Thursday, August 16, 2007

Nicest compliment EVER!

Wow! I've had a "not-the-best-day-in-the-world" kind of day. It's no big deal, but I've been a bit mopey all day. I think as the day wore on, I was just plain mopey because i was mopey, which is very uncharactaristic of me! I'm Goofy! I'm Tigger! I'm never Eeyore (although I know a couple Eeyores...). So it's like, almost midnight, officially the end of the day, and I'm sure I'll be back to my normal, bouncy, giggly, juvenile self tomorrow. So I was reading my emails before going to bed, and that wonderful, super cool, way groovy dude who suggested I do a blog in the first place dropped me a line in reply to a "hi, what's up?" note I had emailed to him yesterday. And I gotta tell ya - didn't he just say the right thing at the right time! It's the best compliment I've gotten in a while, and certainly the most original! And he only knows me via cyber space! He said,

"Your energy's like the opposite of a cold. Bottle it and I'll buy the pills!"

What a cool thing to say! That just made my day. I feel much better now!
G'nite!!

Monday, August 13, 2007

My Introduction to Harry Potter





Yes, I know - late bloomer, behind the times, yada yada yada...Reading the Harry Potter books and seeing the movies really are on my agenda!
Our local library hosted their annual 'Harry Potter's Hogwarts Acadamy' event this past Saturday. They've done it several years in a row now (a fact I learned, among many, since I'm finally 'getting out there in the community'), and this year the number of kids doubled from the past three years, making it around 60! (Again - picture it: Me, voluntarily, around 60 kids!). The children ranged in age from 8 to 12, and my reason for being there was to cover this event and take photos of the kids for our local paper's website.
I was quickly surprised at how cute and charming the kids were. This one kid, Pedro, was 15 and in high school and he "escorted" me out to the field where a group was playing Quidditch ( a Harry Potter game, for those of you not familiar). One of the volunteers asked him to walk me out there, so he smiled and promptly took my arm. Of course, I had to say to him, "No, silly! Do it this way" and proceeded to show him the proper way to hold out his arm for a girl. Hopefully that little tidbit of experienced wisdom will come in handy for him someday. But he really was charming, and some of the volunteers and library staff, all dressed up in robes and with names from Harry Potter, like 'Professor Von Viper' and 'Professor Von Skeet', were like, "Isn't Pedro precious? We just love him! What a great kid!".

So Pedro asked me first if I was a reporter, and when he was asked about school starting up, he started talking about studying! And in such a way that he felt studying was important! And that he was looking forward to it!! Then he asked me if I liked my job, and I said, "I never do anything unless it's fun and I enjoy it." He said, "Well that's good, because I know a lot of grown-ups who don't like their jobs and aren't happy at all, sitting in an office, etc. and I definitely don't want to do something I won't enjoy!" Wow - blew me away what this kid was saying. Part of me wished I had thought that way when I was his age.
My assignment for that day was to observe some of the events and take photos for the website, at least 60 to 100. I had such a good time watching, learning, and interacting with the children (I know, right!?), that I stayed for most of the day. It was a lot of fun!
The kids were all so talented, as I was able to observe them making their own ties, hats, and robes, and there were so many creative ones!
The whole day was a fun, new, and really interesting experience for me, especially because I generally don't like to be around kids, and that's putting it very gently. I generally, out of habit, run frantically and quickly in the other direction, in fact...But I even learned a few things about 'ol Harry Potter, and I was so impressed to see how all the kids knew so much about the books/movies, and at times, it was as if they were all speaking their own magical little language! They had been divided into four groups, representing the four houses in the stories. There were two different 'classrooms', Academic Dungeon 1 and Academic Dungeon 2, set aside for the game of "20 Questions", in which a Professor would ask questions pertaining to the series, and each team would compete to win with the correct answer, and I might add, all questions were answered by raised hands (!), waiting until they were called upon to speak (!!), and each team gathering in a sort of "huddle" to come up with the right answer. It was really neat to watch!
One of the most unexpected and surprising aspects of the day, was realizing that every kid there, again around 60 of them, was really well behaved. They were so "team-oriented", working, laughing, and playing together, having a great time, and - oh Golly!! - they were all so sweet and polite! Aside from obviously good parenting, I couldn't help but think that a tiny bit of this good behavior from a large pack of kids could have been just the tiniest sprinkle of the Magic that is the Harry Potter Phenomenon. If there's anything bigger than Harry Potter right now, I sure don't know what it is!
And staying there the whole day gave me the opportunity not only to talk to the kids and take their pictures, while learning a good bit about all things Harry Potter, but it also allowed me to meet the people who run the Library system and some pretty cool volunteers!

So who can guess which movies are at the top of my Netflix queue now?
And who'da thunk it? Me!? Spending the whole day around those kids and having that experience was one of the funnest, most interesting days I've had in a while! Or, to paraphrase that in "Bunnyspeak", Just another trip to BIZARRO WORLD!!


Saturday, August 4, 2007

Barber shop with an interesting name...

Another one that's been dying to come out of my head and into cyberspace, or onto paper, or something like that, this one for years! I was driving through this small town a while back, and I noticed a barber shop that was named "Delilah's Barber Shop". And I'm thinking, "What? Why would any guy go to Delilah's to have his hair cut? How funny is that?!" Because, you know, Sampson and Delilah - Delilah cut off Sampson's hair, which made him weak. Hmmm...

