Just wanted to share this email with you. There's nothing better than getting an email out of nowhere from an old friend, who, after having an experience, thinks of you as the person that they want to share that moment with.

Yes, I feel special. And you'll feel special, too, after reading this...

________________________

Yes, I LOVE my guy friends! They never cease to make me laugh!

Ever feel like your life is moving too fast for you to catch up? Lately, I've had fleeting glances of that, mixed with a bit of helplessness. I like to be in control of my present, and to know what's going to happen in my future. But when I catch a moment to think, it's like an overload - too many things to think about, too many things to shift over in my head. It's been hard over the last few weeks to be traveling so much (San Francisco, LA and Danver in the last 3 weeks) while there were so many other things going on in my life, like purchasing the house, work to do at the office, paying bills, moving in, social activities, eye surgery, etc. Not that I'm complaining, but I'd love to just have a moment to take a deep breath, let it out, and just rest and relax. Life right now has been a mix of uncertainty, stress, happiness, excitedness, being overwhelmed, worrying about other people's problems, stress and confusion. I've been trying to get a balance of everything, but juggling it all is starting to wear on me. I'm almost missing those 2 1/2 hour commutes to Thousand Oaks. I had a lot of thinking time then!

Being back at work is so crazy for me. I don't know where to start, what to do. I'm so behind with some things, and I think I've lost my direction. I just need to regroup and get back on my feet again. There are many challenges that I'll be facing in my future, but I just need to keep my wits about me and I should be ok. I've been gone so long and missed so much I feel a little out of it.

I actually had a much longer, much more enlightening post, but my comp died for some weird reason.

Well, at least I'm sleeping in my own house tonight!!!

*sleepy*

I was a real bookworm as a kid, always hanging out at the library, eating up every new book that they had. I pretty much read every Nancy Drew and Choose Your Own Adventure book that they had...

Which brings me to this week's topic:

10 Favorite Childhood Books

1) The Chronicles of Narnia
2) The Glass Slipper
3) The Secret Garden
4) A Little Princess
5) Bunnicula
6) Grimm's Fairy Tales
7) My little Illustrated Bible Story book
8) Encyclopedia Brown books
9) Anything by Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary
10) Where the Wild Things Are

Next Week: Ten Things You'd Save if Your House Was on Fire

The title of this post is one of the sounds I hate the most...well, it's a love/hate thing.

What is it?

The dial tone, then the computer connecting via dialup.

Because I hate dialup. It's so damn slow!!!

Hate it, but love it. Because without it, I would have no internet at all right now.

Because the DSL service doesn't start in my new house until September 7th. *marks calendar. starts countdown*

Argh.

However, I'm back in my new home. And discover that we have a new wide screen TV and bedroom set. It's like Christmas!

Almost Christmas. Because to truly get that Christmas feeling, I would have come home to see that the DSL was up, too.

:-P

For some reason, dogs seems to really hate it when their owners dress them up. For example, look at the look of humilation and hatred on this poor little wee dog's face:

Diogi, while looking amazingly cute in that hoodie, didn't move at all once it was put on her. Even after the hoodie was removed, she still sat there, waiting patiently for us to get our laughs and take it off her. Even after the cat came to attack, Diogi no longer had the will to fight, letting the cat do as she willed.

Ewok is like that, but unfortunately, he seems to have deleted any evidence of pictures of him in his supercool wool sweater.

Anyway, yesterday I drove down to Colorado Springs, had dinner at this so-so Vietnamese place, got pizza to make up for it, and then went for my first mini-tour of the Olympic training center down there. It was a bit anticlimactic since I couldn't really see anything because my eyes are still messed up. But it was still pretty cool to see. After that, I just hung out for a bit, played with the dog and the cat, and did some technical support. Because, we all know, that's the only reason I'm down there - to fix computers!

Today, I finally go home to my house.

Doesn't that sound great?

MY house.

Yay!

This is Riley, the daughter of Corin and Torrie, the people behind worldshorttrack.com. Isn't she the cutest? She's so chatty and a little acrobat, climbing everything she can. She's also extremely curious, and the whole world and everything in it is something for her to explore.

Went out to dinner with the new parents, and as always, it was a good time. In a short track fan world that has more than its share of gossip and drama, Corin and Torrie manage to keep themselves out of it all, and have a pure love for the sport without getting involved in politics. I always learn something about the sport when I'm with them.

But this time around, I learned so much more. They gave me a lot of insight on what being a new parent is like. I look forward to being a parent (someday) with a mixture of extreme anticipation and apprehension. Although I definitely want to be a parent, but I know life will change, and I won't have the slefish lifestyle that I lead now. They told me it wouldn't be easy, that my priorities in life would definitely change. Bringing around a stroller, setting up the car seat, changing diapers, worrying if she's going to behave in public - those are all things that come with the territory. But in the end, watching them with Riley and how happy they were was amazing. Life changes, but in a way, it gets better.

It's such a great feeling to see friends growing as people, reaching a new level of life and facing its challenges with strength from each other. I know Corin and Torrie are great parents, and will raise Riley to be a great gymnast, swimmer, or even short track skater. But even more than that, she'll be a good and genuine person, just like her parents.

Ahh...kids.

Not yet.

So don't even ask! :-P

There has been so much drama during these Olympics games. People petitioning, complaining, speaking of unfairness, protesting, crying, suggesting a bias for this or that country, booing, yelling, cockiness.

Not really showing much of the spirit of what the Olympics is meant to represent.

But over all that negativity, there are the shining moments that make it all worth it. The moments that make your heart sing when you watch them on TV. Moments where it doesn't matter what country you represent, you're honestly happy.

An example of what I'm talking about happened today. Greece, although it has been the birthplace of the Olympics, hasn't had the best experience with it. From the rumors of complexes not being finished to the lack of people in the stands, Greece has been having a hard time.

Until the women's 400-meter hurdles, where before a packed crowd of her countrymen, Fani Halkia won the gold medal. The crowd went crazy. I'm sure the screams were deafening, and it's probably what gave her the surge to win. I'm sure it's an amazing feeling to win a gold medal in front of a home crowd.

My favorite part was when she was on the podium, tears welling up in her eyes as she was draped in her country's flag. When the Greek anthem started, everyone in the stadium started singing, holding each other, smiling, eyes shining with pride. Thousands of voices, singing together, reveling in their golden goddess for the night.

And of course, I have to mention the touching moment of Israel's first gold medal ever. The stadium wasn't as big, the sport not as glamorous as track and field, but this win was something special. I can only imagine what was going through the mind of Gal Fridman, the windsurfer who won the gold, as his flag was being raised on that highest flagpole for the very first time, to hear the sweet music of his nation's anthem being played over the loudspeakers. As his other countrymen sang along, he stood there, just soaking it all in. The whole thing was extremely moving.

