My friend had great willpower and waited until Christmas to open the gift I sent really early. She is bragging to everyone about what she got. :) I am so happy it made her happy. It is the little things in life that keep us going.

I received the first season of Riptide from my mom for christmas. This was one of my favorite shows growing up. And one of the many shows to be prematurely canceled on me. I had to ask for the disks on my wish list but it was a surprise and a joy nonetheless. I have only watched the first episode and it did not disappoint! It is still the cheesy PI fluff I remember.

Why Do I Know Your Children’s Names?

2007-01-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

I am just a passenger on the same connecting flight as you and your family, You, your husband and your four kids. An hour wait for a 41 minute flight that will hopefully send us to separate destinations.

I am sure if you just let the children run amuck it would be more peaceful than learning the names of your children. “Nick, Nick, NICK come here.” This is the toddler. Adorable but prone to crying especially when yelled at to “come here”. “Matt – you didn’t log on to my game with my name did you?” this is Mom to the 12-14 y/o. Like that is the biggest issue here. “JOSHUA, JOSHUA, JOSHUA – YOU ARE NOT LISTENING!!!!” as he runs around the cluster of chairs that they have claimed as family central. I wish I didn’t have to listen. There is an older daughter (15/16) as well who you can tell has been deemed unpaid nanny. She takes her turns running after Nick and Joshua.

Birth control at its best!

Christmas Lights

2006-12-21T11:47:00.000-05:00

This one is just funny ^

The way I figure it - if you are gonna go tacky, go TACKY! Go all out. Get a second mortgage on the house to cover the electricy bill. There are some houses I am looking forward to seeing on my trip home. We have been taking in the local lights lately - they range from elegant, to tasteful, to retro, to traditional, to all out see it from space... I haven't taken pictures but I pulled some from the net that I would like to share.

I've Done These Things

2006-12-20T11:08:00.003-05:00

Great minds think alike, my friend Velvet stole this post from the same place I did: A Mom and Her Crazy Ideas. If you have any thoughts or questions about my choices ask me!

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse of the moon
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
99. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
100. Lost over 100 pounds
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lived in a foreign country
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

More than I expected and I know I will be doing some more in 2007! Any thoughts?

Mark Leslie's Silly Christmas Lyric Meme

2006-12-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

I got tagged - thanks Velvet. So after scouring my holiday music collection - which is weirdly vast - I came up with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Here are the rules: Pick a Christmas lyric that you've always had a question about and discuss it. Then either tag one or more people or either tag nobody and invite your readers to tag themselves and enjoy discussing the subject on their own.

All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolph
join in any reindeer games.

Ok what kind of reindeer games? Monopoly? Boggle? Smear the queer? (They were name calling reindeer, I wouldn't put it past them.) Any thoughts?

Oh and consider yourself tagged.

Forgotten Favorites

2006-12-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

I had noticed that my Ipod was missing some songs and albums I thought I had put on. I hadn't ever gotten to ripping the CD's and had put them in a stack hidden away. So I have been adding today... I ripped a college favorite. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend. I loved this CD in college. Wore it out. His next CD did not deliver for me, so I soon forgot about him. I was hesitant to plug this one into my pod but I was pleasantly surprised... it holds up to my musical tastes. And brings back some fond memories to times back in Ann Arbor.

Best of 2006: threes

2006-12-14T10:01:00.000-05:00

Movies (in the Theater)
Little Miss Sunshine
Happy Feet
Over The Hedge

TV Shows (Fall Season)
Veronica Mars
Bones
3 and a Half Men

Albums
Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae
KT Turnstall - Eye To The Telescope
Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

Songs
Suddenly I See - KT Turnstall
Sitting Waiting Wishing - Jack Johnson
The Boogie Monster - Gnarls Barkley

Books
Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
Maximum Ride - James Patterson

Cool Things
Light Wedge Book Light
Rice Body Cream - Fresh

If I win the Lottery...

2006-12-11T15:07:00.000-05:00

Most my friends know that if I win a substantial lottery amount (substantial being Oprah worthy - 300+ mil) I will buy an Island. I found a how-to today to get me there. How To Buy An Island.

