Easter is Especial!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!!!

Today included:

Girl Scout cookie breakfast!
fatty treats everywhere I turned!
Swimming!
Latte!
egg dyeing!
sunshine!
family fun fone calls!
an earthquake!
a cheeseburger!
all-day friend fun!
red wine!
french fries!
How to Train your Dragon the movie not in 3-D but still so great!
Rain!
And it's about to have a dash of Salman Rushdie!

This day has been full of surprises and reminders of love and life and joy.
This morning I learned a friend just gave birth to a baby girl.
This evening I learned a friend just lost her father.
And all day I saw people running the emotional range available to us - from the husband and wife really pleased to be in church together, to their teen son who looked as if he'd been asked to stand on hot coals for an hour by sitting next to them. Experiences experienced everywhere from the best to the worst, and today i'm sending positive peace to anyone who will take it.

Peace peace peace peace peace to you and beyond

Easter Eve!

Hi all! It's Easter Eve! Which means, as of tomorrow, I am not Lentenly required to write this anymore. That is some relief, as I won't be writing bleary-eyed half-coherent "from bed without contacts" posts, but I also feel it's bad as I don't think I've accomplished as much in my blog this year as last year. And I also feel like I kind of have gotten on more of a roll as of late. Maybe I've just been writing longer, more rambling posts? Which feel way more natural to me? I dunno. Anyway.

Yesterday, in addition to having a fantastically calm and quiet Friday, I also got a new book out of the library - Fury, by Salman Rushdie! When I saw the title and realized it was indeed the word fury, i went for it. Lately I've been seemingly full of rage or negative energy, which also sometimes fluctuates to completely elated, fantastic energy. I'm sure someone's thought of a better way to describe contrasting depression and mania...hm...manic behavior....angry behavior of the depressed. Hm, if only I could think of something. Maybe with a hypen.... Anyway, I was thrilled to find a book by a favorite author that seemed to touch upon what I'd been feeling lately, I happily tucked it under my arm then giddily skipped across campus and toward my car, glad to be let out of work a bit early for the Easter holiday. There was a Police cover band playing "So Lonely" on the quad. The sun was shining. I was free! And felt good! Woo! In the spirit of my giddiness, when I looked at what was playing as listed on the movie theater marquis on the way to my car, I saw the phrase "Train Your Dragon" (yes I want to see that movie). My head just kinda started running with that in a commanding way with this crazy energy that's been around lately.

So tonight, though I'm more drowsy than fired up, I'm going to let myself run with that first found thought and see where it takes me. Happy Saturday everyone!

Friday Sunshine - So Lonely, So Lonely, So Lonely

Train my dragon
Paint my wagon
Ride my see-saw
Laugh at hee-haw
Keep the faith
Fail the safe

Come on in
Yes, we're open
Shirt and shoes required
Meter time expired
For a limited time
Let your light shine

Feel so alone
Throw a dog a bone
Got sin? Atone
Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lonely

What's love got to do with it
Where's the baseball to hit
Who's on first after all
When you need a friend, call
you're OUT my name

There's so much sun at the setting
Too many names worth forgetting
Too many shames for regretting
Too many rains that do not let in
the ease or the sleep or the win

This will be the time
My Sting operation
This thrill will be mine
This dance my vocation
Know my hope
Know my buzz
Know the frenzy
of the klutz
This will be the transformation
Every little thing YOU DO
is magic
is mine.

Turn that Rock into Meat...and put it on Bread

Somehow when the light is brightest in the Lenten tunnel, the temptation somehow seems worse. While I am most certainly a lapsed Catholic in many ways, I try not to eat the meat on Fridays, and I've given up on the cookies and am doing a shoddy job of blogging. When my Girl Scout samoas were delivered more than a month ago, I opened them and shared them with others, and did not feel compelled to eat one. It was not hard, because it was like, nope, still have a long way to go. But as of last night, they've been glowing heavy from behind the closed cupboard door like the Ring in the mind of Frodo. I'm not saving the world by not eating cookies, mind you. I certainly just transfer cookie desire to chips and chocolate. But my self control is really really bad. And apparently, getting worse toward the end.

Today a coworker announced he was in search of his traditional Good Friday philly cheesesteak sandwich, a hilarious premise and tradition in and of itself. Kind of a real F you to the whole Lenten Friday meat abstaining thing, more so because it takes place on THE Friday of Lenten Fridays. But after talking about cheesesteaks all day, and then watching/smelling/salivating as two coworkers ate them, I was having trouble with the no meat thing. I just wanted to go through the Wendy's drive-thru on the way out of work and get the Bacon/Bleu burger and a frosty and dip chicken nuggets in that. And I don't typically go through the Wendy's drive thru after work. It was absolutely a case of wanting it more because I could not have it.

