Saturday, January 31, 2009

I'm a hero?

Tonight I saw Dar Williams perform at the Georgia Theater in Athens, GA. I was quite possibly her biggest fan there, with maaaaybe the exception of a couple of 19-ish-year old girls up front. But regardless, after playing a couple of songs from her latest album, the rest of the band departed from the stage, leaving her alone with her guitar and asking for requests. Someone shouted, "As Cool As I Am!" So she began. Midway through the first verse, she faltered, paused.... she forgot the lyrics. She laughed nervously and apologized, the audience laughed, she hummed/sang the first lines again in fast-forward, trying to pick it back up.... Still couldn't.... so I shouted them to her, "So I watched the way." She perked up and threw her hands towards me, fingers outstretched, and said, "Yes! Thank you!" And continued with the song, flawless.
After the performance, I met her by the merchandise stand. As I approached, she saw me and shouted, "You!" She said I saved her up there: she said she was completely blanking on the words, getting HORRIBLY embarrassed, and the aforementioned girls were trying to help but giving her the wrong lyrics (which I guess doesn't make them the biggest fans after all?)..... and then she heard me call out above them, and.... Yup. So anyway, we chatted some, she said "thank you" several more times and made sure I got a free t-shirt, I got a photograph taken with her, she signed a CD I had purchased, and I left. Grinning. Ecstatically.
Coolest. Concert. Ever.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Schadenfreude

It's a fun song that speaks to the occasional joyful bitterness in all of us :)

The rest of Avenue Q is pretty amazing, too. I still want a Bad Idea Bear, if anyone knows where to find them.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Snow day!

It's hard to show lots of snow. But my 20-minute commute took more than an hour and a half and the interview that I drove to near my parents' house took twice the time it should have to arrive at.

So imagine my joy when I got a phone call around noon telling me not to come back! Adults don't get snow days nearly often enough. But with weather like this... sweet.

Pictures that are probably better than mine. (And to be fair, this is my sister's picture. My plan to have lunch with my mom since I was near home turned into sharing my sister's snow day. And of the two of us, she's the photographer.)

Monday, January 26, 2009

More Josh Lyman

This article about new chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has an awesome picture of him making a face (I think at the Inauguration). But my favorite part is this passage:

He is not accustomed to fading discreetly into the background. As a staff member in the Clinton White House, a three-term House member from Chicago and the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he was viewed by many as a consummate purveyor of a crass, kneecapping brand of politics.

Mr. Obama acknowledged as much at a 2005 roast for Mr. Emanuel, who is a former ballet dancer, during which Mr. Obama credited him with being “the first to adopt Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’ for dance” (a number that included “a lot of kicks below the waist”). When Mr. Emanuel lost part of his middle finger while cutting meat at an Arby’s as a teenager, Mr. Obama joked, the accident “rendered him practically mute.”

Sunday, January 25, 2009

It's a spitting image

Over Christmas, I played this awesome game called Pop5 (it's a Cranium game!) with Chrys and her parents. This, her mother's creation, was the winning move. You do know who it is, right?

As she sculpted it, we were all laughing uproariously.

(Apologies for the time lapse. I'm notoriously bad at getting to pictures in a timely fashion.)

Side note: This was on the Cranium Web site and gave me pause --

Recall of Cadoo die. Click here for more information about the recall of the die in certain copies of Cadoo.
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Friday, January 23, 2009

Like a Child in a Candy Store.

I feel that I have been spoiled.  I have been a student... well.. most of my life.  And most of my friends will tell you that I am CRAZY and want to GO BACK.

I was recently lamenting the crappiness that are the Wake County and Durham County public libraries.  Functional websites? Yes  Multiple Branches.  Yes.  Ok, so they beat the Newmarket Library by Leaps and bounds.  But you try to find a book about children of alcoholics published since 1985?  Shoot, you try to find a book about children of alcoholics that isn't a memoir/story... and you can not.

