A modern girl in a post-modern world. Pop Culture Junkie. Francophile. Wanna-be foodie. Bookworm. Knitter. All-around nerd. Also, a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll.
So, I am looking at apartments and houses for rent, you know just to see what's out there. Plus, we kind of want to downsize and save some moolah on rent. Housing Maps is totally great for searching for sale homes and rentals. It combines Craig's List listings with Google maps and it is really, really easy to search. I love it. I found quite a few listings that were pretty promising.
But then! I came upon this listing and I think it's a really great deal. I mean it's in La Jolla, which if you don't know, is quite fancy-schmancy. I have always thought it would be nice to live there.
The electrical wiring occasionally shorts, wet mud is like that: but close to Windansea, with a dirt floor where you can argue n munch stolen groceries, this place will get you accustomed to the lifestyle here in SoCal--arrive on a three week vacation, leave on 3 years probation! Modern mud hut with straw roof and bamboo partitions. Renter agrees to fix the roof after it rains (it caves in after a fierce downpour). No dogs or cats, but groundhogs are ok. Parking is available at a nearby mansion--hide yer jalopy in the bushes, take the wheels off, post a lookout--done deal!! Bonus -- I just upgraded the kitchen sink from standard mud to corrugated metal, so it won't wash away when you do the dishes.
What do you think? I wonder how much the security deposit is.
The Humor Test I took the Humor Test that I found at Lauren's not to see if I was funny, but to see what kind of funny I am. I think I am funny here, but in real life? Not so much. At any rate, I actually agree with these results for the most part. Except the part about not being pretentious. I am totally pretentious.
the Wit
(56% dark, 34% spontaneous, 27% vulgar)
your humor style: CLEAN / COMPLEX / DARK
You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean you're pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.
I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer. Your sense of humor takes the most effort to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.
to my lovely daughter who has flown the coop (much too soon)
I miss you.
I miss waiting for what seemed like hours while you straigtened your long hair and put on your make-up and then got dressed in the morning so we could rush out the door and then sit in frustratingly slow traffic and get you to school right when the bell rang.
I miss the way you walk really, r-e-a-l-l-y slowly even though you knew you'd be tardy if you didn't run to class.
I miss being able to borrow your shoes.
I miss the annoyed look you would give me when I stared at you and said "wow, you’re gorgeous".
I miss all of your annoyed looks! Ahhh. Teen angst. I remember it well.
I miss the way you always asked me if I had any gum, even though 9 times out of 10 I said 'no'.
I miss how you would constantly tell me to quit smoking.
I miss how you would automatically change the radio station in the car without asking. You know how much I love your music especially the R&B and hip-hop!
I miss the way you would always be sitting like a lump on the couch, with BET or MTV blaring at top volume when I got home from work. Or how you would be playing computer games, with iTunes blaring and the tv on. And how you would totally not notice me with my arms full of groceries and a purse and a latte struggling to open the door even though you were sitting right there looking out the window at me.
I miss telling you to turn down the tv.
I miss hearing the loud banging of cupboard doors and the sound of your spoon clanking on your cereal bowl. I even miss the mess you'd leave in the kitchen.
I also miss hearing the shower running every night. For 30 minutes. You take some epic showers, girl!
I miss asking you if you have any homework (to which you always say 'no' or 'I've already done it' which we both knew was totally not true!)
I miss the following oft-asked questions: "what are we having for dinner?" "what are we doing this weekend?" "when are you going to sign me up for driver's ed?" "can you get me notebook paper?" "when can we go shopping?"
I even miss the way you harassed the cat until he meowed and then you did it some more.
I know I am still your mom, and I know that you didn’t move because you hate me. I know life is a drag sometimes and I know how much a change of scenery can be the most excellent and exciting thing. I know you will love living with your Dad and his whole house full of girls. I know you will do well and have fun. I know that I will see you in December for the holidays. I know you are growing up faster than my brain and my heart can process it. And soon you’ll be moving off to college or some other grand adventure anyway. But still.
This is just to say, life is not the same without you.
I've never met a quiz or a meme that I could resist. This time, it's all Cheeky Prof's fault!
I really don't think I am THAT weird. 70%? Does that mean 70% of me is weird, or does that mean I am weirder than 70% of the population? Do you get an automatic 10% just for taking an online quiz?!
I know it's not an exact science, but you have to admit they are kind of fun. They are. Aren't they?
Today, like yesterday, my internet connection is all wonky so I haven't been able to post anything. I am sending this post via e-mail and, if experience is any indication, it will probably show up sometime tomorrow. Ahh. Modern technology. The only thing it has accomplished is to make us all a lot more impatient.