And yeah, you can believe I got all teary eyed, too. Both times!

Man, I love the Olympics.

Just saw these pictures, and for some reason, I just have to laugh.

It's a beautiful sport to watch when it's in regular time, but get a snapshot of that beautiful graceful moment, and it just looks WEIRD!

Troy Dumais

Alexander Dobrosok

Alexandre Despatie

Did I tell you guys that I'm in Denver? It was my anniversary yesterday, and I didn't see my husband because I had to catch a plane and he got held up at the hospital. :( So the only time we saw each other was right before we went to work in the morning. Work sucks!

Went out to dinner with Rusty and Alice. The food was so-so, but the cheesecake was scrumptious. Afterwards they gave me a tour of downtown Denver, complete with local gangbangers, people shouting in the street, horse drawn carraiges and a place kinda like the third street promenade, but not really.

It's nice to be in Denver, but I really do wish I was home.

My new home, that is.

Sorry for leaving you all hanging last Friday with the whole house thing. We spent the last weekend moving things and unpacking. We hadn't really looked at the things that we got from the wedding last year, so it was almost like getting gifts all over again when we were opening all those crate and barrel boxes. We would have been totally overwhelmed if not for the help of our super mover cousins - Fatima, Claudine, Marlon and Marilyn. For their help, I bought them pizza and let them name my goldfish. We seriously would have been lost without them and Dave's mom and dad helping out.

So the house...wow...I really love this place. The people who owned it had some great taste and loved electronics. We've met them a couple times and they're funny, friendly, and really happy to be selling it to people that they trust. As soon as you walk in, it just feels so warm and inviting.

Here's some pics:

This is the living room. They left their speakers for us, isn't that awesome? On the left you'll see the fireplace, which has a remote control that turns it on and off with control of the temperature, as well. On the right is the stereo system that's built into the wall - they left that, too. The color on the walls is this friendly shade of yellow, and the windows on the left bring in tons of light.

This is the basement, I'm standing in the family room taking the picture. Off camera to the left is the pool table that they left, and way back there, you'll see the wet bar. There's a sink, a tap (they left a keg for us, too) with CO2 as well. On the left hand wall, that thing that looks like a picture frame is actually a fish tank that's built into the wall. And they left 4 fish for us.

This is my kitchen. The place that will be the cleanest place in the house because it will never be used. *wink* Stainless steel appliances, under cabinet lighting, dishwasher, cool sink, and all the appliances we got for the wedding match, too!

This stairway goes to the second floor. Didn't take any pictures of it, though. There's three rooms up there, a master bath and a regular bath (the house has two other half baths). That door goes to the basement.

This view is from the corner in front of the kitchen. You can see the front door and the dining room from here.

Whaddya think?

I can't express how good it feels to have a home. How free I feel, and relieved. I may have mentioned this before, but since I've been back home, I've felt like I've been living in this in-between place. Where everything is moving too fast for me, where I'm trying everything in my power to keep my world in control, where nothing feels like it's mine, where I've lost a place that I can call my own.

But now I can breathe easy again. I have my home. A place of my own. A place where the stresses of the world stops and I can take a moment to be on my own without worrying about someone being around.

Now all I need to go is finish this trip without going crazy, and I'll be back HOME. And for the first time in what seems like a long time, I can relax and be myself again.

Poor Paul Hamm. Poor poor Paul Hamm. Seems like every win he has is a bit bittersweet. The scoring of the gymnastics the whole night seemed a bit off, which was made painfully obvious by the ultra-low score of Alexi Nemov's high bar routine. Who, on a sidenote, is looking better than ever. I mean, he looked great before, but now, wow, he looks great.

Um, where was I?

Oh yeah. So everyone in the place is booing, and poor Paul has to stand there and wait for everyone to quiet down. He was all ready to get up there and win a medal, but the noise just wouldn't stop. Nemov sat on the side with a smirk on his face, every once in a while getting up and waving to the crowd and clapping. Though after a while he started to look embarrassed, too.

But it must be nice to know that you're so loved by the fans that they would do that for you. I mean, his routine looked REALLY good. I have no idea if there were any deductions, but I think it looked great. And doesn't he get bonus points for still looking ultra hot after all these years?

And so they changed his score. It still didn't bring him any higher in the ranks. But the crowd just wouldn't stop. Poor Paul was standing there waiting for people to quiet down, almost looking like he was going to cry, looking at his trainer like, 'Dude, what do I do? I think I need a hug!'

Finally, they look to Nemov, who jumps to the stage, bows to the crowd and does the universal 'Quiet Down!' gesture (didn't know it was universal until today - but since he's Russian, and he did it, and everyone shut up, it's universal, right? :-P ) And like the sheep that they are, following the shepard of gymnastics.

Not that I'm complaining. I'd jump around, pat my head and rub my belly if he told me to.

But Nemov was really a class act, though. He knew he got screwed. But he didn't cry, didn't scream, didn't throw a hissy fit. He just quietly enjoyed the crowd's support of him, and later, thanked them when it was time for someone else was up.

Then Paul Hamm got a super high score after blocking everything out (once again) and you know he's thinking in his head, 'Please, please someone else beat me! I don't want to win anymore!' How sad that he feels that the world is against him - he did nothing but try his best, it's not his fault that people can't count. And luckily, someone got the same score has Hamm, but a higher rating, which gave the gold to someone else.

And Waukesha breathes in relief.

:-P

Ahh, can't get enough of those Olympics! But the Olympics could be more, so much more! If they can have something in there like the trampoline, maybe they'll be open to some other sports. Have any suggestions?

10 Sports That Should Be In the Olympics

1. Ping Pong
2. Bowling
3. Billiards/Pool
4. Golf
5. American Football (so there's another sport that the rest of the world can beat us at)
6. Shuffleboard
7. Ironman Triathalon
8. Dodgeball
9. Polo
10. Rugby

Next Week: 10 Favorite Childhood Books

There has been so much lately that I've wanted to right, but my life is moving faster that I can keep up with. The last weekend (if not the last month) has been crazy busy, completed with a flurry of different emotions and so much more. But don't worry, I'll catch up with it all this week!

Anyway, me and Dave have made it to our first anniversary. It seems like we've been married forever, and in another way it feels like we just got married yesterday. In the last year, we've learned so much about each other, some good, some bad, but when I look at it, I can't imagine my life without Dave in it. Sometimes it's hard to see how two people so amazingly different could be married to each other, but we work so well with our differences, it actually makes life a lot better and a lot more interesting.

So yeah, it's been a year. It's crazy, isn't it?

I wanted to write so much more, but I just don't have the time.

Just wanted to say that I'm very happy right now, although there are some crazy things going on. We finally have a place of our own and there's no better feeling, and to move in right before our first anniversary is awesome!

In honor of today, I'll post up the pics I've posted in the past. I wanted to scan more, but I've just been too busy!