Where, oh where, have my university libraries gone?!?!  Carrying titles such as Working with Children of Alocholics:  A practitioner's handbook, and The Forgotten Children; A Study of Children with Alcoholic Parents.  What?!?!  Books that may be useful?!?!?  books that are STUDIES !?!?!  Books that address the topic I am trying to find that were NOT published by a 12-step program!?!?!?  H-E-A-V-E-N, thy name is Duke!  (though admittedly the study is old.)

Okay, Okay, I guess I will just have to put in some quality time at the Duke Library since I can't check out books.

Way-Oh!  What do you say person on the other side of the IM box embedded into the library website page that allows me to talk to a librarian real time without bothering to call??  I Can get a Duke Library Card?  For an Annual Fee of $50!!!  Oh Em Gee, Guise!  I am going to get one today! I am WAY TOO EXCITED for my own good.  Watch for pics of me with my library card posted to my facebook.  No.  I am not kidding.  I don't think.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Kindness of strangers

I was riding the trolley yesterday, when it started to pull away. A woman was chasing it down, trying to catch the driver before she left, when... splat. She slipped on the icy street and fell in the slush.

The driver did notice her, and waited for her to come on board. The woman started to wipe the slush off her coat and purse, but she was pretty wet. Then, someone across the aisle from her pulled a few paper towels from her coat pocket and offered them up.

"I bring them from home," she said. "I have more. You take them."

And I thought that was pretty great.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Devil strip

People in Akron are more creative than people in other places. That's my conclusion (because I grew up with a tree lawn).
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Everybody cut loose, footloose...!

I just watched the last episode of Psych, where they had a character named Kenneth Loggins. This of course led to many a humorous "Danger Zone," "Footloose" and Jim Messina interlude.

I do love Kenny Loggins -- especially House at Pooh Corner, Danny's Song and Conviction of the Heart. Oh, and his son, Crosby.

Inauguration Day

Walking from work to my car, I pass a wine bar that usually plays music like this.

Today, it was blasting NPR into the sidewalk.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

I saw a Mary Kay *pink* Cadillac! Honest to god! It had Mary Kay is swirling silver script on the back, and the vanity plate read: LOVE MK.

It's Pink.

It's Mary Kay.

Love. It.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Morning commute

This morning:
  • The weather man on the college radio station I was listening to said it was going to be "cold, with 100 percent chance of snow." It was snowing at the time.
  • The radio news dude used the word fortnight in reference to the amount of time until Inauguration Day (he said less than a fortnight, which is even cooler).
  • The Provide-a-Ride van in front of me had a license plate that said "ambulette" where others would say "teacher" or "veteran."
  • I saw workers at the AdultMart (think Inserection, Georgians) around the corner from my office take the Christmas lights down off their letters.
  • A woman walking in front of me kept complaining about the pieces of salt in her boots (it's so much funnier than pebbles).
  • There were people shoveling out the sidewalk, which is both very nice and makes life so much easier than when you have to trudge over drifts to get anywhere.
This afternoon, I had a very awesome lunch with an old friend. And when I looked out my window for the rest of the day, the sky looked like I was in a shaken snow globe, with wind whipping the big clumps of flakes in every direction.

But it slowed by the time I left. So the ride home was not stressful at all.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

The Fortune Cookie Story

As per Arielle's request.....

While spending Christmas in Northeast Ohio, my family decided to take part in one of the great Jewish traditions: Chinese Food on Christmas!!!

When we got our fortune cookies, and I opened mine, Ta-Da!! There were two fortunes in it!

1) Travelling to the south will bring you unexpected happiness.
2) Be prepared to modify your plans.

Oh! I am going back home in a few days! This must mean somehting good and big will happen when I get home! Yay! I wonder what it could be!??!?!

Now, I do not normally put much stock in fortune cookies. I am NOT like Arielle in the I follow what they tell me to do. Maybe it was the Christmas Spirit. Maybe it was the Brandy Alexanders that I drank. But it seemed like I should pay attention to these fortunes.

I told Andy, my boyfriend, about my fortunes when I got home, and you could see the gears a-turning, and a look of concern on his face. Huh? This is Strange? Come to find out that he was afraid I was expecting an engagement ring.

Aye De Mi.

Boys are silly.

The chocolate says

Some of you may be aware of what could possibly be deemed an... unhealthy relationship I have with Dove Promises chocolate.

