inquisitive
Originally uploaded by ekissam.
show me inquisitive! what's that over your shoulder? is that something crawling on the wall? what's going on over there? now. . . hold it . . .hold it. . . .
3.26.2005
andria's visit
well. . . luckily i had gotten over the flu just in time for andria to make her stop by on her way back home to dallas from utah. i was a little nervous to test my stomach's capabilities of digesting food .. . but after several days of only water, tea, and orange juice. . . it was starving. . . and particularly craving good new mexican food. it was a little out of the way, but i drove her up to espanola for jo-ann's diner food. it's a totally cute and inexpensive meal. . . but oh so good! and my usual place to take new people, the oasis, was oddly closed for several days. . . . she'll have to wait till next time to experience the womb room.
she was a little surprised by the amount of snow that we had. she had passed through only a week earlier, when it was all beautiful and spring-like. then we got walloped by a snow storm. . .and there was plenty left to slosh through, which we did as we walked through the sculpture garden at shidoni. we didn't get to see them actually pour bronze, but the garden and funky furniture display was still quite fun. and why go through tesuque without a stop at the market for some of the best desserts around. and this time they actually had the good desserts made .. . . unlike the disappointing visit with trevor. i got my flan!. . . .though with my stomach, it took me three days to slowly eat and digest it. mmmmmm. . . flan.. . . . . and she left with some green chile cheese bread to take back with her.
we also stayed a bit at the awakening museum, she accompanied me to my acupuncture appointment, and we even took in a show- sam shepard's fool for love. . . the whole day we chatted and caught up on what each of us knew about the goings on of our barter friends. we even tried to call miss rachel, but i think it was a little late back on east coast time.
i'll make a quick segue here to my next post. i was rather jealous of her well done do. . . and how wonderfully it dried, all curls and little frizz. . . . you'll have to check out the next post to see where that led. . . . hehe
anyway. . . it was a great time, and i hope we get the chance to make it happen a little more often. i'll have to try and share this all with the barter crew. . see, it's nice to stay in touch. check out the pics below. . . . .
she was a little surprised by the amount of snow that we had. she had passed through only a week earlier, when it was all beautiful and spring-like. then we got walloped by a snow storm. . .and there was plenty left to slosh through, which we did as we walked through the sculpture garden at shidoni. we didn't get to see them actually pour bronze, but the garden and funky furniture display was still quite fun. and why go through tesuque without a stop at the market for some of the best desserts around. and this time they actually had the good desserts made .. . . unlike the disappointing visit with trevor. i got my flan!. . . .though with my stomach, it took me three days to slowly eat and digest it. mmmmmm. . . flan.. . . . . and she left with some green chile cheese bread to take back with her.
we also stayed a bit at the awakening museum, she accompanied me to my acupuncture appointment, and we even took in a show- sam shepard's fool for love. . . the whole day we chatted and caught up on what each of us knew about the goings on of our barter friends. we even tried to call miss rachel, but i think it was a little late back on east coast time.
i'll make a quick segue here to my next post. i was rather jealous of her well done do. . . and how wonderfully it dried, all curls and little frizz. . . . you'll have to check out the next post to see where that led. . . . hehe
anyway. . . it was a great time, and i hope we get the chance to make it happen a little more often. i'll have to try and share this all with the barter crew. . see, it's nice to stay in touch. check out the pics below. . . . .
andria1
andria1
Originally uploaded by ekissam.
in left over snow from earilier in the week we checked out Shidoni. . . the bronze foundry. just a week earlier she had stopped by on her way to utah, and the weather had been beautiful and spring-like. then we got blasted with snow. as we did again this weekend.
3.11.2005
a honking couple of days
first off, this past weekend was a blast. quite a schooling for myself, and i was totally whooped by the end. i already see that if i were to continue to do some of the hiring conferences, i need to either shorten my talk, or the interviewer's talk. . . each interview was supposed to last 20 minutes, but i tended to run over an average of 5 to 7 minutes. by the last 4 interviews, i was running a complete hour behind! but people still waited. . . .
i met a couple of really great kids, i'm totally psyched to work with them this summer, and well, there was a good share of complete duds. oh well.
there was a decent number of kent kids there that i was able to catch up with. pictures to come really soon.
well, coming back to santa fe, i was really tired, but i had a full week ahead of me. while my repetitive nose honking heralds in the start of allergy season, i've found myself couch ridden, drinking lots of hot tea, and this weird onion ginger honey concoction which is supposed to make me sweat. i was freezing earlier. not so much anymore.
i've been in constant contact with my bosses, working on which kids we want to hire, emailing, reference calling, a couple extra phone interviews. . . . all with a drippy nose and totally congested head . . . whoo hoo. . .
then there was wednesday and thursday, or was it tuesday and wednesday. . . i honestly don't remember for sure. . . the first night andria smith- (ahh barter days)- showed up later in the evening. she was on her way from dallas to utah for some production meetings. she makes the trek each summer but usually doesn't have time to stop by. this time though she crashed over for the night and we stayed up WAY past my bedtime talking and catching up. i was kind of sleepy the next morning, but it was totally worth it. she's planning on stopping by for a little longer on the way back to dallas. hmm. . . perhaps a touristy trek to come. . . .
so, the next morning, i was to head off to the airport to pick up a college friend who was coming to the opera for an interview. on my way to pick up amy mark, andria and i had a little breakfast. . .. what else? a breakfast burrito from santa fe baking company. i ended up being a little late to the airport, but amy seemed fine with it. we played, 'where's so and so and what are they up to' the entire day. .. or at least while she wasn't interviewing. she seems to be doing really well, and i hadn't realized how much i missed a bunch of these people. . . and hearing about how people were. a complete whirlwind for me, and people from two different eras of my life, not to mention the catch up played with the kent kids. . . . so THREE! three different times of my life. i was amazed at my ability to keep it all straight, and i was pulled names out of no where. . . . maybe this congestion thing is good for something, works as a sort of gelatinous goo that help move my synapses. . . . or not.
mmmm. . . NUMB3RS is on. . . . gotta go.