Even after a year, I look back on that day and think, 'That was the best day, EVER!'. The weather was beautiful, there was a light breeze, I was surrounded by all the people I love - family and friends, I married the best guy in the world, and it was just an incredible experience. We had so much fun, we laughed so much, we danced all night, no one wanted to leave the reception. I look back on that day and all I can do is smile....

So happy anniversary to my wonderful hubbie, who's the best guy in the world.

More on the house and other stuff later!

Phonecall from my husband today:

"Hey, just wanted to call and tell you I bought a house. Bye!"

More tomorrow!

Anyone have problems loading this page? Anything look weird? If so, please tell me what you're seeing, how often you've been seeing it, if it's only been this layout, etc.

Also, feel free to give any ideas for future layouts here. :)

Thanks for your input!

You know I can't come to LA and not see my Long Beach people!

My Long Beach family invited me out to Buca di Beppo, which was only a couple blocks away from me. Of course, with my eye, I totally missed it, but after a phone call, Rick guided me to the right path.

Dinner was great, there was tons of food to eat. Dinner conversation was fun, although Rick and Ray kept on hinting that I was paying for dinner. Hmph! Not funny, guys!

Afterwards, we hung out at Al and Liz's, who only lived a couple miles away, and sat around their firepit. I was fine just sitting back and listening to everyone's stories, stories that I knew that they told a thousand times before, but, like how it always is with good friends, they never got sick of hearing them. I laughed so hard at times, they all just crack me up.

I find myself so lucky to have been adopted, in a way, by these awesome people. Makes me a little homesick for my extended family - it's been a while since we've all been together. I loved watching the interaction between everyone, how at ease they were, and how, at times, they even finished each other's sentences. I'm glad to find such a friendly, inviting bunch of people to hang out with.

So thanks to Rod, Rick, Lanie, Wyndell, Janet, Ray, Rene, Rocena, Stan, Liz, Al and JD for showing an out of town gal a good time, even though it was something as simple as sitting around a fire talking about killing the local wildlife with plungers. (sorry if I forgot anyone)

As much as my job sucks during the day (this is NOT an easy client to be at, by any means), I'm glad that I've got cool people to hang with at night!

Waukesha, WI, is a great place. I've been there for work. Everyone is superfriendly, but I hate the roads there - there's like 4 main streets that have the same name, the only thing differentiating them being N, S, E, W. Or something like that.

Anyway, they must be going crazy out there right now.

Come on, you know what I'm talking about!

They can now hang up a sign as you're driving into town - 'Home of America's ONLY Men's All Round Gold Olympic Medalist - And He Even Fell on His Ass!'

Wasn't it exciting yesterday?

Everyone was talking about Paul Hamm being in contention to be the gold medalist, then having several great opening routines. Then *BAM* he does the vault and lands in the laps of the judges. Close enough to do a breath check. Falls to 12th place. Even the announcers are like, 'Sorry, dudes, there's like, no chance he can get back now.'

But then everyone else falters.

So maybe there's a chance.

But those Korean guys are still pretty strong Not to mention kinda cute. But I don't think Paul was thinking that.

Then he has a kick ass parallel bars routine. The announcers think, hey, maybe he doesn't suck so bad. Maybe he still CAN get a medal. He'd look good in bronze.

The Koreans, Dae Eun Kim and Tae Young Yang, once again, kick ass. They KNOW they're gonna get a medal.

And of course, in true Olympic 'Kerri Strug'-like fashion, Paul is the very last one to go.

They say he needs a great score to get a bronze. An amazing score to get the silver. And he needs to raise the dead to get the gold.

And he did. Watch out for zombies on the streets today.

On the horizontal bar, he does 'the routine of a lifetime'. He pumps his fist in the air. He knows he got that bronze. He just knows it!

He sits and waits for his score. Then he gets it. His trainers are going apeshit for some reason. They're calling him the Olympic champion. He's thinking, 'WTF?' And then it starts dawning on him. He shakes his head no, in disbelief. It was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. His coaches are squooshing him like a rag doll. Men's All Round Gold!

And Waukesha rejoices.

And the Koreans hang their heads down - the gold just .012 away, almost in their hands. I felt bad for them. What they did, those two guys, was nothing short of incredible. This was probably the best meet of their lives. And they were awfully consistent, moreso than everyone else. But they got beat, by the guy who fell on the judges.

I believe that the Olympic committee has some sort of conspiracy to start a war between the US and Korea. First Apolo Anton Ohno beats out Kim Dung Song in short track (the '02 games) and now Paul Hamm beats out the Korean gymnasts by a hair. But really, this is just the beginning for the Korean gymnasts. Silver and Bronze is nothing to be upset about. Hopefully they go back, and they build a bigger, stronger team, a team that will medal at the next games. Wouldn't that be cool? But for these games, they belong to Paul Hamm.

I just loved Paul on the award stand. Usually I love it when people sing or mouth the national anthem. But as the camera focused on him, you could see such a flurry of emotions pass across his face. I could only imagine what he was thinking, but it's obvious that he was trying to keep it together, not to break down after all the stress and expectataions. Thinking about his road to get there, how hard he worked, his life flashing before his eyes, how he wished his twin brother was right next to him...

Sorry Korea. Please don't spam Paul's email box.

They were pretty impressive, too...I only wish that the rest of the Korean team made it to the podium in the teams.

But last night was Hamm's night.

And Waukesha's.

________

Other Shorts

- Love the squealing, screaming, giddiness of the women's relay team, SMASHING the 17 year old relay record. They definitely deserved it, and they're showing everyone that women are kicking some major ass in Greece.

- More women kicking butt - the US women's softball team (the men didn't qualify), US women's basketball (the men aren't doing to hot), and Women's sabre...50% of the team is women this year. We rock!

- If Michael Phelp's swim pant thingees rode any lower, I'd need more eye surgery, because that would totally blow my retina. How do those things not fall off?

- Poor American shot put guy, Adam Nelson. He was so hyped up (they all were) and he fouled 5 times. I thought he was gonna beat up the judge!

- Let's hear it for Brett McClure, Jaycie Phelp's fiance, who was in his first individual finals, and did better than he even thought he would. He was out there, not stressed at all, having a great time. That's what I love to see. People who have nothing to lose, that compete their heart out, but love every minute of it and soak in the wonderment of it all.

- Kayaking rocks. If it was kayaking on the old school Sega system, playing the Summer Games, I would have rocked the house, winning my gold medal in record time. I OWNED that game, I was awesome. Alas, in real life I can't swim. My big arm floaties would get in the way and I would lose horribly.

- Bob Costas. I still adore you.

