I work for a pretty small company, maybe about 25ish people. I'd like to say that most of us get along since we're all around the same age. In a small company, I believe that you should really watch out for each other, there shouldn't be the cut throat competition that you see in larger companies. I'd like to say that most of my coworkers are like that.

But I ran into a bit of shadiness the other day. As you know, I travel a lot for work. As of late, my travel schedule hasn't been TOO busy, so my calendar is pretty flexible. I recieved a call from one of our sales people and she had asked that I keep a certain week free and pencil her in, but that it wasn't set in stone yet with her client. I said sure.

Then I was on a call with some prospective clients and another sales person, and they had asked for the same week. The sales person had asked if I had that week free, and I told her that the other salesperson was working on a deal that week. 'Do they have something signed?' she asked. I said no. So then she told the clients on the phone, 'If you get your papers signed before they do, that there's nothing they can do but reschedule.' It's not like she tried to negotiate another day, or that she'd get back to them after working something out with the other salesperson, she tried to go in and steal that week from the other salesperson.

I should have just said that I was busy that week.

So now the whole thing has blown up, with both of them at odds with each other, one saying that she had that week first, the other saying that without something signed, she shouldn't commit my time. It's so ugly.

I'm glad I'm not in sales.

________________________________________________

Yesterday I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse with my client. It was about 6pm when we got there, and it didn't look like it was busy at all. We went to the hostess (which was actually 3 women standing around waiting for someone to come in) and asked if they took reservations, in case it was a reservation only place. The woman looked in a book, looked around, and said seriously, 'We may be able to fit you in.' And she wasn't trying to make a joke. I looked around, and the place was almost empty. She then asked, 'Can I have your last name?' And my client spelled out her last name, 'M-O-N-T-E-R-O'. (of course I'm not putting her real last name here). The hostess wrote it down, asked us if we've been there before, and and scribbled something onto a yello post-it. She then handed it to another hostess, who took a look at it, then handed it to another hostess. The last hostess took a look at it, and said outloud, 'Montero? Party of two?' and looked around to find our party. And we were the only ones there....she had been standing there the whole time while this was happeneing. It was so funny I wanted to laugh out loud...were they trying to look busy? It was obvious that the place was empty!

It reminded me of that one scene in 'Meet the Parents' when he's trying to get on the plane and the attendent said he couldn't get on because they were only calling rows 10-20, even though there was no one else waiting for the flight.

I don't have a rental care while here in Jersey, so basically I'm stuck here in my hotel room. I was thinking of getting a lot of site work done, but I've gotten sucked into movies on cable. Earlier today, I watched 'The American President', which was a very cute movie. But I missed the end of it since I was on the phone. After that, I toggled between Law and Order and Freaky Friday. The latter won in the remote control war. It was a really cute movie.

Now I'm watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I love that you can catch this show on TV almost every time you turn on the TV. I think Helen Slater is in this one, but I'm not sure. If it is, she's gotten old. Remember her as Supergirl and in The Legend of Billie Jean? Great 80's hits right there....right now she looks like the love child of Courtney Cox and Ellen Degeneres.

I don't know if I've been to this Jersey client since I've started blogging. This client was one of the first client sites I went to, long ago when I first started traveling, maybe about 4 or 5 years ago. My main contact here is one of my favorite clients. She's the sweetest lady. She had just had her first child when I first went out here, and her second child is already a year old. If I was to have a mom that was a client, it would be her. She is the sweetest Italian Joisey lady and we always have a lot of good laughs together. I always enjoy my time here and she always makes me welcome.

It's so weird, knowing a client for so long. She's known be when I was just a little tadpole in the company, way before me and Dave were engaged. It's been fun to talk about the changes in our lives since we first met. We have a great working relationship, and this is the kind of consulting engagement that I don't mind being at....

But I'm still a little homesick.

It would be an understatement to say that I've had a hard time adjusting since I've been home. My life is so completely different now from when I left here in August. Everything is the same, yet everything is different. It's a whole new world for me.

But all that is for a post on another day, I still need time to sort out what I'm going through.

I know part of it is that Chicago just isn't the same without my mom. She lingers everywhere I go, in so many of the faces that I see.

I watched the E! biography on Mike Myers, one of my favorite funny men. His father died during the height of his career, and they mentioned it took him three years to get through depression. Three years! In a weird way, when I saw it, I thought to myself, 'I totally understand.' Before, I would have felt bad for him that it took so long to start to come to terms with it. But now, it's just a sad nod of understanding.

Sometimes I get so caught up in my own thoughts and pain that I often forget to take a step back an see that I'm not the only one that's lost someone important.

My cousin Melanie, who's lived next door to me all my life, had posted this on her blog a couple months ago, and I guess I kept it to keep me grounded. Not to wallow in my own pity because there are others out there that are feeling pain, too. Her mother was best friends with my mom, they did everything together....

I think I also keep this one because everytime I read it I cry, just remembering all their adventures together, all the time that they spent gardening, watering the lawns, picking up each other's kids from school...

Man, I get so depressed when I'm out of town!

Phototime Tuesday: Pathways

Into the Woods - Chicago, August 2004

There were just too many to choose from!

Ten Athletes that You Admire

1. Michael Jordan - I'm from Chicago, he had to be my number 1. The best basketball player (and maybe even athlete) ever. As smart a businessman as he is a player.
2. Muhammad Ali - The fire in his eyes is undeniable, you can see it even now, as his body fails him. The spirit is still alive in there. He was brash, arrogant and definitely the greatest.
3. Lance Armstrong - He's overcome so much and has never let the obstacles in his life stop him from reaching his goals, again and again. And now he's hooked up with hottie Sheryl Crow.
4. Billie Jean King - Her tennis match against Bobby Riggs showed the world women can beat men at something other than knitting and cooking.
5. Jackie Robinson - He broke the color barriers in the all American sport of baseball. But that was never his intention. He just wanted to play ball.
5. The Williams Sisters - These girls brought women's tennis to a new level. They're strong, they're confident, and they dominate.
6. Walter Payton - Oh Sweetness! As a kid I loved him so much. No one ever played football with as much heart, grace and determination as Payton. Not only that, but he was loved and respected by his fellow team mates, as well as players on other teams.
7. Tiger Woods - Singlehandedly, he turned golf into a COOL sport. Which is a pretty hard task! And he's pretty cute, too...
8. Pat Tillman - A lot of controversy was made about the media making him a hero, who died in Iraq after giving up a promising football career worth millions. He never wanted to be a hero, he never wanted the attention, he just wanted to do what was right.
9. Dorothy Hamill - Although having her bowlcut haircut throughout my childhood, I still remember wanting to be a figure skater when I was a kid. Even now, no other possesses the grace and beauty that she has when she takes the ice.
10. Olympians - Apolo Ohno, Rusty Smith, Michelle Kwan, Rulon Gardner, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner Kersey, Mark Spitz, Mary Lou Retton and thousands who compete knowing that their medal chances are slum...they're in the sport not for the money, but to become one of the best in the world, to compete against people from all over. Most of them don't even get paid to train and have to raise the money themselves or get jobs. They don't have the luxury of corporate sponsorships.

Next Week: Ten Scenes from the Movies that Make You Hot and Bothered, submitted by Amy.

To those of you that got a pop up ad when coming to my site, sorry, I guess my tagboard was putting that crap up. I'll look around for another company to do the tagboard with. I think it's kinda shady that they would do something like that. I understand putting ads up on the tagboard, but having users download something to their machines which could be spywear? Not cool!

Is anyone still getting popups when coming here?

So I'm in New Jersey this week. Got to my hotel room and saw a little box with an envelope next to it on the desk. I looked at the envelope, and it was addressed to Mr. H---- Goodman. Of course, I read the letter in the envelope. The letter says something about how happy the hotel is to have Mr. Goodman return, and how they appreciate his business. Then something about how the box is a show of their gratitude. Without hesitation, I open up the box. Jelly Bellies!!! Well, it's my room now, and I'm paying, uh, nothing for it, since it's a business trip, but SOMEONE is paying for me to be in this room, so dammit, I deserve these Jelly Bellies!

Of course, when I called down for my wakeup call, I had to be honest and say that there was a letter here for Mr. Goodman. The front desk then told me to tear it up. I didn't mention the Jelly Bellies, though.

My trip here was ok. We got here 20 minutes early, and when I got in, I didn't spot my driver waiting for me at baggage claim. There's something weird about saying 'driver'. But the company I'm working for this week got me a driver to pick me up from the airport. It's cool, because you get to see your name hastily written on those cardboard tents as you come down the escalator, but when you're not there, the anxiety strikes in. 'Do I have to get a cab?' 'Do I even know where I'm going?' 'Is he ever coming?' Fortunately, I saw him come in a little late, which was actually right on time. It was a nice, comfy ride all the way to hotel.

