32 posts tagged “life”

Hey ladies and gents,

Long time, no blabber.  Rest assured, I've been lurking about, but I simply haven't had the energy to bore you with my rants, my navel-gazing, and my witty bons mots lately.  I can't say if I'll be back to normal any time soon, but I hope so. 

I know I haven't been sharing my scintillating commentary on Castle and Heroes over on this blog.  But trust me, I've been watching.  And I eagerly await the season finale of Heroes tonight.  And the crowd rejoiced!  Yay!!  This week is going to be a doozy as far as my schedule, but I'll do what I can to share my thoughts on the finale by Thursday evening at the latest.

So what's been going on, you ask?  Like I said this is a brief update, so here you go.

• I gave my two weeks' notice last Thursday at my part-time job.
• Currently, I'm seeking a new part-time job and I'm ignoring those who keep barking at me about X, Y, and Z.  I'm the one who has to endure the condescending insults and the constant harassment about sell, sell, selling the store's credit card to hapless customers during the worst recession since WWII, so the final's decision is mine.  Spank you.
• Still working on my website, but making little substantive progress
• Networking, seeking FT gigs, contemplating grad school, etc.
• Working at my craptastic PT job.

It doesn't seem like a lot, I know.  But my plate is indeed full.  And this week, I'm heading down to Philly for a Mashable Mixer.  But before that, I have an interview with an agency.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya? 

Okay, I think that's all I can share and still be considered brief.  Talk to yous later in the week.

P. S.  Has anyone else noticed that Hulu has added all of Season 3 to their Heroes page?  Yay!  Now, I can watch Ep. 8, "Villains" as often as I want until August 1st.

P. S. S.  Is anyone else on the East coast still broiling from the heat wave?  My room feels like a sauna right now.

In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been blogging about much other than my current fandoms and other non-depressing distractions.  I rarely have anything positive to say about what's going on over here in cold, ass Pennsylvania, so I'm sticking with the vapid and amusing.  I know that many of you have far more serious issues to contend with than I (Love you Jenn!!), so having me sitting here whining about this, that and the other seems more than a little rude.  Almost bordering on offensive.  So I won't.

But if you are interested in what's happening in my neck of the woods  /Al Roker, here's 3 things to help paint a wee picture:

1. Working a 4 1/2-hour shift on your feet feels like working a 7 1/2-shift sitting on your ass.
2. I had an awesome Gmail chat with Madeline last Tuesday that honestly made my week, if not my month.  Thank you Ms. Madeline.  I really needed that shot in the arm.  I haven't discovered any news on the Atlanta front, but I'll keep asking.  Also, thank you so much for the LinkedIn recommendation.  {{{Hugs}}}
3. After I'm finished here, I'm going to crawl back into my cocoon of fanfiction and Adrian Pasdar-related YouTube videos.  It's nicer there than it is out here.

And since I'm here, I might as well share my thoughts on Monday night's new Heroes episode. 

Generally speaking, it was okay.  It wasn't bad or disappointing, just okay.  Which I expected because I never anticipate 3 kick-ass episodes in a row.  I just know better.  So I'm okay with this episode serving as a lovely little bridge between Ep. 15 (the Specials are fugitives now and Nathan is short and hot) and Ep. 17 (Mr. Bennet gets no love; yet we love him even more. **sob**).  So I can't hate on the writers for minding their ebb and flow.

Although she and I don't agree on every issue, mystery_sock on LJ gives a wonderful recap of the latest Heroes that's definitely worth the read.  But before you jot over there, my 3 quick notes on the episode go like this:

1. Claire has just moved into a dead-heat with Maya as my least favorite character on the show.  I knew that HRG deserved a freakin' medal for putting up with her during the second season, but now he's teetering on sainthood.  Poor Noah.  You confused, morally ambiguous bastard.
2. Heroes:X-Men::Nathan Petrelli:Senator Kelly
3. Will Sylar please kill this kid already?  Please.  please.

Makes me smile

• My optimistic outlook on my peri-mid-life crisis
• Not having to worry about food, heat, shelter, transportation, love (you know, the little things) while I'm out of work
• My mother and "Bryan" from Verizon helping me set up the wireless internet connection from my room
• Bank of America's Keep the Change program
• Starting a new workout routine that I hope/think I can maintain -- It's kickboxing mixed with tai-chi!
• Finding quite a few publishing jobs to apply for out here
• New episodes of The Colbert Report

Makes me cry

• The murder of Oscar Grant
• The protest of Oscar Grant's murder that led to rioting in Oakland tonight
• Not being able to sleep for more than 3 hours straight since I've moved to PA
• No genuine bites on my job search so far
• My hair is so dry and fried I can't get it to do anything -- Ugh!

Makes me shrug with ambivalence

• No New Years resolutions or goals set this year.  It seems just a wee bit inappropriate this time around.
• If I manage to snag a job down by Philadelphia way, I found this cool graduate school program that I might seriously consider applying for

Hey Ladies and Gents!  I'm just stopping in to wave a quick hello and give a brief update on my, dare I say it, so-called life.  [Note to self: Beg for forgiveness for lame reference to overrated '90s teen soap opera.]  Anywho, I hope everyone who celebrates Solstice, Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa, had a festive and memorable two weeks.  And I hope the New Year brings everyone a bigger and brighter future! 

Yeah, I know the economy sucks, businesses are treating employees like it's 1935, the masses are depressed and frustrated, and the self-appointed prognosticators have declared that the end is nigh.  Well, I say, screw them.  We (and by we, I mean me, the nation, and the world; individually and collectively) have seen worse times.  Maybe not necessarily in the same order, but we have been through worse.  Trust me.  Life is full of peaks and valleys, and anyone telling you to hold up in some underground cave or hop on a ship to The Solomons displays not only a complete lack of courage, but an arrogant misunderstanding of history, economics, world politics, and life in general.

The way I see it, at the end of the day, you have two choices: Give up or keep trying.  Not that profound, is it?  But the truth doesn't need a fancy bow.  A person can pour over every news source that comes down the pike and digest every word by every pundit and "expert" they choose, but at the end of the day, that person isn't going to walk away with any other options than when they started.  Give up or keep trying.  That's the only thing you have control over.  That's my little pearl for the New Year.

