Happy Halloween

Apparently, there is some old wives tale that says that if you look in a mirror by candlelight before midnight on Halloween, you will see your true love/future spouse standing behind you in the mirror's image.

This creeps me out even more than the traditional ghost stories. Eep!

Mail and love and such.

This week I got the BEST piece of mail EVER. I really wish I knew how to take photos from my phone and put them on the internet because the world deserves to see this thing. I'll try to describe it to you. You know those squishy sponge-like "stress-reliver" squeezable thingies? Well, imagine one of those in the shape of the continental USA. And put the American flag on it. Like this.
Then draw a dot and the word "me" over the approximate location of Seattle. Then imagine another dot and the word "you" on top of the Chapel Hill area. And write "I Miss Mary" and a little red heart over the plains states.

That's what I got in the mail this week. It was the sweetest and saddest thing I've seen in years. And I LOVE it! It is the mail-equivalent of a sleepy little kitten that is struggling to stay awake but keeps nodding off despite its efforts. Adorable. I've considered putting it in my purse and taking it with me wherever I go. At the moment my talisman is a 2-inch-long rubber chicken. The chicken is more portable, but not as cute. Hmmm. Decisions.

At any rate, many many thanks to george for the amazing mail. I will be bragging about it to others for quite some time. When people eventually come over to the house, I will proudly display it on the coffee table and when they ask about it I'll do the Oh-this-old-thing? routine. And they will know that somebody - somebody in the northwestern corner of the country - loves me. And they will wish that somebody out there sent them kick-ass mail, too. And then they will think "Anybody who gets mail as rad as this must be pretty friggin' cool. I want to be closer to that coolness. I want her to be my friend. Oh yes."

Then someday they'll find this post in my blog and it will all be ruined. But that's okay. 'Cause I love my georgie. EEEEE!!!

I said Brr! It's cold in here!

There may not be Toros in the atmosphere, but there certainly is a cold front. Brr! It's chilly! We actually had to turn on the heater. How crazy is that? But it is beeeee-yoooo-tiful 'round these parts. The colors of the leaves are quite vivid! I thought we'd have to drive to the mountains to enjoy such lovely colors, so it's nice to see them outside our front door.

Events in recent history:
1. I have officially been in NC for 6 months. Half a year! Wowza!
2. Jeffrey won Project Runway. Yawn. Is it weird that a part of me really doesn't care who wins this show anymore?
3. Mom had surgery on her other eye and it's looking great! Woot!
4. We got a new TV. It's pretty! Me likey!
5. I've been sick for a week straight. But so far I managed to eat twice today without becoming ill immediately afterwards, so my hopes are high that I'll be over it soon. And no, I'm not pregnant. Promise.
6. The F1 season is over and Michael Schumacher is OUT! I feel oddly conflicted about this. A tiny little part of my heart wishes that Mike had at least made the podium for his final race ever. But mainly I'm just happy for Kimi. Because next year he'll be in a decent car and he might actually WIN something for a change.

Which reminds me ... During the pre-show I noticed that Kimi was smiling before the race. SMILING! I thought it was just because the albatros known as Maclaren was finally being removed from his neck. But there may have been more to it than that.

"Okay. Thanks for that."
Tee hee.
Now do you understand why the UK coverage of F1 is better than the Speed Channel? Do ya?

In other news, I've been thinking about getting crafty again. This urge usually hits people when the weather turns colder. When it's less humid. Frankly, when the idea of laying a warm, woolen project in one's lap sounds appealing rather than oppresive. But I am in no way as crafty as Lauren Porter. The woman knitted a full-sized Ferrari. She used 12 miles worth of yarn to make it. Don't ask me why. She says humor is an important aspect of her work, so maybe she isn't completely insane, afterall.