Actually seen in an office supply store

A couple months ago, my friend Carolyn and I were in one of the large, chain office supply stores. You know the type - everything from computers and printing to calendars, art supplies, and office furniture. It was a rainy afternoon, like really coming down hard, so we were in there quite a while, waiting out the storm. She went to go find the bathroom, since they have one way in the back for the public to use. When she returned I went ahead and went. Now what I observed in the bathroom (one of those things that makes me smile and tilt my head) was a sign, that you could only see over the sink from the angle of exiting, not entering the bathroom. Right above the sink there was a sign, a printed sign, that actually said, "EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS BEFORE HANDLING FOOD". I automatically chuckled to myself, because it's a sign you'd expect to see in a restaurant bathroom - not in a place like this. I went back out laughing to my self and looked at Carolyn, head still cocked, and said, "um, I don't suppose you saw that sign over the sink, did you?" She busted out laughing. Carolyn's one of those people who pretty much sees things the same way I do, and can see the "oddly funny" in most things. tee hee - that's all for now, folks!

the Infamous Storks and Corks Tale

This comes to you from about a year ago, but I thought it was definitely worthy of repeating in written form here.
One day last August, Mom called and told me that she and Dad would be out for the evening, then something about 'bird watching' and 'wine'. I was like, "What? Are you kidding? You and Daddy are going bird watching? Doesnt' that entail something like sitting still and keeping quiet for a while? What are you thinking?" Well, she explained to me that it's an event in their town that's for some kind of charity, and that afterwards there's an auction, wine, something else...
She calls me the next day and I asked how their fun-filled evening went. While she was relaying the evening's events, I was laughing so hard, which made her laugh, so I said, "Mom, I'll call you back. This is so good I have to go write this down right now!"
Following is my writing of this event from 8-14-06, and I might add that I was writing this as if I were talking to my Dad, because I knew I'd have to read it to him later, and that he'd appreciate the interpretation through my eyes:

8-14-06
Here is my interpretation of your evening:

You went to see the storks, which may or may not have actually been there, since no one told you to bring binoculars. You were apparently underdressed, a little chilly, and probably began to wonder exactly what your motivation to go there in the first place had originally been. You waited it out, since you were already there, until THANKFULLY, some kind samaritan near you offered to let you use his binoculars. At that point, perhaps you saw some birds, but were probably, by that time, a little beyond caring too much, so you probably used the binoculars out of politeness. After all, you wouldn't want the avid bird watcher with the binoculars to think you were nuts, right? So you let out a couple of "oohs" and "ahhs" for the benefit of the excitable bird watcher next to you, just long enough to feign interest. You could sense he was getting antsy to get those binoculars back, for fear opf missing some of the excitement.
Eventually you wandered in to the silent auction, and apparently only bid on the basket of liquor. I can imagine after all that excitement you could have used some right about then, making a mental note that next time, if God forbid there was a next time, you must remember to bring your own flask. I hear you were intently bidding on the liquor, and ended up winning! Then you saw, much to your dismay, that the bottles were smaller than you'd initially thought they were. Who'd have guessed you'd have needed your binoculars for that too? They obviously looked larger from a distance, much like those storks who, again, may or may not have actually been there... But hey - a little liquor is better than no liquor at all, I always say!
You take your lovely wife, your extravagant purchase of "mini bottles", and you head home to your cat. And on the drive home, you meticulously plan for the next exciting family outing.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Traffic on a Rainy Afternoon

Another one of my observations that makes me tilt my head, chuckle, and say, "Huh?!" to myself.

So I'm out today, running some errands, and it was raining. Where I live, when it rains, you really don't want to be on the road too much if you can help it. You know there's always going to be an accident, and you just pray it doesn't involve you. I'm heading home, bad time of day and week to begin with, but let's just multiply that by 10 since we've added the rain factor. Well, traffic is pretty much at a stand-still for a while, and I can see flashing lights ahead; way up ahead. But that's all I can see b/c of all the SUVs and trucks in front of me, and I have a relatively "low ridin'" car. Obviously there is an accident. I'm getting close to the left-hand turn lane that will allow me to go the back way, and again, I can't see much in front of me b/c of all the large vehicles. So I'm just at the clearing, when I see that the turning lane is blocked. No up ahead, at the intersection, is where I can see the emergency vehicles, but that's the only way you could tell something happened. I'm thinking, "damn - I don't want to stay on the main road - the back way is so much better." But what are ya gonna do, right? So i finally get up to the intersection, where there are half a dozen police cars, an ambulance, and a firetruck that has just pulled away. There are maybe three wrecked cars, and I say "maybe" b/c I do pride myself on not being one of those people who has to see what's going on. I just keep my eyes focused ahead of me on the road. So I get right to the light at the intersection, and there are two policemen waving the traffic on, and then I see the sign, that they've put in the middle of the road, that says - ready for this one? - "Accident Scene Ahead". And I'm thinking, "Really?! An accident scene? Ya don't say!" I mean, they could have at least put the sign down the road at the point you'd get in the left-hand turning lane, so you'd know you couldn't go that way, right? And I swear, at the point where you are told in no uncertain terms, "Accident Scene Ahead", well you've already passed the scene. There's nothing happening beyond that sign, save for finally flowing traffic.
Sigh... (but a sigh with much laughter).