...thanks for Noelle for her Google researching expertise

If you knew me in college, you'd know that I was an IRC (internet relay chat) freak for my first couple years. I'd spend all night, chatting away with people all over the US, even in other countries. IRC was the shit back then, it was before AOL, Yahoo and MSN and all those other chatty places. And the cool thing was, I KNEW I was chatting with people around my age, there were no creepy 40 year old me pretending to be hot women. We'd always have a great time, have lots of laughs - just stupid stuff that you do when you really want to procrastinate in school.

Anyway, there was a huge group of IRCers on the West Coast, and they always had their little get togethers. Being out in the cornfield that is Urbana Champaign, I only got to hang out with a handful of my fellow IRC geeks, and maybe meet the ones up in Chicago when I came home for break. But I'd hear about the West Coast parties and I'd feel a tad jealous - they always had such fun there and had lots of pictures!

So finally, after almost a decade, I had my West Coast IRC meet up. It took only a decade, but I did it. Much thanks to Eileen, who invited me to go out while I was in town - to Roscoe's, the place where they've always taken IRC people from out of town. Yes. Chicken AND Waffles. It may seem like a scary combo, but it's actually pretty good. The waffles were nice and fluffy. And, I had my chicken with the gravy which was super yummy. There weren't many of us, but it was nice to meet new people. Especially Eileen, since we've been chatting for a while now and she's always been so sweet and nice - something that didn't change when I met her in person. Also got to meet Arnold, Christian and Ben, who were IRC peeps from long ago.

At first, as I usually am when I meet new people, I was a bit intimidated and pretty nervous. But it was such a great, easygoing bunch that I soon felt comfortable talking and joking around. If anyone ever wants to break the ice with me immediately, talk about the Cubs or comic books. I'll get so chatty you won't be able to stop me. So really, it was a great time, talking about comic conventions, old video games, Hawking's black hole theory and levels of geekness (though we may be geeks, we're still COOL geeks).

So here's a pic outside of Roscoes (courtesy of Leen, who has more in her page):

Here are a couple other pics:

Good times! IRC, it brings people together. Even 10 years later!

or maybe it should be 'Dis n Dat' as an homage to Hawaiian Sam's TV show?

Anyway...

Just a couple things on my mind lately...

Olympic Shorts

I'm lovin' the Olympics, I always have. But I felt a little bad for Michael Phelps. I don't think anyone has ever lived up to the hype put on them by the media as 'the one who can win it all!' Poor guy's only a teenager. But he seemed to handle it well, and he must have breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't get the gold against Ian Thorpe (who is looking good and really confident with those blond highlights). Now he can just swim his heart out and not worry about having to beat Mark Spitz' record. And Mark Spitz can now stop holding his breath. At least for another 2 years.

And how about that men's gymnastics? Was it me, or was the Japanese team really hot? Take out the crazy fuzzy hair and you've got a good looking bunch. And those bodies. Whoo hoo! I thank the Olympic gods for bringing Blaine Wilson back so I can watch him one more time.

Loved watching Natalie Coughlin winning her medal, even though she almost got beat at the finish. I was really hoping that she'd start crying during the national anthem, but she held up pretty good. If I was there I'd be bawling like a little baby.

I love the soap opera that is the US basketball team. Come on, guys, get it together. TEAM! Learn the word.

Eye Update
My eye is still blurry, so driving is more than a challenge. I have become the person that I hate, driving slow (so I can see the street signs) and being hyper aware of my surroundings I swear, grandmothers in walkers have passed me as I've been driving down the sreet. I'm still on my eyedrops and the eye is still pretty red. The eye has a lot more mobility, but it's still weird to look to the left. I'm still wearing my dorky glasses, and I feel very Clark Kent-ish. Due to a lot of crap with Pearl Vision, my new glasses should be coming soon. Like 2007. Bastards.

Um...Uh...What was I going to Say?

During the course of a day, there is so much I want to blog about. But whenever I sit down to write, I completely forget what I was going to write. Like now. I even made notes. But they were short notes, so I have no idea what my secret codes to myself are. I'm a dork.

They're Good for Scratching

My nails are the longest that they have been in a long time. I usually keep my nails short, but I just keep on forgetting to cut them. The clicking that they're making against the keyboard is driving me insane! But at least I have some pretty polish on them, which I rarely do.

Hair Do or Hair Don't?

Thinking about changing my hair color again. Instead of highlights, I'm thinking of just going for a new all over color, maybe a light brown. INstead of going to my regular guy (who really hasn't been my regular guy since I haven't seen him since last year) to save money (because I'm broke) is to just buy one from the drugstore. Any suggestions?

I had all this stuff planned to write, but I'm just too unmotivated. I've been pretty busy over the past couple days/weeks/whatever, I feel I have no free time to myself.

I look back at my Long Beach days when it was just me and Dave, and I had a lot of time just for me, to watch TV, to surf the net, to go shopping, hang out at the beach, or just nap.

But since moving back, real life has taken over, there are things to do, responsibilities, people to see, a house to buy, a detached retina, parties to attend, work, traveling. Over the last 3 days I've averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night. Last year at around this time, that would have been OK, the norm, even, but my body is just so unused to it. I'm really dragging right now!

Here's last weekend's recap:

Friday: Worked late, Sisters came by to visit
Saturday: Did house stuff early in the morning, went to the comicon (report to come, of course), went to Jen's going away party
Sunday: Comicon, had a late night flight to LA, got to the hotel at around 1:00am.

The 'con was good, though I really wish I went Friday. It was the first time I didn't go to the Friday in three years. Everything felt rushed the rest of the weekend, and I didn't get to see all the people I wanted to.

I've only been gone a couple days, but I already feel homesick.

And I still have to travel next week.

I really need a break!

'Twas a busy weekend.

In L.A. now.

So tired.

Recap later!

It's been a while since we've had a 'first'.

But today would have been my mom's 61st birthday. We went to dinner at her favorite restaurant, Bob Chinn's, but of course, it just wasn't the same.

I miss you, mommy...

There is no comicon update.

Due to thing called a 'conscience' and 'procrastination', I went to work today because I have so much to do since I won't be in the office for the next two weeks.

So for the first time in about 4 years, I miss the first day of the comic convention.

*cries*

There's always tomorrow!

We went to the Cubs game yesterday (Wednesday) and it was FREEZING!!! I don't know what is up with the Chicago lately, but it's like late fall here!

Anyway, it was my first time to see Nomar play, so it was pretty exciting. Zambrano was pitching and it was an awesome game. It went a little fast, but I guess that's good, since I couldn't feel my fingers. We had some good seats in the bleachers, on the right hand side near Sammy Sosa.

After playing some catch with Corey Patterson (who hit a homer), Sammy threw a ball out to the crowd.

Everyone dived for it, but this college aged guy made a dive and caught it with his glove. Unfortunately, he kinda fell on 3 rows doiing it. He got up, unscathed, and held his hands, and the ball, over his head in triumph. He was a champion! He got the ball!