But oddly, my desire to knit/crochet/embroider has lessened this year. Instead, I am drawn more towards cooking. I have a long list of cooking blogs that I check. I read cookbooks as if they were novels. Kinda creepy! But good. And there's a definite satisfaction to be felt when one makes a fancy, lump-less sauce from scratch. What's odd is hearing that george, too, has discovered cooking as a new hobby. What is wrong with us?!?!? Why weren't we so excited about cooking back when we could have cooked for one another?!? Oh, the unfairness of it all! Oh well. Knitting is soooooooo 2002, anyway. And crochet is too 2005. I think cooking is the next wave, kids. Depend on it.

It's just a shame that a good afghan is better at keeping me warm than a loaf of pumpkin bread.

Oh-Ee-Oh-Ee-Oh!
Ice Ice Ice!

Wal-Marketing

I'm ticked off with Wal-Mart. Or more specifically, I'm ticked off with their marketing/PR firm, Edelman.

A while back I heard about a website called Working Families for Wal-Mart. If you go to the site (and I honestly hope you DON'T because I don't think we should encourage them), you get the impression that the site was set up by independent consumers - Wal-Mart lovers who think that Wal-Mart is marvelous for communities, the environment, blahblahblah. There's even an "About Us" page that gives you the distinct impression that the so-called blog is run by a bunch of ordinary people who simply want to offer support to this enormous big-box store. In addition to this, a new "blog" was created that is tied to the "Working Families For Wal-Mart" campaign. The blog is called "Wal-Marting Across America". The point of this blog was that a couple of people were going to travel across the USA in an RV, spending their nights in Wal-Mart parking lots.

Sounds pretty damn suspicious, doesn't it. And for good reason. Within the last week it was discovered that this grassroots campaign was nothing more than astroturf. It's all a PR gimmick. The head of the PR firm finally admitted this on his own blog (after flatly ignoring all questions on the subject for many days).

But guess what. The website for "Working Families for Wal-Mart" still looks the same!!! There is NOTHING on the website identifying itself as advertising. The "About Us" page remains a lie. Anybody who does not frequent advertising and marketing blogs would not have a clue that Wal-Mart is funding that website. Gullible people might get sucked into the lie. It's disgusting, underhanded, and lacks any credibility.

Oddly enough, the final post on the "Wal-Marting Across America" blog is a rant from one of the authors, wondering what was so wrong about them taking money from Wal-Mart & their PR firm to sponsor their vacation. Ummm ... honey, there is a HELL of a lot wrong with that when you aren't honest and transparent about it. They were working for Wal-Mart - paid in free transportation, accomodation, and lord knows what else - but even they seem too stupid to realize that their sposored trip was a form of payment. The problem is not that they "dared to write positive things about Wal-Mart". The problem is that they were paid to do it, but never revealed that fact. Hence, the fury.

Grrrrrrrr. You see, THIS is part of the reason why I've stopped shopping at Wal-Mart. I have other reasons, but this little incident is certainly reaffirming my choice to shop elsewhere whenever possible.

Links to more info:
MediaPostPublications
What'sNextBlog
Mark Evans
Shel Holtz

24 Hours From Tulsa

Let's say that this old movie poster represents a dramatic interpretation of the last 7 days. Oddly enough, Robert Preston is portraying my mom. Just kinda try to imagine my mother's face there, but make sure you cover half of her head with lots of bandages & a strange mesh eyepatch-like thingamy. As for Susan Hayward? She's playing me, the ever-loving and doting daughter.

Last Tuesday I got on a plane and went to Tulsa to tend to my mother. She had eye surgery to remove a cataract & implant a new lens. The poor woman was nervous. And who wouldn't be?! I mean, EYE SURGERY! Few things make people wince as dramatically as the thought of sharp objects near eyes. The same people who guffaw at the sight of a guy getting a swift kick to the nads will shriek with horror at film fotage of eye surgery. So. I went to Tulsa to look after Mom and lift things for her (since she couldn't lift anything) and pick up things for her (since she wasn't allowed to bend down) and drive her around (since ... you know).