3.08.2005
gisbe arrival
gisbe arrival
Originally uploaded by ekissam.
i got my gisbe (great international secret blog exchange) package just monday. though i think it probably arrived while i was away at the SETC convention, it made for a wonderful welcome surprise for me!
thank you lise! a cutie kangaroo plushie, glow stars-excellent, fun and different tasty treats, and someone did their homework and got me an aquarius month to month book. i LOVE it. . . THANKYOU!
3.01.2005
a grin-ectomy may be necessary
i am less than 12 hours away from getting on a plane and flying to north carolina for the SETC conference. i'm totally psyched, so much so that i'm worried about it being a let down- must balance out a bit. besides, i've had all the anxiety nightmares i think i can take. but other than that, there have been some interesting bits that i've forgotten to mention. .
----i got an anniversary card back in january, marking my first complete year of being a full time employee here at the opera. you know, i am impressed by the details that i see here that i've never seen anywhere else. . .
----i got a birthday card from the opera, yes, kinda of generic, but again, a detail that i've not seen elsewhere.
----on a more inane note, i got a letter and a check from the bank that i mentioned a few entries back. the bank that i closed the account with. after i transferred most of the account, there was a 5 dollar balance left over that the bank was reluctant to give up, 'can i ask, ma'am? why would you want to close this account? is there any way i can persuade you to stay with us?' this is probably the 12th time i heard this bit, and the 20th time i explained the whole, 'how could you send my new debit card to the wrong address and make me wait a month and a half for one to come to the correct address, no, it is unacceptable' almost as if this old bank wanted to take one more chance to prove their irresponsibility, i get the envelope and turn it to open the flap to find that the flap hasn't been sealed. . .. at all. my five dollar check could have skipped town on that envelope, but someone, it made it to me. unbelievable. . .
----a day ago i was walking around and ran into another department head who had what looked like my mail in his hand. i was caught off guard, i thought it was an alumni magazine. there was a costume sketch from a show i worked on directly on the cover. he asked me, 'erika, isn't this you?' there, in print was my name. yes, but why did he have this magazine? why? because it's a trade journal linked to USITT.. . this 'brotherhood or club of technicians' to which i have never belonged. but one of my teachers wrote up a large article about a couple of shows of which i was the lighting designer, so there are a couple of pictures and my name, TWICE as the designer. (and of course there is part of me that is wondering how painful it was to HAVE to include my name hehe, 'damn, she did do all that work, guess we have to give her credit.' muhahahahahahahahaha)
(oh, and all morning, after the magazine circulated- though i still haven't read it- i was teasingly called, 'famous erika')
now, i still have some work to do, and some genius level tetris to perform in my suitcase. . . so, other than the fact that i get to go through all this with my period--- will i ever get to fly without it? arg! ---- i need to get going. later.
2.27.2005
trevor visiting
well, the biggest news from this week was trevor's visit. he was traveling cross country from vermont on his way to a new job in las vegas, nevada. he pulled in around 8pm wednesday evening. i called in a personal day so we could hang out all thursday before he took off again.
it's only when people come up for a visit that it becomes painfully clear to me just how little i get out. i know of many places to get a great meal in this town, but as for a little tourism type thing, i only have a few tricks in my bag. other than that, it's basic stuff that can be done in any town. . . .
on a side note -after this week, jared and i have decided that we need to do a breakfast burrito test try. this is THE town of the breakfast burrito, there are just so many choices and slight differentiations that can become significant to your morning meal.
anyway, we started off with breakfast at the Santa Fe Baking Co. it's a great standard. then off to the old city and a tour of the pretty churches downtown. the Loretto with the mystical staircase. . . (as seen below) and the St. Francis as well as a little stroll through the plaza.
a quick drive through old canyon road and the art galaries, then, on the way to the opera, a pit stop at Shidoni, the bronze foundry. we walked through the art garden and the artistic furniture boutique. we did a good tour through the opera then went for dessert at Tesuque Village Market - which i usually tout to be the most heavenly maker of desserts around. though sadly, there was no cheesecake or flan ARG! am i even in the right place? what has this world come to. . . . the strawberry shortcake was disappointing- very unusual for TVM. . . but the chocolate mousse cake made up for it, i hope.
made a small stop at a pet store to search out a proper scratch post for hedwig, who had taken a liking to scratching at the couch arm, also seen below. a viewing of constantine- which turned out to be much better than first anticipated, and a late dinner in the womb room of the Oasis. . .
not too bad. and trevor made it into his new apartment AOK the next day.
within the next two weeks there will be two more visits, so i'm hoping to find a few more ideas before then. . . . or perhaps not. . . busy week ahead :)
it's only when people come up for a visit that it becomes painfully clear to me just how little i get out. i know of many places to get a great meal in this town, but as for a little tourism type thing, i only have a few tricks in my bag. other than that, it's basic stuff that can be done in any town. . . .
on a side note -after this week, jared and i have decided that we need to do a breakfast burrito test try. this is THE town of the breakfast burrito, there are just so many choices and slight differentiations that can become significant to your morning meal.