Rave Reviews

2006-12-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

The Liberty Memorial Museum opened to rave reviews on Saturday! More. More. More. More. And Wednesday after my boss so kindly handed me my ass as a hat (because he could) I received the following from the designer we worked with. One of the hardest designers we have worked with in a long time:

"-- Hi Holli, ...

As you know, .... last Saturday the Liberty Memorial Museum opened to the public. As you may imagine, .... I was very interested to seeing all graphics, ... all together, ... produced/on-site/installed. Holli I want to congratulate you for the incredible work you did, .... everything you delivered was as approved, ... or better, ... perfect! I would have loved to see you on site, ... and I think ***** should definitely send you there at a certain point, ... better in the spring, ... to see it for yourself. It is been a pleasure working with you. Thanks again Holli.

Sincerely, Fabio"

So - dear boss - put THAT in your pipe and smoke it. I bet they don't say the same about YOU.

**ALSO... he in no longer my boss - he just had to add as many whathaveyous, poke you with a stick, make you as miserable as I can for no worldly known reason before that is "officially" made public. So happychristmashanukkahkwanzaaramadan to me!

IPOD Capacity

2006-12-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

My friend, hwo has awesome taste in music, is delicately loading up her Nano as she has a precious 8G of space. I am a music glutton and have 21 G left on my 60 G Ipod. I still have tons of CD's to rip to it but I lost momentum some months ago.

Here is a 40 song random sampling of my pod. Asterisks mean I have seen them in concert and italics mean I have more than one of their albums.

Rehab - Denis Leary, No Cure For Cancer (Not Music, but funny! I have a few comedians on the pod.)
Testify (Live) - Stevie Ray Vaughn, Texas Flood *
Janye & Zoe - Final Battle - David Newman, Serenity Soundtrack
What'd I Say - Jerry Lee Lewis, 18 Original Sun Greatest Hits
You're My Everything - The Temptations, 17 Greatest Hits

Put A Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
My Head's In Mississippi - ZZ Top, Rancho Texicano*
Seven Days - Sting, Ten Summoner's Tales*
Dancing Queen - Abba, Pure Disco
Black and White X5 - Bill Conti, The Thomas Crown Affair Soundtrack

Tusk - Fleetwood Mac, Greatest Hits
Beside You In Time - Nine Inch Nails, With Teeth
Talkshow Host - Radio Head, Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack
Down Under - Men At Work, Contraband
Someday - Audioslave, Revelations

Better Beware - Lisa Marie Presley, To Whom It May Concern
I'm A Man - Bo Diddley, His Best*
Always In My Head - India.Arie, Acoustic Soul
Miss You In A Heartbeat - Def Leppard, Vault
Dear Mr. President - Pink feat. Indigo Girls, I'm Not Dead

Dakota - Stereophonics, Veronica Mars Soundtrack
Love Gravy - Rick James and Ike Turner, South Park Soundtrack
Flatlands - Delirium, Semantic Spaces
Cry, Cry, Cry - Johnny Cash, The Essential Johnny Cash
Gone Daddy Gone - Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes

Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Long Road Home - The Ultimate John Forgerty
Hey Ya! - Outkast, The Love Below
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - Phil Collins, Serious Hits Live!*
Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel, The Essential Billy Joel
Come Close To Me - Common feat. Mary J. Blige

These Are The Days - JoDee Messina, Burn *
Sun King - The Beatles, Abbey Road
Tomorrow, Wendy - Concrete Blond, Bloodletting*
Tell Me Why - Los Lonely Boys, Los Lonely Boys
Fire - The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Essential Jimi Hendrix

Where Are You Now? - Michelle Branch, Hotel Paper
Electric Barbarella - Duran, Duran*
Block Rockin' Beats - The Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole
If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keys, The Diary of Alicia Keys
Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby - Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, & Gillian Welch, O Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack

Quite a random sampling but doesn't even touch the diversity.