I have no job, no place to call my own, and the journey ahead to figure out what it is I'm going to do with the next 40, 50 years of my life is going to be arduous to say the least.  But I have family, friends, and access to opportunities that millions would crave.  I know that at the end of the day, despite the tears and trepidation, I'll be okay.  Why?  Because that's all I ever had.  Believe me, I've been through some shit folks (things I don't typically share with people who've known me less than 30 years) and I may not be where I want to be in life, but I know I'm better off than where I was.  And that says a lot in my book.

Okay, this entry was supposed to be a wee bit inspiring, and it's now dipped deep into Dead Poets' Society territory.  ::shudders::

On to something superficial!!  I had about $27 to my name before Christmas, so on the 23rd, I ducked out of the house and headed to the local WallsMart (misspelling intentional) and bought my mother a pair of house slippers that she desperately needed in this drafting abode.  I also bought my stepfather some nice headphones that hook around your ears from the back to go with his new birthday iPod.  He complained about the ear buds -- which I also loathe -- not fitting in his ears well and how they become a nuisance as the day drags on in the warehouse.  For those that don't know, my stepfather drives a forklift for a living.  For a man of his age and experience, he should be managing a shift instead of driving the lifts, but that's another rant story.

So, I was able to wrap the gifts in some of my Mom's Christmas paper and hand them out on Christmas Day with everyone else.  Yay!  I'm giving.  I also prepared and addressed all of my Mom's Christmas cards.  She kept putting it off, so I sat down the Sunday before Christmas and got them all together for her to mail at work that Monday.  I don't think most of them arrived in time for the holiday, but so far, no one has objected to our tardiness.  :-)  As for me, I received a nice $50 Visa gift card that I can use anywhere and a lovely, black wooden writing desk from my folks.  Truthfully, I'm surprised I received anything considering how much they've helped me out these past 6 months, but I am eternally grateful.  My mother said that no writer should be without a desk, and since I had to leave mine behind in L.A., she wanted to get me another one to replace it.  Awwwww.  :-D

I don't have any big plans for New Year's Eve.  I'll probably just watch TV and do the countdown with the East coast like I hoped.  I do need to get off of here and clean a little bit before the folks get home, though.  It's the least I can do.

Let's see.  Is there anything else?

Oh yeah, I'm in the process of taking my twists down.  I hope to finish tonight before the ball drops.  Of course, my mother is freaking out because she's afraid of my natural nappy hair being exposed to the world.  You know what I mean.  She's all worried I won't be able to get a job without at least having braids or stylish twists in my hair.  She even offered me a wig.  ::rolls eyes::  That, ladies and gents, is generations of mainstream society telling African-American women to be ashamed of their natural beauty.  So I'm not mad at her, but it does annoy.

In more tragic news, I read that we lost the magnificent and forever radiant Eartha Kitt on Christmas Day.  You will be missed, Ms. Eartha.  Not only were you the quintessential Catwoman, your voice is the main reason I watch The Emperor's New School.  In your 81 years, you never stopped.  You were a constant inspiration.  And even though we all must go home when we're called, my heart hurts to know you're not here with us anymore.

Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times

Susan Quinn

★★★★

In more shallow news, I'm reading a cool nonfiction work detailing the Federal Theatre Project, a WPA program that was started to help put actors, artists, musicians, and writers back to work during the Great Depression.  It's Called Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art Out of Desperate Times by Susan Quinn.  So far, it's a really good read that eerily reveals a mismanaged government system that easily mimics our current economic and electoral predicament.  As the old folks say, "There's nothing new under the sun."  That being said, we are no where the same level of economic devastation in the early 1930s prior to the New Deal.  We're talking about a nation that suffered a 30% unemployment rate, wherein some cities like Cleveland and Toledo endured 50% unemployment.  According to Quinn, following the Crash of 1929, approx. 20,000 workers lost their jobs every day in every work week for the first 3 years of the Great Depression.  Honey, that's misery the surviving generations do not know.  I'm about 3/5 of the way through; I slowed down I started taking my braids/twists down.  I was inspired to read this little tome after watching Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock about a month ago.  The book gives a less sentimental retelling of the story, but a far more detailed one.  If you're not interested in reading the book, give the movie a gander.  You might enjoy it.  It stars John Turturro, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Bill Murray, Angus McFadyen, Cary Elwes, Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Joan Cusack, Cherry Jones and Vanessa Regrave.

Okay, I think that's all I have for now.  I have to get cracking on my to-do list.  I'll be back in the New Year with more incendiary diatribes and mid-life crisis-wannabe navel-gazing.  Here's hoping your New Years is happy and bright!  Au revoir.

Okay, I think I've used that subject heading before, but so what.  I've been in damp, snowy, geographically frustrating Pennsylvania for a week and a half now.  I'm slowly settling in, but I wouldn't expect anything concrete to stick until after the New Year.  I haven't completely unpacked yet, but I'm in a decent moving-around territorial limbo capacity.  I slept on my folks' couch for the first week, and then we went out and purchased a bed for the guest room last Saturday.  I was supposed to bring my full-size bed with me, but that would've cost more money than I already didn't have.  So, the new bed is either a nice early Christmas gift for me (if I take it with me) or a big step forward in the home decor department for them (if I don't).

Anyway, I have 90% of my things inside the house now, and I haven't driven my car in over a week.  Which is fine by me.  I don't have anywhere to go, no money to do anything with, and I was stuck in that lovely little Saturn for 5 days for roughly 10 hours a stretch.  So I'm good if I don't go anywhere for a while.  You know, I don't remember the trip out to California being so, ... oh, what's the word?  Miserable?  Frighteningly agonizing?  Effulgent?  Just kidding.  I wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Forgive me if this entry seems a bit scatterbrained.  I'm doing about 4 things at once here, and my mind is poorly editing out all the things I want to say, but I know I can't because if I did, this entry would be 9 pages long.  I'm currently updating my LinkedIn account, editing my online job search info, updating my resume, and writing this LJ entry.  After I'm done with one of those things, I plan to either start a load of laundry, finally post an ad on Craigslist about my writing desk that I couldn't take with me, edit one of the many other online job search alerts I have, or continue to waffle between worrying about my immediate cash flow problem and washing the dishes.