anyway, we started off with breakfast at the Santa Fe Baking Co. it's a great standard. then off to the old city and a tour of the pretty churches downtown. the Loretto with the mystical staircase. . . (as seen below) and the St. Francis as well as a little stroll through the plaza.
a quick drive through old canyon road and the art galaries, then, on the way to the opera, a pit stop at Shidoni, the bronze foundry. we walked through the art garden and the artistic furniture boutique. we did a good tour through the opera then went for dessert at Tesuque Village Market - which i usually tout to be the most heavenly maker of desserts around. though sadly, there was no cheesecake or flan ARG! am i even in the right place? what has this world come to. . . . the strawberry shortcake was disappointing- very unusual for TVM. . . but the chocolate mousse cake made up for it, i hope.
made a small stop at a pet store to search out a proper scratch post for hedwig, who had taken a liking to scratching at the couch arm, also seen below. a viewing of constantine- which turned out to be much better than first anticipated, and a late dinner in the womb room of the Oasis. . .
not too bad. and trevor made it into his new apartment AOK the next day.
within the next two weeks there will be two more visits, so i'm hoping to find a few more ideas before then. . . . or perhaps not. . . busy week ahead :)
trevor at fridgehenge
trevor at fridgehenge
Originally uploaded by ekissam.
can you really pass up visiting this sort of thing?
comfy hedwig
comfy hedwig
Originally uploaded by ekissam.
and jared and i worried that our deflating couch pillows were becoming uncomfortable. HA!
2.21.2005
things i've done today
so, i am feeling a little guilty that i didn't plan some exciting long weekend, maybe a trip to denver to visit some friends, or hell, even a trip to a local museum. . . and i've had 4 days off- this being the last. well, yesterday i did a thorough cleaning of the apartment. both jared and i are expecting visitors over the next few weeks, and my thought was that if i did a really good cleaning now, we will only need to maintain it. i didn't clean my bedroom yet though, i was planning on doing it today. . . well, we'll see how that goes.
so i woke up around 9 this morning thinking, i'll start by finishing the lasagna i made the sauce and meatballs for last night, then i'll go out, get some more quarters for laundry, hit the gym, do some cleaning, shower up, watch a movie maybe, then settle in for the evening. but this is how it actually went.
got up around 9,
made the lasagna,
did some dishes,
realized that i actually had enough quarters to do my laundry already,
contemplated going out to see 'constantine'
contemplated going to the gym
watched 'return to oz' because i can't get that scissor sister song out of my head (and though i expected it to be really be lame and cheesy -since it is an 80's disney movie, it actually wasn't too bad, but it wasn't as good -ie, dark, twisted and creepy as the song is to me)
then i did two loads of laundry
ate some lasagna
another load of dishes
put away the laundry
(and yes, i'm now listing these in order to make it seem like i've accomplished many important things)
read some blogs,
checked email
wrote some blogs
oh, and somewhere in all that i had a large rum and coke. which may be factoring into my decision making process as well as my writing skills. . . isn't it amazing how once you factor in the non-necessity of laundry quarters, then the need for leaving the apartment decreases exponentially, let alone the need for showering-that's right. . . i'm all greasy haired today! now, i'm on the third load of dishes, and i'm sitting down to watch zatoichi. right, and a second rum and coke because i rarely drink, and i did buy a whole six pack of cokes on friday, and there was one left as of 5 minutes ago, and who really wants that lying around over the week, so. . . bottoms up!
whoo hoo for presidents day. . . .
i also think that the trailers for the fantastic movie, Hero, are terrible. there was one right before this movie started. it does nothing for the actual complexity of the story-line. what were they thinking? or were they being REALLY smart in attempting to hide the actual plot so as not to give the intricacies of it away?
anyway, gotta run, my rum and coke is flattening.
so i woke up around 9 this morning thinking, i'll start by finishing the lasagna i made the sauce and meatballs for last night, then i'll go out, get some more quarters for laundry, hit the gym, do some cleaning, shower up, watch a movie maybe, then settle in for the evening. but this is how it actually went.
got up around 9,
made the lasagna,
did some dishes,
realized that i actually had enough quarters to do my laundry already,
contemplated going out to see 'constantine'
contemplated going to the gym
watched 'return to oz' because i can't get that scissor sister song out of my head (and though i expected it to be really be lame and cheesy -since it is an 80's disney movie, it actually wasn't too bad, but it wasn't as good -ie, dark, twisted and creepy as the song is to me)
then i did two loads of laundry
ate some lasagna
another load of dishes
put away the laundry
(and yes, i'm now listing these in order to make it seem like i've accomplished many important things)
read some blogs,
checked email
wrote some blogs
oh, and somewhere in all that i had a large rum and coke. which may be factoring into my decision making process as well as my writing skills. . . isn't it amazing how once you factor in the non-necessity of laundry quarters, then the need for leaving the apartment decreases exponentially, let alone the need for showering-that's right. . . i'm all greasy haired today! now, i'm on the third load of dishes, and i'm sitting down to watch zatoichi. right, and a second rum and coke because i rarely drink, and i did buy a whole six pack of cokes on friday, and there was one left as of 5 minutes ago, and who really wants that lying around over the week, so. . . bottoms up!
whoo hoo for presidents day. . . .
i also think that the trailers for the fantastic movie, Hero, are terrible. there was one right before this movie started. it does nothing for the actual complexity of the story-line. what were they thinking? or were they being REALLY smart in attempting to hide the actual plot so as not to give the intricacies of it away?
anyway, gotta run, my rum and coke is flattening.