However, we noticed that the crowd around where he fell was still looking down. Looks like a young boy got knocked over and had a cup of beer spilled on him. He was trying hard not to cry, but it finally broke down. A casualty of catching that ball.

So someone in the bleachers started chanting, 'Give the kid the ball! Give the kid the ball!' The guy who caught the ball, who was showing off the ball to his friends, pretended not to notice. However, soon the whole bleacher section started chanting, 'Give the kid the ball! Give the kid the ball!' Poor dude, there was no way he was leaving the park without giving that little boy, who was presently getting toweled off by his parents, that ball.

So finally, he tossed the little kid the ball. The kid stopped crying and his eyes got huge, and he was SO ecstatic!

And the dude, knowing that the world was made right again, once again raised his arms in triumph as if to say, 'I MADE A LITTLE BOY SMILE!' (or was it 'YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BEAT ME UP NOW, RIGHT?' And we all cheered. Yes, he was cool for catching the ball, but he was a hero for giving it up.

So a couple minutes later, a friend of his, who wasn't there during the incident, came back to his seat. I was watching the dude describe to him his amazing ball catch, and his heroic sacrifice for the child.

His friend looked at him in disbelief. The dude said, 'Seriously! I did!'. But his friend didn't believe him.

So the dude tapped the shoulder of his other friend, who was there the whole time. He gesticulated something like 'Hey, didn't I catch the ball and make a little boy happy?'

And his friend looked at him like he had no idea what he was talking about. Then he looked at the other friend and looked like he said something like, 'Dude, this guy is totally lying and making up a story!'

Finally, poor dude had to ask a stranger to verify his story.

Haha. A hero, yes. The eternal butt of his friends jokes, yeah, that, too.

Anyway, here's some pics. I have so many of Sammy because we were right there. Enjoy!

I know I've complained before when Redpac hasn't been mentioned in any of the 'Countdown to Legality' news reports at the time that Mary Kate and Ashley turned 18.

But today, Dan gets to shine in the sun.

And not for being an internet perv, which is a surprise. Richard Roeper (of Ebert and Roeper), of the Sun Times, did a little snippet on Twista's video shoot with R. Kelly. At the end, he mention's Dan's site:

Or try www.redpac.com. There's a ton of funny, irreverent stuff, including some pics of the "So Sexy" video shoot.

Congratulations, Redpac. I guess it wasn't that picture of Michelle Wie that I gave you that brought you to this fame.

So I got the red-eye back to Chicago from San Fran. I'm so exhausted! The flight was pretty packed, so I didn't get the luxury of having a whole row to myself. I also forgot my ultra-cool earphones at home, so I didn't have the luxury of watching the in-flight movie. No way am I giving American more money for those cheesey plastic things!

Yesterday, I met up with more of my San Fran people - Sonia, Lauren and Stephani. I hadn't met Lauren before, but it was great to finally meet her. She took me to see the seals on pier 39 as Sonia drove around (we didn't want to park). The seals were awesome. I could sit there and watch their antics for hours, just basking on wooden planks, lying over each other, making their honking seal sounds. I took a couple pics and movies on my camera, but that'll have to wait for another day - forgot my USB connection at home.

We met up with Stephani at Brothers, a Korean BBQ place. Hopefully she didn't wait to long - she was the only white woman in the joint. Fortunately, there was another white man there. The rest of the place was all Asian, so I KNEW the food would be good! And it was. Many thanks to Sonia and Lauren, who were the masters of the tongs (not thongs, mind you, it's not that kind of place) and grilled our bul-go-gi to perfection. Great conversation and great laughs. I had a great time with these ladies!

Sonia and Lauren dropped me off at the airport, smelling strongly of marinated barbeque. My flight was on time, which was great. I was initially sitting next to this guy from England and this older woman. She kept on looking at the seat behind her, and saying, 'Nana's right in front of you honey, you just tap me on the back if you need anything.' And I could her a tiny little voice say, 'I'm ok back here Nana!' Then the gentleman next to Nana said, 'If you'd like, I could switch seats with the little one...' (in this accent that was so tasty). And Nana said, 'Oh, you are just the most darling young man! Honey, come up and sit up here. This kind gentleman offered to switch seats!' So the little 5 year old girl comes up and sits next to Nana, and Nana says, 'Did you thank him?' And the little girl gets out of her seat, goes to the row behind, waves at the man, and says, 'Thank you sir!!!' and goes back to her seat. Nana says to the girl, 'Wasn't that so kind of him? We get to sit together, just like you wanted!'. And the little girl grins and rubs her hands together and says, 'Yes, my plan worked perfectly!' Complete with an evil laugh.

If it wasn't so funny, it would be creepy!

So now I'm here at work (stopped by at my Dad's place for a bit then went straight to work) and I'm SO TIRED!

When people see my suitcase, they ask if I'm coming or going. When I say I'm coming, back from a red-eye, I get the look of pity. Yes! Pity me!

So sleepy.

But guess who's going to a Cubs game tonight?

Wheee!!!!

I don't know what days I'll be going to the comicon this year, but I hope I get to go to at least one.

And when I go, I'll be a picture taking fiend!

Here's one of my favorites from last year...

Me and the huggable Predator

Today I finally met the other Dave, who I've known on the internet for a couple years now. We've had several near miss meetings, and thought that fate deemed it that we should never meet face to face.

But tonight, we finally did!

It was anticlimactic, no fireworks or angels trumpeting in the air. Just a packed French Vietnamese restaurant with Raven and Mona looking on. And of course, I'm only at 70% Yano-ness, since I had my glasses and I'm suffering from a pretty bad cold. That, and contrary to popular belief, I'm shy when I first met people, or at least a little slow to warm up. Only in certain situations am I as outgoing as I am here.

Yet it was still great to meet him, and to hang out at his pimp pad, watching the Dave Chappelle show on Tivo. (I really need to get that!) He was everything I though he would be, but more. So much more!!! *evil grin*

Today I also met up with Susan G, and had a delicious Thai meal and gossiped as only short track fans can. It's so great to have this network of people, all over the US, of all walks of life, to hang out with when I'm in a strange town.

Also talked to Walter, but a meeting was not meant to be. But he did mention (as he always does) for me to watch, or even BUY, 'Firefly' on DVD. Don't worry, I will!!!!

San Francisco has been super busy, but I don't this busy-ness, since it's in such great company!

________________________________

In other news, my cousin Trully is in the hospital (looks like everybody's bodies are breaking down!) so I'm a bit worried. I did get to talk to her on the phone and she was pretty out of it, and I admit it, I kinda had to laugh. It's nothing serious, but it's never fun to be in the hospital!

I finally got to meet Mona today, and she was sweet enough to pick me up from the airport, wait for me at my hotel while I got up into my room and freshened up a little, then took me back th her and Raven's place for some home cooked spaghetti than Raven made.