But that's me in a nutshell, isn't it?  Some things never change.  So you know what this calls for, right?  Bullet lists!!  My all-time favorite literary device for cutting through the flotsam.  Let's get started, shall we?  Here's just a taste of what I wanted to share before my hands got tired and our family dog started annoying the crap out of me.  Anyone know the best way to ignore a 78 lb. Akita?

Okay, that's all folks.  I'm hungry.  Chat with ya' laters.

What I feel great about:

• It may be temporary, but it’s something.  President Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu stepped in got the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the execution of Troy Davis pending further review.  I called the phone number issued by Amnesty International that Monday to add my name to the list of people asking the Governor to hear his appeal.  The woman on the phone was rude and scared the hell out of me, but I called.

What I feel good about:

• My part-time job so far.  It’s only been one week, but I like it.  Celebrity sightings so far: Jennifer Coolidge and Debi Derryberry (she’s the voice of Jimmy Neutron).

• My buddy Katie’s alive and well.  And the town rejoiced!  Yay!  She e-mailed me last week.  She says the majority of the power’s still out all over Houston, but she and her doggies are okay.  :-)

• Seeing Dave’s band play at Swinghouse on Sunday night.  Who’s Dave, you ask?  Just some guy.  Something may come of it, something may not.  You know how dudes are.

• I haven’t been that interested in the new fall season so far, but I really liked the 2-hour Heroes premiere, minus a few skanky storyline issues.  I liked: Nathan alive and kicking; Mr. Linderman’s back in town; more of Elle; Tracy/Nikki/Jessica’s new power ... niccceee!

• Using my wordsmith skills to help a buddy with a work problem.  I received a handsome check for my trouble too.

• The House of Reps not passing the bailout bill.  Go.  Read. This is not necessarily a bad thing people.  There are alternatives here.  And even if we don't take them, let's not let panic scare us into handing a $700 billion paycheck simply because George W. says it's dire.  Since when did he have credibility?
  

• Watching the 4th season of Entourage on DVD ... fun times!  :-)

What I feel bad about:

• When you have a buddy who likes you, but you don’t feel the same.  And you want to keep him in your life because he’s a semi-decent guy and has helped you in the past (and you’ve helped him as well); but every time you talk to him, you feel like you’re being manipulated by him or you’re manipulating him in return.  I don’t like this guilt.  Must think on this.
  

• Due to the completion of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (new home for the Colts), they’re planning to tear down the Hoosier Dome.  :-(

• Heroes 2-hour premiere's skanky storyline issues, such as:  Africa is a CONTINENT, not a country; must we have another character for Ali Larter to whine her way through; Hiro makes me want to slap him for treating Ando that way; Mohinder makes me want to slap him period; they got rid of Monica, but keep Maya (seriously? WTF!!)

• No definitive work prospects on the horizon yet.  Cue another day of anxiety and worry.
  

• I have misplaced/lost my bluetooth device.  This is not a good year for me and phones.  Damn.
  

I don't know how I feel about this:

• I’m starting to feel sorry for Sarah Palin.  I don’t like this confusion.  Must think on this.
  

• I have an interview next week, but I don’t think anything will come of it.  Don’t ask me why.  It’s a long story.
  

• My bank is now owned by JP Morgan Chase.  It's not great, but it could be worse.  Thank goodness I don't have a mortgage.

I'm back, ladies and germs.  My long, much-deserved, extremely overdue vacation officially ended at 12:05pm on Saturday, August 23rd.  It certainly could have ended under more auspicious circumstances, but overall, I'm glad I went and I'm happy I'm home in my junky little cottage in the Valley.  :-)

Tell me you missed the emoticons.  You know you did.

Even though I could've blogged from my friend's place in Florida while I was out of town, I'm glad I didn't.  I was on vacation.  The last thing I wanted to do was to be stuck sitting in front of a computer for a few hours everyday.  Not that all that TV watching I did was much better.  (More on that later.)  So, to give you an idea of the highs and lows that marked my wee holiday, I'm going to fall back on my trusty bullet lists to keep the narrative as short as I can, which, of course, isn't all that short at all.  You know me.

For those that don't know, I went to visit my best friend, Rebekah, in Clearwater, Florida.  She moved to the Tampa Bay area about 3 years ago, and she loves it.  The last time I saw her in the flesh was about 2 years ago when I was visiting in Indy, and at the time, she only had one daughter, Maya, who was only 6 months old at the time.  Now, Maya is 2 1/2 years old and she has a little sister named Amani, who just started crawling around the house about 3 weeks ago.

I arrived on Friday evening around 7pm, but I'm gonna start my rundown on Saturday because my memories of Friday are hazy at best.

Saturday, 8/16

• 'Bekah, Amani, Maya, and I ate lunch at a local soul food restaurant called Aunt Lee's.  I had a catfish dinner with cole slaw and potato salad.  The catfish was okay.  I think the way I cook catfish at home is better (less breading), but their's was decent.  With that said, their cole slaw was fire!  It was some of the best slaw I've ever had in my short 31 years on planet Earth.  I highly recommend it.  The potato salad was filling, but paled in comparison to the cole slaw.  If you're ever in the area, check it out.
  
• Amani's teething right now.  She's crying and fussing a lot, but still adorable.
• I will not get used to the dragonflies here.  They're far too big for this time in evolutionary history.  I had flashbacks to Peter Jackson's King Kong and promptly ran every time I saw one.
• 'Bekah has cable TV.  I don't, so this was a plus and a minus.  The minus: It became my babysitter for much of the vacation.  The plus: TCM had a Fred & Ginger marathon on Saturday.  I got to watch 2/3 of SwingTime, 1/2 of Follow the Fleet, and the end of Roberta.  And Sunday night's schedule featured a Gene Kelly marathon.  :-)
• 'Bekah, the kids, and I drove around Clearwater, Belleair, and Largo for a little sightseeing.  There's a HUGE Church of Scientology here.  Their masterpiece isn't finished yet, but 'Bekah said that they're very active in the community and have a lot of charity events and programs for families, so no one complains.  And no one blinks if they see Tom Cruise walking around chatting with friends around the downtown area.  'Bekah and I are on the same page when it comes to the CoS.  If someone can show me one thing they've done that's even remotely worse than the horrific acts committed by the Roman Catholic Church over the last, oh, let's say, 500, 600 years, I'll think less of them.  But until then, they're just folks who believe in something I don't.  I'll respect their right to do so as long as they return the courtesy.  So if you're into Scientologist bashing, this is not the blog for you. 
  