2.12.2005
reading. . .
so, a friend of mine that reads my blog regularly noted it as intelligent. . . and while i think i tend to ramble and circle around in my conversation i decided that i will attempt to sound intelligent, and talk about the books i'm reading. or rather list them.
on another blog that i read occasionally, a guy made a challenge to have people he knows read 50 books this year. i read quite a lot last year, but i doubt it was more than 25 books. . . so 50 sounds a little daunting. and i'm not doing well at the present rate this year. . . but here's where i stand.
over the holidays i finished off mirror, mirror by gregory maguire. he also wrote wicked, which was great, and i've read all of his others. i love that twist of the fairy tale. i think wicked rates at the top, with mirror mirror close behind. . . lost, which isn't a twisted fairy tale was also good, and the ugly stepsister book took a really long time to get into. . .. so, eh on that one.
now for books i'm currently reading. i don't normally read several at the same time, but i seem to be giving it a try. i'm wondering if it's working out well because a number of them consist of short stories. . .
get fuzzy (groovitude) by darby conley. . . sunday type comic make for real hard reading huh? actually i just finished it. . . . but it makes the list look a little longer. . . . -i never said anything about quality versus quantity did i?. . . so back off!
little birds by anais nin. . . . some clean erotica :)
in the devil's garden by stewart lee allen. . . . it contains short stories about forbidden foods throughout human history. . . i love NPR's recommendations. it also has some interesting recipes. . .
smoke and mirrors by neil gaiman. the wonderful writer of the sandman comics. it amazes me how he can take stories that i wouldn't ever be interested in, and the wonderful nature of his story telling makes me devour them. i only have one story left, but there are a few that i will need to revisit.
the gnostic gospels by elaine pagels. i had sort of hoped that they would actually be the gospels, but it's more of a study of them, rather dry. so, it's sitting around, don't know if i'll pick it up again, unless i get myself in some largely didactic mood.
cryptonomicon by neal stephenson. . . also on the back burner. i really liked snow crash, but this one, maybe it's too over my head, but i'm swimming between all the characters. perhaps i need a slightly easier stephenson to get me back in the right mind set or something.
america the book (a citizen's guide to democracy inaction) from the daily show with jon stewart. although it is incredibly funny, it still reads a little like a text book. . . so it's slow going for me.
art and physics (parallel visions in space, time and light) by leonard shlain. . . i only got about 17 pages in, and had to set it aside. i think it will take all of my brain power to digest this one, so i want to finish up a couple of these other ones first. i'm totally excited about the subject matter. . . . i think there are direct parallels between the scientific and artistic worlds. . . so i'm hoping this will have some really wonderful examples to help me flush out these ideas i have.
and then, for a little light bedtime reading, the complete fairy tales of the brothers grimm. . . why you may ask? i'm not entirely sure. i found the exact volume that i once had as a kid at the store (it has since been lost in a house fire) it was green leather bound with gilt edges. i didn't end up getting the exact one because there was a new version out with another 29 stories. i remember this one creepy tale about a maiden with no hands. i haven't gotten that far in the new book, but i'm looking forward to it. somewhere along the way i will have a huge deep subconscious psychological epiphany. . . . i'll keep you posted (don't hold your breath)
and since i want to make this list look longer still. . . . here are a few from last year, though i'm sure there are some i have forgotten. . . there was
death comes for the archibishop- willa cather
the story of b- daniel quinn
portrait of a killer (jack the ripper case closed)- patricia cornwell
asleep- banana yoshimoto
the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy- douglas adams
fast food nation- eric schlosser
hey nostradamus!- douglas coupland
the davinci code- dan brown
snow crash- neal stephenson
the sandman (endless nights)- neil gaiman
books of magic- neil gaiman
oh, and all the harry potter books so far published- jk rowling
so. . . what are YOU reading?
on another blog that i read occasionally, a guy made a challenge to have people he knows read 50 books this year. i read quite a lot last year, but i doubt it was more than 25 books. . . so 50 sounds a little daunting. and i'm not doing well at the present rate this year. . . but here's where i stand.
over the holidays i finished off mirror, mirror by gregory maguire. he also wrote wicked, which was great, and i've read all of his others. i love that twist of the fairy tale. i think wicked rates at the top, with mirror mirror close behind. . . lost, which isn't a twisted fairy tale was also good, and the ugly stepsister book took a really long time to get into. . .. so, eh on that one.
now for books i'm currently reading. i don't normally read several at the same time, but i seem to be giving it a try. i'm wondering if it's working out well because a number of them consist of short stories. . .
get fuzzy (groovitude) by darby conley. . . sunday type comic make for real hard reading huh? actually i just finished it. . . . but it makes the list look a little longer. . . . -i never said anything about quality versus quantity did i?. . . so back off!
little birds by anais nin. . . . some clean erotica :)
in the devil's garden by stewart lee allen. . . . it contains short stories about forbidden foods throughout human history. . . i love NPR's recommendations. it also has some interesting recipes. . .
smoke and mirrors by neil gaiman. the wonderful writer of the sandman comics. it amazes me how he can take stories that i wouldn't ever be interested in, and the wonderful nature of his story telling makes me devour them. i only have one story left, but there are a few that i will need to revisit.
the gnostic gospels by elaine pagels. i had sort of hoped that they would actually be the gospels, but it's more of a study of them, rather dry. so, it's sitting around, don't know if i'll pick it up again, unless i get myself in some largely didactic mood.
