HOPES FOR THE WEEKEND

When I woke up this morning I could have sworn it was Saturday. It wasn’t. However, it was Friday, which is the day before my three day weekend. I have to give credit to my employer; their idea of summer hours is quite nice. You work 7 extra hours every pay period (45min a day) and get a three day weekend every other week. I have to admit that there are some days when the extra 45 min are a bit of a bummer to do but it all get cancelled out when I wake up every other Monday morning and don’t have to go to work. Also, Tony’s weekend is Sunday and Monday so it will be nice to get some extra time together. We’ll finally be able to go to the cemetery!

I am hoping that we’ll go this weekend but I don’t know if that will end up happening. It doesn’t matter though, we have all summer. In case any of you think it is strange that I am all geared up about going to the cemetery you just may be right. However, Graceland Cemetery is no ordinary place. Many of the great makers of Chicago are buried there and they have quite impressive looking gravesites. I think I was first inspired to make the trip by a post Blondie did about the place. She took wonderful pictures including one of “The Girl in the Glass Case” which captured my attention. She also mentioned there was a lake on site. Johnny Yen also had a nice post about the place and I learned from him that you can pick up guide books at the front entrance. I was hooked. This meancing looking fellow marks the grave of Dexter Graves, a hotel guy. I just think it's particularly awesome looking and wanted to include it.

So anyway, it should be pretty awesome. If I don’t end up going I can always finish up Heavenly Sword. That is one fun game (even though I can’t block properly for crap) and I'm finally becoming an acceptable shooter.

1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this

2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run

3. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day

4. I love the time and in between/ The calm inside me/ In the space where I can breathe/ I believe there is a distance I have wandered to touch upon the years of/ Reaching out and reaching in

5. Something in the way you love me won’t let me be/ I don’t want to be your prisoner so baby won’t you set me free

ON CHEATING AND CELEBRATION

Happy Juneteenth Folks! If you don’t know what that means look it up, learn a little something. On this glorious day I will be celebrating by playing video games and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Sure my actions will have absolutely nothing to do with the holiday itself but it sure will feel good doing them.

Monica and I have been taken over by a game called wordtwist on Facebook. If you happen to know this game and are awesome at it please, feel free to challenge us. If you are not awesome you will more than likely be destroyed. In our efforts to become even more awesome at this game (she is a little more awesome than me but we are essentially equal in awesomeness) we have decided to cheat at scrabble to learn more seven letter words. I know that cheating is wrong but since we are agreed on the matter and are using the cheating as a learning opportunity to better ourselves it is okay. Plus, if we are only cheating while playing each other and we are both doing it is it really cheating? Probably not.

The other day I watched Seven Samurai. I have no idea why it took me so long to see this film. It was pretty incredible. It was also incredibly long. For me to not get bored watching a 208min movie that is black and white and has subtitles something pretty freaking awesome must be happening. I’m not entirely sure why I liked it so much but those samurai were some stand up fellows.

The top chef reunion show was pretty bogus. No dirt was strewn about. I was somewhat disappointed. It was a happy-loving-huggy affair. I do kind of almost sort of want an “I have a culinary boner” t-shirt but I would never wear it so I don’t.

Oh! Sulu got married!!! George Takei and his partner looked so happy over there in California. It just made me smile. I love Sulu. I love the original Star Trek. I am pretty curious as to the new movie. I am not curious (no I am, I lied) about the Prince of Persia movie. While I am positive that Jake Gyllenhal is not the best guy to play the prince and I wish they had picked someone slightly swarthier I am not sure who the best person would really be. I thin I decided that dude who played the shrink in “Sunshine” (which I think no one has seen) is the best I have come up with. At least Jake is better than Orlando Bloom.

1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this

2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run

3. Come/ As you are/ As you were/ As I want you to be. Come As You Are, Nirvana. Identified by Mom.

4. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day

5. Dawn is a feeling/ A beautiful ceiling/ The smell of grass just lets you pass/ Into a dream. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Moody Blues. Identified by Mom.

WHAT MY MIND HAS BEEN FILLED WITH

I have been so incredibly full of stimulation that I haven’t had any idea what to write about. For someone who generally has nothing happen to them, the past week has been overflowing with stuffs and it isn’t over yet. Last Thursday, Monica, Jamie, and I went to dinner and to see Avenue Q. I loved it. There were times when I wasn’t as into it as others but overall it was incredibly fantastic. Monica and Jamie were sucked into the cute world of the Bad Idea Bears, and I liked them too. The bears were hilarious, they had very bad ideas and convinced people that they were good ideas by their powers of cuteness. Come to think of it, Natalie as a child had a lot in common with the Bad Idea Bears. Maybe it was because of that fact that I was not taken in by them. I was immediately in love with Trekkie Monster the second that his hairy face appeared on the stage. Here is a glimpse of him in all his horny glory.


On Saturday Tony and I got a wonderful delivery, our 52inch Samsung Touch of Color Series 7 arrived! Tony was at work and when I saw the TV being carted off the truck I gasped because it was really big. When they set it up on our entertainment center I was still amazed at how big it was. It fits and everything but MAN is that thing big. After I finally got the closed captions to turn off (thanks Dad) I settled down to a weekend of television glory. The picture is amazing, so amazing that we watched golf simply because it was beautiful. Video games are unreal on this thing. I pulled out Uncharted: Drakes Fortune because the graphics were amazing on our old TV (which is still a perfectly fine piece of machinery) to see what it would look like and I was amazed. It’s so real. The only thing is we can’t figure out how to make the 120 Hz stay on. I think it might only kick in for certain things because the TV says it is on but then the info still says 60 Hz. Oh well, I’ll figure it out. Don’t even get me started on the blu-ray stuffs. Man I love my TV.

I guess the fact that an incredibly over stimulating time consisted of a play and a television delivery should maybe make me reconsider my measurement of over stimulating. At least the next few days will be busy.

Tomorrow night I will be going to see Jamie Lidell, again with Jamie and Monica. It will be different from the last show we saw him do because he will have a band. I am very interested to see how it will work. Here’s a glimpse of the last show.


Thursday is my birthday and that is probably the least eventful thing that is going on. I just don’t care about 29. I’ll care next year. On Friday Chanda is having a murder mystery party and I am pretty excited about it. Tony’s mom might be coming into town for Blues Fest this weekend and Mom is going to be coming in for a conference next Tuesday. The stimulation just won’t stop.

1. We’re in the movies/ Watching some people move their mouths/ And a religious figure/ Whose not really a religious figure/ Cause he’s an actor

2. It never really mattered too much to me/ That I was just too damn old to MC/ All that really mattered is if your rhymes was ill/ Girl that’s all that really mattered to me

3. Tulip Baroo/ Tulip Baroo/ The magnetic roller-skater wears a bonnet of blue/ Bonnet of blue

4. Let's all get up and dance to a song that was a hit before your mother was born/ Though she was born a long long time ago/ Your mother should know. Your Mother Should Know, Identified by, Michael.

5. When you sleep/ Where do your fingers go/ What do your fingers know/ What do your fingers show.

A MAJOR DECISION

Tony and I have decided to buy a television. To those of you who have frequented my house and seen the television that we already possess you might be wondering why we would do such a thing. Although not top of the line or huge, out television is certainly quite a nice piece of equipment. When we purchased it we said we wouldn’t need to get another TV for 10 years. We were wrong.

Although it has HD capability, it must be like on of the very first HD type TVs because it doesn’t have a place to plug in an HDMI cable thus making our HD not as awesome as it could be. It runs at 1080i and at 420 but not at 720 or 1080p. Because of these specifications we cannot enjoy our PS3 to its full abilities. Most games run in 720 and we have to view them at 420 instead. Some of the ones that run at 1080 will run optimally but not all of them. It really is rather frustrating.

