Isn't that the truth? :D

4 dogs can't possibly be more controlling than 10 cats!

Weight wise, they win. Let's do the math:

Cats = (9+13+11+6+8+13+10+11+12+15) 108 Pounds
Dogs = (19+55+85+70) =239 pounds

I weight more that the collective cat population but the dogs combined weight MUCH more than me.

Agreed. Do Mt. Vernon.

Didn't have the time to do Mt. Vernon - didn't get out of training until late afternoon.

So, I went to the grave of the esteemed William Howard Taft. And came back to the hotel. Because walking around in a suit and dress shoes in this heat sucks.

In just three more weeks, I will be available for dog-adopting. WOOT!

If you want a pug, I can steer you in the right direction.

The company I have worked for these past 28 years is having a hard time. Layoffs occured today. My mother and my son were among them. My 22 year old son can find a job, but my 66 year old mother who can't drive is another story. Her SSI is nill, and minimum wage won't cover it. I'm worried about her.....

:(

For a second there, I thought Cherny might be a new member of this site (possibly NSFW)... :evil:

And I just found out that Unemployment is only about 40% of her pay. Ouch.

And now I may also be needing to look for a new job from the sound of things.

On a good note, we just got back from my wifes back doctor. Everything looks good (L4-L5 bone fusion) and she will be starting PT soon.

I can feel the love.