cryptonomicon by neal stephenson. . . also on the back burner. i really liked snow crash, but this one, maybe it's too over my head, but i'm swimming between all the characters. perhaps i need a slightly easier stephenson to get me back in the right mind set or something.
america the book (a citizen's guide to democracy inaction) from the daily show with jon stewart. although it is incredibly funny, it still reads a little like a text book. . . so it's slow going for me.
art and physics (parallel visions in space, time and light) by leonard shlain. . . i only got about 17 pages in, and had to set it aside. i think it will take all of my brain power to digest this one, so i want to finish up a couple of these other ones first. i'm totally excited about the subject matter. . . . i think there are direct parallels between the scientific and artistic worlds. . . so i'm hoping this will have some really wonderful examples to help me flush out these ideas i have.
and then, for a little light bedtime reading, the complete fairy tales of the brothers grimm. . . why you may ask? i'm not entirely sure. i found the exact volume that i once had as a kid at the store (it has since been lost in a house fire) it was green leather bound with gilt edges. i didn't end up getting the exact one because there was a new version out with another 29 stories. i remember this one creepy tale about a maiden with no hands. i haven't gotten that far in the new book, but i'm looking forward to it. somewhere along the way i will have a huge deep subconscious psychological epiphany. . . . i'll keep you posted (don't hold your breath)
and since i want to make this list look longer still. . . . here are a few from last year, though i'm sure there are some i have forgotten. . . there was
death comes for the archibishop- willa cather
the story of b- daniel quinn
portrait of a killer (jack the ripper case closed)- patricia cornwell
asleep- banana yoshimoto
the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy- douglas adams
fast food nation- eric schlosser
hey nostradamus!- douglas coupland
the davinci code- dan brown
snow crash- neal stephenson
the sandman (endless nights)- neil gaiman
books of magic- neil gaiman
oh, and all the harry potter books so far published- jk rowling
so. . . what are YOU reading?
too good to not share, thanks jen!
Oh, me my valentine
By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist | February 11, 2005
There's a woman out there -- and she knows who she is -- who once tossed the better part of a McDonald's strawberry shake in my lap on a long-ago Valentine's Day because I gave her a dozen roses.
That's right: I gave her roses -- soft, supple, unbelievably expensive roses, roses that I had waited 45 minutes in line to buy that would have sold for maybe a third of the price the next day. It was Valentine's Day, and that's what you do, right? You give roses.
Apparently not to this woman, who seethed: "You're more creative than this." By the time I mopped the pink foam from my pants and tried to explain that I really wasn't, she was long gone, which is just as well.
But now I'm starting to think she might have been right. I am more creative. I am more creative because of the idea I'm about to unfurl right now, an idea that will undoubtedly take Boston, then Massachusetts, and ultimately the nation by an incredible storm.
Cancel Valentine's Day, which has rapidly become the most overpriced, over-hyped event of the year. Then replace it with a holiday dedicated to the person you truly love the most in life, the one extraordinarily deserving human being who loyally accompanies you every step of the way along this sometimes difficult journey called life.
Yourself.
That's right, delighted readers. We're going to designate Feb. 14 as Self-Appreciation Day, in what is destined to be the most anticipated celebration of the year. Mothers and fathers have always had their own day, as have Pilgrims, secretaries, veterans, Christopher Columbus, dead people, workers, and groundhogs. Why not you? Why not now?
I know, I know, the traditionalists out there are aghast.
How, they're asking, can you not revel in this holiest of Hallmark Holidays highlighting mutual love and all things coupled?
What they're really asking is how can you not spend stupid amounts of money on flowers that have the ability to draw blood.
Why, they're wondering, would you not want to pay jacked-up prices for specially designated Valentine's Day menus at packed restaurants where couples are trying to act like they're much more enamored of each other than they actually are.
The important thing to notice is that the people asking these questions are all women. You see, somewhere along the line, Valentine's Day ceased to be about the couple. Equality in a relationship ended at the stroke of midnight on Feb. 13 and resumed sometime in the morning of the 15th.
Put another way, have you ever met a woman who fretted over what to get her mate for Valentine's Day? If you have, marry her, but I suspect she doesn't exist. She's too busy worrying that the flower deliveryman carrying the vase through her office is walking toward somebody else.
Which won't be an issue on Self-Appreciation Day. When you buy a card that says "World's Greatest Lover," for the first time in your life, you'll actually mean it.
On Self-Appreciation Day, Lovers' Lane leads right in front of your television, preferably to "CSI: Miami," a fresh bag of Doritos, and a cold Sam Adams in hand. Every single bit of guesswork is taken out of purchasing just the right present. In fact, the wager here is that Self-Appreciation Day will prove to be a bigger boon to the economy than Christmas and Valentine's Day combined, with nary a single return.
A new plasma? Hey, I'm worth it. Chocolates? To hell with the fancy stuff over at L. A. Burdick that run about three bucks a bite. Get an oversized Hershey's Krackel and thank your lucky stars for the wonderful giver of such a thoughtful gift.
If you feel compelled to take yourself for a night on the town, picture the quiet calm of a restaurant where every table is set for one -- and when you order dessert, every joyous bite is finally yours.
Self-Appreciation Day: The one day of the year when love is truly in the air.
Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at mcgrory@globe.com.
By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist | February 11, 2005
There's a woman out there -- and she knows who she is -- who once tossed the better part of a McDonald's strawberry shake in my lap on a long-ago Valentine's Day because I gave her a dozen roses.
That's right: I gave her roses -- soft, supple, unbelievably expensive roses, roses that I had waited 45 minutes in line to buy that would have sold for maybe a third of the price the next day. It was Valentine's Day, and that's what you do, right? You give roses.