Last night we took a trip up to the Evanston/Chicago border (because Tony didn’t want to get on the red line and insisted it wouldbe an easy commute) to try out a Greek restaurant up on Howard street and then take the bus to Best Buy in Evanston. The food was pretty good but we both ordered the wrong entrée. I think others would have been better than pretty good. The appetizers were AMAZING. We hopped on the bus and saw this big conglomerate suburban edifice that contained a Jewel/Osco, Best Buy, Office Max, and Target. It was wonderful. I really wanted to go to Target but we didn’t really have time.

Best Buy is a wonderful place full of big pretty televisions. While we aren’t completely sure if we will end up getting one from there, Internet shopping could possibly be an option, we needed to scope things out. After looking around for a long time we basically found the two TVs that had the best picture. Picture quality is really the most important thing. Both of them were a little out of our target price range but we can always save a little more. One was a 40in Sony Bravia LCD screen. I had never seen such picture; it looked like I could reach in and punch Spiderman in the face. The shots of video games were amazing, they showed Drake’s Fortune and it looked like a completely different game than what we had been playing. We started to drool. However, it was a little small for us to. To put out new TV the way we want to in our living room we’ll be sitting at least 12ft back from it. Since we know we’re going to plop down a nice chunk of change we want it to look big from 12ft back, not just up close. The other one we liked was a 52in Samsung LCD the picture was essentially the same but it wasn’t showing any video games so we were left a little in the dark. When we got home we realized we just should have put the DVD that was playing on the Sony into the Panasonic but we didn’t do that. Right now we are leaning toward the Panasonic. To get the Sony in the size we want would be SERIOUSLY out of price range rather than a little out of range. We already feel a little silly paying so much money for a stupid TV. I mean, seriously.

Although a very helpful salesman tried desperately to have us buy the TV last night it wasn’t going to happen. We need to save some money and completely rearrange our living room before we’ll be ready for the TV. It was tempting though. My sound Financial Fitness hat must have been on though because I was able to say no. This time last year I probably would have got a TV. Yeah for being somewhat financially responsible.

Oh, after we were done at Best Buy we went to wait for the bus to go back to the city. One passed on the other side of the street and told us that we would be waiting for about an hour unless we went three blocks east and took another bus. We got to the other bus stop as our bus was pulling away and had to wait another 20 minutes or so for one. I knew it would have been easier to go to the one off the red line.

1. Love Love Love/ Love Love Love/ There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done/ Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung. All You Need is Love, The Beatles. Identified by Mom

2. I am/ Doll eyes/ Doll mouth/ doll legs. Doll Parts, Hole. Identified by Mom

3. Two weeks in a Virginia Jail/ For my lover/ For my lover. For My Lover, Tracy Chapman. Identified by Mom

4. I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more/ No I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more Maggie's Farm, Bob Dylan. Identified by Mom

5. It’s more fun to compute/ It’s more fun to compute/ It’s more fun to compute. It's More Fun To Compute, Kraftwerk. Identified by Mom

GUEST BLOGGER: MAGDALENA HOTTENTOT

I moved into this quaint one bedroom house and furnished it sparsely, but tastefully. I started to wonder what kind of people would come into my life. I’m a quiet person who doesn’t need a lot of contact with others and has a strong thirst for knowledge. After I got settled into my new home, my neighbors, the Smith family stopped by for introductions. I immediately hit it off with Jenny. Although plain, she and I got along wonderfully. I can’t say the same about her husband, Pollination Tech 9. It isn’t that I don’t like aliens it’s that I don’t like old people. The elderly creep me out with their hunched backs and their slow moving ways. I ignored him and continued talking to Jenny.

Over the next few days things happened very quickly. I got a job as a paramedic and spent the time I wasn’t at work with Jenny. Then one night she kissed me goodbye. That was it, I was in love. I asked her to move in with me and couldn’t wait for her to leave that gross old husband of hers. She agreed to come and live with me but couldn’t quite bring herself to officially leave Pollination Tech 9. It was a real mess; he caught us kissing and had the nerve to start a fight with her in front of our home. It got pretty physical but she kicked his ass. I really wanted her to leave him but she kept telling me it just wasn’t an option.

Much to my dismay, I found out that Jenny was no spring chicken after she moved in. In fact, she was destined to grow old in three days. I had to do something to remedy this situation because I hate old people so I got some Elixir of Life to keep her young and pretty. I also got her a serious makeover, that ponytail was doing nothing for her. Now she is almost as cute as me. Jenny also works in the medical field but I thought that our overlapping careers were a little creepy. No matter, I had a real urge to become a criminal mastermind so I quit medicine and became a pickpocket. Things were looking a little too wholesome in the Hottentot house and I needed to spice things up.

Jenny had to go over to her old house to celebrate her teenage son growing up into a man. I suppose the fact that she had a teenage son should have clued me into the fact that she was not as young as she appeared. It didn’t matter, that elixir was doing wonders. Back at the old abode, they got into another fight and it was the last straw, they broke off the marriage. It was the best thing that could have happened. As soon as she came home I asked her to be mine and she said yes. We planned a small wedding at home and invited a few close friends. We did NOT invite Pollination tech 9 but he came anyway. I had to ask him to leave.

Ever since we have been back from our amazingly refreshing honeymoon Pollination Tech 9 has been trying to ruin our lives. He comes by early in the morning and steals our newspaper. He comes by late at night and kicks over our garbage can. This is quite a problem because the garbage lying out sometimes brings roaches. I can’t tell you how much we have spent on bringing the exterminator to our house time and time again.

Jenny and I are managing though and actually are enjoying each others company quite a bit. We spend our time playing chess, swimming in our new pool, and watching The Yummy Channel. However, it seems there is something missing in our lives, it might be time to call up the adoption agency. Jenny has been promoted to a surgeon and I am bringing in good money as a Bookie. It just may be that time.

1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on

3. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven Lawd I saw a mighty sign

4. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me

5. Let’s get out of this country/ I’ll admit I’m bored of me/ I drowned my sorrows and slept around/ When not in body at least in mind. Let's Get Out Of This Country. Identified by Monica

THE RETURN OF THE ADDICTION

Tony’s new job has him working late a lot and it has left me home alone many nights. It took me a little while to decide what to do on these long nights alone. Sure, my apartment could use some serious cleaning (I did one room so that is better than nothing) but that isn’t going to keep me inspired. I have a jigsaw puzzle that needs some serious attention but the thing is all the same color and I can only handle that for so long. I can watch food network all day (and I do) but it is better for background stuffs and I can’t devote my full attention to it. I couldn’t think of anything.

Then it came to me. Last Friday I went to Monica’s house for tacos. They were delicious. She reminded me that I had been asking her for the SIMS discs back and she gave them to me. My addiction has come back full force. I LOVE SIMS. I haven’t downloaded any custom content yet so I just have the basic ones. I am having such a good time with them but no one is getting kidnapped by aliens and I am a little bummed about it. The joy I am experiencing with this game makes me wonder why I stopped playing in the first place. Then I went back and read this old post that explained it really well. I suppose in about six months or so that could happen again.

I then read this other post where I had entertained the notion of making a blog from the point of view of a SIM. It was a little bit funny. I then realized that my old posts were much funnier and had a larger dose of cracked outedness than my recent posts have had. I must be running out of ideas. Maybe I will have SIMS guest blog for the rest of the week. Even if the world was bored I think I would be entertained. Keep your eye out; I think the next post will come to you courtesy of Magdalena Hottentot.

1. Well they say that birds do it/ Bees do it/ Time the freak Money B gets to it

2. If the music make you move/ Cause you can dig the groove/ Groove on/ Groove on

3. Six o’clock in the morning/ You’re the last to hear the warning/ You’ve been trying to throw your arms around the world. Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World, U2. Identified by Katrina.