Thursday, August 2, 2007

My Dad - aint he sweet!?

Well golly gee whiz! This is funny. My Dad just told me he read my blog, "even though he hates blogs because he doesn't want to spend more time than necessary in front of that damnable computer." I mean, just the sheer fact that my Dad knows what a blog is, enough to like or dislike it, well - that just warms my little heart!!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

What's that again?

Just saw a "help wanted" ad in the classifieds that made me look twice. It says, "Kennel Worker - Must love to clean." Silly me. I'd have thought maybe it would have read, "Kennel Worker - Must love animals"...

Rules, Rules, Rules...


You know the old adage, "Rules were meant to be broken"? I guess that depends on the rule and the person. I kinda fall in the middle of that. What irks me is not so much the rules, but the total non-enforcing of them. I think, okay, so you have all these rules, but what good is it to have them if they aren't being enforced? Do the "rule-makers" really think people will feel safer or more secure just because the rules are posted? I think not, especially when it's obvious that no one is around to bother doing a thing about "broken rules".
You may ask what prompted this, so let me tell ya... Last weekend we were up in Ohio to go to Cedar Point. Rockin' amusement park, with like, 17 huge, scary roller coasters! Love it, love it, love it! I was also there last year, and noticed, besides all the various signs around the park, in the little map you get of the amusement park all of the "strict rules" are written in that. I was paying very close attention this year, because last year, I'd noticed all the signs, and upon entering the park, I immediately saw all these blatant "violations". For example, it's posted everywhere that this is a FAMILY park, and that anyone caught wearing clothing with crude or "distasteful" writing on it, or anything racist or gang related, will immediately be ejected from the park. Last year, right after I saw that, I saw a man walk by with something on his t-shirt that I won't even repeat here. I don't get easily offended, but I couldn't help but think that this is indeed a "family" park, all these kids running around, and this guy has this really offensive statement on his shirt. And again, I don't offend easily, and it was partly because it was within this particular environment that I saw it.
So, back to this year. At every, single line, there are signs throughout, while you're waiting in line, that say, "Anyone caught jumping in line (as in someone holding a place for them, etc.) will be immediately ejected from the park", and "smoking in lines is cause for immediate ejection from park." There are also signs all around that say none of the afore-mentioned "literature" on clothing is allowed. This gave me cause to thoroughly pay attention this time, and WOW - it kinda shocked me, and it kinda irked me too. They are "very strict" about smoking there, and smoking is allowed only in designated areas, and if you look at the map, it will tell you where each one is. I can't tell you how many people I saw who were smoking in lines, smoking at eating tables, and smoking anywhere in the park while walking from one attraction to the next. I thought for sure I'd see someone get "busted", but alas no. Now I myself am a smoker, and I was trying to find the designated smoking areas, many of which weren't where the map said they were. I watched this go on constantly all day. I also saw a handful of people "jump line", and I saw my fair share of things on clothing, that by Cedar Point's "rules", should never have been allowed. In fact, since they claim to be so strict, I don't know how the people got in with the "inappropriate" clothing in the first place. Another thing for which I saw signs for everywhere, was that no one was allowed to walk around in bathing suits. There is a water park there, so naturally many people wear their suits, but it's plainly stated all over that they must be covered up. I can't count the number of people I saw "violating" this one. Some were little kids, running around and riding normal (non-water park) rides with their little tiny bathing suits. Some I saw were "tweens", wearing very revealing bikini tops with shorts, and some were people who really shouldn't be walking around in a bathing suit in public, but were doing it nonetheless - in broad daylight, away from the water park. Once I started paying attention to this, it was kinda driving me crazy. Now I've always been quite the "little rebel" as far as "authority" is concerned, and while I never did anything bad, I've always had the attitude that "you can't tell me what to do", and if I was going to do something anyway, and someone told me I had to do it, I wouldn't do it, just for spite. But this whole scenario got me to thinking about rules. Why on earth would you make such a pretense of this, and why would anyone have all these strict, unquestionable rules, when A) no one seemed to be following them, B) no one seemed to care, and C) no one was around to make sure they were followed. It was on such a large scale too, once I paid attention to it. The kicker here is, at the end of the day, when it was dark and a lot of the rides were closing, I sat down on a bench, first noticing that there were other smokers in the vicinity, and was finally going to enjoy a cigarette. I didn't get much farther than two puffs when a "park official" tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Ma'am, this is not a designated smoking area. You need to put that out." I laughed. What else could I do? Go on a long rant of all the "rule breaking" I'd seen all day? Nah, that's not my style. I just looked at him like he was crazy, laughed out loud, and put it out (And of course put the butt in the trash can). But you see my point...
It's like the community I live in, THE POOL has been a matter of contention since I moved in. There is a huge, long list of "pool rules" hanging on the wall. I have witnessed every, single one of them being abused, including the large sign itself being completely vandalized, dirty diapers (!!??) being left on the ground, the trash overflowing, kids who are way too young to be on their own at the pool there without adult supervision, and people who don't even live in this community having others unlock the door for them so they can come on in. It's not pleasant, especially when it's a rather large community and the pool is so tiny - seriously, I've been in hot tubs bigger than this pool! So again I wonder, why all the fuss about making all the rules when there is absolutely no one around to make them stick?! I think it might even be better off without the rules. Seriously! What tween kid isn't a rebel? I'd say the vast majority of them lives by "rules were meant to be broken". I'd also say that without the rules, the kids (and other "rebels") would be less likely to vandalize and break the rules. Ya know? I think since they are posted, and no one is around to make sure they are followed, many people enjoy breaking them, and seeing how much they could get away with.
I dunno. It's just a thought. A long and rambling thought, but a thought nonetheless.
Whew! Okay, so now that I've made peace with the whole "rules" thing, I can get back to being my normal, silly, giggly self!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Instant Karma?

