Monday, June 30, 2008

This Blog Not Brought to you by TMI

Dearest, I am having one of those difficult, difficult days when nothing goes the way it's supposed, and you you already know by noon that, though you don't want it to, this difficult day will spill until tomorrow and maybe into Wednesday if I don't play my cards right.

Though, there is one HUGE bright spot, which I'll tell you about tomorrow. 

Tonight, I have to finish up a writing project. And I know I promised 3-a-days, but I don't think that's going to happen until next Monday. 

That all confessed, here's your moment of grin:

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Gas-X


I love these series that The Grey Lady has been doing lately, when they present a topic and get a bunch of different people to write and easily-digestable, 200 word or less item on it. It never fails to get me thinking and fire up my imagination.

This week's round-up is on the impact of high gas prices on daily living. Definitely worth reading in full for yourself. But here are the items that I found especially interesting:

1.) The wage gap. Apparently riches are only spending around 2% or less of their income on gas, while the poors are spending around 16%. And, oh did we meniton, that a lot of cities are cutting back on public transportation this year? In the interest of avoiding class warfare, definitely a problem that I think we might want to address. (Fuel for Inequality)

2.) The Green Bubble. The latest investor fill up, but even if this one bursts, it'll most likely leave all sorts of good stuff behind. (What the Green Bubble Will Leave Behind)

3.) The New White Flight. Apparently, people might start abandoning their houses in faraway suburbs for smaller houses or apartments in the city, due to high gas prices. What will become of those abandoned neighborhoods? And, as someone who lives in a walking neighborhood, I'm beginning to worry about urban pile-up. That is, more people in the city. More cars on our narrow streets. People living on top of each other. Ugly, high-rises going up to accommadate more apartment dwellers. Problems to follow. (Ghosts of the Cul De Sac)

4.) The death of road trips. I feel sad when I think about this, but Michael Paterniti makes a pretty convincing argument for why this might be a good thing. (Goodbye to the Great American Road Trip)

5.) Tax credits for not driving. Yes! So agreed that this should happen -- especially now that I'm riding an electric bike. (Tax Brakes)

6.) Driving green. Some simple tips on how to use less gas while tooling around town. (Be the Prius)

7.) Lightening up. I had just about decided to get a Saturn Vue Hybrid vs. a ThinkCity for reasons I'll get into in a future post. But apparently, I might want to wait a little while longer, because Detroit while start using some futuristic materials to make cars lighter and therefore, greener. (The Light Stuff)

8.) Helmet hair. Dreadlocks are immune to helmet hair, but just about every other hairstyle is not. This is a funny reminder, why many women might not switch to a bike-riding lifestyle, no matter how high gas prices get. (Hair-Raiser)

Saturday, June 28, 2008

And the bike I rode in on

As many of you have already been told, I purchased an electric hybrid bicycle* a three weeks ago. The plan was to immediately get it tricked out and start riding it to work as soon as I got it.

But UPS, my Uncle Cornelious' visit, and general business kept me from being able to get it all geared up until today. CH and I got up early this morning, took it to Budget Pro Bicycles, a super-duper awesome bike shop in Eagle Rock, and got it geared up with a comfortable seat, black basket, extra bike light, lock, hot pink Free Agent helmet, and of course an extra hotrod-licious Electra bike bell -- even though I'm probably too polite to ever use it.


The first trip to work immediately began to test my resolve not to give up on things so easily this year. Here's what happened within the first 15 minutes of my ride:

1. I spent ten minutes, trying to get it turned around, so that I could get it out of house. I never appreciated the ability to lift a bike until I got a battery pack that makes my new bike to heavy to lift by myself.

2. I dropped the bike, trying to get it through our gate. And everything in my basket flew out and landed in one of our garden's dirt patches.

3. I had to call CH in order to figure out how to actually turn on the power assist.

4. I got all lost and turned around, even though I drove the route first in order to figure out the safest and most simple way to work.

