I FINALLY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT PROJECT RUNWAY

All I have to say is about freaking time! This season of Project Runway has been excruciatingly boring in comparison to all other seasons. Although there have been some interesting challenges, many of the designs were just blah and I wasn’t too fond of any of the designers. It started to get a little interesting last week but I really had to question the intelligence behind telling high school girls they looked horrible in what was supposed to be their prom dresses, particularly if they love the dresses. It was just mean. Now even if they like the dress they can’t wear it because everyone will know that fashion experts think it is horrible. Or, maybe they already had prom and no one will care.

Either way, this week was plenty of fun. Design and drama abounded. I haven’t much cared which outfits have won in the past but I was about to tear someone apart if Chris and Christian didn’t take this one home. As much as the judges love Victorya I think she needs a good slapping and I find most of her clothing to be cute enough but nothing special. Jillian’s jacket made that outfit, not the nasty jodhpurs or anything else Victorya did. I mean does Michael Kors really think all women will want to wear those things? I don’t think I know too many who would. Then her snarky comment, “we made three outfits so we should win,” was just too much. Sadly, she may very well end up at Bryant Park with her boring self.

I was also sad to see Kit go. I know they always kick off the team leader but Ricky needs to go home, what is he still doing there? They say everything he makes looks cheap. I think this time they should have made an exception and sent him packing. He seems like a nice guy and all but COME ON.

Chris and Christian put it together. That avant-garde piece was so incredibly fantastic it made me giddy. They handled the surprise second outfit with class and I think it truly embodied the feel of the original piece. They also worked so incredibly well together. Jillian and Victorya were just a couple of last minute ladies and planning is very important. Anyway, take a look at the top looks and judge for yourself. The second place ladies made the black things and the winning guys the tan.

And another thing, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves is AWESOME! Tony and I watched it the other day and were thoroughly entertained. There was so much hilarity that had been forgotten.

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

2. On a rooftop in Brooklyn/ One in the morning. Watching the lights flash/ In Manhattan. You Said Something, PJ Harvey. Identified by Jason.

3. My old man he’s a singer in the park/ He’s a walker in the rain/ He’s a dancer in the dark.

4. I did you wrong/ My heart went out to play/ And in the game I lost you/ what a price to pay. Oooh, Baby Baby. Smokey Robinson. Identified by Mom.

5. Well I’d rather see you dead little girl/ Than to be with another man. Run For Your Life, The Beatles, Identified by Mom.

DANG THAT LOOKS GOOD

I gave my first Financial Fitness workshop today and it went just swimmingly. I had seven people initially sign up and Brenda got three emails saying people canceled but three came so I was happy. I hear we have a 50% show rate anyway so I was only expecting three. I had some very minor technical glitches but nothing that disrupted the presentation as a whole.

Glitch 1. To get the presentations on the computer that hooks up to the projector you have to email them to yourself then download them onto that computer. I did this with no problem. However, I neglected to close out my email when I was done. Therefore, every time I got a new email during the presentation a window would pop up that said “you have new mail”. It would go away after a few seconds but it was slightly embarrassing.

Glitch 2. Not only did I not close out my email, I didn’t close out anything. Therefore, when I needed to go to a website during the presentation, I had to sift through all these mucky windows to get there. I thought it made me look a little technically incompetent. I also flubbed the should be seamless transition back into the slide show.

Glitch 3. This is actually not a glitch, I just thought it was. There is a remote thing by the computer that I assumed you were supposed to operate your presentation with. I couldn’t’ make it work so I operated the presentation by mouse. I guess that is just how it works.

Needless to say those errors are really minor. On a scale of 1-5 I received one 4 and two 5s for the presentation and two people said they planned to take action on what was discussed so that is a good thing. I was even able to answer all questions. Tomorrow’s presentation may be another story. While the material is easier only three people signed up. We’ll see what happens.

Although I haven’t had a Foodie Friday in some time, I thought now may be a good time for some foodie stuff. Why? Because Mom sent pictures from Christmas and that means you can see the Christmas Pizza. Yes, my family eats pizza for Christmas dinner. We never had a tradition and one year my sister said she wanted pizza and fudge. It stuck. Shoshana and her friend Will handled the crust, cheese grating (mozzarella, romano, provolone), and ingredient chopping while I made the sauces and picked ingredients. This year we made some beautiful pizzas.


Pesto
3 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cup + (or so) olive oil (add more if needed)
Squirt of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste (All this stuff is really to taste)

Toppings
Artichoke hearts
Spinach
Feta
Onion
Fresh Basil

The lemon juice was a totally new thing to my pesto making but it really hit the spot. I tasted it and thought it needed citrus but wasn’t sure but Shoshana suggested it and I knew she was right. It was delicious.


Red Sauce
1 big can of whole tomatoes drained
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
Dash sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
Mushrooms
Onion
Fresh Garlic
Fresh Basil

I think we ended up adding some of the drained out tomato juice to the sauce for volume but you can’t blend it all together, then you don’t get the nice chunky quality.

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

2. Hot Cha where are you/ Everybody’s eyes are closed/ I can’t see why I miss you so/ So Hot Cha where are you. Hot Cha, They Might Be Giants. Identified by Monica

3. Little bag of bones been out all night/ Little bag of bones been out all night/ Can you hear him scratching at the screen door. Kitty, The Presidents of the United States of America, Identified by Jason.

4. On a rooftop in Brooklyn/ One in the morning. Watching the lights flash/ In Manhattan

5. Look on yonder misty mountain/ See the young monk meditating/ Rhododendron forest/ Over dusty hills I ask you. Epistle to Dippy, Donovan. Identified by Monica

SORRY, I AM ALMOST DONE WITH SKATING

I am sure that many of my readers understand that I love Figure Skating more than most people. I accept this fact as well. However, this weekend I think I sunk to extreme Figure Skating dorkdom. Ages ago Mom had taken our beloved Beta tapes from the 1988 Olympics and put them on DVDs for me (although I am still waiting for dance, pairs short, and ladies). Sadly, they would not play on my DVD player or on my ps2. However, I hadn’t tried them on the wonder that is the ps3. Lo and behold they worked! Glory be to me.

It was time to pop some popcorn and settle in for some “Battle of the Brians”. Truly, there was never a greater moment in Olympic history. I also got to watch plenty of Chris Bowman (whose cause of death is still unclear and apparently won’t be knows for many weeks) and was struck by how well he would have fared under the current judging system. His spins were more innovative than virtually anyone else on the scene and he had some decent footwork as well. It is truly amazing how far spinning has come over the past 20 years. Jumping has made some strides as well but not to the extent of spinning. I mean how many rotations can a human being possibly do in the air? I bet someone makes a quintuple jump one of these days but, after that, fuggedaboudid.

Anyway, I remember that the Battle of the Brians was excruciatingly close and was essentially won by Boitano’s higher technical merit marks. I was curious to see if the results would have been as close under the new judging system. Why? Cause I’m an enormous dork. I had to base my results primarily on jumps (because I can easily comprehend their assigned point values) and then factored in spins, footwork, and connecting moves to the best of my ability. The way I calculated the technical marks Boitano came out about five points ahead of Orser. Had I subtracted the points for one of Orsers double axels (it wouldn’t have counted today because it wasn’t in combination) it would have been greater but since they didn’t know about that rule I thought it would be unfair. I also didn’t factor in the 10% bonus for jumps at the end of the program because, again, they didn’t know to backload their programs. The biggest difference was that Boitano did two triple axels (although one got a negative grade of execution for a slight two foot). Orser got a negative grade of execution for a two foot and a “wrunch around” on a triple flip, while Boitano’s triple flip got a positive grade of execution. He also may have gotten a negative grade of execution on his last triple toe. It seems to have been two footed but I am not positive. Both of their spins would have been scoffed at today but it seemed to me that Boitano held his positions a little longer and that they were more precise. That camel Orser did, what was that? A comparison of their Death Drops left Orser in the dust.