4. Went down to the mountain I was drinking some wine/ Looked up in the heaven Lawd I saw a mighty sign

5. What’s the matter/ Why don’t you answer/ What’s the matter with me

WHAT TO PLAY NEXT

So I had nothing to say at all and then was telling Monica about how this dog she thinks is really cute is only kind of cute which made me remember this Nat Geo program I was watching about a man raising wolves who were rejected by their mother with the aim of teaching them well enough to be released into the wild.

The cutest thing ever was how he taught them to howl. OH MY GOSH a baby wolf howl is the best thing since lions hugging people. I totally love fuzzy animals.



Actually, something did happen this weekend. I beat Assassins Creed. It was a very good but not quite great game. Tony didn’t like it much at all. He found it too repetitive and stopped playing with me after the second assassination and before the fighting got interesting. Although there aren’t many moves, becoming a master assassin is a matter of timing. I read a review that likened the fighting to dancing and it really is. If you are off rhythm you will die. The final scene left some to be desired though. A little more resolution would have been nice. That being said, the graphics were incomparable, the story was interesting, and I liked the stealth and patience that the game required. If you are more about running into a battle guns blazing this is not the game for you.

This means Tony and I have completed all our ps3 games. Luckily, my tax refund got direct deposited last night so I can go buy a new one. Elder Scrolls Oblivion, here I come. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a good RPG to work through. I’m also toying with the idea of getting God of War II (although it was made for ps2). I figure I should play it before III comes out and it should be pretty cheap now. Then again, if anyone has other ideas I would be very open. To get an idea of what we play here is the list of what we have finished.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma- Awesome but incredibly hard and didn't need to be as annoying
Resistance Fall of Man- Tony played but looked awesome
Ratchet and Clank Future:Tools of Destruction- Awesome
The Simpsons Game- Would have been bad had it not been Simpsons
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune- Awesome
Assassins Creed- Awesome to me but not to Tony

As you can see, we are not into sports games so don’t suggest any.

1. Dear I thought I'd drop a line/ The weather's cool/ The folks are fine/ I'm in bed each night by nine. PS I Love You, Billie Holiday

2. Sitting down by my window/ Looking at the rain/ Sitting down my window/ All around I felt it/ All I could see was the rain. Ball and Chain, Janis Joplin

3. I’m a poor boy born in a rut/ Some say my manners aren’t the best/ Some of my friends have been in a whole lot of trouble/ Some say I’m no better than the rest. Good Guys Don’t Wear White, Minor Threat

4. They say some days you're gonna win/ They say some days you're gonna lose/ I tell you I got news for you/ Your losin' all the time you never win. Tightrope, ELO

5. A wannabe gangsta/ Thinking he’s a wise guy/ Rob another bank/ He’s a sock em in the eye guy. If You Have To Ask. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Identified by Jason.

WEEPY WEEKEND

Apparently my post on Friday was my 300th post. Neat. I totally had no idea.

I had every intention of going to Jamie’s to watch the Super Bowl. Then I slept really late and felt pretty lazy when I woke up. Then I looked and saw it was going to snow at some point during the game. I decided to stay home. I really had no interest in the game either so it made the decision a little easier. Regardless, I am kind of a bad friend. Sorry. Instead of Super Bowl, Tony and I watched The Karate Kid. I had actually never seen the entire movie and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I also made some of the most delicious sandwiches ever but you’ll have to wait until Friday to hear all about them.

Speaking of movies I watches this weekend, I really have to recommend The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters to everyone. It is a documentary that chronicles the epic battle between Billy Mitchell and Steve Weibe. Who are they you ask? They are the best Donkey Kong players around, duh. Although I had heard wonderful things about the movie I was a little skeptical about the entertainment value of a documentary about guys playing old school video games. Why? I have no idea. It was brilliant. There were shady dealings, bitter rivalries, and aloof masters of the joystick throughout. Even if you don’t care a thing about Donkey Kong or, like me, have never made it past the first board (or maybe second but apparently most people never make it past the third) you will enjoy this movie. Get it get it get it.

We also watched Pride. I can’t get enough of movies about sports that are “based on a true story” when there is racism involved it is even better. Pride is the one about the Black swim team from Philly. There were only two references to the whole “Black people can’t swim thing,” which I thought was interesting in some way. I never thought I would be typing this statement but here it goes, Bernie Mac was brilliant! He was just hilarious and delightful and made the movie. Terrence Howard wasn’t too bad himself but that is more expected. I mean did you see Hustle and Flow? He was so awesomely dirty. Like any movie about underdogs and racism it got me teary and Tony laughed at me. Whatever, The King of Kong made me a little teary as well. So did The Karate Kid. I just cry. I ain’t ashamed. Whatever.

1. I love you/ Completely/ Please I don't want you to go/ Though you are not content here with me and you feel you must go

2. Coming out the slums/ It's the hoodlums/ I'm pulling my gat out on all you bums

3. You've got a bad reputation/ That's the word out on the town/ It gives a certain fascination/ But it can only bring you down

4. I’d like to be/ Under the sea/ In an octopus’s garden/ In the shade. Octopus's Garden. The Beatles. Identified by Jenn.

5. Wow/ You sure got to climb a lot of steps to get to this capital building here in Washington/ Hey/ Who’s that sad little scrap of paper?/ You really want to know? I'm Just A Bill, Schoolhouse Rock. Identified by Janeylynne.

I REALLY THOUGHT I HAD A POST IN THERE

Since Thursday I have had about a million ideas for a blog post. Sadly, none of them can be remembered currently. So it goes.

I do remember that my record of not falling down has been broken. There was a time when I used to fall down rather often. I don’t know why I was such a clumsy goof but I was always tripping over something. In the past five years or so, maybe more, I have actually regained my balance. It has all been for naught. I went down. I was walking home from work on Friday and there was a light dusting of snow over everything. It also happened to be extremely icy. I slipped and there was no hope of recovery. I was so disappointed in myself.

This weekend was unbelievably cold. I vowed that I wouldn’t leave the house because I was not ready to deal with the cold. I stayed true to my word. The weekend was awesome. On Saturday I spent the large majority of the day under a blanket doing crossword puzzles while Tony played Resistance Fall of Man. Sunday I watched the rest of my old Figure Skating DVDs and Tony and I watched Empire and Jedi. I got out my Jedi figures (many of which have mysteriously disappeared over the years) and acted out many scenes from Jedi (with hilarious embellishment) as the movie played. Yes, I realize this is the dorkiest thing ever to do but it was really funny at the time. Tony had wanted to see all the toys and once they were out I had to do something with them. I miss when my speeder bikes exploded at the push of a button. Now they just kind of flop apart. I thought I had many more old school figures than I appear to have. Many are the next gen figures that I have somehow come into possession of. I wonder what happened to my original Lando at Jaba's figure? He had that awesome helmet and everything. He was super cool. Now I just have the new version. I bet Eric stole them. What a dick (I don’t really think he did but I wouldn’t be at all surprised).

1. When the Witch Doctor Life/ throws his silent bones/ some are crowned kings/ while others lose their thrones

2. My old man he’s a singer in the park/ He’s a walker in the rain/ He’s a dancer in the dark. My Old Man, Joni Mitchell. Identified by Mom.

3. It was a clear black night/ a clear white moon/ Warren g was on the streets trying to

4. You sure you want to be with me/ I’ve nothing to give/ Won’t lie and say this lovings best

5. I ain't happy/ I'm feeling glad/ I got sunshine/ in a bag. Clint Eastwood. Gorillaz. Identified by Monica

THOUGHTS ON 07

2007, it was a year. A year full of stuff and things. A year full of times of various types. It was a year that brought some changes and I have a feeling will be one that will serve to lead me into the next chapter of life, or something like that.

