Busy Busy Busy!

I had a very busy weekend. On Saturday I spent the day in NYC with a very good old friend and I saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for the very first time. In fact, that was the first time I had ever been to Radio City Music Hall. Then yesterday I went to a local parade that's like a mini-Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (very mini), with giant balloons and everything! It was so cool.

Hopefully I'll get some photos posted tonight. And I'm working on a "Things on TV that make me thankful" post that I'll be getting up soon.

In the meantime, a silly cat video:

You Must Yearbook Yourself!

If you haven't already, check out Yearbook Yourself. I laughed til I cried. Well, maybe not that much, but it's pretty damn funny.

Here are some of my better years:

1958:



1964 (the year I was born!):



1970, still searching for my racial identity:



1978, my favorite:



1986 (the year I graduated from college!):



1988:



1992:



And last but not least, the year 2000 (I look like a baby!):

I'm back. I bet you didn't even know I was away.

I took my final trip of the summer this weekend and went camping with friends. We had a great site right on the Quinebaug River and spend most of the time either tubing on the river or playing dominoes (Or eating. Or drinking beer). Very relaxing.

And now I'm facing the last 4 months of the year with very little vacation time left. Poor me! Whatever will I do?

Is it Saturday yet?

I am SO frazzled! I've got about a day and a half before I leave for Maine for 2 weeks (2 weeks! yay!) and people at work are just dumping work on me. You'd think I was never coming back. Maybe they're worried I won't.

Look for a few more posts from me before I leave...

The way life should be.

Exactly one month from today I will be on my way to our place in Maine with my niece Hannah and the two pugs, and while I am sitting at my desk right now, my mind is there.

Here's a Flickr slideshow from the past few summer trips.

OK, so here's the laptop sitch:

I called Dell Tech Support on Friday night. Remote diagnostics indicated a failed motherboard. Fortunately, it is all under warranty and will be fixed at no charge to me. A Dell tech will be coming out to install the new board, but probably not until next week, since I'm going away AGAIN this weekend.

I'm really beginning to miss it now.

A list of things I really like right now.

1. Friendly's Black Raspberry ice cream



I could eat this every single night.

2. Boots Original Formula Body Cream (available at Target!)


I love the blend of lavender and patchouli.

3. Anvil: The Story of Anvil Trailer



I could watch this over and over and over. That's dedication, pal.

I thought March was supposed to go out like a lamb?

It's freakin' FREEZING out there!

What is wrong with me?

I have no idea what is going on but lately, I have been craving candy from my childhood, candy that I haven't eaten in decades. It's been so long since I've had them that I had forgotten what they tasted like.

So the other day? I bought a box of orange peeps - ORANGE PEEPS - just so I could taste one. Then I threw the box away. Today? I just bought a bag of CVS brand Circus Peanuts, of all things! I don't know what came over me, but I saw them and just had to have them. I ate a few and now the bag is sitting in my car. I'll probably throw it away.

Could I be trying to recapture my youth somehow? Revisit those carefree summer days when you would go to the corner store with a couple of dollars and buy a bag full of rock candy, tootsie rolls, pixie sticks and Bazooka bubble gum? Maybe. But the thing is, I don't remember EVER buying circus peanuts.

'Tis a mystery. Another mystery: A candy that's orange, and shaped like a peanut, but tastes like banana.

Wait a minute! I just realized that both the peeps and the peanuts are orange. Fascinating!

Let's take a ride in the music video wayback machine...

This is the first music video I ever saw, at my father's house since we didn't have MTV at the time. My father's reaction: "That isn't music!" And he was only in his early 40s!



This next song was on the jukebox in the Dining Hall at my college, and I think someone played it at every meal. I've always loved the video, and Bono looks dead sexy (and so young!) in it. According to Wikipedia: "The band only appeared in the performance scenes of the video as it was filmed in the dead of the Swedish winter. U2 guitarist Edge revealed in the official U2 biography that the four people riding on horseback in the video that appeared to be the four U2 members were in fact four Swedish teenage girls disguised as the members of U2 riding on horseback with masks over their faces. This was done as the band were frozen from shooting the video in sub-freezing temperatures the day before. Their biography states that Bono refused to wear any headgear despite the cold weather and had a lot of trouble mouthing the lyrics."