After making it through, and looking at the samoas knowingly as I put some clean dishes away above them this afternoon, I found myself able to have the Friday I wanted to have last Friday, which instead became me writing an angry rant about the noise control issues of my neighbors. Sure they've got a phone book that was delivered 2 days ago and 2 take out menus outside their door inviting trouble and indicating disregard for their space, inches from my door, but hey, they're very QUIETLY not taking in the junk mail left on their stoop. Thank you neighbors.

Tonight I did the two loads of laundry I wanted to, and the dishes, and the sitting in peace on my couch eating chips and watching a movie I had not seen but wanted to - yep, it was Cars, the Disney/Pixar movie. Happened to be on the Disney Channel. And I only missed about 3 minutes of it!

Yes, yes it is the same premise and a story that's very close to Doc Hollywood, but guess what - I loved it. I love talking cars. I really am a sucker for animation - this is fairly widely known. But once again as I will gladly tell anyone - Up was the best movie I saw last year and do not understand how it was not the best picture given that it made me experience close to 75% or more of the gamut of human emotion and I was still thinking about it for weeks after, telling people to see it like I was trying to convert them to a new church or the Atkins diet - It will change your life! The Pixar folks really make round characters and tell good stories. Yes. Yes they do. I love those cars! Like I loved that old man and his boy scout! They manage to make me care about everyone in the movie. Mission accomplished.

Also, this movie, like Fantastic Mr. Fox of Thanksgiving, made me go - Wow, that's amazing that even just the voice is incredibly well acted. Paul Newman is a tremendous car! He brings some grit, emotion, and depth to what might otherwise be the feel-good old timer character of this movie. I had the same reaction to Meryl Streep in the aforementioned Mr. Fox. I mean, even as a fox, she is exceptional. I feel her fox's emotions. I believe that fox. Like I believe the anguish of a tarnished past for Newman's car.
That takes some chops!

Well, a TGIF to all with especial hopes that your Good Friday is a really good Friday, and that you avoided, or indulged in the cheesesteak you so richly deserve as needed.

Making up for sleep time

While it may appear to a casual reader that I was wasted or one-armed while typing last night’s entry, I promise that everything written there was, in fact true. I was just in bed and without the corrective lenses required to operate motor vehicles and, apparently, blogs. Apologies. Skip that one.

Today I’ve got a jumble stewing in my own brain. I think it might involve the massive quantity of caffeine I consumed around 2 p.m., which, as I type this, I realize might mean I’ll be crocking again this evening at about 2 a.m. when I’m unable to sleep. I mean, I’m affected. Addled even. I just went to the library to return one book (the one recommended yesterday!) and check out another, and I realized upon arriving there that I had not brought my library card. Turns out that whole loaner system only goes so far. It’s not a trust library. They’d prefer an actual record of what you’ve got and when you should bring it back. Library, I respect you. This one was my bad.

Anyway – rapid fire topics!

Topic One: Insidious marketing in my favorite t.v. shows – everyone sees this for what it is, right?

Last night’s episode of “Modern Family” – handsdown the funniest new show on t.v. at present – involved an A storyline that revolved around a character’s birthday desire to own an iPad. Now, this ABC show is Disney affiliated = Apple affiliated = iPad-happy. So the episode focused on the mania and excitement one lovable nerd would experience in desperately wanting Apple’s newest i-gadget. And yes, while very true to life for many iNerds and even common un-techie folk alike, the fact of the matter is that was essentially a 26 minute informercial for the iPad. Yes, I get it has to happen, but man, sometimes I hate it when there’s no acknowledgement of marketing’s fourth wall and there should be. Like, television programming is around so that we are encouraged to buy products, but I hate when the commercials get all up in the television programming to the point of being essential to the story rather than throw away product shots (every HP computer used on NBC Thursdays), or one-off mentions by characters (the guys checking the navigation system of their Ford on “White Collar” or Chuck of “Chuck” using the backup cam on his Nerd Herd Toyota) and pretend like they’re not there. The same thing bothered me about last week’s “Office.” Yep, it was funny, but how many time did the character Michael Scott say the phrase “Date Night!” excitedly? Coincidentally the name of his movie soon to be in theaters this April 9^th take your whole family! I guess the manner I prefer, if we have to have such blatant in-show promotions to the point that character dialogue reflects the product, is that employed by “30 Rock” – making fun of yourself for doing it, and for the company doing it, and the entire industry. They go for broke. And it’s true to character and show. It’s self-skewering! I like it.