So here I am, surfing the 'net and chewing on my Jelly Bellies, though it's been a while since I've had Jelly Bellies, so I keep on picking the crappy flavors. I forget everything else except for the buttered popcorn ones, which, of course, were the first to go.

All thanks to Mr. Goodman.

It's very rare that I say that a sequel to the movie is better than the first. I usually have strong feeling for the first go around of a movie, since it's where the characters are introduced, as well as the reason we even bother going to see the sequel. This is how I felt about "Wayne's World", "Star Wars", and "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring". Only "Hot Shots! Part Deux" and "Scary Movie II" surpassed their predecessors. (There are probably others, but I can't think of any right now). Shrek II can probably join that list.

As much as I loved and enjoyed the first one, the sequel is just plain funnier. There were times where I missed jokes I was laughing so hard. But not only does Shrek II succeed in making the audience laugh, it still has the heart and emotion of the first movie.

Mike Meyers and Cameron Diaz are back as Shrek and Princess Fiona, who are newlyweds and are invited to Fiona's kingdom of Far Far Away to recieve her parents' blessing. A love triangle forms when Prince Charming, who was the one who was supposed to break Fiona out of her enchanted spell, comes back into the picture. Throw in a hilarious Eddie Murphy as Donkey and the fairytale characters we grew to love (the Gingerbread man, the three blind mice, the wolf and Pinocchio) and you've got a movie worth seeing. There were also some new characters introduced, my favorite being Puss in Boots. When he was first on screen, I was thinking to myself, "Ahh...are they trying to make that cat sound like Antonio Banderas?" Then I found out (it gets obvious later on) that it WAS Antonio Banderas.

I liked it so much, I wouldn't mind paying to see it again. Of course, me and Fata went to the matinee showing, so we didn't spend as much. Well, we DID, since we went to see it downtown and spent $7.50 on the matinee. (How much are movies nowadays?) The comedy is smart, often having jokes that would be over the head of the kids watching it, but will make adults snicker. After seeing it, I will never look at a pepper mill, pink thong underwear or the Little Mermaid the same again.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Lounge:: Lizard
2. Photograph:: Picture
3. Catacomb:: Urbana
4. Crucifix:: Religion
5. Fired drill:: Emergency
6. Tube:: Top
7. Dropped:: Bomb
8. LTD:: limited
9. Panther:: Black
10. Formica:: Counter

Why 'Part 1'? Because finding a house is going to take a while!

We started our search looking through Elmhurst, which to my dismay I found out was voted the #1 suburb to live in Chicago. If I lived there, it would be a great thing. But it makes FINDING a home there next to impossible if you're on a tight budget. The houses there range from ok to WOW. The ok houses, although in our price range, were too shabby and crappy, and not worth the money they were going for.

We saw a lot of houses that made us go 'Ohh!' and 'Ahh!' but found out that they were in the $550,000+ range, which is out of our league. Saw a real nice one for more than a million dollars. Yeah....right!

This brought us to the reality that if we wanted to live in a suburb close to the city, we can't have the ideal home that we want....we have to get a so-so home. Although living farther out in the suburbs, we can get a really good house at a better price, but the commute to work will be hell.

Ack! Decisions! Decisions!

Got this from Fraulein N. Go ahead and use it your self, just go through it and mark the ones you've read. As much as I'm a reader, I usually go for trashy quick reads, so I'm not expecting to have a lot of these read!

But this list gives me a lot of leads of books to read on the train!

I've been wondering about the difference between the two.

What's the difference to you?

As much as I can, I try to share my experiences, without sounding like I'm bragging. Is there a line between the two? Is it how the subject is presented? IS there a difference?

For example, remember when I met Jason Mewes? I think I bragged a little there. Most other times I try to share my experiences, rather than rub your nose in it to make you jealous of my awesomely fabulous life. Because my life isn't that.

But I guess sometimes I wonder if maybe I AM bragging, because I know I get annoyed when other people brag. I don't want to annoy my readers! Yet I do want to share the events that happen in my life, though I don't share everything...you all know that there are some things that are extremely bragworthy or very personal things that should never see the light of the web!

So I'm curious as to your opinions....

Photo Friday: Clouds

This was a tough one. I love taking pictures of clouds, especially from airplanes. I couldn't choose one, so I chose 3. Enjoy!

Sunrise Over Haleakala Crater - Maui, Hawaii, March 2004

Clouds Above Haleakala Crater - Maui, Hawaii, March 2004

Clouds from an Airplane - August, 2003

Back at work again, and it's like I never left!

Except I no longer have a desktop machine. It was taken up by Fatima when she started working here.

And there's about 10 less people working for the company.

And rumor has it that the president has been a great mood for a very long time, making my coworkers think that there are probably body snatchers on the loose. Be careful out there, people.

And they're redoing my building structure. There's construction all over the place.

But other than that, it was get into work, power up my laptop, then spend the next hours chatting with coworkers and catching up. Uh, and working, too.

Today, I had to take the Metra for the very first time. My super secret hideout is a ways away, so I have to rely on suburban transportation to get around. It was pretty scary. I'm used to scanning my card before getting on the train, when I take the CTA. On the Metra, you buy a ticket, get on the train, and a conductor comes around and punches your ticket. Weird! The Metra is like riding in first class compared to riding the CTA. The seats were all cushy, the train ride was quiet, people powered up their laptops. I wouldn't be caught DEAD even letting my laptop peep out of its case when riding the CTA!

Today I had lunch with Fatima. I took her to Fox and Obel, which she hasn't gone to before. I suggested that we eat our lunch next to the Equitable building, at an eating area next to the river. Then it rained on us as we were eating. Luckily we were under an umbrella, but I never thought to check the skies to see if it was ok to eat outside. I must get out of that Cali mentality!!!

After a nice little stopover to visit Claudine in Des Moines, I'm finally at my super secret location, where I will be spending my time until we find a home.

Have I told you that yet? We're home hunting. It's hard to do it from across the country, but we do have a couple places we have in mind. Although I'll be a city gal inside til the day I die, I have to admit I've gone to the other side in terms of searching for a home. Yes. The suburbs. Right now, we're looking at Oakbrook Terrace, Elmhurst and Schaumburg...We'll see what happens.

Since I'm at a super secret location, my internet access at night will be pretty spotty at best. No high speed access here at Location X.

Let's hope the house hunting goes well!

It's nice to be back in the Chicago Metropolitan area again!

Work tomorrow!

Here's a pretty cool pic that I took in Utah yesterday...

Chillin' at da Holiday Inn....in Grand Island, Nebraska.

We're taking our time crossing the country...we've been through California, Nevada (with a nice long break at the casinos), Arizona, Utah and Colorado. The drive has been absolutely breathtaking. We spent the night in Utah yesterday and the sunset was gorgeous over the mesas. The setting sun cast this pinkish/reddish/purplish glow all around us. It was pretty neat. Hopefully I got some on my camera, but it was pretty hard to focus with the car moving and all.

But it's a good time. Our cars are PACKED, so I can't use my rearview mirror. But I manage ok with my side mirrors. And can I tell you how much I LOVE seeing the 75mph speed limit. It's the best!

If I get a chance, I'll upload some pics later tonight...gotta catch up on some emails, though...

Thanks for all the trip well wishes!

Might as well do this while I'm on the road....

Ten Things You Look for in a Mate

1) Laughs at my jokes
2) Plays basketball
3) Lets me have my own opinion. Doesn't try to force his opinion on me.
4) Nice hair
5) Nice ass
6) Good with kids
7) Gets along with my family
8) Has rhythm
9) Can hold an intelligent conversation
10) Is named DAVE!!!

One handed pushups are a plus!

Next Week: Ten Athletes You Admire

Six more hours before we leave California. I find myself getting pretty emotional. We had a father's Day cookout at Vinnie and Dean's today, and it was sad to say goodbye to all of them. I'll really miss Dave's cousins, Vinnie, Dean and Kathy...they're the closest thing I had to real cousins here - cousins in law, I guess...They all got big hugs goodbye, and I almost got teary eyed when Dean said he loved us and that he was going to miss us a lot.

:(

Oh well...this'll probably be the last post for a while! We're off on a road trip!

A couple weeks ago, I posted my complaints about California, promising that I would write a much nicer post before I leave...so here it is...

Dear California,

Well, our time is almost nearing to an end. I have to admit, I didn't think that I would enjoy our time together as much as I did, nor fall in love with you like I have. Part of me doesn't want to go, but part of me misses what I had before. We both knew it wasn't going to last, that our affair would just be temporary. I tried not to get attached, but it was hard not to. You got me with your charms. Ten months passed by like ten days. I really took you for granted during that time, thinking that I had all the time in the world. But now my time to go is here, and I realize that I'll miss you. I'll be returning to the one who holds my heart, but know that a little piece of you will be in my heart.