Thanks, now I have "Can you feel the love tonight" stuck in my head. ;)

~~~~~STRESS~~~~~

Is it possible to Rick-roll oneself?

So I'm sitting there ay Haus of Pizza, nonchalantly enjoying my Panzerotti and writing posts about the effects of post-war periods and resulting decandence in the culture, when a lady at the table across from me passes out in the middle of laughing at something, and falls off her chair. She woke up, and the ladies started to close up their meal to get her home when she conked out again. She still tried to decline medical treatment, but one of the waitresses had already called 911, and didn't call them off when the lady said she just wanted her friend to take her home.
Turns out the fire station is just behind (across a small street) the restaurant, so the EMTs (okay, hot firemen) simply walked over with their kit, and met her right out the front door as she was leaving and made her sit down and let them check her out. Good thing, too. One faint can be chalked up to a lot of recoverable conditions, but two in a row is a sign that something DEFINITELY ain't right!

And that's all I know because then I walked over to the hair place.

too much gin with lunch.

Is there such a thing?

nott in mai oppinionion, fossifer.

My grandma does that, low blood pressure due to medications. Scares the hell out of people.

They're engaged! (How did he get so grown up?)

Started rehearsals for Evita this evening. Music rehearsals this week - we start staging after the director gets in on Sunday. I'm very excited. Oddly, I'm a little nervous - new company and director for me.

did you know a neutered dog will still get it on with a girl dog in heat?:eek:

Last year, my neutered male dog was repeatedly mounted by the spayed female he spent the summer with.

Don't tell the Mormons.

My neutered dog just humps his stuffed animal dog toy.

If you're building muscle, you may not notice a drop in weight. You will notice a difference in measurements though.

Soooo... I received a friend request on Facebook from a HS friend I haven't heard from in over 20 years. It seems that he has become a semi-famous musician in the interim. Interesting.

Anyone we might have semi heard of?

My guess: Janis Joplin.

I say, Scott Joplin.

Jon Wahl (Clawhammer, The Amadans)

No, I think its Scott Joplin.

I do not regret the decision to get my hair done yesterday. I felt more confident, looked good, etc. :)

Oh, and the interview went pretty well, IMHO

VMM

I'm sending good job vibes!

Tonight I am sleeping with a dinosaur named Lulu. She's a terribly cute English Bulldog but the noises she makes!!!

Tomorrow, I have one night at home with my own little dinosaur then I move into the Hound category with Cooper the PBGV (Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen). He and his Shih tzu sister Zoi will be romping with Thurston. Thurston and Cooper LOVE each other.

Cooper looks a bit like this guy:



Then the holidays are over and I may get my bed back.

I believe the BBGV is a relative of your hound.

Thanks! Now we just have to wait for the insurance to approve it.......

Wouldn't you?

A little corner of peace...
 

Every time I've gone to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, I tell myself I should just buy a membership. So I did. (It also impressed my date.)

It's right in downtown, less than a ten minute bike ride from my apartment.

And it's a world away, two steps off the street.







www.portlandchinesegarden.org

Just beautiful. I could sit there for hours!

This picture looks like someone is cranking the little guy's tail to get his head higher....

:D

Is that anything like riding the short bus?

Hey, if you're ever in town - the tea house is amazing!

Yma Sumac is buried in Hollywood Forever! I had no idea.

Neither does Yma Sumac.

Today is pie day, so I am home "sick". I am presently listening to a CLE webcast. 1 credit down, 44 left to go!

I feel a pilgrimage coming on.....

Pie day!?! Do I need to buy a pie? Cuase I will ya know - on account of it being pie day.

I think she was referring to the dreaded pie in the face day at work. I'd be staying home too!

Official Government Pie Humiliation Bribery Day!

Oh yeah! How quickly I forget. It's pie day - and not the fun happy kind of pie day. I'm going to have some Cherry Garcia as a direct protest to the pies. Besides, everyone knows that ice cream is better then pie anyway.

For the not Prudence portion of the world, Pie Day is in March.

Ugh... can't sleep.

I think I'll go for a walk.

Did you make it back or get mugged?

I spotted a car in the parking lot this morning that had a NRA sticker and a "Straight But Not Narrow" rainbow sticker. That's not something you see every day.

Wow, I can't get my head wrapped around that image at all! Pretty cool, though.

But I do, day after day after day... And now we come to the most dangerous part opf our journey, the return to civilization! Please keep your hands and arms inside the boat, we we wouldn't want to scratch up the dock.

I wish I had a lemon meringue pie :(

Mmmmm... Boysenberry Pie....

I want a raspberry pie. I may have to go pick some raspberries after i pick up the kid.

Blackberry pie is delish... although Key Lime is also very tasty and refreshing. Or I could go Chocolate Silk too... but that's a little heavy for a hot summer day.

Pie.

Pie is good.

I still want a lemon pie. :(

Glazed Strawberry pie with oatmeal crust..... Mmmmmmmm

Oatmeal crust? Really? What is this oatmeal crust of which you speak?

Dammit! We're still talking about pie??

I want pie.

I have leftover strawberry pie at home.

And about 3 bites of nectarine cheesecake.

Henry's is having ridiculous produce sales today (double ad Wednesday). I have a ton of fresh produce now. Maybe I can make my own pie.

Just what it sounds like... Oatmeal (real, not instant), butter, sugar, cinnamon… Yummy! Want me to post the recipe?

Hmmm, is there a Hof's Hut visit in my future? Lemon Meringue sounds great right now.

I would like it, even if she doesn't! It sounds intriguing with a strawberry pie.

The only oatmeal crust I have made was from crumbled oatmeal cookies, kind of like a graham cracker crust.

Chris is home and we're going to Hof's. Maybe I should get a pie appetizer.

What would be the main course after a pie appetizer?

You got it!


Oatmeal Pie Crust


Oven: 350°

2/3 cup butter
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place butter in pie tin, and put in hot oven to melt. In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Add to melted butter in pie tin, stir. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove and shape to pan. Cool.

And here is my mom's strawberry pie recipe to go in it!


Glazed Fresh Strawberry Pie


1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 ¾ cups cold water
1 regular size box strawberry gelatin
2 boxes whole strawberries, washed and capped

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in cold water. Cook mixture until clear, stirring constantly. While mixture is hot, stir in strawberry gelatin. Cool in refrigerator until it’s just beginning to thicken.

Fill baked pie shell with the strawberries. Pour chilled glaze over strawberries. Place pie in refrigerator to set and chill.

Appietizer?

Speaking of pies, here is a homemade banana cream pie which I made for dessert a few nights ago. And, yes, I did take a photo of it before it was cut up and served.

Just got back - it was a hell of a walk.

More pie

Well, I had a salad first and then we ordered Coconut Cream Pie to take home. I was too full after my salad to eat pie right away and Hof's serves mini pies instead of just a slice.

Ask and you shall receive. ;)

You know who does a killer pie crust? (Yes, you probably do) : Prudence

Pru, any chance we can talk you into posting the recipe for your crust?

This is what I get for staying up late and watching late night tv... I'm just sitting here, all innocent, and suddenly I get this idea in my head that I should make a bacon puppet and send it in to Craig Ferguson.

... No, I really have no idea why. But that makes it even funnier. I almost wanna do it just to see if it would make it on the show.

Goonie, I totally think you should!

In other news, I paid off another cc today. :D

Pie crusts are 50% ingredients, 50% method, IMHO.

I think she needs to have us over for a class to demonstrate the method! ;)

:snap: :snap: . bravo. hella good feeling aint it?



I just keep paying off the same one over and over...which I suppose is good to a point. its the other (remaining) one thats taking all the time and effort now.

Congrats to you! Sounds like you are on a roll. I have one you can pay off in order to keep your streak going....

:-)

Sorry Moonie, I've got 3 more to pay down, with larger balances. But I am seeing some headway, it's a great feeling. Of course, I still need to get the state off my back from the reassessment of the 2006 taxes. But, it's all good! If I keep this up, I may be able to swing a trip south for a few days in the fall and a trip to DL as my reward.

Absolutely. I've tried everyone "foolproof" method and still make a pie crust that is tough and unyielding. The only way I've been able to do a decent pie crust is to use the food processor and handle it as little as possible.

This is also an incredibly delicious and fabulous tart receipe, for the tarts amongst us.

Meyer Lemon Creme Brulee Tart

Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 teaspoons (or more) chilled whipping cream

1 egg white, beaten to blend

Filling
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel

Lemon slices (optional)