Topic Two: Refrigerators

This I bring up just to close the loop on yesterday’s mention of today’s topics, and because it’s top-of-mind concern to me. As we know, things I value most: food and television. I have some concerns my refrigerator might not be functioning at top speed/freeze any more. I think it’s still functioning well enough to keep things cold enough not be outright rotten, but that there’s a window where it warms up enough to make bad stuff grow, then cool down juuuust enough to cultivate those funky bad things so that my refrigerator is slowly becoming a den of self-poison! This could be the caffeine talking, but I’ve actually had this theory prior to jazzing myself beyond all reason with a giant Wendy’s iced tea this afternoon. Now, even if that’s not what is happening in my fridge, I still think it’s a compelling idea for a movie or short story or episode of Law & Order (I LOVE YOU LAW & ORDER!)! The slow and painful poisoning…done from the inside! Something as rotten as a crockpot full of fish.

Did you catch that?

When I shared these concerns with friends, I was informed that I was indeed boring and ridiculous with the story I was telling. It was quite hilarious at the time because that assessment was 100% correct.

Topics Three and Four: Spinning Austrians!!!

I had a hilarious experience at a spinning class yesterday. The instructor was so intense and ridiculous that everything he said made me laugh rather than inspiring my fastest pedaling on a stationary bike. All of this was done to the backdrop of a house mix from a euro-rave. I think this might be fertile ground for a full essay, so lemme just stop there. Here’s the punchline – though I pedaled far, I got nowhere.

Topic Five!: Cheating!

A few days ago I heard the song OPP on the way to work. A fantastic song that masterfully samples “ABC” by the Jackson 5. But the whole message of that song is hey, I like getting with other people’s lovaaa’s. No big whoop, but there’s an entire verse devoted to the blatant message and advice that the key to getting with OPP is not TALKING about OPP so you don’t get caught. It was so hilariously shameless. Like, hey dummy, cheating is awesome. But don’t talk about it! You’ll get busted!

That made me think of other songs that are blatantly about cheating, and I remembered crockpot lists were fan favorites last year. So here’s some great songs about cheating, in no particular order. Suggestions welcome. And a great many oversights in the country realm are acknowledged.

OPP – naughty by nature

Have you ever loved a woman – Derek and the Dominoes (one of many of Eric Clapton’s great, cheating with George Harrison’s wife – inspired songs. Really, whole awesome album came out of this)

Run to You – Bryan Adams - yep, listen closely. That love is forbidden!

Tusk – Fleetwood Mac – again, one very direct entry in a collected work that has quite a few homages to lovers-scorned

It wasn’t me – Shaggy, featuring Rik Rok(?) HILARIOUS. Like, this one is so shameless that I can’t help but love it – you were caught? In person? On camera? With a ton of supporting evidence? Deny it anyway.

Pina Colada Song (escape)– Rupert Holmes – when is cheating hilarious? When you want to cheat on your partner and your partner wants to cheat on you too! Ahhh, ain’t love grand. Really. A case of figuring out a song was ridiculous well after hearing it many many times.

Two Silhouettes on the Shade – the Rays, covered by Herman’s Hermits – This is a case of mistaken cheating identity, but it’s still a great song, great story. The Herman’s Hermits version is of course…upbeat

Chain of Fools- Aretha Franklin – it’s a good song.

Anyone Who Had a Heart – Dionne Warwick – I’m pretty sure this one is Burt Bacharach, right? No one does devastating love better. And this one, though “untrue” is the only real cheating reference, seems to work for me

Maybe I know that He’s been Cheating – Lesley Gore – this is as edgy as Lesley Gore gets, and I like it.

Cecelia – Simon & Garfunkel – shaking our confidence daily!

Ok, I have to go, but I’ll think of more!

The Blurry Blank Page

Hey all, dspite better intentions, i have not written in the crock today. I've taken my contacts out. And brought my comptuer to bed. I'd much rather bring a book. I highly recommend The Plague of Doves by Louise Eldrich - incredible stories, inclredibly lyric.

Anyeay, I can't see what I"m typing without squinting right now, and all i really wnat to do is sleep sleep sleep. I even was attending a writing related meeting- not just watching tv! But as i just received a package for Easter that compels me forward toward the deadline without skipping more days, I hvae to come here and tell you how much I don't want to be writing this right now. Also this current position is some sort of tricep exercise given my current arm position. Anyway. I really do apologize for making this more like a facebook wall than a functional blog. I am tired ya'll!
things to talk about tomorrow
cheating
spinning
austrians
refrigerators.

until then