September 2005 Archives

One of Flounder's dearest friends is getting married this weekend in Pennsylvania and we are headed up there tomorrow for the big event. I don't know the Bride and Groom-to-be very well, but couple seems well matched and I expect that the event will be both meaningful and fun. This will be the sort of wedding where the only people you know in attendance are the Bride and Groom themselves. None the less, I am looking forward to it.

While in Ebensburg PA we will be staying at the Noon-Collins Inn, a sweet B&B near the wedding and reception sites. It looks like a really cute place. At a minimum this weekend should be a quiet break after a turbulent few weeks. I would venture to say spending several days at the far flung Inn would not go amiss right about now, but I will have to wait until the end of the month for a real getaway.

I am also very much looking forward to amazing Fall weather that has been predicted for the next few days. I found the clear blue skies and crisp colors we experienced today to be very uplifting. If we could only get a couple more days like today this month I would be a very happy camper.

I arrived at my desk this morning to discover a rockin' flat screen monitor connected to my computer. It is a thing of beauty at 17 inchs wide. A far cry from my old clunky monitor. I feel like the whole office can read my screen, which may be the only downside. But I am not complaining. TGIF.

It's offical. I spend too much time on the internet. How do I know? Because I am writing a paper about San Francisco for the ENG 101 class I am taking and it feels wrong not to be creating hyperlinks to webpages as I write. It would be so very simple to include a link to the SFMoMA site, or the Fisherman's Wharf page. *sigh* I guess I will have to change my ways.

Feel the fear, and do it anyway.

Our task from Mr. Prize In Every Box: "If you had a time machine you could use only once, what would you do with it? Would you go to the past or the future? Whom would you want to meet or what would you want to see?"

I have been anticipating the day that someone gives me the opportunity to time travel for a few years now. I know exactly what I would do. I would head back to the early 1920s. There I would have a nice little chat with a Mr. Thomas Midgley.

"Thomas Midgley, Jr. (May 18, 1889 - November 2, 1944), was a American mechanical engineer turned chemist. He developed both the tetra-ethyl lead additive to gasoline and chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs). While lauded at the time for his discoveries, today his legacy is seen as far more mixed. One historian remarked that Midgley "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in earth history." - Wikipedia

For the longest time I said I would kill him if I had the chance. I have since changed my mind. I would instead explain to the man the harm that his primary inventions caused and then give him a gift to compensate him for the money he would lose should he never invent CFCs and lead infused gasoline. I would give him silly putty. Would the simple science fun of silly putty be enough to compensate him? Lord I hope so. I would hate to have to kill him.

For other takes on this topic see:
Write Again Soon
Bad Apologies
A Prize In Every Box
A Little Maryment
Post No Bills
Lugnochro

Flounder, Red, J.Wo, DK, T and I were a part of the lucky crowd that attended the Serenity screening yesterday. I will admit that I am addicted to my Firefly DVDs, so I went into the film with a positive bias. I loved it. I was more than happy to see the story of my favorite scrappy space crew continue. I agree with some reviews I have read which complained that the film didn't take any time for character development. I can't lie, the film makers trusted that "new" audience would care more about plot, action sequences and special effects than the inner life of the crew. I promise not to throw out any spoliers, but I will say that Joss Whedon is up to his old tricks. That man has a real fixation with suffering.

I will own this movie on DVD. I will absolutely go see any sequals that might be made in the future.

Quote of the Day:
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: While I'm gone, Zoe is in command. Now, if I'm not back in an hour, I want you to take this ship, take off... and you come and you rescue me!
Zoë Warren: What? And risk my new ship?

Flounder and I have been waiting to see Serenity (the Firefly movie) for quite some time. Tomorrow we may have the opportunity view the film as "press". Will tomorrow be the day? I can't wait. If we for some reason don't get in, I am sure we will see the film later in the week. As a long supporter of Joss Whedon projects, I really hope this film is a huge success. Here is the background on the film:

Joss Whedon- the Oscar(r)- and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel-now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity.

The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family - squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

When Mal takes on two new passengers-a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister-he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.

Serenity is written and directed by Joss Whedon; produced by Barry Mendel; and executive-produced by Christopher Buchanan, David Lester and Alisa Tager.

Check out the film website HERE.

I have discovered my own personal crack. It is the perfect marriage of costume dra-medy and genre mystery. It is Pride and Prescience (Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged), a Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery by Carrie Bebris. Oh yeah, that's right! Elizabeth and Darcy are sluthing! Does it get any better than that? I think not.

I have long loved Jane Austen, P&P being my favorite of her books. The pleasure I derive from genre mystery however is new to me. I am zooming through both the Tea Shop Mysteries and the Hemlock Falls Mysteries. Both are series with professional women as the central character involved in detecting.