Before eating, we sat around and watched the shows that they had on Tivo, which I have heard of many times, but never experienced before. Now that I've seen it, I know I must have it. I travel so much that I always miss my regular shows....Tivo is a necessity!!! And it's really cool, too, because you can store so many shows!

The meal was great. I'm not a big pasta eater, but I finished my whole plate. And there was an added bonus - Mona had some sweet tea! I also got to meet the famous Hillary - Mona's cat who is the subject of many of her photos.

For dessert we went to the Greco Cafe (or at least I think that's what the name was). It was a little more than several blocks away, and I have to admit, the most exercise I've gotten in a LONG time. And remember, these are the hilly San Francisco streets we're talking about - so there was a little incline. I think I may have even *gasp* SWEAT a little bit. I ordered tiramisu, of course, which was really good. The way home was much easier, being downhill and all. I really have respect for people who bike around there - it must be tough!

Afterwards, Mona showed me her photography class project, men in a Quarterlife Crisis. She doesn't have all her shots online, but there's so much a difference from seeing a picture online, and seeing as an actual photo, mounted and ready for viewing. The colors are so much more vivid and it's so much easier to take it in without having the glare of the computer screen. Once she gets the rest of the gallery up I'll post it up here - I have a favorite, but I'll say it once the rest of it is online.

So now I'm on crappy dialup, though my belly is full and happy.

Thanks to Raven and Mona for a good time!

Just wanted to wish a happy birthday to my cousin Vernon, who is like 3 million years older than me.

Couldn't find a current pic, so this older, 'healthier' one will have to do!

Better late than never!

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in a REALLY long time.

Wear eye makeup.

:-P

As i probably haven't mentioned before, one of my best friends, Jen, is leaving for China in a couple weeks. She's only going to be there for a year, but since it's China and all, she's not going to be able to visit home much (if at all) while she's gone.

So yesterday, we went out for a last girls night out before she leaves. It was just the 'Orlando Four', me, Jen, Rachel and Jeanette. I have to admit, I really hate my glasses. I never wear them in public, but after surgery, I have to. Truthfully, I was really self conscous about wearing my glasses to go out...I felt really dorky. (if you saw my glasses, you'd know) But hell, it's not my special night out, and I don't know when we'll be able to go out like this again, so I had to push my vanity aside.

The night started out slow, when we headed out to one bar that was pretty well attended, but the music was just cheesey and blah. The best attraction to me was that they were showing the Cubs game on TV.

But we had a great time talking, reminiscing about our younger clubbing days, when we'd go out on Thursday nights and come home in the wee hours of the morning, only to go to work after a few hours of sleep. We drank to those bars and clubs that no longer exist, with names like Karma, Shelter, Voodoo, The Drink, Stardust, Kustom, the old Crobar, and many more. Since we were really bored, and perhaps a little worried that, now that we were old married women, we had lost *IT*, we went to the place where cheesey music is OK - Boogie Nights.

The place was packed, but we were fortunate enough to find a nice booth in the back so we could entertain ourselves by watching people dance, hit on each other and make out. Later on, we realized that this was the first time we had ever sat at a booth for more than 10 minutes (usually we're at the bar or on the dance floor) but we had a good time just chilling out and watching.

And our egos were given that little push when several people came up and asked us to dance. Many funny and crazy stories came out of these encounters, but I'll give you a couple of the highlighted quotes of the night.

Dude1: I'll dance for you! (starts to life up shirt)
Dude1's friend, standing at the beer stand): Hey! You're embarrassing me! I can see your belly in the mirror!

Dude2: I lost my friend Dave! If you see him, can you tell him I'm looking for him?

Dude3: So you won't let me buy you a drink, so can I buy you a spa?

Dude4: Yeah, I'm visiting from Las Vegas.
Us: What are you doing HERE?!?!
Dude4: Someone told me the place to go is here!
Us: If you're in the mood for cheesey music and cheap drinks, yeah, but if you want to go to a good club you want to go to Chicago!
Dude4: Wait, I'm not in Chicago?
Us: You're in Schaumburg.
Dude4: What's Schaumburg?
Us: A suburb - about 45 minutes from downtown Chicago, half an hour from the city itself.
Dude4: This whole time I actually thought I was in the City of Chicago!!!

Dude5: I have the funniest joke ever to tell you!!! *picks up empty beer bottles from table* Hold on...I need to buy a beer to tell it. *comes back a couple minutes later* Hey, I only have two bucks and it's $3.75 for a beer. Can I borrow a buck seventy-five?

Too funny. If you guys are reading this (and I seriously hope you aren't) thanks for the laughs.

All in all, it was a fun night with my girls. We toasted to new beginnings - a new baby, a new house, a new car, a new country. Wherever our life takes us, we'll always have silly, stupid nights like yesterday to look back on and laugh.

We may be married, but we still got *IT*!

As none of you know (ok, maybe 2 or 3 of you) the Wizard World Chicago comic convention is rolling into town next week. I've gone to it for maybe the last 7 or 8 years, it's been so long I don't even remember. It's an event that I look forward to every year! This year's guests will be Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob), Joss Whdeon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jim Lee, and many many more. I'm pretty excited!!! It should be a lot of fun!

I'm a comic convention whore. I'll be the first to admit it. And I'll admit that I go to comic forums just to check out what other people are saying about books that are out. And something that always seems to come up before a big convention is someone asking about advice of what to do and what not to do at a convention. So to make it easier, rather than posting the same thing over and over again, I'll put all my little hints and tricks here.

- How do I get a sketch? Are sketches free?
It never hurts to ask! The worst they can say is no. All you have to say is "Do you do sketches? For free? Can I have a sketch?" Sometimes they cost money, sometimes they don't. Depending on who you ask. The big names, like will sometimes do quick sketches after a signing, but that's only if they have time afterwards, which is really rare because they usually have a pretty packed schedule, but if you wait around, it may happen. I think they rarely do sketches during an actual signing unless you're really lucky. If you go to artists in the artists alley (in the back) some charge, some don't. The quality of art is sometimes better when they charge, but not always. Some people also have themes for sketches - like a sketchbook just of one character (mine is Psylocke). If you want an artist to sketch a particular person for you, make sure to have a picture for them to reference when they draw. One thing you want to do is check out people's art - some guy you've never heard of before might be doing free sketches, take a couple minutes and let him draw you something. Next year he (or she) might be the next big thing! But you just have to have the guts to ask. Then again, know when a good time to ask is. Don't go up to an artist and ask for a sketch when they're walking around, checking out the con or when they're eating. And if you've already had a sketch done by a particular artist, try and let others who have never had a sketch done before you. Share the wealth. Let someone else have the joy of having a sketch done for them!

- When con editions are listed on sites after a con, they're pretty expensive. Are they expensive at the con? Why do they cost so much?