Despite going from Ma’am to Miss I feel that I have done a lot of growing up this year. I feel like I have come to realize that the time for not knowing and just kind of muddling through life with absolutely no direction may be coming to an end. The end isn’t around the corner or anything, probably down the street a few blocks, a mile or so south, and somewhat east. Either way, it is a lot closer than it was before.

Making a career change has been something on my mind since I made the failed change in late 2005 and went back to Jobs For Youth, albeit in a much better position, in 2006. I think the change I have just made is a good one though, one that will not only help me to better construct my life in many ways. I think I am actually around people who want me to grow and change and transform rather than people who just want me to do what I do and do it well. It’s refreshing.

It was also a good year for fun. I’m not the type of person who loves to get out and do things and 2007 provided me many opportunities to have fun without going out and doing things. The PS3 came into my life. I fell in love with Attack of the Show and Ninja Warrior. I was made incredibly happy by two Of Montreal shows. TV was particularly enjoyable this year. I also did get the chance to get out on a regular but not overwhelming basis, which was quite nice. I even got Tony to play a decent amount of scrabble.

Pretty good year.

1. Today was the day/ For dancing and for singing/ The birds in the trees/ And all the bells are ringing

2. My head’s been lying dormant like a sleepy little mouse/ What I have inside me it’s enough to fill a house

3. Repair the hull/ Replace the sail/ The monkey wrestles with the ghost

4. City bird/ Haven’t you heard/ hasn’t anybody told you/ the city blocks can hold you/ Your place is in the sky how can I show you

5. A wanna be gangster thinking he’s a wise guy/ rob another bank he’s a sock em in the eye guy. If You Have to Ask, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Identified by, Jason.

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I COULDN'T BE NERDIER

After I got home on Friday, Tony and I decided to have a little mini celebration in regard to my new job. We had been holding off until the magic day of three checks; last check from old job, vacation paycheck, and new paycheck. It was a nice day. We decided to go get the new Ratchet and Clank for PS3. We have been waiting for this game since before we got the system and were super excited to start playing. We bundled up and headed to Game Crazy.

Unfortunately, they had none. While we could have got on a bus and went to another game store that really wasn’t something we were planning to do. The five block journey had been all we were planning for. The game guys were quite apologetic and they started making suggestions. Tony had been eying Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune since he played the demo a few weeks ago. I wasn’t as excited about it because I had only played the demo once and was pretty bad at it. Tony played it about eight times and was pretty ok. I had been yearning for Assassin’s Creed since months before we got the system even though the game wasn’t coming out for a month after we got it.

They had a Limited Edition copy of Assassin’s Creed that came with an action figure, penny arcade comic, mini strategy guide, a bonus stuff CD, and an awesome tin case for only $10 more than the regular game. They also had a used copy of Drake’s Fortune which was about $10 less than the regular game. What were a girl and a guy to do? They were to buy both games, obviously. We then took our games, went out for Thai food (where Tony pointed out that I had said "Awesome" about eight times in one hour), picked up some breakfast for the next day, got home around 9:30, and settled in for some hardcore gaming.

As issue we sometimes have is getting too many games at once. We are the types that really need to only have one game to play because if we have more than one a favorite will invariable arise to the top and the others won’t get touched for months. We decided to try Drake’s Fortune first and I am so glad that we did. After we played a few levels (and I got better at shooting) Tony asked if we should pop Assassin’s Creed in. I decided against it because we were having a blast. At around 5:30am we were on level 12 or so and had a feeling we were close to halfway done with the game. We figured at that point we would just beat it before starting Assassin’s Creed thus eliminating any competition between games.

We got up relatively late on Saturday but considering what time we went to bed it made sense. We had our breakfast, hung around for a little while and started back on the game around 4pm. After taking a break for dinner we wrapped it up around 2 or so. We had never before finished a game in such a short amount of time. It wasn’t that the game sucked, it was quite awesome, just relatively short. However, if it had been much longer I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it as much. The length made sure that nothing got too repetitive (because there isn’t much more to the game than hiding behind things and shooting bad guys with a little jumping over chasms thrown in) and the story was excellent but could have become really drawn out. It was time for Assassin’s Creed.

I was almost jumping out of my skin with excitement as we put the disc in the system. The game promised to have everything I love; graphics, story, blood, strategy, and general awesomeness. The system told us an upgrade was needed before we could play. We clicked ok. The system began to upgrade, and froze. We tried again, it froze. I was about to throw something against the wall. Finally after about the 8th try it upgraded fully and the game loaded. We began to play.

If you have been watching TV at all in the last month you have an idea of what this game looks like. It’s the one with the crusades looking guy running over rooftops and killing people in most excellent ways. The game itself looks just as good as the commercials. The story had elements I was completely unaware of that were incredibly unique. Even though it is primarily set at the time of the crusades there are some very futuristic elements that are just great. We finished about 90% of the first level and decided to head to bed around 5.

Sunday was a calmer day. Dave came over in the late afternoon; we showed him Assassin’s Creed and played around a little bit. Then he and I went to meet Jamie (but not Monica because she is a lame) to watch The Darjeeling Limited, which was quite enjoyable despite how much I want to slap Jason Schwartzman. I tend to like his work but having seen him in many interviews I wish I didn’t. What a pompous ass. We got a large popcorn and found out there were free refills. Who needs refills on popcorn though? Apparently it was us. We essentially killed two of those things. It was disgusting but oh so yummy.

I have an iPod again so let’s name that song.

1. On candy striped legs/ The Spiderman comes/ Softly through the shadow of the evening sun. Lullaby, The Cure. Identified by Monica

2. I'll start this off without any words/ I got so high I scratched 'till I bled/ I love myself better than you / I know it's wrong so what should I do? On a Plain, Nirvana. Identified by Identified by Monica

3. We are two mariners/ Our ships sole survivors/ In this belly of a whale. _________, The Decemberists. Partially identified by Identified by Monica

4. To me/ Coming from you/ Friend is a four letter word/ End is the only part of the word/ That I heard

5. All My Friends know the low rider/ The low rider is a little higher. Low Rider, War. Identified by Identified by Monica

FOOD PLANS

I’m finishing things up here and one of the most important tasks I have will be to transfer the URLs of my bookmarked blogs into a Word document that I can email to myself and then erase all memory of me on this hunk of junk that they call a computer. The last day is going very smoothly. No one is really here and things are nice and quiet. I am essentially waiting for the word of when we can go home. Once I get home is when the real work will start.

I have to go shopping for Thanksgiving! I am hoping that they will have everything that I need at the close grocery store and that I won’t have to make any additional trips. You never know though, it could go either way. Tomorrow at 1:30 Monica’s sister will come to take me and the beginnings of my food over to Monica’s house where all will be assembled. The dishes I am making will be:
Turkey Tofu
Vegetarian Stuffing
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Sauce
Brussel Sprouts
Artichokes
I am also in charge of bringing Dance Dance Revolution but in a sneaky way so that Tony doesn’t hate the idea of not having Thanksgiving at our house even more. He hates that game and the idea of people playing it all night will make him grumpy. I also haven’t mentioned the fact that Monica purchased a karaoke machine. I hope that all the food will keep him happy enough. Maybe we’ll get a pecan pie. He has been wanting one for at least a year.

That is a lot of action for me. I am hoping that I can get the stuffing made tonight and the Tofu marinated so that I can layer it all up in the morning and then bring it ready to bake to Monica’s. I should also be able to do the cranberries tonight. After that the rest should be pretty simple and easy. Monica is in charge of:
Turkey
Meaty stuffing
Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
And may also be doing a sweet potato I can’t remember

Dave will also be joining the crew. He will be picked up along with me and bring his contributions over. He is taking on:
Ham
Dessert (I hope it will be gravy cake)
Bread

I hope someone is planning on bringing some drinks. I know I will be bringing lots of Tupperware. I plan to bring plenty home.