Previously, I have read Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Linda Berdoll. It is a fantasticly smutty sequal to the origial P&P that covers the years following the double wedding. I can't come close to explaining how much I love this book. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there are additional squals out there (totally unconnected to Ms. Berdoll's version mentioned above).

And because I am so kind, I reveal to you below the other tantilizing options.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman: Duty And Desire by Pamela Aidan

The Darcys by Phyllis Furley

Conviction: A Sequel To Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice by Skylar Hamilton Burris

Mrs Darcy's Dilemma: A sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by Diana Birchall

Enjoy my Lovelies!

Here is the link to the new Harry Potter Goblet of Fire trailer. OMG it looks so good. Pardon me while I geek out!

http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbmovies/harrypotter/trailer_hi.mov

I had a really good appointment with the Behavorist at FMH last night. It was really useful, though she wasn't doling out any quick fixes. The strategy she gave me will be effective I think, but it will be a real challenge. So don't mind me if I seem overly introspective in the coming weeks. I have work to do.

Quote of the Day:
"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however."
-Richard Bach

This weeks task from Ms. Write Again Soon: Write a topic of your choosing using ONLY lyrics from songs. You must cite the songs (with artist) at the bottom of your entry. Entries must be at least 200 words long (or use 20 songs). There must be a recognizable story line (not just "here are 20 songs I like").

I never knew how much love could hurt until I loved you baby. I feel as empty as a drum. I'm sorry I had to go. I didn't want to go away. All I left behind should come as no surprise to me.

As I try to find the will to forget. But I remember everything. You've become the memory I can't erase. Each little moment, Is clear before me. You say you don't love me, but I still love you.

So I find myself back on the road again. Travelin' around sure gets me down and lonely. All those nights I've spent alone. Uninspired, so tired and wasted. Goin' places that I've never been. All alone, on a one way road. Can't look back, cause I see your face.

In the end, Home is where I want to be. Country roads, take me home. Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel. Let me show you what I learned out on the road.

"What the hell was that" you ask? I don't know. This was the hardest blog entry ever and I have no idea what it means. I feel like I just turned in a writing assignment for Mr. McAlpine. My head hurts. The citing will come late.

This past weekend Flounder and I took a last minute jaunt up to Hershey Park. We had a lot of fun, but the highlight was easily the Great Bear Roller Coaster. It was easily the most frightening thrill ride I have ever been on. It was great! From the Hershey Park website:

GREAT BEAR is an exhilarating, looping, inverted steel coaster. You ride below the track, not above it. The ride starts by lifting you 90 feet off the ground. It will then speed up to 61 miles per hour (nearly a mile a minute) as it rips down the tracks, through a loop then into what is called an immelman - a loop that turns you out at the top and then drops you like a falling star! Then you will cross the SOOPERDOOPERLOOPER, make an "S" turn before returning to earth.

Good times!

I had my annual ob-gyn appointment this morning. I bring this up only to tell you how nice it was to have a doctor be happy with the change in my weight since I saw her last. It was really positive and encouraging. She very pleased with my progress. Now I just want to make more.

Quote of the Day:
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
Mahatma Gandhi

This weeks topic, thanks to Ms. Lugnochro is: Assuming you will have a child in the future, what one attribute or personality characteristic or natural ability would you like to secure for that child (assuming the magic Baby Genie (not to be confused with the Diaper Genie) gives you One Wish). Also, the attribute can not be exemption from a specific disease/disability.

I think I can't help but choose a trait here that I do not myself demonstrate. I most want my child to be a resolute, tenacious hard-worker. It is not enough in life to be smart, strong or popular if one is not also goal oriented. Where will you go if you are very bright, but also lazy? I would rather my child be average or even sub-par in other areas if he had a dogged determination to succeed. Natural talent is a great gift but there is a nobility in hard work that can't be found in a task easily achieved due to natural ability.

There are a million good things I wish for my future children. Of course I would ideally like them to be healthy, happy, intelligent and empathetic of their fellow man. All those hopes and wishes aside, I will be content to raise the children the come into my life to the best of my ability and hope I do less harm than good.

For other takes on this topic see:
Write Again Soon
Bad Apologies
A Prize In Every Box
A Little Maryment
Post No Bills
Lugnochro

Yesterday I weighed in and found I had gained 1 pound over the last two weeks. All things considered that's not to bad. New overall loss 55 pounds. I am disappointed that I have basicly made no forward progress through July and August. I am meeting with a Behaviorist from FMH this coming week. The idea is to build a strategy for emotional and stress eating. Baby steps I guess.

Flounder is home from California. It's very good to have him home. Before I picked him up yesterday Red, J.Wo and I went Raspberry Picking and were able to collect just enough berries to make a batch of Mango-Raspberry jam. Yum!

