LOL, IMHO, LMAO and other such things

2009 Year in Review

2009-12-30T20:31:00.004-05:00

I don't even think there is anyone left that actually reads my blog anymore... but I'm doing this one just for me anyway.

2009 had it goin' on in many ways. It wasn't quite as epic as 2008 (so many things happened to me in '08 that '09 really never had a chance), but still... enough happened to make me go, "wow" as I look back.

This time last year, I was on the homefront in snowy, cold Boston. It had just snowed quite a bit and I was hanging out with my besties from High School. This year, who knows what New Year's Eve will bring, but I'm hoping it will be mad fun. I've had two pretty chill NYEs in a row, so it's time to bring it up a notch again.

So here's a look back at my 2009 (as much as I can remember anyway)

January - April:
Omg... nothing happened. After such an amazing year in '08, '09 got off to the slowest start everrrr. My birthday was in February, but even that was uneventful. I turned 31 and my mom took me out to dinner. It was pretty much sleep, work, watch tv and sleep for 4 straight months. bletch. :-p Oh, but I forgot... our first ever African American President was sworn into office and that was a pretty amazing day. It's safe to say that I got ZERO work done on that day.

May:
Buuuuttt... the reason it was so uneventful up until now was because I had to save money. One of my best friends from high school got married on Memorial Day weekend and I went to St. Louis for the wedding! (well, actually, Fulton Missouri, but no one knows where that is, so it's easer just to say St. Louis). It was a spanking good time, as it always is with my BFFs!

June:
May was the catalyst for the rest of the year because the fun didn't stop in St. Louis! My mom had a 4 day conference in Las Vegas and I tagged along. Free hotel room? Sin City? Gambling? Shows? Yes please! It was hotter than hell when we went, but Vegas is always a good time. We saw Cirque Du Soleil's KA and had quite a few tasty meals. Oh yeah... and I also found out that I was ACCEPTED INTO THE FILM PROGRAM AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY! Yippeeeee! June was a very good month.

July:
No time to think... had to plan for my move to Southern California. Was a busy busy girl this month. Had to plan out my budget and find housing in less than 6 weeks. Oy! I did make time to go to Berkeley to see the San Francisco 4th of July fireworks... very pleasant afternoon and evening in the Bay.

August:
I quit my job and moved to Orange, CA! Holy smokes! I literally did not have a place to live until the moment I arrived. I managed to snag a room in a 4 bedroom house in Santa Ana (just 3 miles from school) and signed the lease and moved in on the day I arrived. Nutso. Couldn't believe that I was a college student again... but was soooo excited to begin.

September:
Spent most of my time getting adjusted to Southern California (and the heat) and being a student again. Life was pretty grand... and Cathy came to visit which meant my first visit to Laguna Beach (one of many) and a night in San Diego.

October:
Worked on my first ever student film (Baby Bear). I was the Unit Production Manager which means I did everything that the Producer couldn't or wouldn't do. It was a LOT of work, but a great learning experience... and I met some really cool people. Stephen and Austin came to visit just before the film started shooting. Hooray! Lots of driving around and playing tour guide (and more trips to Laguna Beach).

November:
First my Dad came to visit in the early part of the month, and then my Mom came for Thanksgiving! So many visitors... everyone wants to come to sunny California. :) Also worked on my 2nd student film (Nimble Digits) as the Art Dept. Assistant. Good times.

December:
Started work on my 3rd student film (You've Come A Long Way, Baby) as the Location Manager. Whew... what a task... and I couldn't have picked a more difficult project to work on. The process has been very trying, but will be a great learning experience I'm sure. I'm pretty much done with my job, just a few more things to wrap up and then I can relax. We shoot in January. School ended for me on the 17th and I've been up here, chillin', in San Francisco ever since. Money is uber uber tight right now, which makes me stressed out, so the year is not ending quite like I would have hoped... but I'm doing the best with what I've got and I guess that's all you can ask for. I have fun NYE plans in the works, so that helps.

So that's it. The 2nd half of 2009 was much better than the first. But the events in the 2nd half were so great that is makes up for the rest of the year. My life, in many ways, is completely different than it was a year ago (and strangely, in many other ways, is still the same). I feel like I'm on the right path and working towards my dream career... so I guess that's all you can hope for.

My New Year's Theme for last year was "Keep it movin' and let the good times roll." I think I lived up to that... I definitely feel like I made a ton of forward strides this year. Now... to come up with a New Year's Theme for 2010. Hmmm...

I've still got 29 hours before the New Year, so I'm gonna ponder it for a while and get back to ya.

Guess who?

2009-10-10T19:59:00.002-05:00

Hello? Hello? Anyone? Is this thing on?

Well, if I have any readers left... Hiiii! I'm back! Life has been so crazy since I left the Bay Area. In the last six weeks, I've started school, moved into a huge 4 bedroom house, find myself referring to myself as a Producer with great ease and started working on my 1st student film!

Of course I could go into much more detail, but that's not why I'm writing. I have actually found very little to write about (even with all the stuff going on in my life), until now. Only one thing has prompted me to write in my blog today... President Obama and his Nobel Peace Prize.

I am shocked... shocked I say, at the dissent among Americans in not supporting our President. It's disgusting really. The world has just recognized our country, through our President, as having a profound positive affect on the international community, and we can't even stand behind him and show support for the recognition? Why the f not?

I mean, hello... it's not like they gave this to George Bush, a President, I think we can all agree, who truly doesn't deserve it.

The #1 complaint I hear everyone saying is "he hasn't done anything to deserve it" or "it's too soon." While I tend to agree with the latter, to blatantly say he hasn't done anything to deserve it is just preposterous.

Here's what the Nobel Peace Prize committee said as their reasons for giving it to Obama now (from AP Newswire):

The judges found his promise of disarmament and diplomacy too good to ignore.

The five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee - four of whom spoke to The Associated Press, said awarding Obama the peace prize could be seen as an early vote of confidence intended to build global support for the policies of his young administration

They lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease U.S. conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen its role in combating climate change.

"Some people say - and I understand it - 'Isn't it premature? Too early?' Well, I'd say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the AP. "It is now that we have the opportunity to respond - all of us." Jagland said the committee whittled down a record pool of 205 nominations and had "several candidates until the last minute," but it became more obvious that "we couldn't get around these deep changes that are taking place" under Obama.

I personally think Barack has had a PROFOUND effect on our country and the world... we just haven't seen the effects of it yet. And probably won't for decades to come. Change is a long process, it's not something that happens overnight. And profound change takes even longer. The Nobel Peace Prize committee just wants to be ahead of the curve on this one... and I think/hope they are right. I believe we won't see the effects of the Obama Administration for at least a decade, if not longer. Should we have waited until then to give him the Peace Prize? Maybe so. But it wasn't up to us. It was up to the five people on the committee. And they felt the time is right now.

So instead of crying ourselves a river because we're an anti-Obama country these days, why not just say thank you and continue to work towards solving problems here at home and abroad?

Oh that's right... that's what our President has already said he's going to do. Hmm...

On the road again...

2009-08-17T23:36:00.003-05:00

okay, so I've failed miserably at keeping up my blog as of late. I apologize. But... the reason is a very good one. I got accepted into Chapman University's Conservatory of Motion Pictures and I'm going back to school to get my MFA! Hooray! I'm moving to Orange County, CA which is just south of LA.

I was given very little time to prepare for this life change, so I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the past few weeks, trying to get ready.

I'm still going loco as I have not secured a place to live yet and I leave in 6 days! Ay Dios Mio! But... I have a few prospects lined up for when I hit town on Sunday and hope to have a place to move into by Tuesday. I faith that everything will work out the way it should in the end.

Anyhoo... that's my story for now. I probably won't write again until I'm moved and settled and have my ducks in a row again. So tah-tah for now... but I PROMISE to be back soon. :)

Selective Hearing

2009-07-23T13:02:00.004-05:00

At this point, anyone who says they don't understand President Obama's Healthcare Reform agenda is simply just not listening... and there seem to be plenty of big mouth media yakkers who are saying just that... "I don't understand." (I'm talking to you Bill O'Reilly!)

If you actually sit still for 10 min and listen to what Obama and countless others have said... it's really not that difficult to understand.

I heard someone say that he didn't explain how we are going to pay for reform in his press conference last night. Uh... yes he did. He said that 2/3 of the cost is going to be picked up by savings in cuts to $Billions (est. of $100B) of wasteful spending that the AMA, ADA and other Healthcare organizations have already committed to. Wasteful spending that includes repetitive/unnecessary tests & treatments, wrong diagnosis and repetitive & time-consuming paperwork, charts & files that should all be electronic anyway.

The other 1/3 is most likely going to be picked up by a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans (those making over $1 million/year).

Let's see... I was never really good at math, but I believe that 2/3 + 1/3 = 3/3 which is 100%. Done, paid for.

I also heard some of the right wing nutjobs say this morning that Obama's healthcare reform is going to kill you by not allowing Doctors to make the right diagnosis that they feel is necessary. Oh really? Is that what's it's going to do? That's right... Obama doesn't want to help 47 million Americans live healthier, better, more productive lives... he wants to kill everyone. Give me a break!

In reality, HC reform is going to push Doctors to make better diagnosis and be better at their craft. Instead of being rewarded for the number of surgeries performed (regardless of if they were really needed or not), Drs will be incentivized for their preventative practices. The healthier their patients, the more they will get paid.

Imagine that... a healthier America!

We are so ass-backwards in this country when it comes to healthcare... we've got it all wrong and it's crippling our economy and our progress as a nation. Those who say we should stick with the status quo and do nothing have no clue what they are talking about. I can only hope they're in the minority and that their obstructionist behavior is only a bump in the road on the way to reform. We can only hope.

An Open Letter to Fakies (aka. Fake People)

2009-07-17T17:58:00.003-05:00

I'm putting you on blast and on notice. I'm done. As the days pass by and I grow older, I have less and less patience for fake people in my life. And I've come across a few lately.

I think I'm a pretty nice person... easy to get along with and will often go out of my way to be considerate to people... especially if I like you.

Consideration is the easiest thing you can do for another person, and I am astounded... astounded I say... by how many people are so inconsiderate, especially people who call themselves your "friends".

Either you wanna hang out with me, or you don't. Either you consider me a friend, or you don't. I don't do fake or those sometimes when it's convenient for you type relationships, of any kind. I already have the best friends a girl could ask for... real friends. So why would I need/want fake ones?

Not a lecture, just a notice.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Meh

2009-07-14T14:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, so this updating my blog regularly thing has become more of a challenge than I thought. Wonder why, hmmm.

It's not that hard to write something, but I think my brain has become so used to 140 character limitations that I now find it difficult to express myself in paragraph form! That's a show.

So let's see... I'm supposed to be writing my thoughts on current events. What's going on? Well, right now, CNN is all wrapped up in the Sonya Sotomayor hearings. To that I say, "Meh." She's a female Latino judge... the first one to be nominated to the Supreme Court. That's great! But... all the hoopla about will she or won't she get in is just media fodder. The Senate would be very foolish not to confirm her and everyone knows that. Republicans will make a stink just to make sure that everyone knows they still have a voice (even if they're not using it to say anything useful), but in the end, the USA will see it's first female Latino Supreme Court Judge. Next.

Okay, so what else. Ummm... Michael Jackson drama? Who cares. The King of Pop is dead... the world mourned his loss and celebrated his life... and now all the tabloiderific details of his sordid lifestyle, drug use, financial oddities, etc. are coming out. Again I say... who cares. The man is dead. He made great music and I still get pumped when I hear the first "Whooo!" when Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough comes on. That's all I need to know.

Tony Romo dumped Jessica Simpson. I'm supposed to care about this? Really?

Ha ha... i just noticed a theme... I don't really care about anything right now! LMAO...

Well here's one thing I do care about... TIME Magazine writer Joel Stein. He's hillarious and I think you should all read his column, The Awesome Column, everytime it comes out. Enjoy.

#BlogFail

2009-06-28T20:21:00.005-05:00

I have not updated my blog in almost 3 weeks! Failure.

Umm, let's see...

1. I went to bangbangbang Vegas and had a very yello-mello ('member those?, ha! or was it mello-yello?) experience... nothing at all like The Hangover this time.

2. I'm still shocked and saddened by the death of Michael Jackson. Need to find out if we still have his Off The Wall vinyl hidden in the depths of the backyard shed at my Grandmother's house. Wishing I hadn't lost the Thriller vinyl when I brought it to school for "show and tell" in the 1st Grade.

3. I think Gov Sanford is breathing a sigh of relief that he is no longer the headline story on CNN, but I still haven't forgotten about his transgression.

4. Today I got hooked on the new season of Real World: Cancun... fml

5. I think bacon, eggs and pancakes for breakfast may be the greatest thing ever.

6. I've been to Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, twice now, and loved loved loved everything I ate both times. Soooo f'ing tasty!

7. I'm super excited for July 15th.

8. I've taken a week off from the gym. Must get back to business this week.

9. Trying to get ready for yet another life change coming up in a few months... more details on that later.

10. my Red Sox just lost to the worst team in baseball, the Washington Nationals?!?!? What in the hell.

Y'all...

2009-06-10T00:30:00.002-05:00

This may be one of the funniest things I have ever seen... for real tho.

and then of course you have to see everyone else's reaction to it:

and

Don't call me a Lollipop Liberal just yet...

2009-06-09T18:30:00.007-05:00

*This is for all those who doubt my ability to think down the middle of the political spectrum.

The White House political spin in the media about the economy these days has been that the recession is slowing down and things are on the verge of getting better. They rely heavily on the fact that the number of jobs lost has decreased over the last month to support their theory.

Only 500,000 jobs were lost last month as opposed to the 600 and 700,000s from earlier in the year.

Sounds good on the surface right? But, I'm not really buying it Barack.

Could it be that less people were fired last month simply because there are just less people working and therefore fewer people to fire? Me thinks so.

There are still millions of people not working and an unemployment rate creeping towards 10%. Millions not working means money that is not being spent. Money not being spent means profits not being made. Profits not being made, at some point, means more layoffs and so on. Uh-oh, frozen economy.

I understand that economic stability is 50% perception, 50% reality... and keeping the "positives" in the news is healthy. But let's get real. This recession won't really turn around until those millions of people who lost their jobs are working again and are once again able to go into Target with a $20 budget for that bottle of shampoo, some trash bags and toothpaste and find themselves merrily walking out with a receipt totalling a bit more than that (and a few extra items in their bag).

An open letter to the right wing Obama haters in the media

2009-06-07T17:28:00.002-05:00

Ya, I'm talking to you Limbaugh, Hannity and the Buchanan siblings. Get a clue, would ya?!

All this talk about Obama being an apologist and a weakling towards the Middle East is really getting old.

First of all, the majority of people in Islam are NOT America-hating, radical religious fascists. They are regular people trying to do the best they can in this world and just so happen to have different religious beliefs than you do. (and actually, if you bothered to learn anything, you'd realize that their beliefs are actually not that different from your own... as is true with most religions. At the end of the day, we're all praying to the same God.. we just have different ways of doing it.).

Second, he, of course, was not aplogizing and trying to make peace with the terrorists. Everyone knows that is not possible. But anyone with a brain (hence the reason it is so difficult for you to grasp this notion) could see that President Obama was reaching out with an open hand to the people of Islam, offering an opportunity to find common ground, in an effort dissuade them from joining the terrorist groups so quickly. If the regular people of Islam do not hate America, it will be harder for the terrorist groups to recruit them now wouldn't it?