Apparently not to this woman, who seethed: "You're more creative than this." By the time I mopped the pink foam from my pants and tried to explain that I really wasn't, she was long gone, which is just as well.
But now I'm starting to think she might have been right. I am more creative. I am more creative because of the idea I'm about to unfurl right now, an idea that will undoubtedly take Boston, then Massachusetts, and ultimately the nation by an incredible storm.
Cancel Valentine's Day, which has rapidly become the most overpriced, over-hyped event of the year. Then replace it with a holiday dedicated to the person you truly love the most in life, the one extraordinarily deserving human being who loyally accompanies you every step of the way along this sometimes difficult journey called life.
Yourself.
That's right, delighted readers. We're going to designate Feb. 14 as Self-Appreciation Day, in what is destined to be the most anticipated celebration of the year. Mothers and fathers have always had their own day, as have Pilgrims, secretaries, veterans, Christopher Columbus, dead people, workers, and groundhogs. Why not you? Why not now?
I know, I know, the traditionalists out there are aghast.
How, they're asking, can you not revel in this holiest of Hallmark Holidays highlighting mutual love and all things coupled?
What they're really asking is how can you not spend stupid amounts of money on flowers that have the ability to draw blood.
Why, they're wondering, would you not want to pay jacked-up prices for specially designated Valentine's Day menus at packed restaurants where couples are trying to act like they're much more enamored of each other than they actually are.
The important thing to notice is that the people asking these questions are all women. You see, somewhere along the line, Valentine's Day ceased to be about the couple. Equality in a relationship ended at the stroke of midnight on Feb. 13 and resumed sometime in the morning of the 15th.
Put another way, have you ever met a woman who fretted over what to get her mate for Valentine's Day? If you have, marry her, but I suspect she doesn't exist. She's too busy worrying that the flower deliveryman carrying the vase through her office is walking toward somebody else.
Which won't be an issue on Self-Appreciation Day. When you buy a card that says "World's Greatest Lover," for the first time in your life, you'll actually mean it.
On Self-Appreciation Day, Lovers' Lane leads right in front of your television, preferably to "CSI: Miami," a fresh bag of Doritos, and a cold Sam Adams in hand. Every single bit of guesswork is taken out of purchasing just the right present. In fact, the wager here is that Self-Appreciation Day will prove to be a bigger boon to the economy than Christmas and Valentine's Day combined, with nary a single return.
A new plasma? Hey, I'm worth it. Chocolates? To hell with the fancy stuff over at L. A. Burdick that run about three bucks a bite. Get an oversized Hershey's Krackel and thank your lucky stars for the wonderful giver of such a thoughtful gift.
If you feel compelled to take yourself for a night on the town, picture the quiet calm of a restaurant where every table is set for one -- and when you order dessert, every joyous bite is finally yours.
Self-Appreciation Day: The one day of the year when love is truly in the air.
Brian McGrory is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at mcgrory@globe.com.
2.06.2005
check check 1. . . 2
just trying a new program that may help me organize my blogging. no promises. . . need to see how certain things work. so i apologize in advance if the blog becomes a royal mess.
oooh. . . i think i can easily insert a link. . . .
simply google
ooooh. . . . like that. . . .
now. . . . is there a way it understands the music i'm listening to and will post that?
Artificial Joy Club - Spaceman
neato!
how about pictures?
mmm. . . not as easy to find. . . . . working. . . . . . wonder what happens if i just drag one into the window. . .
ok. . .. now to see how it uploads. . . .
oooh. . . i think i can easily insert a link. . . .
simply google
ooooh. . . . like that. . . .
now. . . . is there a way it understands the music i'm listening to and will post that?
Artificial Joy Club - Spaceman
neato!
how about pictures?
mmm. . . not as easy to find. . . . . working. . . . . . wonder what happens if i just drag one into the window. . .
ok. . .. now to see how it uploads. . . .
2.03.2005
the happy ending to my CRAP day. . .
my crap day started about a half hour before my bedtime last night, when i was told that my phone had been temporarily disconnected. WHAT? i just paid it off in full on sunday. i was just talking to someone yesterday, what the hell? so i checked it. indeed, it had been turned off. the info online of my invoice was confusing, one page said i paid the other said i didn't. so i made the phone call to pay over the phone. the operator told me that my check had been turned away by the bank, but couldn't see why. i couldn't see why either, but i wasn't going to ask them, not after this past week.
how about a little exposition? early in january i discovered that someone had made use of my debit card numbers to make a purchase. i remained calm and made a call to the bank. i had a very helpful operator who walked me through the whole thing and had me trash my current debit card for a new one, that would arrive in 7 to 10 business days. this was tough for me. i DESPISE writing checks. however, it's early february and i don't have a new debit card. i made a call on sunday that was mirrored on monday, to the correct department. my card was sent to my secondary address. . . which is not recognized by the USPS. the USPS address that was correct on every other piece of mail i get from the bank was not used, and no one could tell me why my primary address was bypassed. and more to the point, no one was willing to apologize for it. so, i was told a new card would be sent to the correct address and i would recieve it in another '7 to 10' days. . . there were long pauses in the conversation. as if she was waiting for me to say, 'oh, ok, that sounds great.' i had been totally understanding and rational till this point, where i began to lose my patience. i asked if it was possible to expedite the shipping, since i had been inconvienenced. this was not possible since they couldn't quick ship it to a PO address. . . . 'oh, well my secondary address is a fed ex/ ups address, you can next day it there.' again, . . no, they couldn't. long pause. 'well then, i guess we're done here.' 'is there anything else i can do for you ma'am.' 'no, you just proved that you can't, we are done.' click
at this point i've decided to change banks, this is too much hassle, the bank is too far away to deal with this type of issue. so, i can only expect that something within all this has made my phone bill go haywire, and i can't stand to deal with them anymore.