However, the presentation mark is something I was unsure about. For the past 20 years I have been trying to understand why Orser so greatly outscored Boitano’s presentation marks. Not that I found anything wrong with Orser’s presentation, it was a fine program, but Boitano’s was a mixture of a cohesive story, emotion, superior positioning on basic skating elements, and general awesomeness. His connecting movements were stellar (the spread eagle heard around the world and those Russian splits that hurt to watch) and the choreography was impeccable. Maybe there is something I simply don’t see? There has been a lot of talk that Orsers scores were inflated because it was "his turn" but there has been a lot of talk the other way as well.

I'm not trying to diminish Orser, he was a great skater and put together an awesome program. Either way, my opinion is that, if the current judging system was around in 88, Boitano would have won by much more. Then again, I didn’t judge the short program (which Orser won) so maybe the seven or eight point difference in the long wouldn’t have meant as much? I doubt it though. Anyway, Here they are if you want to be the judge.
Boitano (the program starts at one minute)

Orser


1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play. Spike The Senses, Of Montreal.

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home. Cry Baby, Janis Joplin

3. There are people going hungry/ Far away/ They got nothing on their plates. A Cantury of Fakers, belle and Sebastian.

4. Deep in the bosom of the gentle night/ Is when I search for the light/ Pick up my pen and start to write. Insomnia, Faithless.

5. Glue/ Stuck to my shoe/ Does anyone know why/ We play with an orange rind. Putting The Damage On, Tori Amos.

RIP SHOWMAN

This morning I checked my email and saw a link that a champion figure skater had died. I clicked on the link and my jaw dropped when I saw the name Christopher Bowman. I guess i had expected one of the current skaters was in a car crash or something (which would have been equally tragic)Bowman was one of my all-time favorite skaters and I had a huge crush on him (which is a little embarrassing but I was 12 and loved figure skating, who else). In 1991 when the US Nationals were in Minneapolis I took a black baseball cap and put silver puffy paint on it that said “Congratulations Chris”. When I gave it to him I received the sweatiest hug known to man.

He was 40 years old and died in his sleep at a Motel in California. It is posited that it was a drug overdose. He had many problems over the years in that area. Seen as one of the “bad boys” of skating he could easily serve as the prototype for Will Farell’s character in Blades of Glory. As I was reading some comments on the story I was shocked at how many negative things there were about him. People commenting that he couldn’t’ have been that good because they had never heard of him. Maybe they were just too young or maybe they were just assholes.

For those who followed the sport in the late 80s and early 90s, Bowman couldn’t be missed. He had a flair that few skaters have and it earned him the nickname, “Bowman the Showman”. In the article I read Boitano named Chris as one of the top three male figure skaters of all time. Maybe of US male figure skaters…. Regardless, he brought a sense of levity to the sport that is in many ways lacking in this day and age. He’ll be missed.

Bowman’s Short Program from the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. It exemplifies who he was as a skater and you can easily see where he got his nickname.


Bowman’s Long Program from the 1991 Nationals. It’s a more subtle performance, although still great.


1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home

3. There are people going hungry/ Far away/ They got nothing on their plates

4. Deep in the bosom of the gentle night/ Is when I search for the light/ Pick up my pen and start to write.

5. Glue/ Stuck to my shoe/ Does anyone know why/ We play with an orange rind.

MOST BOGUS SHIT EVER

So last night I was having a enjoyable time dinging with friends at Dave’s place when I got a frantic call from Tony telling me that I had to come home right away. Of course I hopped in a cab and got out of there. When I came home I couldn’t believe what had gone down.

I don’t know if I have mentioned our upstairs neighbors before. They disagree with the volume at which we sometimes like to listen to things. They have disagreed with said volume at such strange times at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. However, we hadn’t heard a peep from them in well over six months, probably closer to a year. That all changed last night.

From what I understand Tony was watching youtube on the TV and was having some problems getting it to go full screen. He ended up listening to three songs, which would take roughly ten minutes. During this time he heard a noise like nothing before. Like the walls were falling in. He went to the front door and saw nothing. He looked out the windows and saw nothing. As he walked to the back door ther was a huge smash and the back door came swinging open and the boyfriend of our upstairs neighbor came into the kitchen and began yelling at him to turn the music down. Tony grabbed onto the guys sleeve, because what else are you going to do when someone bursts into your kitchen, and demanded to know what the fuck was going on. The guy yelled at Tony to let him go, which he did, and then left. Tony called the police, who came after about 20 minutes (the station is a block and a half away) and a report was filed.

This morning our maintenance man came and fixed the door. I just recently got off the phone with my landlord. I guess the plan is for me to talk to my upstairs neighbor (her boyfriend isn’t an official resident) and try to work something out. Tony is going back and forth about bringing charges up against the guy. I have absolutely no clue as to what I should do in this situation. I am going to talk to the lady but it just seems utterly insane. I never thought I would say I wish that someone had called the landlord to complain about me or called the cops to my apartment but that would have made so much more sense that what happened. I don’t know what else to say. Instead I will give you the most awesome thing I have seen in the last two days. It comes to us from "The Whitest Kids You Know", I give you Get A New Daddy.

1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home

3. There are people going hungry/ Far away/ They got nothing on their plates

4. Deep in the bosom of the gentle night/ Is when I search for the light/ Pick up my pen and start to write.

5. If You Want Me Too/ I Could Hang Round With You/ If I Only Knew/ That's What You're Into.

If It's What You're Into , Flight Of The Conchords. Identified by Mom.

SHAME AND A MEME

So I am officially incredibly uncool. I have known for some time that my level of cool is not the highest. I stay relatively up to date with gadget talk and video game news by watching Attack of the Show on G4 more days than not. I am incredibly socially awkward, particularly when around people I fear could possibly be cool but even around people who I know are definitely not cool. Before doing something new I often have nightmares and feelings of utter failure, even when I know the chance of utter failure is negligible. Regardless of all this embarrassing horror, I am very comfortable in my own uncool skin. Remember, it’s hip to be square.

However, I just found myself hardcore groovin’ to Sarah McLachlan. There is absolutely nothing remotely redeemable in the coolness department about that. It would be one thing if I had a moment of nostalgia and put the album on but to be jamming like it’s the hottest new joint is just not right. I’m really not THAT much of a total tool. Or maybe I am.

What had happened was my iPod was on shuffle and this Elsewhere came on and I was like, “man I miss this stuff,” so I put on the Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album and was instantly transported back to a time where I actually thought listening to it might somewhat approach coolness. I heart this album. It ranks up there with More Than Words and To Be With You in my list of guilty pleasures. The thing is, those are songs and this is a whole album. I am actually a bit scared that one of my co-workers or worse, one of my student workers, will come in the office and catch me. Whatever, it is so good.

Monica gave me a meme. It’s been a while.

1)Three Exes I would pretend not to know today:
I don’t think I would really pay much attention to any exes but I also don’t think I wouldn’t at least give a nod.