President Obama just did the country a favor. He laid the first brick of the bridge towards reconciliation with the people of Islam and showed them that even though this is still America, we're not all gun-toting, shoot first ask questions later, rock 'em sock 'em cowboys from Texas who know nothing about diplomacy. Some of us are sensitive to and appreciate diversity, and believe that there is enough room for all us to play together nicely. It is, in fact, possible to maintain your beliefs and integrity while respecting the beliefs of others.

So please, take a seat, shut your mouths and listen for once. You might learn something and come out of this a halfway decent person when all is said and done.

Microblogging has ruined my blog!

2009-05-26T17:55:00.002-05:00

I blame you, Facebook and Twitter! What, with your persistent "what are you doing now?" questions... forcing me to reduce my thoughts to 140 characters and thereby increasing my need to update my "status" several times a day.

This habitual addiction to sharing snippets of my life in 2 sentences or less has left me with little to say on my real blog, resulting in my last post being published more than 20 days ago. Curses!

I started this blog a few years ago, really, as just an online journal... a way to keep me from buying paper journals as often as I did (not that I ever filled them out... the number of empty journals I have at home is redonk).

And then I discovered I had readers... more than just the few people I actually told about my blog. I was averaging anywhere from 300 to 500 unique hits a month! That's about 280 randos who came across my blog and read it. Like whoa. I'm no Perez Hilton, but that's pretty good for just a regular Jane like me. But even I know that, in the online world, content is everything. Good content = lots of page views. Well it's hard to have good content when you only post every 20 days now isn't it?

So... for the few readers I have left, I will try to post AT LEAST once a week... and those Facebook surveys do not count. My hope is that I get back to writing relatively intriguing and intelligent content about what's going on in the world as I see it... more than just "Kiah is at my desk, wishing it was 5:30p."

Oh look... it's 5:28pm... time to go home. Wish granted.

Survey Time...

2009-05-01T19:11:00.006-05:00

It's been, what?, a few weeks since my last "too many questions too much info" survey? ;o)

Well here's another for your reading enjoyment (my procrastination delight).
-----------------------------------------------
1. First thing you wash in the shower?
My arms

2. What colour is your favorite hoodie?
Navy Blue. It says Nike Swim Team, though I've never been on a swim team. But... it was on sale at Marshalls for like $12.99 so I had to get it.

3. Do you like coffee?
Nope, I LOVE coffee

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?
Cised! It's quittin' time in t-minus 5 minutes

6. What’s the last letter of your crush’s name?
why

7. Do you say aim or a-i-m?
A-I-M

8. Tell me about the last dream you remember having.
I was in Vegas with the women of The View and staying in Barbara Walter's penthouse suite at NYNY Hotel & Casino and I was upset that we weren't staying at The Wynn. Weird.

9. Could you eat your favourite food everyday for a month and not get sick of it?
No, I couldn't eat that much of anything without getting sick of it.

10. What are you craving?
a real vacation

11. Do you floss?
yep, every morning

12.What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
gross and it gives me gas

16. Have you ever counted to 1,000?
uhhh... no

17. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
lick it, ha ha ha. Ew... who bites into their ice cream? Hello brain freeze!

18. Do you use smileys?
yep

19. How many bedrooms are in your house?
too

20. Have you ever met a celebrity?
yep... quite a few. Unless you're part of their entourage and get to hang out with them, the experience of meeting celebrities is really over-rated.

21. Do you like cottage cheese?
I always think I want to eat it when I see it or someone talks about it (like right now, I'm getting a craving), and then I get some and realize that I don't like it at all.

22. What’s the last song you had stuck in your head?
can't remember

23. How many countries have you visited?
umm... about 8 or so, counting the islands I've been to

24. Are your parents strict?
they were about certain things, like my grades, but not so much about other stuff.

25. Would you go sky diving?
Yes! It's on my La Vida Loca list

26. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
Is he paying?

28. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?
no, I'm at work. Hella dull.

30. Do you rent movies?
yep, I'm a Netflixster

31. Who sits in front of you in your math class?
umm... can't remember back that far. But my favorite math teacher was Mrs. Rosenberg in high school. She would get frustrated with us asking too many questions on test day and would just give us the answers instead! Ha!

35. Where are you going to be Saturday night?
most likely on my couch

36. Brown or white eggs?
does it really matter? eggs are good either way

37. Like rap music?
some of it

38. Ever taken a train?
I take the train into work every day

39. Experienced the twin towers falling in New York?
eww, I don't like this question. But yes... I was in the tri-state area on 9/11. I lived in southern Connecticut and was supposed to be in Manhattan that morning, but had a meeting elsewhere. I ended up staying home and watching the news all day, worried about my friends in the city.

41. What day of the week is it?
Monday. Blah.

40. What was your Lunch?
a breadless ham & swiss sandwich, pita chips, grapes and fig cereal bar.

43. What is your best friend doing tomorrow?
Don't know... they're probably grinding like everyone else.

46. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
Yes... and I have a t-shirt from the premiere. Good flick.

47. So, how about them Yankees?
F**k the Yankees!

51. Is your hair curly?
Not at the moment... but give me about 4 more weeks!

52. Last time you cried?
Saturday when watching Grey's Anatomy. That's 2 weeks in a row they got me!

53. Ever walked into a wall?
No, but I did walk into a glass door at Nike Town a few months ago... so embarrassed! I was just like those birds on the Windex commercial.

55. Have you ever bought anything from PacSun?
No, but I always go in there thinking I'll find something

56. Favorite season?
Fall in New England

61. The next person you’ll hold hands with?
Don't know.

62. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Not if I want to actually sleep

63. Have you ever drank alcohol straight from the bottle?
Ha ha, yep

64. Do you think you’re old?
only when talking to those early 20-somethings who have no idea who Mike Seaver from Growing Pains is.

65. Are you afraid of the dark?
Nope, love the dark

66. Do you like your life right now?
Life is silly! (and by silly I mean awesome) But there is always room for improvement

67. When’s the last time you chose a bath over a shower?
I would choose it everyday if I fit in my bathtub

68. Do you knock on wood?
if necessary, yes

69. Do you have good vision?
Not as good as I used to, but compared to some people I know... yes

70. Can you hula hoop?
prolly

71. Where are your parents?
work and work

72. Have you ever kissed someone in an elevator?
yep

73. What is the next CD you will buy?
don't know yet... prolly whatever Alicia Keys or Justin Timberlake puts out next.

74. What brands are you wearing?
oh wow... my entire outfit is from NY & Co. today! Ha!

76. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yes. We used to be able to get on the rooftop of our house from my bedroom window. I'd crawl out there all the time and lay out in the summer time.

77. Can you handle the truth?
Yes, I crave it. I hate BS.

78. What was the most recent thing you bought?
Starbucks coffee this morning

79. How often do you talk on the phone?
I hate talking on the phone, so not too often

80. Are you in a complicated relationship?
aren't all relationships complicated?

81. Do you hate more than 3 people?
No, I don't really hate anyone... but there are plenty of people that get on my damn nerves!

82. Have you ever tripped someone?
yes, and it was hella funny too

86. Do you use chap stick?
yep, addicted to it. Matter of fact, I'm gonna put some on now, hang on.

87. Are you too forgiving?
I used to be. Now, you have to wait a minute if you've really pissed me off.

88. Do you own something from Hot Topic?
I think I got a black light from there once...

89. Do you own a gun?
Nope, hate guns

90. Have you made a prank phone call?
yes. I got in trouble when i was like 7 years old for prank calling the operator. She called my house and told on me to my mom... I was shocked that they had our number. Needless to say, I never did that again.

91. Have you ever been in a castle?
Yes 2 of them. Vaux le Vicomte and Versailles, both in Paris

92. Do you like your hair?
most of the time, yes

93. Do you like yourself?
Yes, I truly do.

94. Are you closer to your mother or father?
I have different relationships with each of them. Can't be compared.

95. Do you chat on AIM often?
All the time...

Cook This: Gorgonzola Meatballs

2009-04-19T21:17:00.003-05:00

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs w/ Bay and Onion Creamy Tomato Sauce

Yum-O! I have to admit, I'm not one of Rachel Ray's biggest fans, but damnit, that girl knows how to make some meat-a-balls! Holy S, these are good.

This is the 2nd meatball recipe I've gotten from her and both are fabulous. And the tomato cream sauce is bellisimo. I made penne rigate to go with. (not in the recipe)

Trader Joe's didn't have crushed tomatoes (go figure!), so I used the Italian Starter Tomato sauce instead and it worked just as well. My only suggestion is that if you are going to use the sauce for pasta in addition to the meatballs, double the amounts. The penne soaked up most of my sauce and I had to add some jarred marina that I, luckily, found in the fridge.

Add a glass of Petit Syrah and you're good to go!

Dialog Blog pick of the week/month

2009-04-14T16:50:00.002-05:00

This just made me LOL at my desk:

"I don't know what I'm going to do. Every time I ask my class a question, this kid yells out, 'Testicles!'"
"Send him to the principal."
"He's only six. I don't think he knows what testicles are. I think he just likes the word, and, frankly who doesn't like the word testicles?"

Read more here on the Dialog Blog

An Open Letter to Somali Pirates

2009-04-13T11:53:00.005-05:00

Ha ha! Gotcha! Consider your punk-ass-bitch selves lucky... you've just received a first class education on what it means to cross the line with the United States Navy.

3 US Navy SEALS. 3 single shots. 3 dead pirates. 1 freed hostage. Game over.

United States 1
Pirates 0

Oh, and as for your "vows of revenge"? Bring it bitches! You guys started this... we'll be happy to finish it. We were just minding our own business, trying to bring food and aid to starving people in Kenya. You guys decided you wanted to caputre a US ship and try to extort money from us. The people of the United States know who the bad guys are... and we're behind our President and Military and we urge them to do whatever it takes to stop you.

We won't make the mistake of underestimating you. But you will not beat us. Period.

Oh yeah, and your boy that is getting medical treatment, by OUR doctors on OUR ship... we'll keep him too. A lifetime in prison should send a good message.

La Vida Loca list add

2009-04-08T11:14:00.002-05:00

-- go to Bonaroo Music Festival

that is all... for now.

Oh, and I've changed the name to La Vida Loca List... a little more classy. ;o)

Franklin Street... Chapel Hill, NC

2009-04-07T18:14:00.003-05:00

This is what happens in Chapel Hill when we win a National Championship.

Franklin Street: The Celebration from The Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.

Yay Heels!!!

The Dialog Blog

2009-04-03T18:20:00.003-05:00

I wish I had been clever enough to think of this... it's the Dialog Blog!

Some random dude in San Francisco eavesdrops on total strangers and writes their conversations out for everyone to read.

So funny! I Y it. You don't even have to live in San Francisco to enjoy. Check it out.

The Dialog Blog

Sooooo what?

2009-04-02T11:23:00.004-05:00

Okay, seriously?! So Michelle Obama reached out and gave Queen Elizabeth a hug. GASP!!! Stop the presses... the world is coming to an end!

Honest to Goodness... this is 2009 for cryin' out loud.

The fact that the media has made such a big deal out the the show of mutual affection between the 2 leading ladies (key word: mutual) shows that many people think the Queen is still stuck in the Elizabethan era... and clearly she is not.

Yes, she is a Queen... but she is also just a person... another human being like the rest of us.

I find it extremely encouraging that 1.) Michelle had no problem reaching out to Queen Elizabeth on a person-to-person level and keeping it real and B.) that she took to the Obamas so affectionately.

bitch session: Bill O'Reilly

2009-03-30T15:15:00.003-05:00

Ha ha ha... I just read this headline on Yahoo! News:

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly boycotting Sean Penn films

ahahaha... okay William.

1. Do you really think that your boycott of Sean Penn films is going to make a difference? I understand you were successful in your assassination of Pepsi thru Ludacris, but I mean really... the people who like Sean Penn most likely hate your guts anyway and will not be pressed, in any way, shape or form, to follow your lead.

2. I'm sure that Sean Penn really gives a crap about your "boycott". I'm so sure.

Sean Penn 1
Bill O'Reilly 0

bitch session: A Presidential smackdown?

2009-03-25T10:50:00.003-05:00

Hardly.

The blogosphere and all the media outlets have been a-flutter over the last 24 hours about President Obama's "smackdown" on CNN Reporter Ed Henry during last night's press conference.

Okay, seriously? Enough.

One minute, the President is too calm and collected... too laid back about the economy and all the problems that were put on his plate before he even sat down to dinner. The next minute, the President shows some strength and command to a reporter and all of a sudden he's an "angry" President... one with some "deep rooted anger that indicates he'll only be in office for one term" as CNN's resident republican moron, Alex Castelleanos, said last night.

Can a brother do anything right? Jeez.

I got news for all of them... that was hardly a smackdown. That was a direct, to-the-point statement about his intentions with a hint of "this is what I did and why I did it so leave it alone" to it. It was his way of asserting his authority without sounding like a jackass. (unlike his predecessor, George "I'm the decider" Bush).

Get over it CNN.

La Vida Loca List: Mud bath

2009-03-22T21:06:00.008-05:00

Woo. Thanks to me mum... I've gotten a start on my Git'R'Done list!

This past weekend, she treated me to a few days at the Calistoga Hot Springs Spa in Napa Valley as a late birthday present. We had Mud Baths. We had Mineral Baths. We had Steam Showers. And we had Swedish Massages.

I've always wanted to take a mud bath, and now I've done it. While my over all experience was hampered by an injury and my heat exhaustion sensitivity gone awry... I would recommend a mud bath to anyone who wants to try it. Now I understand why pigs like to roll around in the mud... it's glorious!

The bath is set to 104 -110 degrees and you kind of just float on top as they cover you in a mud blanket. You have to get in and out very carefully as it really is scalding hot just below the surface. It's a mixture of mud, molten rock, peet moss and something else that I can't remember. As you lay there for 10 minutes, you can feel every muscle in your body, surrounded by deep heat, start to relax. If they could lower the temperature to about 85-90 degrees for me next time, it will be heaven.

Mud baths are a must do, at least once, for all spa lovers and self pamperers alike.

Oh, and while I was lying there in the mud, I came up with yet a few more things to add to my list:

*new: own a horse and get really good at riding
*new: live in London for 6 months to a year
*new: cruise around the Mediterranean

~~take a mud bath~~
go to the Masters
go to SxSW
go to Sundance Film Festival
go to New Orleans Jazz Festival
go to Bonaroo Music Festival
go to Burning Man
stay in a Penthouse suite at The Bellagio or The Wynn in Vegas
go to a party at the Playboy mansion
go to the Daytona 500 or any other big NASCAR Race
go to the Kentucky Derby
go to the Oscars and/or the Grammys
go skiing/snowboarding in the swiss alps
summit mt. kilimanjaro
get a motorcylce license
write a song
be on a crazy japanese game show
write a book and get published
be in a movie
go on a spiritual retreat in india
ride a bull
go ice fishing in alaska
run naked through the tulip fields in holland
go to octoberfest in germany
go to carnival in brazil
take part in a native american drum circle
skydive
work on a broadway show
ride in a helicoptor
waterski
ride a jetski
ride a dog sled in alaska
sit courtside at a nba game
go to a superbowl
go to a world series
go to wimbeldon
go to the olympics
go to a ncaa final four
spend 3 days on a remote island, alone, with no tv, phone, internet or newspapers
meditate with budhist monks in tibet
go on safari in kenya
work on an international habitat for humanity build
go to the carnes film festival
scubadive the great barrier reef
hug a lion/tiger
have kids
go to a function in the White House
ride in a fighter jet f-22 raptor
play in a poker tournament

My Final Four

2009-03-21T19:35:00.004-05:00

I filled out 4+ brackets this year, even though I'm not betting any money on any of them. (though I kinda wish I had... it would have given me more incentive to keep up with them on a regular basis)

Anyhoo... most of my brackets are beat up busted... thanks in large part to pathetic, should have won but didn't games from Wake Forest, Boston College and West Virginia. However... my final four picks are still in it to win it:

Louisville, Villanova,

Connecticut & UNC.