Thank you for this wonderful time together. As much as I criticized and complained about you to others, I did love you, do love you, and will continue to love you...

So here's my little (yeah right) list of the things I'll miss about you, as I'm freezing in the snowy blizzards of winter...

- Driving along the 405 in the middle of the night, with the roads free, loving the twists and turns of the road

- Eating at Ruby's at Huntington Beach Pier, walking along the dock hanging off the sides and waiting for the surfers to catch a wave.

- Giving people directions to/from my place and telling them to go the wrong way. Unless they're coming from the 405, I have no idea where to tell them to go.

- Amazing Comics and Cards. My comic book shop. They had such a great selection there, and the guys that worked there were super nice and I'll miss them a lot.

- Watching the nightly news and feeling like I'm watching 'Entertainment Tonight'. It's pretty much the same thing here.

- My favorite places to eat - Ruby's, L&L, Niko Niko Sushi, Pinoy Pinay, Sushiland, the Yardhouse, etc...

- Watching doctors play Dance Dance Revolution and sing karaoke

- Playing with hats at the hat store in Shoreline Village

- Living 20 minutes away from Disneyland

- Going to the beach, whenever we feel like it

- Crazy poker nights at Rick and Lanie's

- Getting up at 8:25, starting up my computer, getting my milk and cereal and reporting for work at 8:30.

- Watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean

- Knowing that even though it's cloudy in the morning, by noon the sky will be blue.

- My daily background TV noise schedule: The Today Show, 2 hours of Xena, A Different World, Roseanne, the daily movie, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

- Traveling out of Long Beach Airport. It's such a quaint airport, and you feel like a rockstar when you land, and get out of the plane taking stairs going right on the tarmac.

- Finding spiders in all sorts of places all over my apartment. I guess that's what you get living so close to the coast.

- Mastering my u-turning moves. I've never u-turned so much in my life!

- Hanging out at the aquarium, taking pictures of fish and petting my friends Mr. Batray and and Mrs. Nurse Shark. Ask Fata or Melanie, I'm one of those kids that dip their hands so close into the pool that they fall in.

- Using our college ID's (which are almost a decade old) to get the student discount at the Marina Pacifica movie theater.

- Pimping out my comics to Rod...which, as you read this, he STILL HAS. *ahem*

- Filling up my frequent boba drinker card at Cha for Tea.

- Watching people walk outside of our apartment and checking out what's going on inside.

- Waking up in the morning, going outside, and feeling like singing because the weather is SO beautiful.

- Bonfires at the beach - barbequeing, hot dogs on a stick, roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories around the campfire, playing cards...good times

- Watching the kids over at Vinnie and Dean's play in the pool and playing with their dog, Deangoy, and having family cookouts in the backyard

- Snowboarding at Mountain High, Big Bear, and Mammoth

- My favorite morning show men - Steve Harvey, Big Boy and Ryan Seacrest

- My west coast adopted family - the Cajudos. They were so welcoming and really made me feel comfortable. I was so glad that I had someone around my age to hang out with, even through I really didn't hang out as much as I wanted to. Anytime any of you are in Chicago, call me, and I'll give you the same hospitality you have me. I love you guys!

Thanks for a great time. I hate to leave you, but I promise, I'll be back...

Love,
Christine
the girl who complains about you all the time, but loves you all the same

This is the last post I'll make on my DSL connection before I return the modem.

*cries*

Goodbye high speed ineternet access! Hello crappy ass dial-up!

We're off to return the cable box, too. The rest of our time here, we'll have to feast on my diverse DVD collection of Memento, Scary Movie 2, Smallville Season 2, Lord of the Rings: Twin Towers, FInding Nemo and The Bulls 1990 Highlights, and Three's Company: Season 1. The last two are Dave's.

Oh, and our bed and couch are going back to their rightful owners, as well. Goodbye couchie! How I loved taking naps on you! You will be missed!

Packing sucks!

So my dad is here to come along with us during our trek home. It's always nice to see my dad, though I really with I could have given him a tour of Long Beach and the surrounding areas.

Things are still a bit weird between us, that sort of uncomfortability when you are talking but there's something under the surface that you know is there, but don't want to mention. I have him a hug and kiss when he came in, and asked him how he was, to which he replied, 'Really good, and not really good.' I guess that could be said of the whole family. We're doing good, but not good. I love seeing my dad, but it's also a reminder of my mom. And I'm sure its the same way with him.

So Father's day is coming up. Haven't bought a card or anything yet...hopefully I can get one last minute. My dad never really believed in Father's day, saying that he should be appreciated EVERY day, not just one day of the year. But this year he's making a fuss over it. Probably because Mother's Day was so crappy for all of us. Me and Fatima called him from the zoo last Sunday, and screamed 'Happy Father's Day' into his voicemail. He called back later to tell us that it's next week. Oops.

It'll be weird to be in the car with my dad for 3 days. In a way I want to talk about my mom, in a way I don't. And I can't really bear crying in front of my dad. I'm too tough for that. OK. I'm not.

I got to take my dad to one of my favorite places yesterday. Guess where?!?! L&L Barbecue! Hahaha. I'm a regular there now. They know my order.

_____________________

To lighten the mood, I was quickly brushing my teeth yesterday. Don't know why I was in a hurry. My hand slipped and my toothbrush flew out of my mouth and hit me in the eye. Other than the stinging of the toothpaste in my eye and my toothpaste mascara, I'm ok. But it was pretty funny to look in the mirror and see the toothpaste all over my face.

Photo Friday: Fashion

Venice Beach, CA: June 2004

Don't you hate it when you buy an outfit and find it at another store for less the next day? Just kidding. I could never wear this!

So I got an invite for GMail, and I'm trying to phase out the MissYano@whateverdomain.com, so I need to come up with a new name. This is pretty big, you know, because this GMail account is going to be forever. Now, they don't allow anything less than 6 characters, so 'yano' is out of the question. I don't want anything that's going to come back and haunt me, like bigbootie[at]gmail.com or anything like that. I need your help. I can't really decide what it should be...

Here's a couple ones to think about...

pistachio[at]gmail.com <- as in Estacio
soulfire[at]gmail.com <- a comic book
psylocke[at]gmail.com <- my favorite comic character
kwannon[at]gmail.com <- the japanese goddess of compassion and mercy, and another name for psylocke.

Any other suggestions?

If someone comes up with something better, they get an invite to get a gmail account from me!

Well, I may have mentioned before that me and Dave really don't have much to bring back with us to Chicago.

That's kinda true. Kinda.

But we do have stuff, and I never really realize how many knicknacks we picked up. That stuff's not easy to pack.

So I've got my clothes packed, and all my work papers and stuff, and now, I look, and there's still stuff. And I have no idea where to start! Picture frames, books, beach stuff, lotions, makeup, kitchen stuff...etc. I look at it and think to myself, 'How the hell am I going to pack this stuff?!?!' It's just not easy stuff to pack.

Chances are, they get thrown in a box, never to be seen again...

Who knows!

______________________________

In other news, I rarely take off my puka shell necklace (you can see it in the webcam pics). Didn't have it on today, and realized that I've got a puka shell tan. I don't even have to wear it anymore. I've already got a white necklace of paleness around my neck...I'll take a pic of it when I can. But it looks kinda dorky. Not that you should be in any way surprised that I look dorky. :-P

Theme Thursday: Bend

3000m Race - February 2003, Salt Lake City, UT

Apolo Anton Ohno leads the pack during the 3000m race as they come around the bend. Just wanted to take a different interpretation than everyone else. ;)

It was commented below that one of my favorite actors (well, he was...til he disappeared off the radar), Rick Moranis, was dead.

I looked around the internet for news of his death in the news archives on the net, but didn't find anything, but for some reason, it looked like other people were searching for it, too. If you search for Rick Moranis in Yahoo, the similar searches will come up as 'Rick Moranis dead', 'Rick Moranis death' and 'Rick Moranis died'. However, nothing comes up.

But thanks to Wilkweb, I found out that the rumor isn't true. *whew* Suddenly Seymore is still alive and kickin'.

I guess it was all a hoax. I can't find the original article that was put up, but I guess it was just a joke between friends that got blown out of proportion. Anyway, they posted an apology.

For more on what happened, go ahead and check out his fansite.

Started packing my clothes for the trip back to Chicago. Still a lot more to pack as well as the cleaning we have to do before we move out. It'll get done...eventually!

It's a cloudy, chilly day in SoCal. Hopefully I'll have some sunshine before I go.

Today is my 7 year anniversary with my company. Can you believe it? A fourth of my life I've been working there. And to think I just started out as a temp with a Psych degree, thinking that I was only going to be there for a year, then moving on to bigger, better companies. I think it's time to admit I'm a lifer at X-Systems. Three more years and I get 4 weeks of vacation. If I make it that long, someone please hit me very hard with a blunt object.