Today, for your reading pleasure, it's all about the randomness.
Random item no. 1: I hate the Overstock.com commercials. I want to like them, but they are really weird. You know where the spokesgirl says "It's all about the home/office/school/whatever" ... blah blah blah. It's just got a low budget cheesy wanna-be soft-core porn feel to it. In the last shot she is seemingly nude with her arms crossed over her chest and wearing a gold "O" necklace and she says very seductively "Sometimes, it's all about the gold." Eww. I want to take a shower after that. Is it just me? Anyway, once I went to the overstock.com website and found nothing I would buy.
I still love the Real Men of Genius commercials on the radio. Mr.-80-SPF-Sunblock-Wearer is on right now. It makes me giggle.
Random item no. 2: I am totally breaking up with Jon Stewart. He used to be my pretend celebrity boyfriend but I was so disappointed with the Rick Santorum interview last night that I don't think I can cheat on Mr. Q with him anymore. Rick is a *rick. Aaron Brown(CNN)interviewed him and it was much more interesting and much more informative than Jon's interview. When Rick said to Aaron Brown, "You haven't even talked about my book yet", Aaron said "I"m not here to sell books. You are." He then told the control room to hold the commercial break for 2 more minutes to continue the interview which made me cheer.
Normally, Jon can really challenge and provoke his guests to say things that are interesting or funny or... something. Last night with Rick, he was just way too nice and congenial. I don't need blood, I just wanted more substance. Oh well. I'll still watch Jon, I am just a little less enamoured today than yesterday. I'll have to write a Dear Jon letter. Maybe he'll redeem himself tonight. If not, I will have to look for a new pretend celebrity boyfriend.
Random item no. 3: I got classes! Three to be exact. I managed to navigate the financial aid maze in record time and that's all settled. whew! I am now waiting to hear if my ever-so-generous employers will grant me a special work schedule to accommodate my school schedule so that I can graduate in 3 years instead of in 10 years. So, starting August 20th, I'll be learning stuff two nights per week.
In other work-related news, I was told in my semi-annual review last week that, yes, I am expected to be perfect and never make a mistake and also, yes, I am expected to know what's in their mind. Not what's on their mind, what is IN their mind. I think that means I have to read their mind, which isn't news, but it was confirmed. In writing. What is wrong with this picture?
What's in YOUR mind? I need to know. I mean, I need practice if I am going to get a big fat raise next time!
You did not know that I am number one in a Yahoo search for trauma cat pee. Neither did I until I checked my statcounter. I know, I am supposed to be on a strict stat counter diet, but I just looked this one time. Really.
I was immediately alarmed because I thought maybe my cat was searching for ways to traumatize me more with his pee. He already prefers to pee in the shower. Not mine, thankfully. The other bathroom which is for kids and guests. There really is nothing quite as charming as coming home and smelling cat piss and following the smell to the shower. At least he knows to pee over the drain. Don't ask me why he knows; he's just smart like that. I wish he would go ahead and pee in the toilet and learn to flush so that my least favorite chore of all time was eradicated. As it stands now, I have to scoop the poop from the kitty box AND rinse and sanitize the shower drain. Two chores in one! I know he looks totally unconcerned in that photo, doesn't he? But he really is the sweetest cat ever.
Now if I could only convince him that showers are not for peeing, no matter what George Costanza says!
Wow. You guys blow me away. Thank you so much for your encouragement and support. I do have some awesome readers. But, I guess I do need affirmation from time to time. My self-esteem took a couple of minor blows recently so... anyway, sorry for the pity party! I re-read my post from Friday and, boy, do I sound lame! I did acknowledge that my funk was partly induced by the full moon and now it seems to have passed. However, when I am at a low point, I guess I get a little dramatic. *sheepish grin* At any rate, your compliments and support were more than I expected. Thank you.
I am going to write through this. As someone mentioned, I also need want a blog makeover and I am actually working on it. I may be moving the entire site soon, but I will be sure to let you know where. I could probably use a life makeover, too, so if anyone wants to call the Fab Five, or Stacey and Clinton or, hell, even Oprah, I'd go along with that!
I had a lovely weekend with Mr. Q. We just got to be together without other distractions and demands (i.e., bored and whiny kids) and we actually got out of the house together on Saturday and had some fun. What a concept! We went to Shakespeare in the Park (my first time) and saw a funky, wild west version of As You Like It. The wild west theme didn't really work at first but, after the first 3 scenes or so, the set and costumes became more or less transparent and the performances and the exquisite dialogue took center-stage and entertained us for 2 hours. Outside. Overlooking the ocean. Dudes! Shakespeare rocks! A local actor, Nick Lawson, who played Touchstone was outstanding and stole the show. The other performers were also excellent but he really stod out. It was a great production.