Odd Thomas

2006-12-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

On the side of my blog you can see what I am reading these days. I am usually reading 2 or 3 books. And when it is busy at work I read really slow. But on vacation or when travelling I can fly through books. My last plane trip had me reading Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. I got through the first half of the book in the 2 hour flight. The last half took a little longer. I have to say that if you like suspense/horror books like Koontz usually writes, it is a decent book. It would have been a better book to me if I had been able to finish it the next day, but since it got interupted and dragged out for about 3 months longer than it should have, not so great. I felt let down... like it was built up to a huge crescendo and then nada.

Good news though, Christmas is coming and I will have a few days off and a few flights to hae some time to read.

Extreme Home Makeover Vs. Amazing Race

2006-12-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

I missed the last few minutes of the Amazing Race. I had to call my mom to find out what happened. The blondes got eliminated - yeehaa! They were evil and karma is a bitch, man. Have we learned nothing from "My Name Is Earl"? I flipped back and forth from AR to Extreme Home Makeover - no matter how hard I try - I always cry during that show. I flip from AR to EHM when the selfish behavior grows to hard for me to take and I need to see some giving and unselfish acts. I have to admit I have a hard time with EHM as well... esp when Michael Maloney is on... he is the tan, gay guy with neon white teeth and the in your face personality and the huge mouth who always tries to take over the camera. Somehow it always comes across as HIMHIMHIM... this week he had to make a point that all the furnishings were being donated from him from his store. I didn't think that show was supposed to be about that. But oh well. My fav designers on the show, Preston and Paul, make up for Michael's self centered ways. Plus the fact, that because of a past disagreement - Preston and Michael rarely appear on an episode together - Preston's episodes are my favorites.

Anyway - the wicked witches are gone... damn old blondes ...long live 'Bama.

Veronica Mars

2006-11-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

***SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read this podcast if you watch or intend to watch Veronica Mars and are not up to date on the episodes.

I love this show! And I have no one to talk to about it. I listen to a podcast about it but sometimes the people on it just get annoying. Hey, it's their podcast they can be as annoying as they wanna be. But they just draw the whole thing out.

Anyway - I love Veronica Mars. It is an awesome show. And last nights episode was really good and I have no one to talk to about it. This season, for a variety of reasons, the producers decided to create 3 mystery arcs. Last night was the "finale" of the first arc. And it was good. Damn good. Lots of twists and turns and ALL the favorite characters back in the fold. There was also a whole can of worms opened for the next arc. Very very good. I just love this show. It doesn't disappoint and I can count on it from week to week. Even with the threat that it may get cancelled, I know they aren't going to take a 13 week hiatus and leave me hanging with 14+ open plot lines (Lost anyone?)

The best scene this week: Logan pulling up to the police cruiser, getting out and beating the cruiser windshied with a baseball bat... all to be thrown in jail with his former friend cum campus rapist and torturer of his (ex) girlfriend Veronica. Logan has to take his white horse gestures where he finds them.

Can't wait til Tuesday.

Safeway Moments

2006-11-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

As you might have inferred from some of my posts... I don't really like to interact with people much. I am a homebody, I don't like shopping, I have a hard time with small talk. But I LOVE people watching, and I have noticed some great moments at my local safeway that I have made mental notes to blog about.

So here they are.. hope you enjoy the mental visuals as much as I did first hand...

I tend to wander around the grocery store... not neccesarily spending too much money when I go, but definately spending too much time when I go. I noticed this gentleman in his mid40s to early 50s strolling the main aisle... the aisle in front of all the checkouts. I watched as he picked up speed and all of a sudden leaned forward and jumped on the cart... you know like we did when we were kids. It was quite a sight to see. He didn't go far, jumping off before it flipped backwards, and I was disappointed not to hear a "wheeeee" to go with that spontaneous ride. Being the nosy person I am, I had to pass him just to see what was in his cart. There was soda and pork rines, beer and chips. I wonder if he was alone for the weekend or a perpetual bachelor... but whatever... I enjoyed his ride.