I remember the Aspen exclusives at the Chicago con ranging from $5 - $25, with the higher priced ones being leftover issues from a previous con, and those sold out really fast since the supply was pretty low to begin with. Also, anyone who buys a 3 day pre-admission usually gets some sort of cool con exclusive (WWLA gave out a con edition of Wolverine: The End). You can usually get con editions for a lower price, but since there are so few that are given out, and they aren't distributed all over, they're worth more once the con has passed. Then again, this is only for a book that is eventually successful. If you've got the con exclusive for Joe Schmoe that never gets anywhere, it's not going to be worth much.

- Usually cons are 3 or 4 days. Can I do a con in just one day?

If you want to go just to check out the booths and get a couple key sketches, yes. If that's what you want, makes sure to get a schedule before hand (Wizard usually posts it on their site a day or two in advance) to plan your day. Give at least a two hour window for waiting in line for a sketch for the bigger names. Make sure to get in line early. Just because a signing starts at 1pm doesn't mean that they're not going to cut off the line at 12:59 because it's too line. Make sure to stop by 15 minutes beforehand to see if there's a line forming already. If you want to get the full experience, though, I suggest going all three days and going to the panels and discussions. You get a lot more free time and you also get a chance to get some good sketches from a lot of different artists. WWC is also when they do the Wizard Fan Awards, so that's the best time to see what these creators look like, and it's usually a lot of fun to watch, too.

- What exactly can you DO at a 'con?

At the Wizard World cons, you can do a whole bunch of things!

- Meet creators. Come and see the people behind comics, the writers, the artists, colorists, inkers, etc. If you're nice and if they have time, you might even get a sketch out of it.

- Check out booths. All the big companies have their booths set up where you can get posters, comics, limited edition stuff and a whole lot more. Free stuff, too!

- Play games. Check out the latest comic/anime related games, like Hero Clix or test out new video games.

- Go to panels. Various creators and groups have panels and workshops they offer. Joe Quesada does 'A Cup of Joe' which is a preview of what Marvel has coming up in the year. There's also workshops that help attendees fine tune their skills - from creating a cover to writing a story. Watch out, though, the more popular panels, like Kevin Smith, get full quickly and you may even be require to get a ticket beforehand (it's free) to get in.

- Buy stuff. There's a whole lot of comic book retailers in the back, so if you're missing that key issue of Spiderman, you just might find it. Or if you're looking for that cute Atari shirt I'm sporting in my pictures, you can get it back there, too. Paintings, swords and life sized Yodas are available, too!

- Check out the Artist's Alley. You'll find artists who want to have their own table at the 'con here. They have a lot to offer back there, and make sure to check out their portfolios, because you'll see some excellent stuff.

- Watch wrestling. For some reason, there's always wrestling at the Chicago 'con. I don't know why!

- See actors you knew when you were a kid. Ever whatever happened to Lou Ferrigno, the original Incredible Hulk? He's at the Chicago Con every year! But watch out, it'll cost $$$ to take a pic with him.

- Take a picture with a stormtrooper. You'll see at least 10 people dressed up as one. Lots of people dress up, from the really cool to the really absurd.

- Hang out at the afterparties. There's usually something going on after each night of the 'con.

There's a program of events posted online before the con, so it's a good idea to plan your day before going there, or at least have some idea of what you want to see. Be sure to allocate walking time and waiting time.

- What is this ticket thing I need to see Kevin Smith? (or any of the other guests of honor) Do I have to buy it?

To make sure that they can fit everyone, Wizard hands out tickets for signings and major panels at the beginning of the day of that event. That way, they can make sure they control how many people go and don't have to worry about some people not getting a chance to get something signed or someone not getting a seat at a panel. The ticket is free, but you'll need a ticket to get in line or get into the panel.

- What should I bring?

- A sketchbook, something that's easy to sketch in, so it's not in the artist's way when they draw. Also have a loose sheet of paper in there or comic board - sometimes they like to use permanent marker, and it bleeds through.

- A camera. Some people have some really funky costumes! Also, having a picture with your favorite creator is better than getting their autograph. Beware, some people charge for pictures.

- Cash. If you run out, the line for the ATM is longer than the line for Jim Lee! And sometimes they don't take credit cards.

- A backpack. You'll get a free bag, but it gets annoying and your fingers start hurting as you accumulate more and more crap to put in your bag.

- Water bottle and snacks. It's a long day, and you'll get thirsty and may get the munchies. Rather than paying $3.50 for nachos, bring some chips.

- A poster tube. You can get them at the UPS store for about 2 bucks, rather than paying more at a con. Lots of booths give out free posters. Also, if you get a nice sketch done on bigger paper, or get a lithograph or something, you may want to protect it.

- A sharpie. What's that? A permanent marker. You never know what celebrity you might run into!

- Your portfolio of art. Sometimes the publishers check out portfolios. Check at the booths for the times when they do portfolio reviews. Who knows, you could be the next big thing!

- Wear comfortable shoes. There's a lot of walking going on!

- Eat a big meal before coming. Food ain't cheap there, baby!

- And a couple extras:

- Check the times when artists are going to be doing signings - usually they have them on a board in the booth. Come at least half an hour early if you want a good spot. However, remember that they don't always do sketches during signings. Ask around to see if they'll be doing sketches at the same time. Chances are, they'll tell you that he'll try to fit them in after. And a personal plea - if you have already had sketches done by Mike, let someone who hasn't had one yet before you...spread the wealth! I saw too many sad faces turned away at Chicago...

- Don't just shop around at the big dogs (Marvel, DC) - some of the smaller comic companies have some great finds and really nice artists!

- Shower. Not for you, but for me. I'll be there, and I don't want to smell you before I see you.

[added 08.09.04]

- How do I go about getting the toy exclusives?

here is the lowdown. you stop by the booth early in the day to get a ticket. they hand them out to about noon or 1 pm. at 1:30 they then draw a number range. if your ticket falls in that group you win a chance to buy that figure. most of the toys that they do that to are really limited. they only have so many to giveaway each day. i think each day they gave away about 500 of each. (from Jester)

- Pat's advice

On sketches: IF a creator is doing a signing in a company booth, they are (in more cases than not) doing free sketches. That's how I collect most of mine. Now if you go to artist alley, they will most likely charge you. Rates go from as low as 5 bucks.

Con exclusives: get them at the con while you can, or if the official site that sells the said exclusive has an offer, get it there. That's the lowest you can go...don't feed the Ebay-ing public. What made San Diego hell for the exclusives is the scalpers, who would literally take family along to up their chances at some exclusives, and in a lot of cases, each get one for re-sale....

____________________

Um, that's all I have for now...if I think of anymore I'll post them here....or if you have any questions or suggestions, I'll answer them here!