We made Sunday a family day and we spent it all together with the whole Quilty clan at the pool. Quilty Jr., Quilty nephew, Quilty sister, Quilty Mom and Dad, and of course Mr. Q and me. It was really nice and relaxing. So, even though Friday sucked bigtime, the weekend was extra nice.
It's Monday and I am feeling chipperer than usual. I'll write more and I'll write often so that eventually what I say isn't complete tripe! As they say, practice makes perfect. Or perhaps "exercise makes excellence"? I just made that up. Pretty clever, no?
I think I am in need of a break. I am starting to get into a big old blog-funk. I don't even know why anyone would read these inane things that I write. It's fun sometimes. It's a chore sometimes. I don't think I have discovered any brilliant insights into life lately. I've had a lot of pretty big changes in my non-blogging world lately anyway. Plus, the whole political scene is really depressing me. It seems like I just don't have a lot to add. The internetswebosphere is full of interesting, educational, entertaining things to read. You don't need me.
That being said, it won't be a permanent break. I think I just need to regroup, get a new name, a new look, and quit looking at my site statistics so damn much. Today, I see that hardly anyone has stopped by and, being the incredibly neurotic person that I am, I figure it's because I suck. Don't get me wrong! I love you all (the readers I have), but most of the time, I think you are just being nice! And I don't want a huge audience - I want a high-quality audience, you know? You know. Anyway, I need to go back to just writing for the sake of writing. I don't know what form it will take but if I don't do something new soon... I don't know but it can't be good!
With any luck, this funk is all due to the full moon last night and by Monday I will come around and be re-inspired to write something Fresh! Interesting! Not at all self-centered! Or not.
1. I know it's 5 o'clock when they play Frank Sinatra on the radio. They call it "the Furious Frank at Five" and today they played... "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" That made me smile.
2. I went to the kitchen today to make a cup of hot cocoa and found an opened, half-empty pouch of cocoa. This brings up several questions for me. Who uses half of a pouch of cocoa and leaves the rest for someone else? At work? At home, maybe but not at work, people! How do I know that you didn't put some arsenic in there? Also, who drinks hot cocoa in July when it's 96 degrees outside?
Well, that last one would be me. It may be 96 degrees outside but it's minus 10 degrees in the office. I don't really want to wear a turtleneck and boots to work during a heatwave, but I forgot that everyone freaks out if it's one degree over 80 and cranks up the a/c. So much so, that many people have to turn on their under-desk space heaters. Brilliant!
3. This morning, I noticed that a flourescent light had been replaced in our bathroom at work. For about 2 weeks, we had a nice low-light ambiance in there because one of the lights had burned out. I dug it. Today, when I went to the ladies room, it was like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It is exceedingly bright in there. I need some Willy Wonka goggles. But, the light is kind of blueish-white so I don't look yellow-green anymore in there. I kind of look natural and pinkish. So, it's one of those mixed blessing type things.
4. I am meeting my groovylicious family for dinner tonight, so I must skeedadle.
Current Conditions 100.7 °F / 38.2 °C Mostly Cloudy
I know I have no right to complain because we still probably have the best weather in the whole country (more or less), but holy hell! It's 100. 7 (F) degrees here right now. With only 35% humidity it still makes the heat index 107. And I am only a few miles from the ocean, so everyone in the valleys and in the desert must be really having heat strokes. I knew it was going to be warm today because it was 80 degrees at 8:00 a.m. and that is usually higher than our high temperature. But, geesh, I had no idea it was going to be this hot. I am glad I put on extra deodorant this morning. That extra layer really helps. Not!
Anyway, to everyone who has hotter weather than me, I totally understand why you are complaining and I know I probably have nothing to whine about. But what would I do today, if I didn't whinge about something?
To my honey, who is in and out of his Jeep all day and driving around in this godawful heat, I say please go inside and drink some water and do your paperwork in the airconditioned goodness of Starbucks or something.
That's right. I've never been a big fan of Tuesday and this particular one can just bite me. I don't know why I have such a hard time on Tuesday. On Monday, I am usually somewhat rested, in a pretty good mood and, most importantly, I am pathologically optimistic about the week ahead. I think it will be a fantastically good week. I believe that life is what we make it and that there is no point in living exclusively for the weekend. Every day should count! It's wonderful to be alive! On Monday, if you ask me how I am, I will usually say "Excellent! And you?"