5. I stupidly left my purse open after consulting with CH, then had the nerve to be surprised when I hit a bump and my phone flew out of my basket and hit the asphalt.

But I did make it into work in one piece, and it was a lovely ride. Very cool to past through gritty Koreatown, DreamHouseville (aka Hancock Park), and the idyllic Mid-Wilshire area all in one go. Will post further thoughts, after a few more rides, but for now here are my initial impressions:

1. Love the color - reminds me of my time with the Derby Dolls.
2. Having a motor is absolutely necessary (for me) in hilly neighboorhoods.
3. I pedalled 10 miles, but with pedal assist I didn't get sweaty at all, which is awesome.
4. Getting through doors is the huge drawback of this bike. The battery makes it hard to negotiate into elevators and what not. And since I'm keeping it in my office, that's going to be an ongoing hassle.
5. I might need to get a Garmin for my bike.
6. I forgotten how bad I look in helmets. I mean just terrible. Still, I think I'll get some stickers for it.

More later.




*If you get an electric bicycle online, DO NOT purchase it from Toys R Us. They sent us the bike without a seat or a battery, then compounded the mistake with the absolute worst customer service, refusing to fix the problem, and saying it wasn't their responsibility. Luckily, the E-Zip manufacturer is in Cali, and they hooked us up with the battery that (we were supposed to get in the first place) no problem. Even if I have kids, I will never, ever shop at this store again. Full of hate.

Random Sorta Problems



I've taken to writing a lot of (maybe) bad poetry, lately. I don't know why, especially considering that I despise bad poetry. Also, I can't quite figure out if it's bad poetry or bad lyrics.
I once read an article or saw a special -- I can't remember which -- but it seemed to insinuate between the lines that Anthony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers was a bad poet and a bad singer and that those two factors combined equalled brilliance. And a trip program mate named Lea from China, who rather spookily hasn't been heard from by any of the other China program people in about 10 years, said the same thing about Jim Morrisson. So maybe by this time next year, I'll be a rock star.

But probably not.

Anyway, I had another of the past/present dreams on Thursday night. This time it was all the black women I knew at Smith. But we were all adults and we were taking a dance lesson at a political rally for Barack Obama. And most of my white conservative friends from now were there, too, and we were all having a good time. And the last thing I remember doing before I woke up, was hugging (now professor) Katrina G. and saying how good it was to see her again. Bizarre, right?

I wouldn't mind this dream series, except that I have no idea why I keep on having the same kind of dream or why it's ramped up to weekly. And quite frankly, I'm weirded out by the dream's benign nature. I think as a rule, that writers tend to have more nightmares due to being generally neurotic -- nightmares I can deal with. But I have no idea what this series means.

On a totally unrelated note, as epic as the new Coldplay album is, and as much as I can tell they worked extra-hard on all the lyricism, I think my favorite line is, "I'm just waiting for the shine to wear off." It's simple and it can be applied to just about every situation. And perversely, I think I prefer most things after the shine has worn off. I guess you could say that I've got a retro soul.

Friday, June 27, 2008

There's Only One Me in the Galaxy...

The video for Little Jackie's* ba-fuckin-rilliant song, "The Whole World Should Revolve Around Me" is finally here. And really, it should be subtitled: "How Cool Is My Blowout Afro, and Bitch, Did I Mention I Can Do a Handstand In a Miniskirt? What-What???"

Plus there's a Rosie Perez cameo. Is she not, like, aging, or is it just me?

Anyway, check it out below:



*UPDATE: Oops! This just in, Little Jackie is actually a duo, not just one woman with a bodacious Afro. My (completely understandable I think) bad.

I probably won't be watching the new Real Housewives ATL edition* either

I'm just not down with reality like that. But it is kind of cool that the cast is going to be mostly black. Equal opportunity to see the rich being ridiculous and all that.

And though I have nothing to wear them too, I do want every dress in this picture for my own -- every dress except for the pink one. The pink one's just wrong. But the yellow one is especially fierce, and belongs in my closet.