Today at around 5pm Pacific time I'm thinking of taking a Yahoo Texas Hold'em Poker break. Anyone wanna join me? You have to be a Yahoo member to play. The more the merrier, I say! I'll post up the info here once I'm in the room.

[update]

To go to the Main Poker lounge, click here.

I'll be in Social Lounge 6, under the name 'Kasyndria', sitting in Table 10.

If you don't know the rules for Texas Hold 'Em, here's a summary. If you don't know how to play poker, well...sorry! You can come and watch!

So essentially, everyone is given 2 cards first. These are your own cards. You place your first bet (and keep on adding if people up the ante). Then in the middle 3 cards are dealt and everyone can use those cards for their hands. Then you bet again. Another community card is dealt. Bet again. Then the last community card is dealt. So a total of five community cards are available for you to use with your two cards.

See ya there, and good luck!

...but am too lazy to form actual paragraphs about...

- Went to the Queen Mary and checked out the Ghost Tour
- Got sunburn at Venice Beach
- Ate at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica
- Went to Downtown Disney...twice
- Went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park
- Ate at the Sumo Buffet
- Went to Huntington Beach
- Ate at L&L Hawaiian Barbeque...twice
- Ate at Kings Hawaiian
- Ate at the Yardhouse
- Walked around Shoreline Village
- Went to the Aquarium of the Pacific

Whew. That was a pretty packed Friday - Monday weekend. And I actually worked on Friday and Monday!

Pictures to come....eventually.

So Dave is taking his medical boards as we speak, where he gets licensed to be a doctor. Or something like that. I never really understand what the tests he takes does. But he's been studying like crazy for the last couple months, especially in the last couple weeks.

He stayed last night in Chino so he could be closer to the test site, and get more studying time in before the big test. And he'll be staying there tonight as well, since it's a two day test. In a way, we've switched roles. I'm the one who's staying at home while he's the one who's off traveling.

As much as I travel and go to different cities, I hate spending the night at home alone. You would think that since I stay in so many different hotels all over the country by myself, I would be used to being alone at night, but I guess since it's my home, I just don't like the feel of it at night without Dave there. I guess I just get creeped out at night when he's not here. On the nights that he's on call, I usually stay up late and fall asleep on the couch with the TV on. It's just weird sleeping in the bed without him.

So yesterday, I was so tired, but I just couldn't sleep. After such a busy weekend, I was exhausted, but once I got home I was just tossing and turning. So I just stayed up watching my Smallvill DVDs and surfing the web. Finally fell asleep at around 5am.

I'm totally dragging today, since I start work at 8:30.

Hopefully I get some sleep tonight, though Dave will still be away.

I just like having the guy around, I guess. :-P

Admit it. At least once in your life you've given in to a trend that you look back on now and think to yourself, 'What the hell was I thinking wearing that?' So here's your chance to share your shame...

1) tinted corrective lenses. I had glasses with a pink and purple tint.
2) getting a perm. my hair was not made for perming, unless I wanted to look like the lost Jackson sister.
3) hi-tops and two pairs of contrasting colored socks
4) the 'rachel' hairdo. It's just not me.
5) wearing spandex shorts out of home/the gym
6) high hair - bangs hairsprayed in a big wall on my head
7) bright purple overalls
8) stirrup pants
9) the metallic fuschia and black dress I wore to senior prom
10) the black trenchcoat I wore from senior year of highschool to freshman year of college

Next Week: Ten Things You Look for in a Mate

Got a link to the Day Before Tomorrow parody from Joanna, and discovered the rest of the hilarious Movies in 15 Minutes that Cleo has made.

A couple of my favorites are Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Troy parodies:

Hey, Mom! Odysseus wants me to go out and fight, can I can I can I? - Troy
OUTTA MY WAY, PLEBE, IT’S MY TURN ON THE HORSYBIRD! - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Trust me. They're funny!

For Fatima's birthday, which was a couple weeks ago, I took her to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which is actually in Escondido. It was a pretty spur of the moment thing, but I figured that since I missed her birthday, and she loved animals so much (also because I haven't been there yet) that I would take her there.

I'll have more a review once I process the rest of my pictures, but it's gotta be the best animal park I've ever been to in terms of presentation. It was awesome!

Anyway, I didn't take as many pictures as I normally would since my sister was with me, but I did get a few good ones, which I'll post up later. But I just wanted to share my favorite one with you, a close up picture of a lorikeet. I just love that 10x zoom on my camera!

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Colorblind:: Gil
2. Shallow:: Waters
3. Erotica:: Madonna
4. Figment:: Imagination
5. Eviction:: Notice
6. Composed:: Music
7. Chill:: Pill
8. Girl:: Power
9. California:: Dreamin'
10. Bond:: James

Since the gals came into town, I've been super busy, and haven't really been able to make a post of any real substance (as you can tell by the Olsen Twins post from yesterday)

The visit is going great, but I'm so tired! But we're having a ball.

Here's a picture from yesterday of me and Fatima trying on hats in Long Beach. These hats were super warm, and with the flaps down we could hardly hear a thing!

I took a good amount of pictures from their stay here, and will take many more, so I'll get 'em up as soon as I can!

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen finally turn 18 on Sunday, therefore making it OK for the millions of men fantasizing about them to not feel so dirty about it.

There was an article in Yahoo about it...

Mary-Kate & Ashley: Jailbait No More

There was a line in there that caught my eye:

As of this Sunday, June 13, wonder twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are legal adults. The girls will be able to vote and buy cigarettes. Their 18th birthdays also mark the end of an era for the Olsen Twins Countdown Clocks, the Internet sites devoted to tracking the years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds until the former Full House-rs come of age....

Hmm...interesting...and further in the article...

But what inspired so many Internet geeks in the first place? Why would someone digitize every second that stands between them and a date with the world's most famous twins?

"Armitage Shanks," an Irish Web developer who declares "Ashley-Kate" to be his favorite, thinks he might "start a betting agency on when they get their first boob job or divorce."

Hey, how come one of the VERY FIRST Olsen Twin countdown sites didn't get quoted in this article? Dan, where were you when this was going down? Where's your interview?

Anyway, happy early birthday to the richest twins around. I thought you were pretty ugly on Full House, but you gals proved me wrong and didn't grow up to be trolls!

Layout ideas are swirling through my mind all the time, and I often find myself looking at the ones from the past.

So I made up page where y'all can check out my old layouts, unfortunately I didn't have all of them saved...

My Layout Graveyard

Enjoy!

Yesterday, Ray Charles passed away. I don't know but for some reason, in my mind Ray Charles was immortal, he had been a constant in my life, popping up here and there every once in a while. He wasn't someone that would ever die. Sure, I know, his legacy will live on, but what I'm saying is that to me, Ray was someone who I think I took for granted that he would always be around. It's pretty sad that such a legend should leave us.

Throughout his career, Charles ventured past soul and into country, pop, standards, jazz, swing and even hip-hop. He could make a Pepsi soft drink commercial sound soulful.

"He didn't give a damn about the genres," Charles' biographer, David Ritz told Reuters. "He broke down the barriers and said, 'When I was a kid I listened to the Grand Ole Opry, and I like country and I like George Gershwin."'

At the Blues Fest in Chicago, they had 3 minutes of silence for him. And a gathering where their main reason for getting together is music, that's a pretty big feat.

Goodbye Mr. Charles, you will be missed, but your soul and your music shall live on.

_________________________________

So there's a superstition that deaths come in threes. First, President Reagan, now, Ray Charles. Who's next? I posed the question to Dave the other day, and he gave his prediction: Jason Bateman. What?!?! Yeah, I know. I have no idea. I think he pulled out any obscure actor from his head, just for a reply. Weirdo.

So Fata and Melanie are here visiting for the weekend, and it's nice to have some people here to have adventures with. I picked them up yesterday from the airport and made them a great breakfast of chocolate chip stars and initials pancakes, as well as eggs, bacon and sausage. I'm getting pretty domestic.

Then we had lunch at Ruby's, which is now the place where I take all the out of towners. We hung out at the pier for a bit and I took some pictures of the surfer dudes. Soon I'll have to make a whole gallery of my surfer dude pictures. Here's a couple...

And then I took them to L&L Barbeque for some Hawaiian food, and we feasted. Yum! Afterwards, we headed over to Downtown Disney to check out the sites, unfortunately, we didn't have much time left there since we were stuffing our faces with Hawaiian BBQ for so long.

But when we got to Downtown Disney, we were walking around, then a security guard came up to us and asked us if we wanted tickets to a concert. Of course, I'd never pass up free tickets, and I asked when they were for. Turns out they were tickets for a concert that night. I asked him who, and he had no idea....he had to look at the ticket to figure out who it was. I guess there weren't a lot of people at the concert if security was handing out tickets.