i hd to make another trip to the bank, late at night to make this whole phone bill thing work. i really expected to get mugged, only because it would so perfectly add one more problem on top of everything. thankfully, it didn't happen. though, with my rage, i could've used a mugger as a punching bag and let off a little steam.
this morning, i was able to see a way through the whole thing, and within a week, i think it will be completely cleared up, bankwise.
moving on to later in the day. after a trip to albuquerque and back. . .
i walked into the office to see the box my brother sent me. (sorry, here comes another long story)
2 weeks ago i'm on the phone with my brother. he tells me he has a box for me. it's my christmas presents. i get excited and tell him to ship it to me, i want the presents! he tells me that there is a 'theme' to the box that i will understand when i see it. jokingly i ask if the theme is 'christmas'. . . no, i will see when i get it.
i don't get it that week, and last weekend, i notified dan that he needed to send the box out because i had had a nightmare about it. in the nightmare i get the box and open it in front of my co-workers. on top is a decent long sleeve black shirt with some clever technician logo on it, then begins the horror. several brightly colored disney themed zipped up hoodies. i pick up each one and am pushed further into wondering how my brother traverse the disney store thinking that, 'this would be perfect for erika.' they had bows, ruffles, and sheep patterned fluff. i remember there being lots of pooh, eeyore, and the bright pink of that ballerina hippo from fantasia. i'm disturbed but dig for the possible redeaming gift of the family guy episodes that i mentioned. i come across a set of books. there were three, but i can only remember the subject matter of two of them. the first, 'how to tell if you are gay' by the fraggles. the second, 'how to masterbate' by the muppets. i think i'm blessed that i can't remember the third. i can only imagine they kept going down hill. (did i mention that my dreams can be REALLY unusual and vivid in detail?) there were other bits of colorful disney cheerfulness inside that i have also forgotten, but i think you get the idea.
so, sometimes my dreams are so vivid that i have a little trouble distinguishing them from reality at first. so i deterred from calling my brother to tell him the dream in case he had actually gotten it for me (and i hadn't just dreamed it), worried that i might hurt his feelings. but later in the day, my jugement was better and i told him the whole dream and we laughed over it.
so, i got the real package today. opened it. and this is what greeted my eyes.
brightly colored, pink even, cheerful, disney character. before showing this and telling the story, i called my brother. 'are you fucking with me?' -no, this was really the present he got for me. the theme was cheshire cat. me and the cheshire go WAY back, to when i played it in a 6th grade play, my email is derived from it. . . . but this was messed up. i was totally jolted the whole day. i shared the story with nearly everyone in the production department. the list of books got the best laughs. - i do admit that if those books existed i would TOTALLY own them. . . who in their right and properly twisted mind wouldn't?!
the next good part of the day was in the form of an email.
my friend swon, who i haven't heard from in about a year, finally emailed me. i was so happy i nearly started crying. i'd emailed her so many times, sent her care packages, letters, i even tried to call her, but getting through to korea that particular night proved impossible. . . damn calling cards.
anyway- along with my talent for bizarre dreams, i have an active imagination. . . . she could've been terminally ill or hurt. . . perhaps her parents no longer wanted a nasty american to influence her life and had some how cut off all communication between us. . . she had been kidnapped and was kept in a dark dank basement, with no internet connection allowed. i know. lame and unbelievable. . . but i missed my friend. anyway, it turned out that she was just incredibly busy. and it sounds like she's doing really well, and i can't wait to get a longer and more informed correspondence from her (hint hint, if you are there swon! ^_^)
i had so much energy all day. i went to the gym tonight, which is usually really rough after a 10 hour day. and instead of having one of those draining workouts that make you feel all run down. i had a great workout. i walked away feeling like i had just played one of my better softball or soccer games in highschool. the music, though i have listened to it thousands of times, was fresh and high energy. i moved easily, i streched really well. there's that moment, that perfect moment when a softball hits the fattest part of the bat. when it hits right, you feel the hit, and hear that crack. you know in that instant how good the hit is. for a split second everything was tense in you, then it breaks and releases in that hit. i felt like i had hit a number of those. electricity was surging through me. i walked out to my car wanting to kick ass. if ONLY i had been born a demon hunting vampire slayer. i would've totally rocked tonight!
anyway. onto the rest of my relaxful evening. i was so pumped about today, i almost sent this entire thing out as an email rather than a blog. . . but i've calmed down a little since then. have a great one!
my crap day started about a half hour before my bedtime last night, when i was told that my phone had been temporarily disconnected. WHAT? i just paid it off in full on sunday. i was just talking to someone yesterday, what the hell? so i checked it. indeed, it had been turned off. the info online of my invoice was confusing, one page said i paid the other said i didn't. so i made the phone call to pay over the phone. the operator told me that my check had been turned away by the bank, but couldn't see why. i couldn't see why either, but i wasn't going to ask them, not after this past week.