* The rest of you can watch the The Real Housewives of ATL on Bravo, starting July 30th.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Ah nuts...

I just found out while reading TV Guide for work (yes, I really have to read TV Guide for work) that The 4400 got cancelled back in December, due to Writers' Strike and ratings issues.

Yes, I know 4400 was a rip-off of the X-Men premise, whose recycled premise was then ripped off itself to much better affect by Heroes (at least for season one). And I also know that 4400 just kept getting lamer and lamer by the season -- but so does The L Word, and I'm still watching that.

I'm going to miss this little program. Plus, I just hate it when shows end things on a cliff-hanger.
:(

Some Tap Water for the Drought

If you have nothing else to watch (and I know you don't since it's summer), then this new ABC Family series, The Middleman*, is totally okay. Apparently, it's based on a comic book, by fellow CMU alum, Javier Grillo-Marxuach. And if you're like me (or are me), you'll dig that it's about a dry-humored ethnic chyck who likes comic books and ends up in the sidekick business. Think the animated series Daria meets Men In Black.

And if the show manages to solve it pacing, jokes-that-just-don't-work, and a-few-well-drawn-but-completely-miscast-side-character issues; then it just might be worth watching outside of the summer drought.

Anyroad, click on the pic, to watch the first few episodes for free:




*P.S. -- Thanks to Sebrina for hepping me to this show all the way from China. I think you're right about it having "great potential."

UPDATE: You can find an even more in-depth breakdown at Chris's Invincible Super Blog. Preview: He REALLY likes it.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Random Thoughts

If I had a time machine that only went backwards, I would go back in time in order to meet the following people as kids and/or young adults:

1. My mother
2. My husband
3. My best friend Monique
4. Alice Walker


But, in respective order, I wouldn't tell them that they would

1. Die early
2. Marry Me
3. Become my best friend
4. Write the book that would most influence my life

Who would you meet as a kid and/or young adult if you had the chance?

Nooooo!!!!!!


The much anticipated (by me most of all) BlackBerry Bold has been delayed until mid-August, probably due to battery problems.


Now I know that there are starving children in Eritrea and everything, but I've been using the same ancient work-issued BlackBerry for almost 2 years now. TWO years!!! It's just not fair. Oh when, oh when will I get my in the sun? When will I get to possess a smartphone with a lovely, well black-lit display window and super-thin casing?

And don't suggest the I-Phone. Outlook is my oxygen -- plus, I don't have the patience for touch-screen.

Double :(

Monday, June 23, 2008

Correction

So apparently my Uncle Cornelious isn't in his 70's.

I found this out the hard (read: embarrassing) way at dinner at this new restaurant (read: tourist trap) called uWink at Hollywood & Highland.

The gag of uWink is that you order all of your drinks and overly rich food on a touch screen, which you can then use to play games with the other members of your party until said ordered food and drinks come.

Anyway, the concept which is still in the beta phase is really great, especially for tourist families, which are probably way over actually speaking to each other anyways. But the execution leaves something to be desired, in that the games all seemed to be so hard to use, figure out, and/or boring that you end up talking with your family anyway.

Which is how I ended up saying, "You're not the same age as Meatloaf, Uncle Neil."

Don't ask how we got into this conversation, just know that my favorite uncle is now questioning my math skills. "You thought your mama and me were over nine years apart?"

Well, considering that my mom was the oldest sister, and my uncle was the oldest brother of of nine, when he put it that way, it did seem it little crazy that I had just always assumed that he was the same older than my father, who's turning 70 in October.

"I should probably go back on my blog and say you're not 70," I said after a long, embarrassed moment of hasty (as I could) math .

"Yeah, you better do that," said Uncle Cornelious. Then he shook his head, seemingly stunned, bemused, and a little hurt at the same time. "I can't believe you thought I was in my 70s. I'm only 63."

So correction, everybody, Uncle Cornelious is only 63.

Though, my exhausted husband, who's been helping Uncle Neil drywall our downstairs all weekend was relieved. "At least I can stop feeling bad that I couldn't keep up with a guy in his 70s."