The good news is that the surgery went very well! Mom only had to wear the bandages for 1 day (I said the poster was a dramatic interpretation, people!). And although she suffered from some discomfort and pain, she is happy with the results. So yay! And we did sooooooo much together. We watched a Project Runway marathon and ate at The Polo Grill and saw the opera of "The Little Prince" and visited Rhiannon & baby Max and bought shoes and stopped by Merritt's for some lovely baked goods and much much more. It was a great week! And it certainly reminded me why I enjoy Tulsa (and why I miss it).

The problem, of course, is that I had very little time to see anyone other than family. So for those of you who I missed, I hope you'll forgive me! Tim and I will be back at Christmas time, so we'll have to get together then.

In the mean time, I better get cracking on the dirty dishes and laundry that has piled up in my absence. And maybe find out how much it costs to fly to Seattle!

Seattle or bust

Just got a phone call from Derek informing me that he and george have officially left California! Woo hoo! They are enjoying the mountains, clouds, and coniferous trees of Oregon. Can't you just imagine them taking deep, cleansing breaths of fresh Oregonian air? Sounds marvelous! As I'm sure you'll read on their own blogs, their escape from LA has not been easy. But thank goodness they are on their way. I'm sure they'll be much happier in Seattle. This week I watched part of a special on the Travel Channel about Seattle & I'm already excited about visiting the town. I also feel a strange urge to watch Sleepless In Seattle now just to see snippets of the town.

By the by, there isn't a whole lot happening here. I got some new luggage. And tried on some expensive shoes just to say that I did (Jimmy Choo's! Eep!). And the usual other things (baking, cleaning, tending to the yard, etc). And by the way, it is turning very autumnal here and it is simply gorgeous! I actually wore a sweater when we went out last night. Wee!

Or should I say "Wii"? As in the Nintendo Wii. It seems that we will be getting one of these newfangled machines. Note that we will not be purchasing it, though, as Tim is not really a console gamer. But his company is giving us a machine, so I suppose I'll start playing Super Duper Mario Cart - Now with more Super-duper-ness!

Personally, I'd rather have a fancy new TV. We visited some friends last night just so we could christen their new television (A TV-warming party, if you will). Oh my cod, people. It is a thing of beauty. Flat, LCD, widescreen. I'm guessing it's about 40 inches. Jennifer said that when they first turned it on, she wept tears of joy. I must say, I think I would do the same.

"I'm Down with T-Town"

You know what it's like when you go out of town for a week? And your pets are left on their own? And you know that one of your friends or siblings will be stopping by to feed your pets, but ya still kinda worry about them anyway? Well, that's kinda the way I've felt about Tulsa since we moved. And now I feel that I have even more reason to be concerned. Check this out.

TulsaChannels.com

And no, that is not "channels" as in television stations. These people are proposing that islands be built in the Arkansas River. For some reason, this idea makes my nose wrinkle (probably because it sounds expensive). I mean, it could be good, but it feels a little gimmicky. What do you think?

In other news, I found a couple of L.A. citizens (who are not george or Derek or even Tara) who like Tulsa just fine as-is. Granted, they were only there for one night, but it's still nice that they had such positive things to say.

Movin' on up!

Just wanted to say congratulations again to george an Derek! They finally get to leave Hell-Ay and move on up to Seattle. Marvelous! Granted, I hear that Seattle has its own bunch of freaks, but hopefully they will be freaks that seem more, uh, normal(?) compared to what they've faced in LA.

What's funny is that in the last couple of weeks since george told me they were going to move, I have seen sooooo many things that make fun of the shallowness of the LA Lifestyle. The ads for the county fair in LA are hilarious, but I think I like the elegant simplicity of the above graph better than anything else.

So how have you all been? I'm getting by okay. Somebody on my favorite message board is vomiting hateful, racist comments all over the place. And I read that LonelyGirl15 on YouTube was all a big hoax. And, as you can probably tell from my post earlier this week, I was pretty emotional over the whole 9/11 anniversary. So it has been an odd couple of days.