how about a little exposition? early in january i discovered that someone had made use of my debit card numbers to make a purchase. i remained calm and made a call to the bank. i had a very helpful operator who walked me through the whole thing and had me trash my current debit card for a new one, that would arrive in 7 to 10 business days. this was tough for me. i DESPISE writing checks. however, it's early february and i don't have a new debit card. i made a call on sunday that was mirrored on monday, to the correct department. my card was sent to my secondary address. . . which is not recognized by the USPS. the USPS address that was correct on every other piece of mail i get from the bank was not used, and no one could tell me why my primary address was bypassed. and more to the point, no one was willing to apologize for it. so, i was told a new card would be sent to the correct address and i would recieve it in another '7 to 10' days. . . there were long pauses in the conversation. as if she was waiting for me to say, 'oh, ok, that sounds great.' i had been totally understanding and rational till this point, where i began to lose my patience. i asked if it was possible to expedite the shipping, since i had been inconvienenced. this was not possible since they couldn't quick ship it to a PO address. . . . 'oh, well my secondary address is a fed ex/ ups address, you can next day it there.' again, . . no, they couldn't. long pause. 'well then, i guess we're done here.' 'is there anything else i can do for you ma'am.' 'no, you just proved that you can't, we are done.' click
at this point i've decided to change banks, this is too much hassle, the bank is too far away to deal with this type of issue. so, i can only expect that something within all this has made my phone bill go haywire, and i can't stand to deal with them anymore.
i hd to make another trip to the bank, late at night to make this whole phone bill thing work. i really expected to get mugged, only because it would so perfectly add one more problem on top of everything. thankfully, it didn't happen. though, with my rage, i could've used a mugger as a punching bag and let off a little steam.
this morning, i was able to see a way through the whole thing, and within a week, i think it will be completely cleared up, bankwise.
moving on to later in the day. after a trip to albuquerque and back. . .
i walked into the office to see the box my brother sent me. (sorry, here comes another long story)
2 weeks ago i'm on the phone with my brother. he tells me he has a box for me. it's my christmas presents. i get excited and tell him to ship it to me, i want the presents! he tells me that there is a 'theme' to the box that i will understand when i see it. jokingly i ask if the theme is 'christmas'. . . no, i will see when i get it.
i don't get it that week, and last weekend, i notified dan that he needed to send the box out because i had had a nightmare about it. in the nightmare i get the box and open it in front of my co-workers. on top is a decent long sleeve black shirt with some clever technician logo on it, then begins the horror. several brightly colored disney themed zipped up hoodies. i pick up each one and am pushed further into wondering how my brother traverse the disney store thinking that, 'this would be perfect for erika.' they had bows, ruffles, and sheep patterned fluff. i remember there being lots of pooh, eeyore, and the bright pink of that ballerina hippo from fantasia. i'm disturbed but dig for the possible redeaming gift of the family guy episodes that i mentioned. i come across a set of books. there were three, but i can only remember the subject matter of two of them. the first, 'how to tell if you are gay' by the fraggles. the second, 'how to masterbate' by the muppets. i think i'm blessed that i can't remember the third. i can only imagine they kept going down hill. (did i mention that my dreams can be REALLY unusual and vivid in detail?) there were other bits of colorful disney cheerfulness inside that i have also forgotten, but i think you get the idea.
so, sometimes my dreams are so vivid that i have a little trouble distinguishing them from reality at first. so i deterred from calling my brother to tell him the dream in case he had actually gotten it for me (and i hadn't just dreamed it), worried that i might hurt his feelings. but later in the day, my jugement was better and i told him the whole dream and we laughed over it.
so, i got the real package today. opened it. and this is what greeted my eyes.
brightly colored, pink even, cheerful, disney character. before showing this and telling the story, i called my brother. 'are you fucking with me?' -no, this was really the present he got for me. the theme was cheshire cat. me and the cheshire go WAY back, to when i played it in a 6th grade play, my email is derived from it. . . . but this was messed up. i was totally jolted the whole day. i shared the story with nearly everyone in the production department. the list of books got the best laughs. - i do admit that if those books existed i would TOTALLY own them. . . who in their right and properly twisted mind wouldn't?!
the next good part of the day was in the form of an email.
my friend swon, who i haven't heard from in about a year, finally emailed me. i was so happy i nearly started crying. i'd emailed her so many times, sent her care packages, letters, i even tried to call her, but getting through to korea that particular night proved impossible. . . damn calling cards.
anyway- along with my talent for bizarre dreams, i have an active imagination. . . . she could've been terminally ill or hurt. . . perhaps her parents no longer wanted a nasty american to influence her life and had some how cut off all communication between us. . . she had been kidnapped and was kept in a dark dank basement, with no internet connection allowed. i know. lame and unbelievable. . . but i missed my friend. anyway, it turned out that she was just incredibly busy. and it sounds like she's doing really well, and i can't wait to get a longer and more informed correspondence from her (hint hint, if you are there swon! ^_^)
i had so much energy all day. i went to the gym tonight, which is usually really rough after a 10 hour day. and instead of having one of those draining workouts that make you feel all run down. i had a great workout. i walked away feeling like i had just played one of my better softball or soccer games in highschool. the music, though i have listened to it thousands of times, was fresh and high energy. i moved easily, i streched really well. there's that moment, that perfect moment when a softball hits the fattest part of the bat. when it hits right, you feel the hit, and hear that crack. you know in that instant how good the hit is. for a split second everything was tense in you, then it breaks and releases in that hit. i felt like i had hit a number of those. electricity was surging through me. i walked out to my car wanting to kick ass. if ONLY i had been born a demon hunting vampire slayer. i would've totally rocked tonight!
anyway. onto the rest of my relaxful evening. i was so pumped about today, i almost sent this entire thing out as an email rather than a blog. . . but i've calmed down a little since then. have a great one!
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