Tuesday is a totally different story. My illusions about the week have been shattered. I am no longer in denial about the fact that sometimes work is drudgery. I am tired from staying up too late the night before. Whatever it is, Tuesday and I have never gotten along. If you say good morning to me on Tuesday, I am likely to say "Yeah? What's so good about it?".
Well, maybe I'm not that unpleasant, but inside I am in a really bad mood. I know I hide it well, but it's a lot more work to do so.
Wednesdays are cool though. I can deal with Wednesday and by then I have accepted that there are certain things we have to do to that we might not do if we really didn't have to. Thursday is great. Friday is fine. I am neutral about weekends. I mostly love them but they invariably lead to Mondays and the dreaded Tuesday so I have a tiny issue with weekends too.
I don't like Tuesday. I wish we could get along but 36 years of trying and I am about to give up! Why oh why does Tuesday have to be such a pain in my butt?
On a positive note, there was an update somewhere that I am not allowed to mention on this blog, and it is good. In other amazingly terrific news, Chris and Beth are having a baby this Friday. Wish them luck and love!
Oliver Brave, my blog’s new English boyfriend, tagged me for this one. My blog, unlike its writer (me), gets around and wants to have a boyfriend or girlfriend on every continent. Here I go.
Three things you like about yourself: (this is the wrong day to answer this one.) I can blend into just about any group of people I'm a malcontent, but I'm a hopeful malcontent I have an encyclopedic knowledge of trivial things
Three physical things you don’t like about yourself: My ginormous nose My flabby upper arms My sun-sensitive skin
Three things that scare you: Losing a child Losing my husband Having a stroke
Three of your everyday essentials: Coffee Lip Balm Jon Stewart
Three things you are wearing now: Cherry necklace that Mr. Q gave me two Christmases ago (it's rubies and emeralds and way cute) Black, pin-striped suit Black strappy heels
Three of your favorite bands or musical artists: The Beatles (duh) Beth Orton Elvis Costello
Three things you want in a relationship: Passion Honesty Everything else that Mr. Q has
Two truths and a lie: I should have been a doctor. I'm not as smart as I think I am. I used to own a pair of red Justin ropers.
Three physical things that turn you on: Curly hair Green eyes Soft hands
Three of your favorite hobbies: Blogging Knitting Hiking
Three things you really want to do right now: Go home and take a nap Curl up in bed with Mr. Q Pay off all my bills
Three careers you’d consider: Social Worker Yoga instructor Coffee shop or bookstore owner
Three places you want to go on vacation: New Zealand United Kingdom France
Three things you want to do before you die: Get a Master’s Degree Buy a sailboat Travel the world
For a much briefer review and, one that captures my feelings EXACTLY, I am excerpting Michele's review from A Small Victory:
Tim Burton = GENIUS Danny Elfman = Brilliant Johnny Depp = Weirdly fascinating
I loved this movie. LOVED it. Burton's touch on this story is nothing short of amazing. The scenery - unbelievable. Wow. The music, the dialogue, everything is just great.
Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka, the amazing chocolatier!
Well, I am not too happy about it being Monday. But the weekend was mostly terrific and started with a night at the movies. Here is a Quilty Recap.
As promised, Friday night, we went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Before you read my review here, just go ahead and go to Fandango and buy your tickets for the next showing. It was Delightful! Delectable! Deliriously Daffy! I loved it. Tim Burton did an amazing job. Johnny *be still my heart* Depp was indescribably good. I thought he was a bit hard to look at in the trailers, but I didn't find that was the case at all in the movie. He's strangely cute and funny. The story stays amazingly true to the book with a few exceptions. The kids were cast brilliantly. I particularly loved the casting of Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket (Freddie, you are remarkable). Actually, the whole Bucket family was exceptional. The writing was as good as you would expect if you are a fan of the book.
John August, the screenwriter, stayed very true to the Dahl story, including the Veruca Salt scene with squirrels. When you see this section of the movie, you realize why they couldn't use the squirrels in the first movie; they just didn't have the technology. I have never seen a more amazing use of animals in a movie - ever! Knowing that they used actual trained squirrels made my brain boggle and tickled me to no end.
Visually, the movie is eye candy from start to finish and from the opening sequence I found myself saying "how did they do that?!". Tim Burton's signature style is there throughout the movie and he never misses an opportunity to throw in a cool skeleton whereever appropriate! (On a side note, the trailer for The Corpse Bride has me counting the days 'til that movie opens.) The set design is miles and miles away from the Gene Wilder rendition of the movie. Many times, I couldn't help but compare this one to the old one, but in the end, my verdict is that you don't have to compare the two movies - you can love them both.