2)The most scandalous rumor to pass through my high school:
I am sure there were plenty but I honestly can’t remember a single one.

3)The time I Knew Santa didn't exist:
I had an inkling but it was confirmed when I was around 7 my parents rapped the Santa present in the same paper as the other presents. They then tried to tell me it was possible that Santa also shopped at Target.

4)The funniest thing I did in a house of worship:
Other than weddings, funerals, and bar mitzvahs I have only been in a house of worship once or twice. I don’t think I have done anything funny in one at all.

5)Best excuse I came up with for being out past curfew:
The cops stopped me for speeding. See, if I hadn’t been stopped I totally would have made it home on time.

6)Saturday cartoon character I had a crush on:
Keith from Voltron. At least he is a person.

7)Cartoon character I wanted to be:
Princess Allura from Voltron

8)Foods I can no longer stomach:
spaghettios. I went through a month or two of really liking them in high school because I had never eaten them and I thought they were grossly delicious. Now I think they are just gross.

9)Tacky pick up line you used that worked:
I don’t think I have ever used a pick up line.

10)Secret Hangover recipe:
If I told you it wouldn’t’ be a secret anymore.

Song time.
1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home

3. Stand/ Under/ Fountain/ Cool skin/ Wash clean. Wash him/ From me. Fountain, PJ Harvey. Identified by Jason.

4. There are people going hungry/ Far away/ They got nothing on their plates

5. Deep in the bosom of the gentle night/ Is when I search for the light/ Pick up my pen and start to write.

A POST OF POSSIBILITY

So last night I watched the Iowa Caucuses fully expecting to see Hillary Clinton coast to a win. I wasn’t hoping for it, of the three top runners she is my least favorite. Something about her just seems a little robotic and I don’t trust her. I feel pretty good about both Obama and Edwards. They seem sane, passionate, intelligent, I like their plans, and are generally stand up guys that I wouldn’t mind having dinner with. I think dinner with Hillary would make me really self-conscious.

Just a little under a year ago I wrote a very honest post about how I felt about Obama’s chances to become president. I really wasn’t sure at the time if I thought our country would actually vote a Black man into office. I still am by no means convinced that it would really happen but the actual possibility of it sank in a little bit. It brought a tear to my eye. Don't get me wrong, I'm not for Obama because he is Black, I like his politics. I just didn't know how many people would feel the same way. Obama himself doesn't talk about race all that much but all the commentators do and it is certainly in the mind of the public. It isn’t something that can be ignored.

Political commenters, and Obama himself, have been saying for a while that he needs to have a victory to really gain the full support of the African-American community. While I was ready to support him win or not, I think there is likely to be many people who, after seeing his rather definitive success, will take a closer look at him. I don't know if that is all that it will take to get people to support him, believe it or not politics do matter. However, it did play out that way in the Illinois Senatorial race.

His speech after the win was absolutely priceless. If you didn’t get a chance to see it take a look.



He spoke of hope, unity, change, and a belief in the inherent good of our country. I felt like he said everything that I needed and wanted to hear. However, in the middle of his speech one thought came into my head, “please don’t kill him”. I don’t know where it came from and I was actually a little disappointed in myself for thinking it. Sadly, I couldn’t see myself thinking anything else.

Even if he never gets another win in this race I think great strides were made last night. I think, at the very least, the possibility is there. Sure Iowa is only the first of many many steps and it won’t be an easy road from here on in. It will be interesting though. Very interesting.

Ok, enough of that. Time for some songs.

1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home

3. Stand/ Under/ Fountain/ Cool skin/ Wash clean. Wash him/ From me

4. There are people going hungry/ In Far away/ They got nothing on their plates

5. Deep in the bosom of the gentle night/ Is when I search for the light/ Pick up my pen and start to write.

RANDOM POST ABOUT STUFF

In case no one knew it is really incredibly cold here in Chicago today. When I woke up the TV said it was 1 outside. That just shouldn’t happen. Unfortunately, I wore my one pair of pants that are not jeans to work yesterday. I also wore my new boots (and could walk in them unlike the other time I tried to wear them in the slush and gave up two feet from my door) and broke them in significantly but not enough for two days in a row. Therefore, I was all about tights and sneakers this morning. I’ve worn tights and sneakers all winter for the last many years, it isn’t a big deal and I knew I would be fine. However, something was different this morning. By the time I got to the train station the place between my knees and my sneakers just didn’t feel right. They came back to normal but it was a little dodgy there for a second.

Not to worry though, I have a solution…legwarmers. Now I wouldn’t typically be a legwarmer wearing in public type of person but it’s freaking cold. I also wouldn’t typically own legwarmers but apparently Tony’s mother figured that since I asked for a bunch of tights for Christmas that they would be a good idea. I laughed a lot when I saw them but have been sporting them around the house under my target pants for extra warmth for some time. Apparently they will make an outside debut.

So last night I watched Conan because I was curious to see what a show without writers would be like. It was pretty bad. However, I really like Conan’s new beard that he grew for solidarity with the writers. I do not like Letterman’s new beard, he looks like a creepy Santa. I realize that many people do not agree with my like of the beard but I think it makes him look less like that little girl from Mary Poppins and more like a regular dude. Plus when he was walking around his office playing the guitar is was way cooler than it would have been if he had not had a flaming red beard.

In additional TV news I still heart Project Runway and really want Christian to die. As I am discussing the show with Monica, however, I realize that everyone is kind of boring. They kept telling me that this season is full of the strongest talent but I don’t believe them. I heart last season. I extra heart season two but just because of Santino. Couldn’t they have brought Santino back instead of Chris? I also am embarrassed to say I watched the Supermodel show that came on I am also ashamed to say that I could possibly become a voter. Crap.

1. Every second/ of every minute of the day/ I let my fancy play

2. OOOHH Baby/ Cry Baby/ Cry Baby/ Welcome back home

3. Get down get down little Henry Lee/ And stay all night with me/ You won’t find a girl/ In this damn world/ That will compare with me. Henry Lee, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds w/ PJ Harvey. Identified by Jason.

4. I can’t get no/ Satisfaction/ I can’t get no/ Satisfaction. Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones (althouhg I wish it had been Devo) Identified by Jason.

5. Stand/ Under/ Fountain/ Cool skin/ Wash clean. Wash him/ From me

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR

Being back at work after many days off is never an easy thing. Luckily, I have plenty or organizing and planning to do and it doesn’t involve an extraordinary amount of brain power. Mostly I just have to read lists and then put the information in different places. Good times. My office is freezing. I think I need a heater. When I get home I am totally sitting in front of one.

Since my last post the year has changed. I had a fantastic New Years Eve and a very slow New Years Day. So it goes. Tony and I got all dressed up at around 5pm and left the house at six for our 7pm reservations at MK. We got there at 6:55 and were promptly taken to our table, which was nice and private but still in the middle of everything. We were thoroughly overwhelmed by the wine list and asked the waiter to recommend something, he did and it was delicious. I have no idea what it was. All I remember is it was Spanish and white and had an apricot aftertaste.

Our meal started with an amuse bouche. I had some salsify with a few sprigs of what was either very large sprouts or very small greens, a lemon sauce (we’ll call it a reduction to be fancy), and some black truffle shavings. It was delicious. Tony had some kind of shooter in an oyster shell. I think there was something cucumberish about it. He said it was nice.

Course two was an endive and field green salad for me and a lobster salad for Tony. Endive is an interesting food. It is very bitter and yet somewhat sweet, almost licoricesque. The dressing was light and lemonish and complimented the bitterness of the salad very well. There were also some baby croutons and orange slices in there that went perfectly. Tony said the lobster salad was good.