And do you know who it was for? Do ya? Do ya?

I'll give you a hint:

And if you're thinking Ricky Martin, wrong. I saw him several years ago during the 'La Vida Loca' craze. No, I'm talking about my OTHER favorite member of Menudo, Robi Rosa!

So I couldn't help myself. I talked the girls into going. I just HAD to see what he looks like now, and hey, the tix were free! So we went to the House of Blues, and unfortunately, I had to check in my camera. We've never been apart like that before, but I found the security guard who was watching Cammie II to be pretty trustworthy.

We got into the concert hall, and it was pretty full, I'm surprised they were handing out the free tickets. Robi looks pretty much the same, just a little bit older. And a lot buffer. Whoo! But I had no idea what songs he was singing. I just wanted to yell - 'Do Cannonball!' Actually, I think someone in the audience was already yelling for him to do that. Unfortunately, he's left his Menudo bubblegum pop behind him and has gone for a more edgy rock feel. Hmph.

Well, he still looks good!

As some of you may know, I lead a double life. In one of my 'other' worlds (yes, there are multiple ones), I am one of the webmasters for rustysmith.com. This opens me up to a lot of great opportunities.

Last year, I went to the Short Track World Cup in Salt Lake City, and Rod, Rick and Rusty decided to have a documentary. So I was lucky enough to be chosen as the interviewer, since I like to ask questions and I had some knowledge of the sport. Basically my job was to interview a lot of the athletes about Rusty, as well as Rusty himself. Which made me a little giddy, since this would be the first time I met these people who I had only seen on TV before that.

But I was pretty nervous, too. I'd never really interviewed anyone, much less on camera (except for that one drunken American Idol night with the cop) I've had acting experience, but all of that was on stage, and I had never watched any tapes of it.

So I did it, got a lot of practice and experience, and I have to admit, I was nervous for most of the interviews. Except for the few that I did when I had a couple drinks in me. Some of you out there probably remember that. Actually, those were my better ones since it loosened me up a little. There were some that I was prepared for, some that I just made up questions on the spot. We were busy all weekend, so I rarely (ok, never) got a chance to review the tapes and make adjustments. So I made a couple mistakes, that I'll share with you right now. Because I know you care. Ok, you don't. Just skip this post then. But if you want to read on...go ahead.

1) Uh...Um...You know...I mean...So... <- 80% of my vocabulary when interviewing. Don't start a sentence with uh's!
2) If you HAVE been drinking, don't tell them. They'll make fun of you.
3) Let them finish their answer before moving on to the next question. It doesn't look good when you're talking over each other in an interview.
4) If using a mike, make sure to hold it up to YOUR mouth when you're talking. There were times when I'm talking and I've got the mike pointed towards them.
5) Don't chew gum! You look like a cow.
6) If a crowd gathers around you and the person you're interviewing, don't freeze like a deer caught in headlights.
7) If you're interviewing someone's dog, make sure to have treats handy.
8) DO NOT ask them 'How much tail have you gotten since the Olympics?' They don't seem to enjoy questions like that.
9) Don't talk a million miles an hour. You sound like you're speaking in Japanese.
10) When listening to the answer being given, start formulating your next question, rather than getting lost in eye contact and forgetting your first name.

To see several of these in action, rs.com had posted a couple clips from our upcoming documentary (available before 2010! Start saving up now!) To save them bandwidth, I'll post them up here...

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Just right click and 'save as'. They're about 1MB each. The quality is crappy (you can get a nicer version on the other site) but hey, I'm stingy with my bandwidth.

You know, seeing myself and listening to my voice on camera makes me want to bash my head into a wall. It's a wonder that no one has shot me yet because of the annoying squeakiness of my voice!

I think I'm naturally a restless person, and I am constantly changing things around. I can't be still for a minute - unless it's one of my famous 'naps'.

That being said, I've been somewhat restless lately, trying to think of things to take up what little free time I have, or change things around in my life, or playing around with new makeup, etc...

You may remember last November when I got hit with the crazy stick and chopped off my lovely long locks for a more motherly, soccer-mom type hair cut:

Then I went to Seattle and actually got MORE cut off:

However, as time went on, I really started missing my long hair. I'm not really a 'maintenance' type of person, and short hair needs a lot of maintenance if you don't want to look like you just got out of bed when you go out in public. I've come to hate my hair pomade and straightener. For some reason, my hair has become really wavy - whether it's the air here or just that my hair is changing, I don't know.

But I needed a change.

So I got highlights again. I started getting highlights in college, when I volunteered to be a hair guinea pig for my hairdresser's students. I was a highlight whore for the next several years. But about two years ago I decided to grow them out and go back to my natural haircolor.

But last weekend, I felt like I wanted to go back to my blond streaking ways. It was pretty spontaneous. The whole time I was getting it done, I was thinking, 'Should I really be doing this?!?'

Still unsure how I feel about it. But I think I like it. We'll see if I feel the same way after I have to do my own hair. It's grown a bit (got an inch off, too) and I'd like to have my long hair again. I just miss it...

Anyway, here's pictures...

Whaddya think?

Got this from Kathy, who got it from The Mommy Blog...

1. Do you try to look hot when you go to the grocery store just in case someone recognizes you from your blog?

No, although I do have readers who I might actually run into at the store. They'll just have to handle my nasty warmup old tee wearing nappy headed grocery shopping self.

2. Are the photos you post Photoshopped or otherwise altered?

I admit, yes, I've used the healing brush on a zit or two. Never heard of it? I feel a Photoshop tutorial coming on! 'Who Needs Clearasil? Photoshop Acne Away!'

3. Do you like it when creeps or dorks email you?

No. Unless they're COOL dorks.

4. Do you lie in your blog?

No. The people who read it would know if I'm lying. However, I may not report events correctly due to my horrible memory, but that's not lying. That's filling in the holes in my memory.

5. Are you passive-aggressive in your blog?

Um, I dunno. What do you think?

6. Do you ever threaten to quit writing so people will tell you not to stop?

Not really. I'm dramatic, but not THAT dramatic!

7. Are you in therapy? If not, should you be? If so, is it helping?

I'll go with what Kat said - blogging IS my therapy. And you're all my therapists. And you're doing it for free! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

8. Do you delete mean comments? Do you fake nice ones?

I've only deleted spam comments or when people accidentally post twice. Other than that, people are free to say what they want to say.

9. Have you ever rubbed one out while reading a blog? How about after?

Huh? Is that a dirty question?

10. If your readers knew you in person, would they like you more or like you less?

That's a scary question to answer. I'd like to say that they like me more, but who knows. I'd hate to have people have an expectation of me when they meet me, thinking that I'll be funny or witty or look the way I do in pictures or something, but I don't think I do. Let's just say I'm DIFFERENT when you meet me in person. Good or bad is personal opinion.

11. Do you have a job?

Yes. I've been working for too too long. Retirement can't come soon enough.

12. If someone offered you a decent salary to blog full-time without restrictions, would you do it?

Um, duh. Blogging like this is almost a job anyway!

13. Which blogger do you want to meet in real life?

Oh geez....there are a couple...but I think I'll take the easy way out and say that I'd love to meet Margaret Cho (she blogs). I've always been a fan of hers, and she writes with so much passion...it's amazing that she takes the time out of her crazy schedule to write the novels that she does. And she doesn't care what people think...she'll call people out in her posts and not think twice about it. She's incredible.

14. Which bloggers have you made out with?

Hahahaha....that's so funny. I'm just picturing blogging conventions and the seedy things that happen at the hotel bar after the open bar party. Sorry, haven't made out with a blogger. Unless you're talking about in the past...before they were bloggers. Well, that's another story.

15. Do you usually act like you have more money or less money than you really have?

In most cases, less money. But we indulge a lot with stupid crap like snowboards and trips to Hawaii, all the while eating spam and rice.

16. Does your family read your blog?

My sisters and cousins are aware of its existence. I think my father would think it's a load of nonsense and a waste of my time, time that should be used to work on producing him a grandchild.

17. How old is your blog?

Um, 2 years and 2 months or so....the actual site has been around for, uh, almost 10 years!

18. Do you get more than 1000 page views per day? Do you care?

What are page views? I don't know how to read my stats too well, though I confess, I'm a stats whore. But I don't know how to read my stats well enough to figure out exactly how many people are reading my site regularly rather than those who come here to look for the top ten heavy metal songs, Michael Jordan commercials or the true meaning of Kelis' song Milkshake.

19. Do you have another secret blog in which you write about being depressed, slutty, or a liar?

Hmm...secret blog where I divulge all my little secrets, brag about my private exploits in stalking, and share little nuggets of juicy gossip that no one knows about until weeks later...what a novel idea!