Talking Heads |MTV Music

U2 |MTV Music

Finally, it wouldn't be a ride in the music video wayback machine without a Duran Duran video. "Save a Prayer" is arguably their most beautiful video and song. And I'm not just talking about Simon's speedo!

Duran Duran |MTV Music

The end of cynicism, the return of hope.

That's the case for me, at least. I have never felt really, truly good about a President, until now. Or as hopeful for our future.



Just a few thoughts about the election and then I'll leave the politics out of it for a while...

I thought that John McCain's concession speech was gracious, thoughtful and heartfelt. It's unfortunate that we didn't see more of that John McCain during the campaign. (and less of his running mate, who I hope I never have to mention here again!) I hope that when he returns to Washington he is able to mend fences with Obama and they can work together to get stuff done. If anyone knows how to work both sides of a room, it's John McCain.

I am by no means a fan of Jesse Jackson's, but I cannot deny that I was extremely moved by the sight of tears pouring down his face after it was announced that Obama had won. On his face I thought I could see joy, relief and shock at what was accomplished, grief for those who did not live to see this day and maybe even some regret over not initially supporting Obama. I can't pretend to know what he was feeling, but I can't deny that it was for real. If you're interested, there is a fantastic article at Salon about the reaction shot of Jackson from that night.

Finally, I just wanted to say how amazing it is that Lily's first President is a black man. For her, and for all of the children of her generation, this will be no big deal. And for that I am so thankful.

Movies That Scare Me

OK, before I begin, a disclaimer: I am a wuss when it comes to scary movies. I have no desire to watch movies about hills with eyes or saws or anything like that. That shit's just way too gross and disturbing for me. There are, however, movies that are just creepy enough that I'll keep coming back for more, especially at this time of year.

Those movies are, in no particular order:

Candyman (1992)
28 Days Later (2002)
Alien (1979)
The Exorcist * (1973)
Carrie (1976)
Halloween (1978)
The Omen (1976)
The Sentinel (1977)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre * (1974)
When A Stranger Calls (1979)
The Shining (1980)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Ring (2002)
Poltergeist (1982)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Shaun of the Dead (2004) **

* To be honest, I've never been able to watch either of these movies in their entirety. Too scary!!

** OK, so it's not as scary as some, but it's good!

If you're into classic horror, then check out TCM. They've programmed "48 Hours of Horror", airing classic horror films all day today and tomorrow. Also, AMC has been airing their "Fearfest '08" all week, and they have some of the more modern horror classics.

Do you have any favorite scary movies?

Simon Pegg:

Geek or Great?

I was just saying the other day that he would totally make my List (similar to the Freebie List, but without there being cheating of any kind because there isn't anyone for me to cheat on. It's more like a list of celebrities I would sleep with if I could. So, completely different than the Freebie List).

I'd say Geek *and* Great. Sometimes, funny is sexy.

Chibi

I'm back from my NY trip!

Accomplice: The Village was a good time, although not as good as Accomplice: NY, I think. The NY show felt more like a scavenger hunt/puzzle, and that made it more fun. The Village version was still enjoyable, though, and I would recommend both shows to anyone looking for a fun way to see the city.

We ate at some great restaurants, too (alas, not Chibi's):

Gatsby's on Friday night, where we had some yummy pub food and the Guinness was well-poured.

We ate breakfast at the Prince Street Cafe both mornings. We all loved the place.

And for dinner on Saturday night we went to Sakura Sushi & Thai, another restaurant I would recommend (if you like sushi and thai food). My steamed thai dumplings and New York roll (with tempura shrimp) were both delicious and the staff is very nice.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of money! But I also took a lot of pictures. Here are a couple more from the weekend. I'll have more in a few days...

Rome is burning and I'm posting celebrity gossip and fart jokes.

And that's intentional. I need a break from the bickering, finger-pointing politicians (on both sides) involved in the current financial crisis. I can't say I completely understand what happened or what is happening, but I know it's bad and it makes me sick to see the chaos surrounding the "bailout" talks. And where is our Fearless Leader? Our country desperately needs leadership right now and, well, we're not getting it. I watch the news and I'm ashamed by the entire mess. I'm just plain disgusted. And so I don't want to talk about it here.