For crust:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Using on/off turns, blend in butter until coarse meal forms. Add 4 teaspoons cream. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in, pressing to form double-thick sides. Bake crust until golden, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 18 minutes (small cracks may appear). Brush inside of hot crust twice with egg white. Maintain oven temperature.


For filling:

Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, cream, yolks, and eggs in bowl to blend well. Mix in lemon juice and lemon peel. Pour filling into warm crust. Bake until filling is slightly puffed at edges and set in center, about 30 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Preheat broiler. Place tart on baking sheet. Cover edge of crust with foil to prevent burning. Sprinkle tart with 2 tablespoons sugar. Broil tart until sugar melts and caramelizes, turning sheet for even browning, about 2 minutes. Transfer tart to rack. Cool until topping is crisp, about 1 hour.

Push tart pan bottom up, releasing tart. Place on platter, garnish with lemon slices, if desired, and serve.

Keep your butter cold!

If it takes too long put it back in the fridge so that the butter does not come close to melting.

Mmmmm - lemon tart. I'll totally tart it up for that!

Thank you so much, it sounds intriguing!

I have a question though; You don't shape the crust to the pan until after it comes out of the oven the second time?

I've never heard of such a thing. I must try this out for myself.

I am intrigued. It almost sounds like baking a cookie and then smooshing it ino the pan still hot so it holds it's shape. Must try this.

Most of my "method" involves unwrapping the refrigerated dough from the grocery store. But, on rare occasions I actually do make crust. I think this is the requested recipe.

Sorry to interrupt the pie thread (maybe we should have our own thread about pie - or a recipe thread?) but.....

I just had to say that all THREE trashcans that were over the top full are now empty. It's a good thing!

So - I'm out to lunch today with a work friend at Carl's Jr. There's an elderly man exiting the double doors and my friend opens the door and says something nice about holding the door open.

I, in turn, am standing blocking the other door while a teenager is standing there waiting for me to move to get out. I say something like - and I will gladly block this door and prevent everyone from getting out. ha ha. yeah- I am a comedian.

The teen says - hey - do you want my watermelon? I'm thinking several things. Is that a hidden meaning for something else? Is there a watermelon stand around? Is there a hidden camera?

Apparently he was in ag. class and grew watermelons. It's freakin hotter then heck out here and he had it in his backpack and did't want to have to carry it home.

It was such an expected thing - but I'm now the proud owner of a watermelon some young kid grew for school.

ok....didnt see that coming

:snap:

So, Ken and I have started to toy with the idea of buying a house again. There are some really awesome houses in our town going for $300K and even less. Most are 3-bedroom, around 1,100 sq. feet, but sit on large lots of 8,000 sq. feet, giving us a lot of add-on options later down the road. :)

So, we've put through some inquiries with a few lenders to see if we can pre-qualify. And, with our criteria, we've already been told we qualify for a 30-year fixed FHA program, with our total monthly payments being close to what we already pay in rent.

The catch is coming up with the required 3.5% down payment (which is even allowed to be a gift), so we're exploring some options on that now, which might actually let this come to fruition in the coming months. :)

If there's one good thing about this recession, it's the availability of cheap/affordable housing.

In the meantime, our landlords have given us permission to paint, so I'm going to add some color to our home over the next few weeks. I've been needing a change of scenery (mostly from over-working), and a bit of color will really help with that. I'm thinking of going deep burgundy or grayish-blue for the office. Some folks argue that it's a waste to put money into a rental, but for me, it's a $30 bucket of colorful happiness. ;)

Isn't that how "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" started?

Save it. Especially if it's been genetically modified to talk. It might be worth something someday.

Prices a low in the housing market but there is a TON of competition and things are selling above their list price and most have multiplle offers on them. Bid high and put in multiple offers - making sure you stipulate that you are making multiple offers when you send in your offer.

My friend has been trying to buy a place for about 6 months now and is having a terrible time. She's been outbid many, many times. FHA has also been a stickler on their requirements.

Make SURE your Realtor is experienced and has been in the business a long time. Sometimes knowing the selling agent makes a WORLD of difference. This is NOT the market that is friendly for a new Realtor.

Yeah, the lender informed us that we could take months to land something, and we can't get "attached" to any single property - it's almost luck of the draw. But, that time frame totally works for us, as I'm not really wanting to move anytime this year.

This particular lender works side-by-side with a realtor who's been in the business for over 30 years who has rave reviews that I've been able to check out. We'll probably meet with both of them by month's end to start dipping our toes in the pool at least. :)

We're doing the same thing right now. Don't forget about the $8,000 tax CREDIT (not deduction - but credit) if you can buy it before the end of the year.

Yes.

Exactly.

That's great! Did you find out if Garden Grove has programs to help with the down payment? I don't show Garden Grove on that list I found a couple years ago, but that may have changed. However, is FP's employer technically within Anaheim? Because they give assistance to residents or people who work within Anaheim (for purchase in Anaheim, of course). Here are the numbers I had for there:

Anaheim Home Program (HOME)
$35,000 (714) 765-4340

Anaheim Second Mortgage Assistance Program (SMAP)
$25,000 (714) 765-4340

Now, this was before the crash really took hold, so those programs may have changed, but it's a place to start.

Fall and winter are good times to look too, because people get all into the holidays and a large enough number of them decide to hold off till the next spring (peak market) to give the buyer a little extra edge. Although this summer is pretty good too, because of the condition of the market.

Paint is cheap, happiness is priceless. Totally worth the effort, even on a rental :)

Thanks for all the info! I'll definitely check into the assistance grants/programs.

In the meantime, we're pretty much decided on Autumn Maple (dark red with orange hints) or Velvety Merlot (dark red with magenta hints) for the office, Evening Symphony (dark blue) for the bedroom, and we're torn on French Tarragon (dark sage green), Copper Mine (caramel), Laurel Leaf (medium sage green), or Autumn Gold (rich gold with orange hints) for the living room.

We'll start with the office, or course.

Hmmm. Now, it appears we've decided on two shades of blue for the bedroom - darker on the bottom half. We're literally going to invoke the "sea & sky" motif so it goes with our cruise decor. The two colors will be separated by a thin white piece of trim... in the spirit of a ship railing. ;)

Amen, my sister!

Someone got something pretty and shiny yesterday, and he needs to post about it......

Yes, they do! I saw the FB pics, why nothing here??? He looks very handsome in red, BTW

Well, someone needs to turn the light on here, because I want to see red, shiny and pretty.

And, if we're talking cars, I REALLY want to see it because it's going to be a while before I get a new one.

Thurston just peed on a client file.

I'm bummed. Found 2 houses we really liked... one is already done taking bids (although it still shows active on the MLS) and the other house has nearly $400 a month in mello roos. Bah. (why even tease us with that?!) Grr.

So - I'm feeling a bit down today. At least it's Friday.

Oh - that's going to be so much fun for both of you. You both have my symphathies.

What was her diagnosis?

If Chris doesn't take the early shuttle home Im going to eat the leftover pie. So there.

Well, at least you know what he thinks of that client.

maybe he'll return the favor

:evil:

Mmmmm Pie

November 30th

skating babies...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_UxhPbMyy8

that is all....

I have twice in the existence of the show flipped on Fox Sports' "Sports Science".

Both times the show ended up being about testicles. Complete with way too many euphemisms and far too detailed computer animations.

I have never bothered to watch a full episode of this particular television program.

Susan's friends came over to our condo one day when we weren't home (long story), used Susan's recipe, ingredients, pans and utensils, and our kitchen.

Yet the cookies were still different.

Creepy!

So, I was on Facebook and this ad caught my eye...



Umm... my cat's name is Markus. Guess this is how he stays busy while I'm at work...

Cats do love fish.

Plenty Of Fish?!

I spent the day at the Renegade Craft Fair. It was a total blast!

I'm at my parents' house in New Jersey. Just had cold pizza (from 2 days ago) for breakfast. It was wonderful.

But, has your sister gone into labor yet?

Nope. Still waiting.