20. Have you ever given another blogger money for his/her writing?

I've donated to blogs/sites that I feel deserve it, but I haven't paid anyone to write for me. That sounds dirty. Like prostitution. My only guest writers have done it out of the goodness of their hearts...which is reflected by their crappy work. Just kidding sisters. I love you.

21. Do you report the money you earn from your blog on your taxes?

Money? Earned from my blog? Come again? That's possible?

22. Is blogging narcissistic?

Totally. I mean, I talk about myself all the time. But then again, there's a lot of self deprecation here, too. I'd like to think that people get a good feeling after reading, rather than feeling like, 'Who the hell does SHE think she is?!!?' As much as I can, I try not to blow up my ego, brag excessively or put other people down in my blog. Though a little ego stroking now and then isn't too bad for the soul.

23. Do you feel guilty when you don't post for a long time?

At first, I didn't care. I blogged pretty much for me. But as I realized that people were actually READING this, I admit, a little guilt comes along if I don't post for a couple days. But I know all is forgiven when I come back, because YOU GUYS ROCK.

24. Do you like John Mayer?

Yes. 'Your Body is a Wonderland' is one of the best makeout songs ever. Though he looks like he's being tortured when he sings...

25. Do you have enemies?

I think so, but I'm not sure. I cared before, but things happen that put such trivial things like that into perspective and you realize that you just don't give a fuck.

26. Are you lonely?

Sometimes. Brings to mind a lyric from Bush's 'Glycerine' - 'I'm never alone, I'm alone all the time'. Sometimes I just feel alone, even though I know there are people all around me. It's a frame of mind.

27. Why bother?

Because it helps me remember. Seriously, blogging has really helped me with my memories. Before, I couldn't remember simple occasions from the past, when it happened, with who, etc. But by keeping this blog, I've been able to look back and remember events, feelings, etc. As I said before, it's therapy.

Rod was asked me to tell this story, so I guess I will.

When I went to the beach to meet Rod, I parked by this big tent. I called him to see where he was, and he mentioned he was by lifeguard #24. However, I was right by #24, but didn't see him.

I gave him some insight on my position. I looked around, and saw a sign on the big tent. I looked quickly and said, 'I'm right by the UCLA ASIA club tent.' He then notified me that he was a couple pits next to it.

When I got there, Rod asked me about the ASIA club, asking if any of the girls were hot. He was pretty excited to know that we were pretty close to a bunch of Asian hotties. I told him that weirdly, I didn't see any Asians at the tent. Pretty unusual, since it WAS the ASIA club. In fact, it looked like it was a bunch of white people. So we speculated that maybe the ASIA club was actually for people who appreciate Asians, or people with an Asian fetish. Later, a group of Asians set up their pit next to us (which made Rod squeal in delight). We figured that they were part of the UCLA ASIA group.

So we told everyone that was meeting us that we were by the UCLA tent. No one had a problem finding us.

Later on, we heard some drums, and figured that it was just some kids banging on some bongoes or something. We made a couple jokes about people stripping down and chanting around the bonfire. Then the sound got louder. I went to go and check it out, and it turns out that the sounds were coming from the UCLA ASIA tent. Interesting, since the music and drum beats were VERY American Indian sounding. And the chanting, too. They started chanting. I went closer, and it WAS American Indians playing the drums and singing. Then I looked at the sign again, and it turns out that it was the UCLA AISA group - American Indian Student Association.

Hee hee. I read too fast. Anyway, after some research, it turns out that the AISA group is open to everyone (since the American Indian population is only about 1% of the UCLA students). It also includes a mentoring program, which anyone can be a part of, which accounts for the crowd at the tent...

So yeah...That's my story. Though I'm sure that there's a group at UCLA for white people that love Asians, too...

Phototime Tuesday: Skewed

Gaylord Palms - Orlando, FL: April, 2002

A skewed picture of the man-made swampland in the Gaylord Palms resort.

Just something to think about...

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both were shot in the head.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners.
Both successors were named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are made of fifteen letters.

Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

(And last but not least... )

A week before Lincoln was shot he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot he was in Marilyn Monroe.

Ten on Tuesday

Summer's here, and that means road trips, driving with your window open, and hot and heavy traffic. I'm from California, and almost every time I'm on the road I've got a gripe about someone or something...What annoys you the most when you're on the road?

1) When all lanes are blocked by cars going the same speed - 10 mph slower than I want to go
2) People who don't signal when switching lanes
3) People who leave their blinker on after switching lanes (I'm never happy)
4) Premature breakers - people who break at every chance, even worse when they break hard
5) When you go into the express/carpool lane, and find that the regular lanes are going faster than you
6) Passing the last restroom for 40 miles and realizing that you have to go to the bathroom
7) Getting to a toll and realizing that you have no change
8) Eating while driving and dropping food, like a fry or something, then realizing that you'll have to find it later, knowing that you're going to forget and it's going to rot in your car forever.
9) When someone screams in the car, for any reason. You DON'T scream in the car unless we're going to get in a bad accident. You'll freak me out.
10) When there are several streets in the same area with the same name - 'Wilson Lane', 'Wilson Court', 'Wilson Street'.

Next Week: Ten Worst Fashion Mistakes You've Made

As you may remember, my friend Dave, (not husband) is doing the AIDS Lifecycle. He's cycling all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I've found his training and his determination to do this pretty inspiring.

So I think he left yesterday, and he'll be done with it all on Saturday. I think it's too late to donate, but you can still email him through the site, or another participant, or the whole group to give them some inspiration during his ride. They print out the emails every day and give them to the riders. Dave's #1450. If you've got a chance, send him a good word of encouragement or just say 'Hi!'.

Cycling is hard enough, but going from one city to another, especially through mountains, high elevations and rough terrain is a pretty big feat.

Good luck, my friend! I'm rooting for you!

Need to say 'Congrats' to a couple people...

First of all, to my cousin Karen from Texas, who got engaged last week...She sent out an email with the whole proposal story and it was so sweet - he made the whole thing seem like a job interview.

Also, a wonderful 'Welcome to the world' to Alyssa Marie, born to my friends Jeanette and Vergil on June 3rd. Everyone's having babies!
Her uncle Vern made up a site for her, check it for updates in the future.

And finally, congratulations to my childhood friend Chariya, who got engaged last weekend as well! I'm so happy that she's found a man to make her happy!

*sigh* Love and babies are everywhere!

[updated pics below]

Yesterday was a fun day. We had a mini-birthday beach party. Rod got a pit over at Bolsa Chica and we hung out for a bit, then later on had a bonfire, ate some hotdogs and bratwurst, and told ghost stories around the fire. It was a good time, and I had some really good laughs. Probably the most memorable part, that is unfortunately seared into my memory, is when Rod lost a bet and had to go into the ocean. It was pretty cold yesterday, and the water was chilly. We all ran to the water to watch him jump in, and as he was frolicking in the water, he mooned us. The whole group ran away in horror, screaming, holding our eyes, trying to get the image of Rod's pimply ass out of our minds. Even when you win, you lose!

But it was great to have people come out for my birthday, even though I really didn't want too much of a fuss to be made over it. It was great to see my Long Beach/Sunset Beach family come out. I'll really miss them when we go home. I think having people here that I care about makes it that much harder to leave! I am so lucky to have gotten to know these people.

So thanks to everyone that came out...it was great time!!!

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Charity:: Benefit
2. Scale:: Justice
3. Jennifer Lopez:: JLo
4. Coercion:: Make
5. Meter:: Stick
6. Pressure:: Under
7. June:: Bug
8. Infestation:: Bugs
9. Serial killer:: Murder
10. Anguish:: Pain

Here's Dave's...

1. Charity:: Donation
2. Scale:: Weight
3. Jennifer Lopez:: Ass
4. Coercion:: Persuade
5. Meter:: Parking
6. Pressure:: Sweat
7. June:: Bug
8. Infestation:: Bug
9. Serial killer:: Bundy
10. Anguish:: Despair

Today, as you probably know, former president of the United States, Ronald Reagan passed away.

It hit me harder than I thought it would.

He was the first president that I really remember. My memories of Jimmy Carter are pretty vague. But I remember Reagan. I think as a child, I remember his wife more, because of her campaign against drugs and guest role on Diff'rent Strokes. But I do remember Reagan, and I remember that he was a good man, and that he had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. His actions in the White House caused a lot of great changes, in the US as well as the world beyond, challenging the world of Communism. Truly, he was of our greatest presidents. Not only because of his actions in the white house, but also for the respect that he garnered from all the people in Washington.