Besides, there are plenty of places where you can get the news; but where else can you get pugs, baby pictures, lots of nerdy television talk, vague movie reviews and the occasional pretty photo? Only here, I say!

While we're sort of on the subject, I see that John McCain has changed his mind and will participate in the debate tonight. Wise decision, my friend.

Now I just have to decide if I'm up to watching it.

You know you're old when...

MTV announces they're shutting down "TRL" and you could care less.

In fact, you never even watched it.

I blame TNT.

You know you're watching WAY too much Law & Order when you start dreaming about doing crafts with Lenny Briscoe.

Oh, my aching back!

So I got my MRI results last week, and the diagnosis is a disc bulge and lower lumbar muscle strain. The disc with the bulge (hee) is between my L5 and S1 vertebrae, down pretty low. I asked the doctor if that is what was causing the pain in my butt (if you'll pardon the expression), and he was pretty vague. I guess there's debate as to whether or not a "disc bulge" will cause pain or not. Well, I'm here to tell you, it does!

At the very minimum, my lower lumbar muscles are strained. I have physical therapy twice a week, where I get a massage and do some stretching exercises (like the one pictured above). I feel awesome when I leave; unfortunately, by the time I get to work everything is tight again from the half hour drive in, and sitting at my desk is VERY uncomfortable. I stop a few times a day to do my stretches and that helps a lot. I'm also still on the drugs: Flexeril once in the morning and once at night, 4 Advil at least twice a day and depending on the pain, a Vicodin at night with the Flexeril. I tried to skip the Flexeril this morning, but by lunchtime I had to give in and take one.

So, yeah, I'm still hobbling around. I hope it's still warm out when I get home so I can go and float in the pool.

Oh! I almost forgot - I uploaded vacation photos to Flickr. I'll post a few when I get a chance.

Are you watching the Olympics?

I'm not. And I feel kind of bad about that. Sort of un-American.

When I was a kid, we were glued to the TV whenever the Olympics were on. Absolutely rapt. I was never really interested in sports all that much, but I wouldn't dream of missing the Olympics when I was growing up. I think it was the ideal of world harmony that was appealing (remember, when I was a kid we were in the middle of the Cold War), as well as the foreign locale. You got to visit other countries through the human interest stories and learn a lot about the host country, too.

Nowadays, those things aren't enough I guess. That whole "world harmony" thing doesn't really have the same impact for me now that I'm grownup know how the world really works, and they've gone overboard with the human interest stories. They may have toned it down a bit this year, but the last time I watched the Summer Games, I couldn't BELIEVE the time given to stories about the athletes. Just show the race, for crying out loud! And stop talking!

Bob Sassone over at TV Squad lays it all out better than me.

Of his reasons, I think the one that is the biggest hinderance for me is the schedule. There's just way too much stuff, too many events on too many channels, to keep track of; I prefer the Winter Games - I think they're much more exciting - but even for those, my viewing has gone down drastically because keeping track of my favorite events is overwhelming.

I didn't even bother to watch the Opening Ceremony this year. It's hard to watch a celebration of Chinese culture, knowing their history of human rights abuse. Which is a shame, because it is an amazing culture.

I did see one small part of the Opening Ceremony, though - I landed on it while surfing the channels - and it was incredible. Apparently China does not want video of the opening ceremony distributed on the web (surprise, surprise), so this bad copy (blurry picture and the sound is off) will have to do:


via videosift.com

It must have been amazing to see that in person.

So, are you watching?

The fog is lifting, a bit.

But I'm still on drugs. I'm taking Flexeril and Vicodin. The pain doesn't ever really go away when I take the pills but boy do I not care!

I'm back at work today, so I only took the Flexeril and 4 Advil with breakfast. After the half hour drive into work, however, the pain was such that I had to take a Vicodin. And now I'm useless!

I'm going for an MRI tonight, and I begin physical therapy on Wednesday morning. Hopefully, the MRI will shed some light on the problem and the physical therapy will help me to feel better. We have a wedding in DC on Friday night and I want to be able to do the drive down on Thursday. I'll just have to take it one day at a time.

In the meantime, I'll try to get back into blogging, including getting my vacation pictures uploaded to Flickr. Don't give up on me!