I was at the Park last night to dance to Stompy Jones. I've mentioned to various people who couldn't change the subject in time that Stompy Jones is the only band I've seen at Disneyland that has enough of a crowd at the end of the evening to do an encore and they're the only band I've seen that Disney allows to do an encore. The first time they played there they did an encore and Disney nearly freaked out but since then they seem to have somewhat accepted the concept of spontaneity.

Last night there was a decent crowd at the end but not a huge amount of applause/demands for one more song so the band didn't come back out on stage. But Elizabeth, the castmember who supervises the whole thing, walked backstage and brought the band out herself. That was a welcome change. Of course the regular dancers there are also APs so they aren't shy about telling her what they want and why they should get it.

I got to spend Friday evening with my mom at the Nordstrom flagship store in downtown Seattle doing the anniversary pre-sale routine. Because my mom is a champion shopper and gets the pre-sale invite, has her "girls" (personal shoppers), and generally rocks. It was a fabulous 4 hours of shopping.

Now I am back and I have a chest cold that is interfering with my plans for the day. But, if that's the price I have to pay for that much shopping fun, that's okay with me.

Do you think I can pass for an 8th grader? Wally has a youth basketball camp and I need to attend!

Perhaps you should write him and suggest that he put on a fantasy camp for adults.

You'd never think watching movies all weekend would be exhausting, but it was. Great fun, good films and some pretty yummy lunches/dinners too. You'd think I'd learn to take the Monday off after the SF Silent Film Fest, wrong. (YAWN)

So I've been catching up as I've been up at my Mom's most of last week with no internet. You'd think someplace would have free wifi but noooo.

DP - We just did the house thing and don't forget to budget for other costs besides the downpayment. You'll need mortage insurance if you're putting less than 20% down, closing costs, appraisal fees, cost of moving, costs of moving your utilities. A good agent and a good mortage broker are your best bets. In this market financing is tough, especially if you're looking at an FHA, they have the strictest regulations. Also if the house doesn't appraise for what your offer is you'll have to pay the difference or you can't get financing.

On the upside from the curious finds in my Mother's basement of doom. We found individually boxed pieces of the grooms cake from my parents wedding in 1960. I can't get anyone to actualy try it though. I'm also the proud owner of all the sugar flowers etc from the cake they served at the wedding. More china has been found. I'm fairly certain 80% of the wedding presents my parents got were never used. Most were in their original boxes and had the cards with them as well. If you ever wrote my mom a letter I have it too. She also had all of her tax info, in little individual boxes by year, from 1972 onward. And if you don't want your kids to know stuff like say you flunked out of college you should destroy the evidence now.

More of the same china or different patterns?

Wow! I think you need Indiana Jones to lead you through the next run.

With each story, I become more fascinated by your mom.

Different - actual china not stoneware. Two different patterns so far but I didn't get much into one box so there could be more. We "think" they were my dad's mom's. She apparently had a ton of glassware/china.

Anyone who gets anything also gets a free box of cake :D

The boxes of cake deserve some kind of art project. I wonder, would it float if you tossed a piece in the ocean?

I've always dreamed of plowing through a basement of stuff like this, it's like a treasure hunt. I know, I'm bizzare.

I am soooo right there with you! But then I'm sort of nosy and enjoy peeking at other people's "stuff".

The cake intrigues me. Not to eat. Just the idea that it's still there and never molded and got icky. It's like mummy cake or something.

No, NO, this just can't be true!

Cats 'exploit' humans by purring


They learn how to do this, and then they do it quite deliberately

Ripped from the pages of "No Sh!t Magazine".

I've never heard the "solicitious purr" from any cat I've ever had.

Pixel only ever begs for one thing and that is just through outright bawling (when she decides she needs some concrete backscratching out on the front walkway). She barely eats and certainly never begs for food or to be petted.

So, what's considered a "high" fever in adults? I mean, I'm not frying my brain with my refusal to go to the doctor-ness, right?

Really, 102 and above. Unless, it's persisted for longer than a day, then regardless of how high it is, you'll need to see a doc.

In case it hasn't lasted longer than a day, be sure to take meds to reduce the fever, or try breaking it via some hot lemonade with a teaspoon of ginger. (It tastes like ass, but it will make you sleep like a baby and wake in a giant pool of sweat, fever-free.)

It's been two days of over 101. Yesterday was 101.1, today 101.5. My normal is nearly a degree below the stated norm.

Ugh. I'll call the doc tomorrow. Of course, it will be 3 weeks until I can get an appointment, so really there's no point.

Well, since it's after hours right now, you should be able to go to the Urgent Care center within your network and see someone immediately for the same co-pay. Most insurances work that way. Call yours and find out - tell them that you're running a very high fever and want to see a doctor tonight and wish to go to Urgent Care and ask what your co-pay is.

I've done that on many occasions when I'm sick.

I have no urgent care. Or nurse hotline. Yay for gov't insurance plans. Maybe if I tell them tomorrow that I think I have swine flu they'll see me sooner.

Whatever works! I say use that line.

In the meantime, Ken (he's a licensed pharm tech) says:

Take two tablets of ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) now.
In two hours, take two tablets of acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Then, in another two hours, take two more ibuprofen.
Two hours later, take the Tylenol again.
Alternate every two hours (each med is only taken every four hours, but spaced out by two hours to prevent side effects) In a simpler example: 7pm - Motrin, 9pm - Tylenol, 11pm - Motrin, 1am - Tylenol, and so forth.

And, he said you need to get to the doctor tomorrow at the very latest. 101 temp for 3 days for an adult is not normal, and needs attention.

What about one of those minute clinics?

And if you tell the doc you have had a 102 fever for 3 days and nothing is bringing it down they better have you come in.

I'm going to call tomorrow morning and see what they say. Sadly, I can't take acetaminophen as I'm the one person on the planet who vomits from taking it. I did take some ibuprofen about an hour ago and I'm feeling slightly more human. The Rat made me some more tea with lemon(cello) and honey, and soon I will be eating bacon. Which should fix everything.

Feel better, Pru.


Katiesue - those NRFB wedding gifts from 1960 are probably worth a pretty penny to collectors!

Pru, get thee to a doctor soon. It's not normal and could signal infection that could worsen.


I went to feed the fish tonight and, suddenly, I have gone from 10 growing plecos babies to at least 27. I guess we had another batch. I can't keep a guppy baby alive to save my life, but plecos - I've got 'em.

Milo Quincy Leonhart. 9lbs 3oz. My new nephew. Hooray!

Thatis an ADORABLE picture!!!! Congratulations to the entire family!

Oh my - did you give him back or are you taking him back home?

It just occurred to me that someone who is not familiar with American brands of dishwashing detergents might be confused by a bottle of Ultra Concentrated Joy.

Then again... Maybe I just need more sleep.

Congrats Jesse!

If you need a home for any of 'em, once they're bigger, we could really use another one for our tank. :)

It's like a human, only smaller!

Awww. What an adorable nephew you've got there.

Feel better, Pru!

I have a feeling Uno Attack is in my immediate future...

Congratulations!!!!!!!! He is adorable!

And what a name!! The kid's got a great future.

Congratulations!

Is that filmmaker Tim Burton holding lil' Milo?

It's late, I'm bored and I just noticed that I only need 6 more posts to hit a 1000.

Nope, only 5 4. :D

What a cute photo! If I'm not mistaken, you wore a Muppet shirt for the occasion - how sweet. :)

Congratulations!

He is adorable, congrats to your family!

Congrats to the Leonharts and Mousepods!

Sooooo..... I apparently have swine flu. They don't test for swine flu specifically now, but there isn't really another flu going around, so the doc is pretty sure that's what it is. I definitely have the flu, as they did the test for that.

And do you know how they test for that? They stick a swab waaaaaaaaaaaaay up your nose. I could die happy if I never had to go through that again.

So, I told one co-worker, word spread, and the interim director just called to strongly suggest that I take the rest of the week off. I decided not to fight it. I'm not contagious after tomorrow, thanks to the antivirals, so I'm okay to go in Thursday, but it would probably be better if I rested up so I can hopefully still partake in weekend festivities.

I think I still have a pig nose left over from a previous mouse adventure.....

We'll try to save most of the teasing for after you're feeling better, how's that? :)

(In the meantime, *hugs* feel better)

Before I make any appropriate or inappropriate name jokes I need to know:

Is he mentioned on that news web site because he's dead?

I couldn't sleep so I made cookies.