The movie has quite a bit of story that wasn't in the original movie, including a backstory of Willie Wonka's childhood and a little Freudian motivation for him that wasn't in the book either. It neither takes away nor adds anything earth-shattering to the story, but I enjoyed it a lot.
There are also a lot of scenes and lines from the book and Gene Wilder movie that didn't make it in, but that was all made up for by the fact that the Oompa Loompas practically stole the show. My daughter hates Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory because she thinks the the Oompa Loompas are creepy. I think she'll like this one because they are not only not creepy, but they are very entertaining and visually amazing (and all played by one actor, Deep Roy, who you may have seen in Big Fish). The songs are right out of the book and the lyrics are much harder to understand but the scenes with them are truly delightful and you don't want to take your eyes off the screen while they are on.
This is a totally different interpretation of the Dahl classic story and it is a mistake to try to choose one movie version over the other. In my mind, this one will stand the test of time a little better. Gene Wilder will always have a warm place in my heart - he played Wonka as if we were in on the joke. Johnny Depp's Wonka seems unaware his oddness and seems truly, truly eccentric.
One last thing and I will leave the rest to the "real" movie reviewers: this movie is totally appropriate for even small children. I loved that it was funny, adventurous, heart-warming, not too smarmy or sentimental or mushy, and there isn't one thing I would consider objectionable in the entire film. Adults and children alike should enjoy it immensely. It really is fun for the whole family. I am going to see it again (maybe at the IMax).
Nothing much to report today. Life is good. I am glad it's Friday. This morning, while semi-dreading the fact that I had to go to work, I heard my Nasty-Ass Neighbor (NAN) hawking one of his patented twice-minutely (that's 2 times per minute, minimum) Mega Loogeys and it made me realize that I am happy to have a job to go to at all.
You see, for one thing, NAN is jobless (laid-off or some such thing). He lives with his ex-wife downstairs from us. NAN does nothing, as far as we can tell, but sit outside on his patio, smoking cigarettes and hawking the grossest sounding loogeys you have ever heard in your life. With our doors and windows closed, we can still hear the monstrous sound of phlegm being conjured up and spat out, presumably onto the ground outside the apartment. Dude is NASTY. And you should hear the farts that he rips sometimes, too! Epic-ly nasty.
Anyway, I am glad I have a job to go to since I would hate to be unemployed especially in light of the fact that I couldn't bear to be home all day listening to that. It makes me want to hurl.
Sorry to start with that. Just trying to count (and recount) my blessings for all the world to see. And as you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for, what with having a job and all!
Which brings me to the next topic (and there is no way possible to segue from that to this gracefully!): Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We are so totally going to see this tonight. I know Johnny Depp looks really creepy and strange but I love this story and I can't wait to see Tim Burton's vision. Thereviews so far are pretty decent and I have fairly high hopes for this. Wish us luck! I may give you a review on Monday. I love the Willy Wonka/Gene Wilder version, so it's a bit weird to think I might like this one better. Perhaps not. We'll see!
Also on the weekend agenda: tomorrow we are going to see JoFo the MoFo dazzle us again with his vast musical talent. Sunday is up in the air, as I have two conflicting calendar items. Otherwise, the weekend is looking okay. I hope your weekend is dazzling! Stay cool...
Since I tend to read a lot of political blogs (and I am a proud member of the Big Brass Alliance, fyi), but I rarely if ever spout off myself, I am going to give you a few of my favorite links (leaving off the major playas because you should already know who they are):
I just discovered this one called Me4President2008. It is excellent.
Je suis americaine, mais j'aime le gens du France!
In honor of Bastille Day, I am sending a bonjour to all my French and Francophone amis! We could use a little revolution here, you know. I say we storm the White House and tell Bush&Co to take a hike! Toute de suite!
Anyway... je ne suis pas politicienne! Je voudrais dire "Vive la France"!
Because I just can't seem to resist a quiz or a meme, I stole this one from Snidget. It's pretty spot on. But, I must confess that I haven't read this book yet. It's on the list of books I am supposed to want to read.
Which book are you? Leave it in the comments.
You're Watership Down!
by Richard Adams
Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.
