Okay several things to talk about today:
(1) My office: i went to my office today. I don't quite know how to describe my office except that it is somewhat open to the fellowship hall below, only shielded by a thin wall of plexiglass. It also basically has a big hole in the ceilng that exposes the office to the various weather elements. Not a sky light. Do not be confused. This is a hole. So often debris or in some cases rain falls down into the office. Needless to say I don't work in my office a lot. But I go in on Tuesday morning to feel like I actually have work to do in the beginning of the week. Anyway today I went in to feel like I have work to do and a library event was going on. Every Tuesday morning in the fellowship hall that my office overlooks what I'm assuming is a librarian comes in and reads to kids from the neighborhood. (These are white kids with stay at home moms, so don't think this is a great community outreach event.) But today she was not reading instead there was a man playing an accordion and singing songs. Now remember how I said the only thing that seperates my office from the fellowship hall is a thin wall of plexiglass well that means it was like I had an accordion player in my office. Only in church work does someone have an accordion player serenading them in their office while debris falls from the ceiling.
(2) I cooked for me tonight--just for me. I made chicken marsala and some pasta with sauce. It was a Rachel Ray dish and it was delicious. But seriously the 30 minute meal took an hour. And I dirtied every pot in the house. That is why people don't cook when they are single, because it takes so damn long. I mean even if the meal only took 30 minutes to cook then it takes twice that amount of time to clean up. And if you are cooking for someone else at least you can make them do the dishes or you at least had the reward of having a good dinner with good people and good conversation. Also, I bought the groceries I needed on my way home from centering prayer. On my way home I walk right past a grocery store that is new to our neighborhood, only about 8 months old. It is like Whole Foods except a local market. So the food for my one meal tonight, which granted will last me two meals and involves some items that I'll use at other times, cost $30.00. Now that is just rediculous. Again if it were some other person or other people it might be worth it. But just for me all by myself that is a lot for a meal. It is also the reason I don't shop at my local grocery store regular. Instead I go to the major supermarket Safeway, where I could eat several meals for $30. It's a shame. I'd love to shop in my neighborhood.
(3) Finally, if you have not seen Planet Unicorn on Youtube. You must, must, must. A new episode was posted recently. So now there are 5 episodes of Planet Unicorn. Go to Youtube and type in Planet Unicorn in the search field. It is hilarious.
That is it for today. I still have some more work in the kitchen to do. Honestly, it is 9:30. That is crazy.
Until tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Keep it in your pantry
Alright, Lyle Lovett and KD Lang last night were fantastic. I wasn't really a KD fan before this. I didn't dislike her or anything like that but I just wouldn't have bought any of her music or thought ooh I want to see her in concert. But after last night I am a changed man. I loved her. Her voice is so clear and pure and silky. Oh man she was just amazing. I'm going to be downloading her music now. And of course Lyle was awesome. He sang my favorite Lyle Lovett song, Pony on a Boat. If you haven't heard it or don't own it you should. The words don't really make a lot of sense or at least the don't make a lot of sense to me. He feels like those childlike dreams of if I could have anything in the world what would it be. And how those dreams don't have to fit together for instance in this song if he had a pony and a boat he woudl ride his pony on that boat. But also just how free one would be if they had this means of escape. He also sang a couple of bluegrass songs. I love bluegrass music. And the mandolin player was cute, cute, cute. Lovett lyrics are just hilarious. One of the bluegrass songs had the chorus "keep it in your pantry." It was basically a song sung from the perspective of a partner who was the cook of the house saying don't stray. It was great. And again did I mention that the mandolin player was cute?
Today I have done next to nothing. i got some groceries but other than that not really anything else. I had an on-line chat with someone at 11 and I was still in my robe. I finally showered at about 2 or so. I had to go to the grocery store and I needed to be at least a little clean. It was just so nice to be in the house without my sister and my niece I wanted to take advantage of it.
So that's it.
Alright, peace out my peeps
Today I have done next to nothing. i got some groceries but other than that not really anything else. I had an on-line chat with someone at 11 and I was still in my robe. I finally showered at about 2 or so. I had to go to the grocery store and I needed to be at least a little clean. It was just so nice to be in the house without my sister and my niece I wanted to take advantage of it.
So that's it.
Alright, peace out my peeps
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Two movies and the zoo
Two movies. Last night we saw No Reservation with Catherine Zeta Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin. Sucked!!!! Then this afternoon we saw The Simpson Movie. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't the greatest movie I've ever seen, but as a Simpson fan I really thought it was great. Had some really great lines, many of which you have probably already seen on the trailers. But it made me laugh. Ralphie had some great lines. So yeah it is worth seeing. No Reservations--nope. You might consider renting it, but that would be it.
This morning we went to the San Francisco Zoo. I had never been, so I'm glad I went. My niece really enjoyed it. But zoos tend to make me sad and this one particularly. I mean we have penguins at the SF zoo. Now it is colder than say Florida or San Diego but it is not penguin weather. And the animals just mostly sleep and pace back and forth. Now I realize it is possible that they do a lot of that in the wild, but I think they are depressed. We have had some deaths in the San Francisco Zoo. Particularly in the elephants. There are no more elephants in the San Francisco zoo. And then this zoo just seems a little run down. They have a new grizzly bear exhibit. That is great. Because bears were almost killed because they got a little agressive with some humans when they were out in the wild. So in that case the zoo saved their lives. I know zoos do some good work but they also just make me uncomfortable. The last time I went to a zoo before today was in the Atlanta zoo and the elephants were being poked with a stick with a nail on it to get them to move out of the building. I'm sure it didn't really bother a big ol' rough skinned elephant. But you know that doesn't normally happen in the wild.
My sister and niece leave tomorrow. I'm glad they came to visit. It has been nice being with them. But I'll be glad when they are gone. Then tomorrow night I'm going to see Lyle Lovett and KD Lang. I am so excited. I love, love, love Lyle Lovett. So I probably won't blog tomorrow, because I'll be napping in the afternoon and then the concert is tomorrow night. I'll tell you all about it on Monday.
Over and out
This morning we went to the San Francisco Zoo. I had never been, so I'm glad I went. My niece really enjoyed it. But zoos tend to make me sad and this one particularly. I mean we have penguins at the SF zoo. Now it is colder than say Florida or San Diego but it is not penguin weather. And the animals just mostly sleep and pace back and forth. Now I realize it is possible that they do a lot of that in the wild, but I think they are depressed. We have had some deaths in the San Francisco Zoo. Particularly in the elephants. There are no more elephants in the San Francisco zoo. And then this zoo just seems a little run down. They have a new grizzly bear exhibit. That is great. Because bears were almost killed because they got a little agressive with some humans when they were out in the wild. So in that case the zoo saved their lives. I know zoos do some good work but they also just make me uncomfortable. The last time I went to a zoo before today was in the Atlanta zoo and the elephants were being poked with a stick with a nail on it to get them to move out of the building. I'm sure it didn't really bother a big ol' rough skinned elephant. But you know that doesn't normally happen in the wild.
My sister and niece leave tomorrow. I'm glad they came to visit. It has been nice being with them. But I'll be glad when they are gone. Then tomorrow night I'm going to see Lyle Lovett and KD Lang. I am so excited. I love, love, love Lyle Lovett. So I probably won't blog tomorrow, because I'll be napping in the afternoon and then the concert is tomorrow night. I'll tell you all about it on Monday.
Over and out
Friday, July 27, 2007
Spoiler Alert
Alright as I promised I am posting a video blog where I talk about the Harry Potter book. My niece and I have a very short 10 minute conversation. Where I forgot to talk about some things, but that is okay. I still think I laid out the basic questions I have and my view of the book. If you have not read the book you should wait to watch the video.
So I'm posting right here, (right below this.) DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK
Now for one more thing. Today we stumbled across the National Kite Boarding Championship. Until today I did not know kite boarding even existed. Basically it is an individual on a surfboard holding a giant kite and gliding around the water. They were racing. And it all seemed very ambiguous. Don't really know where the starting line was or the finish line for that matter. And I'm guessing the announcer didn't really know much information either. At the conclusion of one of the races he said "apparently we have a winner." Apparently? How do you apparently have a winner? Someone had to cross the finish line first, right? They changed the 3rd place winner at least 2 times. It was pretty funny and I came away knowing vitually nothing about the sport. But I know it exists now.
Alright enjoy the video blog. Let me know if you have answers to the questions and what you thought.