Of course, I'm hoping (expecting) my Heels to win the whole thing. Ty Lawson, one of our most key players, is dealing with an on again/off again foot injury, so who knows what will happen and how far they'll actually be able to go. But a girl can dream!

"Here We Go Tar Heels, Here We Go! (clap, clap)"

News

2009-03-18T23:49:00.004-05:00

Good News: I no longer have trouble getting a parking spot in the front lot at the train station every morning

Bad News: It's probably because that many more people are unemployed these days and are no longer commuting into the city. :-/
-------------
Good News: Today was my friday and I have a 4 day weekend on the other side of the sunset.

Bad News: Eventually, it will be Monday again.
-------------
Good News: I had just enough cash in my wallet to buy a yummy chicken burrito from the Taqueria for dinner tonight

Bad News: I ate the whole thing + all the chips and now I feel gross
-------------
Good News: I get to sleep in tomorrow (yay!)

Bad News: I will eventually have to get up and go to the gym (because of said snarf fest at dinner)
-------------
Good News: Some significant friendship bonding has occured over the last 24 hours

Bad News: I'm afraid the significance may only be one sided
-------------
Good News: March Madness begins tomorrow

Bad News: Things don't look so good for my boys at UNC

A few things to add...

2009-03-17T16:45:00.006-05:00

to my "bucket list":

*NEW- go to the Masters

*NEW- go to SxSW

*NEW- go to Sundance Film Festival

*NEW- go to New Orleans Jazz Festival

*NEW- go to Burning Man

*NEW- stay in a Penthouse suite at The Bellagio or The Wynn in Vegas

*NEW- go to a party at the Playboy mansion

*NEW- go to the Daytona 500 or any other big NASCAR Race

*NEW- go to the Kentucky Derby

*NEW- go to the Oscars and/or the Grammys

- go skiing/snowboarding in the swiss alps
- summit mt. kilimanjaro
- get a motorcylce license
- write a song
- be on a crazy japanese game show
- write a book and get published
- be in a movie
- go on a spiritual retreat in india
- ride a bull
- go ice fishing in alaska
- run naked through the tulip fields in holland (yep, I said naked. My friend Robin did it this past - summer and it
sounds like such fun!)
- go to octoberfest in germany
- go to carnival in brazil
- take part in a native american drum circle (this one is highly unlikely as those seats, by tradition, are reserved for
men only... but maybe that will change)
- skydive
- work on a broadway show
- ride in a helicoptor
- waterski
- ride a jetski
- ride a dog sled in alaska
- sit courtside at a nba game
- go to a superbowl
- go to a world series
- go to wimbeldon
- go to the olympics
- go to a ncaa final four
- spend 3 days on a remote island, alone, with no tv, phone, internet or newspapers
- meditate with budhist monks in tibet
- go on safari in kenya
- work on an international habitat for humanity build
- go to the carnes film festival
- scubadive the great barrier reef
- hug a lion/tiger (feeding/holding a baby cub counts. I've already done this, but it was so magical, I want to do it again.)
- have kids (my own and adopted)
- go to a function in the White House
- take a mud bath
- ride in a fighter jet f-22 raptor
- play in a poker tournament

Where did the money go?

2009-03-16T23:55:00.003-05:00

I realize that I'm no Einstein or Alan Greenspan for that matter... but I have just one question about this whole economy thing. Where did all the money go?

As I understand it, our economy is circular... meaning money goes from people to businesses back to people. Isn't that basically how it works? So how are we losing so much money as a nation? Where the hell is all of it going? Are rich people hoarding it? Did we give it away to other countries and if so, how come the world economy is crumbling? Did the money pull a Houdini and just f'ing disappear? Wheeereee is the mooooonnnneeyyy?!

The one thing I know for sure is that it ain't in my bank account.

I just don't get it.

Cook This! Traditional Shepherd's Pie

2009-03-15T21:24:00.004-05:00

Mummy Boome's Traditional Shepherd's Pie
by Danny Boome

Holy smokes this is good! If you're in need of comfort food, for whatever reason, this is a dish to make. Beef? Good. Garlic & Veggies? Good. Mashed Potatoes? Soooo Gooood.

Once again, I had to cut the recipe in half. I usually only cook for 2 people and still end up with left overs. This recipe, as is, makes 8 servings. I cut most things in half and still got about 4 maybe even 5 servings. I also substituted Shredded Parmesan for the Cheddar cheese in the mashed potatoes... only because I already had a ton of it at home and didn't want to spend the extra money, but I'm sure the cheddar tastes just as good.

People always complain about British food, but I'll tell you what... if everything else in London tastes this yummy, I will have no problems going there!

Tip: I like chopping vegetables, but if you don't, Trader Joe's has a wonderful container of chopped Carrots, Onions and Celery all ready to go. Perfect for this dish and any soups you want to make.

Could it be any more annoying?

2009-03-12T21:22:00.003-05:00

Here's a story for you:

So... a few weekends ago, I flew back to Oakland from LA on Southwest Airlines. Everyone knows that Southwest is first-come/first-serve seating. I was in Group B and there was a woman in front of me who was talking on her cell phone with one hand and holding a couple of shopping bags in the other.

As we board the plane, still talking on the phone, she decides she wants the middle seat of the 2nd row we walk by. (btw, who actually wants to sit in the middle seat? weird). She asks the lady sitting in the aisle seat to get up so she can squeeze in. And instead of telling the person she's talking to on the phone that she needs to go, she continues talking while holding two shopping bags in her other hand while also awkwardly trying to get into the middle seat.

The lady in the aisle seat was eating McDonald's when she was asked to get up, and forgot to pick her drink up off the floor. Well sure enough, cell phone lady knocked her drink over while trying to sit down. She bends down, picks up what was left of the drink and goes to the lady "is this yours?" Aisle seat lady nods her head with clear annoyance on her face and takes the half empty cup.

Then... cell phone lady looks down at her feet and says to aisle seat lady (and the rest of us standing in line behind her waiting to go down the aisle and find our own seats) "you know what? I'm not gonna sit here anymore 'cause now the floor is wet." Ugh! C'mon lady. Way to hold up the line. So annoying.

The thought of this story has inspired me to do a list. (yay!)

Things That Couldn't Be More Annoying:

- People who walk too closely behind you while you're walking down the street. Seriously? Do you have to walk that close to me. I feel like I'm being stalked or something... back up or go around me please.

- People who board the train too slowly. There's a gabillion people trying to get on this train right behind you. Do not stand in the doorway surveying the train car as you decide which way to walk. Just go in.

- People who listen to music through the speakers on their phone. Especially in the morning on the train. It's 7:45am and the last thing I wanna do is listen to your trifling music. Can't you tell by the grimace on my face that I'm not a morning person?

- People who use the drive thru and don't know what they want when they get up to the order speaker thingy. Seriously? Go inside and stare at the menu please... there is a reason the rest of us didn't feel like getting out of our cars.

- Getting a chocolate bar out of the vending machine only to realize that it has those gross white spots all over it from sitting in there too long and going bad. Grrrr...

- People who still write out checks at the store. I mean really...

- Phone numbers that show up as "unavailable" on my cell phone. If you don't want me to know who you are, then why are you calling me?

- Facebook notification emails that so-and-so also made a comment on so-and-so's status. 9 times out of 10, I don't even know so-and-so #1 or their relationship to my friend and really don't care what they have to say.

- Music and movie snobs who are anti-anything popular and claim to only love "indie" stuff. Oh please. Get over yourself... there's a reason why it's #1... 'cause it's good!

- Having to pay the non-club price at the grocery store because I forgot my club card. D'Oh!

- Paula Abdul. Ha!

- Trying to use a pen that has no ink when signing your credit card receipt. Why can't they ever have pens that work?

- Passwords. Omg, there's an f'ing password for everything now... and you have to change it like every 5 minutes. There are some accounts I have that I just end up having to change my password on every time I log in because I can never remember the damn thing. Butt annoying.

- Iced Coffee cups that sweat. Why is there so much friggin' condensation on the outside of the cup after just like 10 minutes. Jeez.

- Having to go to the gym. No one really has the time and it just takes so much bloody effort.

- Seeing the Girl Scouts selling their scrumptious cookies at the train station and realizing that I don't have any cash to buy some.... for 2 days in a row! D'oh. Mmmm... Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Samoas.

- Realizing you forgot your iPod or your cell phone at home. Why is it that we feel absolutely helpless and distraught without them? We've become slaves to the technology and the thought of that is cumbersome.

- the way Ryan Seacrest says "THIS... is AahhhMERican Idol."

- the I Y Radio application and all of its bugs. Get if fixed already CC, I'd like to listen to Stephanie Miller and The Elvis Duran & the Z Morning Zoo shows in peace.

- Skunky beer. Hadn't had one in a while, but... so annoying when you get one.

- Daylight savings. Is it really necessary? This whole lose an hour/gain an hour thing just throws everybody off.

- Weird smells. I had to deal with BO in the elevator this morning, homeless guy smell in the park at lunch and red onion smell around my desk this afternoon. Ugh. Why can't everything smell good like roses, laundry detergent or fried chicken? jeez.

I meeeaaaannnn....

2009-03-12T10:53:00.003-05:00

Who didn't see this one coming?! I called this one the day after Sarah Palin said they were going to get married. riiiiiggghhht.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bristol Palin & Fiancé Split
By Lorenzo Benet

The split happened "a few weeks ago," according to a source close to the couple, but it's unclear what precipitated it. "It was a mutual thing," adds the source.

"I'm not sure what caused [them to break up] – it's common knowledge," says another source who knows the family.

full story here on People.com

--------------------------------------------------------
I know what caused them to break up... they're 17! Levi never wanted to be a baby daddy... let alone get married. He wants to play hockey, get hammered with his boys and bang a lot of other girls (hopefully using protection this time). He's a young guy... this is what they do. So much for the party of Family Values...

The Best Job in the World

2009-03-03T12:14:00.005-05:00

Ok, so clearly I'm not the most creative person in the world... heck... probably not even in my own neighborhood.

A while ago I saw an article on the front of Yahoo! News entitled "The Best Job in the World". Naturally, I clicked it open and proceeded to read details on a world wide search being conducted by Queensland Tourism in Australia. The Job? Get paid $150,000 AUS ($105,000 US) to be an "Island Caretaker" for 6 months on the Great Barrier Reef. I was like "are you serious? this can't be for real"... but sure enough, it was.

Appearantly, Queensland Tourism has some cash to burn and they're looking for a spokesperson for the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. It's basically an all expenses paid 6 month vacation where your job is to snorkle, island hop and explore the islands while reporting weekly via VLOG, Blog and media interviews. Oh, and you get paid a six figure salary on top of all that. Who wouldn't want that job??? All you had to do was submit a 60 second (here's the kicker) "creative" video explaining why you want the job.

I think they had in upwards of 10,000+ video submissions from all across the globe. I, of course, waited until the last minute and submited, what I thought, was a pretty good video... until I saw the others. Holy cow! People went all out for this thing... as they should have. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Queensland Tourism picked a shortlist of 10 people to make the final round of interviews... and they're in the middle of a wild card round... adding one more person to the list. Those 11 people will then be flown to Australia to interview for a week with various departments and people who already work with Queensland Tourism. From there they will make a final decision. I did not make either list, which is not surprising because my video was so nubbs in comparison to the others.

I haven't looked at all the Wild Card contestants, but have already cast my vote for one. Mitchell from Canada is currently in 3rd place. This kid wrote a musical! It's awesome and I totally think he deserves to go... for his showmanship and creativity if for nothing else.

Here's his vid:

If you'd like to see some of the others and cast a vote yourself, click here.

I've definitely learned a few lessons from this:

1. Don't wait until the last minute to get stuff done

2. Do lots and lots of research

3. Always bring your 'A' game and think outside the box

4. I need a Macbook Pro like right now

Bitch Session: It's un-American and that's that.

2009-03-02T13:13:00.006-05:00

Ya know, the Republicans have some nerve. All over the news today are reports from that Republican "let's get our sh*t together and try to come up with something" conference they had this weekend.

And, of course, front and center is Republican Overpaid Fat-Faced Douche-bag Poster Boy, Rush Limbaugh. (okay Repubs... you go ahead and keep claiming that he is not a leader in your party... I'm sure I believe that.) Twice now, Rush has verbalized the words "I hope the President fails."

Are you kidding me?! Where is the outrage people?! It is, without question, completely un-American to say such a thing... to say you HOPE the President fails... actually rooting AGAINST the President.

You can disagree with him all you want, and even think he is doing a terrible job, that's the beauty of American politics. But to say things like you hope he fails and you hope everyone else does too is an outrage. If a lefty pundit, let's say Stephanie Miller or Rachel Maddow, had said this while George Bush was in office, there would have been a firestorm in the media. They would have been called America Hating terrorists and all the right wing loonyes like Rush, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly (yes Bill, you're a right wing looney... you're not fooling anyone) would have called for them to be exiled!

How Rush can get away with this anti-American slander is beyond me.

I thought George Bush was a disaster and I disagreed with 99.9% of his positions and policies... but I never once had the thought "I hope he fails." Why? Because if the President fails, then the country fails you douche-bag! But Rush is sitting on a $400 million dollar contract from Clear Channel (the morons) so why should he be concerned about the rest of the country. Dick.

The Oscars

2009-02-23T01:17:00.006-05:00

A few quick thoughts ('cause I'm really tired and must go to bed) on tonight's Oscars.

- So happy that Kate Winslet won! I Y her.

- Hugh Jackman is delicious.

- The Director's quick shots of Brad & Angelina looking on while Jennifer Aniston did her bit on stage was so predictable.

- Yay! It's Alicia Keys! I Y her.

- Sean Penn... well deserved.

- What is this Slumdog Millionaire everyone keeps talking about? (kidding)

- Why is Miley Cyrus at the Oscars? Furthermore... what the hell is she wearing?

- Zach Efron's stylist should be fired. He looked gross.

- Ben Stiller is a funny dude

- Hugh was great, but Chris Rock is still my #1 seed for Host... followed closely by Ellen.

- Hugh Jackman is delicious. Oh yeah, already said that.

99 things no one probably cares about except me...

2009-02-20T19:58:00.012-05:00

1. How old will you be in five years?
Ugh, 36. Seriously though?

2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
Richard and Lindsay, we know how to procrastinate with each other like no one else.

3. How tall are you?
with or without shoes?

4. What are you looking forward to most in the next 6 weeks?
Well, the only thing I have planned is my quick trip to L.A. next weekend for my birthday, so I guess that's it.

5. What’s the last movie you saw?
"Taken". Who knew Liam Neeson was such a bad-ass?

6. Who was the last person you called?
My doctor's office, but I was on hold for 20 min so I hung up. Will try again Monday.