But!
But but but!
I went out with my New Friend last night. Eeeeee!!!! We had drinks again and talked and talked and talked. Have I mentioned before that this woman kicks ass? Because she does. Here's some proof.
1) She loves Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series.
2) She likes Jane Austen stories, so she can easily tolerate my girly tendencies.
3) She has a weakness for cheesy movies like "Bring It On".
4) She thinks we need to have a charades party.
And we have similar political views and we tend to hang out with crazy artsy people and and and and. I told her that george already suspects that I'm going to suck friendships off of her like the pathetic, lonely person I am. Luckily, she said that she is happy to be the host for this sad little parasite. So it's all good.

In other news, my parents are in Hawaii! Wee! And it feels like autumn has arrived in our area. Which means it will soon be pumpkin season! And I looooooooves me some pumpkins!

Five years later

My life on September 10, 2001: I had recently returned from my study-abroad trip to Cambridge. I was preparing to apply to grad schools. I felt strong and inspired. My mind was full of creative ideas. My heart was full of hope. I knew that my life would never be the same.

My life on September 11, 2001: Horror. Crippling terror. I couldn't tear myself away from the news for weeks. I was afraid to leave the house. I knew that my life would never be the same.

The Science of Sleep

I'm still thinking about this template. I kinda like it. And it was such a nightmare to set it up that I'm reluctant to change it for a while. Feel free to comment on it, though. I appreciate the opinions of all of my readers. Even the few strangers out there. Hi, strangers!

I found a movie that I really want to see. It's called "The Science of Sleep" (or La Science des Reves which actually translates to "The Science of Dreams", yes?). I saw a trailer for it tonight and it looks goooooood. Kinda weird and quirky and magical and all that good stuff. It's from the director of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", so if you didn't like that movie, you may be out of luck (Derek).
See the trailer in Quicktime or on YouTube.

In other sleep related news, Tim did not get up until around 1pm today. And then he went back up to bed at 9pm because he was falling asleep while watching poker. A bit concerning, no? I suppose it's just as well since we have to wake up early for the F1 race tomorrow.

And in completely unrelated news, I decided that kittens are cuter than babies. Tim agrees. So maybe we aren't cut out to be parents afterall.

Do not be alarmed!

Today I decided that I might need a new template for my blog. I'll probably be trying out different things for a while, so don't be surprised if things look different, mkay? Mkay!

So here's my week thus far.

Monday: Went on a mini road trip with Tim. We drove up to Virginia for no particular reason. On the way home we stopped at a Sonic (Sonic!!!) and had happy beverages and tater tots. Yum.

Tuesday: Tim got off of work early. And he brought me flowers. Just because. Aaaaaww!!

Wednesday: Mom announced that we will be going to Florida in June next year (more on that later). I met my new friend, Pam, for dinner. We had the best time! And Vincent finally got kicked off of Project Runway. Glorious!

Thursday: Went out for Indian food for dinner. Lamb Biryani. Yum!

Friday: I decided that my blog might need a new template.

So I guess we're all caught up now. Tell me what you think of the new looks!

Edited to add ...
Here are a few more that I really like.
Tub Time
Happy forest
Lacey
Daisies (which feels a bit too prissy)
Blue flowery things

Quirks of marrying a foreigner, Part 2

Due to our differing accents, Tim & I still occasionally struggle with a slight language barrier. In the following snippet of conversation, Tim is telling me about a book he just purchased.

Tim: The first book in the series is called "Pawn of Prophecy".
Me: Did you just say "Porn of Prophecy"?
Tim: No. Pawn.
Me: Porn?
Tim: No ... [takes out book to show me the cover] Pawn! Pawn of Prophecy.
Me: Ooooooooh ...

Sucking ... in a good way

About a month ago I made the "suckage" post. It was a bad time. I had lost hope in finding any friends. I needed a vacuum cleaner. And although I don't think I mentioned it at the time, I was bleeeeeeeeeding. There was a massacre going on in my pants. Not at all fun.