So I'm posting right here, (right below this.) DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK
Now for one more thing. Today we stumbled across the National Kite Boarding Championship. Until today I did not know kite boarding even existed. Basically it is an individual on a surfboard holding a giant kite and gliding around the water. They were racing. And it all seemed very ambiguous. Don't really know where the starting line was or the finish line for that matter. And I'm guessing the announcer didn't really know much information either. At the conclusion of one of the races he said "apparently we have a winner." Apparently? How do you apparently have a winner? Someone had to cross the finish line first, right? They changed the 3rd place winner at least 2 times. It was pretty funny and I came away knowing vitually nothing about the sport. But I know it exists now.
Alright enjoy the video blog. Let me know if you have answers to the questions and what you thought.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Nuts!!!
First of all I'm kind of tired of my sister and my niece. Mostly I'm just tired. I know it has just been a few days. But I'm sleeping on my pull out sofa. (Now the sofa is very comfortable, much, much more comfortable than a regular pull-out. Ask anyone who has slept on it. This is so you know when you come and visit you'll have a comfortable place to sleep. But it is still not my bed.) I'm sleeping on the pull-out sofa because they go to bed so early. This morning I was awaken (awoken? I don't know.) at about 4 because my niece was breaking out in a rash. We don't know what from. And of course I didn't have anything to put on it. Really we still have no idea. It can't be my bed because it wasn't the first night she was in the bed. She had shrimp for dinner but that was about 12 hours earlier. However, I really do think that is what it was. So anyway they tried a shower and the rash kept spreading. They tried a bath and baking soda. Finally at 7 AM my sister came in and asked where the closest drug store was. So I threw on my shoes and a hat (I had on pajamas, the city isn't that open.) and headed out to the grocery store to buy benadryl, tablets and lotion, and calamine lotion. The benadryl seemed to help. But by that time it was time for me to get up. And I've been going ever since.
We went to the Winchester Mystery House. The WMH was built by Mrs. Winchester who was the wife of the 2nd president of the Winchester Rifle Co. It is a crazy house in San Jose. There are doors that lead to nowhere, windows that lead to nowhere. She was crazy superstitious. After the 1906 earthquake she decided that it was because she had been spending too much time working on the front of the house. So she had the whole front of the house boarded up and was never used again. This means that the damage of the earthquake was never repaired. Also the fancy Tiffany glass front doors were never used because they were installed shortly before the earthquake. She was basically always adding on because apparently the "spirits" told her too. Probably in her seance room. She never used an archtect. She just told one of her 13 on-staff carpenters to add on a room here or there or whatever. (Notice she had 13 carpenters. Apparently that was intentional, again the spirts.) Now here is the thing to most people this probably seem really crazy. However, to me and my sister it wasn't that odd because we grew up in my parent's house. They weren't rich and they didn't have seances, but my dad was constanly building on or doing something to the house. And it was always somewhat half-ass. He would just cut into walls or cover them up without any reall skill. A full height ceiling isn't all that necessary in the WMH and it wasn't in my parents house either. So to my sister and I this was just like visiting home. Also, seriously this woman was just nuts (I don't think my dad is nuts he is just an unskilled carpenter.) Because she was rich people probably caller her eccentric. But we all know that if she were poor she would be pulling a dog around in a little red wagon and her name would probably be something like nub or digger. And people would just call her crazy.
Finally, first of all it is 8:30 and my sister and niece are already asleep. Second, the food thing is still a problem. Tonight we ordered Chinese. And they wanted Shrimp Fried Rice and Bourbon Chicken. Bourbon Chicken? Bourbon is not from China. They claim that this is at every Chinese restaurant. But of course it was not at the Chinese restaurant that we ordered from. When I asked my sister and niece what bourbon chicken was they said it was chicken in a bourbon sauce--not very helpful. So I suggested cashew chicken or chicken and broccoli. Benign enough or so I thought. Nope. Apparently they don't like (a) nuts with chicken. (My sister aslo doesn't like fruit in salads. Found that out last night. When there was this delicious specialty salad that had apples and pears.) and (b) vegetables. My sister said go ahead and order cashew chicken. I was eating cashew chicken by myself. i also ordered pot stickers. Seriously they are fried. How can that be wrong? Well my sister ate one and my niece took a bite of one. This basically mean I ate 5 pot stickers. So I don't know if I'm tired of them or just tired. Or just bloated. (Oh and they spread out like a weeks wash. Stuff is everywhere. And my brother-in-law smokes like a chimney. So that means all their stuff that smells like cigarette smoke. That means my bedroom now smells like smoke. Maybe I'm just anal retentive. ) I love them but they are making me crazy!
We went to the Winchester Mystery House. The WMH was built by Mrs. Winchester who was the wife of the 2nd president of the Winchester Rifle Co. It is a crazy house in San Jose. There are doors that lead to nowhere, windows that lead to nowhere. She was crazy superstitious. After the 1906 earthquake she decided that it was because she had been spending too much time working on the front of the house. So she had the whole front of the house boarded up and was never used again. This means that the damage of the earthquake was never repaired. Also the fancy Tiffany glass front doors were never used because they were installed shortly before the earthquake. She was basically always adding on because apparently the "spirits" told her too. Probably in her seance room. She never used an archtect. She just told one of her 13 on-staff carpenters to add on a room here or there or whatever. (Notice she had 13 carpenters. Apparently that was intentional, again the spirts.) Now here is the thing to most people this probably seem really crazy. However, to me and my sister it wasn't that odd because we grew up in my parent's house. They weren't rich and they didn't have seances, but my dad was constanly building on or doing something to the house. And it was always somewhat half-ass. He would just cut into walls or cover them up without any reall skill. A full height ceiling isn't all that necessary in the WMH and it wasn't in my parents house either. So to my sister and I this was just like visiting home. Also, seriously this woman was just nuts (I don't think my dad is nuts he is just an unskilled carpenter.) Because she was rich people probably caller her eccentric. But we all know that if she were poor she would be pulling a dog around in a little red wagon and her name would probably be something like nub or digger. And people would just call her crazy.
Finally, first of all it is 8:30 and my sister and niece are already asleep. Second, the food thing is still a problem. Tonight we ordered Chinese. And they wanted Shrimp Fried Rice and Bourbon Chicken. Bourbon Chicken? Bourbon is not from China. They claim that this is at every Chinese restaurant. But of course it was not at the Chinese restaurant that we ordered from. When I asked my sister and niece what bourbon chicken was they said it was chicken in a bourbon sauce--not very helpful. So I suggested cashew chicken or chicken and broccoli. Benign enough or so I thought. Nope. Apparently they don't like (a) nuts with chicken. (My sister aslo doesn't like fruit in salads. Found that out last night. When there was this delicious specialty salad that had apples and pears.) and (b) vegetables. My sister said go ahead and order cashew chicken. I was eating cashew chicken by myself. i also ordered pot stickers. Seriously they are fried. How can that be wrong? Well my sister ate one and my niece took a bite of one. This basically mean I ate 5 pot stickers. So I don't know if I'm tired of them or just tired. Or just bloated. (Oh and they spread out like a weeks wash. Stuff is everywhere. And my brother-in-law smokes like a chimney. So that means all their stuff that smells like cigarette smoke. That means my bedroom now smells like smoke. Maybe I'm just anal retentive. ) I love them but they are making me crazy!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
I don't look that old
We all got mani and pedis today. Then it was off to Alcatraz. The new tour is great. It isn't much different from the one I had heard several times before. So if you are planning to visit and want to go to Alcatraz know that you are going to be going that one alone. Seriously I could almost recite the old one word for word. And it is an automated audio tour not by a park ranger led tour. The first time I went I was hoping for the tour guide from the movie "So I Married an Ax Murderer." It is one of my favorite movies. Stars Mike Myers. The tour guide was Phil Hartman. He was hilarious. So I was a little dissapointed the first time I went and just basically strapped a radio around my neck.
In the gift shop was an author signing his book about Alcatraz. He was a former inmate. Now would you ever voluntarily go back into the place which was the scene of some of your darkest moments? I don't think I would.
Alright that is it for today. I am tired. We did a lot of walking today.
Oh and one more thing. My sister has always looked young. When I was in high school she would occasionally chaperone band trips and often other band members would ask if she was my girlfriend. (She is 8 years older than my brother and I.) I was horrified. I mean we were close but we weren't that close. Well anyway, yesterday I took her and my niece to see the church and while we were there they met the methodist church's pastor and office manager. As we were leaving the office manager said to me "enjoy your nieces." Nieces?! Apparently now I don't look like my sister's boyfriend. I look like her uncle!!!!!