I like cookies!

Because we don't have a LOL Celeb thread (yet)
 

I couldnt make cookies so I went to sleep :(

Anyone want a free kitten? One of my clients has some calico kittens to give away and wanted me to send out a general bulletin :)

I don't have a Calico.... J/K!!!!!

But, I'll post it on my Alpha Facebook page.

Thanks!! Just PM me if anyone responds! :) :)

You don't happen to have pics, do you?

Hmmm I could have her email me some. I'll call her tomorrow.

There is nothing - nothing! - like imminent death of a super-controlling patriarch to make the family doodoo hit the fan, big time.

And yours truly will be in the thick of it, seated toward the side of the action, lips zipped, knitting, knitting, knitting, not saying a word.

Just going to sit back and watch eh?

I've been told not to come to work next week either. I was only going to be there Monday, because I'm going to Orlando on Tuesday, but they just called to strongly suggest that I not come in until I get back from Orlando. They are a wee bit paranoid.

Oh *drat*, LOL, just think of all the pie you're missing, Pru! ;)

Apparently they aren't at all concerned about anyone in Orlando...

About to go into another full weekend of rehearsals. This is a great cast -Evta is going to be an awesome night in the theatre for all concerned!

Been having a hard time coming up with the right words to say here, but as some of you on here know, my grandmother finally let go yesterday and died.

It's been strange. I found out in a crowded airport, in the middle of which I proceeded to pretty much break down. I boarded the plane home from Tampa. Though my tears had dried up momentarily, I knew I would cry again, so as the couple sitting next to me was settling in, I forewarned them of possible tears, since I really didn't feel like freaking anyone out, or having to answer questions in the midst of tears.

The woman did a slight chuckle and said, well, you probably couldn't be sitting next to two better people for it. My husband's a grief counselor. We talked about my grandma some, then went on to having one of the best, deepest conversations of my life over drinks and a little cheese, crackers, and dark chocolate. I'll never forget them. Harold and Marilyn, thank you for that gift.

I'm so sorry, Erica. I am glad that your initial hours after the news were... well, not as bad as they could have been.

If there's anything we could do, even if it's just to lend an ear or a keyboard, please don't hesitate to reach us.

"You're in luck, dear, my husband's a grief counselor" sounds like the set-up to an awkward "stuck on an airplane" scene in a movie comedy. It would have been far funnier if their attempts at counseling had dissolved into bitterness and mutual recriminations about loss and failed ambition, with you counseling them.

Failing that, I'm glad they helped you, and I'm sorry for your loss.

You know, I was wondering whether it was going to go that way, SL. In fact, at the beginning, I'd taken all precautions to not talk too much about it, since I thought I was really in the mood to put my head to the wall and become one with the little window.

Happily, we only briefly spoke of grief. Mainly the stages of grief. Each one of my "big" grief experiences have been different. Crying early in one, crying late in another, crying hard throughout, and one instance in which I spent a good deal of time blacked-out.

(When I was 16, one of my best friends, Gary, died in car accident... I really don't remember much of the time between hearing of his death and returning home from his funeral... Just came-to crying and writing down exactly who was invited to my funeral since a number of people that treated him badly through our years decided to attend and act like they were the best of friends to his confused family. Of course, in the fine print, I noted that this would likely change as I meet new people or could become unfriendly with someone on the list.)

The majority of the flight was stuff that the LoT is made up of. Travel, brief interludes of politics, religion, hobbies, and best of all, food and drink.

Oh, lady. My heart goes out to you. My condolences to you and your family. Please don't hesitate to contact us if there is anything at all you need.

Oh, and thank you everyone.

I'm currently awaiting news on when and what will be happening in memoriam for my grandmother. As she is being cremated (time, we has it), and there are a number of people possibly traveling from afar, it may be some time before there is anything official.

Erica, please call if you need anything. And. maybe I can see you in person when you come out for the memorial and give you a big hug.

I just came back from knee-deep in crazy, a.k.a. my mean FIL is in the hospital.

Why is there always so much trash there at your house ? ;)

Let's see.......

Gardner, cat litter, fuzzy water recycling, occasional entertaining, eating take-out/delivery way too much and the fact that we're just trashy people doesn't help. ;)

:D Goodness, would I refer to any of your guests as trashy?? Never !! :D

Well, maybe the foreign ones... :P

I need fashion. Serious, cleansing fashion.

Making or buying?

I'm seriously tempted by a $9 o/w fare JFK - ORD from JetBlue on Saturday. Total cost would be about $160 if I return on Monday. I need to get the hell out of here.

Then take the VanGalder bus to Madison. We'll be pick you up. Edited to add: Just know there's a chance Tom's dad will pass away (any day now, dear Lord. Any day.)

I know that feeling. Hope you can get out of town for a bit.

Having a very fun day- hanging with Sam, and it looks like we're buying into the DVC-checked out the villas at the Grand and we're totally sold! Anyway,we have four passes with two days left on them- first person who can name Donald Duck's middle name (private joke) can have them. Call or post before tomorrow and they're yours!

Fauntleroy.

Whew. Thought I was in the "Announcement" thread and you were attempting to name DM already. ;)

So....Jupiter got Ike Turnered.

I wants one!
 

Now THIS is a knife!
The Victorinox Swiss SwissChamp XAVT


These are all it's features (spoilered only for spacing reasons)I think it also has a defibrillator, jumper cables, and will make dinner for the kids if you're running late.

But does it come with MacGyver to demonstrate how to use it?

No fork and spoon?

Well hello there!

Where'd you find my calendar photo?

I found your secret, "look at me I'm hot" blog.

hubba hubba

On the wall of your cubicle?

Working 1.25 hours sure was a nice surprise today...considering I had asked for the day off anyways. Come to think of it, why did they even schedule me?

/b/?
 

Interesting article, read the whole thing if you want http://www.betanews.com/article/Secu...ers/1248304192 but what I'm focusing in on is this sentence:

"I will bet you a quarter that the highest levels of surfing for midget porn, questionable downloads, and /b/ are done from the CSO's office."

What is "/b/"?

The only thing I know it as is 4chan's forum for random links. Don't know if it has an origin before that.

I hadn't heard of it either, but here it is on Wikipedia, one of the subforums on a message board called 4chan.

Carol Channing Wants Depp to Play Her
 

I am not sure what to make of this.

Hey, now that is cool and kinda sweet. Having enjoyed CC at the Bowl with Pink Martini, I think Depp would be inspired casting.

Johnny Depp as CC ready to be shot out of the cannon in the Raspberries! scene of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" ... yes, I think we have something here.

I don't care how bad the movie is, I'll pay good money just to see that! LOL!

According to this "map," the residents of Alderaan, er, sorry, Alderbaran, 65 light years away, are about to be entertained by images of our WWII ... and won't be treated to the last episode Star Trek: The Next Generation ... much less Star Wars, for whom their planet is named, though they may not know it ... for several more years.


Yeah? So?



Exactly. :cool:

Did you mean recursion?

Why is everyone so grumpy on LoT today?

I'm really happy today- I had nice guests from all over, including a family who insisted to my supervisor that I completely changed their opinion of our park in just a few minutes of listening.

Who's grumpy?

What the hell kind of question is that?




;)

I'm not being grumpy, I'm standing my ground. Like a centaur... like a pensive centaur... in the middle of a field... with flowers...
Hmm.

What were we talking about?

Damn. You stole my response.

Bitch. :mad:

I'm not grumpy- Bobs and I just bought ourselves a bit of The Grand Californian today. Technically, it's the villas next to the Grand, but since we get use of the Grand's facilities (and have a private pool), I'm not complaining. :D

Thanks, Scrooge!:cheers:

I just read some excerpts from The Turner Diaries. Eech... I don't think there are enough showers in the world to wash away how dirty I feel. Sickening.

Me?? Pfft Those villas sold themselves, they did.

I'm really happy for you guys. I have new DVC buddies! :cheers:

That's Miss Bitch to you. :evil:

*ahem* I'm sure FP would remind you it's actually "Mrs." Bitch :)

It was so much fun hanging out with you- we will definitely have to plan more trips together! You are really a great guy, and the kids loved you as well.

It's all about the double tofu at Noodles & Co. Hey, if you lived in rural Wisconsin, you'd be all about that, too.

Seems like only a week ago I was taking an accidental tour of the Port of Long Beach.

Nice tanks

Well, it's not the Neverland Pool ... but, well, I suppose we'll suffer with the private pool ... for your sake ... when you're down here. ;)