Now, I know that one of my brothers reads this blog so at this point I'm going to apologize for reminding him that his sister has Girl Parts that are used for making Babies and that those Girl Parts bleed occasionally. Sorry Ray!

Anyway, that was a sucky day. A sucky time. But now it is one lunar cycle later. I feel as though I've been smacked across the back with a cricket bat. I am bleeding again. Hemorraging practically (I'm reeeally sorry, Ray!). And yet, that is the only thing that today has in common with that sucky day from last month. Because I, dear friends and strangers, am HAPPY.

1) I met a friend. She recently started posting on the on-line community where I hang with my on-line peeps. We've written back and forth a bit. Talked about going out. Then on Friday I got a message from her that said "I will be working at Such-&-Such on Saturday from ThisTime until ThatTime. Stop by! I'll give you free wine!" Well, how could I refuse? So I put on my Le Tigre shirt (because george has a matching one & I feel better when I have George Power on my side). And I met her. And it was great! She is fun and nice and we have lots of similar interests & I like her a looooooooooot. A lot a lot. And we're going to have dinner together on Wednesday. And I really hope that I don't seem too desperate or lame because she kicks some major ass & I think I would really really like to have her as a friend. I mean, even if I were back in Tulsa & surrounded by loved ones & I met this woman, I would still reallyreally want to hang out with her. Which is an excellent sign.

2) I have a vacuum cleaner. And no, it isn't a Dyson. Tim thought he really wanted one of those $600 Dyson things, but then we consulted Consumer Reports. Oh, how I looooooove Consumer Reports. It's just one of my favorite-est things. Many thanks to Dad for exposing me to the glories of CR. Anyway, we went with CR's favorite bagless vacuum: the Hoover Windtunnel. Cost? $160. That's right, kids. I just saved us $440. What kicks ass? Consumer Reports kicks ass. Remind me to get a subscription. By the by, there are fancier and more expensive versions of the Windtunnel, but we just went with the model CR recommends. The others are too heavy, anyway. In the end, I think Tim is pleased because he can go back to his English vernacular & refer to "vacuuming" as "Hoovering" ... as in "I should hoover up all the black lint that Tim's socks have scattered all over the house".

So there you have it. I'm smiling and happy. And because I want you to smile ane be happy, too, I urge you to watch this video about the Penguin Man from Belgium. Yes, george, even you.

The unexpected quirks of marrying a foreigner

The following conversation took place while we were watching television recently.

Tim: Who is Charo?
Me: Ummmm ... Have you heard of The Love Boat?
Tim: No.
Me: Ummmmm ...

Seriously. I dare you to answer that question without consulting Wikipedia.

Old-school Eddie Izzard

I found an old performance by Eddie Izzard that he made back when ... well, back when he was painfully preppy-looking. Check out the blue jeans! Luckily for us, the performance is amusing in ways that are unrelated to his clothing. Enjoy!

Eddie Izzard - Live at the Ambassador's
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
And there should be a part 7 or so, but it isn't on YouTube. Bother. Instead, I suggest you watch this last bit. More blue jeans, but they look far more flattering.
Eddie on Comic Aid

A Week of Living Angrily

So I was angry this week. I seem to be taking on a new emotional theme each week lately. One week I'll feel hopeless, the next week I'll feel inspired, and yet another week I'll feel ...
well ...
fucking furious!!!!!!

There were just too many things ticking me off this week. The insurance company owes me hundreds of dollars because it screwed up. And some of our mail is being sent to a wrong address. And there's this guy at Forbes magazine who is the definitive male chauvinist pig. And the job I wanted has already been filled. And I think a certain person I know may be neglecting his daughter. And now said daughter has a black eye AND Rocky Moutain Spotted Fever. And we have ants coming out of the electrical socket in the upstairs bathroom. And to top it all off, Project Runway is overflowing with vitriol & I don't even want to watch it anymore.

And that ain't right.