The third course was, in my opinion, the highlight. I had a sunchoke soup that was poured tableside over two small piles of diced endive topped with an orange slice. It was creamy, just the right temperature, and had the most delicate flavor that I’ve had in quite some time. However, it still really stuck to the ribs. The tiny orange slices were the icing on the cake. The way they just burst apart and complimented the soup was exceptional. Tony had the squab which was served over lentils. His face lit up when he tasted it and seemed to enjoy it most of all. Monica later told him that squab is pigeon. He still thought it was tasty.

My main course was a risotto trio. The first didn’t quite seem like a risotto as it appeared to be made of diced endive (a common thread) but I could be wrong about that. It was topped with baby carrots and delicious carrot foam. I was ecstatic about getting foam on my meal. It just made me think of Marcel and smile and laugh. I was surprised at how carroty and delicious the foam actually was. The second risotto had a delicious parmesan flavor and was topped with I believe oyster mushrooms that were cooked to perfection. MMM delicious. The last was a black truffle infused risotto with an abundance of black truffle shavings. Also divine. We ordered some pomme frites with the main course and they were served with a white truffle aioli. Those were some killer fries. Unfortunately, we were fat too full to eat all of them. Tony had turbot which he said was tasty but he was getting too full to really enjoy it anymore.

The dessert course was also a highlight for me. I ordered the lemon dessert while Tony opted for the chocolate. I was so glad I had the lemon. The chocolate wasn’t bad; warm chocolate cake with some chocolate moose type stuff on the side. The lemon was heavenly. I had a very light custard that just melted on the tongue and it had these sweet lemon curls of wonder on top. Then there was the lemon tart with a caramelized crust on top and a flaky wonderful crust on the bottom. Although I couldn’t finish it I most certainly wanted to. Although we took longer than the 90 minutes we were told we would get the staff didn’t rush us out at all and were more than accommodating throughout the meal. They were an absolute delight.

Then it was into a cab and over to Dave’s place. He assured us that the march to the lake would be optional so we didn’t need to go home and change first, which was good. I don’t know if I would have made it back out had I been able to enter my cozy abode. In true Dave fashion there was a plethora of delicious looking food at his house, sadly we were far too full for anything although I did sneak a couple handfuls of popcorn and a forkful of enchilada at around 1 or so. I did help myself to the rum and hot apple cider though. MMMM. After a march around the block (although some continued on to the lake) and some more chillin, Tony, Brooke, and I headed home and proceeded to drink some wine which I think helped me feel very lethargic on Monday. I went to bed around 3 while Tony and Brooke stayed up until about 7. Crazy. Tony still managed to get up around 9, take a shower, and head to the store to buy breakfast. What a goofball.

I forgot my iPod today, although I did remember to bring my iPod speaker to the office. No songs today.

FOOD FUN AND FRIENDS

You gotta love friends being in town. After I spent Thursday recuperating from my trip home by lazing in my pjs, doing puzzles, and sleeping Friday was a time to get out and get going. I planned to meet Monica and Brooke for lunch downtown but that didn’t quite happen. Brooke came over after lunch and we got to chat a little bit and then headed to the train where we met Dave and then were off to Ba-Ba-Re-Ba for some Tapas and Sangria. Monica and Lakeiya met us there. Hooray for lots of friends! After four pitchers of sangria and delicious tapas, one of which looked like a caramel covered nutty poo (but was incredibly delicious) we though it would be an excellent idea to travel far out west for Karaoke.

Sadly, I had forgotten my check card but since I was with friends they made sure I wasn’t too thirsty during the singing festivities. That’s what friends are for. Brooke and Monica’s band, The Obnoxious Hollering Assholes, made their official debut, which is funny because I am kind of the only friend who isn’t in the band in some way shape or form. Apparently you have to ask them to be in the band and I thought they should just ask me because I am so obviously talented. Guess not. On the way to karaoke Dave became the costume designer and Lakeiya became their lawyer. I was still just chillin. Anyway, I am now at least something since I had a fairly large part in the debut. Our first two numbers were a complete group effort (Brooke’s first time up on the karaoke stage) and were both completely Asshole type songs.

Lakeiya had to go home at around ten because she is a sleepy little girl who likes to go home. Plus she lives in the suburbs and it takes her a while to get anywhere. I guess it was acceptable. Monica and I both did atrocious solo songs. We both decided not to do those songs again. I should have sung The Letter instead. We should know better then to get up and sing when we are afraid. We are never afraid to get up there. It was a sign. Dave and Brooke did an awesome rendition of a karaoke staple, which sealed the deal for Brooke becoming a full fledged karaoke lover. We then closed out the night with a very fast song with hard to pronounce words. I can’t believe we sang it as well as we did. Our voices were totally sore and horrible when we were done but it was totally worth it. 2am it was and obviously time to go home.

It took us a while to get out of there, being that the place is in the middle of nowhere, and it was rather extremely chilly but cabs came and we got in them and then were able to get to our homes. Today should also be a good time. We plan to eat burgers and drink bad sangria (not to be confused with the delicious sangria at Ba-ba-re-ba) at Moody’s. Should be a good time. I have once again made a post and it isn’t yet 2008. However, as I got an awesome laptop for Christmas, it makes posting wile doing other things much easier and therefore possible.

For the songs today I will use the ones we sang for karaoke in the order of which they were sang. This does mean six songs instead of five but it just seems right. Obviously, Monica and Brooke have no business answering these.

1. I pulled into Nazareth/ I was feelin' about half past dead/ I just need some place/where I can lay my head. (sung awesomely by the Obnoxious Hollering Assholes) The Weight, The Band. Identified by Johnny Yen.

2. He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun/ In case of accidents he always took his mom (sung awesomely by the Obnoxious Hollering Assholes). The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, The Beatles. Identified by Johnny Yen.

3. He came from somewhere back in her long ago/ The sentimental fool don’t see/ Tryin hard to recreate/ What had yet to be created once in her life (sung quite poorly by Monica) What A Fool Believes, The Doobie Brothers. Identified by Johnny Yen.

4. Heard of a van that’s loaded with weapons/ Packed up and ready to go/ Heard of some gravesites/ Out by the highway/ A place where nobody knows (sung quite poorly by Natalie). Life During Wartime, The Talking Heads. Identified by Johnny Yen.

5. Twenty-five years and my life is still/ Trying to get up that great big hill/ of hope/ For a destination (sung incredibly awesomely by Brooke and Dave). What's Up. 4 Non Blondes. identified (with the wrong title) by Mom.

6. Harry Truman/ Doris Day/ Red China/ Johnny Ray/ South pacific/ Walter Winchell/ Joe DiMaggio (sung surprisingly well by The Obnoxious Hollering Assholes (although Lakeiya had left)). We Didn't Start The Fire, by Billy Joel. Identified by CS.

SCRABBLE WITH MOM

I hadn’t planned to write between my last post and 2008 but since I have been home I have played two games of scrabble with my mother and I have won both of them. This is a virtually unheard of occurance. The first game was actually a blowout, 408-277. I scored 247 points in five turns, one of which I lost because I put up a totally made up word. If you are a scrabble player you know this is a rather awesome feat. The second game was a tight one. She was about to beat me, although not by more than 30 pts or so, when I got a seven letter word at a point where only three letters were left in the bag. She was still about ten points ahead and the last three letters that I picked were H, S, and Z. I took a deep breath and asked her if it was ok to play a word that I knew exised but was not in any of the dictonaries that we had. She agreed that if I was sure it was ok. She knows I am no cheat. So I played “za” with the Z on a double letter score, sending me over the edge. I ended with “his” on a double word sore for a final of 358-336. I also informed her that “qi” is now legal.