Later on, I learned more about Ronald Reagan as a man, rather than the president. I read Nancy Reagan's compilation of love stories that Ronald wrote to her, and you could really see what a loving, humorous caring man he was. The last chapter of the book was so sad, talking about the onset of his Alzheimer's and how he didn't even recognize Nancy. It just broke my heart. And she was with him until the end, as devoted to him as ever. After reading that book, I loved him more. If you ever get a chance to pick up the book, check out it out. It's full of letters, doodles, stories by Nancy, and it shows a man that was so in love with his wife. You would never have guessed that he was such a romantic. Here's some excerpts:

Dear St. Valentine,

I'm writing to you about a beautiful young lady who has been in this household for 25 years now - come March 4.

I have a request to make of you but before doing so feel you should know more about her. For one thing she has 2 hearts - her own and mine. I'm not complaining. I gave her mine willingly, and like it right where it is. Her name is Nancy but for some time now I've called her Mommie and don't believe I could change.

My request of you is - could you on this day whisper in her ear that someone loves her very much and more and more each day? Also tell her, this "Someone" would run down like a dollar clock without her so she must always stay where she is.

Then tell her if she wants to know who that "Someone" is to just turn her head to the left. I'll be across the room waiting to see if you told her. If you'll do this for me, I'll be very happy knowing that she knows I love her with all my heart.

Thank you,
"Someone"

Isn't that sweet? Here's another one...

Dear Mrs. Reagan

And you are Mrs. Reagan because Mr. Reagan loves you with all his heart. Every time Mr. Reagan sees the evening star or blows out the birthday candles or gets the big end of the wishbone he thinks the same wish--a prayer really--that so much happiness will go on and somehow be deserved by him.

It is true sometimes that Mr. Reagan loses his temper and slams a door but that's because he can't cry or stamp his foot--(he isn't really the type.) But mad or glad Mr. Reagan is head over heels in love with Mrs. Reagan and can't even imagine a world without her--

He loves her
Mr. Reagan

*sigh* What a guy.

So I'm watching all these specials that they have on TV, and it's surprising that they could get all these things together - he just died this morning. But I'm seeing so many things that Reagan did that I never noticed then I was a kid. He was an amazing man. There's just something in his eyes that causes you to trust him, that touches you and makes you want to believe what he's saying.

Hopefully, we'll have a president like that again someday. Though the way things look, we're not close to that for the next presidency. Reagan was definitely one of a kind.

So in closing, here's a quote that I found that Reagan said in '92:

"Whatever history might say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way."

You may remember that one of my New Years resolutions was to learn one recipe a month. But I've been stuck in a rut of backed fish, hapburger helper and thai peanut noodles.

So I've been trying lately.

So the other day, I wanted to make a taco bar. Dave loves tacos. So I went to the grocery store, got some taco mix and the rest of the fixings. I knew I was only cooking for two, so I kept my portions of everything small. Got a pound of ground beef, grabbed a couple tomatoes, picked out a small head of lettuce, sour cream, taco cheese, etc.

Got home, started cooking everything up, diced the tomatoes and chopped up the lettuce. The lettuce didn't really feel leafy when I was chopping it up, the whole thing was pretty tough, but I attributed it to the fact that it was so small.

So when Dave got home he was pretty happy to see the taco bar I had set up. We started constructing our tacos, and he looked at the lettuce and said, 'Oh, we're using cabbage instead of lettuce?'

Then the light came on. I had accidentally grabbed a cabbage. DUH! No wonder it was so tought to chop up! Hey, it's not like I buy lettuce on a regular basis. We got a good laugh out of that one.

Surfed around, because I was really intrigued to see some behind the scenes stuff that was written before the movie was out...here's some cool stuff I found:

Cuarón wants sex - via hpana.com

LA Times article - via The Leaky Cauldron

Leaky Cauldron on the set Report (really good) - the Leaky Cauldron

News has it that the cast is presently filming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but after that, it's up in the air whether or not the original cast returns for book 5. (The guy who played Menelaus in Troy is Mad Eyed Moody) Also, they were also debating about making HPGOF a TWO PART movie. Damn, that was a long book, but I don't know if I could keep interested for 2 movies!

Wow...look at me - a review right after I watch a movie, rather than 3 weeks later!

Saw the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

It's been a pretty long time since I read the book, so I didn't get the usual -book-to-movie cringes that I often get when watching a movie adaptation.

The third installment of the Harry Potter series is a refreshing change of pace. Chris Columbus (have to snicker every time I say that) stayed very true to the first two books, his movies were cheery, capturing the happiness and youthfulness of the books. New director Alfonso Cuarón has his own vision for the movie. And I LOVE it. His world of Harry Potter is a much darker, moody, and vivid place. Harry and friends aren't kids anymore, which is apparent by the growth spurts of certain characters (I didn't even recognize Neville!) as well as the feelings they are going through - anger, uncertainty, rebelliousness. Cuarón takes this into account by letting the actors grow up, taking them out of their robes and scarves and giving them a more contemporary wardrobe, reminding us that yes, this is all taking place in the world we live in today.

The visuals are simply amazing, from shots of umbrellas floating around in a rainstorm to a Lord of the Rings-esque bird following camera shot with surprising results. The cinematography relays the feeling of each scene, giving the viewer a sense of what the characters are going through, be it Harry's happiness when riding Buckbeak throughout the school grounds to the oppression as the Dementors feast on the souls of Harry and Sirius.

Of course, there are some criticisms, mostly heard through the audience when the movie was over. There were points of the plot that were missing, explanations that were not given, little bits here and there that were chopped out. For me, I don't know if I would have been lost at all if I hadn't read the books. Half the time I was thinking, 'Did they miss something, or was that part in another book?' All the books are running together for me, I can't distinguish between them. Chris Columbus stayed true to the first two books, which resulted in very long movies. This installment is significantly shorter, but you can tell the difference because the pacing is much faster. If Cuarón stayed true to the book, we'd be in the theater for a long time. I think he kept just enough of the book that was needed to tell the story.

But I think that's minor. The returning cast is exceptional. The students are all grown up, and you can really feel the chemistry between them. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint (who I adore) and Emma Watson are so comfortable together. They've matured as actors and are able to capture nuanced feelings without speaking. It's great to see the gang again, and they do an excellent job in this movie. The new additions of Emma Thompson as Professor Trelawney, David Thewlis as Lupin worked well. You almost hate to see Lupin go. I wanted to see more of Gary Oldman's Sirius Black. At times, I think he was a little too over the top, but then again, if you were stuck in Azkaban for 12 years, you'd be a bit loopy, too, so I'll cut him some slack. I'm still trying to form an opinion about Michael Gambon, who has taken over the mantle of Professor Dumbledore. His hat bothers me. And he doesn't have that kind, mischievous twinkle in his eye that Richard Harris had. However, Dumbledore didn't really play a huge part in the movie, so Gambon didn't have much to work with.

Usually, when I watch trilogies the first is always my favorite, since it's the beginning, and introduction to characters that I come to love. However, in this case, the third one is my favorite. It's just so visually appealing, so dark and fluid, and it's great to see the characters and actors take it up to the next level.

If this is just a taste of what Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is going to be like, I'll buy my tickets now! That's definitely my favorite book of the lot, and the special effects it's going to need are going to be mindblowing.

Photo Friday: Landscape

The Sierra Nevada, California - January 2004

Took this picture on our way home from Mammoth Mountain. Being from the midwest, seeing mountains this huge is pretty jaw-dropping. I was taking pictures left and right!

You know, there are so many other acts of sexual discimination in the world that we need to fight against, but New Jersey is fighting against Ladies Night at bars.

David R. Gillespie said it was not fair for women to get into the Coastline nightclub for free and receive discounted drinks while men paid a $5 cover charge and full price for drinks

In his ruling Tuesday, J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the state Division on Civil Rights, rejected arguments by the nightclub that ladies nights were a legitimate promotion. Commercial interests do not override the "important social policy objective of eradicating discrimination," he ruled.

What is Ladies Night? Well, to me, ladies night is a promotion at a bar where women get a discounted (or free) entrance and specials on drinks. Fine, it sure looks like discrimination. But look at it from this perspective. Not only does ladies night bring in more women, but it brings in more men, because they know that there's going to be women there. Having a ladies night actually helps men because when they go to the bar it's not going to be a sausage fest, and they'll actually have WOMEN to dance with, rather than each other. Also, men who bring their girlfriends, who may be paying for them, are saving money. If you go to a bar on a non-weekend, non-ladies night day, you'll see that the place is pretty empty, with men milling around just drinking. But go to Ladies Night on a Wednesday, and the place is hoppin', people are dancing, and men are hitting on anything with a skirt.

So, Mr. David Gillespie, I hope your friends and local bar patrons thank you for screwing them over and killing their best chances at meeting women at a bar.

Judges in Pennsylvania and Iowa have said similar events are illegal, but courts in Illinois and Washington state have said that ladies nights are permissible because they do not discriminate against men but rather encourage women to attend.