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Umm... looks like it was my dad.

8. What was the last text message you received?
[blank]... my mother hasn't quite figured out how to send txt messages yet.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Well, that would be the last person who called... so... again, my dad

10. Do you prefer to call or text?
Txt Msg! I hate talking on the phone... would much rather talk to you in person.

11. Have you ever had drink come out your nose?
Sure

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
they were/have been/are

13. When is the last time you saw your mum?
about 20 minutes ago as she went upstairs to her room.

14. What color are your eyes?
Chestnut Brown... dead sexy!

15. What time did you wake up today?
too early to tell

16. What are you wearing right now?
PJs!

17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Carol of the Bells by Trans-siberian Orchestra. The Destiny's Child version is pretty good too.

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
not at work

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
ummm... see previous answer

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
why can't I go anywhere?

21. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
who the f knows!

22. Do you tan or burn?
Tan... quite nicely thank you (and rather quickly!)

23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
Spiders. One morning I woke up and actually saw one crawl out from under my pillow... it was horrifying.

24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
Richard's joke at Happy Hour today about D-Rod and the Taiwanese jacket

25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Four. And there are only two of us that live here. Go figure.

26. How big is your bed?
Not big enough

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer?
Stoopid Dell laptop. Blah.

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on?
Depends. 90% of the time, I wear jammies... but if it is really hot outside, I tend to go without.

29. What color are your sheets?
This week? Uhh... Ivory and Brown

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Three.

31. What is your favorite season?
Fall... best time to be in San Fran!

32. What do you like about Fall?
Pumpkins, apple picking, Football, but most importantly... Thanksgiving!

33. What do you like about winter?
Nothing! (well, my birthday is in winter, but that's about all it's good for! Oh, and College Hoops)

34. What do you like about summer?
hitting the beach, laying out and soaking up the sun... traveling

35. What do you like about spring?
Baseball

36. How many countries have you lived in?
Two

37. What cities/towns have you lived in?
Seriously? Too many to name... I'll just say lots.

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
Bare feet... but my feet get cold really easily, so I usually wear socks.

39. Are you a social person?
Yes! Love a good party

40. What was the last thing you ate?
I made Penne Rigate with Butternut Squash and Prawns for dinner. So yum.

41. What is your favorite restaurant?
Depends... but one of my top favs is Victor's in NYC (cuban)

42. What is your favorite ice cream?
Mint chocolate chip... the green kind. The white kind is gross.

43. What is your favorite dessert?
I'm not really a dessert person... I can always do without. BUT... anyone can win me over with Key Lime Pie.

44. What is your favorite kind of soup?
I Y soup. I'm really picky about it, but nothing beats a nice bowl of New England Clam Chowder (if it's made right)

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
The only kind there is... Strawberry

46. Do you like Chinese food?
Yes, even though I know I shouldn't.

47. Do you like coffee/tea?
yes and yes

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
Not nearly enough

49. What do you drink in the morning?
Half a glass of OJ to take my meds and vitamins and then a cup of coffee when I get to work.

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
If by certain you mean all over... then yes.

52. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes, just started playing Texas Hold 'Em not too long ago.

53. Do you like to cuddle?
While watching TV or a movie on the couch... sure. In bed? No way. I need space.

54. Have you ever been to Australia?
Yep!

55. Do you have an addictive personality?
Totally

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?
I'd say it's about 50/50

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
I've met a few people yes. A lot of my friends have birthdays within days of mine... February is clearly the best month!

59. Do you want kids?
Yes... almost ready

60. Do you speak any other languages?
Uhh yes... I speak Junkie (an only a few people will know what that is... it's hurrrting... but I get butt cised)

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?
Nope

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Nope

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
The ocean scares the bajeezus out of me... but I love it. There's not excitment in a swiming pool.

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seats?
Window... Exit Row please.

67. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
Food. Really good food.

68. What is your favorite TV show?
Right now or of all time? Too many to name. LOST, the L word, Grey's Anatomy, Amazing Race, Intervention and Private Practice make my short list.

69. Can you roll your tongue?
uhhh... yah

70. Who is the funniest person you know?
Becky comes in 1st place... Richard a close 2nd.

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Nah, they'd just end up on the floor anyway.

72. What is the main ring tone on your phone?
the UNC fight song

73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
Yes... and I hope one day that I'll get skinny enough to fit in them again.

74. What red object is closest to you right now?
my bandana that is on the floor. I'm scuurred to wear it though, being that I'm in California... don't wanna be mistaken for a Blood and end up getting shot in a drive by or something.

75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth?
Yes... I'm very environmentally friendly.

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Omg, closed. I can't sleep if the door is open

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
omg, neither.

78. Do you flirt a lot?
Not that I'm aware of. Though... I caught myself flirting a little the other day and giggled... didn't really mean to.

79. What’s your favorite chat up line?
whut.

80. What is your favorite food?
Fried chicken, no question

81. Can you change the oil on a car?
nope... hello, that's why God invented Jiffy Lube.

82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Yes... once down by the Pentagon even... the cop was such a jerk about it. I hate Virginia cops.

83. Have you ever run out of petrol/diesel?
Yes, and on my way to work too! It was so embarassing.

84. What is your usual bedtime?
Ha. I don't really have one, which I guess is the problem

85. What was the last book you read?
wow... I can't even remember. I have started several others since then, but haven't really read much lately. dang, that sucks.

86. Do you read the newspaper?
Yes, love to. I get the SF Chronicle free at work, so that's nice.

87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
Time Magazine... it's the balls.

89. Do you watch soap operas?
Yah, but I quit a few weeks ago... I started to get bored. But... my soap resume includes: Dallas, Santa Barbara, Days of Our Lives, Another World, Generations, Port Charles, General Hospital and All My Children.

90. Do you go to the cinema often?
Yes... almost every weekend. What else am I gonna do?

91. What radio station did you last listen to?
umm... Movin' 99.7 FM... not that I'm proud of that you understand.

92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you?
No picture frams in my room. Hmm... that's kind of sad. I should put some up.

93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper?
paper? No pen & paper... iPhone stupid!

94. What is your favorite sports team?
Red Sox, Patriots and UNC Tar Heels... duh.

95. What is your favorite board game?
Without a doubt... Stragtego. Best board game evah!

96. What song do you currently like?
Ummm... Crack a Bottle by Eminem is the first one that came to mind.

97. When was the last time you attended church?
Friday night as a matter of fact. Yeah, I went to church on a Friday. So what?

98. Who was your favorite teacher in high school?
Mr. Denison... or AE's as we called him. We all had a school girl crush on him... but I loved him because he restored my confidence as a writer after that whore, Ms. Parrott, destroyed it in 9th grade. Thank you Mr. Denison. I Y you.

99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent?
Camped in a tent? No thanks.

Mmmm, Tasty

2009-02-16T20:05:00.007-05:00

I've decided to add yet another feature to my blog... Recipe Reviews!

Now... I'm no food person, and this will not turn into a Foodie blog. I just don't have that much interest (or time really). But... I do like to cook and have sampled quite a few recipes since I started cooking a few years ago.

My interest in cooking has begun to peak again, so I thought I'd just share with you the recipes that I have tried and the ones that I like.

All my recipes come from the Food Network... mainly 4 shows: 30 Minute Meals w. Rachel Ray, Everyday Italian w. Giada De Laurentiis, Paula's Home Cooking w. Paula Deen and Tyler's Ultimate w. Tyler Florence.

Links to all the recipes will be posted to the right.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes w. Cinnamon Cream

by Paula Deen

Yum! These pancakes are made from scratch even! Loved these... they were the perfect treat for a late Sunday morning. I cut the recipe in half and ended up with 3 giant pancakes which was perfect just for me. My only tip is to use the semi-sweet chocolate chips as suggested in the recipe. I used milk chocolate (which is all I have in the cupboard) and they ended up being just a little too sweet when combined with the Cinnamon Cream.

Bitch Session: Homophobia

2009-02-16T19:50:00.004-05:00

C'mon people... it's 2009. Is it really necessary to make gross out noises when you see a man kiss another man in the preview for "I Love You, Man" at the movies?! (which, btw, looks pretty funny... how much do I love Jason Segel and Paul Rudd!)

For anyone who still finds themselves feeling uncomfortable at the sight of gay affection, I suggest you rent and watch all 6 Seasons of Queer As Folk and the L word... it won't even phase you after you get used to watching what is shown in both of those shows!

Seriously though. Get over it. 2 guys or 2 girls kissing is no big deal anymore... and you're quickly falling behind the times if you think it is.

Bitch Session: Terrance Howard is a dick!

2009-02-11T01:10:00.004-05:00

Okay... so I know the Chris Brown/Rihanna situation is still VERY new and we don't have all the details yet (and we may never get them all)... but we know this much:

Chris Brown was arrested for allegedly attacking an "unidentified woman" (now confirmed to be Rihanna) and is being charged with, at the very least, domestic violence and assault.

What has happened, if all the info out there is true, is a tragedy for both of them. It's now coming out that Chris grew up in a very violent household and it's evident that he needs some help... pronto.

But... that doesn't excuse or erase the fact THAT HE BEAT UP ON A GIRL!

When asked about the situation by Hollywood.tv, this is what dickhead, actor Terrance Howard had to say:

"It's just life man, Chris is a great guy. He'll be all right. Rihanna knows he loves her. They'll be alright. Everyone has just got to get out of their way."

It's just life? Rihanna knows he loves her? What in the hell are you talking about Terrance? Nothing about this situation is okay, you dick! He punched Rihanna in the face. I don't care how much he loves her... she should never see his trifling ass again.

I agree that the media tends to pounce on celebrities, especially at times of crisis and it would probably serve both of them better if everyone just backed off and let the police do their job... but seriously Terrance... think before you speak publicly.

Terrance Howard, you are my Donkey of the Month.

The Grammys

2009-02-09T00:05:00.006-05:00

Is it just me or does no one else care about the Grammys anymore either?

I'm watching via the west coast feed, which means everything already happened. I got spoiled by Yahoo! News and already know all the winners. (Yay Adele!) I just finished scrolling thru the red carpet galleries on AOL Music, so I've already seen what everyone was wearing.

Honestly, the only reason I have it on my TV (which is on Mute btw) is because Justin is performing with T.I and I really want to see him. BUT... I'm about to head on over to YouTube to see if someone already posted it.**

The information age + award show overload has killed this year's Grammys for me. I say, get rid of all the extraneous award shows (like the People's Choice, Blockbuster, AMAs, Golden Globes, MTV Awards, blah blah blah) and stick to the classics for a while (Oscars, Grammys and Emmys... that's it.) Maybe then people will actually be excited to watch when they come on.

Random thoughts on tonight's Grammys:

- What is the world coming to when they have Stevie Wonder singing a Jonas Brothers song. wtf. I, for the life of me, don't get the whole Jonas Brothers phenomenon. Yea, they're really cute, but their music sucks. But okay, they're the "it" boys of the moment... so put 'em on stage with a legend and see if they can keep up. The least they can do, though, is make them sing a Stevie song. Jeez...

- Yay for Jennifer Hudson! She has now won a Grammy and an Oscar. You go gurl! Beyonce better watch out... she once said that she wanted to be the first black woman to win an Oscar, a Tony and a Grammy... but uhhh... I think Jennifer might win that race! (seeing as how she has 2 of the 3 and Beyonce only has 1)

- Katy Perry has a great song ("I Kissed A Girl"), but she's an awkward performer... I think she needs some practice.

- With the exception of a few, Hollywoodites look a Hot Mess! Oh my gawd, what are some of these people thinking? Especially Paula Abdul... she did not look good.

**Looks like I caught it in the nick of time! Someone DID post the Justin/T.I perfomance and sure enough, as soon as I finished watching the vid, I hit refresh and a new notice popped up saying the video had been removed for copyright infringement. Ha! Well at least I got my peek. Now I can go to bed.

Candylicious

2009-02-08T02:42:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while, my Grandma will send me care packages. I used to get them from her regularly while I was in college. There's nothing better than Grandmas, I tell ya.

Anyhoo... when I was a kid, my favorite candy of all time was Skittles. I would ask for them and eat them ALL the time. I loved them... borderline obsessed with them I think. For some reason, that has stuck with my Grandma, and to this day, whenever I get a care package, you can bet there is always a bag of Skittles in there... waiting for me to attack it.

A few weeks ago, she sent me two HUGE bags of Skittles (huge). I decided to take them into work and share the joy with my work friends... and it has since made me the most popular girl in school.

Two of my more favorite people at work and I got to talkin' about our favorite candies as a kid and a flood of memories came rushing back. I have really sensitive teeth and get cavities very easily, so I don't eat a whole lot of candy, but... I will indulge if the mood suits me. Here are some of my favorites (other than Skittles of course):

btw - have you seen that show on Food Network called Unwrapped? It's hosted by that guy who used to be on Double Dare on Nikelodeon. Every once in a while they'll do a show on America's candies and it's fascinating.

- Reece's Pieces: Love these! OMG... I can devour these without thinking. Everytime I see ET, I wanna run and get a bag of Reece's Pieces. (the peanut butter cups come in close 2nd, though I can't eat as many of those as I can the Pieces)

- Chewy Sweet Tarts: my friend Cathy got me started on these. In college, she used to always get the 4 pack of the super large ones and would munch on those while we watched TV or something. Soon enough, I joined in on the Chewy Sweet Tart goodness.

- Chewy Sprees: so much better than regular sprees. I like chewy candy.

- Twizzlers: These are my go to at the movie theater. As a matter of fact, I devoured a bag just this afternoon. I don't like popcorn, but can be pleased with a bag of Twizzlers while watching the previews.

- Jolly Ranchers: I don't care what Dane Cook says... Sour Apple IS the best flavor.

- Starburst: These used to be my #2 seed, until Carson Daly became a spokesperson and ruined everything.

- Smartees: My friend reminded me that the white "mysterious" flavor is the best kind. It always tasted like pineapple to me.

- Peanut M&Ms: my first chocolate candy on the list. I like chocolate, but am much more of a fruity candy kind of girl. Plain M&Ms are only good if they've been in the freezer for a while.

- Almond Joy: coconut, almonds & chocolate. Need I say more?

Bitch Session: Too cool for school

2009-02-05T19:34:00.004-05:00

You know, I'm really sick of all the people who think they are too cool to do the "25 Things" meme on Facebook and try to make those of us who have done it feel like idiots.

It's one thing if you don't have time or simply just don't want to. Fine. Don't do it. I don't care one way or the other. But don't act like it's the stupidest thing you've ever seen. AND please don't come at me with your whole "it's so self indulgent" routine.

Are you kidding me? But not as self indulgent as your own Facebook page, right? Where you update your status 3 times a day and think that everyone really gives a crap that you just ate a bagel from Starbucks and it didn't taste very good?! Puh-lease.

That's what Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and all the other useless networking sites are. The land of self-indulgence. Everyone loves to talk about themselves (hence the 100+ million Facebook users)... but appearantly only a few of us aren't ashamed to admit it.

It's like all those people who think they are the Word Police and complain about stuff on the radio. If you don't like it, change the channel and don't listen. If you don't like Facebook memes... don't read them and just ignore your friends' requests for you to participate, it's that easy. But also don't act like you're too cool to do it after you've just updated your status, telling everyone that your dog peed on your shoes. Ugh.