This is my last week home before I start my whirlwind Yano work tour around the western half of the country. Here's my schedule:

August 8-11 San Francisco, CA
August 15-20 Los Angeles, CA
August 23-27 Denver, CO

If any of you live in these parts, I'd be happy to hang out and have dinner or coffee or something!

It's gonna be one CRAZY month!

Just wanted to wish a happy 17th birthday to my favorite cousin, Marilyn!

It's so hard to believe that she's 17 already. She's considered to be the youngest of our generation of the cousins, right after Fatima - a 7 year difference. I know it's been tough for her having such a huge age difference between her and the rest of the kids (the next generation of cousins is 12 years younger than her). But although she's wanted to grow up faster than the rest of us (or at least wanted to) she has always been a sweet, helpful girl, with such a big heart (but with a little flair for the dramatic). We helped raise her when she was little, and she still calls my dad Daddy Vic, she's like a sister to us.

Did I ever tell you that I was the one who helped name her? Her parents had initially thought of naming her Margaret, but I just didn't like the name. So since I got the call of her birth on August 5th, the 25th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death, I suggested the name, and there you go.

And believe me, the girl is as dramatic as Marilyn Monroe. I think she lives for the drama! And although I haven't agreed with all her actions, I still love the girl to death, and worry about her all the time. But I know she has a good head on her shoulders, and that she'll be fine.

As I write this, my phone alarm went off. And I think to myself, 'Why is my alarm going off?' because I didn't set it.

Then I realized that the little freakazoid that is Marilyn had set my phone alarm to go off on her birthday.

Yeah, I love that girl.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Earlier today me and Fatima had a 'more than the allotted half hour' lunch with Chariya and Melanie. We went to a new fondue place downtown called The Melting Pot. We stuffed ourselves silly there, but we were there for a pretty long time. A piece of advice - fondue is not the best place to go when you're at lunch for work! However, we'd definitely go back there and have some dessert - the s'mores chocolate pot there was delicious!

It was nice to hang out with the girls, I haven't seen Chariya in a while, even though she works only two doors away from me! We laughed a lot, especially over the glowstick drink stirrers that she got from the bar.

But that's the last good lunch I'll have in a while. I really have to start saving money!

Today was my first day back at work. But before that, I had a little adventure.

Usually Dave's dad drops me off at the train station. This weekend, his parents were in New York. Before Dave left for work in the morning, I sleepily asked him to make sure that none of the cars was blocking my car. He came back and said that my car was free. Then he left for work, and I also heard Justin leave for work, as well. I was all alone in the house.

So I got up and got ready for my day back at work.

Once I got to the bathroom and looked at myself, I realized...

How can I drive with one bad eye?

No one to drive me to the station, I had to make it on my own.

I will no longer yell at old drivers when I'm in my car, because it could be someone who's leaving their house for the first time after a retinal attachment. I was the most cautious driver ever! At stop signs I would look left, right, left again, right again, then as I was crossing the intersection, I would do a half circle scan of the streets, in case I missed anything.

Since this was the first time I actually drove to the station, I had to find parking. (I would have to actually drive right up to the sign just to read it) Little did I know that all the parking around the station is permit only. I drove around a bit and couldn't find any all day parking. I stopped and asked a woman on the street if she knew of a place, and she gave me directions. I followed them and got lost.

Finally I just drove up to the station and asked the guy at the window. He gave me directions to a lot that was about 5 blocks away. I made it to this lot, and started my journey to the train. Right before I got there, I saw the crossing gates go down.

Yeah, I missed the train.

And damn suburbs - there wasn't another train for an hour.

While I was on the train, I got a call from the president of the company.

Me: Hello?
Him: Hey Christine, I got your email about you starting again today. I'm really happy to hear that.
Me: Yeah, I got the OK from the doc.
Him: It was nice of you to send that email. Now imagine my surprise when I passed your desk and YOU'RE NOT THERE. I assumed from your email when you said "I'll be coming back on Monday" that you'd be coming back today, which is Monday.
Me: Uh, yeah, I'm gonna be late. I had to drive to the train station.
Him: Ahh. Well, when you get a chance, make sure you get in today sometime. While it's still Monday.
Me: Uh, ok.

So I did get in. At about 11am. Only about 2 1/2 hours late!

Well, had a little burst of inspiration this weekend and I made a whole new format for you all. And all you 800x600 people rejoice! Rather than saying 'Get a new monitor, people!' I've created a resolution friendly format. Well, at least I hope it is!

Anyway, it's been a while since I've done purple, so I've gone back to my roots. I wanted a darker tone, because since this whole eye thing is, I've preferred darker places - the sun hurts my eyes. And I love this grungy-goth-lite look, too. A bunch of blurry, dark/light images - that's what I saw for a while. And the very first layout to actually have a picture of me (in the header, anyway), this layout being a tribute to my left eye, which is still in recovery mode.

Truthfully, I liked the last layout better, but I can feel this one growing on me. Enjoy!

Got this one from Dave (not my Dave, the OTHER Dave) (although not all these bands are 80's bands):

80's Song Survey:

• fave cure songs: "friday i'm in love" / "just like heaven"

• fave pet shop boys song: "left to my own devices" / "go west"

• fave new order songs: "true faith" / "blue monday" / "bizarre love triangle"

• fave oingo boingo songs: "weird science"

• fave depeche mode songs: "somebody" / "i feel you" / "just can't get enough"

• fave erasure song: "a little respect" / "chorus"

• fave yaz(oo) song: "only you"

• fave u2 songs: "sweetest thing" / "all i want is you"

• fave smiths song: "how soon is now"

• fave morrissey songs: "the more you ignore me, the closer i get" / "you're the one for me, fatty"

• fave crowded house songs: "don't dream it's over" / "something so strong"

• fave duran duran songs: "union of the snake" / "rio"

• fave blondie song: "heart of glass" / "rapture"

• fave berlin song: "take my breath away"

• fave no doubt songs: "spiderwebs" / "running"

• fave kylie minogue song: "the locomotion"

• fave pretenders songs: "don't get me wrong"

• fave garbage songs: "stupid girl" / "#1 crush"
  Posted by Yano at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)

Unconscious Mutterings

Today you get me and Dave's!

Me:

1. Testicles:: Balls
2. Ribald:: Huh? [note:Ribald \Rib"ald\, a. Low; base; mean; filthy; obscene.]
3. Auction:: Sell
4. Inch:: Worm
5. Tony:: Awards
6. Phony:: Fake
7. Stool:: Poop
8. Coyote:: Ugly
9. Cinderella:: Story
10. Battery:: Tests

Dave's:

1. Testicles:: Balls
2. Ribald:: "Is that a word?" [note: Good thing to know he doesn't know it either]
3. Auction:: Bidder
4. Inch:: Foot
5. Tony:: Award
6. Phony:: Baloney
7. Stool:: Shit
8. Coyote:: Ugly
9. Cinderella:: Slipper
10. Battery:: Charger