Alright, I hope you all are reading. Because I'm talking about it on Friday.
In the gift shop was an author signing his book about Alcatraz. He was a former inmate. Now would you ever voluntarily go back into the place which was the scene of some of your darkest moments? I don't think I would.
Alright that is it for today. I am tired. We did a lot of walking today.
Oh and one more thing. My sister has always looked young. When I was in high school she would occasionally chaperone band trips and often other band members would ask if she was my girlfriend. (She is 8 years older than my brother and I.) I was horrified. I mean we were close but we weren't that close. Well anyway, yesterday I took her and my niece to see the church and while we were there they met the methodist church's pastor and office manager. As we were leaving the office manager said to me "enjoy your nieces." Nieces?! Apparently now I don't look like my sister's boyfriend. I look like her uncle!!!!!
Alright, I hope you all are reading. Because I'm talking about it on Friday.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Celebrity Bull Riding?!?!
Well I finished the book last night a little after midnight. It is really good. In my opinion I think it is the best Harry Potter of the seven. A lot happens. And I was satisfied when it was over. Now I will not talk about what happened in the book openly until Friday. So be forwarned. And I'll warn you when I am going to talk about it. But seriously I have a lot to say about it.
Since I went to bed late last night, I slept on the pull-out sofa in my living room, and got up early to go to pilates this morning I have been sleepy all day. So we didn't really do very much. We went to my office, then out to Crissy Field and the Prisido. The plan was to see the Golden Gate Bridge as well. But it was way too foggy. Always a possibility during the summer. So then we went and had cheesesteaks. Followed by a walk around a neighborhood close by so my niece could do a little shopping. But there was a bookstore so she wasn't all that happy. Then we came back home for a nap. After that a trip to Target and an Italian-American bakery for cheesecake. Tonight we have been sitting around watching television and having grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmmm, grilled cheese sandwich.
This evening while I was working the crossword puzzle my sister was watching the Country Music Channel and I heard what my be the funniest thing ever. They are about to start a reality show called... wait for it....wait for it....
Celebrity Bull Riding. Honestly I am not making this up. And get the celebrity list that they are naming, i.e. the ones that they think will be a draw: Leif Garrett, Vanilla Ice, and Stephen Baldwin. That means all the others are less famous than these three. I mean come on Leif Garrett, Vanilla Ice, and the ugly, Jesus-crispy, Baldwin. But this gave me an idea, alright it gave me and my friend Mary Sue an idea. How bout when some celebrity does somethign illegal or just really stupid instead of sending them to jail where we, the California tax payer, have to pay for there room and board we instead send them to Celebrity Bull Riding. I mean that is just stupid. And how sad is it that these three people would rather do Celebrity Bull Riding instead of oh lets say work anywhere else. I mean not only is bull riding dangerous but it is just plain stupid. I woudl rather get in a car with Lindsey Lohan than ride a bull. Okay, well maybe I'd rather get in a car with Lindsey Lohan. (I'm sorry tragic story that I am making light of. I'm going to leave it in but I still feel bad about it.)
Well tomorrow is Alcatraz and perhaps manicures and pedicures. Apparently my sister doesn't like pedicures because she doesn't like people "playing" with her feet and my niece doesn't like getting a manicure because as best I can tell she bites her fingernails. So we'll see if it happens.
So get reading folks. Because come Friday this bird is going to sing. And I want to talk about it with other people. KT has already called to talk to me about the book but we need other conversation partners.
Since I went to bed late last night, I slept on the pull-out sofa in my living room, and got up early to go to pilates this morning I have been sleepy all day. So we didn't really do very much. We went to my office, then out to Crissy Field and the Prisido. The plan was to see the Golden Gate Bridge as well. But it was way too foggy. Always a possibility during the summer. So then we went and had cheesesteaks. Followed by a walk around a neighborhood close by so my niece could do a little shopping. But there was a bookstore so she wasn't all that happy. Then we came back home for a nap. After that a trip to Target and an Italian-American bakery for cheesecake. Tonight we have been sitting around watching television and having grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmmm, grilled cheese sandwich.
This evening while I was working the crossword puzzle my sister was watching the Country Music Channel and I heard what my be the funniest thing ever. They are about to start a reality show called... wait for it....wait for it....
Celebrity Bull Riding. Honestly I am not making this up. And get the celebrity list that they are naming, i.e. the ones that they think will be a draw: Leif Garrett, Vanilla Ice, and Stephen Baldwin. That means all the others are less famous than these three. I mean come on Leif Garrett, Vanilla Ice, and the ugly, Jesus-crispy, Baldwin. But this gave me an idea, alright it gave me and my friend Mary Sue an idea. How bout when some celebrity does somethign illegal or just really stupid instead of sending them to jail where we, the California tax payer, have to pay for there room and board we instead send them to Celebrity Bull Riding. I mean that is just stupid. And how sad is it that these three people would rather do Celebrity Bull Riding instead of oh lets say work anywhere else. I mean not only is bull riding dangerous but it is just plain stupid. I woudl rather get in a car with Lindsey Lohan than ride a bull. Okay, well maybe I'd rather get in a car with Lindsey Lohan. (I'm sorry tragic story that I am making light of. I'm going to leave it in but I still feel bad about it.)
Well tomorrow is Alcatraz and perhaps manicures and pedicures. Apparently my sister doesn't like pedicures because she doesn't like people "playing" with her feet and my niece doesn't like getting a manicure because as best I can tell she bites her fingernails. So we'll see if it happens.
So get reading folks. Because come Friday this bird is going to sing. And I want to talk about it with other people. KT has already called to talk to me about the book but we need other conversation partners.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Can I buy a vowel?
My sister and my niece arrived today. And my niece finished the book shortly after she arrived. It is making me crazy that she knows what happens. I have about 150 pages left. I'm hoping to finish it tonight so that she and I can talk about it tomorrow. It is now 7:30 and they just went to bed. Yes that is right it is 7:30 and they just went to bed. Now I'll give them that they have been up a long time today because they had to get up so early to go to the airport. But my sister normally goes to bed very early, like the rest of my family. My niece stays up late but that is because she is a teenager. But seriously I know not to call my brother, my sister, or my parents house after about 8:00 on the east coast.
We've had a fairly relaxed day today because I wanted to give them some time to recoup. So we only went to the grocery store and the produce market. Then we ordered pizza for dinner and watched the cash cab. It felt just like I was at my parent's house again, take out dinner in front of the television.
And okay I know you are not going to believe this but I'm watching Wheel of Fortune again while I'm typing this. (Then I'm going to turn off the tv and start reading Harry Potter again.) But get this. One of the puzzles they had S-P-A-M F-I-L- -E-R. It was a toss up puzzle the only person to buzz in guess Spam Filler. Spam Filler? Did she think the category was processed kind-of-meat product? Also at this point one of the biggest queens is winning, but it is one of those frat boy queens who dresses like a straight sort of golfer type but occassionally squeals with delight.
I hope to do a video blog with my niece and hopefully my sister some time this week, so that some of you who have never met my family can put a face with some of the stories.
Alright, I'm off for my date with Harry Potter.
We've had a fairly relaxed day today because I wanted to give them some time to recoup. So we only went to the grocery store and the produce market. Then we ordered pizza for dinner and watched the cash cab. It felt just like I was at my parent's house again, take out dinner in front of the television.
And okay I know you are not going to believe this but I'm watching Wheel of Fortune again while I'm typing this. (Then I'm going to turn off the tv and start reading Harry Potter again.) But get this. One of the puzzles they had S-P-A-M F-I-L- -E-R. It was a toss up puzzle the only person to buzz in guess Spam Filler. Spam Filler? Did she think the category was processed kind-of-meat product? Also at this point one of the biggest queens is winning, but it is one of those frat boy queens who dresses like a straight sort of golfer type but occassionally squeals with delight.
I hope to do a video blog with my niece and hopefully my sister some time this week, so that some of you who have never met my family can put a face with some of the stories.
Alright, I'm off for my date with Harry Potter.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Reading, reading, reading
It is good ya'll. I am 330 pages into the Harry Potter book. So much is happening in this book I am tired. I need to neaten up the house because my sister and niece are coming to town for a week. But I can't pull myself away from the book. If I didn't have to work today I would have stayed up all night last night reading it. I think this is why it is good that I don't do drugs because I have a feeling I would just get sucked in. Alright, I'm sure there are other good reasons I don't do drugs. I would also like to finish the book before my niece arrives because I would like to talk about it with her. But I don't see me finishing before she arrives at 11:30 tomorrow morning. Hopefully before she leaves.