Yeah, I too, thought to say that not being able to keep up with a 63-year-old wasn't much better. But, I had already gotten myself into enough trouble.

And to be fair, Uncle Neil does seem to possess an inordinate amount of energy for a man of his years.

Anyway, the point is, don't eat at uWink. It might not be good for the family relations.




Gibson

I've been trying to figure out how to say this since last Thursday:

Gibson is gone. I won't go into how on this blog. We're very sad. He was a lovely, lovely cat. And we miss him very much.

That's all.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Walker, Texas Ranger


Somehow, I haven't had the heart to point out to my Uncle Cornelious in my usual disdainful way that Chuck Norris was an avid supporter of the horrible, horrible Mike Huckabee's bid to be the Republican nominee. Or that there are like no black people in old Westerns. Or that it's Facebook -- not HotFace -- but FaceBook.

On the other hand, I adore Woody "I slept with and married my kind of adopted daughter" Allen. I watch and re-watch old Molly Ringwald films -- not a lot black people in those either. And after 6 years, I still refer to Wi-Fi as "magic" and our Airport Express as the "magic plug."

Anyway, this is all to say that I hope I'm a very happy, laidback, and generally awesome person like my Uncle Cornelious when I'm in my 70s*. And I wonder if this is something that just happens like winning the lotto, or something you have to decide on and work at when you're younger, the way we're encouraged to exercise and save towards retirement. Thoughts welcome.

And on a totally unrelated note, we're thinking of getting a basset hound. Apparently, there's a Basset Hound Rescue League out here, and CH and I think it may be time, due to reasons that I'm going to try to discuss on Monday, but if I don't manage to, ask me about it the next time you see me.

Until then, here's your moment of gen:


*My Uncle Cornelious really, really wants you to read my Correction blog. In fact he insists.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Open Your Eyes...


My Uncle Cornelious is in town. For reference, he was the tall charming-genarian at our wedding, grandfather to the wonder twins, and a major featuree in my first "Visting St. Louis" blog back in 2005. 

So I'm trying to figure out if this next dream is one in an angst-related series, or just a response to all the nostalgia that comes along with having your favorite uncle in town:

I am the same age I am now, but somehow back in college. I get invited to a birthday party for Vince P, an awesome guy from my study abroad in China program. I go, but get there too early. Lindsey Lohan and some other people I don't know are setting up bowls of chips and candy on top of tables covered in green tablecloths. Everyone from the China program starts arriving, and they look exactly as they did in China. I'm really happy to see them. But then Kenisha R, Yolanda B, and a bunch of other people from high school start rolling in, and I'm like, "How do you know Vince?"

I never quite get an answer to this question, but then the next thing I know, we're walking down to the beach, because Vince wants to watch the sunset. The thing is, all the party people have been replaced by my California friends. I'm walking arm and arm with my fellow Filly, Kalimba, and we passed a beached whale, and then a series of fantastically colored animals with horns -- which to my limited zoological knowledge, don't actually exist. K and I were impressed and kept on pointing the out to each other.

We eventually make it to a gorgeous white party tent, which has a long glass dinner table set up inside. Vince is there, but everybody else in attendance are people I know from California. We all turn to look up the sky, and watch the sun set. 

It's beyond beautiful. Full of striking colors, and replaced by a bright, silvery moon and then movie credits actually start rolling behind it. I turn back around to my friends, but I can't see them, because my eyes are closed. I tell them, "I think I've stared at the sun too long. I think I'm blind. I can't open my eyes." I feel them tapping me on the eyes, trying to help me open them. 

Then I woke up and opened my eyes.

So, I have a long history of recurring dreams, but haven't had a new set in over 3 years. But this is the third perfectly-pleasant party dream that I've had with people from two times in my life mixing, so I must assume that it's a new series. 

I recently read an article about how some scientists now think that nightmares are our way of processing our fears. So I wonder if these kinds of dreams are my way of processing my life, of looking back at it, now that I feel settled and happy. 