Hope you all have a wonderful and delicious holiday!

BREAKFAST AT LYLE'S

After some wonderful sleeping I awoke to the most fabulous blueberry pancakes and scrambled tofu made by my wonderful Father. Awesome. We tooled around for a little while and then headed off to Liquor Lyle’s. There is no place like Lyle’s for early morning drinking. They have wonderful cheap two for one specials and honestly won’t make you just one drink. They also have great food and we got some broccoli tempura and guacamole for snacking.

After we had been at Lyle’s for a little while a man and a woman, whose names I can’t remember, came in. They loved Tony, Ryan, and I. Why they loved us I just don’t know but they really wanted to be friends. The woman was an ex Timberwolves cheerleader and she loved to clap loudly. What energy. We talked about Kevin Sorbo, Elvis, and anything else under the sun. As Tony and Ryan stepped outside for a smoke I chatted for a bit. They wanted to know who was single and I said that Ryan was. They mentioned that he had nice feet and that Tony seemed like a great guy to have. I agreed. They tried incredibly hard to get us to come to hidden beach with them. They made cheers and even got the bartender to talk to us and try to entice us to go. We were a little scared. I mean it’s nice to be befriended and all but they had just a little too much energy to be comfortable. They offered us beer and a great time but we were a little leery. Plus, we had to go to the Mall of America to get some mugs at Legoland. Our new “friends” thought that was an incredible lame idea, and it was. Yet, it wasn’t scary like the beach with a woman who has self professed man hands and her equally as overexcited friend.

The mall was brief. We got mugs, said fuck a lot in Legoland and then felt bad because of all the children, and looked around the former Camp Snoopy where the guys didn’t believe me that one of the rides got stuck for hours and people had to go to the hospital. They asked the cookie stand girl who confirmed it. Ha.

Then it was off to one of my favorite places in the city the hidden waterfall that Brooke and I “discovered” one day while walking in the woods around the Mississippi (see Tony and I below). We found a spot to sit, cracked open a cold one and communed with nature. We heard voices and were slightly scared that some lame people were going to come and ruin our tranquility. Ryan suggested that they were a preacher and an artist. We laughed. When they arrived we offered a beer and they accepted. It turns out that the artist was a comedian that travels around with the Renaissance Fair circuit and the Preacher was also a comedian but gets paid by people to rip on their friends. He conceded that in a way it was like speaking for a congregation. Nice going Ryan.
We then headed back to the house for an awesome BBQ mastered by my father. That guy sure can cook. Tony is still talking about the chicken he made. Cousin Molly and Aunt Naomi also stopped by and it was great to see them. To cap off the night we played a huge amount of God of War, a game I got my father for his birthday in January and he had not played for more than five minutes. We played for much longer. I guess all Dad needed was for someone to show him how it was done because by the time we got back from the cabin he had beat the game!

Vacation Day 2, done!

WEEKEND RECAP ON A TUESDAY

Believe it or not I actually did things last weekend. It was super strange because I am definitely not one for doing things. It was really nice though. Maybe I should do things more often. Actually, this month seems to be rather full of things. Maybe I don’t have a lot of things for a normal person to go through but my plans contain quite a bit of things for a person like me.

Last weekend I went out with friends, saw two movies, went out to brunch, cleaned the house, and had company. Wow. What a lot of things.

After work on Friday Lakeiya, Carla and I went out for drinks. Sorry, Monica, I know I told you nothing was going on but by the time I knew something was going on you had already left work. I tried calling and stuff. We went to Maxim’s, which is a place full of bogusness and free food. I say bogusness because the music is exactly the same every week and it is rarely anything I want to listen to. The crowd is not my crowd, although there is nothing particularly wrong with them. The drinks are cheap and strong so I have no complaints. The free food seems ok. I can’t eat most of it as it is meats. I can eat the bogus nachos. They have a bunch of chips, nacho cheese food, jalapenos, tomatoes, salsa, and lettuce. You can make a pretty good plate of bogus nachos with that stuff. When I got home I was delighted to find out that Tony had got us tickets to The Simpson’s Movie in Evanston. YIPPIE!!! I have only been waiting to see this movie since I was like nine. Was it worth the 19 years of waiting, maybe not exactly, but it was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. My favorite part was the girl sitting behind us that exclaimed, “He’s so STOOPID!” every time Homer or Cletus did something stupid. Maybe not every time but you get what I mean. The movie was a lot of fun though. I highly recommend it.

Saturday we decided to sleep in and then go to brunch at Diner. Diner is a place down the street that I think is actually called Deluxe Diner but the Deluxe is written much smaller than the Diner so we just call it Diner. Tony thought the sign that said Diner said Eat really big instead for years. He was totally wrong. I had a waffle, which was strange because I always have hash browns with cheddar and a biscuit when we go to Diner but I wanted something different. Diner is incredibly average. I would never go if it were not two blocks away. Since it is I enjoy going a lot. I always say, “A good day starts with Diner”. We hung around the house for a while and then decided we would go see Ratatouille at the cheap theater down the street. $7 first run shows, $5 for a matinee or with a student ID. On Wednesdays they give our free popcorn if you bring your own bag. You even get one refill. Tony and I had a long debate about what kind of bags would be appropriate to bring. I think they mean brown paper lunch bags but we thought brown paper grocery bags would be much funnier. The movie was absolutely delightful. I highly recommend it.

We slept in on Sunday, duh, and then Dave said he was going to come over so we cleaned the house a little bit. It is much better now. Dave took his sweet ass time coming over but it was fine. I took the time to make falafel. However, I didn’t measure carefully and had to add bread crumbs so they wouldn’t fall apart and they were still a little mushier than the last time I made them. Maybe I didn’t cook them long enough? They were still tasty! Dave came over and we all played Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds and Tony beat the game! Awesome. Then Dave read our tarot. It was a lot of fun. I was thinking about Tony’s birthday present and my fears thoughts and feelings about the situation were financial ruin. The feelings of those around me were that I was financially secure and didn’t need to worry. If by those around me they mean Tony the tarot was right on! After it was done he jokingly asked if I was thinking about his birthday. I said yes. He told me that it wasn’t worth stressing over that much. I think it is because 30 is a big birthday and stuff. Whatever, I’ll figure it out.

Wow that was a long post about nothing. Huh. Sorry.

1. What if the show didn’t go on/ What if we all got jobs and got to bed before dawn/ What if Old Joe had to retire/ What if all the stagehands were let go or fired

2. I do it for the joy it brings/ cause I am a joy-ful girl/ cause the world owes me nothing/ And we owe each other the world

3. All the world just stops now/ so you say you don’t want to stay together anymore/ let me take a deep breath babe/ If you need me, me and Neil will be hanging out with the Dream King

4. You’ve taken the fun/ Out of everything/ Making me run/ When I don’t want to think

5. Every night out for love/ Get my strength from the man above/ God of pistol God of steel/ God is here behind my wheel

MEME MADNESS

I got three tags the other day so here they go.

The first is an oh so flattering Rockin' Girl Blogger award from The Thinker

How cool is that? I also get to tag five rockin' ladies with it. I am going to tag some awesome ladies.

1. Mrs. Loquacious because she is a real nice lady who tends to ROCK out a bit. Plus, she was the first person I didn't know who left me a comment and that rocks.

2. I got to give one to my dear friend Monica because she always tells me about rockin' bands to listen to and she just ROCKS in general. Without her my instances of leaving the house would be even fewer and that would be quite scary.