The night before Thankgiving I went to the store to gather the ingredients for my chocolate pumpkin cheesecake. I was surprised to find the store not packed. It was busy but not as crazy as I expected. The only aisle that was packed was the beer aisle. It's the same aisle that has the cream cheese in my store. But I saw men buying 24 packs, and sisters negotiating what would get them through the day... Enjoy your family, enjoy them more drunk! :)

Occasionally I let people ahead of me in line. Last night my favorite cashier opened up his lane to cut the wait. He's my favorite because he is fast and he doesn't make me engage in chit chat. I slid over to his aisle and begun unloading the cart. I didn't have a lot but I had thought ahead a few meals and had bought some ingredients. I noticed the man behind me standing in line with his one jar of mayonaise. I told him to go ahead of me. He was shocked. He said "really?!" I said yes, no prob, you only have that one thing - and smiled at him. He must have said Thank You at least 3 times. It was nice to make someones day with something so little.

3 things

2006-11-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

Holiday Nostaglia....

3 Favorite Things From My Gramma Murny's tree...
• The cool lights that looked like real candles
• The little windup santa on a tricycle that always resided under the tree (which I inherited when she passed on)
• All the little "surprise" ornaments that she hid in the tree branches that we would search for every year... including E.T., a windup snoopy, etc.

3 Favorite Chistmas Sweets
• Gramma Murny's Sugar Cookies with the white frosting and pastel sprinkles in all the different shapes... bunnies, and camels, and lions... :) I know - odd - but my memory!
• The Norwegian Rosettes
• Gramma Emily's lebanese cookie baking frenzy with mamoold, holiday nuggets and baklava.

3 Memories from Chirstmas Eve (I had to run around town to at least 3 family get-togethers)
• The after church get together of all the aunts, uncles and cousins at the "Bar" - my uncle owned a bar.
• Clam chowder, oyster crackers and lefse on tv trays at Gramma Murny's
• Opening presents at Gramma Emily's with snacks: cheese and crackers and pita and hummus.
(Guess who is Lebanese and Norwegian!)

3 Things I was happy to do when I was "grown up"
• Having a drink at that get together at the family bar.
• Being able to afford better gifts for my loved ones.
• Being able to drive myself to the get togethers (sans drinking) and not mix the divorced families.

3 Favorite Decorations around my hometown
• The "knock-your-eyes-out" house (no longer lit)
• The Quality Dairy house (gets better every year!)
• The Sparrow Hospital Roof Lights

Over the River and Through the Traffic...

2006-11-22T12:50:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving time! Travel throughout the US is up 2.7 percent this year. And the hassel and the cost is up this year as well. Last year I took a road trip with my roommate to Michigan and it wasn't too bad. This year I am heading 5 hours south to Raliegh to visit my Aunt and her husband. Right now the traffic is slow to jammed per usual around the area. But it can only get worse for the ride south. I am not leaving until tomorrow AM, as I didn't want to drive in the dark. I must be getting smart in my "old age." Let's hope the weather gets better! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Philly Part 2 - A little bit Detroit.....

2006-11-20T17:04:00.000-05:00

We took a detour in Philly to check out a place that was to have a gallery call for entries in a week. We drove down 5th street, north. And we drove and we drove and we drove. We were basically in the old tenement area. People just scraping by, but they had a sense of community. Some were trying to make there neighborhoods better, there were cute little "parks" in empty lots. There is a mural project to combat graffiti - and there are some awesome murals all over the city and definitely down that street. Ethinically diverse. And even some of the graffiti was awesome. But the some of the area reminded of me of the burned out areas of Detroit. An over all lack of hope in the air. You can see teens running around, wild... I am sure some have parents who want them to do well. But once you let them out in the world - the world influences them. The have paths to choose, and some times the best path isn't the most tempting.

Anyway - the mural program is awesome. The have a webite here. There is a gallery - but I think it is just a drop in the bucket of all the awesome murals we saw.

Philadelpia

2006-11-20T16:25:00.000-05:00

I went to PA this weekend to visit my friend Maria and her family. I love visiting with Maria because she makes me feel like the artist I am. We meet in art school, we were the two quiet, standoff-ish people in the back of class. She took me into the city (Philadelphia) and we had a really nice time. I need to go again when it is warm, although I did promise her son I would visit "when the snow came". He is adorable!