As I am sitting here in my parents room watching a Mingus DVD that my sister got for Christmas from her roommates I have no ipod and will not post any new songs.

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

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

3. Repair the hull/ Replace the sail/ The monkey wrestles with the ghost. Sea Shanty, by Quasi.

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. City Bird, by Of Montreal.

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.

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.

R.O.U.S LIVES

Remember The Princess Bride? It was a great film and I wanted to hug it. The movie had everything you could possibly want, comedy, romance, suspense, sword fighting, and revenge. It also had the Fire Swamp, a place that terrified me as a young person. The idea of catching on fire was not pleasant, even with the loud sound that warned you of the upcoming conflagration. Then there was the lightning sand. Quicker than quicksand this stuff was seriously dangerous, but as long as you didn’t step in it you were ok. No, the true terror of the fire swamp was the R.O.U.S (Rodent of Unusual Size). This guy was horrible. He was a rat the size of a dog, and not a small dog either. I took heed in the fact that they were not real. Or should I say they weren’t real. Researchers discovered a R.O.U.S in the Indonesian jungle. He is still the size of a dog, albeit a much smaller dog that the original R.O.U.S. Check him out.

On a happier note (I think), while reading Metromix’s review of the top 10 albums of 2007 I was pleased to see none other than Of Montreal’s Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer which I continue to listen to like mad and have even begun to like The Past is a Grotesque Animal and to almost tolerate Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider. Who knew? While I am incredibly glad the album has been recognized I wonder if that will make it inherently less cool. They wrote “A playful yet intense batch of neuroses from frontman Kevin Barnes, indie rock’s prince of fuzzy glam weirdness.” I guess it’s a pretty accurate portrayal. How about the video for Gronlandic Edit (my favorite song on the album) for you all to enjoy. Why? Cause it’s awesome.



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. She called me up today/ Meet me down at the old café/ I jumped into the shower/ I was getting my marching orders. Step Into My Office, Baby by Belle and Sebastian. Identified by Chatty Knitter

ADVERTISEMENTS LIE

So I watched about 50% of the Vikings Bears game last night and although I haven’t seen sloppier football played for a while the end result was just fine with me. I always think it is mean when teams who have little or no chance at the playoffs beat teams who have something of a chance. I know they get paid to win no matter what but sometimes I think it is more sportsmanlike to make sure some fellow players get their dream. Actually throwing games may be the epitome of being unsportsmanlike so never mind.

While I was not watching the game I was watching the Extras finale. What a depressing show. It made me want to cry repeatedly while slapping the people who were making me cry. I guess that is something of an accomplishment.

Note to self: stop being taken in by commercials about pizza.

A while ago there was that Dominoes commercial about the garlicky crust pizza with the guys who had extra big sensory organs. They made the pizza look so incredibly delicious. I don’t do Dominoes pizza, it was been pounded into my head that they have some political leanings I don’t believe in (although who knows if that has changed since the mid 80s) and the pizza is relatively disgusting on top of it. Pizza Hut, on the other hand, is a guilty pleasure of mine. Man that stuffed crust is awesome. I do realize that I live in Chicago and if I want a delicious pizza there are far better options but sometimes I just want some of the Hut. Anyway, Pizza Hut had this new double deep pizza that looked pretty delicious in the commercials. I wanted to eat it. While it wasn’t disgusting, it certainly wasn’t as delicious as my typical Pizza Hut pizza. I swear that pizza commercials will not take me in anymore. I am always disappointed when I open the box. Actually, this happens with many food items I see on TV and think look delicious. They never look the same on my plate as on the TV. I take that back, there is one product, the ice cream I have seen on TV is just as delicious if not more so when I try it. I love ice cream.

Note to self: When you get up early to go to a breakfast at work, don’t eat breakfast before you go.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean I got up an hour early specifically to go to breakfast. However, as part of my typical morning routine I ate breakfast. What a dumbass. There was fruit at the breakfast though and I hadn’t eaten any fruit already so I had some but not as much as I would have if I hadn’t already eaten. Stupid stupid stupid.

1. Across the lines/ who would dare to go/ Under the bridge/ Over the tracks/ That separate Whites from Blacks. Across The Lines, Tracy Chapman. Identified by Mom.

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

3. Goodbye Cruel World/ I’m leaving you today/ Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye. Goodbye Cruel World, Pink Floyd. Identified by Auld Hat

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

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

SO VERY FESTIVE

I’m getting the holiday spirit in full force. I spoke to my friend, Friend, and found out that she will be here for a nice chunk of time and I will be able to hang out with her as I have no work and I am incredibly excited about that. I also found out that friend Lakeiya is coming to town for a week or so as well. YEAH! I miss Lakeiya so much. Monica and I will have to do something fun with her. I feel all festive and warm and fuzzy thinking of their smiling faces.

Tony and I made reservations for New Years Dinner at MK, a swanky type spot. We opted for the earlier dinner seating because eating at 7 costs about 35 less than eating at eight although Tony was hoping for a slightly later meal. Oh well. We are only allowed 90min at the table before they kick us out but that is a pretty long dinner for the two of us. We are not slow eaters. We opted for MK because the samples of dinners on the prix fixe menu sounded yummy to Tony and they also have a vegetarian prix fixe option. Two years ago we went to The Green Zebra, a 90% vegetarian restaurant, for New Years (which was 100% vegetarian) I loved the food but Tony wanted some meat. This will work out well. Plus, Tony really wanted a reason to wear a suit. That means when we show up to Dave’s party we’ll be all swanky. That might suck as we head to the beach for fireworks…. Oh well, make it work. Awesome.

And now for something completely different, a very short and very hilarious video spot courtesy of “Tim and Eric Awesome Show Good Job”.



By the way Tim and Eric to have an awesome show and every time it is over I want to say, "good job". They have wonderful guests like Fred Willard, Bob Odenkirk, and John C Riley. They are on adult swim. You might like it.

1. We are two mariners/ Our ships sole survivors/ In this belly of a whale. The Mariner's Revenge, The Decemberists. Partially identified by Identified by Monica

2. I let the beast in too soon/I don't know how to live/ Without my hand on his throat/ I fight him always and still. Fast as You Can, Fiona Apple (I know people don't laugh)

3. Have mercy on me sir/ allow me to impose on you/ I have no place to stay/ And my bones are cold right through. Song of Joy, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Identified by Brooke.

4. Sleepwalking through the all night drugstore/ Baptized in fluorescent light/ I found religion in the greeting card aisle/ And now I know Hallmark was right. Superhero, Ani DiFranco. Identified by Brooke.

5. Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as /parklife/And morning soup can be avoided if you take a route straight through what is known as/ parklife. Parklife, Blur. Identified by Brooke.

IT'S ALMOST TIME

I finished all my x-mas shopping this morning. I even stayed under budget by a whopping $6.50. Everything is being shipped to my parent’s house because while my stuff is all guaranteed to arrive by Dec 24th, I will be leaving my home on the 21st so that would be no good. How glad am I that I didn’t wait until the shipping guarantee was about to expire. I was truly afraid that I was going to fall into that your stuff can’t be delivered on time so you will actually have to go to the store trap. I actually tried to go to the store yesterday for some things but even with a 30% discount stuff was cheaper online. Not a good sign for stores.