Well back to reading.
Be careful Voldemort is on the rise.
Well back to reading.
Be careful Voldemort is on the rise.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Harry, Dolly, and Earthquakes
Argh, too many things to talk about today:
(1) The Harry Potter book arrives tomorrow. Yay!!! I hope the mail comes early because I have plans tomorrow night. And I want as much time as possible to read before I have to leave.
(2) They have begun to work on Nine to Five the musical. The songs have been written by Dolly Parton. They had a staged reading this week. Allison Janney is playing the Lily Tomlin role. Joe Mantello who directed Wicked is directing. The New York Post is reporting that it is getting good buzz. Can I just tell you how excited about this I am? Seriously, I love, love, love Dolly Parton. And I will beg, steal, and borrow to get to this show. Dolly is not in the show, which I guess I am alright with. It will most likely be staged in 2008-2009 season. WooHoo!!!!
(3) Why do earthquakes always happen in the middle of the night? (Also, why does the battery to the smoke detector always need to be replaced in the middle of night. You know it starts to make that awful chirping noise that will not stop until the battery is changed. You can't just take the battery out because it still chirps. I don't even have a smoke detector right now because I ripped it down in the middle of the night. Do you remember the Friends episode where this happened to Pheobe and nothing would stop the chirping? She finally dropped it down the garbage shoot but it made its way back.) So anyway we had an earthquake this morning about 4:40. It actually took place north of Oakland and was fairly close to the surface, only about 3 miles down. So even though it was a small earthquake we still felt it in SF. Warning, TMI alert: So here is the problem with earthquakes in the middle of the night. I sleep au naturale, which is French for nothin at all, only what I came into the world wearin, my birthday suit. (This is the second blog about me being naked. I have to confess I like to be naked. I'm naked in my apartment a lot. I live alone, I can walk around the house naked if I want. Don't judge me.) Anyway so my fear is that I am going to be stranded outdoors naked after an earthquake. You know a big earthquake happens and I have to run outside screaming like a little girl because the house is coming down or something. So I have actually hung my robe in a place that I can grab it as I'm running out of the house. Now I'll still only be wearing a robe but hey at least I won't be naked. Because think about it if it is a bad earthquake and I can't get back in the house then I have to beg for clothing and I may be without shoes. (Okay I know the likelihood of me needing to run out the house and not being able to get back in is a very slim possibility, but these are the things I think about.) So I'm wondering should I bury, maybe in one of those vacuum pack space bags, in my back yard a set of clothing and shoes? Because surely i would be able to get in the back yard. This is not something they talk about in earthquake preparedness training. I told you this was going to be too much information. I don't know what you should be shocked by me being naked or actually the thought I might bury a change of clothing in the back yard.
I really have to reattach my smoke detector. Oh well.
Here's hoping your ground is solid and stable.
(1) The Harry Potter book arrives tomorrow. Yay!!! I hope the mail comes early because I have plans tomorrow night. And I want as much time as possible to read before I have to leave.
(2) They have begun to work on Nine to Five the musical. The songs have been written by Dolly Parton. They had a staged reading this week. Allison Janney is playing the Lily Tomlin role. Joe Mantello who directed Wicked is directing. The New York Post is reporting that it is getting good buzz. Can I just tell you how excited about this I am? Seriously, I love, love, love Dolly Parton. And I will beg, steal, and borrow to get to this show. Dolly is not in the show, which I guess I am alright with. It will most likely be staged in 2008-2009 season. WooHoo!!!!
(3) Why do earthquakes always happen in the middle of the night? (Also, why does the battery to the smoke detector always need to be replaced in the middle of night. You know it starts to make that awful chirping noise that will not stop until the battery is changed. You can't just take the battery out because it still chirps. I don't even have a smoke detector right now because I ripped it down in the middle of the night. Do you remember the Friends episode where this happened to Pheobe and nothing would stop the chirping? She finally dropped it down the garbage shoot but it made its way back.) So anyway we had an earthquake this morning about 4:40. It actually took place north of Oakland and was fairly close to the surface, only about 3 miles down. So even though it was a small earthquake we still felt it in SF. Warning, TMI alert: So here is the problem with earthquakes in the middle of the night. I sleep au naturale, which is French for nothin at all, only what I came into the world wearin, my birthday suit. (This is the second blog about me being naked. I have to confess I like to be naked. I'm naked in my apartment a lot. I live alone, I can walk around the house naked if I want. Don't judge me.) Anyway so my fear is that I am going to be stranded outdoors naked after an earthquake. You know a big earthquake happens and I have to run outside screaming like a little girl because the house is coming down or something. So I have actually hung my robe in a place that I can grab it as I'm running out of the house. Now I'll still only be wearing a robe but hey at least I won't be naked. Because think about it if it is a bad earthquake and I can't get back in the house then I have to beg for clothing and I may be without shoes. (Okay I know the likelihood of me needing to run out the house and not being able to get back in is a very slim possibility, but these are the things I think about.) So I'm wondering should I bury, maybe in one of those vacuum pack space bags, in my back yard a set of clothing and shoes? Because surely i would be able to get in the back yard. This is not something they talk about in earthquake preparedness training. I told you this was going to be too much information. I don't know what you should be shocked by me being naked or actually the thought I might bury a change of clothing in the back yard.
I really have to reattach my smoke detector. Oh well.
Here's hoping your ground is solid and stable.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Questions?
Had a church meeting tonight to talk about our future. It was interesting to talk about the future or lack of future with my congregation in light of what is going on with my brother. I heard some of them saying that it is not enough for them to just exist but instead they want to thrive. I wonder do they have a choice? End of life issues are hard. When do you stop fighting? Is it important to say goodbye well? What exactly is dieing with dignity? Is there such a thing? How do you know you are not giving up too soon? It really is the after that is scary, the unknown. How do we get past the fear? Life is hard.
Drinks with friends after the meeting. Well, alright, a drink with friends. Beautiful people full of joy. One who just got engaged. In the midst of ends it is good to be around beginnings.
Going to bed. Will get up again tomorrow to try and function in the midst of the fear, and sadness, and chaos.
One more day until Harry Potter!
Drinks with friends after the meeting. Well, alright, a drink with friends. Beautiful people full of joy. One who just got engaged. In the midst of ends it is good to be around beginnings.
Going to bed. Will get up again tomorrow to try and function in the midst of the fear, and sadness, and chaos.
One more day until Harry Potter!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
#@!%$ Cancer!!!!
Today was the first day it has ever rained on this date in San Francisco since weather has been recorded. At 8:50 this morning I got a call from my sister that I kind of expected but thought would come later. Some of you know this and others of you don't (That is something I'll address later.) my twin brother was diagnosed in late January with colo-rectal cancer. They did surgery with the hopes of removing the tumor but found that it was too big and had spread out too much for them to remove it. The hope was that they would do chemo-therapy to shrink the tumor enough to then remove it. They have been doing chemo-therapy for four months. Today we found out that not only was the chemo not shrinking the tumor but the tumors that had spread to the liver were multiplying and were really large. He was given two options (1) call in hospice or (2) increase the chemo therapy. The caveat to the second option is that his body is so weak that the doctor expects him to end up in the hospital. Believing he is not strong enough to deal with the chemo. (He is now down to 102 pounds.) To me it sounds like the doctor is giving him the option to die at home or die in the hospital. My brother chose the chemo-therapy route. He believes he is fighting the cancer. I don't know what I would do, particularly if I had 3 children, ages 11, 6, and 2. I think he wants to do all he can to live. And I want him to live to. But it also feels like he could die very soon. There is nothing right about a 35 year old man dieing of colon-cancer, of dieing period. I should be facing the death of a parent not the death of my twin brother. Nothing is right about this. It has been a grey day, as wrong as it was to have rain on this day was it wrong to receive that phone call.
Fortunately, I had an appointment scheduled with my spiritual director for today. So I met with her. I came out with some clarity. What I need is for someone to take all of this away, to take away cancer, to take away all of what is wrong with this. Outside of that I don't know what I need or what I want. But I am so reluctant to even let the people I love know that there is even anything going on that feels so heavy. I feel as if I am carrying this heavy load all by myself. And I somewhat expect the people I love to just know that something is wrong. I also have been told all my life from my famly of origin that family of origin is the only group of people I can depend on, and I know that honestly at times my family of origin is the last group of people I can depend on. So I think I'm afraid that if I ask for support from family of choice that if they fail to support me then I will be completely alone and isolated. (I know this is feeling a bit muddled. But I worked it out over and hour and I'm trying to type it in a few minutes.) But essently what I'm saying is that I'm trying to put out that I am carrying this huge burden out there in hopeful expectation that I love the most will support me during this awful time. And trust that someone will offer me the kind of support that I don't even know that I need.