Anywho, more about Uncle Cornelious' visit in the days to come. 



Friday, June 20, 2008

Moment Of...


Taking a personal day, but will be back with you on Saturday. And on Monday, we're ramping up to two-a-days. Ooh fun for everybody (I hope).

Til then, here's your moment of Hen:

Thursday, June 19, 2008

I Would Go See THE LOVE GURU This Weekend...



...but why watch Mike Myers officially go the lame way of the Dana Carvey Wooly Mammoth, when I could tool around town on my new electric bicycle or eat a bunch of old paste. Either activity, I'm sure, would be way more funny.

Still, under the new Summer Spending Challenge rules (which I'll blog about later) , CH and I can only see one movie a week. We're still trying to decide what this week's movie should be.

We've already seen...

1) Iron Man - beyond awesome. If you haven't seen it and loved it, then you're probably my agoraphobic grandma, in which case, you're excused, though my pardon doesn't really matter, since you don't have a computer, and if you did, you probably wouldn't read your strange granddaughter's blog. Anyway, this is all to say, everybody's seen it -- except Grandma Annie.

2) Chronicles of Narnia - at the El Capitan, and strangely enough, we became members of the extremely nearby Hollywood United Methodist Church less than a month after seeing it. Were we subliminally brainwashed? We may never know...

3) Indiana Jones - I have no zinger that would appropriately convey the ridiculous hot mess that was the last 30 minutes of this movie. Though, I did like the fire ants. Nice touch.

4) You Don't Mess W/ The Zohan - still trying to decide if this was kinda funny or just really offensive to Israelis, American Jews, Palestinians (as portrayed by John Turturro, Rob Schneider and Emanuelle Chriqui), senior citizens, hacky sackers, hairdressers, gays, black people with dreadlocks, and white C.E.O.'s. I'll let you know when I make my official decision.

Anyway, feel free to send me suggestions for what we should see next.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

These Sunglasses Might Not Be Good for your Marriage


As many of you know, CH is beyond laidback, and it's just not in his nature to ever instruct me on what to wear, say, or do, unless compelled by questions like, "Tell me the truth, does this make my knees look droopy?" -- that's not a joke question, I actually asked him that two weeks ago.

However, as soon as I reached for a pair of yellow sunglasses just like these in a Pasadena store a few weeks ago, he started repeating, "No honey, no honey, no honey" over and over again, all the way through me picking them up, trying them on, and eventually putting them back without even seeing how I looked in the mirror. It was pretty intense.


PSA: If you're thinking of following the Kanye West "Stronger" video trend. Check with your mate first. S/he may have some strong feelings on the subject.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Today's Irrefutable Truth

It's been pretty much a non-stop news cycle about the fact that Gay Marriage is now officially legal in CA. And I wanted to post something deep and substantial that echoed with the historic nature of this moment.

But to tell you irrefutable truth, my absolute favorite quote of the day about this came from my friend Kyle, who wrote in an email:
"Yay gay marriage! Eat it, haters!"

Funnily enough, after all these years, that seems to sum up my feelings on the matter perfectly.

Next stop Federal.

Aunt Mildred

2 things about my Aunt Mildred:

If you were at CH's and my wedding, you might remember her as the sassy-genarian who insisted that everybody, including the bride, dance a full 30 minutes before the dancing part of the reception was scheduled to begin. This was because my friend/wedding DJ, Clark, innocently put on "Disco Inferno" after the cake cutting. And because of this, CH and I missed our one opportunity to eat a piece of my wedding cake. I forgave Clark though, because

1.) He deejayed our wedding for free. Hard to complain under those circumstances. Though of course I did a little bit, because I've never met a small act of audacity that I didn't like.
But the other reason I forgave is because...

2.) Clark is white, so he did not know that playing "Disco Inferno" at even a half-black wedding is the equivalent of dropping a dancing H-bomb, in that old black people are powerless to resist its siren call. It's a law of nature, really. But now he knows. Now he knows.