I'm back from a mini-vacation. For my first post-break post, I mistakenly thought this would be easy. Aubrie tagged me and I am one of the fools who likes memes because, for me, they are often thought-provoking to some degree. Anyway, this is a hard one but it allowed me to drop a mini-bombshell and get that out of the way. In the latter portion of the meme, I am supposed to pick 5 things I like in various categories. Perhaps, I left my brain at home but I am having the hardest time thinking of 5 of anything. So… enjoy? I’m not tagging anyone but would love to read what you have to say in these important and revealing areas! If you do one, please let me know in the comments.
10 years ago: I was living in Hawaii (Oahu, to be exact), working and going to college. My son was 9 years old and my daughter was 6. Life was pretty good. Mr. Q and I were friends, but we were married to other people.
5 years ago: I was living in Laguna Beach and working. My son was 14 years old and living with his Dad near Seattle. My daughter was 11 years old and living with me. Mr. Q and I were living together, shacking up, as it were! Life was hard but better than ever.
1 year ago: I was living in San Clemente, working and going to college again. My son was 18 years old and going to school in Portland, OR. My daughter was 15 years old and still sweet as could be. Mr. Q and I got married!
Yesterday: Mr. Q and I took the Teenage Quilty (a.k.a., Princess Jojo) to the airport. Every summer she typically spends with her Dad, step-mom and their three daughters. They live near Seattle. This year she went up to spend the summer but this time she is planning to stay there after the summer is over. She will be attending school and, most likely, graduating from high school there. I am not equipped to discuss this now, but just know that it has been a difficult choice and that it is overwhelmingly a positive change. I miss her! She’ll be here for Christmas but… waaaaahhh.
Yesterday was also Mr. Q’s birthday! We spent the whole day together (woohoo!) and went out to dinner with his family last night. It was excellent and totally fun despite the obvious absence of the Teenage Quilty.
Today: Catch up after 4 days off. Man, that was good. I haven’t had time off in way too long. I don’t work weekends but for some reason, after only 2 days out of the office, I had about 100 emails to catch up on and I only just now finished. That was only for work! I also have a gajillion personal email messages and one-quarter of a bazillion blog posts to catch up on. If I haven’t been by yet, I’m working my way there!
Tomorrow: Who the hell knows! The world could end. I could get hit by a bus. I could win the lottery (note to self: buy lottery ticket). All we have is today! If I am still around tomorrow, I guess I’ll be paying bills and looking for a school loan, as I have to register for classes in less than 2 weeks. Yikes!
5 snacks I enjoy: Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. That’s it. I can’t think of anything else.
5 bands that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs: the Beatles, REM, the Smiths, Morrissey, Beth Orton.
5 things I would do with $100,000,000: I would obviously pay all of my bills, quit work and finish school travel the world. I would set up a literacy program that works and is available to everyone. And I would buy an island next to Johnny Depp’s private Caribbean island and I would buy a plane so I could fly there whenever I wanted. 5 locations I’d like to run away to: Paris, New York, Tahiti, Johnny Depp’s private Caribbean island, anywhere with Mr. Q.
5 bad habits I have: Interrupting people; smoking; drinking too much coffee; watching too much TV; complaining about things that are not actual problems.
5 things I like doing: Mr. Q; smoking; drinking coffee; watching TV; blogging. Sometimes all at the same time! *wink, wink*
5 things I would never wear: A trucker hat. Also, a swastika, a KKK robe, an “I heart George W. Bush” t-shirt, or anything that is hateful or represents hate or intolerance.
5 TV shows I like: the Daily Show; $40 a Day; Iron Chef America; Queer Eye; Saturday Night Live.
5 Movies I like: The Princess Bride; When Harry Met Sally; Amelie; Grease; Lolita.
5 famous people I’d like to meet: I will limit this to people who are actually alive, even though the people I’d most like to meet are now dead. Bill Clinton; Tim Burton; Paul Simon; the Monty Python boys; Erica Hill (from CNN Headline News – have you seen her? She is so freaking adorable!)
5 biggest joys at the moment: Husband, our 3 kids, the cat. Also, not being in school right now seriously gives me joy!
5 favorite toys: I don’t have many “toys”. I want some though (digital camera, iPod, Tivo). Here’s all I’ve got at the moment: A pink, fancy koosh ball that is on my desk; my knitting needles and yarn; my son’s Sony PSP that he left at my house; and … my car, I do love my car and that is kind of a toy. It’s got a 9 speaker Harmon/Kardon sound system, people! It is my favorite place to listen to music.
Today is Dylan's one year blogoversary. Go wish him a happy blirthday. Get it? Blog + Birthday = Blirthday. Just smack me now and I promise to stop.
