Invisibles

I've missed quite a few of these!

Invisibles #60: Musical Numbers - 5 outta 8
Invisibles #61 - 7 outta 8!
Invisibles #62 - 4 outta 8

Have fun!

The Onion has thoughtfully put together a page of valentines that you can print, cut out and give to that special person.

And finally, my Onion horoscope is particularly relevant:

Cancer: (June 22—July 22)
Dating isn't always easy, but you've got to either dust
yourself off and get back in the saddle or stop dating horses.

Now they tell me.

Love at the movies.

My favorite romantic films, in no particular order:

Falling in Love
Casablanca
An Affair to Remember
Strictly Ballroom
Sense and Sensibility
The Philadelphia Story
Now, Voyager
Doctor Zhivago
Witness
The Princess Bride
Pride and Prejudice (A&E) (I know, this is a miniseries, but it's my list and I can put anything I want on it)

How about yours?

What is your Love Story?

This Emode quiz is pretty long, and I had to fudge a couple of answers, but my results aren't too far off:

At its core, the Love Conquers All story is very romantic, triumphant, and full of courage to face yourself with honesty. The catalyst for change in your love story is usually a pivotal event, circumstance, or reevaluation of yourself.

Where should you look for these pivotal moments? Challenges may come from family and society — even yourself. Do loved ones disapprove of your partner, raise concerns you hadn't previously cared that much about? Turning points may also stem from previous obligations at work, or in promises you've made to others. Do you reschedule or delay plans with your partner because you feel the need to honor responsibilities at the office? Do you prioritize taking care of a friend in need over the needs of your mate?

These themes are echoed throughout history and recorded in diaries, novels, television and films. In Jane Austin's novel "Emma" for example, the protagonist put everybody else's romantic needs before her own. Had she not stopped to question herself, she would have missed a chance for love altogether. Was she just looking after her friends? Or was she guarding herself from the potential hurt of a relationship or unrequited love?

I'm giving in.

I wasn't going to acknowledge today's "holiday", for reasons I am sure most of you can figure out and maybe even sympathize with; I mean, who needs to be reminded of what they don't have by those who are wallowing in it? Right?

Well, I caved. I'm in a good mood today, and no matter how vehemently I may try to deny it, I am a romantic at heart. So, herewith I shall commence with the Valentine's Day posts. Let's start with my wish to you, via my new webcam :-).

It's a bird! It's a plane!



Big news from vacation: I went skydiving! Yes, I jumped from a plane at 10,000 feet, with a free fall for 40 seconds, and I loved it. I was not under the influence of drugs, illicit or otherwise. I paid extra for photos and video of the jump and I've posted some of the images for you. They came out so great, and the video is awesome (with post-production including U2's Elevation and Beautiful Day). I was strapped to Mike (a wonderful guy) and Shelly (a wild woman) was the photographer.

I hemmed and hawed about doing it but finally gave in at breakfast that morning. My 2 sisters, Sheila and Mary, my brother Tommy, and his best man Chris also jumped that day. What a great time. I still can't believe I did it. It's difficult to describe the experience - the assault on your senses; the adrenalin rush; the gorgeous view of the Keys; the simple, quiet beauty of floating down through a cloud. I've certainly never experienced anything like it before.

I want to give a shout out to the folks at Sky Dive Key West (Mike, Shelly and Christian) - if you're ever in Key West or any of the lower Keys and you want to experience a major rush, stop by Sky Dive Key West - I highly recommend it!

(If you look closely at the last image, of Shelly, you can see my face on the video monitor behind her, lol!)

NY Times quote of the day:

"You're perhaps the most accomplished confidence man since Charles Ponzi. I'd say you were a carnival barker, except that wouldn't be fair to carnival barkers."

Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald,in comments to Kenneth L. Lay, former chairman of Enron.

Good one.

A cranky critic talks about Oscar nominations. I haven't seen Mulholland Drive so I'm not with him on that point, but I do agree with his description of the Academy as "a small, conservative (aesthetically, I mean) group of Hollywood insiders". I'm really tired of worthy individuals being looked over while the same four people get nominated every so often. Just because a movie wasn't mainstream does not mean that it was not good, nor that the performances within them were not Oscar worthy. But then again, what does "Oscar worthy" mean anymore?

Isn't that illegal in some places?

My brother Tommy is 12 years younger than me (he's 25 - you do the math). It was his wedding that brought us all to Key West. His sisters and best man took him out on the Thursday before the wedding for an alcohol-soaked evening of, well, alcohol comsumption. A great band (Shack Daddies) was playing at Sloppy Joe's, and as one of the bandmembers was returning to the stage after a break, we stopped him and told him how great they were, blah blah blah, and would they give a shout out to Tommy and Stacey, who were getting married on Saturday. Being nice guys, the Shack Daddies did indeed give that shout out; they then invited Tommy and Stacey to dance to a song they were dedicating to them. Since Stacey was not amongst our group, Tommy grabs me and takes me out to the dance floor, where we slowdanced as an engaged couple. Soon others joined us. After about two minutes of barely suppressed hysterics, I said to Tommy, "We'd better get off this dance floor before they ask us to kiss." Sufficiently grossed out and laughing, we rushed off the floor and back to our beers. Or shots.

The nominations are out. No big surprises, I suppose. Maybe I'll go to the movies today; I'd love to see LOTR again, but Gosford Park is beckoning as well...

I've been working on scanning some vacation photos and putting them into gallery pages for you and I expect I'll be able to post something tomorrow. I know you're all on the edges of your respective seats. ;-)

What the....?

It's late and I'm half asleep, so please correct if I'm wrong...this is a joke, right? If so, it's very funny. If not, well, it's very weird.

[link from wilwheaton.net]

Oh Jesus, now she really is dead.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has successfully sued to halt the production of "anatomically correct" Oscar statues. Why Oscar, is that a big sword in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

This line had me rolling my eyes: The academy has long taken a dim view of unauthorized commercial exploitation of the Oscars, which it sees as tarnishing the image of Hollywood's most prestigious award. Authorized commercial exploitation, from all appearances however, is perfectly OK. Who do they think they are? the Nobel Prize Committee?

"He told me ... she suddenly moved and opened her eyes and he jumped back, startled," she said.

"Under the instructions of counsel, Mr. Lay will exercise his Fifth Amendment rights at the hearing Tuesday."

Kenneth's Lay's attorney fears the congressional hearings may become "too prosecutorial" for his client. What a spinless, gutless coward.

We can rebuild him; we (almost) have the technology.

We saw this ship just off the coast of Key West last week and were wondering what it was.

A public television customer service rep goes ballistic on a viewer. I gather it wasn't pledge week.

[link from tvbarn]

Back.

We returned from Key West late Wednesday night. What a wonderful vacation. It's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things, and now I think I may be coming down with the flu. I should be able to get back to blogging some time tomorrow, if not earlier. I took a shitload of pictures so you can expect to see some of them soon.

I hope you all had a good week.