We did mostly artsy things, visit galleries and this cool place called The Fabric Worksh o p. I was never really into fabrics, but I loved printmaking so it worked for both of it. It is an incredibly cool place. Maria was so good about pointing out "history" to me since we were there to see stuff but not necissarily for touristy things. She pointed out Elfreth's Alley - which is the oldest continually lived on street in the US. People live there now! She also showed me Betsy Ross's house, a cemetery where Ben Franklin is buried, the National Constitution Center and City Hall.

We had lunch in Reading Terminal Market. This place is awesome. I could spend days there just people watching. And the food and the smells.... amazing! It was a complete sensory overload. There was this stall that was cooking Ribs that smelled so good! Then there were Lancaster County Farmers with Amish goods, bake goods and preserves and all kind of yummy things, there was Middle Eastern foods, and Philly Cheese Steaks and mini diner with counters and stools right in the middle of everything, all kinds of cookies and chocolates and pretzles. Everywhere you turned there was something new and good. It also had regular market things like cheese stalls and butcher stalls and fresh produce. It was great! We ended up eating lunch there, way in the back at a small dinner with enclosed walls. We had the Carolina pulled pork that was spicy! Whew, but it was tasty and the buns were fresh made. Very fun, what a place.

After the galleries we walked up and down South Street before dinner. It was fun to watch people and check out the shops. Philadelphia is pretty cool. It was a little bit Baltimore, a little bit New York, a little bit Boston, a little bit DC. It is a nice mix. It is Maria's City. (Boston is my City) :). After walking and getting nice and cold and tired. We walked down 8th street to a nice homey neighborhood restaurant called Vesuvio's. The food was great, we had lobster ravioli and veal marsala and shared. We were supposed to go see a band but we were tired (@ 7:30pm!) so we called it a night. On the way out of the city I could see the sculling boat houses on Boathouse Row all lit up on the water, it was very pretty.

All in all, a very good weekend!

Christmas Music

2006-11-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

I actually love Christmas Music... my dad has an album that are all 50s groups, The Tops, The Platters, etc.... I need to get a copy of that. My all time favorite is A Charlie Brown Christmas • Vince Guaraldi Trio.

Here is a list of some great ones:

Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses - an 80s pop gem
Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid - an 80s staple
Baby It's Cold Outside - Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel
Mistletoe And Holly - Frank Sinatra
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Jungle Bells - Sammy Davis Jr.
Joy Boogie - Chuck Leavell
You're a Mean One, Mr. Ginch - The Brian Setzer Orchestra (Dig That Chrazy Christmas is awesome!)
Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
Happy Christmas - John & Yoko
What Christmas Means To Me - Stevie Wonder
Here Come Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - Elvis Presley
Frosty The Snowman - Ella Fitzgerald
My Favorite Things, pt.1 - John Coltrane (not nec. Christmas music but it makes me feel Christmasy)
White Christmas - Etta James

Up to no good....

2006-11-15T14:35:00.000-05:00

I have a pause in work. I have literally done all my work and now I am waiting for things that are coming in tomorrow morning. So I have nada to do until then. I am trying to keep a low profile. I am trying to stay out of trouble (and that includes not surfing the net - too much, not shopping online + boredom = $$, etc.)

I keep making lists of things I need to do, My Work To Do List Tomorrow, My Home To Do List, but of course all these TO DO lists are making me antsy and ready to go..... I have been feeling better so I want to go home and clean, and organize and finish all I need to do there... at 1pm I am ready to exercise and clean and do all I need to do. At 5pm ... not so much. It's dark and cold and I am tired and dragging ass by then. Amazing how a few hours can change an attitude. Last night I got a burst of energy and cleaned up the kitchen and cooked dinner. I actually cook a meal. Which means leftovers tonight! Yum!

I managed to kick all my blankets and sheets off the bed last night (have I mentioned I don't sleep well) so tonight, among many other things, I need to change my sheets and make my bed. Ugh. Didn't I just do that?

:)