By the by, Tim has been working his ass off this week. Last night he came home from work at 2am. I think that means he spent about 17 hours at work yesterday. He has had to stay late at work night after night after night. I only cooked one meal for us all week. He barely spends any time conscious while at home. Why must they sacrifice sleep and family time for a friggin video game?! Ugh!!! Of course, I know why they must sacrifice their time. Because there is already a set release date for the game because there is already a set release date for the movie.

Maybe we should've moved to France. I bet nobody in France has to work such hours.

This is the point where I tell you that there are good things happening & I try to redirect my thoughts & be Little Miss Sunshine and let you all know that, no, I'm not spending my time weeping alone at home. Really! Because Tim is enjoying his work, even though it has been rather demanding lately. And he's making friends at work. Some of them even invited us out! And I have made a pseudo-friend; I think we may go out together sometime this week. So see? That's good! And it's even good that I didn't get the job that I wanted. Because now I can go to Oklahoma & take care of my mom when she has cataract surgery in October. I could even visit G & D before they evacuate from LA! And it's even okay that Project Runway sucks right now because it means that I don't have to buy the episodes off of iTunes. So you see? I'm turning that frown upside down. Life is aaaaaaall good.

But just to make sure things stay on the up & up, I'm going to make some blondies and watch Curse of the Were-Rabbit again.

Look Ma!

Yes, I'm still here! Not to worry. I just thought that, after posting such a downer of an entry, I should wait until good stuff is happening before I made another post. So that means that good stuff must be happening, right? Right!

I have finally cheered up a bit. I even went ice skating! Yes! For the first time in, like, 5 years. Even after all of these years, my mind remembers well how to do a scratch spin and even a flip jump. The problem, of course, is that my legs don't remember it so well. How long does it take for all of your cells to be replaced, anyway? Is it true that my current leg muscles have never experienced ice skating until now? Quite a thought. At any rate, we had a great time! So we'll definitely be going back.

I also applied for a job! Imagine that! The work itself doesn't sound terribly taxing, but the company itself is faaaaaaaaab. I simply adore what they do in their wee widdle office & I think I'd enjoy helping them do what they do. Luckily, I am also in the enviable position of knowing that I can turn them down if I don't feel good about the situation. I'm just afraid that they may think I'm over-qualified for the job. Ha! That would be a first.

And third, I may've found a friend. We're just chatting over e-mail right now, but she sounds cool. She even enjoys the theatre.

Before I go, I must tell you the highlight of my day yesterday: talking to Derek, Tara, and george at the same time ... and then throwing everybody at the Theatre Club meeting onto the phone, too. I'm sure everyone at Scott's house was completely baffled & convinced that we were raving drunk. Now that's fab.

The only bad bit at the moment is that Tim has been working his ass off. Twelve hour days. He'll have to work all this weekend, too. But this will all be over soon, as the Big Deadline is Monday morning. Yay!
Need me to say it again?
Yay!

And since I'm in such a good mood, here's a little something you might enjoy. If you're at all confused about why I may be posting this, just ask. ;)

I suck ... in a bad way

Saturday we were supposed to go to a dinner party thingy hosted by one of Tim's co-workers. The whole company was invited. But we didn't go. I won't go into the details. I'll just say that it wasn't Tim's choice. It just boils down to the fact that I'm crap & I suck. In a bad way. The way that doesn't make you popular with boys.

This is not to say that I don't also suck in a good way, but I'm not going there.

Moving is crap. You all know this. I don't have to explain. That's why I luvz ya. It also sucks when the first day of your period coincides with important events in your life. Like meeting your husband's co-workers and their wives. Especially when it looks like a massacre took place in your pants.

Of course, this is about much more than bleeding and bloating. It's about the things we have to do to convince people that we're worth knowing ... that we're worth their time. It's about the posturing. The insincere smiles. The things you don't say so that you don't risk offending someone right away. The way you have to be on guard when you encounter new people.