• I told 'Bekah that a lot of the shops downtown and the surrounding beach area near Pier 60 remind me of Venice Beach in L.A., except about 4x cleaner.  I like Venice, but that is one grubby-ass neighborhood.  :-P

• I'm not eating very healthy on this vacation.  My appetite is sporadic and wonky, so when I do eat, it's usually junk food, fast food, and/or one meal a day.  Donuts are not lunch.  :-(
• It's nice to see women here have a lot of different body sizes and shapes.  Not everyone is Barbie-esque with string bikinis wrapped around tiny waists.  And those that are big-boned, full-figured, zaftig, fat, voluptuous, etc. certainly don't mind putting it all out there.  Me, I'm not so brave.  I'll keep my stretch marks and love handles undercover, thank you.  But more power to all those who look good naked. 
  
• Steve ('Bekah's boyfriend), his teenage son (Steven), Maya, Amani, and I went on a late evening drive around Tampa, St. Peterburg, Treasure Island, and John's Pass while 'Bekah was at work on Sunday night.  (She works the 3rd shift as a home healthcare worker for the elderly.)  Here's what we saw on our little jaunt:
            * The "Pink Palace" aka Don Cesar's Beach Resort.  It's a big playground for the rich and famous.  Snoop Dog, George Clooney, etc. all stay here when they come to St. Pete to party.  'Bekah said there's always some huge shindig going on in the penthouse, and if you're a hottie and bold, you can work your way in.
            * Tampa Bay Bucs' Raymond James stadium, home to the upcoming 2009 Super Bowl.  As we drove past, we saw that the 'Bucs were playing a pre-season game against the Patriots and they won!  Whoo-hoo!  Okay, Tom Brady wasn't playing, but hey, a win against the Pats will be enjoyed nonetheless.  Cool stadium too.  You can see into it as you drive past because it's essentially split in half and you can easily see the fans packed in all the way to the top.
            * The Gulf to Bay Blvd. bridge.  It connects Clearwater (which technically lies in the Gulf of Mexico just outside of Tampa Bay) to Tampa.  Steve let me drive, and it was a beautiful night, perfect for driving 75, 80 mph with the windows down.
• We ('Bekah and I with kids in tow) began an exhausting search for a decent bathing suit that wouldn't make me look like a sausage that escaped from a Bob Evans' breakfast platter.

• After continuing our search for the elusive bathing suit, we took a break and ate lunch at Frenchy's Saltwater Cafe, not to be confused with the original Frenchy's Cafe.  I had boiled shrimp for the first time.  Of course, 'Bekah stopped me from looking like a moron and showed me how to peel it.  Hey, I've only eaten shrimp that's already been removed from its shelled.  Don't judge me.
• Apparently, DD-cup bikini tops in Florida are actually made for women who wear C-cups but like to buy suits that say "DD" on them.  Isn't there a little something called truth in advertising?  Whatev!
• Steve and I ran a few errands in his "Old School."  That's what everyone keeps calling his '71 classic car.  Don't ask me the make and model because I forgot to write it down.
• 'Bekah had to work again, and I've become officially addicted to Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane on the Style Network.  There probably should be some sense of shame felt after typing that sentence, but there isn't.

• 'Bekah, the kids, and I drove around a little bit more and stopped at one more small store before I asked to be dropped off at the mall.  We always get a late start because she has to come home and try to grab some sleep after she gets off work and Steve (and son) aren't nearly as good at letting her sleep as they think they are.  So after she wakes up and gets herself and the girls ready, we don't end up leaving the house until about 3, 3:30pm.  Well, she has to leave for work by 6:30pm.  See the dilemma.
• Anyway, I didn't want to spend another night watching TV in Maya's room, so I asked 'Bekah to leave me at the mall and asked Steve to pick me up at 9pm when it closes.  I found a few cute tops and some really nice jewelry at Body Central.  Unfortunately, the tops make me look busty, but I've been told that my chest is more to blame than the shirts.

• This day marks the beginning of my vacation downturn.
• 'Bekah had a job interview after work, so I watched the girls while everyone was gone.  No big.  Maya was still sleep and Amani was pretty quiet.
• I finally took the time to write in my private journal.  It's been a while and I needed to think some things through.  My life and career, which these days feels like one entity, have left me feeling desperately unhappy and despondent.
• 'Bekah needed to catch up on sleep, so we stayed in, which was fine with me.  We stopped by the store and bought a few ingredients for homemade pizza.  They didn't turn out too great, but the store didn't have the Boboli crust I wanted to get, so we settled for some crappy knockoff.  SMH
• While we chowed down on the pizzas, we watched Meet the Browns and The Perfect Holiday on DVD. 
  
  Meet the Browns was pretty good.  The usual Tyler Perry fare: starts with a decent premise, add a sudden dramatic familial revelation, add a pinch of Madea for over-the-top craziness, fail to adequately address familial fallout after the revelation, everyone is all smiles by the end.  This is not me bashing Mr. Perry's oeuvre by the way.  I'll save that pseudo-intellectual pasttime to the so-called "educated" POC, who insist that they're more socially and aesthetically aware than those of us who occasionally enjoy his films.  SMH  I admit that his films have their flaws and there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that, but there's this weird backlash rumbling through the more "enlightened" members of the African-American community that I find interesting, yet unfortunate.  As for this film, it's worth watching for the performances alone: Angela Bassett (are we sure this woman is 47?!), Jenifer Lewis (insane as usual), and David Mann (don't ask, just go watch).  And don't forget Rick Fox, playing basketball, smiling with those neon, super-white teeth, and flirting his way into my Angela's good graces.
  