I just had, what I'd call, an unusual experience; at least for me it was. Let's preface this by saying that I only (generally) give to animal charities, I don't even make eye contact with "pan-handlers", and I generally avoid the Salvation Army person ringing the bell. It's not that I'm not a deeply compassionate person, I just don't have a lot of money, especially at the moment, and the "save the animals" cause has always been #1 in my book. As far as people asking for money on the streets, I'm just uncomfortable being accosted, so I try to avoid the situation altogether. Well, I just ran into the grocery store for a couple of items today. When I came out, I saw this large black dog, with a little white on it's face. See? That's all I saw - just the dog. Then I wondered if it was waiting for someone, if someone was with it, etc. Then I saw it was on a leash and a woman was sitting down holding the other end. Right about the time I noticed this, I man walked right up to me. He said, "I'm so sorry to bother you, but we are trying to get to Fayeteville NC, we have our dog with us, our car is all packed, and we need money for gas." Normally, I would have not even reacted, but for one thing - The Dog, and there was something genuine about this guy's plea. I don't know what it was. My own personal philosophy is that life is too short to talk to people you don't want to talk to. Enough strangers coming up to you in a bar when you are clearly talking to someone else, and that about does it. Well again, for me anyway. I don't trust most people too much, and I don't even really trust my own instincts, reactions, or first impressions most of the time. Sad, but true. But there was something in this man's eye's, and I have no idea what. I wasn't uncomfortable talking to him, and for what ever reason I totally believed him. He said, "I hate to ask, but if you have anything. Even a dollar. Anything will help." I literally had one dollar in my purse, and I told him that, saying, "I'm happy to give you my last dollar, just make sure the dog has water!" He said, "Oh, he's got bowl right here." They were sitting in the shade and there was a large metal bowl of water for the dog. Maybe my whole reaction was to the dog, and the "gut feeling" that these people, no matter how broke they were, how hot it was, how important the family member was to them who'd died - these people - were putting their animal first, like they were all in it together. I know this seems really odd, and I can't explain it myself. They were obviously not drunk or on drugs, they seemed sincere that they hated to ask for anything, and they seemed so genuinely thankful for the dollar. I'm not usually a "sucker" when it comes to "hard luck" stories (unless, of course, there's an animal involved, in which case you won't find a bigger sucker!). The whole experience just seemed so out-of-place, that I didn't even think twice about it. This is not an area where you'd see anyone who is homeless, or outside a store asking for money. I wished them good luck and went on my way, and the three of them sat there, smiling, and saying "Thank you", the old black dog even wagging his tail when I pet him on the head.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Most Embarassing Moment(s)