I think the idea of going out & trying to meet people & make friends isn't really the right way to do this. You know how people tell you that you shouldn't go in search of a mate & that you should just let things magically happen to you? I'm thinking it's got to be the same thing with friends. Because whenever we have to go out to meet people, it makes me feel like I'm preparing for a job interview. And that sucks. It's worse when I'm meeting Tim's work colleagues because then I feel like I'm on a job interview for him, too.

So I need to just focus on doing whatever the hell I want. And if I meet people along the way, that's fine. But I shouldn't make it a priority.

In the mean time, I'd really like a new vacuum cleaner.

I'm listening

It's been a whole week since I posted anything on my blog! How did this happen?!?!?

Okay. I know exactly how it happened. I've gotten into an interesting pattern of listening. I don't feel much like talking lately. Instead, I'm trying to listen to others much more than I talk. I think this is good because, damn, I can really ramble sometimes! And I'll admit that there have been nights when I've kept Tim up for hours while I just yammered on & on & on about something. But this listening thing ... Listening is good. Taking sounds in & digesting them is good. S'all good, yo.

My favorite thing to digest at the moment?
Project Runway! Woo hoo!
In fact, I'm not always good at the just-listening thing when the topic is PR. I heart this show. The sad truth, though, is that I am starved of PR love (Damn you, Time Warner Cable!). I take whatever scraps I can find on the internet & on NBC. I validate my love of this show with the fact that I have spent a hell of a lot of hours in front of a sewing machine, so I know a thing or two about clothing construction. And oh lordy, am I seeing some poor construction on the wee snippets of the show I've seen so far. Designing is fine, but we got some "home sewers" on this show. And for those who don't know, that's a majormajormajor insult.

Anywho.

In my internet search of all things PR, I went to obvious places like the Bravo website & Television Without Pity. I gotta say that the Bravo site has some true gems (Tim's podcasts are beyond fan-damn-tastic). But there was one thing I did not expect to find.

Daniel Franco.

Now is the part where I must beg for forgiveness because, had I posted this link earlier this week, then you, dear reader, may've had the opportunity to speak to Danny Freakazoid Franco. Alas, the time has passed. But you may still hear/watch telephone conversations with, not only Fancazoid, but also Andrae Gonzalo! Yay Andrae! Santino is on there, too, but Andrae!!! Woo!

Ring My Bell - http://ringmybell.tv/

My hope is that our dearest darling Nick Verreos will do an appearance on Ring My Bell someday. In the mean time, you can get your fix at Nick's blog.

So other than listening to Andrae cackle on the telephone, I've also been listening to music lately.
I, uh, think I might like Jared Leto's band.
And All-American Rejects ('cause they are fellow Okies, for one thing)
And Wolfmother.
And Amerie.
And Xina, of course.
I'm even developing a fondness for Harry & The Potters, who will be performing at the LA Central Library TOMORROW, peeps!
There are also a few I'm already sick of (Panic! At the Disco! Ugh!).

So I'm curious ... what are you listening to?

Well, poop.

So george is unemployed again. Which means I guess I won that bet that she'd be outta there within 2 weeks. But I was joking, people! I did not wish that doom would befall her once more! I just thought that a little challenge (even a jokey one) might urge her to yank up the ol' boot straps in that "Oh yeah? I'll show you!" kinda way. But now? Now I feel guilty. I am a poopy pants who doesn't support her beloved friends. I su-huck. Oh well. But the good news is that george doesn't have to spend another moment with Stupid Inconsiderate Trainer Lady.

My new suggestion is that george should stay home for a bit & get sucked into the whole Housewife Whirlpool that has consumed me lately. Granted, she'll have to get out sometimes so that she doesn't suffer from Derek Overload. But she'll enjoy the fact that there's absolutely no reason to fake interest or be polite to anyone. Before long she'll develop a strong fascination for the culinary arts, too, & we'll publish a cook book together. We'll be the not-so-desperate housewives. It'll kick ass.