This coming week is going to be a little hectic I think. I have a few appointments through out the week breaking up our normal routine. I also have to travel up to Baltimore Tuesday to set up for a tradeshow. I guess I better go do my homework.

Quote of the Day:
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
Aristotle

Angsty Issue #2 - I don't enjoy my work...continued.

I am just wrapping up a difficult week. My sadness about the state of the gulf coast is magnified through the lense of hormones and my lack of coping mechanisms when it comes to stress. I have been eating as a buffer, but knowing I am veiring off course from my diet goals only causes more stress. Vicious cycle. Huricane Katrina is so huge it's hard for me to even wrap my head around it.

I bring this up because the destruction wrought by Huricane Katrina has reminded me how short and fragile life is, how much time I have wasted being afraid. We don't get enough time here to waste it. So I have taken action and gone back to school. That's great, go me! But what about right now? I am not reaching my potential today.

Today I am sitting at a desk, working a job that plays on my weaknesses and requires me to approach tasks in ways that are unatural for me. I am not built for multi-tasking. For me, trying to do more than two things at once guarantees errors and unecessary difficulty. I lose track of where I am in my work, too often missing steps or duplicating effort. The possibility of making a major mistake hangs over me like a storm cloud. Usually it is tolerable. Occassionally when the deadlines are tight and my plate is full I feel overwhelmed, anxious and miserable. I am not a lot of fun to work with either.

This brings us to the question of the day. What changes can I make to make my work life more satisfying while I work toward a degree?

Quote of the Day:
If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
--Mary Engelbreit

So funny. So true!

That is one skinny iPod! Just when you think you have the coolest gadet on the block, they come out with something better. I have only had my iPod mini for 9 months and Apple has rolled out several new iPod flavors since then. I am stepping out of the techno rat race. I am taking my fat little silver mini and going home.

Thanks to Mr. Bad Apologies this weeks WEbring topic is this: If you were to form a gang right now, what would it be called? What would it do? What would your personal nickname be? What would you be known to be especially "hard core" at in your gang?

My gang's name would be known only among the members themselves. To the general populace they would appeare as your average members of their community. We would have weekly meetings. We would gather at the each others homes and share the news we had collected through out the week. Each getting an assignment, we would scatter to the wind. And then we would cook.

The gang would be called the S'mores. The name would be acknowledged as lame, but a consensous could never be reached on behalf of a moniker which was cooler, or more appropriate. At our weekly meeting we would gather to share recipes and discuss how the gift of food could improve our community. Is there a school bake sale in need of brownies? An aged neighbor who could use a nutritious and easy to chew dinner dish? Has a local family had trouble buying food since Dad lost his job? We would rise to the occasion bringing hope, help and food to share.

I would be known as Lefty, often seen wielding a wooden spoon in my left hand, mixing bowl in the crook of my right arm.

In this gang, being hardcore would be delivering an entire turkey dinner to a needy family which was hot and ready to eat before the children of the family had a chance to notice anything was amiss.

For other takes on this topic see:
Write Again Soon
Bad Apologies
A Prize In Every Box
A Little Maryment
Post No Bills
Lugnochro

Last night I went to see Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the source theater in DC. I found the play to be well acted and nicely staged. There was also a whole lota naked on that stage. I have personally never been in a room with so many naked men before. But maybe that is just me.

From the review in the Washington Blade:

“Liaisons,” a quip-laden treatise on love, lust, betrayal and social conventions, is as striking today as it was when originally composed. In this production, all the characters are watching and reacting as the drama unfolds.

Most of the men playing women put on feminine airs, and the audience soon forgets the biological gender of the player and instead relies on the physical and behavioral trappings that the character displays.

Flounder got safely to San Fran yesterday. I spent most my day running errands and looking around my house, and wondering how I had managed to create such a mess. Today I am working on cleaning up that mess. Mi Mama is coming over the hang out (and help me with the house). This evening I am going to see The Brothers Grimm with Condorman. And then, AND THEN there is still Monday. Ah...I love a long weekend.

Quote of the Day:
"Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work."
-Rita Mae Brown

I have been fighting back tears all day. The compound human suffering is dragging my down. I want to help, but besides donating money is there anything I can do without actually going down south? I am working on it. Meanwhile I going to try to stay away from the news. I am tired of being sad.

Today I go back to school. I have my books and my parking pass. I have my bookbag all packed and ready to go. When I visited MC's Germantown campus last night to buy my books, I was happy to see that it didn't have the frenetic, chaotic feeling that I was so overwhelmed by at the Rockville campus on Monday. That place was literally teaming with students. Germantown was calm and I am thankful. Cross your fingers for me tonight. I feel like I am going into the breach!

Quote of the day:
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)