Bitch session #1: Dumb Ass Parents

2009-02-02T23:06:00.004-05:00

Introducing a new regular post on my blog... "Bitch Sessions"! Quick little posts where I get to bitch about whatever I want without a lot of explaination or analysis... which is how I usually tend to write.

Tonight's topic: Lady who recently gave birth to Octuplets and now has 14 children under the age of 8 years old.

Oh, and did I mention she's a single mother?!! Are you freakin' kidding me? "Hello China, this is the US calling... can you brief us on your procedures for stopping idiots from having children."

I mean seriously...

And now she wants to star in her own TV show about raising children?! She's hired a publicist and everything. O.M.G.

I'm not usually one for capital punishment, but... NIH and the Feds need to rush into this looney toon's hospital room immediately and sear off her fallopian tubes with a blow torch. No more babies for this moron.

One Word

2009-01-27T11:52:00.004-05:00

Another Facebook meme... I'm just all about 'em these days.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
~ Where is your cell phone? Bag

~ Your significant other? what?

~ Your hair? Nappy

~ Your mother? Working

~ Your father? East

~ Your favorite thing? Food

~ Your dream last night? Forgot

~ Your favorite drink? Coffee

~ Your dream/goal? Movies

~ What room are you in? Cubicle

~ Your hobby? Laughing

~ Your fear? Lonliness

~ Where do you want to be in 6 years? Settled

~ Where were you last night? Home

~ Something that you aren't? Wealthy

~ Muffins? Yes

~ Wish list item? Macbook

~ Last thing you did? Email

~ What are you wearing? Clothes

~ TV? Yes

~ Your pet? None

~ Friends? Awesome

~ Your life? Fun

~ Your mood? Content

~ Missing someone? Totally

~ Drinking? Coffee (duh.)

~ Your car? Little

~ Something you're not wearing? Coat

~ Your favorite store? Target

~ Your favorite color? Green

~ When is the last time you cried? Months

~ My favorite place to eat? Chipotle

~ Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? Bermuda

25 Things About Me

2009-01-26T23:22:00.004-05:00

This meme is actually going around on Facebook right now, but I've decided it would be good content for here... especially since I seem to be having trouble posting here regularly these days. So... here are 25 random things about me that you may (or may not) find interesting. Ha! :o)
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1. My cousin and I have the exact same moles on our hands... on the front of the pinkie and on the back of the middle finger. Mine are on my right hand, his are on his left. Our mothers are identical twins.

2. I learned how to count to 10 in French, Spanish and Japanese all in the 2nd grade.

3. I have an addictive personality. If I like something, I tend to consume as much of it as I can until I don't like it anymore or at least become neutral to it.

4. I was born with a set of fused teeth. When it fell out, only 1 normal tooth grew in it's place... so I'm permanently missing a tooth.

5. I don't like reading as much as I wish I did.

6. Money in my wallet always has to be neat and orderly... with all the bills facing the same direction and in order from greatest to the least.

7. I hate talking on the phone, but I love txting.

8. I wear a size 11 shoe (size 9 in Men's)

9. I used to only wear Men's clothes... now I don't even go in the Men's dept. (unless I'm buying tennis shoes)

10. I hate women's tennis shoes... I only wear Men's.

11. I always cry at the end of Rocky movies (shut up!)

12. I once punched a kid in the stomach in 5th grade... he wouldn't stop calling me "Too Tall Jones"

13. I wanted to be a Rock Star when I grew up (I still do!)

14. I'm excited to one day be a Mom and an Aunt

15. I became a Godmother at age 12

16. I have been watching General Hospital since the 8th grade

17. I started watching soaps in the 5th grade so I could fit in with the other girls who always talked about them at recess.

18. I have a crush

19. Besides getting a paycheck... I really don't like working

20. I always get either a Triple Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte or a Grande Americano at Starbucks. (sometimes I'll mix it up with a RedEye if I'm really tired)

21. I really miss DC

22. I prefer Adidas over Nike

23. I like my eggs scrambled

24. I had a green belt in karate

25. It took me way longer to come up with 25 random things than I thought.

Divine Destiny

2009-01-19T02:50:00.004-05:00

Most of you know that I'm not a particularly religious person. Spiritual, yes... but as the years have gone by, I've come to lose faith in the institution of organized religion as a whole.

However, I do believe in a higher power and I believe in destiny and divine purpose. I'd like to think that we all have a reason for being here... that we're all supposed to accomplish something and make our mark on society in someway before we die. I have always believed this, though I've struggled to explain it in the past when challenged by some who don't believe.

But... the event that is about to take place tomorrow, the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, reaffirms my belief that some things are just meant to happen... that there is a destiny, a plan laid out for each and every one of us... and will, God willing, in time, be fulfilled.

Even if you don't believe, these facts alone should give you some pause:

- It is no coincidence that Barack Obama, the first African American chosen to lead a major national political party, gave his acceptance speech as the Democratic Presidential nominee on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech... a date chosen by the democratic party just 5 years earlier when Barack Obama was an unknown small time senator from Illinois and hadn't even thought about running for President yet.

- It is no coincidence that the Inauguration of the 44th President falls on the day after we, as a nation, celebrate the life and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr... the man who fought for equality and dreamed and spoke of this very day happening over 40 years ago.

- It is no coincidence that 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)

- and it is no coincidence that Barack Obama started his political career in Springfield, Illinois. There was a race riot in Springfield 100 years ago that sparked the creation of the NAACP.

I don't care who you are or where you stand on the political spectrum... the significance of tomorrow can not be lost on you. Every American should stand proud at 12:01 EST tomorrow... just look what we have done.

One of the funniest things I've read in a loooonggg time

2009-01-16T00:20:00.004-05:00

WARNING: If you're sensitive or don't like "toilet" humor, this isn't the post for you.

If, like me, you have the comedic maturity of a 7 year old... then read on!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to Poop at Work...

We've all been there but don't like to admit it..
We've all kicked back in our cubicles and suddenly felt something brewing down below. As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the *WORK POOP* is inevitable. For those who hate pooping at work, following is the Survival Guide for taking a dump at work.

*CROP DUSTING*
When farting, you walk really fast around the office so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff, but doesn't know where it came from. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart has been expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to make sure the smell has left your pants.

*FLY BY*
The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in and c heck for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a *FREQUENT FLYER* People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.

*ESCAPEE*
A fart that slips out while taking a pee or forcing a poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of embarrassment. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are a man and are standing next to the farter in the urinal, pretend you did not hear it. No one likes an escapee. It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.

*JAILBREAK*
When forcing a poop, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic. Remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.

*COURTESY FLUSH*
The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poop hits the water. This reduces the amount of air time the poop has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the *WALK OF SHAME*.

*WALK OF SHAME*
Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk up the bath room.. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be avoided with the use of the *COURTESY FLUSH*.

*OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER*
A colleague who poops at work and is Doggone proud of it. You will often see an Out Of The Closet Pooper enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under their arm. Always look around the office for the Out Of The Closet Pooper before entering the bathroom.

*SAFE HAVENS*
A seldom used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooper of your sex entering the bathroom.

*TURD BURGLAR*
Someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the *Turd Burglar* leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.

*CAMO-COUGH*
A phony cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom t hat you are in a stall. This can be used to cover-up a *WATERMELON*, or to alert potential *TURD
*BURGLAR*. Very effective when used in conjunction with a *SHIRLEY TEMPLE*.

*SHIRLEY TEMPLE*
A subtle toe-tapping that is used to alert potential *TURD BURGLARS*that you are occupying a stall. This will remove all doubt that the stall is occupied. If you hear a *SHIRLEY TEMPLE*, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooper can poop in peace.

*WATERMELON*
A poop that creates a loud splash when hitting the toilet water. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a Watermelon coming on, create a diversion. See *CAMO-COUGH*.

SOME VARIETIES OF POOP YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF:
*The King Poop*
This kind is the kind of poop that killed Elvis. It doesn't come until you're all sweaty, trembling and purple from straining so hard.

* Bali Belly Poop*
You poop so much you lose 5 lbs.

*Cement Block*
You wish you'd gotten a spinal block before you poop.

*Cork Poop*
Even after the third flush, it's still floating in there. How do I get rid of it? This poop usually happens at someone else's house.

*The Bungee Poop*
The kind of poop that just hangs off your rear before it falls into the water.

*The Crippler*
The kind of poop where you have to sit on the toilet so long your legs go numb from the waist down.

*The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang*
The kind of poop that hits you when you're trapped in your car in a traffic jam.

*The Party Pooper*
The giant poop you take at a party. And when you flush the toile t, you watch in horror as the water starts to rise...

NOW EVERYONE TRY TO GO POOP IN PEACE

QUIT LAUGHING... POOPING IS A NATURAL PROCESS

Hallelujah!

2009-01-12T20:00:00.005-05:00

It really is a "New Day". President Bush gave his final press conference this morning... a sort of "my presidency in review" thing. As usual... not much was said.

When asked, for the gabillionth time, if he thinks he made any mistakes over the course of the last 8 years, President Bush did what he has never done before... he admitted some. (gasp!)

Maybe it was the realization that in 7 days time, he will no longer be responsible for the lives of 300+ million. I guess it's the same as anyone's last day at work... you start to reflect on your time at the office and you tend to overlook those particular rough spots (which would be about 90% of the last 8 years for good ol' G. Dubb).

In his speech, he said that history will tell the story of his presidency, better than he can, and (he hopes with all his might) will justify the things that he's done. None of us can say if this is true or not. I guess when I'm 80 years old (that's 50 years from now), we'll find out.

But the one thing I can say to Dubbya for sure at this moment is "thanks for a whole lotta nuthin'. Peace out my man... don't let the door hitchya!"

It's been real
It's been fun(ny)
But in no way, shape or form has it been real fun. (although, at times, has been real funny)

Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome, with open arms, President Barack Obama!
(thank you Jesus!)

2008 Year in Review

2009-01-05T20:19:00.009-05:00

I know this comes a few days late... but I needed some time to reflect on the year that was Two Thousand and Eight. Plus... I was out of town on holiday and couldn't muster up the energy to do much of anything.

Since I only have 10 minutes until it's quittin' time... here's a brief wrap up of how my year went:

(btw, if you recall, my New Year's Theme for 2008 was "Make It Happen"... you can be the judge of how well I did.)

JANUARY:

Slow start... not much happened that I can recall.

FEBRUARY

February is always a good month for me... if for no other reason than I get to take a day off from work and celebrate my birthday! I turned the big 3-0 in 2008 and celebrated in the best way possible... 6 single ladies, all my closest friends and 4 crazy nights in Las Vegas! Woop woop! It was definitely one of my best trips ever and a birthday I won't soon forget.

MARCH:

March saw my first of 3 trips back to the East Coast. I went home to Boston and my family threw a surprise 80th birthday party for my Grandma, which turned out to be a smashing success. I got to show off my video production skills by putting together a special "This Is Your Life" film for the event and my family successfully kept the party a secret for almost a whole year! Grams was totally surprised and the whole thing turned out awesome.

APRIL:

Another trip! This time to San Diego. One of my bestest friends in the whole world was on the West Side for a medical conference and invited me to come down and spend a few days with her. A free place to stay and a $99 roundtrip airline ticket = Good times!

MAY:

Yep... more traveling! This was my 2nd trip to Las Vegas... this time to see Alicia Keys in concert courtesy of my Mom as a birthday gift. It just so happens that my good friend Stephen was in Vegas that weekend too for his brother's bachelor party, so good times were definitely in store. I think I was only there for 36 hours, but I had so much fun. This trip confirmed that crazy things do happen in Vegas... and I Y it.

JUNE:

On their way back from Australia, my Aunt and counsins stopped in SF for a few days to pay a visit. Summer time is usually a bit chilly, but it was nice to play tour guide and see some of the sights.

JULY:

More visitors! One of my other bestest friends ever, Nili, and her boyfriend Josh came to SF. Playing tour guide gives me a chance to go out and do things I don't normally do... which is great. And with them in town... I discovered Cha Cha Cha's, a super yummy Tapas restaurant down in the Mission that is now on my "must do when friends are in town visiting" list. Oh, and I also discovered Franchino's in North Beach... also on the list.

AUGUST:

My 2nd trip back to the East Coast. This time I headed to DC for the Virgin Mobile Festival! I have gone to this concert every year since it began in 2006, so I couldn't stop now. This was probably my least favorite lineup of all of them, but it was still hella fun to be there. And I will most likely go again in 2009... maybe.

SEPTEMBER:

Pay off major credit card? Check! Raise credit score? Check! Woo hoo... In September, I paid off one of my 5 major credit cards and reduced my overall debt significantly. It was a great feeling to do that. 1 down... 4 to go!

OCTOBER:

status quo - not much happened

NOVEMBER:

Thanksgiving in Aspen! Another bestest friend invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her at her law firm's condo in Aspen. Who's gonna turn that down??? Not me! So... I hopped on a jet plane, headed to Denver and we drove out to Aspen for Thanksgiving weekend. 4 days in a beautiful condo in downtown Aspen, eating at yummy restauarants, playing in the snow and learning to snowboard made for an awesome trip. The what was supposed to have only been 3 hours but turned into a 10 hour car ride back to Denver kinda stunk... but it makes one helluva story!

DECEMBER:

Another set of visitors (my good friend Stephen and his girlfriend Austin) and my final trip of the year as I head home for Christmas in Boston. I timed this trip out to work perfectly so that I got nearly 11 days off of work, yet only had to take 3 vacation days! wicked. It was so cold and frigid in Boston... but was great to see the family. I came back feeling rested and ready for the new year.

So how do you think I did? I think I had an amazing year! And while I didn't accomplish the one major thing I wanted (getting into UCLA Business school), I still did my best to experience the year as fully as I could.

So... it's now 2009. I have no idea what's in store for me and funny enough... nothing much planned thus far. I'm looking at a potential trip to DC in February and one to St. Louis for a wedding in May/June. Other than that... I'm just gonna go with the flow.

I'll find out in the spring if I get acccepted into Film School (which will be major news either way)... and will potentially have me moving to LA in the fall.

My friend Richard helped me with my New Year's Theme this year. It's now always gonna be a two parter... my life theme from here on out will always be "Let the Good Time Roll" and I'll tack a new theme each year to the front of that. So... for 2009, it's:

"Keep it Movin' & Let the Good Times Roll."

I like it! Here's wishing for the best for all of us and a great 2009! Cheers!

2008-12-26T17:44:00.003-05:00

I'm on hiatus until January 5th 2009. Wishing you all a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa.

Thanks for being such loyal readers.

Please have a fun and safe New Year's celebration. All the best to come in 2009.

Oh put a sock in it already!

2008-12-19T11:49:00.002-05:00

This is an open message to all the left wing crazies and all the right wing crazies who are getting their panties in a twist over every single move that President-Elect Barack Obama makes...

Shut up!

Seriously. The gay community is outraged over the selection of Rick Warren for the Inauguration, they think he's too homophobic. The environmentalists are outraged over the selection of Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior, they think he's too much of a centrist. The Repubs are outraged over Rahm Emanuel, whom they regard as a left wing looney and not enough GOP members in his cabinet.

I mean really... give the man a break. Did any of you listen to his message for the last 2 years? Barack Obama is doing what many have failed to do in the past... he is leading by example. He spoke time and time again about the need to find ways to work with people from both parties and all diversities.

He spoke numerous times of how, we as a country and as individuals, need to learn to work with people whom we don't necessarily agree with 100%... to find the common ground that we all share and go from there. So far... Obama has proven to be a man of his word by filling his Administration with people from all backgrounds and beliefs... even those that have strongly disagreed with him in the past.