Anywho, Aunt Mildred sent me two pictures of myself on Sunday, one of which was this one of me at age 5. And I wouldn't mention it, except that I haven't seen it in over 11 years and looking at it set off a flood of memories. Here are a few to share:

Me at 5. My pediatrician told me that I was going to be at least 5'7 based on my hand size. I'm only 5'3, I just have weirdly big hands.

This was right before my mother started letting me dress myself -- she got tired of me throwing extreme fits every time she picked something out for me, so she gave me jurisdiction over my clothing choices, which meant I was pretty much a fashion victim from 6 until I finally figured out the art of dressing myself in college. I love that she let me do that, but revisiting this picture, it's a little ironic, because I actually quite like this outfit now and I would totally wear it as an adult.

Also, I should note that the side ponytail is courtesy of a pressing comb, so I got my ears burned to make this picture possible.

Tomorrow: The newborn picture. Hint: There's a mystery afoot.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Stuff I recently downloaded

I love being introduced to music, and now that I work in Top 40, I've been much more diligent about taking chances and listening to music from bands I don't necessarily know.

Also, I read an article once, that most people stop seeking out new music around their mid-twenties, and then just listen to the same stuff from the first 25 years until they die -- which makes me sad. So in the spirit of holding on to our "big ears" as long as poss, here's a bunch of stuff I recently downloaded -- not all of it is new (to anybody except me). Also, please let me know what (new to you) music you're listening to right now.

1. The Wombats -- "Let's Dance to Joy Division" -- It was the free single of the week on I-Tunes and it has Joy Division in the title, so obviouslyI had to download it. Plus, it's really fun. Definitely recommended.

2. Lights - "The Last Thing on My Mind" -- I've become one of those people who downloads all the songs that I like from commercials. This is from the Old Navy commercial with the girl who's waiting for a call from a guy. He doesn't call, so she goes out dancing with her girls, and ends up hooking up with the bartender. Ah amore!

3. Gavin Rossdale - "Can't Stop the World" -- In an effort to encourage less douche baggery in the music biz, I've made it my personal policy to buy at least one song from all the really nice artists that we interview on the show, and Gavin Rossdale was really nice. Plus this song is a little Peter Gabrielian, very listenable. Especially if you're in a 90's era coffeehouse.

4. Aimee Mann - "Freeway" - Speaking of 90's era coffeehouse. Sadly, this is the only song I liked off her latest album.

5. The Watson Twins -- "How Am I to Be" -- I can't really explain exactly why I love this song. But I do. If you like the Pretenders, you'll probably love the Twins. I think. Like I said, I can't really explain exactly why I like this song.

6. Whitney Duncan -- "When I Said I Would" -- When I get sick of everything I'm currently listening to, I reset by listening to a bunch of country, so I'm always on the lookout for good country -- one day I'll do a blog about "Good Country Music for People Who Don't Necessarily Like Country." This is passable. Plus, it's the I-Tunes Free Single of the Week, so you can't beat the price. Until tomorrow when it goes back to being $0.99.

7. The Puppini Sisters -- "Wuthering Heights" -- Strangely, I've noticed that covers of Kate Bush songs are the exception to the general covers rule, in that they're often quite good. And this one is no exception to the new exception. That is to say, it's really quite good.

8. Smithies skip to the #9. Don't read. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III - His flow is just so sick. It's impossible for me to resist. And you know, how often do you get an album that actually lives up to the hype AND doesn't sound like every other album out there? I stand (sheepishly) by this purchase.

9. Little Jackie -- "The World Should Revolve Around Me" - This artist puts some serious fresh to def into R&B. She is so frickin' dope that I'm actually mad at my boss's boyfriend for not introducing me to her before last Friday. And if you haven't heard this single yet, you will be mad at me for waiting a whole weekend to tell you about it. Download this ish yesterday.