I am so excited to go home for the holidays and this next week will be a hard one. I have plenty to keep me busy at work but I am still yearning for my vacation. Tony and I will be apart yet again on x-mas day. I want to go home and he wants to go home and we haven’t figured out a way to compromise. We are toying with the idea of trying to do both next year. Who knows, it might work. Our next challenge is to find somewhere to eat for New Years. We better get on that stat. I am sure it will be hard to get a table anywhere. After dinner it will be all about Dave’s party, which probably means going out to the lake to look at “fireworks”. Should be fun.

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

2. I let the beast in too soon/I don't know how to live/ Without my hand on his throat/ I fight him always and still

3. Have mercy on me sir/ allow me to impose on you/ I have no place to stay/ And my bones are cold right through

4. Sleepwalking through the all night drugstore/ Baptized in fluorescent light/ I found religion in the greeting card aisle/ And now I know Hallmark was right.

5. Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as /parklife/And morning soup can be avoided if you take a route straight through what is known as/ parklife

3 UNRELATED THINGS

There are a few things of interest for me to say today.

1. Ike Turner is dead.
Typically when I read about the deaths of people who have had some sort of musical influence I get pretty sad. Sad wasn’t really an emotion that I initially felt when I read about good old Ike. I’m not saying that I was happy to hear of it either. Just because someone was a bad abusive beater doesn’t mean that I think they should necessarily die. Basically I was confused. I was confused that I wasn’t sad and I was confused that I didn’t feel bad about not being sad and then I decided that I would just let it go. So I did.

2. Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream is awesome.
Some time ago Haagan Dazs had a contest to find a new ice cream flavor. They narrowed it down from five finalists who got to create three versions of their product, get it reviewed by judges and then choose one ultimate example of what their flavor should be. The five finalists were: Chocolate malt, Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle, Something with Fig, Cannoli, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Out of those I wanted to taste the fig, the brittle, and the Sticky Toffee Pudding. I absolutely hate chocolate ice cream so the malt was out of the question and I have never been a huge fan of cannolis. At the first elimination the fig and Malt got the ax so the remaining three went cross country for taste tests. Apparently Sticky Toffee Pudding blew everyone out of the water and was ultimately named the winning flavor thus being put into production.

Sticky Toffee Pudding is sticky and there is some toffee type thing going on but it is definitely not a pudding in the sense that I would think of pudding. It is more like cake. In fact, it is like a moist delicious spice cake. It is then topped with a sticky toffee sauce. In fact, it is remarkably like Dave’s Gravy cake but with different flavors. It also has a name that you just can’t help but say. I wanted some!

Our neighborhood store doesn’t have the largest ice cream selection and I have not seen Sticky Toffee Pudding there. Months and months passed since I watched the pick a new flavor special on the food network and I had essentially forgotten about it. Then, while picking up my prescriptions I walked past the ice cream case and there it was. I had to pick some up. I want to hug it. The spice cake is simply wonderful and spicy and great. The Sticky toffee sauce is very sugary but simply divine. I am so glad they made it.

3. I heart dinosaurs
When I was younger I loved Dinosaurs. What kid didn’t? Last night on the National Geographic Channel there was some great dino stuff going on. First they found a pit of dinosaur fossils in China. There were hundreds of dinosaurs on site and in one particular pit they found five (4 different species) piled one on top of the other. How cool. Unfortunately, I was falling asleep and only got to understand some parts of the show. Luckily it taped so I can learn more later. That show was followed by one where they found a “dinomummy” and were going to put it though a cat scan. Awesome. I was totally asleep by that point but I watched a little this morning. You could see scales and everything and they learned that this species had a much bigger ass than was previously believed. It also had different sized scales which lead them to reconstruct a striped pattern on its body. I can’t wait to see what else they uncover. It made me feel five again.

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

2. To me/ Coming from you/ Friend is a four letter word/ End is the only part of the word/ That I heard. Friend is a Four Letter Word, Cake. Identified by Phil

3. I let the beast in too soon/I don't know how to live/ Without my hand on his throat/ I fight him always and still

4. Have mercy on me sir/ allow me to impose on you/ I have no place to stay/ And my bones are cold right through

5. Sleepwalking through the all night drugstore/ Baptized in flourescent light/ I found religion in the greeting card aisle/ And now I know Hallmark was right.

MA'AM NO MORE

When I was 22 I started working in downtown Chicago. I was your typical commuter putting on my business type clothes, getting on the train, and walking to one of the many tall buildings that populate the area. I would generally go to lunch sometime between noon and one with all the other downtown working types. Sometimes, after work, I would do a little shopping and was often accompanied by other after work shoppers. It was during this time I began to be referred to as Ma’am.

It made sense, I was obviously a grown-up. I worked in a grownup area, wore grownup clothes, and traveled during peak grown-up hours. Even as I got more comfortable at work and the grownupness of my clothes may have become a little more casual I was still a member of the grownup team.

I hate being called Ma’am. Granted, at this point I am pushing 30 and maybe the term applies. Even if it does apply I still think it is gross. However, at 22 I don’t think the term ever applies. The thing is I have never looked particularly old. I think I look my age. Some people tell me that I look younger but I think they are either just people who look older than they are or people that think we are still in the times of Love Connection when 21 was the new 40.

Now that I work primarily on a college campus filled with undergrads the terminology has changed. I have become Miss again. It is entirely awesome. Yesterday I went to pick up a prescription and handed the pharmacist my new insurance information. “Is this in your name or your parent’s,” he asked me. I almost fainted. I haven’t been eligible for my parents insurance in almost seven years. It felt wonderful. I walk down the street or stop into a shop and it is Miss this and Miss that and I don’t feel like an old lady anymore.

The perks of this job just keep on coming.

As Monica guessed almost everything on the shuffle yesterday here are a bunch of new songs.

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

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

3. I let the beast in too soon/I don't know how to live/ Without my hand on his throat/ I fight him always and still

4. Have mercy on me sir/ allow me to impose on you/ I have no place to stay/ And my bones are cold right through

5. I’ve never known a girl like you before/ Just like in a song from days of yore/ here you come a knocking knocking on my door. A Girl Like You. Edwin Collins. Identified by The Doc

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

BYE BYE BOOKS

I have got to weight in on this thing that is Kindle. As a book and gadget lover, I am both excited and horrified by this product. In case you didn’t know, Kindle is a wireless device developed y Amazon.com that can download and store up to 200 books from a database of 90,000. It can also receive magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Kindle is about the size of a standard paperback and has a very high resolution and quite readable screen. Downloads take about one minute. I hear that the color resolution isn’t the best but unless you are reading science or children’s books that probably won’t be much of an issue. You can download first chapters of books for free and the most expensive titles are $9.99.

As a gadget this thing is pretty awesome. Sure the price tag is a little high ($399) but, like most gadgets that will very likely lower in the next few years. Kindle has a reported battery life of about 6 hours and that is extended if you turn the wireless features off. It fully recharges in two hours, which is a little long but could be much worse. It is light and thin and uses cell phone networks so you don’t’ have to be in a wi-fi hotspot to download your materials and it doesn’t have any wireless charges. You can even email yourself files for reading anything you wrote or some business type stuffs on the go. Everything you purchased is stored online so if you needed to clear space for a particular book you won’t be deleting something forever. You can click on a word you don’t know and look it up instantly. You’ll never need to bookmark a page, Kindle remembers

So why does it scare me? The answer is simple. I think we may be witnessing the downfall of the printed page. Any avid reader knows there is something about holding a book in your hand. You turn the pages and new stories unfold. As you read you can measure your progression by how many pages have moved from one side of the book to the other. You can tell how loved a book is by the creases in its binding and the notes scribbled in the margins (if you write in your books like I do). All of this is impossible with a machine. Well all except the notes, you can make annotations with this thing too.