Am I troubled by his selection of Rick Warren? Yes, of course. I am troubled by anyone who doesn't believe in equality for gays and gay rights and speaks so harshly against gay issues. But you know what... find me a prominent religious leader who isn't against gay marriage. Rick Warren isn't going to Washington to advise Obama on gay rights issues or to fight legislation in any of the states for gay marriage. He's going to Washington to bless our new President and ask God to protect and watch over him and this country... and as long as he sticks to that script, I can't be against him for that.

Listen... he could have chosen Rev. Wright instead! Think what a fire-storm that would have been! (actually, I would have found that extremely hilarious if he had done so!)

As for Ken Salazar and Rahm Emanuel... why can't we just wait and see what kind of job they do under Obama's guidance?! We selected Barack Obama to be the leader of this nation and by doing so, have commited to trusting him and the decisions he has to make. He's not even in office for cryin' out loud and we're already prosecuting him!

Give the man a break.

I love this place!

2008-12-11T23:03:00.002-05:00

See... this is how UNC students get down in the library preparing for Final Exams... Y it!

Just a list

2008-12-08T18:02:00.005-05:00

So last year, months before my 30th birthday, I came up with a list of "30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30" (an idea stolen from my friend Carol who had a "40 Things Before 40" list).

I haven't gone back recently to see exactly how many things I got done, but I know for sure it wasn't all of them. I'd say maybe 1/3rd.

While the concept was great, the pressure to get all of those things done sort of took the fun out of it and because I didn't get to complete the list, it's now looked upon, by me, as sort of a let down.

So... with my next birthday looming and my next milestone birthdays in the not too far, but far enough to not think about right now distance, I've decided to just do a list. No time limit... just a list of some things I'd like to do in this lifetime. I'm sure (and I hope) these things will change over time and the list will continue to grow as the years pass by.

And... if any of you want to do some of these with me, let me know! Life is more fun when shared with friends... :)

go skiing/snowboarding in the swiss alps
summit mt. kilimanjaro
get a motorcylce license
write a song
be on a crazy japanese game show
write a book and get published
be in a movie
go on a spiritual retreat in india
ride a bull
go ice fishing in alaska
run naked through the tulip fields in holland (yep, I said naked. My friend Robin did it this past summer and it sounds like such fun!)
go to octoberfest in germany
go to carnival in brazil
take part in a native american drum circle (this one is highly unlikely as those seats, by tradition, are reserved for men only... but maybe that will change)
skydive
work on a broadway show
ride in a helicoptor
waterski
ride a jetski
ride a dog sled in alaska
sit courtside at a nba game
go to a superbowl
go to a world series
go to wimbeldon
go to the olympics
go to a ncaa final four
spend 3 days on a remote island, alone, with no tv, phone, internet or newspapers
meditate with budhist monks in tibet
go on safari in kenya
work on an international habitat for humanity build
go to the carnes film festival
scubadive the great barrier reef
hug a lion/tiger (feeding/holding a baby cub counts. I've already done this, but it was so magical, I want to do it again.)
have kids (my own and adopted)
go to a function in the White House
take a mud bath
ride in a fighter jet f-22 raptor
play in a poker tournament

Now THAT's a WMD!

2008-12-05T18:29:00.002-05:00

She may no longer be Hollywood's highest paid actress, but Reese Witherspoon still takes the spotlight... with her chin!

Someone pointed this out to me a few years ago and I can't help but marvel at it every time I see a picture of her. Reese Witherspoon has the biggest/most defined chin I've ever seen on a woman. It's crazy! Once you notice it, you'll never look at her the same. Look at that thing!

LOL...

btw - she's only getting $14 million per movie now... aww...

Reason #554 why I will never settle down in the south...

2008-12-04T15:46:00.002-05:00

Vermont called healthiest state, Louisiana last
By Will Dunham
Thu Dec 4, 11:00 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Louisiana has displaced Mississippi as the unhealthiest U.S. state and other Southern states were close rivals due to high obesity and smoking rates in new rankings that deemed Vermont the healthiest.

Many Southern states were clustered near the bottom of the rankings. The region has some of the highest rates of obesity, which contributes to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer, as well as high rates of smoking, which causes cancer, lung disease, heart disease and other problems.

It was the second straight year that Vermont topped the rankings. It was followed by Hawaii, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Utah, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Idaho and Maine.

Louisiana fell from 49th to 50th, replacing Mississippi. Rounding out the bottom 10 were South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nevada and Georgia.

full story here on Yahoo! News

Grrr... I'll get you next time Aspen Mtn, next time!

2008-12-03T19:44:00.009-05:00

Snowmass Mountain 1, KJ 0

So in keeping with my 2008 New Year's Theme, "Make it Happen", I did something this Thanksgiving that I've never done before. That's right... your girl, me, surfed the mountain... glided on the powder... did kool s8r boi tricks. I snowboarded!

My friend Cath got the hookup with her law firm's condo in Aspen for the holiday weekend and invited me to come along. Hell yes! So I hopped on a Jet plane Thanksgiving morning and made my way out there. So much fun to be had!

I've always thought of Aspen as this sort of magical getaway spot, tucked away in the mountains... a playground for the rich & famous if you will. And boy, it did not dissappoint!

I love, love, love Aspen! The million dollar condos on the mountains, the ski shops with fancy schmancy overpriced gear and the quaint yet moderately upscale restaurants are right up my alley! Ha ha... my wallet may have said that I didn't fit in... but I felt right at home! :o)

The condo was super sweet. 2Br/2Bth... fully stocked kitchen... fireplace... big flat screen tv and a breakfast balcony that overlooks a creek. Wonderfully cozy... the perfect get-away spot.

Cath is a really good skiier and I am not. I've only been maybe 4 or 5 times in my entire life and the last time I went, it took me 45 minutes to get down the green/beginner level slope. (I can ski the bunny hill like a champ, but after that... it's anyone's guess. LOL...)

So... I suspect, in an effort to even the playing field, she suggested that we both take the full day snowboarding lesson. Since neither of us had done it before... we could be awful at it together! Great idea!

So that's what we did. The package included all the gear, full day lesson and a lift ticket. Our instructor, Jay, was super cute. If he had been a little taller, I may have asked him for a private lesson later on if you know what I mean! Ha ha!

Jay was your stereotypical ski bum... but with the lifestyle made only of a dream. He teaches snowboarding at all levels in Aspen, everyday, for 4 - 5 months per year. Then... he takes private clients on surfing trips to Mexico for a month... then... he spends the rest of the year NOT working... traveling the world and surfing in Mexico and South America. Can you believe it?! wft am I doing stuck in an office, sitting at a desk behind a computer all day?! Crazy... and awesome.

I learned a lot on this trip, but the biggest lesson of all... snowboarding is f'ing hard!!! Omg. I sucked at it, big time, and got more and more frustrated as the day went on. Not only did I bruise my tailbone (and my ego)... but I think I may have gotten a slight concussion as well. It was a show. Snowmass Mountain definitely kicked my ass.

But I'm determined to do it again. They say the first time is really hard, the 2nd time is a little bit better and the 3rd time is a blast. So... 1 down... 2 to go! Watch out Lake Tahoe... here I come!

Bush's going out song

2008-11-22T01:43:00.006-05:00

They should play this all throughout downtown DC on Jan. 19th as the Uhaul pulls out of the White House driveway, carrying all of Bush's sh*t...

I completely forgot how much I Y Pink. She has an amazing voice and is totally underrated I think. Brilliant.

"Dear Mr. President" - P!nk

Happy Holidays from The Obamas!

2008-11-21T12:48:00.002-05:00

How can you not love this family?! :o)

"Walk it Out" like you've never seen...

2008-11-21T01:08:00.003-05:00

I got this from my friend Michael... it may be the greatest thing I've ever seen! LMAO...

the original video was obviously filmed in the 1960s and some genius saw that the choreography went with "Walk it Out" by Unk. Love it!

Things that are gross...

2008-11-16T18:45:00.002-05:00

- the Marinated Garlic Shrimp at WholeFoods. I know! Sounds yummy right... blecht, not so much. I just ate one and had to spit it out and throw the rest away... now I think I might vomit.

- vomiting

- watching someone touch someone else's feet

- teenage boys hocking lugies (how do you spell that?) on the floor at the gym. I mean really...

- chocolate frosting, chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream, chocolate frosty, chocolate shake. However, chocolate bars, chocolate cake and brownies are good.

- brussel sprouts, eggplant, egg foo young, egg drop soup, split pea soup, anchovies, caviar, meat tartar, liver, chitterlings, pig's feet and peanut butter & mayonnaise sandwiches (my mother actually eats these!)

- just about everything in Saving Private Ryan

- ear wax

- Prop 8 in California

- blond dreadlocks

- trash bags that aren't tied up and sealed shut

- the girl I saw on the train who was literally scratching her crotch and then sniffing her hand... seriously.

- crotchless panties. Not hot. Gross.

- the tramp stamp

- lip piercings

- the barista at Starbucks who looks like he never takes a shower

- licking an envelope

- Steve-O

- pigeons

- people who french kiss their dogs

- Amy Winehouse

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

2008-11-12T20:04:00.003-05:00

By Alice Walker
Nov. 5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

read the rest here on The Root.

It's a New Day

2008-11-09T20:00:00.001-05:00

Need a pick me up? Check out Will.I.Am's new joint, "It's a New Day". It's jive catchy and will have you singing the chorus by the end of the video... guaranteed! :o)

The new culture war: Blacks vs. Gays?

2008-11-07T15:46:00.007-05:00

I feel like I'm living in an alternate universe... and yet, I know that the results of November 4th, 2008 are all too real.

In one moment, I had joy and indescribable awe, that seemingly had no bounds, at our ability to put race aside and select our nation's 1st African American president, simply because it was the right thing to do. But those feelings were quickly brought down to earth as my current state of California, a state some would have regarded as the beacon of the Progressive Movement, chose... chose to do the very thing a majority of it's residents have fought against for decades... taking rights and civil liberties away from another human being.

Not just taking rights away, but actually writing it into a State Constitution, the precise documents on which the foundation of this coutry lies, that homosexuals can not and will not get the right to marry like everyone else. Having it written into the constitution that they are indeed an "other". It's a gross concept and leaves me with a sense of disgust and shame.

And then to learn that 70% of African Americans who voted in California, voted for this measure. 70%. Are you kidding me? I want to shout to each and every one of them, "what the hell is wrong with you?!" It is inconceivable to me that any person of color, any minority who has dealt with and fought against discrimination can turn around, on the same day that the wrongs of the past were made right, and do to someone else what has been done to them and their people for hundreds of years. I just can't understand it.

As an African American and as a woman, I have grown up with a keen awareness of what it's like to be considered an "other". Our ancestors, our grandparents and our parents have fought... have DIED trying to prove that "seperate but equal" is not equal at all and is just not good enough.

Though I do not agree with them, I can respect the opinon of those who do not believe in Gay Marriage for religious reasons. But if those are your reasons for voting yes on Prop 8, then you are dead wrong. Prop 8 had nothing to do with religion... it had to do with Constitutional Rights. Ever hear of a thing called "Separation of Church and State"? Saying NO to Prop 8 didn't mean you suddenly had to attend gay weddings at your church... it wasn't going to force teachers to talk about gay marriage in schools... and it wasn't asking you or requiring you to actively support the gay lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, they were not gonna force you to hang rainbow flags from your windows.

I am so disheartened by the outcome of Prop 8, and even more so by the notion that the African American community in California was largely responsible... something I still can not wrap my mind around. The media has caught on to this story and I fear that a new culture war is bubbling. I hope that this is not the case.

I know that the legal eagles of California have already begun the fight to get this overturned, and I'm confident that, in time, they will. Afterall, not too long ago, it was illegal for Blacks and Whites to get married... and society somehow came to their senses about that. Let's hope they can do the same for our gay brothers and sisters.

Remember, "Separate but Equal" is not equality at all.

PS. Oh... and don't even get me started on the proposition that was passed in Arkansas banning gay couples from adopting children. Those f**king idiots who live in that state have lost their freaking mind!

Oh no they didn't!

2008-11-05T16:41:00.002-05:00

Oh YES WE DID!!!

:o)

Dear Red States:

2008-11-04T15:57:00.002-05:00

by Melissa Kaihele Raymond

Dear Red States:

If you manage to steal this election too we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85% of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans (thanks Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirty weed they grow in Mexico

Peace out,
--Blue States

Place your bets!

2008-11-04T00:51:00.006-05:00

Welp... with T-minus just about 24 hours left, we should know by this time tomorrow night who our next president is going to be.

I don't care what anyone says... no one is still "undecided" at this point... they just don't want to tell anybody who they are voting for.

So... it all comes down to where the votes lie. Here's my prediction:

Obama: 291

McCain: 247

with McCain keeping Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida and Obama stealing Colorado, Nevada, Iowa and Virginia.

Whichever side lights your candlestick... just be sure to go out and vote tomorrow. Either way, it's going to be a historic election and you don't want to be the only one who didn't participate in making history... so Go Vote!

GObama '08!

Happy Voting. :o)

Cartoon funnies...

2008-11-02T22:04:00.003-05:00

from this week's Time Magazine.

Alaskan Shadyness

2008-10-27T17:14:00.004-05:00

What in the world is going on up in Alaska?!

If this is the kind of politics they practice up there in The Last Frontier State, then they can keep Sarah Palin. I'll take my chances with Papa Joey B.
-----------------------------------

Jury finds Stevens guilty on corruption charges
CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A jury found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska guilty Monday of all seven counts in his federal corruption trial. The jury found Stevens guilty of "knowingly and willfully" scheming to conceal on Senate disclosure forms more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from an Alaska-based oil industry contractor.

cnn.com

-------------------------------------

'Troopergate' inquiry finds Sarah Palin guilty
October 11, 2008
Tim Reid and Lucy Bannerman in Washington

Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate, unlawfully abused her power as Alaska’s governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, according to an ethics investigation released last night.

Timesonline.co.uk

Another World

2008-10-22T12:34:00.004-05:00

I recently came across what may be the saddest song I've ever heard... yet I cannot turn away from it... it's very moving.

It's called Another World by Antony & The Johnsons... a band out of NYC. Check it out. Lyrics below.

I need another place
Will there be peace?
I need another world
This one's nearly gone

Still have too many dreams
Never seen the light
I need another world
A place where I can go

I'm gonna miss the sea
I'm gonna miss the snow
I'm gonna miss the bees
I'll miss the things that grow
I'm gonna miss the trees
I'm gonna miss the sound
I'll miss the animals
I'm gonna miss you all

I need another place
Will there be peace?
I need another world
This one's nearly gone

I'm gonna miss the birds
Singing all these songs
I'm gonna miss the wind
Been kissing me so long

Another world x4

MC Maverick N' Such

2008-10-21T17:36:00.005-05:00

She won't get many nods from me, but... here's my official giving of props to Gov. Sarah Palin. She stood right in the middle of the SNL fire and held her own. While she herself wasn't very funny, the writing around her was brilliant and therefore, put her in a good light.

So... good on ya Caribou Barbie! You done good (and this skit is high-larious!)

And so it ends

2008-10-19T22:54:00.005-05:00

NOW I can finally say that the Red Sox post season is in the pooper. Oh well... guess I won't be watching the World Series this year... which is actually a good thing 'cause now I have more time to catch up on my reading and such.