10. Tilly and the Wall -- "Beat Control" -- This doesn't even need an introduction. If you click play, it will become immediately apparent why I downloaded this song before I had even finished watching the video.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

If Gywneth Paltrow + Duffy had a lovechild...


No, this is not yet another cleverly-worded Ernessa diatribe about how Chris Martin and Gywneth Paltrow look so much alike, it really icks me out in a V.C. Andrews sort of way-- though they do. 

Here's Chris Martin and her brother Jake Paltrow. You try to figure out which is which.



But on the brighter, non-incesty side, if Gywneth Paltrow ... 












+ Duffy had a lovechild...













It would be a young Helen Mirren:
























Don't you think? 

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Sexy Summer Shows



Man, I love alliteration. Things I did this week re: Sexy Summer Shows



1. Tried to watch Swingtown, the new CBS show about swinging couples in the 70's. Shockingly boring. Turned it off after a few minutes. But if you want to see it, go here.



2. Watched the first two episodes of Showtime's Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring our old friend Billie Piper from the revamped Dr. Who. Weirdly fascinating. Shocked that this wasn't given a weekend spot, ala Sex And The City. A lot of fun-but-civilized naughtiness, and I've always found British people cursing insanely cute. It made me really wish I had Showtime, but then I'd get nothing done. Still, click here for the first two episodes, then if you're like me, you can wait it out for the DVD release. 

Oh, BBC America, why didn't you pick up this series, so that I could watch it on basic cable? It's way better than Hotel Babylon -- though I love that one too. 

In other hot summer news, CH and I are spending the weekend moving into our newly remodeled upstairs, which is pretty damn sexy. To us.






Friday, June 13, 2008

Back for the Summer



So last year around this time, I blogged for 21 days straight up to my wedding, and then managed to keep this blog updated ALL summer.

Well, I finally secured a designer for my new and very much improved blog, which will launch this August, so I thought I should celebrate with a Summer challenge to keep the soon-to-be old blog updated until the new site is ready to go. Plus, I seriously need to get in writing shape for the new blog, since that one is costing me money and I'll definitely need to keep it updated (for tax write-off purposes alone).

And just in case that's not confusing enough, I wanted to kick off my umpteenth comeback with a retell of the strange (though fairly easy to decipher) dream I had last night. I would love to preface this by saying that I hate when people talk about their dreams and assurances that this dream is so special that I had to break my own rule not to be lame. But I can't b/c:

1. I actually love when people tell me about their dreams, as I get a kick out of trying to decipher them. I think I must have been some kind of shaman in a past life or something... And
2. I am lame. Obviously.

Look to the brightside. In the new incarnation of this blog, I'll be able to say things like "read about it after the jump" and then you can scroll down to the next item if you don't feel like reading about last night's dream. Yea for progress.

Anywho, here's the dream:

I go to a New Year's Eve party with all my friends from my all-women's college -- even the ones I no longer see/hangout with/speak to anymore. And they look like the college versions of themselves. I mean we're all wearing girly party dresses, and my friend, Sebrina has her hair in a big Afro, and my friend, Katie G. has long blond curly hair again. When we get inside, there's a great party going on and all my friends from Japan are also there -- again all of them look the way they look in Japan. We all start dancing. There's a really good band led my (for whatever reason -- but I'm absolutely not kidding) Tay Zonday. And we're all having a great time, but a few minutes before midnight, I realize that I'm cold and that I left my jacket at the house.

I run out into the dark and grab the jacket from the house I live in now. I get a little lost and confused, but eventually make my way back to the house with the party. However, when I get inside, I've missed the New Year's Eve countdown, and now the house is filled with my current friends -- mostly the L.A. Smithies, the Fillies, my friends from grad school, my husband, and a few of our mutual friends. They're all standing around and chatting and/or watching a Battlestar Galatica marathon on television. I'm sad I missed the countdown, but happy to be warm again.

I sit down on the couch next to my husband and say, "Ooh, a BSG marathon!"

Then I woke up to discover that I had stolen all the covers from my husband during the night.

Chocolate Rain...