His blirthday (sorry) made me realize that I've been doing this exactly 6 months on Monday. But since I won't be anywhere near a computer on Monday, I have to post this ahead of time. I am taking the next 4 days off, so you'll just have to suffer through the day by reading my old posts. There are some gems in there, I am sure!
It's been a fascinating 6 months, I must say. I started it on a whim (and came up with my silly blog name) thinking no one at all would read this. Now, if I change my name, will you all still read it? And, do I write simply because you read? I don't know. I think I would stop writing if nobody read it.
I've gotten lots of encouragement and support and I've made some wonderful friends. I think my writing has improved in a sense, but it has probably de-evolved a bit, too. I'm not sure. I know I've been run-on-sentence-happy lately. But it doesn't matter too much. I find that this is an excellent form of therapy for me. It has helped me get back in touch with my sense of humor and it has helped me not take things too seriously which sounds like the same thing but it's not.
I have been in a bit of a writing rut lately, so maybe a few days off will be good. Go read the archives and tell me if I am better/worse/the same since I started this thing in January. If you would be so kind, that is! Y'all have a happy freaking weekend! I'll be back on Wednesday.
In yet another sign of the apocolypse, Pauly Shore is getting his own show. Again. Oy vey! In my youth, yea all those years ago, I had a number of people that I considered friends who loved them some Pauly Shore. I am missing the Pauly-Shore-loving-gene, something to do with being born in the Lone Star State maybe, but I have never gotten him. OK, I watched "Son-in-law" and I almost giggled when he said "Mrs. Whateverhernameis, you're giving me a semi". But that's the extent of my enjoyment of Pauly "I can't believe I ever get laid" Shore.
It appears that TBS is offering to mail you $1 if you don't laugh at the first episode. If they offered $100, I might tune in. For $1, it's not even worth the time to see if it sucks or not, but I think I already know the answer to that. Do we really need another reality show about a psuedo-celebrity? Hasn't Kathy Griffin already exploited her status as a C- or D-list celebrity? Is that even funny?
If you are titillated by the idea of watching him on TV, please clue me in as to why.
You know I love it when I do something for the first time. All the time, things happen to me for the first time and I go "Hmm. I can't believe I never did that before!" Today is no exception.
First first: I donated blood. I've never done it before, although I've tried plenty of times. I used to organize the blood drive where I worked before, so it seemed only fair that I do the thing that I was asking other people to do. Alas, I was either too skinny, too anemic, or too otherwise whacked out so that the kind Red Cross people always politely said 'thanks, but no thanks'.
Today was different! I have put on a few pounds (in a good way) and I am not anemic or otherwise whacked out. That was great. But... then I got kind of scared. As in, oh my god, I have to actually go through with this. What if I faint?! The good news is I didn't faint. It was easy and painless and I got a jumbo bag of chips and cookies to eat later. Also, it's blurry in the photo, but I got a button that says "It's My First Time". Woot! How cool is that?
So, for my PSA today, if you can, you should donate blood. Today we had an Emergency Blood Drive where I work because apparently there is a severe blood shortage everywhere. I feel good that I donated.
Second first: I am guest posting at Pesky'Apostrophe. She is one of the reasons I started blogging (and knitting come to think of it) so I am really honored. The thing is, it's kind of hard to write with your own voice on someone else's site. I'll have to keep working on that! So, go check me out. I might get famous after this! But I won't forget all the people who have been there for me all along. I promise.
"If, as you live your life, you find yourself mentally composing blog entries about it, post this exact same sentence in your weblog."
Seen everywhere today, but most recently at Intellectual con Fusion. Whoever started this really started something but I don't know what.
I am constantly mentally composing blog entries about everything. I even say "I am so blogging this" as we are in the middle of our great adventures.
Like last week when we were driving to the market for some necessities, I said to Mr. Q, "At least your car is working great. That's a good thing."
As we were buying toiletries, we both said "You know, we can save money on this if we go next door to 'the WalMart'. But we don't want to go to the Walmart, do we? Even though I am sure we'll end up there anyway, let's avoid it if we can."
We paid for our stuff and after loading it into the car, and placing the key in the ignition, we discovered that the battery was dead. I mean DEAD. A jumpstart from Zeus could not have revived this battery.
So, where do you think we ended up? That's right. Walking to the Walmart to buy a new battery for our car. Good times. That's not all, but you get the idea. Everything else I thought about that night came true so I was ordered by my dear, sweet husband to just shut off my brain, please.