Yeah, I've been really dying to get this on "paper" for what, now? 25 years? I must preface this with an apology to my wonderful Mom, b/c everytime I tell this story she is just so mortified that she blushes and puts her head down and apologizes. Fortunately, rather than the incident scarring me for life - at which point I'd probably have blocked out the whole scene anyway - it's just given me fodder for many, many laughs throughout the years!
So - it's 7th grade, circa 1982. We're sitting in Ms. Grice's English class, the class right before lunch. Jamye, Rick, everyone else I know, is in the same class. Well, for reasons I can't remember, I didn't bring a lunch with me that day. Now that I think about it, maybe I was plotting, subconsciously of course, to get Mom to bring me something "good" for lunch. Or maybe - well, I dunno!
Mom was over at a house she and Dad owned, that they rented out, and I guess they were fixing it up for the next tenant. Well, this house was directly across the street from Burger King. So I called Mom and asked if she could bring me some lunch. Okay, so in retrospect, I could have just come right out and said, "Hey! I know! Why don't you just pick up something from Burger King?" But alas, no. The 7th grade brain thinks it's subtle, I guess. So I just asked her to bring me lunch, of course, all the while assuming she'd come up with the 'Burger King' thing on her own.
Now also, allow me to point out, that I was the "chubby" one out of all my friends, which really isn't saying anything. Turns out all my girl friends were really, really skinny, and when I look at pix from back then I think, "Wow! Could I please be that 'chubby' again?!". So, as with most young girls that age, I'm sure it was more me looking at myself that way. If not, I'll just continue to think so anyway. But i digress...
I remember it was a warm time of year, and I guess whatever Ms. Grice was teaching, she was done for the day, and everyone was just lazily waiting for the bell to ring for the lunch hour. Now let me set up the visual - you'd walk into the classroom and immediately be facing, let's say 8 rows of desks. Ms. Grice's desk was at the front, in the middle, where you would have just walked in. I was all the way to the right, near the back, in other words - about as far from the front door as you could be. To make matters worse, I hadn't yet fully "come out of my shell" (yeah, that would hit full force in 10th grade), and I wasn't shy exactly, but I wasn't anywhere beyond being embarassed over the slightest little thing.
There's a knock on the door. Ms. Grice turns to look to see who the intruder will be. Before she has a chance to open the door herself, an arm (at this angle it looked like a big, gigantic, mutant arm, stretching slowly into the classroom...) comes straight through the door, and a loud, booming, reverberating voice bellows, "I HAVE MICHELE FELLER'S LUNCH!!!". Attached to the other end of the enormous arm, hanging out there so that possibly a satellite in space could see it, was a HUGE, brown paper - wait for it... - GROCERY BAG!!!!!!!
I remember gasps and snickers, and one, "Day-um! How much does she eat??" I looked over at Jamye, a couple rows away. She looked at me. We both had this twisted look of shock, horror, and an inevitable, upcoming fit of uncontrollable laughter we knew would come. She even turned red, looked at me again, and put her head down on her desk. It was like time stopped. There was no where to hide. I actually had to somehow, propel myself out of the desk, move toward the front door, grab the cumbersome "lunch" bag, and return to my seat. My God, can you imagine!!??
But wait. It gets worse. I take the bag, return to my seat and drop it on the floor next to me, facing out, of course, so the entire classroom could see it. Well, I was so mortified, and just laughing so hard now with embarassment, I literally plopped it down on the floor and put my head down on the desk, not even looking at the big, brown monster that had interrupted the class. Just waited for the bell...
Well, if all that wasn't bad enough, my Mother - She had written, in large black letters with a sharpie, on the side of the hulking bag, "Dear Michele: This is the smallest bag of chips I could find. Please share with your friends." Like, Oh my God - if I didn't know any better I'd eat the whole thing myself??!!
Well, needless to say, I fed the entire playground at lunch, and lost any appetite I may have had. Now, in Mom's defense, she really thought she was doing a good thing. Besides the Burger King being right there, a grocery store was too. So she just figured she's get stuff for me and my friends to make our own lunch. Good idea. In theory. Jamye and I finally looked in the bag at lunch - a whole loaf of bread, a whole container of lunch meat, and a big bag of chips. See? That really does work in theory. Theory, people. Not when you're that age, I guess. But it's something I laugh hysterically at everytime I think about it, so really, Mom, thanks for making that lasting, hysterically funny event happen so I could write about it later. Much later...

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

1000 things that make me Happy

Okay, so this may take a while. Well, who knows? Maybe not? These are the random thoughts that go through my head. I was just laying in bed, not able to go to sleep, b/c my brain apparently decided that it wasn't ready yet. So I was thinking about a lot of things, and singing a few different songs in my head, and as often happens lately, a song from Fiddler on the Roof kept coming to me, and I was thinking about the line, in the song "To Life", that says, "May you live to see a thousand reasons to rejoice..." and I was thinking, "wow - I've probably had way more than that, so I thought I'd start a list, in no particular order, of 1000 things that have made me happy, or My thousand reasons to "rejoice".
1. puppy breath
2. laughter
3. musicals
4. daisies
5. free and unexpected vacations
6. when my friends understand my "language" and are able to explain to others concisely
7. meeting new and interesting people
8. randomly running into an old friend I haven't seen in years
9. listening to music that literally takes me back to a certain time
10. Nora
11. Mom and Dad
12. the unconditional love of a dog
13. riding a horse on the beach in the Dominican Republic
14. seeing a credit card with the last name "Kafka" on it, showing it to my friend George and realizing that thankfully he knew who Kafka was, and asking the man who's card it was if he was any relation to Franz Kafka, and he looked at me, surprised that I knew who Franz Kafka was, and said, yes he was related to him
15. Ronnie, and how he loved me unconditionally
16. Robert because of how silly and hysterically wacky he was
17. Lee, for all of about a million reasons
18. roller coasters
19. the smell of Tahiti
20. seeing the Duomo in Florence for the first time
to be continued...

21. convertible rides on a beautiful day
22. driving a 5-speed car
23. having priceless pictures of friends and family through the years
24. Joy, who not only fits her name, but who literally saved my life
25. a really good drummer
26. watching Grease 2, laughing at how cheesy it is all the while loving it anyway, and singing all the songs and speaking all the lines along with the movie
27. Jeremy
28. really bad American Idol auditions
29. a good hair day
30. new shoes
31. sparkly things
32. pretty, bright colors
33. works of art you're drawn to and aren't quite sure why
34. the Complete Works of Shakespeare
35. Mrs. Bradley, my 12th grade AP English teacher and confidante
36. Mrs. Marx, my 3rd grade teacher who told the funniest stories of her childhood and read us one Greek myth every single day
37. Carole Lombard movies, especially 'My Man Godfrey'
38. discovering a new, totally unique jewelry artist
39. Celena's pottery
40. wandering around Forest Lawn