Congratualtions. Grand Style.





And, hey, we discovered entry to the Neverland Pool is not exactly high security anyway.

I also want to apologize to Sam and to the Spokane crew for neglecting to make sure they were guide-toured on any new Disneyland stuff while they were here.



Most importantly, the new (old style) Sleeping Beauty Walk-Thru. Please, please, please tell me you did that one.

Revised Small World is a mixed bag of stupid Disney characters with their own annoying music, but combined with the most beautiful restoration of the Mary Blair interiors ever achieved.

The every-15-minutes night lighting at Tinkerbell Hollow is worth checking out.



I'm so sorry I forgot you guys hadn't been here since any of that went in.



Pffft, during Disneyland Birthday weekend, we barely set foot in Disneyland. :D

LOL I didn't even set foot in Fantasyland the entire time. I can't speak for the Great Northern group.

I showed Wendy Tinkerbell Hollow as we were limping to the monorail station, but we didn't stay for the show. Wendy's wrapped ankle and my pounding knee dictated that we keep moving.

Oh well... December's coming!

I'm still sick. I just want to die now, and get it over with.

First time I got to use my Italian language skills outside of Italy. Found out I reeeeeeeally suck at Italian at this point. Haha.

A Rosetta Stone ad come to life!

Morrigoon was a hardworking realtor.

He was an Italian supermodel.

She knew she would have just one chance to impress him.

The one and only time I met Fabio, he got whacked in the face by a goose!

And if you were in any way responsible.... VCMM.

I can't wait to see pics of the new kitten!!!

On Tuesday, I am getting a little puglet girl to foster for a few days. She is coming from Korea where she was rescued from a farm where they raise dogs for meat. She'll only be with me until she goes to her forever home, but it should be fun to have a little girl pug in the house for a bit.

Chris has already changed her name to either Kim Chi or Koji BBQ. :)

Oh my - she's certain to have a better home then being dinner! I guess I didn't realize that dogs were bred and raised for food. I mean - I knew eating dogs happened - but I never really consdiered it in the way that we raise cows for food.

Poor lil doggies.

Oh - and I love the word puglet.

On another note - we're putting in offers on 3 more houses. That will bring us to 7 we've made offers on. Eventually we'll actually get one - right? RIGHT?!!1

Must see puglet pics

Tomorrow. I promise.

So. Hubbo and I are collaborating on his memoir about studying and living with a Native American doctor (shaman, medicine man but they call it doctor). There's a whole lotta peyote in this book, folks.

Peyote holds a certain fascination for me. Never tried it. But all that movie stuff makes it look interesting.

I wonder which dogs are the tastiest. Pugs wouldn't have much meat on them...

OMG ABG! Love the new kitty! Those eyes!! That color! SOOOOO cute! :D

Soooo, I decided to be adventurous last night and finally tried a pistachio. I love 'em. :)

Awwwww, what a cutie pie! Sort of looks like my baby Dexter. Doez we hav name yet?

MY pug doesn't have much meat, but most pugs tend to be a little of the chunky side. Hey, we eat chicken and they weigh less than most pigs. Maybe they fatten them up like Foie Gras geese.:eek:

I was in Vegas over the weekend, came home last night. Some of you saw my Tweets that I was stuck on the 15 because they closed it down due to a trailer (a trailer that hauls gardening stuff, not people) fire.

Party on the 15. "Gives new definition to playing in traffic".

And if K sees this - no, I did not run across the 15. I should have, and could have but didn't think of it.

So we should be careful not to lick the pages?

I've died from cuteness.....

Portland is experienceing a record heat wave. Record highs (102 yesterday) and record length (into the hundreds through Friday). Today's forecast is 105.

Now, to you SoCal Desert Rats this may not seem horrible, and believe me, I grew up in a place where 110 - 115 were regular summertime temps. But we're not set up for this.

I'm just happy to spend the week in a semi-cool theatre.

Bertie is actually a cute kitty name!

Right before I went to sleep last night, I thought the same thing.

Been feeling really down in the dumps for the past month, because I've been working my butt off on a massive web design project while my "boss" has been busy relocating - meaning that I haven't been getting paid for the past month.

Thankfully, he's now settled and we hashed out everything today, and I'll be getting a nice sum in August. Thank. The. Gods.

I feel like I can breathe again. Although, we have a lot of bills to catch up on when that check comes. But, at least now I know it's coming and when.

U.S. swimming champ Ricky Berens' suit split down the backside just before he stepped up to the starting block. There was no time to change, so he went ahead with the race. Here are some pictures of him. You'll be seeing some crack if you click these links, so be forewarned. He has a very nice crack though! :evil:
Towle Road
Huffington Post

It also happened to Italian swimmer Flavia Zoccari.

It is officially 104 in Portland right now. The ALL-TIME high is 107.

The zoo was dead, with fewer than 1300 through the gates, mostly in the morning.

People here are grumpy.

Pity it didn't split down the frontside

I just gotta say that Berens' has a nice booty.

It's a heavy-on-the-mosquito-spray day. It's a perfect-canoeing-weather day.

Later, LoTers! The river calls but the song of the mosquito shall not ring in my ears.

Though the EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOTS of just his bum are a little odd.

Tru Blood For Sale
 

If you've longed to taste the vamp beverage on HBO's True Blood, you'll soon have a chance. Well, okay, not really, but they are going to be marketing a blood-orange flavored soda as Tru Blood so you can sort of look like you're drinking it. It's gonna run 16 bucks for a four-pack, so I don't think it'll be a best-seller, but it might be a nice novelty item.

I love the TV show. I'm a total fan of the books. Will I pay $16 for 4 sodas? Not a chance. Put some alcohol in them and I probably would try them out though.

And now - here's a joke for you all:

The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat. The cat sniffs the body and meows. The vet says, "I'm sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead, too."

The man is still unwilling to accept that his dog is dead.

The vet brings in a black Labrador. The lab sniffs the body and barks. The vet says, "I'm sorry, but the lab thinks your dog is dead, too."

The man finally resigns to the diagnosis and asks how much he owes. The vet answers, "$650."

"$650 to tell me my dog is dead?" exclaims the man.

"Well," the vet replies, "I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $600 is for the cat scan and lab tests."

Bada Bum!

I love True Blood so much I will buy some Tru Blood. It will stay in my microwave for about as long as that Duff Beer sat in my fridge (about a year).


The episode before last was so unbelieveably stupid, I almost lost faith. But last Sunday's was redemption.


Watching Twilight for the first (and last ever) time last weekend made me appreciate True Blood all the more. What a bunch of mopey tween, um-NOTvampire vampire bullcrappy!



I kinda want to go to that Vampire-Con, but it will be full of Twilighters, and I think the war between TrueBloodists and Twilighters will be more gruesome and brutal than that between vampires and werewolves.

Eric... mmmm.... Eric. Can't wait for this to get to book 3.

Sooooo.....do people really find Eric Bana sexy? Usually I can at least see what others are seeing even if I don't. This time, though, I'm whooshed but he keeps getting cast as a romantic lead (or Israeli assassin).

Oh yes! Eric Bana is scrumptious.

You comment may have been unrelated, but I think Betty was referring to vampire sheriff Eric Northman as played by Alexander Skarsgård on True Blood.

Well, it was unrelated in that I knew she wasn't talking about Eric Bana.

It was related in that seeing the name in her post reminded me of the question I was asking myself last night after seeing the commercial for The Time Traveler's Wife.

He's the second sexiest on the show, for sure. Right after Jason Stackhouse, of course. :)

I love how Lafayette described Jason, "sex on a stick!"

Jason was looking mighty fine I must admit all tanned up and all - but he's not very bright. Eric has not only the hot and sexy thing going but the bad boy thing and the power thing. Especially with his hair slicked back like that. Book 3 baby. Am I the only one that's read the books???

I just made a vampire thread.

Very sexy!

YUM!!!!!!!

Eric Bana is not hot.

Meanwhile, LoT is now blocked at work. *sigh*. Oh well - more time for me to work on job applications during my work day.

Viewing it dispassionately, I didn't find his conflicted assassin in Munich terribly sexy. He was passably macho in Blackhawk Down.

For Euromeinke:
Yacht designed to look like a killer whale
I thought it was kinda Jules Verne-y.
:)

There's not enough black! It's like they got their colors backward.

Sooooo ... why are blu ray discs packaged so cheaply, like old VHS rental tapes where they just wrap a leaflet around the standard packaging case?

Um, do they have to start from scratch?


DVD packaging was cheap, too ... when that format started.

So I suppose cool packaging would inevitably be confused with the same-size DVD packaging. But I happen to think really lame, cheap packaging was a poor choice for the aiming-for-upscale, really Unnecessary format upgrade.