3. I'm going to throw one to Blondie, and since Clark St. is real close, she might even catch it. She made me feel less nervous about turning 30 in a few years with her recent chronicle. Cheers to that, it ROCKS.

4. Mood Indigo was gone for a long time doing incredibly important work with The Africa Project but I am selfishly happy she is back because she ROCKS!

5. I also want to send one to Blog Antagonist because she writes one the three or four "mommy blogs" that I enjoy. She doesn't just post stuff about her kids that no one cares about. She has important and interesting things to say. She also recently took her eldest to a Fall Out Boy concert because they really wanted to go and that kind of move ROCKS.

The second is from Memoirs of a Fat Girl
INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
Classy & Fancy
[Cherry] Ride/
5of9erAiram
Memoirs of a Fat Girl
Almost Interesting Musings on Life

Select five people to tag: You, You, You, You and...uh...You

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had just graduated from High School and was working at Learner New York (now NY&Co). I hung out with all the friends I knew I would keep forever (and now talk to very few) and switched from saying pop to saying soda because I didn’t want to get made fun of.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was finishing up my wonderful contract working with DCFS youth and getting ready to be the temporary Volunteer Services director. I am now again the temporary Volunteer Services director. If I am doing the same thing next year I might die.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. cheese
2. popcorn
3. guacamole
4. yogurt w/various cereals and/or fruits
5. hummus

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:
1. The Humpty Dance, Digital Underground
2. Sunshine Superman, Donovan
3. The Circle Game, Joni Mitchell
4. Disseminated, Soul Coughing
5. Tender, Blur

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
A million isn’t as much as it used to be so it isn’t going to last me very long. Maybe by millionaire they meant multiple millions? I took it literally. It's a little selfish but I give back every day at work so screw it.

1. Pay off my debts
2. Buy a lofty 3bed 2 bath condo
3. Buy a Smart Car
4. Take a year off to travel with Tony
5. If I have anything left (and there won’t be much after that vacation) invest it

Five bad habits:
1. cracking any joint that I possibly can
2. being a total slob
3. making decisions
4. finishing projects that I have started
5. not taking as good care of myself as I should

Five things you like doing:
1. cooking/eating fun and exciting foods
2. road trips with good people
3. sleeping in
4. all kinds of movies/ TV and video games
5. nothing

Five things you would never wear again:
1. culottes
2. sneakers with a heel (the maroon ones with a big sole don’t count)
3. shiny lycra (I’m talking about skating here people and maybe a few other times)
4. scrunchies
5. the crazy blue horizontal striped dress (but I’ll still wear it in the house)

Five favorite toys:
1. iPod
2. PS2
3. Cable
4. Scrabble
5. Monopoly

I was also tagged by Not Fearing Change for the 8 random facts meme. I think Monica tagged me with this or something like this but since I used her facts it wasn't quite right.

Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8.
Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

I am tagging the five "Yous" from above and also You, You and...um...You

Just the (Random) Facts
1. My second toe on my right foot is longer than my big toe but on the left foot the big toe is longer. I think if I can figure out why this is I will unlock my mutant toe power.

2. I am 5ft tall but think I am much taller. When I see people my height walking around I am always struck by how small they are.

3. Right now I am relatively damp because I ran across the street in a torrential downpour an hour and a half ago.

4. I used to have a severe SIMS addiction. It stopped because the downloads I had didn’t work with Nightlife and I got annoyed because new SIMS had bad hair.

5. Most of the time I would rather be sitting at home.

6. I have only 400 pages left to read in War and Peace thus completing my reading of the books on my bookshelf...I think.

7. I have just folded 50 brochures about my customer service training

8. I love lamp

This post has taken me about five hours to actually finish. I am too tired for random songs.

VIDEO GAME REVOLUTION

Apparently this is real old news but it’s new to me and it makes me happy so I want to blog about it. About a year and a half ago a team of researchers at the National University of Singapore made a human Pacman game. Players wear VR goggles and see big cookies in the middle of the road that they run over to gobble up Pacman style. You can choose to be either a Pacman or a ghost and run around with your friends eating virtual cookies or chasing the ones who are eating virtual cookies. Does this sound like the best thing ever or what?

This product could change my life. I would want to leave the house and socialize with other people on a more regular basis. I would possibly even run a little bit which would not be a bad thing. I would stay outdoors for extended periods of time on a regular basis rather than the few days a year when I actually go to a festival or the beach or something like that. I would be the envy of everyone who didn't have this game and might even make some new friends.

Think of the other games that could be brought back to life with this type of technology. We could hunt many a Wumpus, we could Dig various Dugs, and we could invade space. Think of what would happen if the virtual gaming opportunities grew to include RPG classics. We could actually run around town playing Zelda or Kings Quest and scavenge for random goodies on the way. Instead of arcades we could have open air parks dedicated to people running around with goggles on their heads in various teams completing any goal their little hearts desired. The Wii got gamers moving again but this would get people off their couches like never before. Imagine the glory. It would be a dream.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I will be getting human Pacman or any other virtual game any time soon. The equipment costs 10K-20K and I think a PS3 is too expensive. It also seems that one would have to program certain geographic areas into the game so that you don’t bump into things like buildings so playing areas would be limited and there seems to be no way to avoid moving things like cars and buses. In a city environment this could be quite dangerous. Then again, if my park arcade idea catches on maybe we would be onto something. I wonder how you can register non-playing people on the monitor or do you just run into everyone who isn’t plugged into GPS? Then again, if only players are allowed in the park arcade then everyone would have some sort of GPS signal. Maybe I am getting closer to the ultimate solution.

While the drawbacks are obviously many, the fact that the technology exists and is being improved constantly is incredibly exciting. Maybe a version of human Pacman that is affordable and doesn’t cause you to bump into things will be available before I can no longer walk. Here’s to hoping.

This Hear of Stone, Rolling Stones- I love this song. It is so utterly mean and horrible. Last night I watched John Tucker Must Die (I know I know I planned to fall asleep but didn’t) and this song is like John Tucker except that they did break his heart of stone hahaha.

History of Lovers, Iron & Wine- This is off one of the Iron and Wine albums that I downloaded after I decided that I wanted to listen to as much of their music as possible and then haven’t listened to. It has a great beat and while you could dance to it you would look like a cracked out hippie. Note to self: perfect an unrivaled hippie dance before Pitchfork Festival.

Stupid Girl, Garbage- Really? Really? Did this actually come on and am I actually excited about hearing it as I never put it on purposefully? Both things are true. Man am I ever enjoying this song. I miss the 90s so much.

A GRAPHIC DREAM

The Manic Monday word for today is Graphic. To visit more Manic Monday participants check out Morgen at It's a Blog Eat Blog World.

I have never been one to talk about how the graphic nature of our TV, music, and video games contributes negatively to our society. I have always maintained that we are intelligent enough to know right from wrong and entertainment from recommended ways of life. However, after watching The Sopranos and playing Grand Theft Auto (two of the more graphic means of entertainment available today), I had a very graphic and disturbing dream.

I was, apparently, Meadow Soprano. While out for a walk I came across a large tuck full of something and was suddenly surrounded by my father’s brutes sporting seriously heavy artillery. I’m talking rocket launchers, automatic weapons of all shapes and sizes, and maybe even a chainsaw or two. They commenced to jack up said large truck and blew it to smithereens. The rocket launcher was very useful in that endeavor. The explosions and resulting fires summoned the police and poor Meadow (me) had to run because simply being there and being a Soprano would have been bad.

I ran and hid in tall grasses, more graphic violence was going on all around me as police and mafia tried desperately to take each other out. Blood and guts abounded. Then came the dogs, I like dogs but they are never good when it comes to my dreams. They chased me all over the high grasses until I was eventually taken in by a lady cop, who happened to be Sarah Silverman, talk about a graphic comic.