  The Perfect Holiday was okay.  Absolute Truth #3,792: 'Bekah loves all Christmas movies.  The hokier, the better.  And it was.  Hokey, I mean.  But I enjoyed it, despite my belief that Gabrielle Union gets way too much work for someone who plays every role the exact same way regardless of the character's backstory.  She's like a black Jessica Biel.  (Oh yeah, I went there.)  Those who know me know that I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies, but the cast was fun and it was nice to see POC in roles other than the comic relief and "sassy girlfriend" in a romantic film.  That, and I heart Rachel True.  I don't know why, but I do.  I was a fan of hers even before Half & Half, which was far superior to Girlfriends in almost every way - character development, writing, acting, directing, etc. - in my not-so-humble opinion.
  

• I'm looking forward to going home.  Interpret that however you chose.
• 'Bekah, the kids, and I drove out to St. Pete, Treasure Island, and Gulfport.  'Bekah wants to live in Gulfport, which is like a "Little Jamaica" here in the Gulf, but Steve's like Hell No!  :-D  Stupid.  In addition to the large Caribbean immigrant population, there's a lot of artists, retired hippies, etc. living there as well.
• We had lunch at Spinners.  It's one of those restaurants at the top of a hotel that spins slowly so you can see out across the whole intercoastal area and Gulf.  The food was okay.  Nothing to write home about.  I had the blackened mahi-mahi wrap.  The seafood is really cheap here in the Gulf, so I wanted to eat it at every opportunity.
  
• We finally found a swimsuit that I don't hate.  'Bekah suggested a short-sleeve rashguard & board shorts combo that's popular among the surfer girl crowd.  Apparently, female surfers don't like to wear bikinis and such while they're out on the water.  It's uncomfortable and impractical.  Can I say Amen?  So they often opt for a rashguard and board shorts that's made of the same material as most bathing suits.  And the town rejoiced.  Yay!  It's still kind of clingy, but I get to keep all of the less-than-shiny bits underwraps.   And my combo is black with white and pink seams.  :-)

• I bought souvenirs for my folks at a tiny little shop that 'Bekah likes.  It's an artist co-op where she hopes to display her art someday.  It's called A Little Room For Art.  Cute.
  
• I got some devastating news about my work situation.  I then fell into a deep depression about my life, career, and the accepted connotation of "friendship."
• 'Bekah and I caught the late night showing of The Dark Knight.  I feigned interest in conversation before and after the movie, but I was really ready to go home by this point.  I enjoyed the movie though.  As someone who was not impressed by Batman Begins, I can now firmly say that after seeing TDK, I didn't like BB at all.  TDK was infinitely better than BB in every way.  A wee bit too long, but a solid film overall.  What does it say about me that I could not not laugh when Heath Ledger would start giggling?  He was a trip and a half.  And what the hell was Christian Bale doing with his voice as Batman?  I didn't like that at all.  He sounded dumb.  All I could think of was, "This is the voice you decided to use when you wear the mask?"  Um, 'kay.
  
  Oh, and when we first see Two-Face in the hospital bed, why did I want to touch his eyeball?  Dude, how did in stay in the socket?  It seems like it would have fallen out.  LOL!  I was transfixed by that eyeball.  I also liked the casting in the smaller roles: Nestor Carbonell as the Mayor and Eric Roberts and Michael Jai White as mobsters.  I could've used less of the love story, but to be fair, it was pretty minimal.  Just enough to give Harvey and Bruce motivation to do this, that, and the other.  Not that I bought the romance between Maggie G. and Harvey or Bruce.  She didn't really have chemistry with either of them.  In the end, I'd give it a A-.
  

• 'Bekah and I made one last outing to a small Caribbean cuisine restaurant owned by a Trini couple.  There were nice, but the food was just okay.  I had the curry goat with fried rice and a banana pop.  You know, like orange pop or grape pop, but instead, it was banana.  It took a little getting used to, but it wasn't too bad.  But the curry goat needed way more kick, IMO.  The wife asked me if I wanted something or other, but I could barely understand her through her accent.  So, I said no thanks.  (I have a rule that I only ask people to repeat themselves twice before I pretend to understand what the hell they say and try to end the conversation as quickly as possible.  By the time they say something for the third time, most people are frustrated and start to view you as a moron. And I figure that after 3 times, if I can't decipher what you said, I'm not going to unless you write it down.)  So, she could've offered to make it spicier for me, but I didn't understand her.  Oh well.
• After that, we stopped by this small Caribbean boutique called Island Vibz.  Which I think is pronounced Island Vibes.  :-P  The co-owner, wife, and shopkeeper (all one person) was extremely nice, and there were a lot of cool things that I wanted to taken home with me.  But 'Bekah talked me into this two-layer black dress that's somewhat form-fitting.  It's not that I didn't like it, but if they had it in a medium, I would've been happier.  I also bought a lovely silver butterfly necklace that I plan to wear until it falls apart and people beg me to throw it away.
• I spent the rest of the day watching TV, yet again.  'Bekah's brother and sister came over later that evening and a mini-barbecue was had to mark the end of my vacation.  I chatted with her brother and sister, but 'Bekah was pretty tight-lipped whenever I said anything to her, so I retreated to Maya's room after a while.  What I remember most about the evening was Steve coming into Maya's room while I was watching TV and showing his damn ass like the ignorant jerktard most men are.  Yep, the vacation ended well past the point of the hopeful good note.  People open their mouths to spew garbage instead of sitting back and listening like someone with half-a-brain needs to.  It's not the first time a guy has come at my sideways talking shit, telling me how I should behave while completely ignoring their own fucked-up behavior.  And I'm sure it won't be the last.  By the time the clock struck 1 am, I was more than glad to get the hell out of there.

• Operating on roughly one hour of sleep (thanks to anxiety and the thunderstorm caused by Hurricane Fay), I encouraged Steve to leave before 6am so I can be on time to catch my 7am flight back to L.A.  'Bekah rode with us, but the atmosphere in the car was tense and I was eager to get back to my sad, but determined life in the San Fernando Valley.
• It was a long-ass flight back to SoCal, but the US Airways landing was gentle and I was on my way to happy.  I collected my luggage, stood outside waiting for the FlyAway bus, and replied to 'Bekah's text to tell her that I made it to L.A. in one piece around Noon.  Apparently, she wanted more info, but I wasn't in the mood to give it and I'd been awake since 3am EST, which is Midnight on the Left coast.  At this point, I'm operating on 2 hours of sleep. I called my folks to tell them I made it in, but my stepfather wanted me to call when I finally arrived at the house too.  Fine, no big deal.
  