Good try boys... get well Beckett, Lowell and Big Papi... we'll see ya next year.

:o(

Goooo Tar Heels Go! (clapclap... clapclap)

2008-10-16T22:07:00.006-05:00

Welp... with the Red Sox post-season in the pooper and with the Patriots barely holding on to a winning season without Tom Brady, my life as a sports fan looked rather bleak and boring for the next few months... until I read this:

College Hoops' Clear No. 1

North Carolina isn't perfect, but the Tar Heels begin the season as the huge favorite to win it all...
Top 65 Teams

Woot woot! Go Heels! Forgot about College Hoops baby, hooray! Practice starts tomorrow. :o)

9:58pm PST - slight amendment to earlier statement... looks like my declaration of the season ending for the Sox was a bit premature... true to form, they rally late in the 9th to come back, get the W and extend the series to a Game 6! Woo! I told a few people when the series began that the Sox would go down 3 games to the Rays and then they would rally to win in 7... I'm not all that confident that they'll actually do it (again) but they took one step closer tonight... hallelujah!

McCainiacs

2008-10-16T13:49:00.003-05:00

Last night, John McCain told Barack Obama and everyone else that he is proud of the people that come to his and Sarah Palin's rallies. Proud.

Oh really John... so these are the type of people you're proud of?! God help us all...

Sports analogy update

2008-10-15T23:25:00.004-05:00

Even though a CNN poll says Obama won the final debate by 58%, I'll give a field goal (3pts) to McCain, 'cause at least he had the balls to bring up the Bill Ayers thing this time (though it probably went to his detriment).

It's now 17 - 10 Obama with 4:15 in the 4th left to play. McCain just scored a 3pt field goal... Team McCain kicking off to Obama. Obama offense takes the field...

At this point, Obama has the lead. All he has to do is manage the time... wear down the clock... strong offensive line, lots of rushing drives and 3rd down conversions. If he does that well... with a few days left to go, he can take a knee coming out of the huddle and pull out the win.

GObama!

Sports analogy

2008-10-14T23:36:00.003-05:00

Someone called into The Ed Schultz Show yesterday and asked him to give a sports analogy of where the election is right now.

I wasn't too pleased with his version... so I came up with my own going into tomorrow night's debate:

It's 17 - 7 Obama, with 6:27 left to play in the 4th quarter... Barack kicks off to John McCain ... McCain gets a fair catch on his own 25 yard line... the Obama defense takes the field...

-------------------------------------------------------------

In other sporting news... looks like we're headed for a Phillies vs. Rays World Series (damn yooouu Red Sox!). Is there anyone in the country who cares about seeing Philadelphia play Tampa Bay? I don't even think the people in those cities care! Okay, maybe they do... but I'm sure the big wigs of the MLB are pissed off 'cause everyone knows that a Red Sox vs. Manny and the Dodgers series would have brought in some serious ratings... and some serious coin.

It's not over yet... my boys may still pull off a miracle... but it ain't looking good.

Now that's nifty!

2008-10-14T14:09:00.004-05:00

I don't see John McCain offering up tools and solutions like this! The chump is still spewing rhetoric instead of actual, substance filled plans.

Sheryl Crow (ObamaMama) and Dean Cain (Palin/McCain supporter) were on Larry King Live the other night. When Larry asked Dean to explain the details of McCain's plans and how they differ from Bush, he couldn't do it. He said "umm... I don't know specifically what he's gonna do... that's not my job to explain his details. I just know that I support him because I'm worried about National security." Ummm... could it be, Dean, that you don't know the specifics of McCain's plans because he doesn't have any?

When Larry put the mic on Sheryl to do the same thing for Obama, she easily listed some details about his tax plan, who is and isn't going to benefit from it and how he strongly differs from Bush on the Bush Doctrine and his ideology about Foreign Policy.

*it's fun to note that by the end of the interview, Dean Cain was doing his best to disassociate himself from Republicans. He mentioned several times that he is a registered Independent in California who just happens to support McCain and is NOT a republican. Ha ha... nice try Dean. Nice.

The choice is so clear... anyone who says that they are still undecided at this point is an idiot. I may even go as far as to say that they should have their right to vote revoked for this election... just for being so dumb and uninformed.

Things that make you go hmmm

2008-10-13T18:29:00.004-05:00

A few facts, figures and quotes that have stood out for me today:

from the October 6 issue of Time Magazine (i'm a little behind on my reading... woops.)

Q: What could you do with $700 Billion? (the current amount of the Wall St bailout?)

A1: Buy every NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball team, build each team a new stadium and pay your players $191 million a piece for a year.

A2: Create the 17th largest economy in the world - roughly equal to that of the Netherlands

Seriously?! We're spending an entire economy helping these already rich clowns get even richer and rewarding them for doing a bad job?! ugh.

"Sometimes I do feel as if people don't believe I exist. I'm probably the first person of my kind the nation has seen out there... That has been my experience my whole life... When you're a person like me, who steps outside the normal boundaries of what their life is supposed to be like ~~ say, going to Princeton ~~ you're worried that maybe you're not prepared because everybody has told you you probably won't be, and then you get there and you're like, I'm prepared... I think many of us are more prepared for certain situations than we imagine."
- Michelle Obama discussing having to shoulder the responisbility of refuting bias and being an African American woman and political figure in the national spotlight.

When discussing the recent angry mob that is turning up to Palin/McCain events and the comments they are making about Barack Obama:
"It's like open mic night at a KKK meeting!"
- Randi Rhodes of Nova M Radio

You know it's bad when

2008-10-07T23:35:00.004-05:00

... even the Republican pundits like Leslie Sanchez and Bill Bennett are slamming McCain after the debate and talking up the "other guy".

Wooooo hooo!

Obama/Biden '08

All hail Tina Fey!

2008-10-06T13:35:00.001-05:00

This is some funny ish...

Tina Fey deserves a Comedienne of the Year award for these. Bloody brilliant!

Here we go Tar Heels, here we go!

2008-10-05T21:35:00.004-05:00

Tar Heels ranked No. 22

By UNC Athletic Communications

Chapel Hill, N.C. —- The University of North Carolina football team is back in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time 2001. The Tar Heels received 196 votes to make their debut this season at No. 22 in the weekly poll.

After 8 years of mediocrity... we're finally back in the game. Thank you Butch Davis!

All things Chinese...

2008-10-02T13:13:00.002-05:00

Umm... why are we still importing things from China? Hello... anyone in Gov't reading the news as of late?

Seriously... did we not learn anything from the Chinese toy scandal a few months ago? Now we have reports showing up about Chinese milk and their frequent use of Melamine (a plastic resin and, hello, sometimes pesticide!) in dairy products. And yet here we have a chinese candy called White Rabbit Creamy Candy showing up in Conneticut and California.

Can't anyone see that the Chinese are trying to take over the world by secretly killing everyone with chemical warfare? LOL... (okay, that might be a stretch)

Honestly, though. How dumb are we? Oh that's right... G. Dubb is still our President and his clones have a chance of winning the election... pretty dumb.

Word for word

2008-10-02T00:54:00.004-05:00

I read a comment by someone today that tried to defend Sarah Palin's interview with CBS News by saying that Katie Couric is a moronic hack and doesn't know what she's doing.

Ummmmm.... whut.

Katie Couric: Why isn't it better, Governor Palin, to spend 700 billion dollars helping middle class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? Allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

Sarah Palin: That's why I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in... where it is a taxpayer's looking to bail out. But ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy... um, helping those... it's gotta be all about job creation too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reigning in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans... and trade... we've got to see trade as opportunity not as a competitive, um, scary thing... but 1 in 5 jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation... this bailout is a part of that.

Are... you... effing... kidding me? Did she even answer the question? No one can tell. It's like Rick Davis gave her flash cards with all the talking points on them 30 minutes before the interview and said "here, memorize these" and then they all just got mashed up into one extremely long run-on sentence.

Regardless of your feeling about Katie Couric and her ability (or inability) to anchor in the "hard news" format... Katie did not make Palin sputter that nonsense... Palin managed to do that all on her own.

Cream of the Crop

2008-09-28T12:05:00.003-05:00

Last night I watched In Bruges, an Irish film starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. It's about 2 hit men who botch a job in London and are sent, by their boss, to hide out in Bruges... a small town in Belgium.

The film was in theaters minimally earlier this year... and wasn't publicized very much. I'm not sure why, because it was GREAT! It had a Tarantino-esque vibe to it... you know, that sort of gritty, free hand-camera style, that's absurdly violent in some parts, and yet has dark humor wonderfully laced throughout. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend moving it to the top of your Netflix cue.

Anyhoo... Colin Farrell got me thinking. He is such a fantastic actor... very much underrated I think. And true to form, as I was thinking about this, I started making a list in my head comparing Great Actors to Good Actors to Bad Actors and all the in beTweeners.

The difference? Great Actors are few and far between. They have the unique ability to completely transform themselves in every role they play. It is pretty much guaranteed that when you see them in a film, their current character will be distinctly different from the other ones on their resume.

Good Actors, which I place the majority of them in, are the ones that make great, entertaining films. They're superstars indeed, but let's be honest... they just about play the same person in every movie, with perhaps one or two outliers. They're entertaining to watch none the less and you still like to go see their films.

Bad Actors are self explanatory. It's so easy to spot bad acting isn't it?

The Tweeners are actors who don't quite fit solidly in one category or another.

Great Actors:

Al Pacino

Colin Farrell

Don Cheadle

Ralph Fiennes

Russell Crowe

Johnny Depp

Robert Downey Jr.

Heath Ledger

Meryl Streep

Tilda Swinton

Tweener (between Good and Great):

Angelina Jolie

Natalie Portman

Jodie Foster
Cate Blanchette

Robert Di Nero

Diane Lane

Robin Williams

Robert Redford

Javier Bardem

Maggie Gyllenhall

Sean Connery

Susan Sarandon

Benecio Del Toro

Good Actors:

(most of them. I won't list them all, but just some that pop into my head)

Will Smith

Tom Cruise

Tom Hanks

Brad Pitt

George Clooney

Denzel Washington

Julia Roberts

Matthew McConaughey

Sandra Bullock

Leo DiCaprio

Kate Winslet

Samuel Jackson

Hugh Grant

Drew Barrymore

Diane Keaton

Richard Gere

Charlize Theron

Mark Whalberg

Clint Eastwood

Jake Gyllenhall

Harrison Ford

Tommy Lee Jones

Tweener (between Bad and Good, just a'ight):

Matt Damon

Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner

Kate Hudson

Nicole Kidman

Julia Stiles

Jennifer Lopez

Halle Berry

Jennifer Aniston

Demi Moore

Ashton Kutcher

Kirsten Dunst

Catherine Zeta Jones

Bad Actors:

Keanu Reeves

Sylvester Stallone

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jean Claude Van Damme

Vin Diesle

Dwayne "Rock" Johnson

dwarf in In Bruges (Jordan Prentice)

Funniest comments of the day...

2008-09-24T18:56:00.002-05:00

On the news ticker headline: McCain camp to propose postponing VP debate
Posted: 07:08 PM ET
-----------------------------------------------
FactCheck
September 24th, 2008
6:35 pm ET

Ha ha ha …. now I get it. This is so utterly ridiculous that even a 4 year old can see through this. Why bother even having debates? We can set up a bunch of 1-800 numbers, charge $1.95 per call and have Ryan Seacrest host the whole thing. McCain, you are clueless.
-----------------------------------------------
Robert in Hartford, CT
September 24th, 2008
6:31 pm ET

Lame: Congress needs McCain's help like I need my 2 year old son's help lifting a couch. It makes him feel good about himself, and important, but any mature observer knows that the 2 year old is being humored and is contributing little. McCain is asking us to smile at him, the economic two year old, while he goes to "fix" the economy.

The most shocking news of the week...

2008-09-24T00:55:00.003-05:00

NOT!

Totally underrated... totally worth seeing

2008-09-23T19:12:00.006-05:00

It took me a couple of times renting it before I actually sat down to watch it, but I finally saw Lions for Lambs this past weekend.

To my surprise... I thought it was amazing... so much so that I watched it twice!

It wasn't in the theater very long (and after you see it, you'll wonder who or what was behind that) and it got very mixed reviews (well, mostly bad reviews... only getting 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and raking in only $14mil at the box office)... but I remember being intrigued by the all-star cast of Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Remember that one? Came out last summer?

Can't tell you why I never ventured out to the theater to see it.

But... it's basically a movie about the war in Afghanistan and is told thru 3 different story lines that are linked together... a US Republican Senator (Cruise) being interviewed by a network Journalist (Streep), a University Professor (Redford) talking Political Science with one of his students, and 2 Army guys at the helm of a new military action being launched. All 3 of these stories take place on the same day, in the same time frame (appx 1 hour).

I suppose many of the critics thought this war movie was gonna be about blood and guts and fighting, which very little of it was, and maybe that's the reason they didn't like it. Actually... the power and the action in this movie comes from the dialogue. It's a battle of wits going back and forth... back and forth. I'm usually not a fan of the dialogue driven film, but this one was awesome.

It's not a movie you can just have on in the background while you do laundry though... you have to pay attention to get the point. It's VERY political and though it was filmed in 2006 and written well before that, sadly, it easily could have taken place today.

The Geography of Personality

2008-09-23T18:45:00.003-05:00

Interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about personality trends as they relate to where you live in the United States... kinda cool!

According to this, as a California resident, I'm moderately extroverted, fairly agreeable, self disciplined, not really stressed out, and highly open to new ideas.

Sounds about right!

Check it out to see how your state ranks:

Article here

Interactive map here

Ayyyy, matey

2008-09-18T13:12:00.013-05:00

Avast, me hearties! It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008!

In honor of my favorite swashbuckling heroes (I have a soft spot for Cap'n Jack Sparrow), here some Pirate funnies... Shiver Me Timbers!

Why didn't the Pirate take his kid to the movie?
'Cause it was rated Rrrrrr!

Pirate walks into a bar with a ship's steering wheel stuffed down the front his pants. Bartender says, "hey man, why do you have a steering wheel in your pants?" Pirate looks up and says "Rrrr... it's drivin' me nuts!"

Why did the pirate refuse to say, "Aye, Aye, Cap'n"?
Because he's only got one eye.

A little kid with a speech impediment dresses up as a pirate and goes trick or treating. He knocks on the door of a house and a man answers. "Oh, I can see you're dressed up as a pirate" the man says. "But where are your buccaneers?" he asks. The kid gets really mad, and says "On the sides of my buckin' head!"

It's not just about winning an election this time...

2008-09-18T13:12:00.010-05:00

it's about fundamentally changing the social climate of our communities and our country... for the better. It's about changing the way an ENTIRE generation sees themselves and starts to realize opportunities that exist for them, all of them, as Americans.

This 10 year old kid, Dalton Sherman, was on The Ellen Degeneres Show today. When she asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, he didn't say a rap star like Lil' Wayne... or a superstar athlete like Lebron or Kobe. He said "I would like to first be a Journalist... and then later when I get older, I want to be the next Barack Obama."