We became friends but it didn’t stop her from taking me to the slammer. I had to call Tony (my Tony not Tony Soprano) and tell him I wouldn’t be home for dinner because I was being taken to jail. I don’t think he believed me. He was pissed. All kinds of graphic language spewed from his mouth.

After being let out of jail my parents, sister, and Monica’s friend Angel who I have met half a time came to pick me up. I didn’t want to talk. We drove through the hills of Minneapolis by lake of the isles and saw Bernie (often known as Rastamanern) fixing up a condo for his blushing bride. Why Monica wasn’t there was beyond me.

The point is that I may have to reassess my opinion on the graphic content of media influencing our subconscious. Mine certainly was tampered with. However, it was an incredibly entertaining dream, graphic or not, and I certainly don’t plan to change my viewing habits.

It’s now time to guess that song.

1. Well I wake up in the morning there’s frogs inside my socks/ Your mama she’s hiding inside the ice box/ Your daddy walks in wearing a Napoleon Bonaparte mask. On The Road Again, Bob Dylan. Identified by Brooke.

2. Suzanne/ You’re all that I wanted of a girl/ You’re all that I need in the world. Suzanne, Weezer. Identified by Monica

3. Andy/ Would bicycle across town/ In the rain to bring you candy/ And John would buy the gown/ For you to wear to the prom/ With Tom/ The astronomer who’d name a star for you.

4. All the world over so easy to see/ People everywhere just want to be free/ Listen please listen that’s the way it should be. People Got To Be Free, The Rascals. Identified by Monica

5. Do you have a shirt that you really love/ One that you feel so groovy in/ You don’t even mind if it starts to fade/ That only makes it nicer still. I Love My Shirt, Donovan. Identified by Monica

GAME OF THE YEAR

Life would be better if I were a video game character. There would be so much that I could do and lofty goals for me to reach. They always have to save the world. I only have to save myself. Sometimes I think saving the world would be easier. You know what your goals are. You have one huge evil threatening the delicate balance of existence and it is up to you to brave terrors untold and hardships outnumbered and fight your way to the goblin city. Life isn’t that simple.

Heroes don’t have to worry about paying their bills, getting up in the morning, or finding the perfect job. Who cares about paying bills if the world is going to end? If you keep that from happening no one will ever ask you to pay a bill again? Do heroes even sleep? It seems like they just keep going and going, driven by the import of the task at hand. They already have perfect jobs, and have no choice in the matter, they are of vital import and they are given the means to succeed, unless they are a SIM and that is not the kind of video game character I want to be.

I want to run up walls like the Prince of Persia. I want to roll the world into a big ball for the glory of our sky a la Katamari. I want to overthrow an evil genie like Toan and travel back and forth in time like Max and Monica in the Dark Cloud series. I want to paint through life and slay demons like in Okami, I want to become a godless killing machine hell-bent on revenge to squash my inner demons like Cretos in God of War (well maybe not. He was a bad bad man in a good good game). I want to save the world from turning into robots with my little robot friend like Ratchet. I just want to do something special and I don’t want to think about it.

I think the hardest thing about life is figuring out what you want to do with yours. My only regret in not going to Medical School is that it would have been the easiest and most practical thing to do. It took me a long time to admit that. I have always said that I have no regrets about not going. I had to be honest with myself. I don’t regret the things I didn’t learn. I don’t regret not being a Dr. because I don’t think it is really what I am supposed to do with myself. I only regret the planned life that I would have led. Granted, I wouldn’t have the same friends I have now. I wouldn’t live in the same city I live in now. I would be a completely different person. I don’t want that. I just want someone to give me a plan.

I have always resisted setting goals for myself. Since grade school when I was first confronted with the idea of a goal I resisted with everything I had. I never saw the point. I always thought they left too much room for disappointment. Time tables are also like kryptonite to me. Anyone who knows me knows how often I have said “I don’t operate under the constraints of time,” and I have always meant it. I am more comfortable with the notion that things will just happen and come along. I agree with that mentality still, but I know that I need to provide some kind of catalyst for a major change. No evil lord is going to show up and force me to take action or the world as I know it will perish (and the current administration doesn’t count). It’s just not going to happen. I have to do this myself.

The fact that making decisions is the absolute hardest thing for me to do in the whole world doesn’t help. That is another reason I would prefer to be in a video game. You have seriously limited options in those worlds. You can run, jump, kick, punch, use weapons, and do various combo moves. That tends to be about it. The puzzles you go through are all relatively common sense, although you may have to find a hidden switch or two. If you get really stuck you can always look on the internet. That doesn’t work for real life.

I have to talk to people. I have to evaluate myself. I have to grow a freaking backbone. While I am fairly good at planning finances and small events, I suck at planning my life. I suck at making any choices that aren’t obvious. I suck at making myself the happiest person that I can be. I don’t suck at keeping myself comfortable. I’m really good at that. The thing about comfortable is that it is never more and never less. I want something bigger, something epic, and something memorable. Maybe I need to set some goals and make a timeline. That will never get done. It sounds horrible. Those asshole types say things like you never reach your goals if you don’t set them. They are right but they sound like assholes.

Fuck it. I’m programming myself into some fantastic caper and you can all take a turn at the sticks. It will be called Natalie vs. the Mad Muppeteer and I’ll have to stop some poser Jim Henson from creating horrid want to be new Muppet Movies. I’m not talking about Brian though, Muppets in Space was ok.

Icicle, Tori Amos- A song all about introspection and not quite fitting in. That works for today. It would make very bad video game music though. Well, the first part may be a great dream sequence where the mind was being taken over my some evil Muppet.

Funky Child, James Brown- This is a much better song for a video game. IT would be Muppets doing capoiera in a choreographed pattern that kicked my ass until I imported Eddie from the world of Tekken and kicked their asses on a whole different level.

Open Your Heart To Me, Madonna- This automatically reminds me of the Courtney Gears fight in Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. She was a pretty badass evil lady.

BOOKWORM MEME

I would be lying if I said I was disappointed by this season’s ANTM premiere. The girls, while totally fugly to the naked eye, took some exceptionally decent pictures. However, I think the judges made some very wrong decisions, primarily like letting Kathleen go and keeping Natasha. Don’t they know that mail order brides that couldn’t possibly be taller than 5ft7 make bad models? I certainly think this crop of girls is more promising, and entertaining, than the last few seasons. Those were just super boring. Then again, give this one a few weeks and I could be singing a different tune. Having Monica and Chanda around to watch was particularly great. I enjoy things more when there are friends to be seen. After the show we got our Dance Dance Revolution on for a while and that was a good time.

Tony and I were going to go and see This American Life today. It is the last taping in Chicago and we thought it would be super great. Sarah Vowell, Dan Savage, and David Rakoff are going to be on. Unfortunately, a lot of people had the same idea and there was only one seat left open in the theater. Stupid stupid stupid. We should have known better than to try and get tickets today. Davis Sedaris will be coming next month though, we should be much better about getting tickets for that one.

I took this meme from Used*to*be*me because it is all about books and, as you know, I love books. I wish that I had read every book on the list because that would have given me a superior feeling but I read close to half and decided that isn’t all that bad.

Instructions:
Look at the list of books below.
*Bold the ones you’ve read
*Italicize the ones you want to read
*leave plain the ones that you aren’t interested in.
*(I added something to it) If a book is one of your top twenty put a smiley face next to it. If it is something you hated put a frowny face.