WANT!

Well, I think most people today toss the cases, and just keep the discs in binders.

However, I agree that it looks cheap. I wish they'd get a bit more creative.

I've been coming up with new packaging options for my wedding DVDs, since I know my clients would like to keep it separate from their standard movie collections. If I can do it, I don't see why main stream companies can't either. Personally, I'd want my movie to stand out.

Well, believe me, hardly anybody tosses really good and creative DVD packaging. Some of that stuff is gorgeous.

Yeah, I suppose keeping the discs in a sleeve somewhere saves on storage space. But sheesh.


And, wow, I imagine Disneyphile-designed wedding DVD packaging will be wonderful. You are, how shall we say? - the gifted, creative type!

Cost is the most likely answer. Blu Ray's still cost more than DVDs, so the suppliers are probably looking for any way they can keep costs down to keep the price as low as possible. Fancy packaging is a luxury of a product with high profit margin.



See what happened when they tried to do that with the Simpsons. People don't want their movie packaging to stand out, they want it to fit neatly on a shelf like all of their other movies.

Well once I acquire this, there's no limit to what I could do, since it'll save me time, and it's compatible with Illustrator for all original designs. :D

GD makes a really good point about cost though. Plastic cases cost about 5-10 cents each on volume and the inserts are mass printed. Blu-ray is also expensive right now, because people are just being trained in compression for Blu-ray. So, not only are there material costs, but much higher staffing expenses too.

I have tossed all of my excessive packaging and saved on storage space. I have gotten to the point where I don't want to buy product that is excessively packaged, just going to fill up my trash can, and fill up the land fill. We are such a trashy society!

I like displaying my DVDs so I can see what I have at a glance. Alphabetized and everything...

Yeah, I would have a much harder time finding anything if it were all in sleeves somewhere.


Though I suppose a computerized DVD/BluRay jukebox system would be cool ... one that would also skip all previews, trailers, game ads, menus, FBI warnings, THX sound alerts, and even stupid studio logos for the 6 companies that nowadays present a single film ... if they are going to be immediately followed by title cards that repeat the same information. :p





Actually, the thing I am most impresssed about the Prisoner of Azkaban bluray I just bought is that after a single FBI warning, the movie just begins. No menu, no ads, just the movie. Love that.

We have our sorted in our notebooks - Alpha by genre.

Bill and I really need to do that.

How much of a pain is it to insert new additions in the notebook?

No, ew.

What brought him to mind? Did you just see Funny People?

Just as difficult as adding a new sheet of notebook paper to a notebook. It depends on how full the notebook is. If it sisn't stuffed to the gills, it's easy.

So each disc is it's own page?

True that. And what does one do with the insert sheet that has the cover art and track listing?

Also, my DVD collection is part of the decor of my living room.

:D

I believe their notebooks have space for the inserts and booklets.


Our CDs are taking up way too much room and are way too inconvenient to access as they are. We need to do something about that before baby arrives.

I would love if there was an iTunes program for all of my movies that was easy to use. It would be so easy to play stuff.

And mine are part of the decor of ... hmm, my living room, my office, and my gym. My DVDs are everywhere.


Just like Savoir Faire!






(Don't get me started on where my CDs are. New meaning to "everywhere.")

I see.
I think the notebook choice would also deter people from borrowing your DVDs... unless they came with their own empty DVD case or something... Depending on who is asking, I lend my DVDs out to friends BUT I try hard to keep all of my DVDs scratch free and they rarely come back to me that way.

I guess I like the feel of me looking through my DVDs like I was at a library looking at books. I love pulling it off the shelf and having the case next to the player as it plays (because 9 out of 10 viewings of a movie I always refer to the DVD case during the movie to check the film's run time or year etc).

I get how a notebook would save space, tho.

I went to TJ Maxx for the very first time today. Best bargains I saw: the perfumes. I bought a $75 bottle of Lulu Guinness Cast a Spell for $12, very suitable for gift giving.

I like that too. And all the same shape/height. But I only have about 20 DVDs so I've got nothin on most of you.

I think the packaging of the LOTR DVDs are a nice way of displaying them in a unique way.

I think I have about 500 DVDs. Nowhere close to what mousepod has but 500's a lot!
:)

I transferred my discs and keep the cases in a box in storage in case I ever want to try and dispose of them for money.

That said, in the nearly two years we've been in this apartment I think I've opened the drawer holding the 300+ DVDs just once and that was to find a Disney movie my niece could watch in the other room. So I've stopped buying discs at all and am seriously considering just setting the DVDs out on the front porch with a free sign on them.

I don't expect I'll ever buy Blu Ray discs at all.

Transferred them to a hard drive?

A single sheet fits 2 DVDs and their corresponding inserts. Or, one page for a 2 disc DVD.

We have about 500 DVDs and we only kept the ones that have fancy-smancy packaging whole. Disney films were the worst - there is so much trash in each DVD that what was important was just a smidgen of what was contained in the package.

So, about 40 feet bookshelf of DVDs is now taking up the space of 7 notebooks plus 2 small Billy units of special packaged DVDs.

I swear Billy must have bought ad space in NA's posts.
;)
j/k

No, but I know people who do. The larger hard drives out there will hold a few hundred DVDs each.

Alphabetised by Genre??

...You guys wouldn't have nearly enough space in the "P" folder.... :evil:

I like the look and feel of the packages, too. Let me know when you set those out on the stoop, Alex. I'll swing by.


I likely won't buy many blurays either. I'll maybe duplicate 5 or 10 titles I already have on DVD, and then it will only be movies I would buy in the future. In the Netflix age, I buy lots less. Only movies I adore. And I adore many fewer films per year than I used to.

Who told?!

A shame it's missing a TrueHD audio track; it's (imho) the best movie of the series (on Bluray so far).

All of this DVD talk reminded me that I need to get old movies (on film) transferred to DVD. The film is very fragile and has been spliced multiple times. I'm scared to hand it over to get it done, but they can't be watched now because they'll break further.

All this talk of DVDs and packaging reminds me, anyone have a couple of empty DVD clamshell cases you're going to toss out? I just received a boxed set of 4 individually packed dvds and 3 of the 4 clamshell cases was smashed in shipping. If you've got a few empties lying around, I will gladly pay the postage to acquire them to replace the broken ones. PM me

I could spare one. Or two. Or a hundred. Gimme a PM with your mailing address, and I'll send 'em out to you.

Holy sh!t!

One of the cast members for the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee can't do tomorrow's (Sunday's) show. Guess who has to step in and do the part?!

Me.

I'm up at 2am learning the part. I'm terrified and thrilled all at the same time.

Funny thing is is that I'm not all that worried. I can do it. I rarely say that but I can do it.

Butterflies. Butterflies.

Call me Eve Harrington!
lol

:)

W00t! Understudy's BiG BrEAk!!!










will there be an insert in the program, or will they make an actual announcement??

Understudy? That's far less interesting. I envisioned a banging on the door in the middle of the night.

Where the hell is Addison DeWitt when you need him? Break a leg, GC

HOLY SH1T !!!!!!!!

You're NOT going to believe this.... but Stoat and I just finished watching "All about Eve" about an hour ago. No Kidding !!! :eek:

Break a leg, kid :cheers: .... unless you're going to be playing the guy who does the "Magic Foot" in which case, keep it intact - you're gonna need it !!

We have new neighbors moving in across the street. Bill is standing in the front window, being Agnes Kravitz. :rolleyes:

It's the best movie of the series, period. In fact, I'll go further, and state categorically it's one of 10 best fantasy films ever made.


Too bad about the sound. But sound is one area I rarely take advantage of. I live in close quarters to other people, and can't play things loud without being really rude.

I'm sure the sonic differences could be heard at low levels ... but really, it doesn't matter to me all that much.

Break a leg Brad!

GC, I'm trying to envision why a cast member wouldn't "be able" to make a performance. Death in the family? No one in my family would expect me to miss a show for that.

At any rate, break a leg!

Hollywood called.
Swine Flu
A real broken leg
Hit the lottery
Strep
OD

The actor has the flu and gets into coughing fits which last awhile. I think they're going to announce the change before the show begins.

The part is Vice Principal Paunch. The best part about his part is that he sits at a desk for most of the play and often refers to a clipboard. The clipboard is now a script holder. There's a lot of ad-libbing that he needs to do with participants from the audience. I think that part gives me butterflies the most.