No, it's not because I eat too many of them. It's because I listen to the chocolate when it tells me to do things. Pretty much without fail.

For those of you who are yet unschooled in Dove chocolate goodness, each of the wrappers has a piece of advice, a saying, a sentiment inside.

Ordinarily, they make me smile -- sometimes for their wisdom, sometimes for their ridiculousness. But imagine this: each of the pieces in the current bag is double wrapped.

Yes, you heard me right. Twice the Dove joy.

Here are the ones I've held on to (and will be putting to use, if I haven't already):
Think of someone who makes you smile.
Life is all about making memories.
Find little ways to make every day a holiday.
Kick a bad habit for today.
Be a good listener to your friends.
Close out the world for just a moment.
Remember your first best friend.
In chaos there lies opportunity.
The most enjoyable experiences are often free.
Make the most of today.
Make a pledge to get 8 hours of shut eye.
Engage, embrace, enjoy.
I've also written letters, made phone calls, worn red and done other things after being encouraged by the chocolate. Yes, it is probably at least slightly wrong to make decisions based on a foil wrapper. But it is what it is.

Side note: This is amusing -- what do you add to the saying, a la "in bed" with a fortune cookie?

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Feet are Icky




So, Daisy has taken to licking my feet. A lot. Which, as you might know, is something I would not normally allow. Feet are gross. But hell, she eats poop. What am I to say it's not some Doggie Delicacy? Anyhow, I am not sure which I find more disconcerting... the fact that I allow this because it keeps her off of my lap/laptop/licking my face, or the fact that I find myself hoping that her rough tongue will mean I don't have to do as much upkeep to keep my feetsies uncalloused and uncracked.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Misplaced words

I wrote: First of all, most employees aren’t doing a good enough job of saving themselves for retirement.

But meant: First of all, most employees aren’t doing a good enough job themselves of saving for retirement.

So now I have this song in my head. And I think we need to see a video spoof of abstinence-only education for senior citizens.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

It's the little things

Like having all the lights stay green -- or all the crosswalks letting you walk -- that makes a day more pleasant. It also lets you get home earlier, where there is light and warmth and joy.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Let's hear it for...

Unexpected conversations -- in elevators, in e-mails, in lines. Wherever they come from, the random chats that are more than just the exchanging of pleasantries are reasons to smile (and remember why people are in fact pretty cool).

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

E. Coli has never been so much fun!

Even though the holidays are over, it's never to late to give the gift of a viral infection (or maybe a venereal disease!).
Whoever said sickness can't be cute?

Monday, January 5, 2009

The dude abides

I had a visitor from the cable company tonight when my phone rang. I answered to say I would call back "after the cable dude left." The cable dude, who was 20, was very amused and giggled a little at the word dude.

He then stayed for an hour (waiting for the TV to go through the motions and fix itself) and told me all about his day (the guy who offered him expensive pot because he was new to the area and wanted friends, but cable dude isn't much of a smoker), the time he accidentally got latex paint all over his hands and couldn't get it out, what video games he plays (Halo, World of Warcraft, I zoned out), why squirrels chew up the cable lines (it's good for teeth-sharpening), what he'd do with a gigantic paycheck and no living expenses. The nice mix of weird and normal people he meets on the job. How he's never actually done the thing he came to do before, so it's a good thing I knew how to do it (I just needed him to provide the equipment).

He plopped down on the couch, had a glass of water. All in all, it was the most entertaining visit I've ever had from the cable company.

Kaboom

Amused probably isn't quite the right reaction, but it is what it is.

One of my light bulbs just exploded. As in, made a popping noise. The glass disconnected from the base. The glass fell to the ground (but didn't shatter). Smoke came from the light fixture.

It was just so very unexpected that I couldn't help but laugh. And now I have the top half of a light bulb, which I want to find a use for.

It's very pretty.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Fortune cookies

I have a few particularly good fortunes saved. But if you're not the one who gets them, can you still claim them?

E-mail from my sister:
"You are a lover of words, someday you should write a book."

I think that was meant for you. I got it at P.F. Changs.