1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2.Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3.To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10.A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12.Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) :)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) :)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) :)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) :)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True(Wally Lamb) :(
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb):(
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) :)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand):)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy) (does the first hundred or so pages before it got too boring and full of aristocratic snots count? I think not) :(
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) :)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) :)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) :)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams) :)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) :)
93. The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) :(
100.Ulysses (James Joyce) :( :( :( see posts labeled Ulysses for all the reasons

Cool Blue Reason, Cake- Cake really reminds me of college, Sr. year in particular. I never really liked this song. I listened to it a lot. Probably because no one wanted to get up and change the song and we couldn't find the remote. Speaking of not wanting to do things, I am bringing rock, paper, scissors back in a big way.

Doo wop, (That Thing), Lauryn Hill- Yeah I am not proud that I own this. I am less proud that I enjoy it. This is another reason why I am not the president of the Cool Club and only the treasurer.

Stone Junkie, Curtis Mayfield- Thank god that something of this nature came on to save me from all the bad music aforementioned. I will leave you with the thoughts that I am a smooth funky soul sister. Yeah, believe that.

I WUPPED RAINBOW BUTTERFLY'S ASS

Yes, yes I did and i only needed one try but I may have to do it again because apparently I was supposed to take a picture of the butterfly before I killed it and the pictures I took weren’t good enough. Stupid cute looking game. Then I stopped playing for the night because good TV was on and I had a lot of food to cook. Sometimes, when Tony and I are broke, we have pasta salad for lunch. It is easy to bring places, filling, not all that bad for you, looks fancy, and makes a bunch of food for not all that much money and keeps you fed all week. I spent last night making pasta salad. We also had a yummy pesto dish for dinner. Needless to say I was elbow deep in pasta. See I made two bags of pasta, one for the salad and one for the dinner (planning on leftovers of course) but didn’t really divide it equally when cooked so I ended up with a huge pot and a big bowl of pasta salad, not to mention the separate bowl I made in case Monica wants some tonight when she comes over for TV time. See she can’t eat anything and our bowl/pot have beans. Beans make her die. The other food we have in the house is soy. Soy also makes her die. I would give her leftover pesto dish but I think the pesto I bought has pine nuts in it which make her die, I also but beans in the dish because they were made and I love white beans in a pasta dish and, as you know, that makes her die. I like Monica and do not want her to die.

Since I can’t think of much to post, I am going to tell you how to make Natalie and Tony’s Poor People Pasta Salad. It’s really good. It also changes every single time it’s made because sometimes we have ingredients that we don’t have other times. As you will see, Natalie doesn’t generally use normal recipe stuff like measurements and the like. Only for Mushroom Pie MMMMM, maybe I’ll post how to make that sometime.

1. Cook or buy some small white beans. I prefer to cook them (Tony actually cooked them yesterday because he was home earlier than me, thanks Tony) While cooking them, add 6-8 cloves of garlic to the boiling water. Too much garlic you say? Relax. It gets mild and mushy (like when you roast it but without all the oil) When the beans are done, mash garlic into them for a fantastic taste. Use as many beans as you like.

2. Cook up however much pasta of whatever shape you want. I prefer spirals. You just want it to be some kind of hearty shape like a shell, or macaroni, or ziti so that it will hold juices well and not get mushy. On the mushy note, be sure to cook al dente or your salad will suck. When done cooking rinse pasta with cold water to halt the cooking process (again mushy is bad) coat with a tad bit of olive oil to prevent sticking (also bad) and put in fridge to cool for about an hour.

3. Start choppin’ veggies in bite sized bites and chop enough so that you salad is more veggie than pasta or at least half and half. Otherwise you get too much pasta and it’s much worse for you.

• This time I used
  Shredded carrot (sometimes I chop myself but it wasn’t that expensive to get shredded)
  Tomato
  Vidalia onion
  Broccoli
  Zucchini
  Black Olive
  Heart of palm
  Mushroom
  Red pepper
  I often use little cheese cubes or grate some cheese but I didn’t this time. I have used many types of cheese and don’t think it really matters what kind you use except that it should be relatively firm

4. Fold beans and veggies into pasta. Shake in some seasonings (like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, etc.). I generally store the salad at this point and add dressing pre eating, it helps keep things firm)

5. When ready to eat, dress with fat free Italian dressing (in moderation). Sometimes, for a creamy change, I add a little bit of fat free yogurt in with the dressing to get a delightful creamy texture (a trick my mommy taught me). You will have easy lunches to take wherever for a while and people will say “Wow, that looks really good,” and they will be right.

In case anyone was wondering, the pesto dinner dish had onion and mushroom sautéed with some smashed boiled garlic (man I love that stuff). Then I added some tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and of course white beans and sautéed some more. Then I added in some pesto and the pasta and enjoyed.

Yesterday all the songs were guessed in one post. I am pretty happy about that. They weren’t super easy like last time either. Cool people just happened to be reading. Since I have a blank slate, I am going to put up some songs that I really like to sing with people. If the people I am thinking of read this, and many of them do, it will be another easy to guess post but it will be fun and full of love. I am going to add a few extra songs in here today because I am just so full of love and fun. (Apologies to bedtime songs from Mom that aren't included because I couldn't decide which one to include so I included none although Stay Awake, The Fox, and The Circle Game were strong contenders. Apologies to all the other songs Monica and I sing (particularly Tender) but I had to go with the one that has proper choreography)

The first five are songs that I sing with my sister and I want to give her a little shout out as it is her birthday so HIPPITY HAPPITY BUTHUFTATHUFTA SISTERHEAD. I think and hope that you are 24 today. If you aren’t then mom will yell at me cause you don’t read this cause you are too busy. I hope you read this one though since it’s all about love for you (and pasta).

1. Sister, you’ve been on my mind. Oh, sister, we’re too of a kind. Yes, sister, I’m keeping my eye on you. That song from the Color Purple that Shug sings. Identified by Julie

2. An only kid and only kid my father bought for two zuzim. Had Gadya, Traditional Passover song. identified by Mom

3. I kept the right ones out. And let the wrong ones in. Got an angel of mercy to see me through all my sins. Identified by none other than the birthday girl herself (cause i made her read it) and also by ShadowFalcon

4. I’m just average common too. I’m just like him the same as you. I’ve everybody’s brother and son I ain’t different than anyone. Ain’t no use in talking to me. Just the same as talking to you. (I like to sing this with some other people too not just Head but she introduced it to me and subsequently us. Everyone loves this song.) I Shall be Free #10., Bob Dylan. Eloquently identified by Brooke. I just wanted to add, He's a weird monkey, very funky.

5. I ain't puttin’ no boogie in nobody's butt. That's nasty, man. What you talkin’ about? Boogie in Your Butt, Eddie Murphy. Identified by Mom (and she should cause it is apparently her and Dad's song)

Now for songs that remind me of friends. Not that Head isn't a friend but she is a special kind of friend.

6. The goat chewed up, was a tin can. The goat shat out, was a ford sedan. I like an eyeball. I like a square cut. I like a funny car. I like a monster truck. Disseminated, Soul Coughing. Identified by Brooke. Inspired by Brooke and I sitting on the new dorm stairs like a couple of fools singing a goofy song and doing dances that can't really be called dances because we were sitting.

7. Oh I could hide ‘neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings. The six o’clock alarm would never ring. Daydream Believer, The Monkees. identified by Mom. Inspired by the lovely dances a la Monica and Natalie.

8. I don’t know what it is that you’ve done too me. But it’s caused me to act in such a crazy way. Weak, SWV. Identified by. Monica Inspired by nights on my On Demand kereoke that included such good people as Jamie, Monica, Cheryl, Tony, and Dave and Jamie and Brooke's B-day bash with a bunch of people.

9. ECUADOR!!!! (I actually don’t know what song this is or any lyrics other than this one but I think someone out there does. I was just thinking about it the other day and it had to be included. I think some people will smile) Ecuador, Sash. Identified by Brooke. Inspired by Jaclyn's hell car.

10. My defenses, become offences. Now I’m stumbling. I change my face up.