• So, I collected my car at the FlyAway station, drove home, stumbled bleary-eyed into my apartment, dropped my bookbag on the bed, lied down, and reached for my cell phone.  'Cept it's not there.  The end of this "glorious" vacation and the beginning of my new fresh hell called Saturday: I left my cell phone on the FlyAway bus!  It's gone, ladies and germs.  ::long sigh::
• Now, I need a vacation from my vacation.
  

I decided to join Vox’s Things on Tuesday group to help get back into blogging.  I’ve been slacking over the last 4, 5, 9 months, and I hope this group will encourage me to give my Vox more attention. Since I’ll be pretty busy this upcoming Tuesday, I thought I’d jumpstart the fun by posting my list today. 

Things I loathe:

• Bernie Mac passing away at 50
• Working late all week with a bad summer cold and nursing an incoming wisdom tooth that’s making it difficult to eat anything but soup and rice dishes
• John Edwards’ affair (I’m not surprised because he’s a politician and a man, so duh!; but now I’m glad he didn’t win the nomination because the Repubs would’ve eaten him alive with this)
• Gasoline for $4.03/gallon  (We're still paying over $4 here in California)
  
• A $78 charge that I thought had already cleared the bank last month didn’t, so I overestimated how much moolah I had this weekend and I am now broke as a joke until next payday, which won’t hit until the day I leave for vacation
• Having to return a good book to the library before I was finished with it
  

Things I love:

• Job interview next Tuesday.  Wish me luck!
• Seeing Nick Brendon’s play, “Adam Baum and The Jew Movie,” on Friday night
• Got a phone call from my Belgian on Thursday.  That’s what I’m calling him.  Remember Aleksandr Petrovsky on S&TC.  Yeah, he’s like that.  ‘cept Belgian, not Russian.
• Gasoline for $4.03/gallon  (It was $4.47 back in mid-July)
  
• Watching The Oblongs from Netflix queue and finally finishing the 1st season of Burn Notice on Hulu.com
• Feeling “up” for 48+ hours in a row
  

Things I’m looking forward to:

• Vacation starting Friday, 8/15!!!!!  :-)

You people clearly mean nothing to me. I haven’t blogged here in a month, and I’ve been visiting the site more and more sporadically. That means that either my life has kept me delightfully entertained and I no longer need the sound of my own keystrokes to amuse me or … wait, what was my other option? Hmmm, I guess there wasn’t one. :-P

So what have I been up to? Are you sure you want to know? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But I’ll tell you anyway. 

• I’m finally going on vacation next month. It’s overdue like a mutha’, but I can’t get out of here until after my trip to D.C. for an industry tradeshow. Yuck. But on the upside: Vacation!  I’m headed to Florida for a week to visit my best friend and her little family. For those who don’t remember, Rebekah had another baby girl, Amani, in February, and I’ve only seen the rugrat in pictures. Plus, there’s the whole part about seeing ‘Bekah, not having to pay for a hotel or food, and not being at work. See? Win-win-win-win.

Amani sleeping

• Because of the industry tradeshow at the end of the month, I have to buy some more formal business attire. My office is pretty business casual, and although there are a few who emphasize the “casual” moreso than the “business,” I try to keep it somewhat conservative (i.e. I have a work wardrobe and a “life” wardrobe. The two rarely mix.)
  
  I only have one suit (that fits), so I ordered two more online this past weekend. Let’s hope they fit. If not, I have just enough time to find something else. I also need a dress for a party the magazine’s hosting for our reader board, and a pantsuit for the early morning seminar we’re sponsoring that Monday. Sheesh! The positive aspect to all of this is that I can always use these items again for interviews. I need to buy shoes and an adapter/charger for my iPod as well. Yeah, money’s going to be really tight for the next few months.
  
  
• My social calendar hasn’t runneth over, but I’m staying fairly active considering the finances have been kind of wonky lately.
  
  May 18th – Took the subway down to Long Beach for the Pride parade and festival. Although I missed the first 20 min. or so, I could tell it is more festive and lively than the WeHo parade. Must return next year. Afterwards, I meant up with Anastasia and her boyfriend for lunch and a wee bit of sightseeing. I visited Acres of Books for the first time and was subsequently hit with a profound sadness about it possibly closing its doors for the last time sometime this fall.
  
  June 7th – Attended the Get Smart promotion at the Santa Monica Apple store with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ken Davidian, and Peter Segal. Dwayne is just as fine from the 2nd row as he is onscreen. No, more so. Especially with the sexy Hugh Laurie-esque stubble and the T-shirt that graces his muscles everso slightly. You can listen to the Q&A on iTunes for free. I didn’t ask a question, but it’s all good. I took some blurry pics with my camera phone. I’ll see if I can load them here.
  
  July 4th – Meant to join Katrina & Co. for a shindig at the beach, but instead I got there early and puttered around looking bored for 1 ½ hours, then left. The upside, I realized I wanted to go back to the beach sometime this summer for a nice chill on the sand (with a book, of course) and maybe some frolic in the surf. I can’t remember the last time I frolicked. After I left the beach, I stopped by a BBQ joint that I’ve been meaning to try and grabbed 2 DVDs from Blockbuster. I didn’t get to see any fireworks go off, but it wasn’t too bad. It was a quiet day.
  
  Today – Going to book signing at Skylight Books in Los Feliz. Barbara Ehrenreich is reading excepts from her new book, This Land is Their Land. I have to leave early to make sure I arrive by 7:30 pm ‘cuz traffic on the I-10 is the stuff of legends. The silver lining: I have 5 weeks of Coffee Break French podcasts to catch up on along the way. 
  
  
• In family news, my folks are moving into a new house in PA. They’re still in Allentown, but they’re leaving the row-home lifestyle behind and headed back to a detached single-family dwelling. Apparently, they’re too good to share 2 load-baring walls with others. Selfish. :-P Of course, I’m happy for them even though I liked the feel of the row-home.
  