Remember the smell of old books? Cherish it. In two generations it may be gone. I will always remember the smell of Happiness is a Warm Puppy. I don’t know if they used some kind of special paper or what but no other book I have ever read has smelled that way. Think of the way libraries look, both at home and in the public. The bookshelf could become an obsolete piece of furniture. There is a lot at stake here. Sure we love our books now but what about the kids who grow up with these things. How much cheaper would getting your books for college be with one? In 20 years how hard will it be to buy a real book?

I can’t promise I will never go digital. This product looks pretty amazing. I didn’t understand how awesome mp3 players were for years but my iPod has changed my life. Kindle could do the same thing for books that mp3 players have done for CDs. Who am I to say this is a bad thing? I can’t go into the bookstore and buy a brand new book for $9.99. I am safe for now because not only are they expensive but they are sold out on Amazon. Not to mention that the thought of having one kind of makes me want to vomit. The revolution is now.

I LOVE HEROES

It’s time to talk Heroes. If you are someone who watches the show and has not yet seen the Chapter 2 finale you should stop reading. If you are not someone who watches the show…what is wrong with you?

I have spoken to many people who had a lot of complaints about this season, mainly that Hiro was in 17th century Japan for a large part of it. Maybe it’s because I am a sappy romantic type girl or maybe Hiro can simply do no wrong in my opinion but I thought that particular storyline was one of the best of the season. There was romance, fighting under ridiculous odds, issues of conscience, communication with an alternate timeline, and the introduction of a villain. What more do you want from a superhero story? Plus, Kensei/Adam is an incredibly well developed awesome character and I am so glad he was brought to the show.

If people were going to complain about something why not talk about Syler, Maya and Alejandro? I have never in my life been less invested in a character than I was in those two. Maya’s power is only remotely cool. If she can master it more and target specific people rather than an entire room we may have something. Alejandro couldn’t do anything except help her control her power and the two of them took up far too much air time. Really they were only there to give Syler someone to talk to. Now Syler is a great character what with his eating brains and all but Syler without powers is almost as bring as those stupid twins. If you ask me that arc could have taken all of half an episode.

I spent the last week wondering who the two heroes to die would be. I had my fingers crossed for Maya and Nikki. Unfortunately, Maya will live on. Thankfully, Nikki went up in a huge explosion. Sadly, Micah is now without any parents but he has his awesome cousin Monica and Grandma Uhura to take care of him so it will be just fine. Nathan Petrelli was another story though. I almost cried. Nathan has never been the wonder that is his brother Peter but he is no slouch and to never see Hiro shout, “Flying Man,” again will be a sad thing.

The battle between Peter and everyone else could have been way cooler. I wanted to see some hero fireworks. The last few episodes of the first season really delivered with some good battles. This one only teetered on the edge of awesome superhuman conflict. It worked within the story but left the 12yr old boy in me wanting more. Hiro burying Kensei and leaving him there to suffer was simply priceless but if Angel could get out of a coffin at the bottom of the ocean Kensei can get out of one six feet down. If he and Syler unite they will certainly be a force to reckon with.

All in all I was pleased with the season and am eagerly awaiting the next Chapter. I am on the fence if the writers strike hurt this season or not. Yesterday James Kyson Lee (Ando) was co hosting Attack of the Show on G4 and he claimed that this chapter was only supposed to be 12 episodes in the first place (it ended with episode 11) so not much was done to shorten it because of the writers strike but that this would wrap up the second chapter. I am wondering if that is true or if they just ended up splitting Chapter 2 into two parts and this episode was supposed to be the mid-season climax vs. a season finale? Then again it doesn’t really matter. I simply love the show.

No random songs for a while. My iPod is stuck on My Bloody Valentine. Typically I would plug it into my computer and it would unstick itself but as my computer is down no luck. I’m going to have to go over to Dave’s.

SO FUN I DIDN'T MIND THE WEATHER

This weekend was Monica’s birthday celebration. I had been looking forward to it because I haven’t been to a proper karaoke spot for ages and Monica is always fun to hang out with. However, when I woke up and looked at the weather report I was somewhat dismayed. There was a winter weather advisory, it was snowing, and it promised to rain later. Dave opted out of the festivities pretty early in the day. Tony and I sat there and hoped that the weather would get better but it didn’t look good. I called Monica to make sure that things were still on because if I was going to go out into the nasty that is a wintry mix there better be something good at the end of the tunnel. Monica let me know things were still on and was happy to know that I was still planning to come. We were going and that was all there was to it. Tony mentioned that it was strange how we stay home every night of the year and decide to leave on the worse one. I guess tht is just how it goes.

Jamie opted in so we planned to meet up with her halfway through the bus route. I had checked online to see when the bus was coming and had everything mapped out but Tony wasn’t quite ready to go when I had planned to leave so things got pushed back a little. We left the house at 9:30 with rain above and ice below. The bus didn’t’ show up until 9:59. Once we were on it was ok. We got off and met Jamie on the corner, the second bus came relatively quickly. All was going well until the bus driver stopped and told us she went no further. Had we left earlier the bus would have gone all the way to our destination, but we didn’t and we had to walk.

The driver told us it was about three blocks. It was more like seven. As we walked I told a tale of three weary travelers trudging through the ice and snow. The neighborhood was empty, not a place that young childless types would oft frequent. We came upon a mouse who was quite cute. Jamie chanted a constant, “crunch, crunch, crunch,” throughout our tale to further set the mood. Eventually I saw some shiny lights in the distance that had to be out destination. It was. We vowed to kick Monica in the ass once we arrived but we didn’t.

It took quite a while for our names to get called to sing but once they did we were up there time and time again. Monica started things off with a nice rendition of Long Train Running (Doobie Brothers), I followed with my staple The Humpty Dance (Digital Underground) which was immediately followed by Jamie, Monica, and I doing Dancin’ with Myself (Billy Idol). Throughout the night various permutations of the group did, Weak (SWV), Gin and Juice (Snoop), Truckin (The Grateful Dead), What a Man (Salt n’ Peppa), Livin on a Prayer (Bon Jovi), and What’s Up (4 Non Blondes). Essentially we sang a whole mess of songs. I don’t mean to brag but our group was way more awesome than the other people singing. Not that we didn’t have our points of struggle, cause we did but we were still pretty good and also better looking than most other people there. Man I am a jerk.

Tony and Pete, a co-worker of Monica, left the singing to play darts and were eventually joined by the rest of us. At around 3am Tony and I decided to get a cab and head home. We picked up some Mexican food from the delicious hole in the wall on the corner and watched some TV. It was a good night. By the time we got home we admitted the night was a great success and were glad we didn't stay in bed because of the weather.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd. Internet Sandman, Weird Al

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me. Faded From the Winter, Iron & Wine

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now. Keep it Clean, Camera Obscura

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love. One Summer Dream, ELO

WEEK ONE DOWN

Here I am, halfway through my first week on the new job. I have my desk accessories, and I must say they look quite nice, and I am starting to get the lay of the land. I went to an interdepartmental meeting yesterday and actually understood about 70% of what was going on. I thought that was pretty good.