On a completely different note, I went and saw Kiki and Herb last night. I don't know how to describe them. They are a cross between Steve and Edie and the music teacher from Saturday Night Live and the female character is a drag queen. They did a broadway show special event last year and were nominated for a Tony Award. They are freakin hilarious. If you get a chance to see them somewhere near you, go. Funny.
Fortunately, I had an appointment scheduled with my spiritual director for today. So I met with her. I came out with some clarity. What I need is for someone to take all of this away, to take away cancer, to take away all of what is wrong with this. Outside of that I don't know what I need or what I want. But I am so reluctant to even let the people I love know that there is even anything going on that feels so heavy. I feel as if I am carrying this heavy load all by myself. And I somewhat expect the people I love to just know that something is wrong. I also have been told all my life from my famly of origin that family of origin is the only group of people I can depend on, and I know that honestly at times my family of origin is the last group of people I can depend on. So I think I'm afraid that if I ask for support from family of choice that if they fail to support me then I will be completely alone and isolated. (I know this is feeling a bit muddled. But I worked it out over and hour and I'm trying to type it in a few minutes.) But essently what I'm saying is that I'm trying to put out that I am carrying this huge burden out there in hopeful expectation that I love the most will support me during this awful time. And trust that someone will offer me the kind of support that I don't even know that I need.
On a completely different note, I went and saw Kiki and Herb last night. I don't know how to describe them. They are a cross between Steve and Edie and the music teacher from Saturday Night Live and the female character is a drag queen. They did a broadway show special event last year and were nominated for a Tony Award. They are freakin hilarious. If you get a chance to see them somewhere near you, go. Funny.
Monday, July 16, 2007
My first talky-blog
Yay I was able to do this. See below for my first talky blog.
I won't do this every time, but it is fun right?
I won't do this every time, but it is fun right?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
What the smell?
"This smells like kindergarten." That is exactly what I was hoping for. Today I had my congregation reflect on what they loved doing when they were children. This is a question I have been exploring for the last year or so. The question is one that was asked in a great book by the Sheila, Dennis & Matthew Linn called Healing the Purpose of Your LIfe. (Their books are really great you should check them out.) Anyway the question they ask reader to reflect on is What were you doing when your parents called you in for dinner, that thing, that toy you just couldn't pull yourself away from. So as some of you know I'm not preaching this summer instead I have invited congregants to respond to some questions, questions that I have hoped would encourage them to think more intentionally about what they believe. Well anyway today one of my folks talked about truth, not technically one of the questions but whatever. He talked about truth telling and how in speaking truth we are also getting closer to God. So following him I invited folks to reflect on the ways in which we have forgotten who we are. The truth that we have forgotten about ourselves. The way I did that was to invite them to answer the childhood question. And I had them play with playdough or color with crayons. Both activities are classic childhood activities. They also evoke memories of touch and smell. Playdough has a distinctive smell. Much more evocative memories than if we had just thought about what we did as children. All in all it was a great activity.
So other smells that hold strong memories for me: Old Spice makes me think of my maternal grandfather. He wore it all the time. One Christmas all he asked for was Old Spice. So we bought him tons of Old Spice. He just kept opening Old Spice after Old Spice. We then gave him a recliner that we had been hiding. But it is a great memory. (He also never asked for Old Spice for Christmas again.) I remember a few years after he died my family was in the mountains of North Carolina and some man who lived in the area picked up my cousins to bring them back to the cabin. My cousin Jonathan who was very young at the time came in crying because the man reminded him of GrandDoc, that is what he called him. The older grandchildren called him Doc which is what his father had called him. Freshly mown grass reminds me of my paternal grandfather. He mowed grass nearly all of his life. He would mow and my grandmother would do the raking. Are there smells that evoke memories for you?
The smeller's the feller.
So other smells that hold strong memories for me: Old Spice makes me think of my maternal grandfather. He wore it all the time. One Christmas all he asked for was Old Spice. So we bought him tons of Old Spice. He just kept opening Old Spice after Old Spice. We then gave him a recliner that we had been hiding. But it is a great memory. (He also never asked for Old Spice for Christmas again.) I remember a few years after he died my family was in the mountains of North Carolina and some man who lived in the area picked up my cousins to bring them back to the cabin. My cousin Jonathan who was very young at the time came in crying because the man reminded him of GrandDoc, that is what he called him. The older grandchildren called him Doc which is what his father had called him. Freshly mown grass reminds me of my paternal grandfather. He mowed grass nearly all of his life. He would mow and my grandmother would do the raking. Are there smells that evoke memories for you?
The smeller's the feller.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Ribs, Harry Potter and Go-go
I don't even know where to begin. I'll start with what you all least want to hear about, i.e. anything that is not Harry Potter. So San Diego was great. I'm back in San Francisco now. Yesterday we went to the beach. It was beautiful and I was actually able to get in the water. Now I couldn't stay in for very long, but for the time I did spend my feet didn't turn blue. That is what would have happened if I had gotten into the water at a beach in San Francisco. There were a ton of families on the beach. What I mean by that is that there were a lot of kids. There was this one little boy who apparently didn't like the toys his family brought for him so he kept going to this other blanket and taking this other little boy's toys. It was cute. By the way his grandmother was a bleach blond in a bikini. I'm guessing he is going to have to work that out in therapy. I say when you become a grandmother it is at least time to put away the bikini and probably the bottle of bleach as well.
Then we went home and Mark barbecued ribs. (Some of you say that reading my blog often makes you hungry. I do blog about food a lot. I just love food.) Well anyway these ribs were fantastic. They cooked slowly on the grill for several hours over hickory chips. They included a rub, a mop sauce and then a barbecue sauce. All of which we made nothing store bought. Oh dear lord were these ribs good. I ate so many I felt sick afterwards. They were so good.
Now on to Harry Potter. I really enjoyed it. Obviously they had to leave a lot out of the book since the book is so long. In turn I think a lot of the characters were underused. Draco Malfoy was hardly in it at all. Which seemed odd, since he plays such a large role in the sixth book. And they didn't introduce the bureau that is in the room of whatever you need most. This is also important as it is the way the death eaters get into hogwarts in the sixth book. I think it is also amazing that they get people like Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson to show up and say maybe two or three lines. Imelda Staunton who played Dolores Umbridge is really great. She is just evil. Also at the end when, as I remember it from the book, only Harry and Voldemort are the ones to hear the prophecy instead Harry and all the other kids hear the prophecy and Voldemort doesn't. But I might not remember the book that well. But again I really liked it. If you enjoy the books and the other movies go see this one.
Now here is the best part of going to see the movie. His name was Go-Go. Apparently, it was the shul's night to go see the Harry Potter movie. Because there was this big group of jewish teenagers sitting behind us. I could tell by the yamulkes and tsitses. They seemed to be really good kids. But for a while before the movie started they were all talking about this other member of the group Go-go. (I'm assuming that is not his given name. I don't remember any Go-gos from the Hebrew Bible.) Everyone wanted to sit next to Go-go. So Go-go gets there and he seems to be quite the character. He worked out this system of getting free gym memberships out of 24Hour Fitness. Apparently they have a special free 7 day membership. So he is planning to go from 24 Hour fitness to 24 Hour fitness using up the 7 day trial memberships. I kind of love Go-Go. Well here is the thing, Go-go was a hit until this other guy, Avi, called one of them and said he was on his way. Then it became Avi is sitting here you have to move Go-go. I felt bad for Go-go. (I sneezed during the movie and this chorus of bless yous came from this little Jewish clan. It was fantastic.)
Alright, I've written too much. This is what happens when I don't blog for several days. (I'm not editing this because it is so long. So I apologize for the misspellings. I think I may even have misspelled misspell. Does it just have on s?)
Less than 7 days until the release of the 7th Harry Potter Book. Yay.
Peace.
Then we went home and Mark barbecued ribs. (Some of you say that reading my blog often makes you hungry. I do blog about food a lot. I just love food.) Well anyway these ribs were fantastic. They cooked slowly on the grill for several hours over hickory chips. They included a rub, a mop sauce and then a barbecue sauce. All of which we made nothing store bought. Oh dear lord were these ribs good. I ate so many I felt sick afterwards. They were so good.