  

  Mom's block in Allentown
  At the new place, the parking’s better, there’s a guest room for me to crash in this Christmas, and a big backyard for their new puppy, Ichigo. Oh, did I mention that my folks got a new dog back in February? If I didn’t, I meant to. I wasn’t all that happy when I heard they were looking for a new man’s best friend. (Well, my stepfather was looking; my mother, like me, was still in mourning over the loss of Pebbles last December.) But the new puppy is 6 months old and weighs 50+ lbs as of last Sunday. He’s ¾ Akita and ¼ Alaskan Husky, so he’s gonna be a big boy. Q.E.D. – Big backyard. 
  
  
• My dancing has fallen off a little. There were health issues and work issues and life issues, but I’m still hanging in there. Sort of. I’m technically up to 4 classes a week, except I never seem to make it to all 4 during any given week. Which is great on my wallet, but not-so-great on my progress. :-(  Here’s the schedule (because I know you care):
  
  Wednesday – Jazz Technique at 7pm; Beginner Jazz Fusion at 8:15pm
  Thursday – Capoiera at 8pm
  Saturday – Beginner Hip Hop at 12:30pm
  
  On top of this, I’m jogging on Sundays (when the heat’s not unbearable). I think the problem is if I go to the 2 Jazz classes, I’m too tired for the Capoiera class the next day. And when I first started Capoiera, I was too sore to go to the Hip Hop class come Saturday afternoon. I’m getting better, but my schedule has made it difficult to be consistent. I’m missing Capoiera tonight for the book signing, and I missed last week’s because I was busy gathering things for the 4th of July shindig. SMH. Excuses, excuses. I know.
  
  There’s a Capoiera class on Sunday, but it’s 1 ½ hrs. instead of 1 hr., and the first time I tried it, I had to bow out after 45 minutes because I was exhausted and lightheaded. Besides, I think I rather jog on Sundays instead. Oh well, all I can do is keep at it and try to do what I can physically handle. I guess it’s better than standing still. 
  
  
• On the hearth front, I took the Target gift card Heather gave me for my birthday back in March, and I put it towards a new desk chair for my home office. Check it out. The reviews online whine a lot about the armrests being too low, but I don’t think they’re that bad. Maybe it’s because I have such long arms and legs. I can’t tell you how much of a difference the new chair makes. Not just in my posture and the long hours sitting at my desk, but also in the layout of my living room. It almost looks like I’m designing around a theme. Well, a theme other than hand-me-downs and “M’eh, this will do for now.”
  
  I also bought that bamboo plant (Lucky bamboo) I’ve been wanting for the last year. My mother would be proud. (She’s always getting on me about decorating my apt., especially with plants and pictures on the wall.) Now, I just have to figure out how to transfer the bamboo plant from the little ceramic vase it came in to the glass vase I picked up over a year ago. Then, I’m going to add a few rocks and marbles to the bottom to keep the plant upright, and add water so it can actually, you know, live. Look at me. I’m growing something in my apartment that won’t gross me out or get me arrested.

Okay, I think that's all for now, boys and girls.  I have to finish organizing the July/August files now that's it's out the door.  That way, I can come in tomorrow and start on the September issue.  Yay?  Oh, speaking of Yay?  Did anyone else notice the gas prices went down?  They went from a minor $4.53 on Monday to a paltry $4.47 today.  That's cause for merriment, right?  Right?

All right. Back to work.

Wow.  It's ... well, it's been awhile, hasn't it?  I haven't forgotten about you.  I've just been preoccupied with things.  You know, things.  There always seems to be a thing.  I had planned to catch you all up over the long Memorial Day weekend, but, again with the things.  No hard feelings, I hope.  I'm sure you've all found a bit of fun and fancy to keep you busy during my absence.  No?  Well, that's just sad.  And here I thought I was the spinster.  :-P

Didn't you just miss those little emoticons?

Hmm, what do I want to tell you?  There's been a lot going on.  Even before I disappeared from the ethernet.  There was quite a bit going on that I didn't have the energy or time to talk or write about.  Now, looking back, it just seems too engrossing to put down in the form of the written word.  Hmmm. Well, enough of the drama.  In the words of Indigo Montoya, "Let me explain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up."  This is by no means in chronological order.  Nor is it in order of importance.  It's just what I feel like sharing at this time. 

I just came back from the 8:30 pm show of Sex & the City and I'm running on adrenaline, caffeine, and happy.  Happy in the form of a damn good film that does its performers justice and puts the perfect cap on a wonderful TV series.  If you're a fan of the show, go. love. enjoy.  The film deserves a mountain of praise and adoration.  More on that later.  Maybe.

My apartment is junky and atrocious, as usual.  I had hoped to do a lot of spring cleaning over the Memorial Day weekend, especially since my company gives us the Friday off before Labor Day and Memorial Day, so everyone gets a 4-day weekend.  Well, I had a job interview on Thursday morning, so I decided to take some much needed and deserved time off, and took a vacation day on that Thursday; therefore, treating myself to a 5-day weekend.  I kept myself pretty busy the entire time, but little of it was devoted to cleaning.  I think I washed dishes once, but I did 3 loads of laundry.  So: Yay me!

And that's a lot considering I went on a job interview, unbraided half of my twists in preparation for my hair appointment, took Lafayette in for an oil change and wheel alignment maintenance, got my hair did, finished my Molly Ivins book, began my Al Franken book, started a new celebrity obsession, continued my job search online, saw 2 movies, went grocery shopping, and paid a few bills without completely succumbing to a terrible cold that's lasted for well over a week.  That's pretty damn good if I may say so myself.

Let's see.  What else.  I've missed 3 weeks of Jazz class because I pulled a muscle in my neck.  Well, I missed 2 weeks of class because of the pulled muscle, and 1 week because of the bad cold.  Honestly, I went through a whole box of Contac cold & flu medicine with daytime and nighttime remedies in less than 7 days.  I'm still not a 100%, but I'm a lot better.  I only missed 1 Hip Hop class.  I went back today.  The routine was just right for me, under the circumstances.  Nothing too strenuous or demanding.  Hopefully I won't be sore tomorrow, because I hope to check out that Capoeira class at noon. It just started a couple weeks ago, but I needed to let my body repair itself before I took on any more activities.  If I don't go tomorrow, hopefully, I'll make it in next Sunday.