41. peprooms and musheronis
42. Guam
43. Good brakes!!
44. Uma
45. freedom
46. thoughtfulness in others
47. driving around on a perfect day in the convertible
48. people who are willing to be in the medical and veterinary field
49. British Humour!
50. my quirky sense of humor and how I look at things
51. my education (haven't done a thing with it, but wouldn't trade it for anything!)
52. a really good, rich cup of coffee
53. the perfect Coca Cola
54. People who appreciate "silly"

41. my sense of humor
42. my intact long-term memory

Monday, July 9, 2007

Apologies to a "J"

Well, apparently I'm a very bad girl, and I need to make a public apology to a certain "J" friend of mine, b/c apparently, the photo saying "my 2 favorite J's" insulted her. I would just like to go on the record saying, "Silly girl! You know my work history with the J boys! When I said those were my two favorite "J's", of course I meant from Work! Or I could have meant "J-boys", and I say that knowing that your other half would not be offended! (chuckle...chuckle...). I just want you to know, my friend, that I love you dearly. You had me at, "You actually have to try in order to have a bad hair day."

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Holy Bizarro World, Batman!

whew! i'm a little dizzy! I just had a really quick trip to bizarro world! Been there before, but not in a really long time! So my Dad just called, and his brain never, ever shuts down. He literally calls me everytime he has an idea for me - which is actually really, really often! So - and i preface this with 'I know my Dad' - he gets on the phone and he says, "I have one word for you - GREEN." And I say, "I know Dad, money! I'm working on it...". Never at any time in the course of my life would I have thought he would be talking about anything different. He's very responsible, and fiscally conservative, and while he always has and always will support any dream I have, he'll always make sure I've got my feet planted firmly on the ground enough to know that I still need the "green" stuff to live on. And to save. So anyway - he says "green". I say "money". The he says, and he's chuckling, "No. I mean Green. You know, what Al Gore is doing." And I'm like, "Oh my God! Stop the world. Slow it down. I need to get off the ride for a minute. No, Dad. Just stop talking for a second and let me absorb this version of "Bizarro World. What just happened?? You said "green" in the lovely and liberal usage, and i said "money". ARGHHHHHHHH."
This is how my Dad works. He was wanting to keep talking and go on with his idea. He did not want me to interrupt him with this "silliness". It was kinda like if we were traveliing with him, and we wanted to stop to get a snack, or say, maybe pee? He would think that was interfering with the amount of time it was taking us to reach our destination, thinking we could wait til we get there. In essence, this is what just happened on the phone. He wanted to get his point out. I'll give him about 30 minutes to absorb my initial reaction to what was actually said, and he'll call back and agree with me that it was actually funny. However, he did have some good ideas for me, and gosh darn it all, I'm so proud of him. Fiscally conservative or not, I knew he was a liberal deep down. Deep, deep down...
My Dad rocks!!!!!

Friday, July 6, 2007

A job I just couldn't apply for (but damn, did I laugh about it for weeks!)

Okay, so this was a while back also, say a couple of months ago. I was looking at jobs in the local paper, and i came across this one interesting item. I thought, "I must be tired. I didn't read that right." Nope. Read it again, and sure enough, it said what i thought it said. I was laughing so hard, I had to call, like, half a dozen people or so - One b/c I thought it was really funny, and Two to make sure it wasn't just me. But sure enough, everyone I told thought it was worded kinda funny. I even felt compelled - get this - to actually cut it out of the paper and send it, like in the old fashioned way in an envelope with a stamp! - to Jay Leno's headlines. Well, enough hype and buildup. I guess you'd like to know what it said? Okay, here goes, and this is a DIRECT quote from the paper:

"America's fastest growing shooting center needs help. Should have working knowledge of guns and enjoy working with people. Instruction Certification important but not necessary."

Wow. That's really all I can say...

Help with my Journey...

Hey! Remember that "personal journey" I'm supposed to be on? Well, I'm [more or less] trying to find a job, but more importantly, I'm trying to find my place. I've actually gotten some really good input and advice, and I'm looking into things, possibilities, etc. A couple months ago I (with hesitation) posted my resume on one of those sites - you know the ones, the "job-seeker-let-us-help-you-find-your-perfect-career" sites. Now I pretty much knew I wasn't going to get very far with it, b/c it's not the best tool in the world for someone like me. In other words, they insist on looping you into a JOB category. I can see where it would be helpful for others, so I thought I'd give it a shot! And while yes, they do have numerous categories for you to choose from, it was still quite difficult. Of all the items, I figured "Events Planner" made the most sense. Well - please allow me to share the "job/career suggestions" that the site has emailed me in the past two days. You know, it'll say "Events Planner", and then the title of the available job and location will appear next to that, and from there you can send your resume/apply for the job. So here is what I've gotten, again from EVENTS PLANNER:

1 - Arabic Interpreter/Translator
2 - Nuclear or Mechanical Engineer
3 - Pizza Sales Trainee
4 - Electro-Mechanical Materials Manager
5 - Investment Consultant
6 - General Manager - Old Navy

Yeah, so I think I'm just really torn b/w Old Navy and being an Arabic Interpreter...