Now on to Harry Potter. I really enjoyed it. Obviously they had to leave a lot out of the book since the book is so long. In turn I think a lot of the characters were underused. Draco Malfoy was hardly in it at all. Which seemed odd, since he plays such a large role in the sixth book. And they didn't introduce the bureau that is in the room of whatever you need most. This is also important as it is the way the death eaters get into hogwarts in the sixth book. I think it is also amazing that they get people like Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson to show up and say maybe two or three lines. Imelda Staunton who played Dolores Umbridge is really great. She is just evil. Also at the end when, as I remember it from the book, only Harry and Voldemort are the ones to hear the prophecy instead Harry and all the other kids hear the prophecy and Voldemort doesn't. But I might not remember the book that well. But again I really liked it. If you enjoy the books and the other movies go see this one.
Now here is the best part of going to see the movie. His name was Go-Go. Apparently, it was the shul's night to go see the Harry Potter movie. Because there was this big group of jewish teenagers sitting behind us. I could tell by the yamulkes and tsitses. They seemed to be really good kids. But for a while before the movie started they were all talking about this other member of the group Go-go. (I'm assuming that is not his given name. I don't remember any Go-gos from the Hebrew Bible.) Everyone wanted to sit next to Go-go. So Go-go gets there and he seems to be quite the character. He worked out this system of getting free gym memberships out of 24Hour Fitness. Apparently they have a special free 7 day membership. So he is planning to go from 24 Hour fitness to 24 Hour fitness using up the 7 day trial memberships. I kind of love Go-Go. Well here is the thing, Go-go was a hit until this other guy, Avi, called one of them and said he was on his way. Then it became Avi is sitting here you have to move Go-go. I felt bad for Go-go. (I sneezed during the movie and this chorus of bless yous came from this little Jewish clan. It was fantastic.)
Alright, I've written too much. This is what happens when I don't blog for several days. (I'm not editing this because it is so long. So I apologize for the misspellings. I think I may even have misspelled misspell. Does it just have on s?)
Less than 7 days until the release of the 7th Harry Potter Book. Yay.
Peace.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Damn it's hot!
Greetings from sunny San Diego. Where let me tell you it is hot. I am talking H-O-T. Now I know that it is not as hot as it is on the east coast or Atlanta or in Florida where I grew up. But I am now living in San Francisco where the temperature is never any colder than 60 and never hotter than 80. So I am not use to this kind of heat. And yes it is a dry heat, blah, blah, blah. But it is hot!!!!!
We went to Balboa Park today. It is a great park here in San Diego. Currently Mark is making us dinner and then, wait for it, wait for it...
We are going to see the Harry Potter movie. Oh yeah! I cannot wait! I am so excited I will probably pee my pants just as soon as the opening credits begin. I'll give you all a full report.
I also hope that my friend Mary Sue and I can put together a video blog post before I leave. That will be fun don't you think?
Alright, I'm going to stick my head in the refrigerator to try and cool off.
Stay Cool
We went to Balboa Park today. It is a great park here in San Diego. Currently Mark is making us dinner and then, wait for it, wait for it...
We are going to see the Harry Potter movie. Oh yeah! I cannot wait! I am so excited I will probably pee my pants just as soon as the opening credits begin. I'll give you all a full report.
I also hope that my friend Mary Sue and I can put together a video blog post before I leave. That will be fun don't you think?
Alright, I'm going to stick my head in the refrigerator to try and cool off.
Stay Cool
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Delicious breaded cheesy goodness
Today was a day of pampering, okay another day of pampering. (I really have to stop blogging about how little I work. Although, I did actually work today.) I started this morning with my pilates/yoga class. Then I had a haircut this afternoon. Then centering prayer at 5:30. And a massage following centering prayer.
My massage therapist says that I am getting very flexible. This is good to know because most days I come out of my pilates class feeling like I have made no progress whatsoever. I'm thinking flexibility can definitely be added to my list of assets. Getting added to my personal ad imediately. (Okay I really don't have a personal ad, but if I did I might consider adding flexibility.)
Tomorrow I'm headed to San Diego to visit my friends Mark and Mary Sue. I'm very excited. And what I'm especially excited about is that we are going to see the Harry Potter movie. Yay!!!! I got a great deal on a flight, $100 round trip on Alaska air. And they sent me a little preflight e-mail tonight. Isn't that nice of them? I'll leave out tomorrow night and return to San Francisco on Saturday morning.
Oh, oh. I almost forgot. Last night I went out to dinner with my friend Shannon and Sean and their friends Abby and John Paul. We went to this tapas restaurant, not to be confused with a topless restaurant. And it really isn't tapas because it wasn't spanish food, instead it was small plates. But you get the idea. Anyway, we had breaded and fried macaroni and cheese. Alright, let's just be clear; there is nothing about this that was healthy. But it was delicious!. I mean we are talking party in your mouth, delicious. The cheesy breaded goodness was almost too much to handle. (We also balanced it out a little with a couple of salads.)
The next time you hear from me I'll be in San Diego. It's a little blogging field trip.
Happy Trails!
My massage therapist says that I am getting very flexible. This is good to know because most days I come out of my pilates class feeling like I have made no progress whatsoever. I'm thinking flexibility can definitely be added to my list of assets. Getting added to my personal ad imediately. (Okay I really don't have a personal ad, but if I did I might consider adding flexibility.)
Tomorrow I'm headed to San Diego to visit my friends Mark and Mary Sue. I'm very excited. And what I'm especially excited about is that we are going to see the Harry Potter movie. Yay!!!! I got a great deal on a flight, $100 round trip on Alaska air. And they sent me a little preflight e-mail tonight. Isn't that nice of them? I'll leave out tomorrow night and return to San Francisco on Saturday morning.
Oh, oh. I almost forgot. Last night I went out to dinner with my friend Shannon and Sean and their friends Abby and John Paul. We went to this tapas restaurant, not to be confused with a topless restaurant. And it really isn't tapas because it wasn't spanish food, instead it was small plates. But you get the idea. Anyway, we had breaded and fried macaroni and cheese. Alright, let's just be clear; there is nothing about this that was healthy. But it was delicious!. I mean we are talking party in your mouth, delicious. The cheesy breaded goodness was almost too much to handle. (We also balanced it out a little with a couple of salads.)
The next time you hear from me I'll be in San Diego. It's a little blogging field trip.
Happy Trails!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Bumper sticker citation!
I love u nhel-ly. That is the phrase that I saw on a back window of a car as I was driving back from Target today. Now here are all my problems with this. (1) U instead of you (2) Nhel-ly. I'm assuming that the name is Nelly. Or did that person's mother actually add an h to Nelly? And did there have to be a hyphen? Clearly they are not spelling completely phonetically, because if they were love would have been spelled luv. (3) And this is the biggest problem. When I typed this I typed it in the correct direction, but the way it was displayed was a mirror image. I think he/she must have pasted the decal on the inside of the car instead of the outside of the car. Sort of the way it looked was yl-lehn u evol I. Except not exactly because the letters were facing the opposite direction. Were they displaying the decal for the people inside the car? If so, why even bother? Why not just put it up in your house? Or are they just really stupid? Or both? I'll freely admit that I have a problem with things on ones car anyway, but even outside that this is just dumb. And I want to find the person who named their kid Nhel-ly. I would kind of like to be the stupidity police. I would just hand out citations when I see a clear violation of good sense. Wouldn't that be fun? Well a girl can dream.
I went to a Japanese spa this afternoon and had a great soak in a hot bath. So now I'm very relaxed. And I spell like cucumber and rosemary. Today was a great day off.
Relax don't do it.
I went to a Japanese spa this afternoon and had a great soak in a hot bath. So now I'm very relaxed. And I spell like cucumber and rosemary. Today was a great day off.
Relax don't do it.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Weee I played Wii
Well not much new, but I didn't post yesterday so I figured I should post something. Oh but I did do something that was really new for me. Friday night I hung out with some friends one of which just got a new Wii. Now some of you may wander what in fact is a Wii. Well it is pronounced /wee/ and it is a video game system. The player holds the controller in his or her hand and moves with realistic motions to what is happening on the screen. So when you are playing tennis you use a forehand and a backhand. Now I didn't hold out much hope because I have never been particularly good at either video games or actual sports. But I didn't suck. The best part is the constant reminders to keep the strap connected to the controller securely on your wrist. Apparently all over the world these things are just flying out of control. And we got to witness that Friday night. Justin actually shot his controller across the room while playing tennis. It was fantastic. There are also warnings about making sure no one or no thing is too close to you while you are playing. I'm guessing there are broken lamps everywhere as a result of a particularly raukus round of Wii bowling. And er visits were probably up as well. "Bubba how'd you get that black eye? Bar fight?" "No, huh,hunh, freakin' Wii, man." It was great fun. We played until after midnight. Then I got up and ran on Saturday morning. I am quite the athlete, don't you think?