Today someone came by to take my picture for the new employee section of the departmental newsletter. He worked in the downtown office and I had offered to go to him for the picture. He said eh would come to me. I then told him that I was in Lincoln Park and asked it that would be ok. He said sure. Today he told me that no one has ever offered to go to his office before. I wonder why?

So far the hardest thing has been getting my commute right. My main office is five stops closer on the train than my old office and I thought I would save about 15-20 min on the commute. I was right the first day, left 18min later and got to work at about 8:55. Then I did the same thing on the second day and got to work at about 9:05??? Today I left 10min later and got here at 8:45. It makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention the day that I came in to my office and then headed to the downtown office to meet my supervisor and was late. I gave myself 30min to go 7 stops, and was 10min late. It made no sense whatsoever. Oh well, I suppose if that is the least of my worries (well that and mastering the material I have to start teaching in Jan) I’m doing fine.

My computer at home is still broken but it seems to be less broken than before. About a month ago we went to turn it on and the buttons didn’t work. I took it apart and jiggled things but nothing changed. The other day we went out into the living room and the thing was on although the front buttons still don’t seem to do anything. We had been completely unable to get it on before. However, now the monitor won’t go off sleep mode so we can’t tell if it is on and working or just on and doing nothing. It is all baffling. Tony’s friend Ryan is going to send us a laptop so we’ll be able to have a computer while I send it off to my Dad.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Looking back on when I/ Was a little nappy-headed boy/ Then my only worry/ Was for Christmas what would be my toy. I Wish, Stevie Wonder. Identified by Mom.

SINCE THE FEAST

I learned a few things during this year’s Thanksgiving.

1. Don’t make a dish you haven’t prepared before but you saw done on the Food Network with much larger vegetables than the ones you could find. It just won’t work out quite right. My artichokes were not served although I did take them home and manage to make a few incredibly tasty bites.

2. If you want Tony to do karaoke you have to pick a Beastie Boys song.

3. Even when you think there is plenty of food, plenty of drunken people will eat things you had planned to eat for leftovers

4. Good food and good fun will make fast friends

5. Sometimes to have proper leftover plates the next day you need to go back to the store and get some more potatoes.

I started my new job at DePaul University on Monday. The first day was a general new employee orientation where people from all departments came and talked to us about new hire things. It was a day with a lot of paper. Tuesday we did our Electronic stuffs orientation which didn’t take too long at all and then were to report to our respective departments. I wasn’t scheduled to be in my department until noon due to my supervisor having a meeting and we got out at 10:30. I took a seat in Starbucks, had a chai, did the crossword puzzle and read Prometheus Bound. I then met my manger, went to lunch, got introduced around the loop office and then was shown to my office at the Lincoln Park campus. There were more introductions and I was given the Staples catalogue to order things for my desk. I spent a long time deciding if I want black mesh desk accessories or black solid ones with rounded corners. I am going with the mesh because it fits my futuristic office furniture a little better.

Today I went in to my office and read over things for about an hour. I left at 10am to get to the Loop campus and meet my supervisor at 10:30. I was late. I have no idea how that happened but she told me that sometimes it can take up to 45min. Granted, I was only five min late but it didn’t make me feel too spiffy. We spent the morning going over departmental structure, my goals until June ’08 and the things our program is measured by. Then we started in on the Financial Literacy workshops that I will be teaching. We got through one before lunch. It is like the financial stuff I was teaching before but much more in-depth. After lunch we’ll go into the three others.

Things are looking pretty good. Everyone here is incredibly nice and welcoming. One of the guys the Lincoln Park office has a banjo. Monica would totally want to hang out with this guy. Although there is a ton to learn and not all that much time to learn it before I have to get out there and teach/supervise/create I think that I’m really going to enjoy it and that is a great feeling.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Girl I must warn you/ I sense something strange in my mind/ Situation is serious/ Let's do it cause we're running out of time. Poison, BBD. 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!

COVER STORY

Today is an interesting day. I am sitting in the Customer Service class watching Cassandra teach it. No one but me has ever taught the class before. It is strange seeing the course that I created being taught in a style that is different than mine. I think she is doing a fantastic job but sometimes I have to hold myself back as far as adding things on. Unless I feel they are really important, then I certainly will speak up. Yesterday she told me that teaching while I was in the room was like being a cover band playing for the group that they always cover. I found it to be an interesting analogy.

Yesterday was my going away celebration. It was pretty nice but seemed to focus a lot on the Christmas party last year. I truly have learned my lesson when it comes to that sort of thing. The other common topic was people not believing I was really leaving as I had left once before and came back after three months. I guess after five years, less those three months of course, I had expected a little more. Maybe they just have a different sense of humor when it comes to that kind of stuff than I do. A few people said some really nice things to me though. I guess that is really what matters. I know I did good work here. I don’t need them to tell me.

Tomorrow will be a very easy day. I will finish cleaning out my desk, put an automatic reply on my email, and erase all the bookmarks and remembered things from my computer. There really isn’t much left to do. Last time when I left, even though I hadn’t planned on coming back, it wasn’t as sad. I didn’t feel as much as if a chapter of my life was closing. Of course it hasn’t always been the happiest chapter but it hasn’t been all bad by any means either. It’s just very strange.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Girl I must warn you/ I sense something strange in my mind/ Situation is serious/ Let's do it cause we're running out of time.

SOME ALARMS AND SOME SURPRISES

This morning started off very peacefully. I watched the season premier of Project Runway, which I had missed because I was watching the very disappointing 19th run of Sasuke “aka” Ninja Warrior. Ninja Warrior is the most insane obstacle course ever created and is one of my favorite things to watch because the things these guys do are simply amazing. My favorite run was 17, when Makoto Nagano became the second person in history to finish the course. You can see him tackling all four stages below.

The thing with this competition is that they consistently make it harder. Once Nagano completed the course the 18th run was totally insane. Only six people made it past the first stage and three made it to the third no one, including Nagano, finished stage three. Nagano was close but accidentally grabbed the wrong part of an obstacle and disqualified himself.

For run 19 they simply went too far. The obstacles are so much harder that only two people made it past stage one (100 attempt the course each time). Nagano was very close to finishing but missed it saying he wasn't determined enough. Maybe seeing all his best competitors fail was too depressing. No one made it past the second obstacle on stage two, making it the shortest competition in history. I hope they don’t make the course harder next year because it would just be stupid. You want to see people have at least the opportunity to finish. If they keep the same course as they had this year I think more will succeed.

Anyway, I digressed a whole lot. This morning was very peaceful. It was a cold morning but brisk and still. The train ride was quiet and speedy. As I got off the train I was listening to “no surprises”, by Radiohead on the iPod and was in a nice happy place. Then as the words in my ears sang, “no alarms and no surprises,” I came off the escalator to the surprising alarm of a fire engine. The day hasn’t quite recovered. I forgot that I agreed to stay late to help with a volunteer orientation. I did three depressing and draining practice interviews, and Cassandra is out sick so I can’t go over some things with her that I really need to cover before I leave. No surprises indeed.

1. Underneath the bridge/ top has sprung a leak and/ the animals I trapped/ Have all become my pets. Something In The Way, Nirvana. Identified by Brooke.

2. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

3. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

4. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

5. THe first cut/ Is a criminal thing/ The first cut/ Goes deeper in. The First Cut, Eurythmics. Identified by Mom.