Last week, my telepathy abilities were astounding. Everytime I thought about something, it would happen. I wanted to blog it all but it was too much. I am now channeling my vast powers of clairvoyance to pick the winning lottery numbers. That's why blogging is light. I need to muster all the mental energy I've got for that!
When I win the lottery, I promise to share the winnings with everyone who leaves a comment here. (I'm having a comment drought, people! Help me out!)
Yeah, I'm lazy blogging today. You want to make something of it? I stole this meme from Joelle and I thought it was fascinating!
Are you more...
01) A person who could dance all night at a club or a person who would probably end up sitting, drinking, and watching others dance?
These days, I am more likely to do the sitting and drinking part. But, when I was younger, I was the dork who was dancing in the line to get into the club and I didn’t stop until they closed.
02) Left brain or right brain?
Both. I’m a freak of nature. It’s a curse!
03) Chocolate covered almonds or honey roasted peanuts?
Neither, but if I have to choose I’ll go with chocolate covered almonds. I’d probably just let the chocolate melt in my mouth and then spit out the almond. Nuts and me, we’re not friends anymore.
04) Apt to speak in the most descriptive manner possible or apt to speak in the most concise manner possible?
I speak in the most descriptive manner possible, if by descriptive you mean repeating the same detail three times and still having people look at me quizzically.
05) Austin Powers or Dr. Evil?
I’m more like Vanessa Kensington, I hope. Of the two, I am probably more like Dr. Evil – you know, likeable but kind of clueless!
06) Likely to staple (because it's sure even if hard to remove) or likely to use a paper clip (because it's quick and easily undone)?
It totally depends. As long as the paper clips are plastic and not metal, I am okay with paper clipping. But, no wire paper clips!!! Didn’t I tell you never to put metal paper clips in my paper clip holder?! I never, ever want to see a wire paper clip in there, do you understand me?
07) One who would go (or has gone) to a science fiction convention or one who would/will never go to a science fiction convention?
I’d probably pass on the sci-fi convention. I’m not a big fan of conventions. Growing up going to every single boat show, camping show and home and garden show, I kind of had my fill, ya know?
08) Loving pizza with ALL toppings or loving a pepperoni pizza?
Pepperoni, all the way.
09) A vowel or a consonant?
What kind of question is that? I am an equal opportunity sound lover. Consonants are fun because sometimes a consonant is the same as a word. For example, P. Peeeeeee. It’s fun to say. So is Eeeeeeeeeeeee! Dang, I’m stumped. They are all good.
10) Likely to exercise because it's good for you or likely to exercise because you want to look as good as possible?
I just want to wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July! It's independence day and I think it's important to celebrate our freedom in our own personal ways.
Me, I just folded laundry while dancing and jamming out to the Smiths. Mr. Q is out helping the sick and dying (who don't have the good sense or the common decency to take the day off from dying! ). Jojo is vegetating on the couch, like a good teenage daughter. Private J called yesterday from Boot Camp and said they sort of have the day off.
This year, our celebration will not include our regular walk to the beach to watch fireworks. Every year the drunk and stupid people increase in both number and stupidity (to each his own I guess - if your idea of celebrating is to kill brain cells and act like a complete idiot, more power to you! Just don't hurt anyone else in the process, m'kay?). We are opting out of that and instead we'll be barbequeing something and eating (not 49 hotdogs in 12 minutes like I saw on ESPN this morning - wha? this is a sport?). We will probably hang out and be happy and mellow and know that we are free to do whatever we want (within reason) and light a candle for the men and women who have fought and died for our freedom and those still fighting and not only them but the ones who are still living but are disabled, disfigured or otherwise touched and deeply impacted by the ravages of wars in ways we will never comprehend and their families who also sacrifice a lot to ensure that this country stays free. I know it's not perfect but we really do live in a wonderful place. A land where I can own a personal computer and write whatever I want including run-on sentences and the Grammar Police can't do anything about it! Nor can the regular police come around and say "you can't say that!". We really are incredibly fortunate and it is something worth perserving.
I am taking the day off from complaining and whining about broken shoes, needed car maintenance and bare-ish cupboards. I have more than I need and I am grateful to be sitting here with a family that is beautful and healthy and a with view of the Pacific Ocean that only a small percentage of the whole world is privileged enough to have. We are all lucky in our own ways.
On a different but related note, you may wonder how the title Zen is relevant to this post. It's not really, But it reminds me of a quote I read or heard somewhere that goes basically like this: Zen is not thinking about religion while folding the laundry, zen IS folding the laundry. Being present in whatever you are doing is the easiest way to achieve a sense of peace, y'all. And that's what I wish for you all today - Peace!