Well it is late on Sunday night. I spent the evening at some friends house for a cookout. Where I had a fantastic chili dog. We are talkin' goo-ood And I got to play with their adorable son who has energy enough for about 15 kids. We played ball in the backyard. I would pitch and he would hit For four he is a great batter. For 35 I suck as a pitcher. Okay maybe I'm not much of an athlete. At one point I actually hit him with the ball. Yes, I hit a four year old with a wild pitch. Fortunately it was only a wiffle ball, but still. I haven't felt this bad since I hit my pregnant high school gym teacher with a tennis ball. But no one got hurt. Then after we stopped playing ball he just kept saying want to play in my room? Very cute. It was great.
Alright, happy Monday to you all. I'll think about you while I'm having a day off.
Well it is late on Sunday night. I spent the evening at some friends house for a cookout. Where I had a fantastic chili dog. We are talkin' goo-ood And I got to play with their adorable son who has energy enough for about 15 kids. We played ball in the backyard. I would pitch and he would hit For four he is a great batter. For 35 I suck as a pitcher. Okay maybe I'm not much of an athlete. At one point I actually hit him with the ball. Yes, I hit a four year old with a wild pitch. Fortunately it was only a wiffle ball, but still. I haven't felt this bad since I hit my pregnant high school gym teacher with a tennis ball. But no one got hurt. Then after we stopped playing ball he just kept saying want to play in my room? Very cute. It was great.
Alright, happy Monday to you all. I'll think about you while I'm having a day off.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Mmmm, Bobby Dean, now that is good southern cookin'
Okay I have a thing for b-level celebrities. You know celebrities that no one really knows. For instance, I nearly peed my pants once when I was in Atlanta waiting in line at the movies. I saw Walter Reed. Who in the hell is Walter Reed you may be saying. Well Walter Reed was this "celebrity" gardener who would do gardening shows produced by the local PBS station. He also was a regular on a a home show call Home by Lynette Jennings that was syndicated throughout the country. By the way my friend Drew, while we were in seminary, worked for a company, Emmaculate Construction, that renovated Lynette Jennings house.
Also, I went to a play here in San Francisco once and who walks in buy Norm from the first season of the Real World on MTV. I got so excited. (I wanted to immediately call my friend Aimee to tell her. She shares my obsession with famous folk.)
Well all this is leading me to the point of this blog which is to say that today was a good day. It was a good day because at the end of the day I was watching an episode of Paula Deen's cooking show on the Food Network. And on today's episode was her son Bobby. Why does this make it such a good day, well because I am in love with Bobby Deen. I want to be the future Ms. Bobby Dean. I don't even know if he is gay or not, I don't care. (Although, my friend Shannon and I suspect that he might bat for my team, if you know what I'm saying.) Seriously, I love him. And I recently found out that my friend Melissa who is a pastor in Savannah works with the pastor who performed the wedding of Bobby's older brother, Jamie. And that she now has an in to get us into the restaurant that they own in Savannah, The Lady and Sons. If I could have gotten on an airplane right then I would have. And I get so excited whenever he is on her show I can hardly stand it. And see here is the thing, I'm not sitting around thinking that I am going to meet someone like Colin Firth or some other really famous person who I think is hot. Because I know there is no possible way I'm ever going to meet someone like that. But Bobby Dean I mean he works for the food network and runs a restaurant in Savannah. I've been to Savannah. I know people in Savannah. I could feasibly run into Bobby, fall in love, get married, and adopt some cute little Chinese baby. So see I'm not delusional.
And alright does anyone else feel like when a holiday is in the middle of the week that the whole week feels like vacation. Now to be honest a lot of my weeks feel a little like vacation, but this week in particular. I mean I did not do much today. I read some and had a conversation with a colleague and friend, Ellen. But other than that I didn't do anything today. It helps that I'm not preaching this summer and I didn't have to do the bulletin this week.
Well that's it for today, I'll leave you with a question. Have you met any b-level celebrities that are worth mentioning?
Also, I went to a play here in San Francisco once and who walks in buy Norm from the first season of the Real World on MTV. I got so excited. (I wanted to immediately call my friend Aimee to tell her. She shares my obsession with famous folk.)
Well all this is leading me to the point of this blog which is to say that today was a good day. It was a good day because at the end of the day I was watching an episode of Paula Deen's cooking show on the Food Network. And on today's episode was her son Bobby. Why does this make it such a good day, well because I am in love with Bobby Deen. I want to be the future Ms. Bobby Dean. I don't even know if he is gay or not, I don't care. (Although, my friend Shannon and I suspect that he might bat for my team, if you know what I'm saying.) Seriously, I love him. And I recently found out that my friend Melissa who is a pastor in Savannah works with the pastor who performed the wedding of Bobby's older brother, Jamie. And that she now has an in to get us into the restaurant that they own in Savannah, The Lady and Sons. If I could have gotten on an airplane right then I would have. And I get so excited whenever he is on her show I can hardly stand it. And see here is the thing, I'm not sitting around thinking that I am going to meet someone like Colin Firth or some other really famous person who I think is hot. Because I know there is no possible way I'm ever going to meet someone like that. But Bobby Dean I mean he works for the food network and runs a restaurant in Savannah. I've been to Savannah. I know people in Savannah. I could feasibly run into Bobby, fall in love, get married, and adopt some cute little Chinese baby. So see I'm not delusional.
And alright does anyone else feel like when a holiday is in the middle of the week that the whole week feels like vacation. Now to be honest a lot of my weeks feel a little like vacation, but this week in particular. I mean I did not do much today. I read some and had a conversation with a colleague and friend, Ellen. But other than that I didn't do anything today. It helps that I'm not preaching this summer and I didn't have to do the bulletin this week.
Well that's it for today, I'll leave you with a question. Have you met any b-level celebrities that are worth mentioning?
Thursday, July 5, 2007
They are not more than meets the eye
So I missed a day of blogging. Yesterday I went to a cook-out to celebrate my friend David's birthday. It was great fun. David's birthday was the 1st of July but he works for Apple and was too busy launching the iPhone to celebrate his birthday so we celebrated on the birthday of the United States instead. But it was not only the country's birthday it was also my dad's birthday. That's right R.J. Dixon was born on the 4th of July in 1940. It was a perfect, PERFECT, day here. Wonderful day to spend in a park with people I love. And we had hamburgers, mmm hamburgers.
But now here is the real focus of today's blog: Last night instead of seeing fireworks we saw the Transformers movie. You may ask why would you do something like that. Well to be honest now I don't really know. David and many of my friends grew up with Transformers, the cartoon. I remember Transformers but it was towards the end of me being a kid. So I don't remember a lot about it. David loved the transformers; all my other friends loved the transformers so we went to the movie. But what I will say is that the movie, in my opinion, was bad, B-A-D, bad. Most of the people I was with enjoyed it so I'm glad that the birthday boy got exactly what he wanted and I enjoyed their company. Again I love these people, so even seeing a bad movie with them is better than not being with them. Now here is why, though, I did not like the movie. First, again it was too long. It was over two hours. Why? Why would you make a movie based on a cartoon about alien robots that transform into automobiles so long? Seriously!!! Second, the robots were introduced so quickly that I couldn't keep up with who was who. Who was a bad guy, who was a good guy? Third, too many humans talking. Seriously the dialogue from the humans was lame. And they talked too much at weird times. Fourth, too many superfluous human characters. And it goes without saying that they also talked too much. Fifth, It felt like a US army recruiting film. The propaganda was too much. Here was a film geared towards teenage boys and it made out the soldiers to be these superheros. If I am paying $10 I do not want that to be for an army commercial. Think those commercials where the soldier comes home and the father says to him "I knew you were a man, because you shook my hand and you looked me in the eye." And that is a good bit of the dialogue in this movie. Honestly, the more I think and write about it the angrier I get.
So those are just a few of my complaints about Transfomers. It is not more than meets the eye. It is exactly what meets the eye. But again I had a fantastic day--good food and people that I love. Who could ask for anything more? Alright, well I would have liked a better movie. Oh well.
Still singing the theme song in my head.