Amazing

Next level

2008-09-18T13:12:00.002-05:00

woot woot... takin' it to the next level y'all! If you look to your right, you'll see I've made a slight improvement to my "new in my jukebox" section. Thanks to my new favorite website, Imeem, you can now listen to the tracks directly from here... no more new windows opening up to YouTube (or wherever)! Hooray!

just updated the list. Have a listen and enjoy. :o)

This one takes the cake

2008-09-16T17:18:00.006-05:00

Boy oh boy... I've heard some political spin in my day, but I'll be gosh-darned... this one tops them all.
--------------------------------------------------
Adviser calls BlackBerry 'miracle' McCain 'helped create'
From Chris Welch and Rebecca Sinderbrand
CNN

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain's senior domestic policy adviser said Tuesday that the BlackBerry mobile e-mail device was a "miracle that John McCain helped create."

The adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, discussing the nation's economic woes with reporters, said that McCain -- who has struggled to stress his economic credentials -- did have experience dealing with the economy, pointing to his time on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Pressed to provide an example of what McCain had accomplished on that committee, Holtz-Eakin said the senator did not have jurisdiction over financial markets, then he held up his Blackberry, telling reporters: "He did this."

full story here
--------------------------------------------------
Hahahahahahahahahahah haaaahahhahahahhahahahaha
Ha ha ha! Ooookay Johnny Boy... you don't even know how to Google something (and I'm betting you haven't a clue as to what Wikipedia is) and I'm supposed to believe you helped create the BlackBerry?!

aaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaa...

PS. I know I said I would refrain from political talk until the debates, but this was just too good to leave alone. Gimmie a break... with so much to talk about over the last week my QWERTY fingers have been going crazy trying not to post something!

Tina Fey is a genius...

2008-09-14T20:04:00.002-05:00

and freakin' hilarious! Well done Tina... well done.

Palin/Hillary Open SNL

Is it just me...

2008-09-14T18:30:00.004-05:00

or do there seem to be a lot of game changing penalites being called in the NFL right now? First Miami vs. Jets in week 1... Miami getting penalty after penalty when they were down & goal... (resulting in a Miami loss)... and now Chargers vs. Broncos... holding penalty in the 4th cost the Chargers the TD they had just made and allows Denver to come back and win by 1.

What's up refs? Or should I say... what's up dumb ass players? LOL...

Where were you?

2008-09-11T14:20:00.005-05:00

Today is a humbling day indeed. Sept 11th 2001 was a horrible day. And in what has become sort of tradition on this day of remembrance, everyone asks the question "where were you on Sept 11th?"

It has fallen in line with historic moments to remember like the day Kennedy was shot, the day Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his speech, the day Nixon resigned. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when those things happened. And we can now add Sept. 11th to that list.

Here's my story:

I was living in Stamford, CT... about 40 miles north of NYC. At the time, I worked as a Service Consultant for WorldCom/UUNET. My team had a meeting that morning with our client, Phillip Morris, whose offices were just a few blocks from Grand Central Station in Midtown Manhattan. The meeting, I believe, was scheduled for 9am. It just so happened that I had another client meeting I had to go to in Norwalk, CT, which, days earlier, I chose to attend instead. I realize now that that was divine intervention.

So... I woke up that morning and was getting ready for work as I usually did, listening to Elvis Duran & The Z Morning Zoo on NYC's Z100. They're a zany bunch, always doing practical jokes and bits on-air. Suddenly I hear Danielle from the show exclaim "oh my God! There's a fire in the World Trade Center!" Being a crazy morning show, I thought... oh... it's just a bit they're doing and went back to doing my hair or whatever. Their studio is on the 9th floor of a building in Jersey City and it sits right on the Hudson River... they have a perfect view of the Manhattan Sky Line.

A few minutes later, they're still talking about it and they're starting to sound really serious... like... this is not a joke people. So I immediately run to my living room and turn on the TV to watch the Today Show. Sure enough, something had hit the World Trade Center and smoke was billowing out of it. I sat down on my couch, mesmerized by what was happening, listening to Katie Couric and Matt Lower try to figure out what had just occurred. Was it a plane? Was it a bomb? Terrorist attack? Private plane gone off radar? Accident? No one knew.

Then I saw it. Out of the right side of my TV screen, I see, live, the 2nd plane fly into the other World Trade Center building. I gasp and I hear Katic Couric say "Holy Sh*t another plane just flew into the World Trade Center!"

I just sat there stunned. Couldn't believe what I had just seen. I called my boss and my client and told them I wasn't coming to my meeting. I tried calling my co-workers who were going to Manhattan for the Phillip Morris meeting, but couldn't get them on the phone. So... I sat on the couch and watched... and watched... and watched.

My friend left her job later in the morning, after the 2 towers crumbled and came over to my house... we sat in shock together watching the coverage. By about 3pm, we started to feel helpless and tried to figure out what we could do to help. We decided to walk over to the Red Cross, which happened to be in my neighborhood, to see if we could give blood... but they weren't prepared to take any donations that day.

They put our names on a list, a huge list of people that had already come by, and said they would call us when they were ready. Neither of us had eaten anything all day, so we went to a diner up the street. A few people were in there, but the restaurant was basically silent, no one knew what to say. We both felt guilty for even going out to eat when we knew that just about 35 min from where we were, chaos had broken out. Rudy Guilliani and his people put the city on lockdown... no one was allowed in or out. We both had many friends who worked and lived in the downtown Manhattan area and we were really worried about them. It was surreal.

Cell phone service for the entire Tri-State area (NY, CT and NJ) had been jammed the entire day. My family back home in Boston was panic stricken as they couldn't get in touch with me until 5pm that day.

Eventually, as the day came to a close, we learned that most of our friends were okay. We called our families, we called our friends and we hugged each other. It was all we could do.

Even though I wasn't in NYC that day, I still saw the immediate effects of being in that area. Sooo many people who died that day lived in my neighborhood and the towns around me... commuting into the city every day for work. I saw a constant stream of funerals in Stamford and Greenwich, CT for like 5 days.

About 2 weeks later, my friend and I went into the city. I was nervous, but I wanted to go. As soon as we got off the train, we were assaulted with the hundreds and hundreds of missing persons fliers that were up EVERYWHERE:

Missing: My son, Roberto Gonzales, Jr., 22, was last seen getting on the train going toward the World Trade Center.

Missing: Diane Kelleher, 54, my wife. Works for Morgan Stanley in the South Tower.

We tried to make our way down to Ground Zero, but the barricades at Cedar Street (about 2 blocks away from Wall Street) were still up... dust and smoke was still in the air and you could see nothing but police cars and fire trucks in that area. They were still looking for remains, trying to clean up the mess.

I remember the months following 9/11 when tourism in NYC took a HUGE hit. Broadway shows were closing left and right... people too afraid to even step foot into the city. I Y NYC and it made me so sad to see and hear people say that they were afraid of it. It took a long time, but eventually NYC got back on it's feet.

The most amazing image though, and one I will never forget, is when the news started reporting on reaction to the attacks from around the world. To see all of those people, many of whom had never even been here before, holding up American flags, many even crying, made me utterly speechless. I was floored at the support we were getting and it made me proud.

That day will go down as one of the worst in our history. But it brought out the best in us as Americans. Everyone had their American flags out and proud. I was driving a 1998 Black Jeep Cherokee then, and I had my flag splayed across my rear window for everyone to see. Even in the icy, business first stick to yourself attitude that is found in the North East, people would stop, smile and say hi to each other on the street.

For a little while at least, none of us were strangers. In a moment of crisis, we held each other up and proclaimed that it would be okay.

Something other than Politics

2008-09-10T23:46:00.011-05:00

Hooray! I know, I know... many of you are tired of reading my political rants of the last month or so... either because you don't agree with me or because you just don't care about politics.

So... I hereby announce that I will refrain from talking politics until the 1st Presidential debate on Sept 26th.

*Disclaimer: I reserve the right to revoke this should some catastrophic news, event or blurb come out about either candidate and/or their running mate... such as if Snopes.com is ever able to confirm that Sarah Palin did indeed utter this quote upon learning that Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries: "So Sambo beat the Bitch!" I would consider a statement like that to be catastrophic news that needs to be discussed. (right now it's just a rumor)

So... here's some news other than politics... I have a new hobby! Well... at least I'm trying a new hobby... I'm knitting! LMAO... I know, so not like me at all. And the truth is, I'm not very good at it, I've only been at it for about a month now and I'm already getting tired of it. Ha!

Here's how my first project turned out:

A coaster people, I made a coaster. A crappy coaster at that, with all kinds of holes and knitting flubs in it. Ha ha... I bought the cheapest yarn I could find, which, shocker, turned out to be the poorest quality and made it oh so difficult to knit it into anything. I just got frustrated after a while.

So... I went over to Michael's, dropped a few more dollars and got a better quality of yarn. It's dyed in different shades of blue and I'm trying to make a money scarf for winter. I wanted to knit myself some of those nifty fingerless gloves, but don't think I'll get around to it. Knitting is cool... I just don't have the patience for it. Plus, it makes my hands really tired.

I'll be sure to post pictures of my lovely scarf when it's finished.. which... at this rate, won't be until NEXT winter.

Three, three, three posts in one!

2008-09-09T23:43:00.004-05:00

My head is swirling with stuff right now... and seeing as how I would like to be sound asleep in T-minus 45 minutes, I gotta get it out. So... here are 3 topics I would normally write in depth as separate posts, but don't have the time to do all that:

1. (Another) Open Letter to Mike Malloy of Air America Radio

Dear Mike-

You sir, are the reason I am a registered Independent. Way to kill my post workout buzz with your "I hate to say it, but the Republicans are going to win in November for one reason. Sarah Palin. Democrats are doomed." talk. Typical. So typical. I hate the Republicans because they are the spokes people of Hypocrisy and you, tonight, just reminded me why I hate the Democrats... 'cause they're BIG PUSSYS! (and I freakin' hate that word, but there's no other word more appropriate right now)

As soon as the going gets a little bit tough, all the bravado and talk turns to prose of defeat. Ugh. I'm literally nauseous now. The thought that McCain-Palin could actually win this thing and bring us another 4 years of doom and gloom is making me want to go hurl chunks.

So thanks Mike for sticking in there and fighting the good fight. Do us a favor though, and NEVER run for President.

2. Oh Jesus Christmas... the bigots come out in Philly

From the Philadelphia Daily News
------------------------------------------
Biden gets mixed welcome in Northeast
Local Dem leaders say race is issue for many voters

By DAVE DAVIES
Philadelphia Daily News
Posted on Sat, Sep. 6, 2008

DEMOCRATIC vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden went stumping for votes yesterday in Northeast Philadelphia, where Democrats need to earn the love of Democrats who voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the April primary...

Asked what the problem is with Obama, McAleer paused and said: "It's his color . . . I tell them he's half white and half black. He's got a better perspective for everything in this country."

In a corner booth, Biden sat down and, after a moment's conversation, planted a kiss on the forehead of Carolyn Bauer, age 89. Bauer explained afterward it wasn't such a friendly encounter.

"I told him I'm not going to vote for him," Bauer said. "Anybody who runs with a guy with a name like that is not going to get my vote. It'd be disgusting to get a man named Barack Obama as president of the United States. No way. I mean it . . . I'm going to vote for McCain and the lady."

"[Obama's] a Muslim," Bauer added. "He pretends to be a Christian, and he isn't, he's a Muslim."

full story here
------------------------------------------
I mean really... she's 89. Would anyone complain if she took a shotgun to the head? I wouldn't.

3. If anyone agrees with John McCain...

and thinks that the "foundation of our economy is strong", then you're an idiot. Tell that to the not 1, not 2 but 3 (yes 3!) people I saw tonight at the gym, collecting plastic water and juice bottles out of the trash. At the gym! Seriously.

Neat!

2008-09-09T13:44:00.007-05:00

This guy is amazing. The Pavement Artist is at it again...

Political Fun Fact #16

2008-09-08T17:10:00.004-05:00

Well... more of a fun quote than a fact.

"Choosing a Republican to clean up this mess is like asking an iceburg to save the Titanic."
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Tampa, Florida
Sept. 8, 2008

If this doesn't make you laugh...

2008-09-08T00:15:00.002-05:00

I don't know what will. I want to take this kid home... I Y him.

Jon Stewart for President!

2008-09-06T12:12:00.002-05:00

I Y The Daily Show!

Shake, Rattle and Roll!

2008-09-06T02:02:00.004-05:00

My 1st Quake! 4.0 on the Richter Scale... not bad! It lasted all of like 5 seconds, but it definitely jiggled things around a lil' bit.
-------------------------------------------
Minor quake jolts Oakland, California

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck east of Oakland, California, at around 9 p.m. ET Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake's epicenter was about 10 miles (16 kilometers) below the surface, the USGS reported.
Residents said they felt a sharp jolt, saw plants sway and dishes rattle.
There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.

story was posted on CNN.com

"Fired up! Ready to go!"

2008-09-05T00:30:00.006-05:00

Praise the Lord, the conventions are over! I can finally get back to a normal sleep schedule, get back to reading my new book (I finished Bridges of Madison County, which to my surprise, was incredibly good, and have picked up The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult), and work on some of my new projects... which I'll tell you about later.

So... I've spent the last 2 weeks vigorously writing about my take on The Conventions and where I think things are heading in this election... and I have to admit... I'm all tapped out right now. I don't know what else to say except the choice seems pretty clear to me. BARACK THE VOTE on Nov 4th

I didn't watch John McCain's acceptance speech tonight because I was at an Obama rally in Berkeley, celebrating the grand opening of the Obama for America Northern California Campaign Headquarters. (I got to meet hottie San Fran Mayor Gavin Newsom for like the 4th time. I'm pretty sure I blushed when he touched my hand and said "Nice to see you Kiah." Yum.) I saw all I needed to see of his speech in the recaps and then I watched as the pundits summarized it in that liberally biased fashion that tends to make me giggle.

This is the first election in which I have ever felt a calling to get this involved. In 2004, I was 26 and I didn't like either Bush or Kerry, so there was no love lost there. I mean, I voted for Kerry, but really, I didn't believe he was any better than Bush.

In 2000, I was 22, just out of college and the country was in the middle of an economic boom. I was feeling pretty good about things, and didn't really care much about the election then either. Sure, I was ticked off that Al Gore got robbed, but... I was living in the NYC Metro Area making really good money and having fun. I wasn't too concerned about Al Gore and Joe Lieberman getting to live in the White House.

In 1996, I was 18, eager and happy to vote for Bill Clinton in my first ever election... but even now I wouldn't use the word PASSION to describe how I felt about it back then.

I feel PASSION now. A little bit older and a little bit wiser to the ways of the world now, I see that things need to change. Barack was right when he said something in America is stirring... that passion is contagious. I saw it on the faces of the hundreds that showed up tonight of their own free will... to put their names on a piece of paper... to make a commitment to start campaigning for Barack today... to actively make happen the change we seek.

So here it is. Today (well, probably tomorrow) begins something new for me. I'm just as cynical about politics as most people are and I've never ever campaigned for any politician before. But I will now. I've never ever contributed financially to a politician's campaign before. But I will now. I hate talking on the phone. But I'll make those calls. I hate begging people for things. But I'll go door to door and ask for signatures. I'll do whatever I can do to help bring this country back to the path of it's vision, back to it's purpose... 'cause I really really don't want to have to move to Canada.

Well I'll be damned if I ain't "Fired Up, Ready to go!"

Join the movement and get started in your State today.

Political Fun Fact #15

2008-09-04T17:44:00.003-05:00

CNN reports that the Bush-Republican speech writers were so worried about the pronunciation of 'Nuclear' by Gov. Palin last night, that in the text, they actually wrote "new-clear". You can see it on the teleprompter.

LOL. I mean... seriously.