*whew* At least Illinois has some sense!

Theme Thursday: Indispensible

The El - Chicago, IL - Jan 2003

The El (elevated train) is the only way to get around Chicago. You can't come to the city and not experience it!

Well, yesterday was my last day at Thousand Oaks. Due to circumstances beyond my control, my project there was ended because of internal issues. That's what happens when you deal with a huge company - too many people trying to make something happen just causes the whole thing to blow up. I had seen this coming, but I didn't know it was so soon.

So I came in for the last time yesterday to make a backup of their files for a CD and clean up my desk. It was a bit sad talking to my main contact, I told her that T.O. was the closest thing I had to an office and having coworkers (even though I really didn't see anyone on a normal basis). Our goodbye was sincere, and she told me that she was sad that the project had to end, and the she really enjoyed working with me.

So goodbye, Thousand Oaks, in a weird way, I'll miss the 2+ hour commute.
__________________

In other news, an L&L Barbeque just opened up by my apartment. I stopped by there for the first time yesterday and I'm in KALUA PORK HEAVEN! Oh yum. It's in credible! So tasty! Dave had the short ribs today, and they're fantastic, too. He also picked me up some musubi (spam and rice wrapped in nori, which is seaweed). Glorious! If bathing suit weather wasn't coming I'd be going there all the time!

[spoilers galore]

Saw Troy a couple weeks ago, but I've finally have a chance to do a review. One day, I'll do a review of a movie RIGHT after I watch it....til then, here's my review...

All in all, it was entertaining. The acting was top notch. The fight scenes were epic and incredible. Everyone in the cast was very easy on the eyes. I enjoyed the movie a lot.

But as with all movies that are based on a book, in this case Homer's Iliad, I have issues. I feel that there was too much emphasis on Brad Pitt's character, Achilles, almost making him too sympathetic. Then again, I'm not complaining that there was too much Brad Pitt time. I could watch him all day. What an amazing body! Whoo! I'm still sweating. But I don't feel that they spent enough time concentrating on the people of Troy. And where are the strong women characters? Helen showed a couple moments of strength, but most of the time just lamented that it was all her fault. The only strong woman character was Briseis. And where were Cassandra and Hecuba? Did they not exist? I guess not. So here's just a couple inconsistensies that I found:

- The Trojan war lasted more than 10 years. In the movie, it's about 2 weeks.
- Agamemnon doesn't die the way he did in the movie, nor did Ajax.
- Achilles was never in the horse.
- I don't think Achilles and Patroclus were cousins. If you'd like to see their real relationship, look it up in the internet. Interesting reading.
- Melaneus doesn't die the way he did in the movie, either...actually, he doesn't die until way after.

I'm also sad that they didn't focus on the gods and goddesses role in the war. I know that this made the movie much more realistic, but I always loved the myths of Apollo's interference, as well as the Judgement of Paris, with Athena, Aphrodite and Hera making Paris choose between them.

I think the most outstanding performance in the movie was definitely Eric Bana. His Hector was everything I imagined him to be - heroic, honorable, torn between being true to his family and defending his country. He was incredible. He took this role and played Hector with every fiber of his being.

Brad Pitt did a pretty good job, too. Well, much better than I thought he would do. Damn, he sure is nice to look at!!! But really, his Achilles was someone I really felt for, I understood where he was coming from, which is something that you don't really catch from the Iliad. He conveys Achilles' inner torment and his drive to do the things that he does. Have I mentioned that he has pretty eyes? And I admit, I even gave into Hollywood's romantic spin on things and even started rooting for the bastard. I never wanted to like Achilles!!! But really, too much focus on him. Especially the part when he's talking to his mother, Thetis, by the water, and the camera pans on his face as he thinks about joining the battle. I actually laughed out loud....I felt like I was watching a soap opera.

Orlando Bloom played a very wimpy Paris, which is just the way I pictured him. And I'm sure everyone thought about Legolas as he brandished his bow and arrow. Poor Orly, getting typecasted.

Brian Cox and Peter O'Toole were awesome in their respective roles. Cox made Agamemnon the bad guy, not caring about anyone and happy to use everyone as his pawns. Peter O'Toole as Priam was regal and cared so much for his country and family, even if he did have a little too much arrogance to believe that Troy could not be invaded. He had an amazing scene with Pitt at the camp, when he begs for the body of Hector to be returned. I loved Sean Bean's Odysseus. I only wish that he had a bigger part.

So, I think it was a great movie. I would have liked it so much more if I didn't know anything about Troy. But the acting and epic-ness of the movie are undeniable.

If this movie entertained you, definitely go to Blockbuster and rent 'Helen of Troy', A&E's miniseries of the war on Troy, but from the eyes of Helen. Still doesn't stick exactly to the book, but it's much truer to the literature than Troy.

Or if you're wanting to see a Troy from a completely female perspective, check out Marion Zimmer Bradley's book, 'The Firebrand'. It's one of my favorites.

Then again, neither have shots of Brad Pitt's ass.

Whoo. I'm still recovering from that.

Seems like there are a lot of people interested in my LAPD in Hollywood story, so here it is...it's nothing TOO exciting...

Anyway, when I went to LA for Mo's grad party, me, Rod and Dan went to meet up with Brian, Jen and Mo at Miyagi's. We got there pretty late, but not late enough for me to get a triple Jack and Coke, which was served in this gigantic glass. Since I hadn't had much to eat that day, that was all I needed to get to drunken happyland.

The place closed at about 2:30am (as do most bars in LA), and I was pretty unused to bars that closed so early, and I felt like my night had just begun. So Rod decided to take us on a little sightseeing adventure. After getting our car, it was around 3am, and we went to Mann's Chinese Theater. It was pretty fun going there, and there was no one else around. If you look at my 'Vacations' pictures, you'll see that I wasn't below lying on the dirty, gross ground to take pictures.

We walked by the Sony Theater, which is next to Mann's, and saw that there were a bunch of people camping out. We asked the person in front and they said they were waiting for American Idol tickets. (This is the Kelly Clarkson year). With nothing better to do, I took out my camera, but it in movie mode, and proceeded to interview the different people in line, as well as take pictures with them. The were all enthusiastic, and I led them in chants proclaiming who they wanted to win.

As I was doing my interviews, a police car rolled up, and the cop opened his window and asked Dan what was going on. Feeling a need to get me involved, Dan asked me over and I went up to the squad car to explain. Of course, I really hadn't watched American Idol, so I had no idea what I was talking about. But I did get some of my new friends to bring up their boom box so they could play their American Idol CD for the cop.

I made some idle chit chat with the cop, and he had asked me if I had been drinking. Since alcohol acts as a truth serum to me, of course I said yes. Did I say yes? I think I said yes. Never did I think that there ever existed a public intoxication law. Fortunately, I think the cop was amused, and I wasn't causing a ruckus, so he humored me and kept on talking. That, or he was hitting on me. Anyway, him and his partner, (who I had addressed as "Officer #2") were pretty cool to talk to. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere. They kept on asking for my name, which I didn't give to them, and Officer #2 (who was pretty cute) pulled out his handcuffs and said, "Oh, we have ways..." But I was oblivious to any trouble, and Dan and Rod were nearby anyway. Later on, the topic of kids came about, and I asked Officer #1 if he had any. He said yeah, then I asked him if he had a wife, and he said, 'No, but I'm looking for one..' I laughed, but the internal alarm started going off. Then he asked me if I wanted a ride. That was my cue to leave, so I said thanks, but no, my friends were getting antsy. Of course, Rod and Dan were very close by to intervene in case I DID get myself in trouble. But they found the whole situation humorous, and were rolling their eyes the whole time, and maybe a bit irritated that I was flirting with jailtime like this. So before they left, they asked if I wanted to hear the siren, and I said sure, so they turned on the lights and siren and sped off into the night.

So I said goodbye to the cop and his partner (who was also in the conversation). I asked them to turn on the sirens as the left, and they turned on the lights and the sirens and punched the gas as they sped away. Me and my Idol lovers all cheered.

The End.

Phototime Tuesday: Wrong

LAPD and Me - Hollywood, August 2002

Talking to an officer from the LAPD is just wrong. Especially when you're drunk and he can smell the liquor on your breath. Luckily, I'm a charmer. But still, it's wrong....so wrong!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Coca Cola
2. Bailey's Ice Cream Shake - Häagen-Dazs
3. Jack and Coke
4. White Sangria at Cafe Iberico
5. Iced White Chocolate Mocha with Soy - Starbucks
6. Any boba shake at the Village Creamery
7. Minute Maid Fruit Punch
8. Mountain Dew
9. Car Bomb - Guinness Beer, Bailey's Irish Cream, and Jameson Whiskey
10. 2% Milk

If you've posted yours up, don't comment here, comment on the Ten on Tuesday page. :)