Even though I'm still financially off-kilter, I hope to take in Pest Control at the NoHo Arts Center this week as well.  I admit I've been interested in seeing it since I first heard about the play in early April.  There's an 8 pm show for $25 on Thursday, which is cheaper than the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shows.  The only person I've heard of in the cast is Cleavant Derricks, who, in a weird twist of fate, co-starred with my current celebrity obsession in a little TV series back in the '90s.

Well, since we're on the subject, and the act of typing this incredibly boring entry is keeping me away from watching another episode of the show on Hulu.com, I might as well share.  Hold on.  I like this song that just came up in my iTunes shuffle rotation.

::steps away from computer to dance around living room::

Okay, that took me back.  What was I talking about?  Oh yeah.

Not every celebrity obsession is about physical attraction, of course.  It's always been about an appreciation of talent, first and foremost.  But, hey, if the actor in question just happens to be a hottie as well, more fun for me.  So keep that in mind, and don't freak out when I tell you he thespian in question.  My current re-discovery of an actor I've always liked, but never really gave his due is one Mr. John Rhys-Davies.  That's Gimli from LOTR to some of you.  Sallah from the Indiana Jones trilogy to others.  Macbeth from Gargoyles, Maximilian Arturo from Sliders, and that big guy with the beard and loud, booming voice from a countless number of other films and animated TV series. 

What sparked this new obsession, you ask?  Well, remember how I kind of have a thing for Jason Statham?  Yeah, well, it turns out I'll pretty much watch anything with him in it.  Hey, don't judge me.  I discovered a little indie gem called London because Jason was in it, despite it also featuring Jessica Biel, whom I neither like nor understand how she gets so much work.  Anyway, earlier this year, the infamously bad director who lives to make all gamers cry, Uwe Boll, released a film called In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. It starred Jason along with a slew of talented actors who were much better in pretty much everything else they've ever been in: Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Claire Forlani, Ron Perlman, Leelee Sobieski, and John Rhys-Davies. 

Now, I've seen or heard JRD in I don't know how many films and TV shows over the years, and although I've always enjoyed his performances, there was something about the character of Merick, the King's magus, in this film that made me look at him differently.  I think it was the whole father-daughter relationship.  When I thought about it, I realized I've so rarely seen JRD play a parent, let alone a father with a daughter.  I think JRD and Sobieski's relationship was one of the more interesting elements of the film.  I found myself wishing the movie had explored their relationship more.  I haven't seen a lot of Leelee's work, but I thought she had one of the better performances in the film.

So as most of my obsessions go, I now have to rent and/or borrow anything that JRD has been in, read every interview and sci-fi convention report I can find online, and scour YouTube for any little gems like this blooper reel from Sliders.  :-)  I've already watched my copy of LOTR:TTT again, but I don't have the Extended Edition with the commentary.  Enter Kathy.  The lovely, sweet, darling Kathy, who was so kind to loan me her Serenity Collector's Edition DVD with the cast commentary.  I've somehow managed to dupe her into loaning me to convince her to loan me her LOTR:TTT and LOTR:ROTK Extended Edition DVDs.  Guess what I'll be watching all next week when I can tear myself away from the So You Think You Can Dance auditions?

I've also found a few con reports and interviews online.  It's nice to read about how friendly and giving Mr. JRD is with his fans.  He doesn't seem to buy into the idea that he's too good for conventions and seems to respect Ringers and their loving devotion to Tolkien's vision.  It almost makes me want to overlook his Conservative political views and skewed interpretation of the Islamic faith and Western history and civilization.  Almost.  What can I say, I'm superficial, but I'm not that superficial.  I also don't advocate a Eurocentric view of world history.  But hey, I grew up in Indiana, and his views aren't all that shocking or unfamiliar to me.  And in a way, I sort of admire his courage or stupidity to speak up in an industry teeming with those filthy tree-hugging, latte-drinking, BMW-driving liberals.  BTW, John, if you ever speak of Viggo that way again, I will kick you in the gittles.  Comprenez pas?

Oh well, I can't shun you.  Not really.  That would be an exercise in intolerance.  Plus, I think Toby Keith's a loudmouth jackass, but that doesn't mean I can't acknowledge the fact that he is talented or enjoy "As Good As I One Was" or "I Love This Bar".  So, excuse me while I add Sliders Seasons 1, 2, & 3, The Lost World, Return to the Lost World, the BBC's Merchant of Venice, and that episode of Murder She Wrote you were in to my Netflix queue.  I already rented The Miracle Match and The Medallion from Blockbuster, and purchased Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade from Target.  However, I have to admit I have no desire to see most of the horror films you've done, and some of those B-movies (which I usually like) seem way too crappy even for my tastes.  So this obsession may a wee bit short-lived compared to the others.  We'll see.

Hmm, I'm losing some of my steam here.  What else do I want to share?  I talked about looking for another job.  There's more story there, but I'm too tired and less inclined to describe it in detail.  Let's just say I need to get the hell out of there before I'm forced out before I have somewhere else to move on to.  Also, as a result of the drama on that front, I can't check my personal e-mail or online blogs (LJ and Vox) from work anymore.  So, even though I wasn't posting that much anyway, there's going to be even less posting now.  If anyone wants to reach me during work hours now, please feel free to call and/or text me.  That's the best way to reach me.  I have to keep my nose clean until I find something else, so for now, it's only work-related company websites, the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and Wikipedia between the hours of 9 am and 7 pm.

Okay, I was going to wax effusive about the Sex & the City movie some more, but the winds going out of my sails.  I need to carry my butt to bed.  Oh, and a completely random fun fact: my appetite has been off since my neck injury, and, for the past 3 weeks, I've been eating what amounts to 1 meal a day.  My energy's been fine though.  Weird.   I'm sure it'll return to normal soon enough.

Another completely random tidbit: I bought Blazing Saddles at Target this weekend  in honor of Harvey Korman's passing.  You will be missed, Harvey.  You were a shining star, sir, and may future generations keep you in their hearts.

Okay, that's it for me, folks.  Ooh, the Weather Girls.  I forgot I bought this on iTunes.  Nice.

::goes to dance around the living room one more 'gin::