Oh goody! Another one! How about:
7 - Vice President - Finance...

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Ever feel...I dunno, trapped??



Trapped. Like a Boo in a cage...Sigh - good times...
Lemme tell ya 'bout a friend of mine...Jessica, aka Boo Boo Head, aka Dusty's Mama!! (previously, albeit briefly, known as "watermelon smuggler").
Jessica is another one who can vouch for that whole "way to attain world peace thing", being Nora's best friend! But jess in her own right? Awesome! I love her 'cuz she stays in touch, I love her 'cuz she loves so much! I love her 'cuz she looked at my blog and commented and that makes me happy!! We miss you and love you and are literally counting down the days until you come back and visit us!!!!!! Yea Boo Boo Head!!! :)

And at the LA Premiere...

And again, I was looking at the picture of Jamye and myself, and thinking about "things that would only happen to me" and I had this funny little memory...
Everytime I've been in or around LA, I've seen random famous people, but not really the ones I would ever think I'd want to, know what i mean? For example - in 10th grade Mom and Dad took Delia and I out there. Picture the scene - 16 years old, "we are too cool" attitudes, you can't tell us anything - we're, like, 16, okay?! At that point we would have lost it over seeing Tom Cruise (this was around and about the Risky Business era), or someone from one of the super-cool bands we listened to - so let's just say, Jello Biafra? Okay, so anyway, we end up staying at the same hotel as the Judds. Nothing against the Judds, but at that time, we were like, "Oh come on!". Then one day we were riding along Hollywood Blvd. and we see - Barry Manilow! Again, nothing against him, but jeez! Again, we're like, ya know, okay? Um, 16, right? Duh. You get the idea...
Around my sophomore year in college, my cousin Lisa and I went out to LA. Woo hoo! I thought I was hot stuff at 16? Wow! I'm like, totally 19 and all-knowing fer shur this time! But alas, the same thing seems to happen. 1 - We see Madonna jogging in Beverly Hills, which okay, I guess that's kinda cool, and then 2 - We see Ed McMahon driving slowly by our 'tour bus' (and don't even get me started on the 'tour bus' thing). Again, I'm thinking I am some sort of not-exactly-A-List-Celebrity-Magnet.
So, let's fast-forward a few years, shall we? It's 1995. I'm 25, first year out of college (hey - so I was in for six years...). Jamye had gotten a part that year in a movie (which shall remain nameless), which was filmed far, far away from LA, near where I was living, we'll say kinda east-coast, on the coast, somewhere like that. I'd actually gotten to go visit her while they were in that town filming, and I picked up an interesting souvenir that evening, right as it was tumbling down the street with the wind. But I digress again... So, Jamye called me and asked me to meet her out in LA for the Hollywood premiere of this film. I was really excited to go, to spend time with her, and to go back to LA. I do recall having the fleeting thought of "who am I going to see this time???" I should have known it would be a good one!
So apparently, the "big" premiere of this film had been in NYC (or I could be mistaken...), and this LA premeire was the second one. Not like either one of us were particularly star-struck anyway, honestly. Needless to say, the "big name" stars of the film were not there. If they were, we never saw them. I do remember, when the two of us were standing outside the theatre waiting to go in, i saw Marg Helgenberger there, and this was waaaay before CSI days. So Jamye and i are standing there, talking amongst ourselves, and at the same time, we both hear this voice; this very distinctive, familiar, voice... I'm not sure which of us realized it first, but I'm thinking, "wow - that voice. It sounds really familiar, but I haven't heard it in a really long time. No. It can't be. No way. That's too random." I looked at Jamye, she looked at me, we turned, and... Wow. It was 'Mike Damone', from Fast Times at Ridgemont High!!!! Now, I'm sure a lot of people our age had grown up watching that movie. But it was more to me! In fact, from 8th grade on Delia and I had probably watched that movie a couple hundred times, laughing hysterically and quoting it. Shakespeare it aint, I know, but still one of my favorite movies!! So I'm trying to conceal fits of giggles. Mike Damone, as in, "Hey, Rat! I found your wallet." For real! Can't you just hear that voice now????!!!! So I just can not believe this! Damone! From Fast Times! We barely recover from this, and we go into the theatre, and really, there were not many people in there. So we sit near the front. Then 'Damone' (okay - yes, I've seen it sooo many times, I really do know the man's real name is Robert Romanus, but I just like Damone - point of reference...) and the handful of people he is with come into the theatre and sit RIGHT BEHIND US!!! I swear. It was just the funniest, most coincidental, random "Me-moment"!! We were like, "wow - when did Fast Times come out? Like early '80's? I think his career peaked with that film and it's, like, 1995?! How random!" So, no Spiccoli, no Mr. Hand, no Mr. Vargas, not even Brad, Tina, or Stacey. But WE got Damone!!!!!!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Blogopinions