I have to admit that I needed to take a Tylenol PM last night to make me sleep. I was restless and when 3am rolled around I figured that being up that late was not good. I had a dream tho that Dave Matthews serenaded me with "Satellite". That helped.

:)

Just got the official word from the producer now.
I go on at 4pm Hawaiian time.
Wow. This is intense.
:D

Have a great time, Brad- and, of course, break a leg! (I'm going to feel really bad if you actually do, though). :)

Visible Bewitched reference mojo. :D

Break a leg, GC!! I know you'll be fabulous!

OOOooooo - how's it going ?

4pm? Late Matinee? early evening performance?

Mmmm...pickles.

Holy Cow. I'm not sure what came over me tonight but the show went well. I got a lot of laughs and kudos after. I don't know where my courage came from but, man, I got over my butterflies and jitters and got the job done. There were a couple of snafus but nothing the audience would recognize as f*ck ups.

I'm so high right now...

There was a moment before stepping on stage where I told myself, 'Run away! You'll feel better!' But as soon as I heard my cue I just let myself go.

It was a blast and a half!

YAY !!!!!!!! Now all you gotta do is drain the guys gastank every night. :D

YAY BRAD!!! KIIIICK ASS! </cartman>

Visible mojo for onstage bravery. You rule.

YAY Brad! You're amazing!

{{{{{{Brad}}}}}}

Way to go, bro!

Wtg, Brad! I was nervous for you- nothing like a really short notice to take over a role, but you did it!:cheers:

Thanks everybody.
I got a nice note from the director who came to see the show. She enjoyed it and gave me a big hug and a Tigger Pez dispenser. A couple of prominent theatre producers came to see the show as well. (And no, I didn't call them.)
lol
:D

Gemini Cricket = SUPER STAR! :cool:

Broadway calls you!



(I wish L.A. had a seriously fantastic theatrical world, or I'd use this as a plug to summon you back. Of course, we beat the theatrical world of Tallahasee or most U.S. cities. But I'm glad you're having acting success and kudos and most of all satisfaction and happiness wherever on the globe you are!)

Yay Brad!! :snap: :snap: :snap:

I was sharing the Benny Lava and Numa Numa/Elijah Wood/Yo Gabba Gabba videos with my pug board today. Any bets on which of the 2 songs I'll be singing all day long?

Is your loony bun still fine? ;)

Memories... light the corners of my mind...

Have you been high today?
:D

Every time I watch that one, I have to watch Maahi Ve, too.
:)

YAY! Brad!!

Why did no one tell me the songs from Avenue Q were so great? How did I not know this?

Meanwhile, I started applying for clerkships again. Same unlikely odds, but I have to do something to give myself hope, and that's what I came up with.

All fire and music! :p You go girl.

Is anyone else having troubles with Facebook? It keeps saying it is having trouble with a flash upload/update and is messing up everything else.

I thought it might be the Zynga {sp} games I play but I don't know. It keeps popping up,but, only on Facebook.

I know I haven't upgraded my flash but I also haven't clicked to authorize it, either.

Hmm. Perhaps it is a glitch.

I have to say, it is nice to come back here after a time and finding everyone {pretty much, except Kevy} around and still living swanky lives. :cool:

Facebook keeps me connected to members of my family that I was having a hard time being connected with, and, need to be. Things going on and sometimes calling people isn't possible, they can access their messages via their cell phones.

I heading out to save a pug's life :)

I'm with Cherny on this one! May I have your autograph please?

VCMM!

YAY Matt!!!

Petunia will be so happy to be out of that nasty shelter and in a home with love. On Sunday, she'll go to her permanent foster home where she can settle in and be loved forever.

Schadenfreude. We just wanted to see you suffer.

So I had 94K frequent flyer miles set to expire next month and I thought I was going to have to convert them into $4,700 in restaurant.com dining certificates but redeeming the first $100 worth reset the the expiration date on my miles to 2011.

Um.... you can go to Europe on 40K miles...

We were at Borders last night getting some summer reading. At checkout the checker mentions that we have two weeks to return the books if needed.

Moonie Junior thinks for a bit then says: "It would be cool if there was a service like Netflix only for books". :rolleyes:

I know you mean libraries. But there are several Netflix for books.

BookSwim
BooksFree
BookSpine

I have a friend who is a member of one of them (can't remember which) and likes it quite a bit. Not because she doesn't realize libraries exist but because of the Netflix-like queue, never having to wait months for a current bestseller to be available while waiting through a 200 person hold backlog, and having to schedule trips to the library in the relatively small windows when they're open and she's not at work.

They found out today that Billy Mays was on cocaine. Are we surprised?

Are they sure it wasn't just OxyClean?

Huh... a certain old-fashioned ice cream parlor soon to open up in Mission Viejo that I sent a resume to actually wants to phone interview me!

Is it wrong that I laughed at this?:D


My friend Mike loves to call and make hair appointments as other people. He does a fine Borat, and his Samir the Indian telemarketer is hilarious. His latest one was Billy Mays, trying to sell me coffins. One of these days I'm going to give him a reverse-Mohawk.

Tonight, Petunia watched 'Nightmare Before Christmas' with Rose and I.

So my bedroom furniture is finally being delivered. I've been on the Aero bed for the last two months. The window is 8-12 today. I had to get up early to get all the boxes etc out of the way. What are the odds they show anytime before noon?

LoT must be magical - they phoned that they were here as soon as I posted.

Last time we had a bed delivered they arrived 3 hours early. Be glad that wasn't your fate.

Yeah, one feels almost like you're spitting in the universe's eye when complaining about that. When we moved in here the cable guy actually showed up a couple hours early and we had to send him away (TV was moved yet).

I was sure we'd never see him again and would have to crawl on our knees to Comcast begging forgiveness.

Yes, but where would you put it? I've seen your garage.
:D

That is ultra-coolness right there. Wow! Very James Bond. I could see Daniel Craig emerging from that swimming pool...

I could see the producers creating such a scene just so they could hang out on the boat for awhile.....

Why not?

Trust me... I'd find a place...

I am sweaty Betty. Just got out of the shower and I'm already already sweaty. Perhaps it's time to indulge and turn on the AC.

Today was delightful. Got some lovely plants at the farmer's market. Then discovered Torrance Beach, which is just fabulous. I could have hung out there all day. But, we had plans to spend the evening at Disneyland so the Rat could watch the electrical parade for the first time. But, now my feet hurt.

Sounds wonderful ! I wish we could have been there. I'd have given you a foot rub.

I think my feet may still be a bit sore. What time should I expect you to arrive for the foot rub?

Well, I got home from the show last night to find my computer dead. No output to the monitor, not taking any input from key oars or mouse. It wom't even turn off at the power switch! The only command it will obey is to opes the drawer for a disc. Turned it off and on T the power source several tomes to no avail. I'm now connected to the world solely through my phone.P:mad:

I made a "practice" skirt last weekend from a book (Sew What - Skirts) I found that shows you how to make your own patterns and make a variety of cute skirts. My skirt was the easiest one in the book, a-line with a drawstring waist that I made out of some fabric from M & L, just to see if the sizing was okay. It fits okay but it's kind of shapeless and I didn't have the best cording for the drawstring. The fabric is this retro-looking print with a building that looks like the Tahitian Terrace restaurant that used to be in Downey (was that the name?) and some tikis and Hawaiian-looking flowers. The print is interesting but the color is not my favorite, kind of a blah grayish-green. Anyway I folded it up and put aside it with plans to try another skirt with a fitted waist and zipper this weekend.

Yesterday I had nothing to wear because all my cotton pants needed to be ironed and I didn't want to bother. So I tried on the skirt with a t-shirt and decided it would work. Then when I was in Trader Joe's a woman told me she loved the skirt, especially the vintage fabric. Well, maybe it isn't as ugly as I think. I told her about M & L and she told me about a fabric place in Cerritos I'll have to check out.

That made my day.:)

Fabric place in Cerritos? Do tell!

There's a really good fabric outlet down the street from us- I got the purple fabric for our drapes there.

But does it match the carpet?


filling in for Kevy

I know two Lisas. They both have menageries. Most of you know one of the Lisas I mean. The Lisas do not know each other. I find it odd they are the only two people I know with menageries.


I spent the afternoon at the menagerie of the Lisa you folks don't know. Two dogs, two cats, three fish, two horses, one chinchila, seven rats.

I'm not sure she beats Long Beach Lisa for quantity, but I think she wins for variety of menagerie.



What is it about that name???

We kind of have a menagerie, but nobody named Lisa in our house.

2 dogs, 3 cats, a rat, a guinea pig and a hamster.