But now here is the real focus of today's blog: Last night instead of seeing fireworks we saw the Transformers movie. You may ask why would you do something like that. Well to be honest now I don't really know. David and many of my friends grew up with Transformers, the cartoon. I remember Transformers but it was towards the end of me being a kid. So I don't remember a lot about it. David loved the transformers; all my other friends loved the transformers so we went to the movie. But what I will say is that the movie, in my opinion, was bad, B-A-D, bad. Most of the people I was with enjoyed it so I'm glad that the birthday boy got exactly what he wanted and I enjoyed their company. Again I love these people, so even seeing a bad movie with them is better than not being with them. Now here is why, though, I did not like the movie. First, again it was too long. It was over two hours. Why? Why would you make a movie based on a cartoon about alien robots that transform into automobiles so long? Seriously!!! Second, the robots were introduced so quickly that I couldn't keep up with who was who. Who was a bad guy, who was a good guy? Third, too many humans talking. Seriously the dialogue from the humans was lame. And they talked too much at weird times. Fourth, too many superfluous human characters. And it goes without saying that they also talked too much. Fifth, It felt like a US army recruiting film. The propaganda was too much. Here was a film geared towards teenage boys and it made out the soldiers to be these superheros. If I am paying $10 I do not want that to be for an army commercial. Think those commercials where the soldier comes home and the father says to him "I knew you were a man, because you shook my hand and you looked me in the eye." And that is a good bit of the dialogue in this movie. Honestly, the more I think and write about it the angrier I get.
So those are just a few of my complaints about Transfomers. It is not more than meets the eye. It is exactly what meets the eye. But again I had a fantastic day--good food and people that I love. Who could ask for anything more? Alright, well I would have liked a better movie. Oh well.
Still singing the theme song in my head.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
talky, talky, talky
Today was a big ol talky day! I went into the office about 11 and at 1:00 I hadn't even made it upstairs yet. I spent the entire time talking with the pastor of the Methodist church that my congregation shares space with. Then I came home for lunch and then headed off to Target to get a birthday card for a parishioner who is turning 4 on Thursday. And then back at the house I talked with another parishioner for about 40 minutes on the telephone. Now while there was a whole lot of talking going on, a few really good things happened. (1) I got a lot accomplished and (2) I found Kashi cereal at the Target. Not just found it but I found a lot of it. It was all that I could do keep from buying just tons of it. But I don't have the storage space to store cereal. So I'm just going to trust that it will be there again when I need it
Today was one of those days when I was sort of forced into thinking about the future. I feel like I'm on such a journey to live in the present that I really resist thinking about the future. And I'm just not sure how to balance a need to plan for and think about the future without getting caught up in obsessing about what the future will actually be like. Do you get the difference? My tendency is to skip all that's going on in the present and just live in what the future will be like. Example: Last time I visited my friends Tracy and Dave and their sons, Noah and Wesley, I was sad to leave them. It had been such a wonderful vacation and I loved, loved spending time with them. So what did I do I woke up early and proceeded the next 3 hours before it was time to to go constantly piddling around the house getting ready for the plane ride back. Now I can pack in about 15 minutes. But it is easier to contantly distract myself so that I don't have to deal with the grief over leaving. Which really I'm thinking, as I write this, that isn't so much about focusing on the future as it is distracting myself from feeling any difficult emotions.
But I still think it is worth considering how to balance living in the present while at the same time reflecting on the future. In that vain I'm still going to trust that there is going to be more Kashi when I need it.
Today was one of those days when I was sort of forced into thinking about the future. I feel like I'm on such a journey to live in the present that I really resist thinking about the future. And I'm just not sure how to balance a need to plan for and think about the future without getting caught up in obsessing about what the future will actually be like. Do you get the difference? My tendency is to skip all that's going on in the present and just live in what the future will be like. Example: Last time I visited my friends Tracy and Dave and their sons, Noah and Wesley, I was sad to leave them. It had been such a wonderful vacation and I loved, loved spending time with them. So what did I do I woke up early and proceeded the next 3 hours before it was time to to go constantly piddling around the house getting ready for the plane ride back. Now I can pack in about 15 minutes. But it is easier to contantly distract myself so that I don't have to deal with the grief over leaving. Which really I'm thinking, as I write this, that isn't so much about focusing on the future as it is distracting myself from feeling any difficult emotions.
But I still think it is worth considering how to balance living in the present while at the same time reflecting on the future. In that vain I'm still going to trust that there is going to be more Kashi when I need it.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Evening
Before I move on to the main topic of this post, I have to bitch just a little bit. I could not find my cereal again today. It was as if there had been a rush on Kashi. The only Kashi available was the puff Kashi and the Kashi in the orange box with the old people on it. Was there some recall on Kashi Go Lean Crunch that I should know about? Am I ever going to be able to find Kashi GLC again? I'll miss its crunchy fiber goodness.
Alright now on to the main point of this post (Oh wait one more thing. When you use the turn signal on your car do al of us a favor and turn it on before you actually stop, immediately before you turn. The whole idea is to warn the people behind you that you are turning. Seriously a pet peave. I know some of you don't drive and some of you already use your turn signal properly. But for the rest of you, do it! And tell your friends and encourage them to tell their friends and so on and so on.) So today I went to see the movie Evening. It is the one with every actress in hollywod in it. It was really beautiful. I love a good romantic ill-fated love story. And this one is a doozy. Yes I was crying a bit in the end. And it brought about two thoughts.
First, I've got to stop going to movies like this. Because when I do I come away thinking why can't I be swept off my feet in some glorious melodramatic romance. Perhaps I'm still single because I'm waiting for my Darcy, the brooding hero of Pride and Prejudice. I want someone to be swept off my feet. I think i've been screwed by Jane Austen and Merchant and Ivory. So for those of you who are in love, those of you who have found yrou partner for life, tell me is he or she Mr.Darcy. Did they sweep you off your feet? Was their a sweeping score that played behind your love story?
Second, at the end of my life I wander what I'll feel about the life I've lived. In the movie the main character is at the end of her life and she is remembering what she calls her first mistake along side the story fo her one great love. It wasn't that she was living with regrets exactly but more so that it was a life that had involved great heart ache. It was a life that her two daughters interpreted quite differently. One saw it as a life full of passion and beauty and one as a life of unfulfilled dreams. In the end a character said that there are no mistakes. I like to believe that. Each moment, each step we take is just that, a moment, a step. But in those moments do we make wrong decisions or just decisions? And can a decision that at the moment seem so perfect, a decision that give us great joy, become a decision that brings us grief and sadness? I think the answer to these questions is yes. I want to live life in a way that savors each moment and live in the emotions that come along with them.
I think there is also a very good possibility that I am wallowing in melodramatic thought brought about from too many violins in the movie's score. Whatever, I liked the movie.
Alright now on to the main point of this post (Oh wait one more thing. When you use the turn signal on your car do al of us a favor and turn it on before you actually stop, immediately before you turn. The whole idea is to warn the people behind you that you are turning. Seriously a pet peave. I know some of you don't drive and some of you already use your turn signal properly. But for the rest of you, do it! And tell your friends and encourage them to tell their friends and so on and so on.) So today I went to see the movie Evening. It is the one with every actress in hollywod in it. It was really beautiful. I love a good romantic ill-fated love story. And this one is a doozy. Yes I was crying a bit in the end. And it brought about two thoughts.
First, I've got to stop going to movies like this. Because when I do I come away thinking why can't I be swept off my feet in some glorious melodramatic romance. Perhaps I'm still single because I'm waiting for my Darcy, the brooding hero of Pride and Prejudice. I want someone to be swept off my feet. I think i've been screwed by Jane Austen and Merchant and Ivory. So for those of you who are in love, those of you who have found yrou partner for life, tell me is he or she Mr.Darcy. Did they sweep you off your feet? Was their a sweeping score that played behind your love story?
Second, at the end of my life I wander what I'll feel about the life I've lived. In the movie the main character is at the end of her life and she is remembering what she calls her first mistake along side the story fo her one great love. It wasn't that she was living with regrets exactly but more so that it was a life that had involved great heart ache. It was a life that her two daughters interpreted quite differently. One saw it as a life full of passion and beauty and one as a life of unfulfilled dreams. In the end a character said that there are no mistakes. I like to believe that. Each moment, each step we take is just that, a moment, a step. But in those moments do we make wrong decisions or just decisions? And can a decision that at the moment seem so perfect, a decision that give us great joy, become a decision that brings us grief and sadness? I think the answer to these questions is yes. I want to live life in a way that savors each moment and live in the emotions that come along with them.
I think there is also a very good possibility that I am wallowing in melodramatic thought brought about from too many violins in the movie's score. Whatever, I liked the movie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)