So it's july 4th and we just returned home from watching the magnanimous pyrotechnic display in Harbour Town, which is now going to make me digress into "how does one know what to expect with fireworks?" and "what if someone asked you what you did for a living and you said 'I design pyrotechnics', cuz wouldn't that be pretty cool?" and "how do you design such things? How do you know they're going to turn out like that?". but since I don't feel like digressing this evening, I'm just not gonna think about it. So anyhoo... earlier today I sent out a mass email to many of my friends, letting them know about my blog. After that, I sent out a mass email to the same friends giving them the correct web address... I was so pleasantly surprised that some of my friends have already looked at it and have made comments. Wanna know what I got so far? Here is what I've found out:
1 - one of my best friends really liked it but wasn't so keen on the picture of her I'd put on it
2 - another of my friends said she was glad I was doing this, and informed me that (thankfully!!) she is making jewelry again!!
3 - one of my friends first said "I'm not sure I know what a blog is, but I'll check it out." and then came back slightly scolding me for putting my name on it, yada yada yada... but she is a cop, so i know where her head is. And I love her for caring!! :)
4 - my newest friend, who gave me the idea in the first place, checked it out, thought it was good, AND said I was a babe!
So thanks to you all! This is really contributing to a very interesting new phase of, well, me-stuff. Yea! Maybe I'm more excited than I need to be, but I just tend to find happiness, joy, and giggles in all the right places! Wait a minute... Did that sound funny? Oh well, nevermind!! :)

A few of my Favorite things...

Oh yeah - she's a bad Abba Dabba - Chelsea Belle and her Woob - Boo-left-Boob sniffer - Boys gone wild - Charming little Dusty Rae - Norah on her 1st Birthday with Jackie - Pretty Toes all in a Row!!

How to Attain World Peace. No, Seriously!!

This is Nora. (Say "hi", Nora!!). This girl is the best friend anyone could ever hope to have. Just ask anyone who is lucky enough to be her friend!! She calls me "Bunny". She has a nickname for everyone in her life. I'm so used to Bunny, I hardly answer to my own name anymore. She's completely selfless, will do anything, above and beyond, for her family and friends, never thinking about herself. No matter what is going on with her, you'd rarely even know it if she's upset b/c she puts everyone before her. She's the best caregiver-takeing-care-of-drunk-friends-making-sure-they-don't-lose-anything-picture-taking-driver-personal-assistant-best-pal-makes-you-laugh-constantly-friend-EVER!!!! And I'm not even exaggerating! I'm certain that World Peace would be attainable if everyone on the planet had a friend like Nora. Of course, that would get pretty pricey. I have no idea how much it would cost to clone someone, especially that many times. I do know that it's $250,000 to clone a Golden Retriever...

Thought for the Day - Past Life Regression


I've been meaning to actually write this down... so here is a subject that fascinates me. I've known people who have had experiences, and have heard of others. Fascinating. For real! Chills. It was around Mother's Day, this year, and I was listening to Bob and Sheri, of course - they were having people call in who had "odd" children. A listener was talking about how her young son had always referred to "when he was an old man..." It got me to thinking about my friend Jamye, (see lovely blonde, above right) - who was just absolutely cool enough to meet me at the airport when I was flying to Tahiti, hang out with us, buy me a bottle of water, and capture "Dave and the Essence of Dave", which is another story for another day... - who is quite knowledgeable on the subject. I decided I had to read about it. Not so much my own, 'cuz who knows? But other people's stories... A couple days later Nora and i were in a book store and I wandered over to the the section I was sure would have books on the subject - all lumped in with Wicca, Witchcraft, Psychics, Ghosts... I'm standing there looking for anything that actually says "Past Life Regression." After a while, I'm like, "come on. There's got to be something..." I kid you not. Ask Nora - A couple of books started to slide off the shelf, and one landed face-up at my feet. I look down and I can clearly see in the title "past life regression", and I'm pretty sure it actually was the only book in the lot with that in the title. So I lean down to pick it up. Know what it was? I couldn't make this up if i tried! It was - wait for it - "The IDIOT'S GUIDE to Past Life Regression." And I'm thinking, "wow. what is the universe trying to tell me?"...

with Christy

with Christy
"Best Travel Partner EVER"

Nora and Lady Agatha

Nora and Lady Agatha

My 2 Fave "Js"

My 2 Fave "Js"

Mom and 2 of her Wayward children

Mom and 2 of her Wayward children

The Staredown

The Staredown

With Nora

With Nora

4-wheelin' in the DR

4-wheelin' in the DR

About Me

My photo
Here's hoping having a blog will help lead me to the adventures that are out there awaiting me. I want to do something with my writing, my creativity, my skills. I just lost a job that I hated, and am so much better off for it!! It's the new me! Or rather, the OLD me! Yippee! I love the Arts, 1920's and 1930's Cinema, the Theatre, The BOB and SHERI SHOW (!), all animals, my friends, and my family. And music!! Good music, which of course is subjective, but that's another thought for another day. At the moment, I guess this is just about me, and where to go from here, and to see if constantly writing out my wandering thoughts will eventually lead to good! Can't hurt, right? I certainly was not doing myself or the Universe ANY good droning away at that "job"! Anyone willing to come along on this ride? I'll let you off if you change your mind. It is, in effect, the journey through My mind, and I am sure that's a scary place for others to be! It's like one of my favorite quotes - don't know whose, since i really saw it on a tee shirt, but it fits me to a, um, well... a TEE: "I live in my own little world, but that's okay - they know me here!"